by Alena Wendall, @alenawendall
I had a great time at the Faith, Hope, and Love Conference, which was held in Phoenix, Arizona, last week. This conference was just right for me. It was a smaller conference, perfect for those closer to the introvert size (Yes, I’m raising my hand). The attendees were very friendly.
The main speaker was Tosca Lee, who did an excellent teaching job. I learned something in every class. This Friday through Sunday morning conference touched on many subjects to help us write better, market better, and career plan.
Here are a few things that resonated with me.
Karen Witemeyer gave the devotional one day.
She reminded us we use the “what if” question to help us write, but we also use it to doubt ourselves and our writing journey. Witemeyer reminded us of Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
She also said, “Trust Him to carry out your tomorrow as you stand and serve him today.” That’s the kind of life I want to lead. It was a good reminder for all of us, especially those pitching at this conference.
Tosca Lee taught a class, “How to Keep Readers Up Past Midnight.”
She mentioned some things that I wrote down and bolded as reminders.
- Have cliffhangers at chapter endings
- Leave readers with something unsettling.
- Leave readers with something unfinished.
- Leave readers feeling uneasy.
- Twists and complications
- Add a well-motivated plot twist
- It doesn’t always have to be something big – it can be small.
- The hourglass is there, as the author shake it to make it move faster. Make it more challenging so that the original goal is compounded.
- Plant clues, but don’t tip your hand.
- You can add these clues during the revisions.
- Don’t forecast.
- Skip the boring stuff.
- Get a beta reader – Make it a voracious consumer in the genre you write in and have them give you feedback. Find places when your reader is tempted to skim and cut or pare that section down.
Happy Writing!
Writing as Alena Wendall, Alena Tauriainen pens contemporary Christian romance novels that always end with a happily ever after. By day, she partners with her lifelong mate Clyde, to run the family HVAC business. She manages both business and family life with four lovable but crazy kids. She is the Retreats Coordinator for My Book Therapy. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner with Books & Such Literary Management. Visit her at alenawendall.com.