Love this one! :) How about you?
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(Click here for previous Quotes of the Month on StJ!)
Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
~ Exploring the great adventure with fellow travelers—and what's up with her books ~
Showing posts with label Diligence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diligence. Show all posts
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Quote of the Month ~ July 2016
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Quote of the Month ~ June 2016
Love this one! So pertinent in so many areas of life...
What think you?
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(Click here for previous Quotes of the Month on StJ!)
Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her additional blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.
Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Quote of the Month ~ April 2016
I found this one particularly encouraging as (personally) I find it super easy to forget at times. :P How about you?
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Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Inkling Explorations Link-Up // April 2016
(Note: if you're interested in participating and new to the blog, you can find our link-up explanation/guidelines + more buttons here. :))
This month's selection is: A description of a lady in literature
My choice comes from G.K. Chesterton's The Ball and the Cross (which, by the way, I still haven't completely made sense of), but -- all that notwithstanding -- the words are enough to take your breath at times and the following description's fascinating.
"Madeleine Durand was physically a sleepy young woman, and might easily have been supposed to be morally a lazy one. It is, however, certain that the work of her house was done somehow, and it is even more rapidly ascertainable that nobody else did it. The logician is, therefore, driven back upon the assumption that she did it; and that lends a sort of mysterious interest to her personality at the beginning. She had very broad, low, and level brows, which seemed even lower because her warm yellow hair clustered down to her eyebrows; and she had a face just plump enough not to look as powerful as it was. Anything that was heavy in all this was abruptly lightened by two large, light china-blue eyes, lightened all of a sudden as if it had been lifted into the air by two big blue butterflies. The rest of her was less than middle-sized, and was of a casual and comfortable sort...
"Both the father and the daughter (i.e. Madeleine) were of the sort that would normally have avoided all observation; that is, all observation in that extraordinary modern world which calls out everything except strength. Both of them had strength below the surface; they were like quiet peasants owning enormous and unquarried mines. The father with his square face and grey side whiskers, the daughter with her square face and golden fringe of hair, were both stronger than they knew; stronger than anyone knew. The father... believed in Man. The daughter believed in God; and was even stronger. They neither of them believed in themselves; for that is a decadent weakness.
"The daughter was called a devotee. She left upon ordinary people the impression -- the somewhat irritating impression -- produced by such a person; it can only be described as the sense of strong water being perpetually poured into some abyss. She did her housework easily; she achieved her social relations sweetly; she was never neglectful and never unkind. This accounted for all that was soft in her, but not for all that was hard. She trod firmly as if going somewhere; she flung her face back as if defying something; she hardly spoke a cross word, yet there was often battle in her eyes. The modern man asked doubtfully where all this silent energy went to. He would have stared still more doubtfully if he had been told that it all went into her prayers."
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"Madeleine Durand was physically a sleepy young woman, and might easily have been supposed to be morally a lazy one. It is, however, certain that the work of her house was done somehow, and it is even more rapidly ascertainable that nobody else did it. The logician is, therefore, driven back upon the assumption that she did it; and that lends a sort of mysterious interest to her personality at the beginning. She had very broad, low, and level brows, which seemed even lower because her warm yellow hair clustered down to her eyebrows; and she had a face just plump enough not to look as powerful as it was. Anything that was heavy in all this was abruptly lightened by two large, light china-blue eyes, lightened all of a sudden as if it had been lifted into the air by two big blue butterflies. The rest of her was less than middle-sized, and was of a casual and comfortable sort...
"The daughter was called a devotee. She left upon ordinary people the impression -- the somewhat irritating impression -- produced by such a person; it can only be described as the sense of strong water being perpetually poured into some abyss. She did her housework easily; she achieved her social relations sweetly; she was never neglectful and never unkind. This accounted for all that was soft in her, but not for all that was hard. She trod firmly as if going somewhere; she flung her face back as if defying something; she hardly spoke a cross word, yet there was often battle in her eyes. The modern man asked doubtfully where all this silent energy went to. He would have stared still more doubtfully if he had been told that it all went into her prayers."
Tell me! Have you read and enjoyed any Chesterton?
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Just leave your own link here in a comment and I'll add it to the post. As always, entries are open through the end of the month and I can't wait to see your selections!
