Ten Habits of Highly Effective Christian Writers

with Lisa Carter. 

 So, you feel a calling from God to use the talents He’s given you for the work of His kingdom? 

Congratulations.

Now comes the tougher part. The God-directed call to touch readers’ hearts is a worthy goal. But like any ability or skill—athletics, music—writing must be honed. It is part art and part craft.

Many people say they’ve always wanted to write a book. Few have the patience and stick-to-it-iveness to battle self-doubt or the self-discipline to see the goal accomplished. 

To become a highly effective Christian writer according to God’s definition of success will require faith and courage. To become the writer God has called you to be will necessitate a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone, your routine and open yourself to growth and change.

These habits are not just for writers of Christian literature but for all Christian writers—whether their writing journey takes them to the CBA or ABA markets. 

Here are some tips to live and write by:

1. Be a person God can use to glorify His name.

•Be humble

•Be teachable

•Be in the Word and get to know Him

•Be about prayer 

•Be surrendered to His will for His timing and His way

2. Glue your butt in the writing chair and write every day.

3. Read and study the master writers in your genre in both the ABA and CBA markets.

4. Join ACFW, RWA and other professional writing organizations to dialogue with other published and unpublished writers.

5. Meet regularly with a local circle of like-minded writer friends for encouragement.

6. Attend the best writer conferences your budget allows—at least one conference a year.

7. Learn to edit yourself brutally.

8. Develop Teflon-coated skin when the rejections start to pile up.

9. Related to #8, persist, mature and endure.

10. It’s worth repeating again— Be a person God can use to glorify His name and that others will enjoy working with.

Habit #1 would seem self-evident to a Christian writer. But caught up in deadlines, submissions, or whatever—it’s all too easy to neglect the heart preparation that it takes to become all God desires for you to be. You can only write as good a story as the story you are living. He is much more interested in who you are in Him versus any book you could ever write. 

Make it your goal to become a vessel of honor that God can use to pour out His vision and His heart for a world that desperately needs to hear the good news about Him.

Attitude and self-discipline are essential qualities for every highly effective writer. Put your money and time where your mouth is and work hard at your craft.  Have a servant’s heart. It’s not all about you. Have a generous spirit that helps other writers along their writing journey, too. Writing is a collaborative partnership—you, God and others.

No matter where you are on the writing journey—unpubbed, debut or multi-published/award-winning—I find that periodically I need to check my attitude and my motivations so that my writing will indeed be about Him and not me.

Be willing to give back to God your dreams and expectations. Make your one desire Him—not publication, bestseller lists, etc. Try not to tell God what to do, how to do it and when. Remember—there is a God and you are not Him. As Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, once said, “He is to be preeminent in all things.”

Is He above all things in your life? Who sits on the throne in your life? Who calls the shots? Or has the dream taken precedence over the ultimate Dreamweaver?

After making a lifestyle of the ten habits of highly effective Christian writers listed above, lay those dreams within the palm of His Hand. 

There is no safer place for them to be.

Are there other habits of highly effective Christian writers that you would add to the list? What has been your experience?

Today’s Giveaway—Indicate in the comment section if you’d like to be entered in the giveaway for one of the 2 copies of The Deputy’s Perfect Match. Winners announced in the Seekerville Weekend Edition.

Lisa Carter's novel, Under a Turquoise Sky, won the 2015 Carol Award for Romantic Suspense. Her latest contemporary romance is The Deputy’s Perfect Match. The bestselling author of seven romantic suspense novels and a Coast Guard series, Lisa enjoys traveling to romantic locales and researching her next exotic adventure. A native North Carolinian, she has strong opinions on barbecue and ACC basketball. She loves to hear from readers. http://www.lisacarterauthor.com

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The Deputy’s Perfect Match

His Librarian Sweetheart 

Still nursing old heartache, deputy sheriff Charlie Pruitt vowed he'd never get close to another woman again. But that's easier said than done when librarian Evy Shaw arrives in his small coastal Virginia town with a secret—one Charlie's determined to uncover. When Charlie joins Evy's all-female book club, he gets more than he anticipated when the romantic reads stoke a real attraction to Evy. Falling for the pretty librarian wasn't part of the plan, but when the truth behind Evy's suspicious behavior comes to light, will love be enough to bind them together?

