More Than a Setting with Guest Blogger Mindy Obenhaus

Despite what some people may think, stories don’t just happen. They’re comprised of many different components, such as plot, characters and setting. Yet every writer writes differently.

Some start with plot. Others start with characters and then create a plot that will generate the most conflict possible. Then there are those of us who start with a setting. 

When my mother-in-law first introduced me to Ouray, Colorado, I knew I had to write a story set there. The town was so beautiful and so unlike any place I’d ever been. I wanted to tell people about Ouray. Better yet, I wanted them to experience Ouray. But how do I do that? 

 Give at least one character a job or hobby that is unique to your setting

 In my debut novel, The Doctor’s Family Reunion, my hero is a doctor. He could have been a doctor anywhere. But my heroine…she owned a Jeep tour company. Why? Because Ouray is the Jeeping capital of the world and Jeep tours are big business during the summer months. 

 In my current release, Rescuing the Texan’s Heart, my heroine is a mountain guide and avid ice climber. Okay, she also works in a store—a store that’s a one-stop shop for outdoor

enthusiasts. 

Think about the setting in your manuscript. Are there any jobs or hobbies that are unique to your setting? Put your setting to work for you. I have to be careful here. Don’t want to accidently insert any spoilers. 

 When I was writing The Doctor’s Family Reunion, I knew that something potentially dangerous was going to happen to a particular character. I researched diseases and ailments until I was blue in the face before I finally decided what was wrong with them. But when I told my husband, he said, “Well, that’s silly. Why not use your setting?” Don’t you hate it when normals start to sound like writers?

But he was so right. I was trying to contrive something that could grow organically out of my setting. Which, in the end, made a much stronger story. Going back to your manuscript, how can your setting wreak havoc with your characters? 

Get to know your setting 

 As I said earlier, I wanted my readers to experience Ouray. To do that, I had to highlight the uniqueness of the town. What makes it special? If it’s a real place, how do locals view things versus how the town’s guests view them? Having a waterfall within walking distance of Main Street is no big deal for people who live in Ouray, but a photo op in front of those same falls is Christmas card worthy for guests. Whether fictional or real, think about what makes your setting special. The added bonus for fictional settings is that you can always create something special. 

(Yes, that’s my son behind Cascade Falls) 

 Explore your setting 

Because Ouray is a real place, I had to get to know it not only as the guest that I usually am, but also through the eyes of the people who live in Ouray. In other words, I had to learn what they might do or where they might go. While all the tourists are flocking to Yankee Boy Basin, the locals might head to some little known place like Clear Lake. Had it not been for my friend Brandy who owns a Jeep tour company in Ouray, I wouldn’t even know Clear Lake existed. 

Setting can be a powerful tool. With a little thought and planning or research and exploration, it can be more than a setting. Done well, it can be a secondary character. What’s your first step in creating a story? Plot, characters or setting?

 Giveaway! 

If you’d like to win a copy of my latest release, Rescuing the Texan’s Heart, be sure to leave a comment. 

 Rescuing the Texan’s Heart

Cash Coble is desperate for a change. 

After working in the family business for ten years, he's stressed

out and overworked. When he heads to Colorado to visit his ailing grandfather, he finds his mood lifted by the beautiful woman living next door. After a troubled past, ice climber Taryn Purcell isn't looking for love. Especially not with a charming Texan who's consumed by work. But there's something about Cash that captures her heart. Never one to back down from a challenge, Taryn promises to show Cash how to carve out a happy life—one that includes her.

 Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and two of her five children. Her debut novel, The Doctor’s Family Reunion, is a finalist in ACFW’s 2014 Carol Awards and her second book, Rescuing the Texan’s Heart, is a September release. When she’s not writing, Mindy enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with her grandkids.

Five Things I've Learned After I got THE CALL by Seekerville guest Mindy Obenhaus

Janet here. I feel I've known Mindy forever and love seeing that fabulous smile of hers at conferences. I was thrilled when she got THE CALL and promptly asked her to share the experience in Seekerville. The Doctor's Family Reunion releases now and is on my TBR pile, along with books from Ruthy and Glynna. Without furhter ado, here's Mindy.

