Hello all! Today I have a lovely writing book to share with you that I greatly enjoyed! I’ve wanted to read it for months now and finally got around to it! Before I get started, I should let you know the author generously gifted me a copy, requesting I review it, but there was no stipulation on it being a positive or negative review. All thoughts are my own and I am excited to share them with you!

Outlining Your Novel by K. M. Weiland
(2011)
5 Stars

Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story?

Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal.

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will:

•Help you choose the right type of outline for you
•Guide you in brainstorming plot ideas
•Aid you in discovering your characters
•Show you how to structure your scenes
•Explain how to format your finished outline
•Instruct you in how to use your outline
•Reveal the benefits
•Dispel the misconceptions

Includes exclusive interviews with ten respected authors, answering important questions about outlining.

Outlining can organize your writing and help you take your stories to the next level. Find out how!

This was an incredibly helpful writer’s guide. As a self-proclaimed “Plotser” (someone who plots and writes without one, half and half) this book has helped me see some corrections I need to make in my process. While I may never be able to plot a book fully, she had so many helpful tips and examples for making your book the best it can be! I plan to reference it often! Below I’ll share some samples of some fun tips! Even if you never intend to plot your novel, I recommend you give it a read. It’s worth your time, trust me. Now, I didn’t agree with all the works she chose to highlight for her examples, and if I remember correctly there were two bad words, so watch for that. Otherwise, this book is a gold mine!

|| If you’re a visual learner, you may find it useful to create folders of pictures related to your story. “Cast” your characters, scout likely settings, and collect pertinent props. By associating pictures with particular scenes, you not only give yourself extra details with which to flesh out the scene, you can also help yourself spot plot holes or inconsistencies. I began keeping a folder of story-related pictures while writing Dreamlander, and this practice has rapidly become one of the most useful (not to mention most fun) tools in my repertoire. When stuck on scenes, I will often surf the Internet for related pictures. More often than not, when I find a picture, I find my missing puzzle piece. ||

|| The story we put on the page will never be a perfect representation of the story in our imagination, so it’s little wonder we aren’t always aware of where our stories fall short. But here’s a little trick to narrow the gap between your idealization of your story and its printed reality: Write yourself the “perfect” review before your story ever hits paper. If you could have a professional reviewer read your idealized concept of your finished book and totally get it—completely understand everything you’re trying to say with your characters, plot, dialogue, and themes—what would he write about your story? Close your eyes for a moment, emotionally distance yourself from your story, and pretend you’re that reviewer. ||

|| Nothing wrong with those words (they’re the tools of our trade, after all), but give…focusing on the raw sensations {a try}. Close your eyes and visualize the scene you’re writing. What colors stand out? What can you smell? What does your body feel like? This is the best way I know to find those all-important “telling” details that bring a scene to life. ||

That’s it for now! Have a Blessed Week!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello everyone and welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner! Today, I have another post on writing themes! (You can read my first one here!) Let’s hop right in!

So I’m a little late jumping on the theme band wagon. A Song of Home was only the second book I’ve written where I had it decided before I started writing it. And that theme was duty.

When we think of duty, or at least when I think of it, the first thing that comes to mind is a soldier, serving his country, risking his life, because it is his duty to keep the fighting from harming us. He is the sheepdog, fighting off the wolves that would love nothing more than to ravage the herd. Another image that come to mind is that of a policeman. It is his duty to protect us from harm. Even when the sheep fool themselves into thinking he is the wolf and the wolf is the sheepdog, he risks his life to keep us safe.

But soldiers and policemen aren’t the only ones with Duties. Here’s a list of ideas for incorporating Duty into your story!

• A soldier dedicated to serving his country and why it matters to him personally.
• A preacher, proclaiming the Gospel even when faced with opposition from local businessmen.
• A younger family member taking on the duty of caring for an elderly family member. Is it only duty though or love that motivates them…or both? Or does one morph into the other?
• A policeman, protecting a citizen who moments before was insulting him.
• A dog, crossing a war zone to deliver a message to save his handler.
• A father, protecting his family from a home invasion.
• A mother, taking up her God given calling to raise her family rather than pursue her dream career.

These are just a few ideas. How can you depict Duty in your work in progress?

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

I'm so excited, I don't even know where to start! I've been waiting for this story to release ever since I found out it was even being worked on. And when Kassie asked me to Beta? I was over the Moon! I was so excited to share this with all of you and so honored to participate in her blog tour! So without further ado, let's jump right in! (Points to you if you caught that I used Jump on purpose XD)

Where to even begin! This book made me laugh one minute and cry the next! It was such a touching story. The part that really got to me was when Layla was reading letters written to Mavericks mother...I've talked with a gold star mom on multiple occasions and she read me a similar letter...such a touching scene!