Entrants:
*How to do it*
1. Post the Inklings button on your sidebar.
2. Do a post on your own blog relating to the month's selection/subject (a literary excerpt as short or as long as you like AND/OR—if specified that month—a screencap from a film with an explanation of how the scene builds/develops the story). Link back here somewhere in your post.
3. Come back here and paste your link in the comments box and I'll add it to the post. Then enjoy visiting and reading everyone else's contributions!
That's all there is to it!
Up next month: A scene making beautiful use of special effects/CGI in film
Monday, March 28, 2016
Quote of the Month ~ March 2016
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Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
Friday, February 5, 2016
Quote of the Month ~ February 2016
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| via Pinterest |
Love the word picture! How about you? :)
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Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
Monday, November 30, 2015
An Interview with Suzannah Rowntree
Today I'm happy to be interviewing Suzannah Rowntree!
When Suzannah Rowntree isn’t travelling the world to help out friends in need, she lives in a big house in rural Australia with her awesome parents and siblings, trying to beat her previous number-of-books-read-in-a-year record. She blogs the results at www.vintagenovels.com and is the author of both fiction and non-fiction. She’s written two non-fiction books on literature, The Epic of Reformation: A Guide to the Faerie Queene and War Games: Classic Fiction for the Christian Life. These day’s she focusing on writing and publishing fiction: Pendragon’s Heir, her debut novel, which springs from her lifelong love of medieval literature; and a series of fairytale novellas including The Rakshasa’s Bride, The Prince of Fishes, and (upcoming!) The Bells of Paradise.
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1. (Heidi) Some differences and similarities you see between the three major forms of storytelling—literature, music, and film?
(Suzannah) Um. Wow. Big question. Let me try.
Literature is my own expertise. It’s by far the most precise of the three storytelling forms, since it involves the most precise of the storytelling media—words. You can make things very explicit in a book which it would be difficult to make explicit even in a film. This goes for description as well as for theme: just think of how much hilarity PG Wodehouse loses in the translation to screen. How can you film “the shifty, hang-dog look which announces that an Englishman is about to speak French” or “the look of one who had drunk the cup of life and found a dead beetle at the bottom”? You can’t.
Film is perhaps the most immersive and immediate of the three storytelling forms. Its strength is, of course, visual and physical, and it majors on dialogue. Its popularity has impacted immensely on the way we write books—more dialogue, more description of characters’ or landscapes’ physical aspects, elaborately choreographed dances or duels, a greater sense of movement, scene-setting reminiscent of camera angles—but I’m not convinced that’s always a good thing. Things which work beautifully in film don’t always translate so well to literature.
Music is the least precise of the three storytelling forms, which is probably why so many composers wanting to write music with a point have chosen to add words—either as liner notes, or in a title, or in song lyrics—to explain what the music is supposed to depict. Music has always been recognised for its effect on mood and emotion, but there was also a time—especially in the Baroque period, as exemplified by JS Bach—when music was believed to have rational, philosophical/theological import as well, and musical lexicons were even published to explain the precise significance of various chords and rhythms. (For more information, I highly recommend James Gaines’s book Evening in the Palace of Reason).
As for similarities, I think one of the big similarities is a sense of plot structure; of starting at Point A, and then proceeding in a linear fashion through various climaxes and resolutions to Point B. Another universal is the appeal to the emotions, but as hinted, I wonder if this might be a somewhat artificial distinction; it’s quite possible for music, as well as film and literature, to appeal to reason.
2. How have you seen those three mesh together in your own creative process?
Film is here to stay, and it’s revolutionised the written word. I don’t think that’s an entirely good thing, but I also don’t think it’s entirely bad. Plus, people expect a cinematic element in their storytelling, and I’m happy to use all its strengths as I can.
As for music, I have a lot of respect for it (and I’ve been a musician most of my life). I don’t listen to it while I write because it uses up parts of my brain I need to focus on the rhythm and cadence of my words. So a musical faculty definitely plays into my writing.
Also, people often seem to burst randomly into song in my stories, like in The Lord of the Rings. Because I secretly believe Heaven will be a lot more like a musical than we think.
3. When and how did you first begin writing?
In addition to loving books and being good with words, I had a strong tendency to play make-believe games when I was small. One day I decided to write a story based on one of my make-believe games for my best friend’s birthday. It look four years and three drafts to finish. It was then that I realised I’d probably never be quite the same again.
