Thursday, December 31, 2015

Sharing the Journey Round Up ~ 2015

Wow, so much has happened here this year! Can you believe it's almost officially been a full twelve months since I put up the first post here on Sharing the Journey? :) (Eight days left!)


And -- before we get into all the great links below -- I've got a tremendous bit of news. Last night I FINALLY finished the writing and working edits on A Flame Shall Spring from the Embers (my entry for Rooglewood Press's Sleeping Beauty contest) and sent it in. Come March, we'll find out if it places among the winners, etc., but either way, Lord willing, you'll definitely be getting a chance to read it later this year. :) Super exciting!

First and foremost, thank you so much to each one of my marvelous beta-readers/critique partners. You provided such encouragement to persevere in the tough spots and made the story altogether so much stronger. You're all truly amazing!! :)

(Another character  inspiration picture,
 just 'cause I'm rather fond of it.)

Also, if you didn't get a chance to visit before (or would like to visit again), here's a link for my AFSS Pinterest inspiration board.


Now I'm just plain thrilled about getting back to David's Shoulders soon in 2016. Working on AFSS over the last few months, I've learned so much -- so many new tips and fast writing/style techniques + simply relaxing about early drafts in general -- and Lord willing, my goal is to have (at least) the current draft for ODS done by the end of 2016. (Of course, more would be splendid, but we'll just have to see what exciting things God has planned for the rest of life as well. ;))

And now for our great 2015 round up -- a catalog of the happenings and events here on StJ!



This started it all off.

(Click here for all our other Quotes of the Month.)


2015's Wonderful Writer & Author Interviews


Éowyn Peterson - January 2015

Naomi - February 2015

Rachel Kovaciny - March 2015

Natalie - April 2015

Emma - May 2015

Heidi Grace Salzman - June 2015

Jenelle Schmidt - July 2015

Elisabeth Grace Foley - August 2015

Annie Hawthorne - September 2015

Braden Russell - October 2015

Suzannah Rowntree - November 2015

Emily Ann Putzke - December 2015



Our Inklings link-up started in May:


May 2015 ~ Violets
December 2015 ~ A Christmastide movie scene


Our 3 Things I Love in a Good Story Nutshell Overview:

(I love this list! And I've put together a new page for these, so click here for all the fantastic 3 Things guest posts themselves.)


A character I will remember - Natalie
A mystery - Jenelle Schmidt
A part that makes me cry - Natalie
A strong ending - Heidi
A sweet romance - Natalie
Balanced description - Heidi
Characters I want to be friends with - Hamlette
Family friendly - Jenelle Schmidt
Female characters I can respect and admire - Jessica Prescott
Good camaraderie - Heidi
Good relationships - Olivia
Happy endings - Hamlette
Heroic characters - Jenelle Schmidt
Humor - Olivia
Literature references - Naomi
"My kind" of writing style - Olivia
Not only romance - Naomi
Realistic dialogue - Hamlette
Romantic relationships that I can get behind - Jessica Prescott
Some kind of romance - Naomi
Vivid sensory description - Jessica Prescott

Thank you to each and every one of my lovely followers for joining this adventure -- it wouldn't be the same without you! And a tremendous thank you to all of you who shared and took the time to leave kind comments. :) You all truly made it a wonderful year here and I look forward to spending time with all of you in 2016! :) Happy New Year!



Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her additional blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.

Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

An Interview with Emily Ann Putzke

Today I'm happy to be interviewing fellow author and blogger Emily Ann Putzke!


Emily Ann Putzke is a young novelist, historical reenactor, and history lover. Her first novella, IT TOOK A WAR, was independently published in December of 2014. She's the co-author of AIN'T WE GOT FUN which released in May of 2015. Her full length WWII novel, RESIST, will be available in ebook, paperback, and audio on February 22nd, 2016. You can learn more about Emily and her books at www.authoremilyannputzke.com

~     ~     ~

1. (Heidi) Some differences and similarities you see between the three major forms of storytelling—literature, music, and film? 
(Emily) In film, you see everything acted out before you. You can be moved to tears and the actors don’t even have to utter a word. In literature, you have to show those emotions in words. And often, that can be even more powerful. If done right, the reader resonates with the character more. They feel like everything is happening to them personally instead of someone else on the screen. Music accompanies both forms of storytelling. As a writer, music helps me write sad or intense scenes, and you would lose something in a film without a good musical score. Film, music, and literature are all similar in their power to inspire and move us to laughter or tears. 


