Writing Workshops & Writer Renewal

By Morgan Tarpley Smith

With our writing we all have hang-ups or road blocks from unexpected life happenings, jobs, families, and just the business of life – and as writers I feel we can all use renewal with our writing to remind us of our spark for that certain story project or just our passion for writing in general.

My ACFW-Louisiana chapter held our second annual writer’s workshop this past weekend, and I’m feeling seriously refreshed. The workshop was filled with such practical information for writers at any stage in their journey that I’d like to share some of the highlights with you.

The workshop was led by the petite fireball of a lady named DiAnn Mills, who just so happens to be a bestselling and award-winning author. She engaged our minds and hearts through her sessions and wit. Her sessions focused on characterization, plot, backstory, emotions, and more. She’s also written a book on writing called “The Dance of Character and Plot.” You can check it out here.

Here are some of my favorite tidbits from her sessions:

-Think about your favorite book or movie. It usually goes back to the characters. Now with our books we have to give our reader an adventure like they are those characters not like they are only reading about them.

-Remember what Helen Keller said about character—“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

-Your story has to entertain and inspire the reader to be a better person and encourage the reader that no matter what they face there is a positive solution.

-Man was created with three distinct needs: relationships, significance and security. When man decides to try to fill those places with something other than God that’s where flaws come in. Even in our writing this is how to flaw your characters. Even if you’re not writing a Christian novel you can still have morals. Whether a protagonist or antagonist, the character must have at least a moral code that guides them.

-James Scott Bell says, “Every character faces a kind of death.” Some of these “deaths” are physical or occupational but they are always psychological.

-Character motivation is the match that lights the flame of your novel.

-Heroes are not victims. They may have been victims in the past, but they are not anymore.

-Avoid character flaws in the first 50 pages or so because we want readers to fall in love with our character.

Bestselling author DiAnn Mills

-Everything your character does to get out of trouble should only make it worse. This is the key to any novel if you want to show growth or change in a character.

-All novels need stress, tension and conflict. It has to look like our protagonist will fail.

-Story always trumps structure.

-A setting has to be antagonistic (Ex: a co-worker you don’t like creates a hostile work environment for you)

-Put your character in the worst situations possible (at that point). Keep writing things down until you get past your first ideas.

-Your character has to face the consequences of their decisions/choices. What if you have your character choose between two wrongs instead of two rights.

-Emotive conflict is when you want something but also want something else. (Ex: I love living in the country, but I also want Starbucks.) Emotions should be constantly at war or conflict with each other. Our character’s reactions to the world around them is emotive conflict.

-The seven universal emotions are surprise, fear, sadness, disgust, happiness and contempt. Make sure your characters experience all of them.

-Whose POV should be used in a scene? The character who has the most to lose.

Do you have some gems of advice from writing conferences and workshop to share? Please do! And best of luck to everyone on their writing journeys!

Morgan Tarpley Smith

Morgan Tarpley Smith is an award-winning newspaper reporter and photographer in Louisiana. She is also an inspirational novelist. Besides writing and traveling to over a dozen countries, her interests include acting in her local theater, genealogy, photography, and singing. She resides in Louisiana with her husband. For more information about Morgan, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

Interview with DiAnn Mills and book giveaway

Narelle here. I’m thrilled to welcome DiAnn Mills to our blog. Today we’re giving away a copy of DiAnn’s April release, Sworn to Protect.

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. Currently she has fifty books in print and has sold 1.5 million copies.

DiAnn believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels.

Six of her titles have appeared on the CBA Bestseller List. Three of her books have won the distinction of Best Historical of the Year by Heartsong Presents. Five of her books have won placements through American Christian Fiction Writer’s Book of the Year Awards 2003 – 2008, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005 and 2007. She was a Christy Awards finalist in 2008.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope and Love, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also a mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild.

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas. They have four adult sons and are active members of Metropolitan Baptist Church.

Website: www.diannmills.com

Narelle: In Sworn to Protect, Danika Morales is a Border Patrol Agent. What drives her passion for her job with the Texas Border Patrol?

DiAnn: Danika became interested in the immigration process during her college years. Her decision came after volunteering at a mission and seeing how gangs from South America persecuted Americans and illegal immigrants. She saw the controversy and heated debates and concluded that US laws were to be enforced until the laws were changed to help the less fortunate.

Narelle: How tough is it for women who work on the front line as Border Patrol Agents? How does Danika cope with her demanding job?

DiAnn: Women more so than men have to prove their mettle. Although women experience the same training and continuous testing of skills, many of the men want to see a woman agent perform in the line of duty before they not only feel safe with a woman agent but respect her as a professional.

Danika has proven her abilities and is an accepted Border Patrol Agent. She faces danger with the knowledge that she's been trained to handle critical situations.

Narelle: Human smuggling receives international media attention. In Australia, maritime security is an area of focus for our border protection. Boat loads of asylum seekers make the treacherous journey toward the remote North Western Australia coast. Please share with us the unique challenges your characters in Sworn to Protect face as they patrol the US-Mexican border.

DiAnn: The biggest challenge is putting aside personal sentiments for hard working people who are seeking a better way of life versus those who are gang members smuggling drugs, weapons, illegal entry etc. Danika's problem in Sworn to Protect is that someone within the ranks of the Border Patrol is giving the illegals classified information that allows them to cross US borders undetected.

Narelle: Human smuggling and the plight of asylum seekers is also a humanitarian issue. Do the residents in Danika’s home town have different perspectives on this issue and does this create conflict in your story?