4. What are you currently working on?
Two projects—a series of novella-length fairytale retellings, and a giant huge immense epic novel, because I do not know the meaning of the word “moderation”. I’ve already published two of the fairytale novellas an am preparing another two for publication in the near future.
5. Particular author/s who have influenced you?
The Inklings (JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and Charles Williams), along with their spiritual forbear GK Chesterton have probably had the biggest influence, but others include John Buchan, Edmund Spenser, and Jane Austen.
6. Is there a “non-writing” activity that shapes your writing?
I’m always reading avidly to feed my writing. I read history and factual books as research. I read theology to give my themes some real philosophical heft. I read classic literature so as to know what I’m aiming for. And I read current literature so as to know what’s on the market and what the tropes of my genre are.
7. Your opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of digital books?
The advantage is that I can feed my reading habit for a much lower cost, and be more selective about the books I do buy physical copies of. The disadvantage is that in a thousand years or so when they’re digging up our bones, it’s our paperbacks that are going to survive to pass on our work, our philosophy, and our stories. Not so much our Kindles.
8. Do you ever do graphic design to help with your writing?
I design my own covers, and I generally work on them for as long as I’m working on the story. That’s about the limit of it. My graphic design repertoire is extremely limited.
9. Do you outline? If so, in a general way or very detailed?
Yes, I’m a confirmed outliner, to a moderate level of detail. Too much detail in an outline, and I feel I might as well be writing the first draft. Too little, and I risk running into problems when I don’t know what to do next. Major plot points and climactic scenes get the most level of detail in my outlining, since they’re the big scenes I’m building towards.
10. Do you work on multiple projects at once?
I am at the moment. I don’t like tearing myself away from one project to another in quick succession, but I do consider long hiatuses (hiati?) essential, so as to give my thoughts time to mature.
11. Do you edit as you write?
Editing and rewrites account for an enormous proportion of my writing time. Even in first-draft work, it’s hard not to tinker a bit.
12. Certain themes you see surfacing and resurfacing in your work?
Multigenerational vision. The struggle of building the Kingdom of God in an imperfect world among imperfect people. Optimistic eschatology. The nobility of ordinary things. All these things crop up pretty regularly, especially in the stories I get most excited about.
13. A particular aspect of writing you struggle with or a challenge you’ve overcome?
I don’t know I can point to anything specific. Writing is pretty backbreaking. One thing I’m trying to be sensitive to is not trying to accomplish too much in a story—just limiting myself to the essentials, rather than weaving in every possible option.
14. How do you deal with feedback—particularly negative feedback?
Positive feedback always makes me happy. Negative feedback differs according to whether it comes from someone who understands what I’m trying to achieve, or someone who doesn’t get it at all. The former is often very useful—which is why I try to get it before publication, so I can use it. After, I do often read the negative feedback—and then I often have to take a couple of weeks letting the sting subside before I go back and see if I can take away anything worthwhile.
15. One thing you’ve learned from other writers?
Everything. I’ve learned everything from observing and analysing masters of their craft like William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, JRR Tolkien, and so on—how to plot, how to craft sympathetic characters, how to incorporate theme, how to work faithfully every day.
16. A helpful nonfiction book or website?
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays by Peter Leithart opened my eyes to how literature works, especially when it comes to chiastic structure and how theme can underlie literally every plot/characterisation aspect of a book.
17. What do you consider one of the single most important things to remember (i.e. an attitude or technique)?
No matter what you’re doing, you can always be doing better. Never take it for granted that you’ve succeeded. Always try to improve.
18. A word of encouragement for fellow writers?
Remember 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, which I believe applies to all cultural works. Your work has eternal significance. Your foundation is Christ, and it’s up to you to build on that foundation-stone with gold, silver, and jewels—not with wood, hay and stubble. If you work well, you will receive the reward for the work of your hands, and those that endure will enter into eternity with the glory and honour of nations brought into the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24). Some things you actually can take with you!