Mission Possible—Ground the Reader

Your mission as an author—should you choose to accept it—is to ground your reader with the opening of your story.

First chapters—and last chapters—are the hardest to write. Often, writers will return again and again to “tinker” with either or both of these chapters. It has been said that the first line sells the book, and the last line sells the next one. Therefore, a lot has to be accomplished within the first chapter to entice the reader to keep reading.

The essentials—create a compelling protagonist, establish a reader bond with the character, and rock this sympathetic character’s world. Let’s examine the building blocks of each of these ingredients.

I. Opening Lines

As in life, first impressions can make or break potential relationships. You want your reader to form a connection with your main character. Your first and primary job is to hook the reader/agent/editor. You get one chance. Don’t blow it. Don’t give them a reason to stop reading.

Elements of Great First Lines Include—

1. The name of the character Or the use of a pronoun in such an intriguing first line that the reader continues to read the 2nd line and the 3rd and the 4th and so on.

2. An illusion of story reality (setting and situation) that causes the reader to willingly suspend disbelief. The opener straps in the reader and prepares them to enjoy the story ride.

3. Something is about to happen—an interruption to their “normal” world. Cultivate a sense that the reader has arrived in the middle of an active situation.

Description bogs down the reader and slows the pace. Weave description in carefully. The character and the situation must be fluid and in motion. Don’t warm up the engine. Rev the storyline and put the character into gear immediately.

II. Character Bond

The character must be interesting and an engaging figure. The reader should identify with some characteristic of the protagonist’s personality or dilemma. Here’s how to ensure the reader’s continuing, emotional investment:

A. Sympathy Factor—

1. Undeserved hardship—Haven’t we all been there?

2. Character in jeopardy—Jumpstarts our sympathy.

3. The odds are against him/her—Everyone pulls for the underdog.

4. Vulnerability—Show the inner conflict. Contradictions in a character add intrigue to reader curiosity. Also, give a glimpse of the forces arrayed against the protagonist, which could potentially crush the character’s dreams and hopes.

B. Likeability Factor—

Likeable people do likeable things. They save the cat, pat the bunny—they care about others. They can be witty or interesting. Use deep POV to catapult reader into the emotions of the protagonist as the main character experiences these emotions.

III. Storyworld

Set the stage. The opening scene must paint an image in the mind of the reader—the who (introduce early given and surname of main character); the when; and the where. This opening image will set the tone of the reading experience—suspense, thriller, romance (by the lack and longing thereof), etc . . . Establish the year (contemporary or historical), time of day, season, and the location of your story. Show what is happening now. Not what happened in the past before the story curtain rises. Setting also equals mood, theme, time, and pace. Establish the setting right away with a quick general sense of where the action begins. Sprinkle in as many of the five senses as you can through the main character’s POV to bring the setting to vivid life.

A. Common Mistakes—Just the Facts, Jack.

Try highlighting all backstory and description. This visual reminder will enable you to see where you need to trim. Allow yourself 1-2 sentences of backstory in the first chapter—only enough to increase curiosity. Never satisfy. Leave them wanting more. Compel them to turn to Chapter 2 to find the answers to the questions Chapter 1 has raised. Reveal as little as possible in the beginning. Less is more. Reveal only what is necessary and when necessary until the reader is committed to finding out what happens next. Act first, explain later.

B. Remedy—Slice, Dice and Splice

1. Slice what is not vital. Dice backstory into bits. Splice what is needed to understand what is happening now. Blend in on a need-to-know basis—only when the reader needs to know it.

2. Shorten and sharpen. Presume all backstory is unnecessary. Pretend you will have to pay for every word.

3. Show relationships through action and dialogue. Instead of a description dump, show behavior, quirks, or habits that go beyond physical description. Aim for quality, not quantity, in description. Use action verbs. Search and replace verb configurations of “to be."

4. Examine the white space on the page. Did you utilize dialogue and action—lots of white space—to prevent readers from putting down the book? Or is the page cluttered with narrative telling?

 Questions to ask your first chapter—

1. Did I hook the reader?

a. Will the reader care about the main character?
b. Is the main character likeable? Quirky or funny? Appealing? Sustainable?

