Writing a Book with Soul

I am a firm believer that you can't write about something you don't already have in you. A writer writes and creates out of the abundance in the well of his or her own soul. What is inside will be displayed on the page. If you have a deep soul, you will have a deep book. If you have a wide variety of experiences then your work will reflect that.

In other words, a book is a direct product of who the writer is. When I write I have to dip into my soul and spread it on the paper. Sometimes I do this knowingly, but most of the time this happens without me realizing it. I am just writing about life and characters in the way that seems most real to me. But I have to use what is inside me to create otherwise the story will sound flat, the characters will be one dimensional and the book will lack the one thing it needs: a connection to reality and truth.

So what do you do if you want to write a deep book, a book with soul?

Cultivate you. Cultivate your character. This is an art that our culture has lost, yet even so we all have character. Sometimes if we look at ourselves objectively we realize that our character is not what we would like. We may think we're the good guy, the main character, the hero, but we act and think like the villain.

Often as writers we can be so concerned about our writing skill and developing technique that we forget writing is the product of a person. Skill does have something to do with it and technique is important, but the person writing the story is more important. Take the time to develop yourself as well.

Discover who are you. When was the last time you stretched yourself and tried something you knew you would hate or find boring? All of life is open to the writer's scope. How can you write effectively about boredom or pain unless you have lived them? Do hard things. Learn new skills. Be really bad at something and then watch how you grow. Touch a leaf with your eyes closed. Try to describe the taste of milk. Climb to the top of a building using the stairs and see where you burn. Face your fears. Live.

Writing Blog

A few weeks ago I was approached and asked if I wanted to be a part of a new blog, Write Over the Edge, on writing by writers. The offer intrigued me and I thought I would give it a try. Yesterday my first post was uploaded!

It's called: 4 Ways to Know You Are a Writer.

I'm really looking forward to this and I encourage you to check it out. Especially if you like writing and want to know if you are really a writer or if it is just a hobby. (wink, wink) :)

Fadeout Review

I got my first review for Fadeout today!

4 Stars!!! I'm so excited. :)

Here's a snippet:

"It was one of those books that had me wanting to keep going and keep reading from page one all the way to the end. ...It was 126 pages of awesome story and I never felt like the book dragged on just to fill up pages.... I am really looking forward to this summer when the next installment of this book comes out. " Stacey Mann

If you want to check out the whole review you can click here. Also right now Fadeout is free on Smashwords!! Tell your friends. :)

More is Better?

This is a post which needs participation! :) I've seen these commercials from AT&T for the past few weeks and they've bothered me just a bit. The tag line is "It's not complicated. More is better." But is more really better? What do you think? Are there any circumstances or situations where more is not better? Or is the AT&T slogan right and more is better?

More stars are better. :) Or would more stars mean less sleep...?

Book Cover for Remembered

 

 

Over the last few days I've been feeling a need to focus on marketing a book before I send it out. But to do this the very least I'd need is a cover. So I started working on other book covers for ACFTM and this is the result. What do you think? Does it look like an interesting YA Sci-fi Dystopian novel?

32 Things About Me

1. I used to live on a farm.

2. I'm really responsible, not that I have a choice. I just am.

3. My family had pheasants (note: NOT peasants) when I was young. They got out once and I helped my mom catch them with a sheet.

4. I was homeschooled from K-High School.

5. I use K-High School and not K-12 because I graduated at the age of 16 during my sophomore year.

6. I have a BA in English.

7. Picking the name I would write under was really difficult. There is another writer using the name Christina Adams so I had to do something different.

8. Character is very important to me. If I say I will do something, I do it unless there are major events outside of my control that stop me. See Number 2.

9. (This is only to impress my American friends.) I can speak phrases in 15 other languages, excluding Klingon or Elfish. Including but not limited to: Spanish, German, Russian, French, Hebrew, Latin, Romanian, Hungarian, Uzbek, Arabic, Italian, American Sign Language and dialects from India, China and Namibia.

10. I am not fluent in any language and I could almost include English in that because I am always learning something new. I'd like to be fluent in every language, but I will need to have the life span of a vampire for that.

