Being At The Top Of Your Game

As I write to you from my turret tower, my friend Carrie sitting on the floor with my dog Lola, I gaze out my window at my farm…

Wait, there’s no farm. Pardon me, I’m a bit punchy. I lapsed into Christmas in Connecticut.

I finishing a rewrite, How To Catch A Prince. It’s been a little over a month now. I know some people, who shall be nameless, Susan May Warren, write whole books from scratch in that amount of time, but I am not such a writer.

I’m getting fast but I’m like to mull. Chew. Think. I’m the kind of person who comes up with a fabulous retort or brilliant response to a conversation three days later.

But then no one cares to hear my amazing insight.

I process. Or iProcess. Whichever. I am a Macophile.

Anyway.

The Great Debate! Story vs Structure

So, here we are, Susie May and me, after the Christy Awards sitting in the Marriott Hotel with greats Ted Dekker and Steven James, fellow Christy Award nominees.

(Congratulations to Susie for her second Christy win! And to Ted!)

Among our company that night was Ted’s daughter, who is also a new, contracted author with Tyndale.

As talk goes among writers, we edged our way to talking craft. Steven James just came out with a book Story Trumps Structure.

I get what he’s saying. Books are about stories, people doing amazing things.

No one ever came up to me and said, “Rachel, I just thought of a great structure!”

All writers are dreamers of story.

But James contends too many writers get wrapped around the axel on structure and forget about story.

As you know, here at MBT, we are all about BOTH.

Yet Another Tip On How to Write A Great Novel

It’s throwback Thursday. I’m out of town and thought I’d blog a blast from the past.

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Do you ever weary of all the do’s and don’ts of writing a novel? I do. Sometimes I get so bogged down with the “rules” and guidelines I end up writing something that doesn’t work.

But in the end, it all forms together to create the novel I do end up sending to my editor. Nothing written for a novel is never wasted.

Every word becomes a layer and texture of the ultimate story.

On my latest novel, I learned a valuable lesson. Reading. Shocker, right? Y’all are rolling your eyes, moaning, “Gee whiz, Rachel, and you have fifteen novels published!? Where’s the justice?”

Rachel Hauck

The Heart of the Matter: Finding Your Character’s True Desire

As wonderful as craft books are, a lot of times, our best teacher is life and our keen observance of it.

I read a book awhile ago called Live a Praying Life by Jennifer Kennedy Dean. I wasn’t reading it to improve my writing. I was reading it to better understand God’s design for prayer.

But as writers, we usually have that third eye (or ear) open and observant and aware. Ready to soak up some juicy insight. Some truth, some reflection of the human condition that we can apply to our characters and our stories.

So when I came upon this, I immediately switched into writing mode:

Jennifer writes, “Usually, what we call ‘the desire of my heart’ is really a secondary desire orbiting around the true desire. Usually, what we think we desire is really the way we have imagined the true desire will be met.”

She goes on to say, “We think we are asking for the desire of our hearts, but we are really asking for the desire of the moment. Often, in order to give you the desire of your heart, God will withhold the desire of the moment. He only says no as a prelude to a higher yes.”

Rachel Hauck, Princess Ever After

Putting Up Road Blocks — Story Road Blocks That Is!

Monday Susie blogged on 7 Twists and Turns to add to your novel!

I thought I’d piggy back on her post and add some detail to one of her fantastic tips.

Let’s look at her 7th twist: Chose the Worst Case Scenario.

Susie writes: After every scene, Ask: What is the worst thing that could happen to my character right now? Then, follow up with – can I make that happen (or something similar to it?) When you sit down to consider all your options – and then choose one that is reasonable yet unexpected, you add in the element of unpredictability in your novel. And readers love it when they say, “Oh, I did NOT see that coming!”

Maybe I’m alone in this but whenever I think of raising the stakes or putting up obstacles (road blocks) or choosing the worst case scenario, I think of things like buildings blowing up, terrorist attacks, life threatening diseases, death, mayhem, destruction! (All State anyone?)

Well, I know I’m not alone. I can tell by some of the stories I read or contest entries. Random, bizarre, something-not-even-related-to-the-story happens.

Here’s the deal, if you’ve worked on your character journey/story arc and you know the probable epiphany of your hero, then all of the road blocks must fit within that story line.

Just shutting the door in someone’s face can be a sufficient and effective story block. Or as Susie calls it “worst case scenario.”

I’m working on rewrites for How To Catch A Prince.