Quote of the Month ~ February 2016

via Pinterest

Love the word picture! How about you? :)

~

(Click here for previous Quotes of the Month here 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

"What Meanest Thou?" // #1

I'm on the road this week, but wanted to give a quick posting update here and also launch a new blog series!

In short, I'm moving our author interviews to a bimonthly schedule this year and on the off months I'll either be sharing writing updates, book reviews, historical research, or studies of commonly confused words/historical terms. Sound interesting? :)

So here's for our first "What Meanest Thou?"

In December (while proofreading A Flame Shall Spring) I delved into a quick fact check/refresher course on the nature of doublets, tunics, and jerkins. Sometimes it's easy to forget specific terms in the heat of composition (either that or my brain just blanks ;)) and regardless, it can always be helpful to have everything pulled together in one place!

#1: Doublet

A man's short close-fitting padded jacket, commonly worn from the 14th to the 17th century.

#2: Jerkin

A man's close-fitting jacket, typically made of leather. (Can also be sleeveless.)

#3: Tunic

(This term particularly morphed over time, but through the ancient and medieval periods it remained relatively the same.)

A gown-like outer garment, with or without sleeves and sometimes belted.

So! Did you find that short little summary helpful? Intriguing? Old news? Let me know in the comments! :)

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

Quote of the Month ~ January 2016

(via Pinterest)

Love this one! And what think you? Do you have any other good writing quotes you're mulling over this January?

~

(Click here for previous Quotes of the Month here 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

Sharing the Journey Round Up ~ 2015

Wow, so much has happened here this year! Can you believe it's almost officially been a full twelve months since I put up the first post here on Sharing the Journey? :) (Eight days left!)

And -- before we get into all the great links below -- I've got a tremendous bit of news. Last night I FINALLY finished the writing and working edits on A Flame Shall Spring from the Embers (my entry for Rooglewood Press's Sleeping Beauty contest) and sent it in. Come March, we'll find out if it places among the winners, etc., but either way, Lord willing, you'll definitely be getting a chance to read it later this year. :) Super exciting!

First and foremost, thank you so much to each one of my marvelous beta-readers/critique partners. You provided such encouragement to persevere in the tough spots and made the story altogether so much stronger. You're all truly amazing!! :)

(Another character  inspiration picture,
 just 'cause I'm rather fond of it.)

Also, if you didn't get a chance to visit before (or would like to visit again), here's a link for my AFSS Pinterest inspiration board.

Now I'm just plain thrilled about getting back to David's Shoulders soon in 2016. Working on AFSS over the last few months, I've learned so much -- so many new tips and fast writing/style techniques + simply relaxing about early drafts in general -- and Lord willing, my goal is to have (at least) the current draft for ODS done by the end of 2016. (Of course, more would be splendid, but we'll just have to see what exciting things God has planned for the rest of life as well. ;))

And now for our great 2015 round up -- a catalog of the happenings and events here on StJ!

This started it all off.

(Click here for all our other Quotes of the Month.)

2015's Wonderful Writer & Author Interviews

Éowyn Peterson - January 2015

Naomi - February 2015

Rachel Kovaciny - March 2015

Natalie - April 2015

Emma - May 2015

Heidi Grace Salzman - June 2015

Jenelle Schmidt - July 2015

Elisabeth Grace Foley - August 2015

Annie Hawthorne - September 2015

Braden Russell - October 2015

Suzannah Rowntree - November 2015

Emily Ann Putzke - December 2015

Our Inklings link-up started in May:

May 2015 ~ Violets

June 2015 ~ A Gripping Story Opening in Literature

July 2015 ~ A Well Crafted Animated Film Climax

August 2015 ~ A scene happening on/at/around a train or train station

September 2015 ~ A Funny Story Opening in Literature

October 2015 ~ A gypsy scene in either literature or film

November 2015 ~ A Giving of Thanks in Poetry or Prose

December 2015 ~ A Christmastide movie scene

Our 3 Things I Love in a Good Story Nutshell Overview:

(I love this list! And I've put together a new page for these, so click here for all the fantastic 3 Things guest posts themselves.)