And therefore, no matter how long it takes you to produce something worthwhile, no matter how much blood, sweat, and tears you must shed, it’s going to be worth it. Things that deserve to last for all eternity aren’t made in a day; aren’t made without painstaking work and attention. And while it may feel difficult and thankless today, you have the best incentive in the world to persevere—the words of the Creator himself, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
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Note from Heidi: Thank you so much for sharing Suzannah! :)
And everyone, be sure to check out Suzannah's blog at Vintage Novels.
Friday, October 30, 2015
The Behind-the-Scenes Writing Tag
Hamlette tagged me with this recently and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. (Thank you, Hamlette! ;))
Is there a certain snack you like to eat while writing?
Glass after glass of fresh whole milk. Also, dark chocolate and (at the moment) fruit leather, of all interesting things. :)
When do you normally write? Night, afternoon, or morning?
I’m trying to keep flexible with being able to write at any time, but -- unless I’m at a riveting place -- morning definitely seems to be my most productive time. Blog posts I generally tend to write in installments all throughout the day and in between everything else.
Where do you write?
As of a couple months ago, I used to only write at the computer in the basement, but since being given another laptop computer I’ve found it hugely stimulating to move around the house. Sometimes the dining table, or sitting in the rocker in the library, or standing by one of the chest freezers in the basement, or sometimes at the sewing desk.
How often do you write a new novel?
Each novel is a marathon for me and I generally try to focus on one at a time -- letting the others have time to simmer -- so starting each new project is an infrequent and momentous occasion.
Do you listen to music while you write?
Yes!!! Almost always. And different stories have different selections. Right now, for A Flame Shall Spring it’s Cinderella 2015 and Ever After and Dreaming (by André Rieu) and sometimes, Beauty and the Beast.
What do you write on? Laptop or paper?
The laptop, but I have an entire collection of handwritten notebooks and generous piles of miscellaneous scraps of paper covered with all sorts and combinations of oddments.
Is there a special ritual you have before or after you write?
No, besides backing up everything connected with my current WIP each and every time I finish a writing session.
What do you do to get into the mood to write?
I’ve been working hard on making a steady writing habit of late and, thankfully, I think the ‘sitting down and staying with it regardless of mood’ is getting a bit better, BUT I do have certain movies that are a huge part of my process, freshening me up for different stories and generally starting off an explosion of creativity.
What is always near the place you write?
This has changed a little with being more mobile, but I still absolutely love the calendar and character collages my sisters made me for On David’s Shoulders.
Do you have a reward system for your word count?
I’m trying to get better with just writing and then being comfortable editing out later, but by default I tend to focus strongly on the less-is-more principle, which -- needless to say -- tends to give a low word count. I do keep microscopic track of it and spreadsheet every last adjustment, which is tremendously helpful for pacing, etc. So all in all, seeing it fluctuate up and down as necessary where the work needs to expand or tighten up, is quite satisfying (not to mention encouraging)!
So... I guess that answer ended up being my overall philosophy on it, but no, I don't have a reward system per se. :)
So... I guess that answer ended up being my overall philosophy on it, but no, I don't have a reward system per se. :)
Is there anything about your writing process that others might not know about?
For me, whenever a new story arrives, the ending generally always comes first. So before writing I sit down and work back to the beginning and then go forward again, figuring out the major plot points. Then I keep the outlining very low key between those points, leaving plenty of room for character changes and new developments. Sometimes the major incidents shift as the book grows, but so far the built-in flexibility has taken on any and all changes without skipping a beat, so I’m thoroughly happy!
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Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her additional blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Quote of the Month ~ September 2015
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I might paraphrase this and make it "sometimes doubt" (as you can't get very far in a state of perpetual indecision), but as finite creators we definitely do have our doubts. Altogether, do you think those uncertainties are part of maintaining humility in the genuine creative process?
Thoughts anyone?
For more great Quotes of the Month click here!
Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her additional blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.
Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
Monday, August 31, 2015
Quote of the Month ~ August 2015
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For more great Quotes of the Month click here.
Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her additional blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.
Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Inkling Explorations Link-Up // August 2015 & New Must-See Buttons!!!
As this is our fourth Inklings month I decided it’s high time to mix in some new buttons!
How do you all like them? :) Feel free to use any—or all five!
And our topic for this month is: A scene happening on/at/around a train or train station
July specific notes: Selections can be from either books or films
And you can probably all guess my choice.... ;) Yes, indeed—the ending scene in the '04 North and South! (And a couple notes: while I love both versions of N&S, the following specifically applies to the BBC '04 adaptation with Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe. Also, I’m actually lifting this post almost entirely from my review which you can read in full here.)