2. How have you seen those three mesh together in your own creative process? 
If I’m stuck while writing, a good historical film with great character development, dialogue, plot, and inspiring music will help me dive into my project again. Picking up a good book never falls to inspire me to be a better writer, and music, as I’ve mentioned before, always helps me create. 

3. When and how did you first begin writing? 
I’ve been writing since I could write. I can’t remember ever not wanting to be an author. I was homeschooled, so books and stories were a big part of my upbringing. My favorite author when I was little was Richard Scarry. I used to copy all his pictures and characters. I wanted to be a writer/illustrator just like him. 


4. What are you currently working on? 
I’m getting ready to publish my first full length novel, Resist, in February. It’s a WWII historical fiction based on the true story of Hans and Sophie Scholl, a German brother and sister who wrote and distributed anti-Nazi leaflets. In the meantime, I’m doing some research for a possible future story idea and working on short stories to keep my writing up to par. 


5. Particular author/s who have influenced you? 
I’ve recently been inspired by John Hersey after reading his book, The Wall. Phenomenal writer. I also love Lucy Maud Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott. 

6. Is there a “non-writing” activity that shapes your writing? 
Reenacting, definitely. I reenact both Civil War and WWII. Living history really inspires me in my historical writing. Sleeping in a Civil War tent, cooking over a fire, waking up to the reveille, all helped me write It Took a War. Getting stopped and questioned by Germans, and getting caught in the action between the French and Germans helps me place myself in the 1940s. 


7. Your opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of digital books? 
Digital books are so convenient. You can get any book you want whenever you want. You can easily transport an entire library of books. You can highlight sentences and look up a word you want to know simply by tapping on it. But I will always prefer a real book over digital. Digital books don’t have that smell that real books have. You don’t have the satisfaction of feeling the weight of the book in your hands and feeling how many pages you’ve read. Also, we as a culture already spend so much time on our screens. Picking up a real book is a nice change from the screen glow. I don’t know … real books are just my favorite. 

8. Do you ever do graphic design to help with your writing? 
I sometimes like to make mock book covers to inspire me, or Pinterest collages and that sort of thing.


9. Do you outline? If so, in a general way or very detailed? 
I usually write out a story synopsis with a tentative ending so that I know where the story is going. I don’t worry about all the details at that point. 

10. Do you work on multiple projects at once? 
Yes, I do, especially when I’m trying to figure out what to write next. 

11. Do you edit as you write? 
I try not to … but sometimes the perfectionist in me has to fix up some things. =) 

12. Certain themes you see surfacing and resurfacing in your work? 
Sibling relationships.


13. A particular aspect of writing you struggle with or a challenge you’ve overcome? 
Plot is a lot harder for me then dialogue, characters, and descriptions. That’s why writing about real people who did amazing things with their lives is a somewhat easier challenge to tackle. I have the plot already there. I just have to bring it to life. 

14. How do you deal with feedback—particularly negative feedback? 
You can’t please everyone. Seriously. You just can’t. I want everyone to love my work, but that’s not an attainable goal, nor should it be my goal. I try to remember that God has given me this gift to touch people’s lives and inspire them, and to not back down just because I got a 2 star rating. Also, reading reviews and comments from people who do love my work really encourages me. 


15. One thing you’ve learned from other writers? 
To be yourself. We all have our strengths and weakness, our passion for certain topics and time periods. Everyone’s writing is different. Rock your style. 

16. A helpful nonfiction book or website? 
Here are three of my favorite writing websites: 


17. What do you consider one of the single most important things to remember (i.e. an attitude or technique)? 
Never stop writing. No matter what. Even if you think it stinks, keeping pushing through and create. “None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colours and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.” — Saint Pope JP2 

18. A word of encouragement for fellow writers? 
If you believe God has given you the gift of words, then you need to use that gift. Don’t hide it. Don’t give up. 

~     ~     ~

Note from Heidi: Thanks so much for sharing, Emily!