11. I'd love to read classics in their original language. One day.

12. I've traveled some. Currently I have over 40 US. States and 13 countries that I can remember right now. I may have to come back and adjust it.

13. I love movies. There is something about the visual form of storytelling that captivates me.

14. I love TV shows. Pretty much any crime drama or mystery or sci-fi show hits the spot, with the occasional comedy. Of course Castle is right up there. It's a show about writers!!

15. My family's genealogy is a big hobby of mine. I can trace parts of my ancestry through a line of English and European kings back to a Trojan king line that goes before AD, assuming my sources are correct and there wasn't a stable hand or butler tiptoeing in the shadows somewhere.

16. Other fun points in my ancestry. One of my great.....grandmothers testified at the Salem Witch Trials. And on a different family side in 1635 my great.....grandfather made the long voyage to America and his ship crashed and sank off the coast of Maine.

17. I love pizza. Specifically with green olives for a topping.

18. I love ice cream.

19. If I have something salty I also like to have something sweet.

20. I like to draw, but never really had the opportunity to explore it.

21. I tell myself stories and if you ever see me alone and I laugh it's because I'm one of the funniest
comedians I know, but I will only perform for myself. It's just easier since I already know the audience.

22. I started writing around the age of 11 and my first story was about my mailman who kidnapped a girl and kept her locked up in the back of his square mail truck. Needless to say I'd wait a bit before getting the mail.

23. My eyesight is pretty bad. Some of this is because of genetics, but some may also be because I used to read in the car at night by the head beams of the car behind us. By the way this is NOT recommended, even if you only have three pages left.

24. I love watching the sun set especially if there are clouds in the sky.

25. I think mist is beautiful.

26. My first instrument and musical love is the piano.

27. I can also play the guitar and finger symbols. The latter I'm guessing at since I've haven't touched them in a very long time.

28. I have a side lawn care family business. By lawn care I mean I mow the lawn and pull weeds. By family I mean if you are my grandmother or my parents I will mow your lawn. And by business I mean there does not have to be an exchange of cookies for me to do this. Although cookies do help.

29. I will often try to publish books and short stories on the 20th of a month. My birthday is on the 21st and I like to have all my work done so I can take the day off. It gives me another reason to celebrate.

30. I prefer walking as a form of exercise and I enjoy stretching.

31. I think it's silly for women to make a big deal about keeping their age hidden. I worked hard to get as old as I am and if my face and hair show it that is a price I would much rather pay then the sounds of my knees popping and grinding when I've been sitting on the floor for too long.

32. The number 32 may or may not have anything to do with my age. But it is my favorite age so far. I expect the next ones to be 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40. I could go on....

Fadeout Free

The e-book version of Fadeout, with its new shiny cover, will be free on Smashwords for the next week, or so. Feel free to grab a copy and please share the news with your friends and social media sites! Also if you read it, write a review or let me know what you thought. I love getting feedback. Knowing people don't like it is better than not hearing anything at all. Here's more about it:

Thirteen-year-old Silas fears the day when guards come and remove his memories leaving him an empty shell. He is trapped in the Cartiam, a human farm, and knows escape is not possible, but he can’t stop thinking about it. Especially when his older sister Malina is terrified her time will be coming soon. Ever since he was separated from his parents, Malina has taken care of him and now it’s Silas’ turn to protect her. He has to escape and take her with him.

But when the owner comes to visit, things go from bad to worse. Jamar, the owner’s son singles Silas out and the extra attention brings Silas under the owner’s microscope. The other kids in the Cartiam are unhappy with the way they are treated and rising emotions threaten to ruin all of Silas’ plans. Yet worst of all, Malina herself isn’t sure she wants to hang on. It is up to Silas to figure out the escape and fast. If he fails he could lose everything he loves.                

 

Unexpected Accomplishments

I panicked a little when I realized it's May already. And not just that it's May, but today is the 2nd! What did I do yesterday? It felt like April still had another week, but now it's over. The winter cold is slowly leaving and the sun is radiating warmth.

Every month I make myself goals to complete. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I do things that are completely necessary, but not on my list so it only looks like I've done nothing. Today is one of those days. I decided to play around with some of my pictures and I may have created a much needed new cover for Fadeout. What do you think?