​Writing is a pure joy for most of us. But, like most things in life, it takes a lot of work to be creative. Words don’t always start flowing onto your page from the word go. If only it were that easy! However, nothing worth doing is ever easy. I can’t count the number of days that I’ve sat down at my computer and could think of nothing to write about. That’s why I’ve built a habit of relying on writing prompts during times like that.
 
When my mind is drawing a blank all it takes is just a gentle nudge to get me on my way. That’s true with most writers. I keep a book of 300 writing prompts on my desk. I’ll thumb through the pages until I find one that is intriguing and I’ll write about that with three simple rules. If you find yourself in need of a writing prompt I strongly suggest you consider these rules.
 

1. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Write for the entire time. Don’t stop! Usually once your time is up you’ll find yourself still wanting to continue. That’s a good thing. Put your writing prompt away and get to work on your book.
2. Don’t stop during the process for any reason. Don’t stop to edit. Don’t worry about your spelling or grammar. Just keep writing. You can always go back and clean it up if you decide to use it for another writing project.
3. Let your thoughts go. Write them down no matter what they are. Good, bad, or ugly.

 
Writing prompts are a great way to get your creative juices flowing, especially at times when you are staring at a blank page and having trouble getting started. One of my favorite prompts is to imagine that you are on an international flight. The person next to you asks you what you do and where you are travelling to. You realize that you can tell this stranger anything, be anyone you want to be other than yourself. What do you tell them?
 
Do you have a favorite prompt or a few you suggest to others?

​With writing, as with most things in life, having a regular routine helps to keep a writer doing what he or she is supposed to do. Write! A quick internet search on the topic will result in countless pages of advice from successful business leaders to the most well known and bestselling authors. I spent some time reading through these pages and looking for some of the best advice I could find from some of the best writers in the world. I also turned to some amazing writers here in our back yard that also happen to be members of our guild. I took away one very good piece of advice. No matter what other writers do, find a routine that works best for you and stick to it.
 
Whether you take time early each morning to write, or prefer to write just before going to bed, it is important to develop that habit and commit yourself to sticking to it every day. Even if you aren’t in the mood to write, or have no idea what you want to write about, it’s important to force yourself to write something. Bad writing is better than no writing. It’s a lot easier to edit a poorly written page than it is to edit a blank one, according to Jodi Picoult, a New York Times bestselling author.
 
Hemmingway said, “I write every morning. When I am working on a book or a story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm as you write. You read what you have written and, as you always stop when you know what is going to happen next, you go on from there.”
 
That’s pretty solid advice. Many of the writers in guild have a routine that they follow, as well. And each one that I talked to seemed to have certain things that worked for them and they try as best as they can to keep to the script, so to speak.
 
Victoria Fletcher, guild President, stressed how important having a routine is to her work. “To me, routine is everything. I have such a busy schedule that without routine, nothing would get done. Being organized helps but without a set routine to follow, my publishing business or my own personal writing would not happen.” 
 
One good habit to develop when you are writing is to make sure that your cell phone is off and you aren’t using the internet unless it is vital to researching something that you are working on at that moment. Minimize all distractions. If you love coffee and need a couple of cups to keep you going, make sure that there isn’t an unscheduled break for watching the news or checking your email when you make that quick run to the coffee pot for that second cup.
 
“For me, a routine is the difference between finishing a book in a month or two vs. a year. I think if you really want to get your books out there and tell the stories you have inside your head, you have to treat writing as a priority. I try to start and end my day with an hour of writing. Even though it makes me feel great and productive to accomplish this, it's the first thing to fall by the wayside if something else comes up. Even after years of trying to make daily writing a habit, it's still difficult to do sometimes. I think you just have to set that routine and make the conscious choice daily that it's not optional.” - Willie E. Dalton author of The Dark Side of the Woods.
 
I know how tempting it is to wait until the right idea hits or until conditions are perfect for writing. If we wait for that time to come then we’ll never have one page to show. That’s why a writer develops a routine. Good writing can be cleaned up. No writing, well that’s another issue entirely.
 
Whatever your routine is we invite you to share it with us in the comments below. Somewhere there is a struggling new writer trying to start of complete their first book. What advice would you give them?
 
 
 

Many times new writers set out on the journey of writing their first book with excitement and a good bit of planning. However, there is a common trap that some of us fall into, especially when we are new to the writing process. It’s easy to overlook the difference between plot and theme when you set out to write your story. It’s easy to spot when you’re reading a book, but sometimes it’s a bit more of a challenge when you start the writing process.
 
It may sound elementary, but it is certainly not. If you are reading this before you’ve actually started the writing process then consider your plot and theme for one more day before writing, but by all means take as long as you need.
 