Andrew is probably my favorite character. I mean, he's a Ranger and a runner...and he's such a compelling lead.

That's not to down play Layla and Ranger and Jaydon though! This family is so sweet together and the dynamics of their relationship...and the tragedies that pull them tighter are so heart-breakingly beautiful!

The message of the story is so powerful. Hope, perseverance, God's hand in our lives and the desire to honor our heroes...ah! I can't say enough good about this book. And there's even a Police Officer line in the story! And of course, the balloons...

Because the story does deal with war injuries and PTSD, I would recommend this for 14+ for understanding. The book is clean and all, and there are no gory descriptions.

O To Be Like Thee still has my heart, but this book...nope, can't even compare them. They are both so good!

*I received an e-book copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own*

What inspired this story, especially the aspect of a double amputee?
Well, the story’s inspired by {a song} which isn’t about the Army or amputees unless you’ve got an imagination. XD The whole double-amputee part kind of just happened. I just wanted to bring together a three-legged dog and an amputee in a story. It was just an image I had in my head I wanted to write about.
 
What is one thing you want your readers to take away from this story?
There’s usually more to a person’s story than meets the eye. Maybe you’ll never know it. Maybe you will. People may be struggling in ways you will never know, and some heroes aren’t so obvious. And—maybe my favorite line of the story—you never know who’s trying to make a hero proud.
 
What has God taught you through the writing Tattered Wings?
If He tells you to do something, don’t give up. Not-so-little-known fact: I didn’t really want to write Tattered Wings. It’s my stubborn story for a reason. But not giving up is one of the themes of the story…and I’m so glad I didn’t give up on it. Because when you don’t give up, it will be oh so worth it.
 
How has your perspective on life changed through writing this story?
(how did she come up with these) Y’know, that’s a good question. Yeah, maybe the answer’s I’m more determined than ever not to give up. Or maybe the answer is that you can actually navigate between both the civilian and military world and it won’t always make sense and that’s okay.
 
Tell us about Maverick (just anything you want, girl). *He's a side Character that is never on scene in the story*
He’s my reckless Texas cowboy named after Lane Frost who loves animals and is such a softie but he will fight with a vengeance when he needs to because he’s basically a working dog at heart. (Don’t tell him I said that.)
 
If you could meet one of your characters, which would you want and what would you say to them?
I think I’d want it to be Layla, just so I could tell her the one thing she’s not sure she wants to hear: I know and I’m sorry. Everything’s gonna be okay and you are so brave. And by the way your dog is super cute, not that I’m biased.

(adds under my breath: “I know what I’d really want to say to a character. This is for you, Maverick.”)

*Reads that line and tears up...*
 
What piece of advice, based on your experience with this book, would you give writers?
Write the story that’s in your heart. I don’t care how hard it is. Just write it. Somebody needs to read it, and somebody’s heart will break in the best way possible over it. Don’t compare your stories to each other. Just don’t. You’ll still love them all, I promise.
 
How can we reach out to people like Layla and Andy?
In this essay I will…. X’D Just kidding. There’s a lot I could tell you. But at the end of the day, be respectful and just be a friend. Andrew’s struggles are a lot more visible than Layla’s. Saying not to treat them any differently isn’t helpful when they’re so unlike the average person you meet on the street. But don’t ever treat someone like they’re from a different planet just because, say, they’re a double amputee. Just say hi. How you doing. Crazy weather we’re having, right? And by the way…thank you; we really do appreciate it.
 
Okay, what inspired Isaiah?
(Fun fact: I don’t think I’ve shared this story before.) Okay, so I needed a battle buddy for Andrew, and Isaiah’s story just grew from there. My crazy Southern kid is based on a soldier from Alabama who was working the gate at Ft. Hood, saw my mom’s West Virginia license plate, and made it his personal mission to faithfully tell us “ROLL TIDE” every time he saw us. That was, one, how we found out WV was playing Alabama in the Super Bowl, two, how the poor boy earned the undying title Private Roll Tide, and three, how we ended up with a soft spot for all things Roll Tide. A good five years later, if pre-deployment Isaiah isn’t so Private Roll Tide… <33
 
Parting thoughts? (Literally, anything you want😉)
(First thing that came to mind; couldn’t resist and it’s kinda fitting…) “All we ask is that you don’t forget, ‘cause the war’s not over when the fighting ends—haunted souls and memories, Airborne Ranger Infantry.”

I'm not crying...<3

Okay, so that is it for now! Click here to purchase the eBook and here for a print copy!
Have a Blessed Day!
Rangers Lead the Way!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

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