Monday, December 21, 2015

3 Things I Love in a Good Story // Naomi

from Naomi


1. Some Kind of Romance 


I know, I know. I’m THAT kind of teenage girl. The kind of person movie-makers throw a little romance-plot in a movie for. But hey, my brain just happens to work in a sentimental, romantic way – it’s not like it’s my fault, is it? I just love to see at least one character get married; or to have some hand-holding at the railway station somewhere in the plot. Sorry. I just love it. 

I’m not saying books without Romance can’t be good. No, sir. They can. But I tend to appreciate books more when they have some kind of romancey bits in it. (It doesn’t have to be the only thing in the book. I don’t like that. I just like a bit of it sprinkled here and there.) 


2. Not Only Romance 


No, I am not just stating the opposite of number one. Yes, I love Romance. But not when it’s the only thing in the book! I have read several Christian Fiction novels where the story line is all about the girl and the boy. Girl meets boy. Boy meets Girl. Boy thinks Girl is pretty. Girl thinks Boy is rude. And so on. Nothing else but stuff about the Boy and the Girl. The whole book is about their interaction, their romance. 

This makes me a bit… I don’t know, tired? I like to hear about other things too. For example, a family problem. Or a murder mystery. Or the Girl helps her friend publish a book. I don’t know! Just some variety. Not only romance. 


3. Literature References 


When a book has references about literature, or movies, or my favourite musicals – I love that book completely. Like, I LOVE that. I read Dear Mr Knightley with a grin on my face, because Samantha watched Pride and Prejudice 1995 on Thanksgiving. The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society made me completely happy because of all the literature lovers talking together. 

I just LOVE those kinds of books. 

Again, I’m not saying I don’t like books without Literature References. Not at all. But when a book has them, chances are really high I’m going to love the book.


Note from Heidi: Thanks so much for sharing, Naomi!

~     ~     ~ 

And... would you like to share three of your favorite things in a guest post? You don’t have to be a writer to qualify! This series is by story lovers for story lovers.
For post specifics/guidelines you can see the initial post here, then send Heidi a quick email at ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com. Don’t be shy. I’d love to have you!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Quote of the Month ~ December 2015

~ John 1:14 ~

The foundation -- bringing meaning and value to all our wordplay.

~     ~     ~



Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her personal blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.

Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com

Friday, December 11, 2015

Inkling Explorations Link-Up // December 2015


Here's for our December Inklings! (Note: if you're interested in participating and new to the blog, you can find our link-up explanation/guidelines + more buttons here. :))

This month's selection is: A Christmastide movie scene


My decision making process this month has been complicated (read 'undecided'), but I finally opted to go with this gorgeous, wintery scene from the classic Lady on a Train with our heroine, Nicki Collins (Deanna Durbin), singing 'Silent Night' long distance to her father in San Francisco.




A murder mystery set in New York at Christmastime, Lady on a Train is quite scary in places and -- with the positively perfect balance of frightfully funny moments and adorable romance -- it's one of my favorite Deanna Durbin films.


Not to elaborate on the costumes and hairstyles...

And I already mentioned the humor, right? I thought I did... :)

And the humor plus the drama.

What think you all? Have you seen Lady on a Train?


~     ~     ~

Just leave your own link here in a comment and I'll add it to the post. :) As always, entries are open through the end of the month and I can't wait to see your selections!

Jillian @ a room of one's own
Naomi ~ The Christmas Proposal in Downton Abbey
Hamlette ~ Two (Merry?) Little Christmases
Eva ~ christmas at stalag 17
Natalie ~ A Christmas Eve Wedding
Faith P. ~ "It's a Wonderful Life"
Olivia ~ The Nativity Story

*How to do it*


1. Post the Inklings button on your sidebar.
2. Do a post on your own blog relating to the month's selection/subject (a literary excerpt as short or as long as you like AND/OR—if specified that month—a screencap from a film with an explanation of how the scene builds/develops the story). Link back here somewhere in your post.
3. Come back here and paste your link in the comments box and I'll add it to the post. Then enjoy visiting and reading everyone else's contributions!

That's all there is to it!

(And note: you can visit here for blog buttons and links for previous months. :))

Up next month: A New Year or 'new beginning' passage in literature


Monday, November 30, 2015

An Interview with Suzannah Rowntree

Today I'm happy to be interviewing Suzannah Rowntree!


