There is only so much time in a day and only so many days in a year. And yet there are so many things we wish to accomplish. How can we ever get it all done, especially when one is writing a novel? Well, today, we are going to look at the art of setting goals and see how I am planning to get a novel written this year!

1. Pick your project. This one seems like a no brainer, but when setting goals, you must select one project to break down into goals. Sure, you can work on multiple projects at once, but when setting your goals, it’s crucial to stay focused. For the sake of illustration, I will select “A Song of Home” as my sample project. (No, you will not see my real timeline 😉. This is just for example.)

2. List the steps needed to accomplish your goal. Take out a sheet of paper and map out everything that needs to be done from start to finish. You may find that you need to add more steps as you progress, and that’s fine! Just get down the basics.

Ex. Brainstorm Novel, draft, revise, edit, team edit, beta-readers/proof edit, publish, market.

3. Set your deadlines. Be sure you have at least a tentative schedule of when (realistically) you want to have these goals met. Now, I’m in a ministry family. We travel…a lot. We get meetings spur of the moment that throws my plans to the wind. So give yourself grace if you have to take several weeks (months, years) to realistically complete a goal.

Ex. Brainstorm, 2 weeks; Draft, 3-6 months (depending on the length of the novel, how well you have it outlined, etc.); Revise, 1 month; Edit, 2 months; Beta-Read/Proof, 1 month; publish, set tentative month you want it out by. The turnaround time for printing and binding varies according to who you use and what time of year you order; Market…you never really stop, so this one doesn’t need a time limit. (Disclosure: These are totally random time slots I chose for this example and do not represent the ideal timeline. You do what works for you. I’m not even sure I could follow this!)

4. Break Up your steps. This is kind of like Step 2. Take each step and divide them into mini-steps.

Ex. Brainstorm: Book synopsis/blurb; picture file; playlist; outline; character questionnaire, etc.

5. Set Deadlines. Yep, this again! Look at the time frame you’ve given yourself and assign a deadline to each mini-step to help you accomplish your goal. This can also help you take stock of how realistic your plan is.

Ex. Brainstorm (2 Weeks): Book synopsis/blurb, 1-2 days; picture file, ongoing; playlist, 1 day; outline, 1 week; character questionnaire, 1 week. Okay, so it looks like this might be accomplished in 2 weeks if you multitask, but better safe than sorry. I’ll give myself another three days.

6. Get to it! Once your plan is in place, jump in, and get to work! And try to stick to your plan. Again, the unexpected happens. This is simply a tool to help you avoid laziness and procrastination. Don’t beat yourself up if other commitments call you away and throw everything off. Adjust and carry on!

This really can apply to any long-term project you want to accomplish.

I hope this post is a help to you and makes your writing/life process less stressful.

Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

The New Year is 4 days away. What? How did it all get by so fast? What happened? Well, no use crying over spilt milk. This New Year is a fresh slate with no mistakes in it…yet. As long as mankind remains on the earth, mistakes will be made and sins will be committed, though we should be doing our part to keep the number down! Today, I thought it would be fun to share with you some resolutions, since that’s what we are “supposed to do” at the end of a year. These are for writers, and hopefully, these will be attainable. Let’s dive “write” in!

Keep Priorities Straight.

Don’t ever let your writing come in place of your Bible study, Prayer life, or family responsibilities. Believe me, every writer has struggled with at least one of these at some time or another. Purpose in your heart to keep your priorities in line. Remember JOY: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. And yes, writing is in the “Yourself” category.
 
Read a Book on Writing Craft.

These can be so helpful! As in anything in life, if you are a writer, you need to keep growing in your craft. My favorite writing book is Did God Put a Book in You? By Jerry Ross. Another good one is 5 Basic Points of Plot Structure by K. M. Weiland.
 
Read the Writings of the Master Author.

I borrowed this title for our Lord from Amanda Tero. He wrote the best Book in all History and none can be compared to it. And our efforts in any area of life will amount to nothing without Him. So study the Bible (the King James is the proper translation for English speakers), apply it to your life. And as for your writing? Find verses that apply to your story. Use the lessons God teaches you through His Word in your writing. I got an idea for a battle scene from reading the book of Joshua. I also applied something God taught me through Ruth in a Camp Fire Story. You never know what God has in mind for your writing until you submit to being His student.
 