Well, a big Texas howdy to everyone out there in Seekerville. This is such a great blog. These ladies share so much with so many. They’re encouraging, informative, and every last one of them is downright beautiful. Thank you, ladies. I’m honored to be here today. And thank you, Janet, for inviting me.

I brought some chips and salsa (not too hot), along with some of the most amazing chocolate sheet cake you’ve ever tasted, so help yourself. There’s plenty to go around.

You know, as writers, we never stop learning. I don’t care how long you’ve been writing, there’s always something new to explore.

I started writing in June of 2004, joined my first writer’s group in May 2005, and attended my first writer’s conference in July 2006 (where I got to meet famous people like Missy Tippens and Lindi Peterson :)). On January 11, 2013, I was blessed to receive the most amazing phone call from Melissa Endlich at Love Inspired Books. Yes, THE call.

Yet, for all the conferences, workshops, and classes I’d attended over the years, I was not prepared for what I’d learn after the call.

1)  I work better under deadline – Melissa said my book would release in September. That meant a very quick turnaround on revisions. Four weeks, to be exact. With a deadline looming, not to mention some major changes, this often less-than-disciplined author kidnapped her writing partner for one extensive brainstorming session, filled the freezer with frozen pizzas so my men wouldn’t starve, then put my butt in the chair and wrote my little heart out. I had a plan and I stuck to it.

2)  I can make changes I said I never would – Have you ever had someone suggest you change something in a story and thought, “That would never work” or “I could never do that because…?” But when an editor asks, or simply points to something at the end of chapter two and says, “I sure would like to see this in chapter one,” by golly, you suddenly find a way to make it happen.

3)  Don’t panic over copy edits – I almost had a heart attack when I saw, Blakely Daniels’s world had turned upside down. Daniels’s? Not only did it not look right, it didn’t sound right. I don’t care what the Chicago Manual of Style says. (Really I do, just not in this instance)

After a hasty email informing my editor that I REALLY needed to talk, I learned that copy edits are for the betterment of the book. However, their edits are not cast in stone. Do I need to pay attention to them? Yes. Can I elect to disagree on occasion and insist something stay the way I wrote it? Yes.

4)  All those changes make a better book – When I received my final round of revisions, I sat down and read this story I’d read a hundred times before as a book on my Kindle. And you know what? I really enjoyed it. I didn’t even remember some of the changes I’d made, yet everything had come together to create a much stronger story. One I hope readers will enjoy as much as I did.

5)  Self-promotion is not for the faint of heart – Writing a book is hard work, but self-promotion (I know, we’re promoting our books, not ourselves) can be a challenge. Especially if you’re like me and have stayed focused on your craft and not paid much attention to tribes, social networking, and book launch ideas.

You need to have a plan and put yourself out there. My husband is a salesman by trade, so it doesn’t bother him to tell anyone and everyone that his wife has a book out. We had business cards printed with the book cover on one side and ordering info on the other side, and he passes them out to everyone he comes in contact with. And I do mean everyone. If you’re like me and not comfortable telling strangers about your book, find someone who is and let them shout it from the rooftops.

For an unpublished writer, getting the call seems like the culmination of everything you’ve been working toward. But it’s really just the beginning of another journey. Like I said, we never stop learning.

Mindy Obenhaus always dreamed of being a wife and mother. Yet as her youngest of five children started kindergarten, a new dream emerged—to write stories of true love that would glorify God.

Mindy grew up in Michigan, but got to Texas just as fast as she could. Nowadays, she finds herself trapped in the city, longing for ranch life or the mountains. When she’s not penning her latest romance, she likes cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time with her grandkids. Learn more about her at www.mindyobenhaus.com, www.facebook.com/authormindyobenhaus, or https://twitter.com/MindyObenhaus.