2. Does the 1st chapter show the main character in the present action or dilemma of the story?

a. Was the reader pulled into the POV’s character and situation immediately?
b. Can the reader “see” the main character? Are their emotions clear? Does the reader have a picture of the character’s identity and what they need or want?
c. Did I introduce the potential opposition—who or what—which might prevent the main character from achieving what they long for?

3. Did I employ dialogue and action with lots of white space to provide more visually conducive reading experience?

4. Does the 1st chapter provoke new questions, stretching the hook, adding more interest, and thus reeling the reader into Chapter 2?

5. Does the opening scene achieve your purpose?

a. Whose POV is utilized?

b. Who is present in the scene?

c. Why is each one here? What does each character want?

d. Where is the scene?

e. When is the scene—time, day, season, year?

f. What happens?

g. How does the plot entice, hook and advance the story into Chapter 2?

h. How will this scene enhance character development?

Probably the best opening line I’ve ever written—the line readers tell me they find most memorable—came from my debut novel, Carolina Reckoning.

“Part of her wasn’t surprised by what she discovered in her husband’s coat pocket.”

Giveaway—Share your favorite opening line from a book for a chance to win one of 2 copies of Falling for the Single Dad.  

 

Order Your Copy

   Finding Her Way Home

After fifteen years away, Dr. Caroline Duer is nervous about returning to her hometown. The veterinarian might be able to save stranded sea turtles, but she can't convince her dad of her good intentions. And when Caroline meets darling Izzie Clark, she encounters similar suspicion from the young girl's father. Former coast guard commander Weston Clark had his life upended by Izzie's mother. He won't go through the same pain again. But Izzie isn't the only one tumbling head over heels for the enigmatic Caroline. And if she can release the pain of the past, she just might be the missing piece Weston and his daughter have been searching for.
  

Lisa Carter's novel, Under a Turquoise Sky, won the 2015 Carol Award for Romantic Suspense. Her latest contemporary romance is Falling for the Single Dad. The author of seven romantic suspense novels and a Coast Guard series, Lisa enjoys traveling to romantic locales and researching her next exotic adventure. A native North Carolinian, she has strong opinions on barbecue and ACC basketball. She loves to hear from readers. http://www.lisacarterauthor.com

Is your writing like Julie Andrews, Etta James or Lady Gaga? Recognizing and maximizing your voice.

with guest Lisa Carter.

Each story has a flow of sound like music. A unique beat, rhythm, tone. Writers, too, have a voice, recognizable throughout their entire body of work. Some singers have a crystal clear quality of tonality like Julie Andrews. I think of it as a bubbling, high arching fountain. Others, a deep, full sound like Etta James with a rich, Mississippi River quality.

Editors and agents look for authors with a strong or unique “voice.” Your writing voice is already part of you, the sum total of your personality and experiences, your distinctive way of looking at the world. The indefinable essence of who you are—Your voice is defined by what you have to say and how you choose to say it. 

Writing voice will be determined by—

•Gender—Tom Clancy will never be mistaken for Barbara Cartland
•Time period—Herman Melville vs. Ernest Hemingway
•Culture—Charles Frazier vs. Maya Angelou
•Target audience—J.K. Rowling vs. Nicholas Sparks
•Area of expertise—John Grisham vs. Kathy Reichs
•Worldview—F. Scott Fitzgerald vs. Francine Rivers

Writers reveal a great deal about themselves—more so than they realize—in the stories they feel compelled to tell, in their empathy for characters they create, in their passion for particular story themes, and the insight with which they develop character actions/reactions.

Your natural writing voice will flow—and overflow—out of the abundance of your individual life journey. It is only out of this—what you know plus a good dose of an innate ability to imagine—that will enable you to write with honesty, conviction and courage. 

Voice is not style or technique. It’s not branding. Although, understanding your voice will help you market yourself. If you want to make a living selling your words, you must understand you are selling yourself—your life perspective, your unique beliefs, hopes, fears, memories and passions. The honest-to-God, real you. And that will require a great deal of courage. Because we are trained from childhood to mask our real selves, to hide behind the facade of who we think we should be. We allow the world only a glimpse of the self we want them to see.