Write a Short Story.

It has been said that if a preacher can’t preach a message in 5-10 minutes, he’s not a real preacher. Well, the same might be said for a writer. Writing short stories is a good exercise for authors, teaching them to keep out all unnecessary dialogue, details and backstory. You’ve got a minimum of space to tell your story. Challenge yourself to cut the chatter and write a story with a convincing plot and character in 1,000 words or less. See if it doesn’t teach you a lot about writing in the process.
 
Keep an Inspiration Notebook.

I keep one in my purse as I travel to jot down story ideas, tidbits I want to research, songs I want to use, quotes or even whole scenes that come to me. You never know when Inspiration will hit: in the car, at the store, in the middle of the night, etc. so buy a little notebook and let the thoughts flow.

That's all I have for Now!
Have A Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Themes…ugh! I don’t know about you, but this is one of the hardest parts of developing a story for me. I can come up with (what I think) is a fantastic plot line with all the fun/frightening details (I write about historical events and First responders, so yeah, some things get a little scary), but what are people supposed to learn from my stories?

Well, today, I’m going to take a theme and break down a few ways you can use it in your Work in Progress (WIP; I use this abbreviation for the sake of space and time 😉). So, if you’re ready, let’s begin!

This post is a little different from what I usually do. I got the idea from this post on different ways to write about Love, so be sure and check that one out too. I’m not talking about romance here. There are more love stories out there than romantic ones, y’all!

I was brainstorming a requested story, trying to plot out some ideas when I determined that this book should have a stated theme before I even began to plot it. I asked my family for ideas, giving them the setting for the story, etc. My mom suggested Forgiveness.

Forgiveness. Such a simple concept and an overt command of God, and yet so many struggle with it. It’s not an easy thing to do. I mean, sometimes it is, but not when it’s those things that really, really hurt you in life…those things that go deeper than the surface. The heartaches, the betrayals…those kinds of things are harder to let go of. That’s why it’s so important to write about it, to share what we have learned from the Bible and from personal experience about forgiving others.

But how can we show forgiveness in our writing? Here are some ideas.

• The struggle of a family forgiving the person who killed a family member in a head-on collision.
• A sweet story of children having a dispute and mom coming in to teach about the silliness of holding a grudge.
• A short story of an animal “forgiving” their human for stepping on their tail.
• A policeman getting beyond their past and trying to help an ex-criminal straighten out their life
• A couple working out an argument.
• An elderly lady with memory problems struggling to understand what’s happening to her and trying to forgive her family for seemingly abandoning her
• A child learning to forgive someone for saying mean things.
• Use the parable in the Bible about the servant who was forgiven much, but wouldn’t forgive his fellow servant. Tell a similar story in modern-day to teach about receiving and giving forgiveness to others.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. How can you teach forgiveness through your WIP?

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Colossians 3:13
King James Bible

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

This month is National Novel Writing Month, so I thought, since the end of the month is right around the corner, it would be good to get you a book on editing that book you may have just conquered!

Okay, so I have no idea why I waited so long to read this book! I enjoyed it so much and learned a lot from these authors…though it does need a little censoring…

Go Teen Writers: Edit Your Novel
By Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson
2018
4.5 Stars

My Review: This is a writer’s go-to guide for editing your novel, and not just the grammar part! It’s about: Story plot. Character expansion. Hooking the reader with your story. Making sure that it’s the best it can be! Now, a disclaimer, I didn’t like all of the story examples they used. Most of them were from books I wouldn’t read, but very few had anything I had to mark out.

A young writer friend of mine read the book before I did and warned me about a few of the things I mentioned. She took the issues to her mother. Younger readers, this is a highly advised practice! When in doubt or if you stubble upon something in a book you know is inappropriate, take it to your parents/guardian.

Also, I would recommend this for older readers, 16+ for complete understanding/censoring purposes. Once it’s checked out, I’d say 12 and up are good to go.

So yes, if you are older, this book is an invaluable resource!