Here’s the simple difference. Plot IS your storyline. It is how your story unfolds and comes alive on the pages of your book. Events that happen, what your characters are facing and their ensuing adventures…these are all part of your plot. The theme of your story is the thoughts or emotions that are being dealt with. Common themes are love, revenge, perseverance, war, etc… Theme is the “moral of the story,” it is the underlying message that you are trying to convey to your reader. Themes are important because they solidify your story. They make it more meaningful than just telling a story.
 
What is the theme of your book? What are you trying to leave in the hearts and minds of your reader when they put your book down?
 
I pride myself on being well read. One of the most recent literary fascinations of mine has been Jack Kerouac. After reading The Dharma Bums I took some time to reflect on the theme of the book. I’ll not offer any spoilers here, but read that book if you haven’t. So over the past couple of years I’ve been in love with the theme of “the place where you lose yourself and find yourself.” That was where the journey took the characters in Pot of Gold, one of my own books. The theme, if you want to assign it one word, was perseverance. Keep on with the journey and trust that it will lead to good things, even when your frustration level is maxed and you feel like giving up. How often have you come across that theme in books that you love?
 
So think about what theme is best for your story. Mull it over for a day or two before you start banging on your keyboard. A strong theme can be the difference between a good story and a great one. 

Are We Really Artists?
Thoughts on being rejected by the Virginia Highlands Festival
J.C. Schweingrouber
 
The Virginia Highlands Festival has been an amazing annual festival for our region here in Central Appalachia for as long as I can remember. It is full of family friendly events and you can find vendors from all kinds of businesses coming to this event to display their products. From antiques to face painting, you can find so much entertainment at this annual fun-fest.
 
Long before I joined the AAG I always sought out local artists at events like this. I’ve always had a soft spot for supporting local artists. They are the heart and soul of the place they call home, and here in Appalachia it is our artists that define and represent who we are as a culture and people. Their role in our communities, in my opinion, is vital. The Virginia Highlands Festival has always had open arms for our artists. Artists from all different genres. However, something changed this year. Artists are welcome to be a part of the festival, just not all artists, it seems. The AAG was informed that we were no longer considered "artists" and were excluded from the Juried Arts show at the Barter Green. As of this moment the guild is not included anywhere at the upcoming festival. It left members of the guild scratching their head and very disappointed at missing an opportunity to show their craft to the public. It left the leadership angry at first, but ultimately broken hearted. After asking the festival committee to reconsider, they refused to budge.
 
It came down to one simple question. Are writers artists? The festival committee, despite thinking otherwise for years, this year said “NO.”
 
I sat down to ask myself a tough question. Are writers artists? I’ve been writing books for years. I thought I was an artist. What about all my other fellow members of the guild? I look at them as artists. It seems that the committee chose to only consider those that have a venue to showcase their art as actual artists. The painter has a studio. The craft maker has a workshop. A sculptor has a studio. A musician can share his or her art with the world through sound. A writer…well, most of us just have a desk in the back corner of our house or apartment.
 
I have a friend in Cincinnati who has been a writer for almost three decades. He is a technical writer and works on instruction manuals for various corporate products. Would I consider him an artist? Not at all. Shakespeare, on the other hand, was an artist. Mark Twain was an artist. I have never met a person that wouldn’t say that Emily Dickenson or Robert Frost were not artists that stirred the souls of a nation. Some of today’s greatest storytellers that use the written word are always referred to as artists.
 
You see, writers are artists with a different type of canvas. Our mind and the blank page in front of us is our canvas. Our studio is a bit hard to find because it’s stirring around in our brains, somewhere down in our soul. It’s a bit harder to invite someone into our studio and show them around. It’s not a visual art that we provide. Some choose to see merely words on a page. No different than a textbook or a leaflet left on their door while they are at work.
 
We don’t need a studio. Our workspace is in our head. We are artists with a unique way of creating art. Other artists use a visual or audio medium to share their work. You see it with your eyes or you hear it. With writers, our canvas can be as small as a poem that declares undying faith and love for life, or it can be as vast as the universe and beyond. You see, we stir our imaginations and spin tall tales and legends, the paint on our canvas are stories that only the minds’ eye can see. Our art spurs on the imagination and tugs on the heart strings of those that appreciate it.
 
You see, our art also brings history to life, puts the reader into another place or time, sends them on adventures, or leads them closer to God through the stories we paint on our canvas in our own way. The words we paint on our canvas can take a reader back to the street they grew up on as a kid to live vicariously through a character, or take them worlds away to save the galaxy.
 
It’s quite a picture we paint, each of us individually. I don’t think that the good people on the committee meant to insult the writers of the region with the slight. They just haven’t walked in the shoes of a writer or experienced the effort, the heart and soul we pour onto every page. Although we are excluded from the festival, we remain supportive of all of our fellow artists out there that work hard to bring their work to share with the public. I hope that they will also be just as supportive of us. 