When Suzannah Rowntree isn’t travelling the world to help out friends in need, she lives in a big house in rural Australia with her awesome parents and siblings, trying to beat her previous number-of-books-read-in-a-year record. She blogs the results at www.vintagenovels.com and is the author of both fiction and non-fiction. She’s written two non-fiction books on literature, The Epic of Reformation: A Guide to the Faerie Queene and War Games: Classic Fiction for the Christian Life. These day’s she focusing on writing and publishing fiction: Pendragon’s Heir, her debut novel, which springs from her lifelong love of medieval literature; and a series of fairytale novellas including The Rakshasa’s Bride, The Prince of Fishes, and (upcoming!) The Bells of Paradise

~     ~     ~

1. (Heidi) Some differences and similarities you see between the three major forms of storytelling—literature, music, and film? 
(Suzannah) Um. Wow. Big question. Let me try. 

Literature is my own expertise. It’s by far the most precise of the three storytelling forms, since it involves the most precise of the storytelling media—words. You can make things very explicit in a book which it would be difficult to make explicit even in a film. This goes for description as well as for theme: just think of how much hilarity PG Wodehouse loses in the translation to screen. How can you film “the shifty, hang-dog look which announces that an Englishman is about to speak French” or “the look of one who had drunk the cup of life and found a dead beetle at the bottom”? You can’t.


Film is perhaps the most immersive and immediate of the three storytelling forms. Its strength is, of course, visual and physical, and it majors on dialogue. Its popularity has impacted immensely on the way we write books—more dialogue, more description of characters’ or landscapes’ physical aspects, elaborately choreographed dances or duels, a greater sense of movement, scene-setting reminiscent of camera angles—but I’m not convinced that’s always a good thing. Things which work beautifully in film don’t always translate so well to literature. 


Music is the least precise of the three storytelling forms, which is probably why so many composers wanting to write music with a point have chosen to add words—either as liner notes, or in a title, or in song lyrics—to explain what the music is supposed to depict. Music has always been recognised for its effect on mood and emotion, but there was also a time—especially in the Baroque period, as exemplified by JS Bach—when music was believed to have rational, philosophical/theological import as well, and musical lexicons were even published to explain the precise significance of various chords and rhythms. (For more information, I highly recommend James Gaines’s book Evening in the Palace of Reason). 


As for similarities, I think one of the big similarities is a sense of plot structure; of starting at Point A, and then proceeding in a linear fashion through various climaxes and resolutions to Point B. Another universal is the appeal to the emotions, but as hinted, I wonder if this might be a somewhat artificial distinction; it’s quite possible for music, as well as film and literature, to appeal to reason. 

2. How have you seen those three mesh together in your own creative process? 
Film is here to stay, and it’s revolutionised the written word. I don’t think that’s an entirely good thing, but I also don’t think it’s entirely bad. Plus, people expect a cinematic element in their storytelling, and I’m happy to use all its strengths as I can. 


As for music, I have a lot of respect for it (and I’ve been a musician most of my life). I don’t listen to it while I write because it uses up parts of my brain I need to focus on the rhythm and cadence of my words. So a musical faculty definitely plays into my writing. 

Also, people often seem to burst randomly into song in my stories, like in The Lord of the Rings. Because I secretly believe Heaven will be a lot more like a musical than we think. 

3. When and how did you first begin writing? 
In addition to loving books and being good with words, I had a strong tendency to play make-believe games when I was small. One day I decided to write a story based on one of my make-believe games for my best friend’s birthday. It look four years and three drafts to finish. It was then that I realised I’d probably never be quite the same again. 

4. What are you currently working on? 
Two projects—a series of novella-length fairytale retellings, and a giant huge immense epic novel, because I do not know the meaning of the word “moderation”. I’ve already published two of the fairytale novellas an am preparing another two for publication in the near future. 

5. Particular author/s who have influenced you? 
The Inklings (JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and Charles Williams), along with their spiritual forbear GK Chesterton have probably had the biggest influence, but others include John Buchan, Edmund Spenser, and Jane Austen. 