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hard to believe my last Soldier Life post was in June! What a pleasure to be back at it again! In case you are just now being introduced to this Series, Soldier Life is a series of posts, currently highlighting the life of soldiers during the War Between the States. You can check out previous posts by clicking the links {(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)|. I began this series to help those studying the War Between the States, especially the writer. I’ve tried to compile in one place the information I found while I was researching my books. The data comes from multiple sources and sites. I am not an expert, and my articles are not exhaustive on the given topics, but hopefully, this will be a help to you as you strive to learn more about the history of our Great Nation! And for those concerned, these posts are unbiased, North or South. It’s strictly a fact only post with no intention of swaying you one way or the other. But if you do wish to see my personal research on the War Between the States, check out this series {(1) (2) (3) (4)|

With all that said, let’s get started!

The Lieutenant is to the Captain what a Corporal is to a Sergeant. In short, he was second in command to the Company Commander. A company is a unit of men numbering 100 at full strength and commanded by a Captain. The lieutenant’s job was to serve as the Captain’s assistant in all things, even battlefield command.

If the Captain is ill, absent, or killed, the First Lieutenant will take command with the 2nd Lieutenant as his second in command. The main difference between First and Second Lieutenants is their line up in the pecking order. They perform the same duties. So naturally, the First Lieutenant would need to be studied up on the responsibilities of the Captain since he will likely fill his position at some point during his service.

The typical duties of a Lieutenant are as follows:

He was generally present for all the main roll calls, drills, and stable duties, inspect the kitchens, quarters, and the entire company at the end of the day assembly, known as retreat. If an officer was not present to oversee the drills and such, sometimes the Sergeants could be tempted to go lax on the men, or the men might be tempted to cause the sergeants unnecessary grief.

The Lieutenant was expected to study his field handbook, acquainting himself with sections known as “School of the Soldier,” “School of the Company,” and “School of the Battalion.” The Captain would instruct him in proper tactics per the book and personal experience.

The Lieutenant was also to be present for the Inspection of the Company, which is performed the day before the men would march on parade (public drilling for the officers in a specific location), which entailed looking over weapons. On Sundays, the inspection included knapsacks, uniforms, bedding, quarters, etc.

If the captain required it (and he usually did), the lieutenant would be expected to help him with paperwork, from filing reports to witnessing signatures to issuing clothing and making out receipts.

His duties extended past general camp work, though. He was also expected to serve on two different kinds of guard duty: Police Guard and Grand Guard.

The police guard consisted of a line of sentinels surrounding the designated camp.  There was a guardhouse, where everyone would meet, including 1-2 lieutenants, 1-2 sergeants, 3 corporals, and around 40 privates. The guardhouse is generally two separate dwellings, tent or shack, one for the guards, one for prisoners. This is a guard used during peace times.

The lieutenant serves as the Officer of the guard, and while doing this tour of duty, he isn’t forbidden to sleep, he is NEVER to be found sleeping by one of his superiors. Best to take turns sleeping with other members of the command. He is never to leave the guardhouse unless inspecting the sentinels or doing some other duty regarding Police Guard.

He is responsible for security regarding the prisoners, which is his main priority. According to Kautz’s Customs of Services of Officers of the Army Part 1, the lieutenant “receives the prisoners as they are confined, sees that the sergeant of the Guard takes down the names, by whose order confined, and the date.  An abstract of the orders inflicting punishments is furnished him, and he must keep a record of them in order that they may be entered on the List of Prisoners that accompanies the Guard Report daily; he must in all cases wherein the punishment is to be inflicted under the direction of the Guard, see that the sentences are duly executed, and that his successors are duly instructed in all cases where punishments are continued for a length of time from day to day.”

Police guards can also serve as escorts and guards for general officers to and from various locations.

As stated earlier, the Police Guard is used during times of peace. During war, these duties, among others are transferred to a larger party known as the Grand Guard. Additional duties are to alert to the presence of the enemy, advance parties to surprise/skirmish with the enemy and serve on picket duty. The lieutenant’s job is to see that everyone else is doing their job correctly and for this reason, they were often disliked as much as Corporals.

As far as the battle duties of a Lieutenant, the company would be divided into two platoons. The Captain and 2nd Lieutenant would man one platoon and the 1st Lieutenant the other. If the Captain was killed or injured, the 2nd Lieutenant took his place commanding the platoon, while the 1st Lieutenant took command of the company. Sergeants assisted them in these situations to the best of their ability.

So there you have it! I hope this post was helpful to you. Basically, if you are writing a lieutenant, make him professional, give him an air of busyness and have him working closely with the Captain and you are good to go 😉

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Hebrews 13:17
King James Bible

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22