As writers, I think we have all experienced times when we didn’t feel exactly thrilled about one of our main characters in a story. Either we don’t connect emotionally with them as we write the story, or something seems to be missing. It’s not an easy issue to deal with, especially the further along you are in your work.
 
Recently I stumbled across an article that addresses the topic of developing strong fictional characters that you and your reader can love. Take notes as you read through the article. What other tips or suggestions would you offer others, especially those working on their first novel?
 
Do you have one tip you could offer? Three of your own? Let’s see if we can compile a list of our own tips from members of the AAG and have a blog entry dedicated to that in the future.
 
Happy reading!

Clicke HERE to read the article, or copy and paste link below into your browser. 

http://www.bookviral.com/blog/4582795906/The-Top-3-Tips-for-Developing-Great-Fictional-Characters-That-Readers-Love./11129666

Q: Your new book, The Dark Side of the Woods. Tell us a little about that story.
A: I'd classify it as a paranormal romance. It's not dark enough to be considered horror in my opinion but there are some tense scenes. It's the story of a young woman falling in love and everything stable in her life getting flipped upside down. Nightmares, wolves, werewolves and deeply buried secrets about her town and family come at her, seemingly from nowhere. She's having to manage all of these things and keep her head about her enough to face her fears because she wants to keep those around her safe. It's sexy, funny and a bit spooky, my favorite kind of book to read and write. 
 
Q: Your main character, Sadie...where did you come up with the idea of her? Is there a little bit of you in that character?   


A: I think there is a little of me in all my characters but for the most part she's just herself. She's thoughtful, stubborn, and very devoted to her family and community.  I don't think I'd be as brave as her. I'd be living with my aunt in Asheville. Haha. I also didn't really come up with the idea of her as much as just start writing her character.


 
Q: What was the inspiration for the story? / How did the story develop in your mind?
A:  My husband and I were hiking in Cumberland Gap. We were on this little road and on one side was this bright, sunny meadow and on the other side was really dark woods. It just looked like the perfect place for wolves to be hiding. I knew I wanted to write a story about that spot. The Dark Side of the Woods was a little slower in developing than my other stories. There were a few times I got completely lost without knowing where it should go next. I'd go back to Cumberland Gap or I'd just painfully push myself through a scene until I could see the other side.  Even when I know where I want a story to go, getting there can be challenging. 
 
Q: Was the writing process this time around different from your book Three Witches In a Small Town? How so? 
A: I had a deadline with Three Witches in a Small Town. I was absolutely committed to getting that manuscript in and had to write no less than one thousand words every day. Even when I hit a block I had to go straight through. With Dark Side, I didn't have any time restraints and I'm bad to procrastinate. Also, I was pretty terrified of people's opinions and judgment of my work the first time around. I got over that, so this time I felt a bit more free in telling my story. 
 
Q: You recently had a book launch party in Kingsport, TN. How did that go and what kind of reception have you gotten so far on your new book? 
A:  The book launch was wonderful. Gypsy Circus Cider Company hosted me and their venue is really fun.  I had a lot of friends come to celebrate with me and a few other people who just wanted to meet me and grab a book. I didn't sell out or anything but it was exposure and my little pat on the back for finishing another novel.  So far, I have received great feedback on The Dark Side of the Woods. It's not full-on horror, but it is darker than my first book and people seem to have enjoyed that. And, I've been complemented throughout both books on my description of the mountains and mountain people. That's about the highest compliment I can receive. 
 
Q: What's next for you? Already planning your next book or taking a break to promote?
A:  I'm currently half way through writing the first book in a new series, I'm really excited about getting it out. It's very different than what I've done so far, mainly because it doesn't take place in the mountains and it's grittier. I have enough book ideas to get me through the next five or six years, so breaks aren't optional. Even while I'm promoting one, I'm always working on something new.  Both of my books are in the works for Audible too, so I'm excited to share those with everyone. 
 
Q: You have very strong characters in your books. Describe your process of character development. 
A:  Other than choosing names, I don't really feel like I choose anything about my characters. They tell me who they are as I write. I see bits and pieces of people I know in my characters but never really base them off of anyone in particular. I think I've just always been surrounded by people with strong personalities and that's all I know. 
 
Q: Did you have a favorite scene in writing the book? 
A:  I enjoyed a lot of scenes in this particular book but the one that stands out the most to me was the scene where Sadie finds herself running into town in the middle of the night from a werewolf, wearing only a bedsheet. I love writing intense pieces and everything that led up to that all the way through was just really exciting to write. It was fun to put myself in her position, figure out what would be going through her head and how she'd get through. It's probably my favorite.