6. Is there a “non-writing” activity that shapes your writing? 
I’m always reading avidly to feed my writing. I read history and factual books as research. I read theology to give my themes some real philosophical heft. I read classic literature so as to know what I’m aiming for. And I read current literature so as to know what’s on the market and what the tropes of my genre are. 

7. Your opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of digital books? 
The advantage is that I can feed my reading habit for a much lower cost, and be more selective about the books I do buy physical copies of. The disadvantage is that in a thousand years or so when they’re digging up our bones, it’s our paperbacks that are going to survive to pass on our work, our philosophy, and our stories. Not so much our Kindles. 


8. Do you ever do graphic design to help with your writing? 
I design my own covers, and I generally work on them for as long as I’m working on the story. That’s about the limit of it. My graphic design repertoire is extremely limited. 

9. Do you outline? If so, in a general way or very detailed? 
Yes, I’m a confirmed outliner, to a moderate level of detail. Too much detail in an outline, and I feel I might as well be writing the first draft. Too little, and I risk running into problems when I don’t know what to do next. Major plot points and climactic scenes get the most level of detail in my outlining, since they’re the big scenes I’m building towards. 

10. Do you work on multiple projects at once? 
I am at the moment. I don’t like tearing myself away from one project to another in quick succession, but I do consider long hiatuses (hiati?) essential, so as to give my thoughts time to mature. 

11. Do you edit as you write? 
Editing and rewrites account for an enormous proportion of my writing time. Even in first-draft work, it’s hard not to tinker a bit. 

12. Certain themes you see surfacing and resurfacing in your work? 
Multigenerational vision. The struggle of building the Kingdom of God in an imperfect world among imperfect people. Optimistic eschatology. The nobility of ordinary things. All these things crop up pretty regularly, especially in the stories I get most excited about. 

13. A particular aspect of writing you struggle with or a challenge you’ve overcome? 
I don’t know I can point to anything specific. Writing is pretty backbreaking. One thing I’m trying to be sensitive to is not trying to accomplish too much in a story—just limiting myself to the essentials, rather than weaving in every possible option

14. How do you deal with feedback—particularly negative feedback? 
Positive feedback always makes me happy. Negative feedback differs according to whether it comes from someone who understands what I’m trying to achieve, or someone who doesn’t get it at all. The former is often very useful—which is why I try to get it before publication, so I can use it. After, I do often read the negative feedback—and then I often have to take a couple of weeks letting the sting subside before I go back and see if I can take away anything worthwhile. 

15. One thing you’ve learned from other writers? 
Everything. I’ve learned everything from observing and analysing masters of their craft like William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, JRR Tolkien, and so on—how to plot, how to craft sympathetic characters, how to incorporate theme, how to work faithfully every day. 

16. A helpful nonfiction book or website? 
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays by Peter Leithart opened my eyes to how literature works, especially when it comes to chiastic structure and how theme can underlie literally every plot/characterisation aspect of a book. 

17. What do you consider one of the single most important things to remember (i.e. an attitude or technique)? 
No matter what you’re doing, you can always be doing better. Never take it for granted that you’ve succeeded. Always try to improve. 

18. A word of encouragement for fellow writers? 
Remember 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, which I believe applies to all cultural works. Your work has eternal significance. Your foundation is Christ, and it’s up to you to build on that foundation-stone with gold, silver, and jewels—not with wood, hay and stubble. If you work well, you will receive the reward for the work of your hands, and those that endure will enter into eternity with the glory and honour of nations brought into the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24). Some things you actually can take with you! 

And therefore, no matter how long it takes you to produce something worthwhile, no matter how much blood, sweat, and tears you must shed, it’s going to be worth it. Things that deserve to last for all eternity aren’t made in a day; aren’t made without painstaking work and attention. And while it may feel difficult and thankless today, you have the best incentive in the world to persevere—the words of the Creator himself, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

~     ~     ~

Note from Heidi: Thank you so much for sharing Suzannah! :) 
And everyone, be sure to check out Suzannah's blog at Vintage Novels.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Quote of the Month ~ November 2015

click to enlarge

This is our 50th post! And what think you of Lewis's advice? :)

Click here for more great Quotes of the Month!





Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her additional blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.

Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com

Thursday, November 12, 2015

3 Things I Love in a Good Story // Jessica Prescott

from Jessica Prescott 


1. Female characters I can respect and admire. 


This is extremely important for me—a novel whose female characters I find myself unable to truly admire will never make it onto my “favorites” list. Obviously, I’d like to be able to respect the male characters, too; but the female characters are even more important to me—mostly because I’m a woman and I gotta have me some role models, peoples. 


The heroines I admire and respect most are those who possess the following three qualities: good sense, kindness, and patience. Kindness and patience are particularly important—I’m all for “spirited” female characters, but only if “spirited” isn’t just another term for “needlessly belligerent.” I get especially irritated by heroines who seem to spend the entire first half of the novel quarreling with the hero whenever they’re on stage together. Really, that’s just unnecessary. And unkind. (And yes, Lizzy Bennet, I’m talking to you.) 

2. Romantic relationships that I can get behind. 


Like most female readers, I tend to get very heavily invested in fictional romances—and for this reason, it’s important to me that these relationships be ones which I can wholeheartedly support and approve of. This not only means they must be clean and wholesome (no messing around before the marriage, please, thankyouveryverymuch), but it also means there must be solid evidence that the two people truly care about each other and actually have a good chance of forming a compatible partnership. If these requirements are not satisfied, I’m quite likely to toss the book aside in disgust.


For instance, I just finished reading an Agatha Christie novel in which the main female character spent most of the book wavering between two suitors—one of whom I loved (because he was awesome) and the other one I hated (because he was horrible). And for the last third of the book, I was in mortal terror that she was going to pick the awful one and be miserable for the rest of her life. Now of course, Agatha Christie being Agatha Christie, she kept me hanging until the very last page, when the girl finally decided to marry the nice guy—and I was like, “thanks, now I can breathe again.” 

3. Vivid sensory description. 


Ever since I was a small girl reading Little House and Heidi, I’ve absolutely loved those writers who can manage to paint a beautiful, delightful, scrumptious picture using only the power of words. I think that’s really one of the main reason I read—for those moments when the author makes you see something in your mind as vividly as if he or she were showing you an actual photo. 


Ironically, sensory description is one thing I’m not terribly good at in my own writing—but I certainly know how to appreciate it in other authors. Some of my absolute favorite examples of this are in Willa Cather’s novels Death Comes For the Archbishop and Shadows On the Rock. There’s one special description of a sunset in Shadows that you could literally live on for a week. I think that’s the kind of thing Emily Dickinson was talking about when she wrote that famous poem of hers: “He ate and drank the precious words / His spirit grew robust / He knew no more that he was poor / Nor that his frame was dust . . .”

Note from Heidi: Thank you so much for sharing, Jessica! :)

~     ~     ~ 

And... would you like to share three of your favorite things in a guest post? You don’t have to be a writer to qualify! This series is by story lovers for story lovers.
For post specifics/guidelines you can see the initial post here, then send Heidi a quick email at ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com. Don’t be shy. I’d love to have you!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Inkling Explorations Link-Up ~ November 2015


It's time for our November Inklings! :) And I have a note for all of you... I'm opening up the drawing board for topic suggestions we can use in the coming year -- so let me know all your wonderful ideas in the comment box!

And this month's selection is: A Giving of Thanks in Poetry or Prose




My choice (Hopkins's Hurrahing in Harvest) has been described as a Eucharistic poem and -- while not a "thanksgiving" poem per se -- it often springs to my mind at this time of year. It's actually one of my favorites in all seasons... exuberant joy welling up and soaring to the sky. Hopkins himself noted: ‘The Hurrahing sonnet was the outcome of half an hour of extreme enthusiasm as I walked home alone one day from fishing in the Elwy.’ So yes, it's the heart of thanksgiving and harvest rolled into one.

~    ~     ~

"SUMMER ends now; now, barbarous in beauty, the stooks arise 
Around; up above, what wind-walks! what lovely behaviour 
Of silk-sack clouds! has wilder, wilful-wavier 
Meal-drift moulded ever and melted across skies? 

I walk, I lift up, I lift up heart, eyes,
Down all that glory in the heavens to glean our Saviour; 
And, éyes, heárt, what looks, what lips yet gave you a 
Rapturous love’s greeting of realer, of rounder replies? 

