God’s Timing: The Baby Living on Lake Erie | Ruth Trippy

With God on the Lake

A few days ago, I awoke at 5:45 a.m. in my daughter Anne’s home, waiting to hear the baby cry. Silence. Then I heard footsteps on the floor above in this 1930’s house. My son-in-law was getting ready for work. I waited until he left, then quietly rose from my husband’s side and went out to greet the morning on Lake Erie. I brought my vitamin drink, a Bible and Jesus Calling.

A New World

I was in a different world here. Not only sitting by Lake Erie in Ohio. This was a world with a new baby, our first grandchild, Judah. I thought of the Biblical Lion of Judah. I also remembered his birthdate in the constellations God had formed was Leo: the lion.

But, Judah Timothy had come three weeks early. When our daughter had been examined by her doctor, she’d been told she had another few weeks before delivery. However, soon after the doctor’s pronouncement, in the middle of the night she awoke wondering, are these contractions? And 25 hours later, Judah arrived!

Ruth and Hubby on the Road

Hearing this, my Energizer bunny went into high gear. Packing clothes and house preparation that usually took three days, took one. After 15 hours on the road, my husband and I arrived at the hospital, just before midnight, to hold our grandson in our arms!

Three Weeks Early

The timing of this baby—arriving 3 weeks early—what did God have in mind? Many things. But He did have something special and unexpected for me.

To digress a moment: has God’s timing ever mystified you? Even, frustrated you? In getting published? In navigating the tricky waters of Marketing & Publicity?

Timing in Getting Published

I certainly wondered if I’d ever get my first book published. It was 30 years from when I started writing a novel to when I was finally accepted by Abingdon Press. I was sure I was ready long before that! However, during those years, I discovered that writing is more than getting published. It’s about developing a lifestyle of dependence on God. And trusting Him when the timing seems off. How well I remember all those writing conferences and rejections. But when I was finally published—in God’s time—I had a better book, and I was a better person.

I was reminded of the hymn by William Cowper (1774) – “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform…”

God has His perfect timing for each part of our lives.

Oh yes, those three weeks!

This is where my newborn grandson comes in. Remember that he came three weeks early? Years ago I had a daughter, Rachel, who also came three weeks early. But I never held her. An apparently healthy baby at birth, she died after only 12 hours.

However, in God’s mysterious providence, life had now come full circle for me. With little Judah, I felt what it was like to hold a baby born three weeks early. I held and held and held my little grandson.

Can you imagine how sweet this was? Even sweeter with the long wait? We can trust the Lord. He has His perfect timing for each aspect of our lives. With a few wonderful surprises thrown in!

#encouragement #waiting #ACFWcommunity

Ruth Trippy taught music, language arts and worked as a Public Service Director for radio in Ft. Lauderdale. She has three novels published, both traditionally and independently. Visit her webpage at www.ruthtrippy.com

Research Habits for Fiction Writers | Brandy Heineman

Ready, Set, Research

When it comes to researching books, there have been times when I've gotten ahead of myself. I once half-jokingly confessed to a writing buddy, “I have to write a whole book to know what to research.”

She didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, you’re going to need to get over that.”

I can’t be the only one who does this, can I? First comes the pure joy of chasing a fresh new story idea, when I love writing and it loves me right back. (You guessed it--I’m a pantser.) Then I hit a blip. An obscure fact or technicality. If I’m invested in my story, I’ll sometimes flag these little issues, telling myself I’ll return to them later. That usually spells trouble down the road when I find out I’ve been writing fantasy without realizing it.

Lately I’ve found that stories often grow out of the research, and that accurate details of places and processes uncover new what-ifs and plot points. The original idea may not even be viable in light of the facts, but just as often, research sends the story reeling in new and exciting directions.

It starts with learning to ask good questions.

Observation, Interpretation, Application

Have you ever used the Inductive Bible Study method? Essentially, it involves observing the text, interpreting its meaning, and applying that meaning to your life. It’s a good way to study the Bible, and it’s a good way to research a story.

Observe your subject.

We all start with our favorite search engine, but then what? The Inductive Study method teaches students to interrogate the text, and that is exactly what you’ll do with your sources. Read, search YouTube, and scour Pinterest. Visit places if you can, and take plenty of notes. Avail yourself of all the experts you can find to interview.

But don’t stop there. Dust off the five W’s and an H from your school days and start recording observations. Train yourself to intentionally ask Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How to avoid time-consuming mistakes and open doors to details you hadn’t considered for your story.

Interpret your observations.

The Inductive approach considers the context of the details, and that will also help you sort through your research. What will your discoveries mean to the characters and their situations? How will the realities of setting or science drive their actions?

Apply your research.

Once you’re ready to write, embrace the fact that you’ll end up with more information than you can use. Sprinkle jargon carefully, choose the best sensory details, and make sure the research you include serves the story.

For all the fascinating material that doesn’t make the cut, consider blogging about it or sharing posts on other social media. Put those interesting details to work attracting readers!

Organizing Your Research

Of course, all the facts and notes in the world do no good if you can’t immediately access what you need when you need it. It’s wise to develop a trusted system that suits the info and the way you like to work.