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And now for our North and South scene in which the themes of the entire wonderful story are captured to brilliant perfection.
First, the train appears throughout—beginning and ending the film, tying it completely and richly together with its portrayal of continuation and change—and while the ending scene (with its kissing at a public place) may or may not be historically accurate, from a story perspective it’s dazzling.
In the beginning, while hoping to remain settled, Margaret finds herself uprooted to a new and completely foreign world. And with that catalyst (even as she tries to remain fixed within herself) the ground is pulled from beneath her by the inescapable rushing forward of life. Everything she had deemed simple and immovable—her world, her entire family, even her own mind, opinions, and (at last) emotions—are caught in that great unstoppable impetus.
From the beginning there’s a ripeness and maturity about her. Yet with that softness there’s also an inflexibility—a resistant immobility—dyed into her very character and desire for a solidity of place, for the clearly delineated safety found in habitual routine and a clearly defined social world. There’s safety in stagnation... while change can involve both danger and heartache.
But real change generally comes unasked and unlooked for.
Margaret learns she cannot box herself and she cannot box others in closely defined categories. Yet one of the greatest things I love about the story is that—changing—she doesn’t lose who she is. Lovely and gracious, she’s still Margaret, but—growing in humility—she learns also an active, diligent rest.
So comes the train station at the end. The station—that stopping place in the forward push of life and progress—that place with the dizzying potential for a full face, 180-degree turn. The stopping place encapsulating those few, tangible, epic—fully historic—moments in life that completely reorient us, changing everything. Yet again.
And arriving at such a stopping place Margaret reaches forward to the future—finding tried and tested strength to lean on—finding again a field of rich fulfillment and labor.
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As always, entries are open through the end of the month and I can’t wait to see your selections! Remember, you can write as little or as much as you like. And don’t forget to check out and share one of the new buttons!
Naomi @ Wonderland Creek
Inkling Explorations in Gone With the Wind @ a room of one's own
Hamlette @ The Edge of the Precipice
Rose @ An Old Fashioned Girl
Natalie @ Raindrops on Roses & Whiskers on Kittens
Naomi @ Wonderland Creek
Inkling Explorations in Gone With the Wind @ a room of one's own
Hamlette @ The Edge of the Precipice
Rose @ An Old Fashioned Girl
Natalie @ Raindrops on Roses & Whiskers on Kittens
*Rules*
1. Post the Inklings button on your sidebar.
2. Do a post on your own blog relating to the month's selection/subject (a literary excerpt as short or as long as you like AND/OR—if specified that month—a screencap from a film with an explanation of how the scene builds/develops the story). Link back here somewhere in your post.
3. Come back here and paste your link in the comments box and I'll add it to the post. Then enjoy visiting and reading everyone else's contributions!
That's all there is to it!
Up next month: A Funny Story Opening in Literature
Monday, July 27, 2015
An Interview with Jenelle Schmidt
Today I'm happy to be interviewing fellow writer and blogger Jenelle Schmidt!
Jenelle Schmidt is the author of a genre she likes to call “Family Friendly Fantasy.” She grew up hearing stories come to life through her father’s voice reading out loud at bedtimes, and she aspires to create stories that other families can read out loud together. Stories filled with adventure, heroism, excitement, and fantastic characters, but also free of objectionable material. She has published two books, which are part of her Minstrel’s Song series, which when finished will boast four novels in all.
Jenelle is a voracious reader, her favorite genres are fantasy and sci-fi, though she branches out from time to time and does enjoy other genres of all types. She is also a homeschooling mom of three young children, which takes up pretty much all of her life. She wouldn’t trade it for the world, though!
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1. (Heidi) Some differences and similarities you see between the three major forms of storytelling—literature, music, and film?
(Jenelle) This is a fantastic and truly difficult question! Thinking mostly about film vs literature for a moment, there are some obvious similarities: they both tell stories through characters and plots.
However, a movie lets you watch a story unfold. It’s like you’re looking through a window. You grow to love the characters as you watch them on their various adventures. But a book lets you ride around inside a character’s heart. You get to hear their thoughts and feel their emotions as if they’re your own - which is the main reason I think movies based off of books are so hard to capture correctly. I especially think this is why movies based on books written in first-person sometimes leave the audience feeling like something is missing.