And the azurous hung hills are his world-wielding shoulder 
Majestic—as a stallion stalwart, very-violet-sweet!—
These things, these things were here and but the beholder 
Wanting; which two when they once meet, 
The heart rears wings bold and bolder 
And hurls for him, O half hurls earth for him off under his feet."

Gerard Manley Hopkins, Hurrahing in Harvest

~     ~     ~

Just leave your link here in a comment and I'll add it to the post. :) Entries are open through the end of the month and I can't wait to see your selections!

Olivia @ Meanwhile in Rivendell
A Song of Thanksgiving ~ Hamlette @ The Edge of the Precipice

*Rules*


1. Post the Inklings button on your sidebar.
2. Do a post on your own blog relating to the month's selection/subject (a literary excerpt as short or as long as you like AND/OR—if specified that month—a screencap from a film with an explanation of how the scene builds/develops the story). Link back here somewhere in your post.
3. Come back here and paste your link in the comments box and I'll add it to the post. Then enjoy visiting and reading everyone else's contributions!

That's all there is to it!

(And note: you can visit here for blog buttons and links for previous months. :))

Up next month: A Christmastide movie scene


Friday, October 30, 2015

The Behind-the-Scenes Writing Tag

Hamlette tagged me with this recently and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. (Thank you, Hamlette! ;))


Is there a certain snack you like to eat while writing? 

Glass after glass of fresh whole milk. Also, dark chocolate and (at the moment) fruit leather, of all interesting things. :) 

When do you normally write? Night, afternoon, or morning? 

I’m trying to keep flexible with being able to write at any time, but -- unless I’m at a riveting place -- morning definitely seems to be my most productive time. Blog posts I generally tend to write in installments all throughout the day and in between everything else. 


Where do you write? 

As of a couple months ago, I used to only write at the computer in the basement, but since being given another laptop computer I’ve found it hugely stimulating to move around the house. Sometimes the dining table, or sitting in the rocker in the library, or standing by one of the chest freezers in the basement, or sometimes at the sewing desk. 

How often do you write a new novel? 

Each novel is a marathon for me and I generally try to focus on one at a time -- letting the others have time to simmer -- so starting each new project is an infrequent and momentous occasion. 


Do you listen to music while you write? 

Yes!!! Almost always. And different stories have different selections. Right now, for A Flame Shall Spring it’s Cinderella 2015 and Ever After and Dreaming (by André Rieu) and sometimes, Beauty and the Beast

What do you write on? Laptop or paper? 

The laptop, but I have an entire collection of handwritten notebooks and generous piles of miscellaneous scraps of paper covered with all sorts and combinations of oddments. 


Is there a special ritual you have before or after you write? 

No, besides backing up everything connected with my current WIP each and every time I finish a writing session.

What do you do to get into the mood to write? 

I’ve been working hard on making a steady writing habit of late and, thankfully, I think the ‘sitting down and staying with it regardless of mood’ is getting a bit better, BUT I do have certain movies that are a huge part of my process, freshening me up for different stories and generally starting off an explosion of creativity. 


What is always near the place you write? 

This has changed a little with being more mobile, but I still absolutely love the calendar and character collages my sisters made me for On David’s Shoulders

Do you have a reward system for your word count? 

I’m trying to get better with just writing and then being comfortable editing out later, but by default I tend to focus strongly on the less-is-more principle, which -- needless to say -- tends to give a low word count. I do keep microscopic track of it and spreadsheet every last adjustment, which is tremendously helpful for pacing, etc. So all in all, seeing it fluctuate up and down as necessary where the work needs to expand or tighten up, is quite satisfying (not to mention encouraging)!

So... I guess that answer ended up being my overall philosophy on it, but no, I don't have a reward system per se. :)


Is there anything about your writing process that others might not know about? 

For me, whenever a new story arrives, the ending generally always comes first. So before writing I sit down and work back to the beginning and then go forward again, figuring out the major plot points. Then I keep the outlining very low key between those points, leaving plenty of room for character changes and new developments. Sometimes the major incidents shift as the book grows, but so far the built-in flexibility has taken on any and all changes without skipping a beat, so I’m thoroughly happy!

~     ~     ~



Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her additional blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.

Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
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