Writers with a strong voice have managed to overcome this fear of exposure to share their real self with gut-wrenching honesty. You have to be brave enough to put yourself on the page. And when you get beyond the false you to the real you—it is a powerful, exhilarating experience.

Start by giving yourself permission to say things in your own way. You don’t speak or sing like anyone else. Why should you expect to write like everyone else?

Donald Maas advises, “ To set your voice free, set your words free. Set your characters free. Most important, set your heart free . . . Your voice is your self in the story.”

How to Enhance Your Natural Writing Voice

1. Read—Writers are readers first. Your choice of reading material is often a good indicator of a writing style that resonates with you and what you write. Reading can develop your natural gift and quicken the cadence of your writing “ear.” Cadence is the mix of narrative, description and dialogue in your writing. The juxtaposition of long versus short paragraphs, sensory details and choice of POV—the rhythm of your voice.

2. Write—Your writing voice is like a muscle. You must exercise this muscle to fine tune and nurture the gift that lies within. Write what you see and think and know. Allow yourself to write dreadful. Nothing you write will be wasted. All of it becomes part of developing your authentic voice, increasing your range and gaining mastery of your craft.

3. Listen— Hone your observation skills. When people speak, tune your ear to the subtlety of what they’re really saying. Find what’s authentic and transfer that authenticity to your words.

4. Discover—What is your passion? What do you love? What draws you? More than just writing what you know, NY Times bestselling author, Virginia Kantra says, “Write what you love.” This is where the musicality of your voice resounds. You will make music when you find the heart of your stories and that core message/truth only you can deliver. Which once discovered, you will deliver story after story, again and again.

5. Embrace—Find other authors who “get” you and the stories your heart longs to tell. Sometimes it requires a friend/outsider to help you to identify your true voice. Most of us, consciously or not, find ourselves writing book after book which reflects a central life theme/truism for us as individuals. Probably arising out of the broken home of my childhood, the stories my heart wants to tell revolve around creating family, restoration and hope.

6. Release—Let go of the fear that holds you back from expressing your truest self. Learn to trust your voice. Authority, power and confidence come with the repeated practice of expression. Continue to grow your voice with new experiences; beware of complacence and stagnation. 

Vocalists always begin with arpeggio exercise runs just as athletes develop their own muscle warm up routines. Deepen your characters. Dig down deep to their—and your—emotional heart.

Writing is not for the timid. Take risks. Fear can be a writer’s best friend. As one author once lamented, “Every morning I sit down, figuratively slit my emotional veins, and bleed out all over the screen.”

Sometimes it is only in our brokenness that we enter those “thin places”—where for a moment the veil between humanity and the divine is lifted. By delving into the deep waters, we find and become a part of where the Spirit of God is at work—in us and in the world. 

When you find yourself on the edge of your seat while writing—your heart thumping, your hands shaking—you’ve probably written something that will be worth reading. Don’t allow fear to stop you. Don’t be afraid to confront your personal barriers to truth in voice. The next time you read something that moves you, realize that writer moved beyond her own fears and wrote those words anyway.

Now go and do likewise.

Has a particular book or favorite author moved you? Where have you encountered a “thin place” in your writing or someone else’s?

GIVEAWAY! Lisa is giving away 2 copies of Beyond the Cherokee Trail. Please leave a comment letting us know you'd like to be entered! Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

Blending Southern and Native American fiction, Lisa Carter writes “Sweet Tea with a Slice of Murder”. Her latest release is Beyond the Cherokee Trail, a 4 1/2 star Romantic Times Top Pick. The Christy-nominated, Under a Turquoise Sky is a 2015 Carol Finalist. The author of seven romantic suspense novels and a Coast Guard series, Lisa enjoys traveling to romantic locales and researching her next exotic adventure. As a North Carolinian, she has strong opinions on barbecue and ACC basketball. Connect with Lisa on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.




  Beyond the Cherokee Trail

180 years may not be long enough to heal the wounds of the past…

When Linden Birchfield arrives in the Snowbird Cherokee community to organize the 180th commemoration of the Trail of Tears, she runs head on—literally—into arrogant, former army sniper Walker Crowe. A descendant of the Cherokee who evaded deportation by hiding in the rugged Snowbird Mountains, Walker believes no good can result from stirring up the animosity between his people and the white Appalachian residents whose ancestors looted the tribal lands so long ago.