This can take many forms, including:

• Note-taking software (such as EverNote, OneNote, or Google Keep),

• Bookmarking sites or apps (like Pinterest, Pocket, or within your favorite browser),

• Research docs within Scrivener,

• File folders stored on your computer,

• A giant dedicated three-ring binder that lives on the edge of your desk, or

• A combination of these and other systems.

Depending on the types of media your research includes, you may have to mix it up. (I’m still a fan of moveable tape flags for print books and photo boxes for old photos.)

However you choose to manage your sources and notes, you need them in a place and format that’s logical and useful for you and your project. I’m all for staying flexible, but the key to a trusted system is consistency. If you always put your research files in the same place, they will always be there when you need them. (Remember to back-up!)

From my research toolbox to yours

With admitted bias for historical research, I offer these links as some of my go-to favorites.

1. Chronicling America. Of the many online collections at the Library of Congress, the historic newspaper collection is a huge help for understanding the events, attitudes, priorities, and even verbal patterns of the milieu.

2. Writer’s Dreamtools. A variety of useful helps. I especially appreciate the History by Decades links for a “We Didn’t Start The Fire”-style snapshot of the period I’m working on.

3. Online Etymology Dictionary. This is a great resource for checking the usage of words and phrases to keep your language accurate.

4. The Popular Baby Names section of the Social Security website is great for selecting names to reflect characters’ age, and Behind the Name is useful for finding appropriate names by heritage or theme.

5. Quora and Yahoo! Answers. It’s a safe bet that if you’re wondering about anything, someone else probably has, too.

What are your best writing research tips? Share in the comments below!

#writing #research #ACFWcommunity

Brandy Heineman writes dual timeline novels laced with generational secrets and mysteries of the faith, believing that with Jesus, it is possible to overcome the past and find real connection. Her debut novel, Whispers in the Branches, was a 2014 ACFW Genesis Contest finalist.

She loves springtime in Georgia, testing new recipes on unsuspecting friends, and to her husband Michael’s chagrin, well-timed puns. Visit her online at https://brandyheineman.com.

Photo credit: Emilie Hendryx of E. A. Creative Photography, 2014.

First Conference Tips | Jill Willis

A conference veteran in a brand-new world

I’ve attended a ton of conferences—consumer electronics, telecommunications, volunteerism—both as an attendee and as a host. You could ask me anything about a conference and I’d have a ready, accurate answer. I was an expert.

Ha! Those pages of my life quickly blew over the Blue Ridge Mountains when I attended my first writer’s conference.

I should not have been caught off guard. Driver, fashion consultant and mentor-extraordinaire, Hope Welborn, had blanketed me in past experience stories and helpful tips. I should have been prepared to calmly embrace the writer’s conference experience.

Drinking from a fire hose

Instead, I didn’t sleep for four nights. I scurried around the campus in an attempt to attend as many sessions as possible and pass out my shiny new business cards. I was beyond excited about absorbing all-things-pertinent, interviewing with potential agents and meeting other young adult writers. I agonized over whose agent/author/publisher table to sit at for each meal, constantly updated my schedule in the nifty conference app, and stayed up late friending all my new buds on Facebook.

Praise God the place had a latté machine.

I returned home with a To-Do scroll and have been skittering around my study like a water bug across a pond ever since. My plan of action includes about a hundred items of equal value.

This is not the way to attend and return from your first writer’s conference . . . unless you enjoy drinking from a fire hose. Note to self: audio of all sessions is available for a reasonable price.

Here’s what I recommend for first-time conference attendees:

• Listen to your mentor and pack accordingly. Carry an umbrella every minute, even if the skies are blue.

• Stay in a hotel room by yourself. You’ll need the peace and quiet.

• Start and end each day with personal devotion time. Focusing on Him calms nerves.

• Attend only two sessions a day. Any more and you’ll have info overload. Spend your free time getting to know other writers. Everyone’s so nice!

• Prepare for the appointments you may have with agents and publishers. Ensure you have a one sheet, business cards and a WIP summary. The agents and publishers will be overjoyed.

• Take notes on your laptop. Transcribing chicken scratch is time-consuming.

• Yell your heart out at the awards ceremony when someone in your local ACFW chapter wins big. Congrats, Lindsey Brackett!

When you return home:

• Prioritize your To Do list ASAP. Not everything is of equal value.

• Listen to the audio sessions. Yes, more To Do items, but now you have the time to take good notes without the distraction of sitting next to a popular YA writer, who’s probably wondering why you’re using a yellow legal pad to take notes.

• Write thank you notes to those who interviewed you. Your mom will be proud.

• Organize the business cards you received. If you can’t figure out what to do with them, put them in a bowl and pray over them.

Last, thank our generous Father for the opportunity to attend the conference, learn from industry professionals and fellowship with other writers. There will always be more conferences, but none will compare with your very first one. Smile as you cherish those memories.

#conferenceprep #BRMWC2018 #ACFWcommunity

Jill Willis writes redemptive young adult speculative fiction. She lives on a lake in North Georgia with her husband and a one-eyed orange cat. She’s a scuba diver, amateur photographer and volunteer cook at Atlanta’s USO. You can connect with her at www.jillkwillis.com or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.