Music tells a story in a completely different way. It doesn’t always need words or pictures to touch your heart, though it can use both at times. My sister is a musician and it is incredible to me how she can tell a complete story with so few lines of text, and how much the melody and instruments play into how the story feels and the impression it leaves on the listener.
I love books, movies, and music. I tend to visualize a lot of things in my books in my mind’s eye and then try to describe them as if I can see them. It doesn’t always work out well, because what works on screen doesn’t always work well in print - but it’s a good place to start.
I also sometimes listen to music when I’m writing or editing. Mostly instrumental. Usually Celtic or just something pretty and soothing like “Song for Sienna” by Brian Crane (I could listen to that song on repeat all day!) But if I get true writer’s block, then I’ll switch to Christmas music. I know that sounds weird, but it’s never let me down!
3. When and how did you first begin writing?
I started writing stories so early I can’t even really remember how it began. Storytelling is just a part of who I am as a person. I recently found a box in the attic with stories of mine that dated all the way back to when I was 6 years old (my mom saved them for me!) I continued writing stories throughout my childhood. I wrote a novella about two girls and a horse when I was in jr. high (happily, I do not believe any copies of that remain in existence). And I co-authored a series of stories about two dogs named “Rogtu” and “Scamper” with a friend.
In high school, another friend and I co-authored a really horrible space opera, and that was the first novel-length piece of writing I’d ever completed. I took a creative writing class my Senior year and really learned a lot about writing.
But it wasn’t until college when my dad challenged me with “If you want to be a writer, you should be writing,” that I got really serious about the idea of “being an author.” The summer between my Freshman and Sophomore years was the summer I spent frantically writing the first draft of King’s Warrior, ten pages a day so that my dad would have something to read out loud to the family each night!
4. What are you currently working on?
I am currently in the middle of several projects. I am finalizing the edits on the third book in the Minstrel’s Song: Yorien’s Hand. I am also diving into the content edits for the fourth and final book in that series. And I am in the middle of writing a sequel to an entirely different series of books I’m getting ready to announce in the near future.
5. Particular author/s who have influenced you?
I think every author I’ve ever read has influenced me in some way. But the ones who have left a lasting impression are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Stephen R. Lawhead, Timothy Zahn, Albert Payson Terhune, Madeleine L’Engle, Jack London, and more recently Anne Elisabeth Stengl.
I think all of my non-writing activities shape my writing. Everything I see or experience goes into my mental filing cabinet for future reference. Describing a sunset, a day at the park, what it’s like climbing a mountain or riding a horse, the sound of a gurgling stream as it burbles its way over the rocks, the way sand stings your bare legs like a billion tiny needles entering your skin when you visit the beach on a superbly windy day... I’m a mom of three. My life is wrapped up in fairly normal family-related-activities, and there’s not a lot of time or money for extra hobbies that are just mine.
7. Your opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of digital books?
Digital books have made it very easy for authors to get their books into readers’ hands. Which could be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on how you look at the saturation of indie-published books on the market today. E-reading devices are obviously very nice for traveling and for trying out books at less of an expense.
Personally, however, I just can’t read a book on a screen. I need the weight and sound and feel and smell of paper pages. I like being able to look at the entire book cover, front and back. I like the memories they inspire and the history they contain. And I like that they force me off the computer. I spend so much time in front of a screen: writing, editing, social media, blogging, watching movies... I appreciate how opening a book, a real book, makes me slow down and pull away from the chaos of the cyber-world that can sometimes feel as though it is attempting to assault my senses and bludgeon me senseless.
8. Do you ever do graphic design to help with your writing?
Haha! No. Whatever the opposite of someone who is talented at art... that’s me! I can trace with the best of them, but drawing and graphic design is completely beyond me. I’m extremely jealous of anyone who can draw AND write.
9. Do you outline? If so, in a general way or very detailed?
I do outline. The amount of detail often depends on the story. If it’s giving me a hard time and I’m not sure where to go next, I will work on the outline. I used to be a pantser (someone who just writes the story as it happens and doesn’t outline at all), but the amount of editing work with that sort of writing is enormous. Nowadays I do a ton of plotting and world-building and brainstorming with my husband before I ever start writing the story. The outline itself is usually fairly basic and general, I still like to let the story unfold and surprise me a bit, but the world and the characters and much much more is firmly in place before I start writing.