Though at odds over the commemoration, Linden and Walker must unite against an unseen threat to derail the festival. Together they face an adversary whose implacable hatred can be traced to the events of the Trail, a dark chapter in America’s westward expansion. Walker must thwart the enemy who threatens the modern-day inhabitants of tiny Cartridge Cove—and targets the woman who has captured his heart.

Story Weaving—10 Fundamentals in Writing the Romantic Suspense Novel

with guest Lisa Carter.

In my latest romantic suspense novel, Vines of Entanglement, Laura Mabry is a widowed mother of a young son and the owner of a needlepoint shop in Raleigh, North Carolina called Tapestries. And just like God weaves the strands of our lives into a masterpiece for His glory, as romantic suspense authors we, too, must learn to weave the differing elements of our plot and characters into a unified whole. Sometimes from the back of a needlepoint project, all the threads appear to be a tangled mess leading nowhere. But from the perspective at the front of the tapestry, a Masterful Design takes shape. Here are the ten essential elements I incorporate in weaving together stories of romantic suspense.


1.    The essence of any story is conflict and the tension produced by unmet desires. 

Conflict and tension must be ratcheted higher in romantic suspense involving life and death stakes.

2.    Questions for the plotting process—What do my main characters want? What goes wrong? What’s at stake? What can I do to make it worse?

3.    The point of view (POV) is usually confined to hero and heroine. And sometimes, the 3rd POV of the antagonist. Either hero or heroine will have the largest block of story time—ultimately, his or her journey of discovery and transformation.

4.    In a Christian worldview there are 3 story tension threads woven into the plot.

•Romantic tension thread—The protagonist must overcome certain obstacles threatening the relationship or love will die.

•Spiritual tension thread—The protagonist must come to grips with God’s invitation for relationship or something vital within the character will die.

•Suspense tension thread—The protagonist must find the killer/escape the killer or someone will die.

By novel’s end, the protagonist must experience an irrevocable transformation and resolution in all three areas to satisfy reader expectations.

5.    The first chapter in Act 1 paints a portrait of the normal world of the main characters.

 Make the main characters likable, but flawed and searching. If readers don’t like the hero and heroine, they will stop reading. Within the first few chapters in Act 1, turn the main characters’ world upside down with a pivotal crisis/point of no return. This becomes the problem that must be solved—which throws characters and readers into Act 2.

6.    Each scene must escalate the tension or provide deepening insight into the character.  

Therefore, every scene/chapter ending should be unexpected; leave readers wanting more; compel them to turn the page and read one more chapter. Always leave a chapter with a question the main characters must answer, a choice to make, or in the middle of action.

7.    The heart of suspense for the reader is the delectable anticipation/dread of the coming terror. Heighten the sense of the characters’ impending doom by inserting a countdown or deadline before tragedy strikes. Make readers care and worry about the characters.

8.    Act 2 involves the protagonist taking steps to resolve all 3 threads of tension—to no avail and with intensifying pressure as things go from bad to worse. Every event must trigger a cause and effect in all 3 strands of tension—suspense, romantic, and spiritual story lines. 

Finally near the end of Act 2, the protagonist will make an attempt to resolve one or all of the issues, but this will end with disastrous results. This the black moment when all seems lost.

9.    The depiction of violence in Christian fiction rule of thumb—imply more than you show. Disturb but don’t entice the reader. Less is more. The act imagined is far more terrifying than if depicted.

10.    Act 3 moves toward resolution quickly. Here in the last few chapters, the 3 threads of tension are intricately woven together and the threads tied off in a final resolution. The ending must be both inevitable (killer dies/brought to justice, romantic future consolidated) and yet contain an unexpected twist. Leave readers with a sense of hope and overriding grace—which translates into leaving them anticipating your next novel, too.

What a privilege we have as authors to be in a creative partnership with the ultimate Creator in weaving stories of truth and hope. Happy reading and story weaving everyone. Thanks for hosting me today, Seekers. 


What are some of your favorite romantic suspense novels or series?