DiAnn: Absolutely! Danika, as well as other agents, often change into their uniform at the station so neighbors and others do not know their profession. Often children are not told what their parent does to earn a living. Family and friends live on both sides of the border.

Narelle: Sworn to Protect is the second book in your Call of Duty series. Please tell us about the other books in the series.

DiAnn: Breach of Trust is about a CIA operative posing as a librarian in a small town in Oklahoma. She is forced to make a decision of bringing a corrupt politician to justice or endangering the lives of those she loves. The reality is who can she trust, and the one man she loves may be the enemy.

Pursuit of Justice is about an FBI agent who is sent to West Texas, her former home, to help solve a series of murders surrounding an over three hundred year old legend about hidden Spanish treasure. She finds the killer may be her own father, and the once prime suspect has stolen into her heart.

DiAnn, thanks for joining us today. I really enjoyed reading Breach of Trust and the story kept me up until 2am because I had to find out what happened next! Breach of Trust is also a Romance Writers of America 2010 RITA® finalist in the inspirational category - congratulations DiAnn! I’m looking forward to reading Sworn to Protect.

By commenting on today’s post you can enter the drawing to win a copy of Sworn to Protect. The drawing will take place on Friday, May 7 and the winner announced on Sunday, May 9. Please leave an email address [ ] at [ ] dot [ ] where you can be reached.

"Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws."

To learn more about DiAnn Mills and her books, please visit her website.

Narelle Atkins writes contemporary inspirational romance. She resides in Canberra, Australia with her husband and children. She can also be found around the inkwell at the Inkwell Inspirations blog. To learn more about Narelle, please visit her website.

Interview and book giveaway with DiAnn Mills!

Today, I’d like to welcome award-winning author DiAnn Mills who was my first writing mentor and has been an encouragement and blessing to me over the years. DiAnn launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. Currently she has over forty books in print and has sold more than 1.5 million copies.
DiAnn believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure” as she combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels.

LISA: You have three books set in Africa, two fiction and one non-fiction. Can you tell us briefly about the fiction series as well as Lost Boy No More?

DIANN: Lost Boy No More is a nonfiction book about Abraham Nhial and his journey from his homeland in Sudan as a nine-year-old boy to the United States. Through the eyes of Abraham, the reader learns about Sudan’s history, religion, politics, natural resources, and slavery.


When the Lion Roars is a fiction novel about three different people and how their lives weave through the tragic civil war in Sudan and the slavery issue. The characters include a white American woman doctor, an Arab Christian, and a black warlord.

When the Nile Runs Red is the second book about these three people. The time period is right after the peace treaty is signed between north and south Sudan. The story weaves their unique personalities and how they view the best way to mend the people and the country, while a plot unfolds to kill the Arab Christian.

LISA: What first drew you to write about this continent?

DIANN: I think Africa chose me! When I was approached to write a book about the Lost Boys of Sudan, I wasn’t even sure where Sudan was located in Africa. The more I studied and learned about the people and the country, the more I fell in love.


LISA: What one moment still stands out about your trip to Sudan?

DIANN: The incredible faith of the Sudanese Christians. When a Sudanese says “Jesus is enough,” and we consider all the tragedies that have befallen these people, then Jesus is truly enough.

LISA: Amazing and so true! What did you find challenging/rewarding about your trip?

DIANN: Challenging: the primitive conditions. Rewarding: meeting the people and listening to their stories--and their faith.

LISA: Give us a glimpse into what was necessary to research your books.

DIANN: In the nonfiction, I interviewed hundreds of people: Lost Boys, Sudanese refugees (men and women), and those who worked with the Sudanese. Some of those who worked with the refugees represented Christian organizations, and others did not. The experiences and information were often emotional. The directors and teachers of the refugee camps were extremely helpful.

The organizations here in the US who are instrumental in helping the Lost Boys shared with me their victories and their defeats.

I also researched African politics, the history of Sudan, slavery, natural resources - specifically oil, and religion. I took a twelve week class on the Muslim religion to better understand the culture of the government and its people.

LISA: Many of our readers are also writers. What advise can you give to authors as they seek to up the suspense in their own novels?

DIANN:
1. Continue to raise the stakes by allowing the character(s) to walk through fire. Sometimes allowing the character to be burned and other times allowing the character to be singed.
2. Use words that build suspense, which means avoid the poetic and flowery words used in romance and fantasy novels.
3. Use the ticking-clock tool to keep the reader turning pages.
4. John Gardner wrote: “Create the best possible characters and allow the worst possible things to happen to them.”
5. Emotive conflict is the key to a page-turning novel

LISA: Your tagline is Expect and Adventure, and you have two books coming out soon that fulfill that very promise, Sworn to Protect and A Woman Called Sage. Can you tell us a bit about both books?

DIANN: A Woman Called Sage is a historical novel to be released March 1 by Zondervan. A woman bounty hunter searches for the killers of her husband, only to discover she has become the hunted.

Sworn to Protect is a contemporary suspense novel to be released April 1 by Tyndale. This is the second novel in the Call of Duty series. A Border Patrol agent in McAllen, Texas fights to uphold the law while struggling with her personal life torn apart by violent crime.


Thanks so much for sharing with us today! To find out more about DiAnn and her books, please visit her website. DiAnn has also offered to give away a copy of When the Nile Runs Red. Please leave a comment on this post with a way for me to contact you. I’ll draw a winner on December 5th. US addresses only please.

And for those in the US, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Blessings,

Lisa