10. Do you work on multiple projects at once?
Oh gracious, yes!11. Do you edit as you write?
Yes. I don’t go crazy on this, but my rough draft is usually more like a second or third draft. I tweak and rewrite a little as I go. Usually a writing session involves going over the last few pages or paragraphs I wrote last time and refining them a bit before I start writing new stuff for the day.
12. Certain themes you see surfacing and resurfacing in your work?
A theme that comes up a lot because I write fantasy is Good vs. Evil.
A lot of my work also includes family-relationships: brothers, parents, sisters. Often there’s a theme of growing up or coming-of-age. Willow trees tend to sneak their way into a lot of my work, it’s not intentional, but I realized recently that they make fairly regular appearances. Forgiveness and redemption are some other big themes that recur in my stories.
People not being what they seem also crops up a lot. Sometimes it’s a mix of “don’t judge a book by its cover” and the idea that everyone has depths to them that cannot be easily seen at first glance.
13. A particular aspect of writing you struggle with or a challenge you’ve overcome?
I recently realized that I really struggle with narrative. I don’t like using it, and sometimes tend to write myself into a corner because I am so loath to use it. I believe that perhaps I learned the “Show, Don’t Tell” rule a bit too well, and have had to learn that narrative can be done well and is sometimes necessary. I’m working on that.
14. How do you deal with feedback—particularly negative feedback?
I try to learn from it. Negative feedback is never fun, but it can be helpful. If it’s just unkind, like a one-star review that states, “I just didn’t like it, didn’t even try to finish it” then my reaction is to go read a bunch of one-star reviews for something like “The Lord of the Rings.” It’s comforting, in a weird sort of way.
If it’s real feedback, though, meant to critique and help me refine my work, then I absorb it and try to figure out how I can use it to make the story better.
15. One thing you’ve learned from other writers?
Only one? I think the most helpful thing I’ve learned from other writers recently is the importance of continuing to write. Marketing is important and blogging is fun, but what will really set you apart from the myriad of other self-published authors is a body of work that is deeper than a single book or even a single series.
A site detailing the different types of historical food: http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/27-315-normans-medieval-Food-facts.html
A glossary of castle terms: http://www.castlesontheweb.com/glossary.html
A list of noble titles and ranks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_titles
A list of medieval jobs and occupations: http://hkcarms.tripod.com/occ.html
These are all places I tend to go to for researching what life was like in medieval times or the middle ages. I also borrowed a marvelous textbook from a friend called “Survey of Historic Costume” to get ideas of what various clothing looked like in different time periods.
However, the research is often only to get a baseline idea. My fantasy stories do not occur in our world (so far!), but rather in completely made-up worlds and realms. So, while it can be fun to have something be historically accurate to our own middle ages, I don’t always see it as necessary. Chicken and dumplings might not have been invented until the Great Depression in our world... but that doesn’t mean they can’t exist in my own Aom-igh or Llycaelon... just because life there is more akin to our own middle ages!
17. What do you consider one of the single most important things to remember (i.e. an attitude or technique)?
For me, the most important thing is to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint. It won’t happen as quickly as I want, but it’s important to take the time to do it right and not rush through important stages like editing and proof-reading.
It’s also important for me to remember why I’m doing this: to glorify God and use the talent He gave me in a way that would honor him.
18. A word of encouragement for fellow writers?
Don’t quit! There will be parts of the process that you love, and parts that you hate, but keep on trudging. Find a group of authors you can talk to and ask questions of and bounce ideas around with. And keep writing. Write what you know. Write what you don’t know. Not all of it will be brilliant, but some of it might be, so keep writing, keep editing, keep working towards that dream.
~ ~ ~
Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Jenelle, it was such a pleasure having you!
And everyone! Five Enchanted Roses, a collection of Beauty and the Beast stories from five talented writers (including Jenelle's Stone Curse) is released TODAY. You can check it out here on Amazon!
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Quote of the Month ~ April 2015
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For more great Quotes of the Month click here.
Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her additional blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.
Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
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