GIVEAWAY! Today Lisa will be giving away 2 copies of Vines of Entanglement. Please leave a comment letting us know you'd like to entered! Winners announced in the Weekend Edition.

Lisa Carter is the author of four romantic suspense novels, Carolina Reckoning; Beneath A Navajo Moon; Under a Turquoise Sky; and Vines of Entanglement. Also writing contemporary romance, she is the author of Aloha Rose in the Quilts of Love series and Coast Guard Courtship, releasing April 1, in a new Coast Guard series with Love Inspired. Lisa and her husband have two daughters and make their home in North Carolina. She has strong opinions about barbecue, ACC basketball, and the Cola Wars. When she isn't writing, Lisa enjoys traveling to romantic locales, quilting, and researching her next exotic adventure. 

 

Connect with Lisa at:

https://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/vines-of-entanglement/

https://www.facebook.com/lisa.carter.1272

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5821807.Lisa_Cox_Carter

 Vines of Entanglement


A tangled web of lies characterizes the life Laura Mabry has built for herself and her son after the tragic death of her husband. But Laura’s carefully constructed world slides off its axis when she stumbles upon the body of a young college student on the recreational trails of Raleigh’s Greenway. What’s worse, Detective Jon Locklear is Laura’s worst nightmare...and her dream come true. Jon has spent years trying to forget Laura. Past experience has taught him that he can’t trust her, but old habits—like old loves—die hard. When the killer turns his attention to Laura, Jon may be the only one who can save her.

Settings So Real You'll Be Tempted to Pack a Suitcase.

with guest Lisa Carter

The best novels transport readers to a vivid place and time. The setting becomes a character in its own right. This was especially challenging in writing Under a Turquoise Sky, better known by one reader as “the Charlotte to Shiprock romance-a-thon.”

Somewhere beyond the towering mesas and sandstone cliffs, Aaron pulled onto a secondary road, more ruts than pavement. Kailyn scrabbled for the ceiling to steady herself. Her teeth rattled.

Kailyn pointed at the striations of purple, red, orange and pink that banded the buttes. “It’s beautiful here.” Mountains stretched in every direction. A cluster of trees, wreathed in the golden yellow of late September, ribboned the bosque alongside a desultory riverbed.

But suppose your story is set in a place you’ve never been? Short of time travel, you may never be able to personally experience an 1864 Civil War battlefield or dystopian sci-fi adventure. Barring culture hopping, you may never know what it’s really like to hobnob with the rich and famous at Cape Cod. Finances, children and careers can make research trips difficult.

“Would you look at the colonial Spanish architecture?” Her lips parted. “The pink terra cotta tiles.” Kailyn pivoted in the middle of the street. “Orange-red adobe walls.” She pointed at a turquoise-painted door.

“Like the sky,” Aaron explained. “Very Santa Fe. Very Southwest. Land of Enchantment.”

She grinned. “I’m starting to be enchanted.”

Yeah, him, too.

What’s a writer to do? As a “destination writer”, readers expect to be carried away to a different time or place in my novels. And creating unique, captivating settings is half the fun for me. Sometimes my stories are located in actual settings. Or, I’ll use a real life setting as a model for the fictional storyworld I’m creating. But either way, here’s what I do—


I.    Target Your Research

A.    Virtual Visits
 
1. City websites
 
2. Travel articles/blogs
 
3. “Fly” to a real life geographic model with Google Earth 
 
4. Photo-sharing sites like Pinterest and Google Images

B. Have Book . . . Will Travel—Interlibrary loan is a researcher’s best friend.
 
1. Guidebooks and maps—Here’s a fun fact I incorporated—

“Only thing to know about New Mexico is to be able to answer the
question, ‘Green or red’.”

“What?”

“Chile. Do you want green or red chili peppers in your food?”

Kailyn frowned at Aaron. “In your breakfast?”

“In every meal, dzani. Breakfast, noon, and night.”

2. Travelogues, diaries, biographies and fiction written during the same time period to capture the essence of fashion, food and social mores. Essential in writing Beneath A Navajo Moon.

