Fleas

The first time I heard this story by Corrie Ten Boom, it stole my breath. For those who don’t know, Corrie and her sister, Betsie, were held at the Ravensbruck concentration camp during WWII.

You can (and should) read this amazing story in Corrie’s own words here. The longer version is in her book, The Hiding Place.

Here’s a quick summary:

The conditions at Ravensbruck were…awful seems far too nice. But Betsie insisted they give thanks.

For everything.

Including the fleas that infested their bunks.

Corrie thought her sister was nuts. Who in their right mind would be thankful for fleas?!

Later, Corrie and Betsie found out why the Nazi guards never intruded on their secret prayer sessions.

You guessed it.

The fleas.


I think we’ve all experienced a few “fleas” in writing and in life. Those little frustrations that won’t go away, the delays just when we feel like we’re about to break through, the backslides when something else rears its head as a priority. We grumble. We cry.
But if we take a deep breath and have faith, we might just find that they’re blessings in disguise after all.

 

Happy Easter week, everyone!

Character Advice from Dory: Letting Them Experience Adventure

We all know the rule: Be mean to your characters.

I love throwing mine into impossible situations and pushing them past their limits, but some writers really struggle with this. After all, these characters are like our friends.

So, here’s another (slightly nicer) way to think about it. Straight from the mouth of a lovable blue fish:

Marlin: I promised I’d never let anything happen to him.

Dory: Well, that’s a funny thing to promise. If nothing ever happens to him, then nothing will ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo.

If we keep our characters safe, we also keep them static – no change, no tension, no stakes. Not much fun for readers either. By pushing our characters, though, we give them room to grow, gain new experiences and become a dynamic force in our novels that readers fall in love with.

Go ahead. Take a dare.

Let your characters touch the butt.

And if you need help with your dialogue, Dory has excellent advice on that too.

The Oracle & The Vampire

We're traveling back to one of readers' favorite floors to meet the newest tenants of Christine Rains' 13th Floor series: 1305 & 1306 - The Oracle & The Vampire.

Having fallen for her gorgeous neighbor might not be so bad if Harriet McKay wasn't in her hideous banshee form every time Kiral saw her. Such is her curse. True, he's a vampire struggling with a drug addiction, but he's a good soul. Yet no one could love a cursed witch, especially one not even her cats respect.

After having a vision of Kiral's death, Harriet makes it her mission to save him. Never before has she attempted to change fate, but so strong is her love.

How can Harriet convince Kiral to see past her vile appearance and return her love? If only she can force him to listen to reason coming from a raving crone, perhaps she can save him from the demons hunting him and from himself.

 Release date: May 13, 2013

 

 

 

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has six novellas and twenty short stories published.

Website: http://christinerains.net/

Blog: http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorchristinerains

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@CRainsWriter

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4017568.Christine_Rains

 

Friday Rejection Bingo & Got Green?

I saw this on Kristin Nelson's excellent blog earlier and thought it was a fun way to end the week.

The folks over at Writer's Digest have found a way to put our rejections to good use--by playing Bingo with them!

Click on over to see what they came up with - you know you want to!

Don't you just love the frownie face emoticon?

I think it's interesting that so many of the squares are paper-based when most rejections are via email these days. What would you add for the email Bingo card?

In an early St. Paddy's day toast, Mark Koopman's Got Green blogfest kicks off today!

One of my favorite St. Paddy's traditions is to watch our local parade with friends. We take over the balcony level of an Irish restaurant that serves free baskets of Lucky Charms - Yum! It's right on a corner, so we get to see the parade twice as it turns, and there's a sneaky side-door we can use to run out and grab any prizes that are being thrown.

I traveled to Ireland a few years back and LOVED IT! You can see my thoughts and pics from last year's Got Green post here.

Hope you have a Craic-filled weekend!



Edits & Michelangelo

I ducked into my editing cave last week to wrap up initial edits on my current WIP, and they're done! I'm really excited with how it turned out. Hopefully, my betas will be too.

The mix of being in editing mode and hearing the recent papal news coming out of Italy made me think of Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. (Yes, my brain makes strange connections. It's part of the whole 'wild imagination' thing.)

Michelangelo's story is pretty legendary. It even has its own aptly-named movie, The Agony and The Ecstasy. Here's a quick recap:


• It took him four years to complete (And that's only the ceiling. It apparently took another five-to-six to finish the altar wall.)
• Before he ever put brush to ceiling, he had to envision the entire layout
• Depending on the description you prefer, he either worked on his back or standing with his head tilted up - either way, not too comfortable
• He worked an estimated eight hours a day, six days a week, without stopping
• Due to various political or health dynamics with his patron, he was never sure if his work would bring him pay
• He wrote a poem about how miserable the work could become sometimes



Check out this cool virtual tour!

Talk about dedication. His masterpiece has lasted 500 years! And you know what?

I kind of get it.

I get why he kept coming back despite the aches and frustrations and slow progress. I get why he loved it, why he poured his heart and soul and everything into it, because I feel the same way about writing. It's a passion, and sometimes it's just that simple.

Writers Making A Difference

You guys, this is such a wonderful, heartwarming story. I had to share!

If you need a pick-me-up and a reminder of good things in the world, click the link. Seriously, there's just so much to love about this.

Boy Writes Book to Raise Money for Friend's Rare Disease



And in other exciting news - Nick Wilford's Overcoming Adversity anthology releases today. I was so grateful to take part in the initial blogfest, and if you haven't heard of it yet, Nick compiled this to help fund his step-son Andrew's education.

Check out the full blurb and details at Nick's blog.

Or, just go ahead and buy it. You know you want to.

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Smashwords
Goodreads

Congrats Nick! What an amazing way to make a difference.

Back from the Future!

I'm taking part in the awesomeness of the "Back from the Future" blogfest today! It's hosted by Suze, Mary and Nicki. Here's the set-up.

You're up before dawn on a Saturday when the doorbell rings. You haven't brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the front door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you ... from you.

You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully, you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox -- sent from ten years in the future -- and it's filled with items you have sent yourself.

What's in it?

• Definitely a letter. I'm a words girl, so I'd want to get all that advice and encouragement down on paper.
• A mix of my favorite yet-to-be released songs.
• A list of the books that need to make my TBR list over the years.
• Something cute to indicate my future family life - a baby shoe or something along those lines.
• Possibly the cover jacket of my first published book...but I'm torn on this...would I want to know?
• If they've invented a device that transfers thoughts directly onto paper, I'd definitely send that back, too.
• A giant Post-it with big red lettering that says: Stop worrying. It'll be okay. You'll get here.