A character I will remember - Natalie

A mystery - Jenelle Schmidt

A part that makes me cry - Natalie

A strong ending - Heidi

A sweet romance - Natalie

Balanced description - Heidi

Characters I want to be friends with - Hamlette

Family friendly - Jenelle Schmidt

Female characters I can respect and admire - Jessica Prescott

Good camaraderie - Heidi

Good relationships - Olivia

Happy endings - Hamlette

Heroic characters - Jenelle Schmidt

Humor - Olivia

Literature references - Naomi

"My kind" of writing style - Olivia

Not only romance - Naomi

Realistic dialogue - Hamlette

Romantic relationships that I can get behind - Jessica Prescott

Some kind of romance - Naomi

Vivid sensory description - Jessica Prescott

Thank you to each and every one of my lovely followers for joining this adventure -- it wouldn't be the same without you! And a tremendous thank you to all of you who shared and took the time to leave kind comments. :) You all truly made it a wonderful year here and I look forward to spending time with all of you in 2016! :) Happy New Year!

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

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. 

~     ~     ~

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.”

~     ~     ~

Note from Heidi: Thank you so much for sharing Suzannah! :) 

And everyone, be sure to check out Suzannah's blog at Vintage Novels.

Quote of the Month ~ November 2015

click to enlarge

This is our 50th post! And what think you of Lewis's advice? :)

Click here for more great Quotes of the Month!

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

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. :)

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!

~     ~     ~

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

Quote of the Month ~ September 2015

(click to enlarge)

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

A Flame Shall Spring // Show and Tell

Hi everyone, I hope you've all been having a lovely week! I've been out all day, but I had to pop on this evening for a quick post.

As aforementioned, I've been working away on a retelling for the upcoming Sleeping Beauty story competition at Rooglewood Press. And today Anne Elisabeth Stengl hosted a huge show-and-tell on her blog for any contestants who wanted to share teaser tastes, story ideas, etc., so you can hop over and see my current summary for A Flame Shall Spring from the Embers on her blog here!

(Whew. And now the pressure's on.... :P There are so many intriguing stories in the works! But have no fear, if A Flame Shall Spring doesn't end up being a finalist, I'm planning to release it all for you on Kindle, and possibly also in paperback if it ends up running to enough pages. :))

And now ('cause I'm so excited) I'm sharing the current summary and opening paragraphs over here as well:

A FLAME SHALL SPRING FROM THE EMBERS BY HEIDI PETERSON

Love, loyalty, and revenge. A long-awaited princess lies in a death-sleep, and, in a land of ancient stone and green running hills, two houses are locked in mortal combat. The given words have promised a great king, but--even if the king should appear--how can there be any covering for the blood of the slain?

OPENING LINES:

"King Llwellyn sat weak and thin on his hard throne, his right arm--bony yet sinewed--resting uncomfortably against the smooth polished, wide grained wood. Slowly clenching and unclenching his hand, he ran it over his face and short cropped beard. Brushing his fingers across his eyes, he dropped his hand and raised his head. "Rhiannon."

His sister turned from the window, the green of her gown shimmering before it fell black in the shadows. Her strange eyes--slanted and dark--were startling beneath her mass of gold hair, bound in place with its thin twining circlet of paler gold."

And you can visit my Pinterest inspiration board for it here. (I'm super excited about it as it turned out perfectly!)

So there you have it! What do you all think?

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

Writing Update, Inkling Explorations and Giveaway Winner, and a Link

Hello all! Life has been super busy here, but I've also most happily been able to keep up with David's Shoulders over the last two weeks! After an intense first draft of Chapter 7 (taking about a month to complete) I started Chapter 8 on Monday and actually reached the halfway point yesterday.

Chapter 8 is also embarking us en route back to the west -- this time with our hero firmly (and physically) on board -- hence, it's the perfect time to share another handy link. While I haven't yet fully explored the site, this page is an organized layout of bugle calls used daily (and in action) by the US Cavalry, etc. Ordered from sun-up to sun-down, you can also listen to an example of each. Check it out here and let me know what you think!

And I'm so delighted to have had all your enthusiastic participation in the Inkling Explorations launch this month! Thank you so much everyone!!

Our happy winner of the paperback copy of Greenwillow is: Natalie

(Congratulations, Natalie! :) And I'll be sending you a direct email with the details.)

Remember, the link-up IS still open through the end of the month! The original link post is here.

And have no fear -- the violet subject is not exhausted as there are still at least three Anne of Green Gables/Montgomery quotes (that I can think of). For a teaser: one mentions violets and amethyst during Anne's early days at Green Gables, one uses the description "empurpled" (also during her early days), and one comes from Paul Irving. Have fun guessing and if anyone wants to post them, I'd be thrilled!

Hoping you're having a wonderful Friday!

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