The Great Spatula Hunt

The Great Spatula Hunt

by Missy Tippens

Missy, here. I love a good omelet. I have an egg white, veggies and cheese omelet a couple of times a week. (Used to eat one every day.) And all the while, my spatulas drove me crazy with the melted cheese sticking to them, getting stuck in the grooves of the slotted ones or just gluing to the edges of solid ones. So I went on The Great Spatula Hunt.

I wanted one that was silicone to be stick-proof. I finally found a nice one by Oxo that I liked at Kohl’s. Brought it home and made my omelet without problem. Yes! No messy cleanup. Then one night, I used it for grilling burgers, since it can be used up to 600 degrees. I went to serve a burger to my daughter, and the non-stick surface was so non-stick that when I slid the burger toward her bun, it went flying about 90 mph into her lap!

As the laughter died down (because she made a great catch and saved the day), I realized that maybe my specialized spatula was better used in certain situations instead of for everyday use.

Like favorite writing tools we need for certain situations. (Were you hoping I’d get beyond the Food Network moment to talk about writing? :)) So, I polled the Seekers about their favorite writing tools (and not one spatula was mentioned!).

My favorite writing tools:

When I’m writing a synopsis…Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake method.

When I’m doing a read-through to check to see if my romance thread (or other plot threads) are consistent…Sticky Notes!

The two favorite writing tools of Love Inspired author, Tina Radcliffe are:

--Michael Hague's Six Stage Plot Structure diagram

--And Vince Mooney's Rewards-Per-Page post.

Love Inspired Suspense author, Debby Giusti, says, “My AlphaSmart gets words on the page. Then I can rewrite and transform rough into something much, much better. Also, I rely on Google to find pictures and information on objects, machines, cars, whatever, that I'm using in my story. Seeing a photo helps me to be more accurate when I describe the object.”

Janet Dean, Love Inspired Historical author, has several tools that are important to her. She says:

--As an historical writer, I value my Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary that dates when words came into usage and the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms that dates expressions.

--I rely on my reproduction Sears Roebuck Catalogue that reveals what anyone in the country could own in 1897 and better yet what it looks like.

--My favorite plotting tool is a resource Missy suggested, The Story Within Guidebook by Alicia Rasley.

--Add the comfort of Debby’s The Writer’s Prayer and the additional backup of a zip drive and Dropbox on the Internet and I’m covered.

--Oh, and Post-It notes. Whatever did we do without them?

Ruth Logan Herne, also an LI author, has a favorite tool. And it’s not something you can buy. It’s one of her traits: ferret-like annoying nosiness, delving into people's lives with little or no compensation so that they'll help her. :) (I promise I’m not being mean, here. It’s how she described it herself!) Here’s what she says…

“Well, I pretend to be off the cuff, but I'm totally dorky about research. I can 'feel' the character's angst and emotion, but if I can't nail down their physical presence with their job and home, with their profession, with the ins and outs that don't make it sound made up or manufactured, then I can't write the book. So I immerse myself into the job/profession/situation as much as I can. I used a restaurant in Reunited Hearts because I spent eleven years in a Greek restaurant, so that was a walk in the park. But for the hero's role I contacted a Lt. Colonel at MIT who went to West Point. And yes, I found him on the Internet and approached him with my project and he said yes. :)

"Gotta ask!

 "And then I contacted a military man who went into an electronics firm to help design military devices to help me create Trent's transition from military hero to home-town hero. If I don't feel like the person's background and situation is done right, I can't feel good about the book's emotion because each thing feeds off the other. So research into the characters is huge to me.”

Camy Tang (Love Inspired Suspense, Guideposts and Zondervan) says:

“For character creation, I start with 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. I use the archetypes as a jumping off point for my own characters, starting me on "what if" questions. For example, for Sushi for One, I started with the Amazon archetype, and asked, What if an Amazon, who would be devastated by any type of sexual violation, had already been date-raped before the story began? And Lex was born. (jumping full grown out of her father's head ...)

For the manuscript, Camy also goes with the AlphaSmart. “Hands down. I can't revise while I'm on the AlphaSmart and it forces me into full-on creative right brain mode, and the words I write are just better.”

Thomas Nelson author Cara Lynn James says:

--I always have a glass of iced tea

--my flip dictionary (This was new to me, and very cool!)

--Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary which dates when words came into common usage

--The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms.

--I also have my cell phone.

Love Inspired author Audra Harders says she totally agrees with Debby and Camy on the AlphaSmart! She said her rough draft stays rough and flowing when she works on the AlphaSmart.

She also loves using WriteWayPro as her novel writing program rather than Word. It’s very user friendly. She had to pay for the download, but she loves it. It lets her develop characters, keeps her research organized (“For that alone it’s worth millions.”), and it's very easy to navigate. Then when she finishes a book, she just imports the file into an rtf file, saves as Word and voila! She can print and read.