II.    Consult Local Experts— There is no substitute for local knowledge.

1.    Small history museums or historical societies are often eager to find someone interested in their topic. 

2.    Make your initial research count before contacting “live” people. Don’t waste their time.
 
3.    Become the expert. If you’re writing a Scottish medieval, take a Highland dance class. Take part in Living History weekends, Civil War reenactments or Pioneer Days. For Under a Turquoise Sky, I attended the Writers Police Academy for insight into law enforcement.

III.    Employ Your Imagination—Take what you know and transfer that to the page.

1.    Can’t afford to travel to Hawaii? As in Aloha Rose, you can capture what it’s like to be at any beach—from Santa Monica to the Outer Banks to the Caribbean. 

2.    Ever move to a new school, neighborhood, city or church? Your emotions will parallel those of a dystopian character venturing into the unknown or a pioneer setting off across the American frontier.

IV.    Utilize All Five Senses— Sensory details, even small ones, can bring setting to life. But like adding spices, a little goes a long way. Visual is easiest.

1.    Character or location specific fragrance? Smell is the most elusive and yet evocative sense for readers. As for my high-maintenance, on the run Southern belle—

 “Does hiding from the Mexican Mafia mean anything to you, Kailyn?”

She responded by wrapping her arms around Aaron’s shoulders. The familiar magnolia scent caused his senses—and his good sense—to reel.

2.    Taste

“Why do you have to make everything so difficult, Kailyn?”

 Kailyn grabbed Taco’s leash. “I don’t know who stomped all over your tortilla, but I can’t talk to you when you act this way.”

3.    Auditory 

For Rez cadence of speech, I watched episodes of Navajo Cops. And studied cultural nuances.

Dzani, woman. 

Unlike Latinos, the Diné weren’t big on terms of endearments. And the way Aaron said it, is what it was. That and the look in his eyes.

4.    Touch

Kailyn brandished the skillet. “When’re you going to learn life is full of cacti.”

Aaron backed off a step. 

“And you make the choice to sit on it or not.”

Make it a game to see how many of the senses you can sprinkle into each scene.

In Revision and Self-Editing, James Scott Bell reminds writers that a great setting can offer conflict of its own and influence story outcome. Our job is to know characters inside and out. Therefore, we must know our settings, too.
Love at first sight between Aaron and Kailyn in Under a Turquoise Sky? Uh . . . not so much.

Kailyn lifted her chin. “Please don’t hurry back on my account.”

Aaron sauntered to the door. “Sure thing, ’cause it’s always such a blast being with you. As much fun being roasted over a bonfire. Slowly.”

But more than bullets will fly between these two. And though I’m a destination writer, the joy is definitely in the journey.

Which storyworlds from films or books are most memorable to you? Why?

Leave a comment to be entered into a giveaway of Under a Turquoise Sky. Two winners will be chosen.

 

Blending Southern and Native American fiction, Lisa Carter writes “Sweet Tea with a Slice of Murder”. Her latest release is Under a Turquoise Sky. She is the author of two previous romantic suspense novels, Carolina Reckoning and Beneath A Navajo Moon; and Aloha Rose, a contemporary romance in the Quilts of Love series. She and her family make their home in North Carolina. When she isn't writing, Lisa enjoys teaching writing workshops and researching her next exotic adventure. She has strong opinions on barbecue and ACC basketball. Connect with Lisa on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Under A Turquoise Sky

Secrets and danger deep in the canyons and arroyos of the Navajo Nation.

When Aaron Matthews is assigned to protect the only witness to a drug cartel execution, he hides Kailyn Eudailey in the safest place he knows—the vast, untamed wilderness of the Navajo Nation. 

On the run from Charlotte to Shiprock, sparks fly between a no-nonsense federal agent and a high-maintenance Southern belle who brings her frou-frou pooch along for company. “That dog's coyote food,” Aaron warns Kailyn. 

He warns her about a lot of things that could get the both of them killed if she doesn’t follow WITSEC protocol to the letter. Problem is—nobody warned him to guard his heart.
Now Aaron’s broken past and Kailyn’s explosive present are on a fast-paced, collision course in this brilliant plot-twisting suspense about murder and mercy, great loss and greater love under a turquoise sky.

DiAnn Mills, author of Firewall—“Only lightning can strike faster than the action in this thrilling romantic suspense.”