And speaking of writing programs…Myra Johnson (Barbour and Abingdon), who is a Mac user like I am, inspired me with her favorite tool (now I’m ready to really jump in and finally learn this program!). Myra says:

“I LOVE Scrivener. It's great for keeping research organized and easily accessible while I work on my wip. Also I can save pix of my characters along with their bios as well as setting details etc. You can even save actual web pages right into the research section. There's also a feature that lets you set a project word count goal and a daily word count goal, and it tracks your progress on both.”

(I can’t believe there are so many features I haven’t been using. I’ll be correcting that soon! Also, I discovered there's now a beta version for PC.) 

When I asked this question about tools of the Seekers, Mary Connealy (Barbour and Bethany House) first said: “I just use my computer, that's it.”

But then she added a couple of more items:

--The Internet for searches, especially using Dictionary.com, Biblegateway.com and Wikipedia. When she does a Google search, she always types “wiki” at the end to see what pops up.

--Then she added, “Honestly, my best tools are reading great books, novels, not how-to books. I think I learn from them more than anywhere else.”

Amen to that, Mary!

What about you? We want to hear about your favorite tools! And while you’re sharing, help yourself to some extra-bold coffee, hazelnut creamer and…a nice cheesy omelet!! You eat. I’ll do the cleanup. :)

******
Missy's most recent book from Love Inspired, A Family for Faith, is still available...
Amazon
e-Harlequin
Christian Book
B&N

Visit Missy at www.missytippens.com

The Writer's Reference Shelf

Hi, Seekerville, it's Myra today, talking about essential books for a working writer's reference shelf. If you’ve been writing for any length of time, you’ve probably started your own collection on craft, technique, and the writing business in general. Today I thought I’d share several of my favorites and invite you to do the same.

Finding the right words: Nothing beats the traditional Roget’s International Thesaurus. I still have the copy given to me as a high-school graduation gift, and it remains a favorite. I realize I’m dating myself, but it’s the Third Edition, copyright 1962 (which is actually a few years before my graduation, please take note).

Within easy reach I also have:

• Roget’s Super Thesaurus--entries in dictionary format, plus word-find lists to help you find just the right term.
• The Synonym Finder--also in dictionary format.
• Flip Dictionary--"for when you know what you want to say but can’t think of the word," this one helps you search by concept or phrase.
• The Dimwit’s Dictionary--a guide to overused words and phrases with suggested alternatives. A must for the cliché-addicted.
• Idiom Savant--the lingo of subcultures. If you want to know how a real estate agent or an in-line skater talks, for example, this is the book for you. (Caveat: this has been in print awhile, so usage may have changed.)
  

Then there’s the ultimate writer’s essential, Chicago Manual of Style. I resisted this investment for years but finally ordered my very first copy a few weeks ago. The detail is daunting, but so much fun to explore!

Writing basics: In my humble opinion, the best all-around guide to writing a good novel is Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer. Maybe you’ve heard Randy Ingermanson speak on MRUs (motivation-reaction units). Swain takes you through the whole process of scene, sequel, and much, much more. If you can buy only one book on craft, this is the one.

Also recommended:

• GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict--an excellent book to help you make sure your plot is on track and your characters are believably motivated.
• Stein on Writing--a comprehensive book on just about every aspect of the writing craft, including problems and how to fix them.
• Writing the Breakout Novel (and workbook)--who hasn’t heard of Donald Maass and his intensive novel-writing workshops? In fact, Donald will be conducting the Early Bird session at this year’s ACFW conference!
• Word Painting--everything you always wanted to know about writing description.
• Plot & Structure--James Scott Bell’s clear-cut advice on building a novel.
• Getting Into Character--a favorite on character development by Brandilyn Collins.
• Creating Character Emotions--the worst and best ways to show emotion in your stories.

The next steps: Once your novel is drafted, the real work begins--revising, polishing, researching markets, preparing proposals. First of all, make sure you have the latest edition of Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide so you know who’s buying what.

Then you may find help in a few of these:

• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers--a thorough guide to polishing your prose.
• The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes--are you guilty of any of these?
• Writing the Fiction Synopsis--step-by-step instructions to make yours shine.
• Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract--need I say more?
• You Can Market Your Book--unfortunately, writing is not just about writing, and there’s no escaping the need to learn the best ways to get the word out about your book.
• Networking at Writers Conferences--how to make the most of the contacts you make at a conference.
• Be Your Own Literary Agent--okay, not my first choice, but until you start getting noticed, it may be a necessity.
• No More Rejections--every writer’s dream!

If you specialize in certain genres--mystery, suspense, crime, medical, historical, biblical etc.--you’ll need a whole other collection of reference books. But also remember that procedures can change, science and archaeology can produce new discoveries, and jargon can become outdated. Make sure you stay on top of the latest developments.

Now it’s your turn. Which writing references do you consult most often? If you could keep only three writing books on your shelf, which ones would they be, and why?