How do your characters grieve?

Hello everyone!

My grandmother recently passed away, and one thing that really stood out to me in the aftermath of her death was how differently everyone in my family grieved the loss.

I’ve learned that there’s no right way to grieve.  The grieving process varies from person to person based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, personality, the relationship between the deceased and the surviving person, and the circumstances surrounding the death.

Some people want to pack everything up and move on.  Other people need time to look at photos and objects that belonged to the deceased.  Some people talk about the loss, while others joke about ironic parts of the situation.  Some people cry buckets, and others don’t shed a tear.  Some people focus all their energy on taking care of others’ needs, and other people curl up in bed or in front of the TV.  Some people want to do something to honor the deceased’s memory, and others don’t want to think about the loss.  Working through grief is incredibly individualized, and everyone grieves at their own pace.

Your writing prompt for the next two weeks is to write a scene in which your protagonist loses someone close to him/her and/or to write a series of scenes covering the week after the death.  Below are some things to consider when writing.

1. What was the protagonist’s relationship with the deceased?
2. How does the protagonist handle his/her grief?
3. Was anything left undone or unsaid between the protagonist and the deceased?
4. What else is happening in the protagonist’s life (e.g. finals, an upcoming move, layoffs at work, etc.)?
5. How are other people with whom the protagonist comes in contact grieving the loss?
6. Make sure some sort of conflict arises as a result of the death.  It could be as simple as two people’s grieving styles conflict (e.g. one needs to clean up and move on and the other needs time to process the death).  It could also be that a longstanding feud or slowly building irritation comes to a head or that deceased had a secret that now comes to light.

Happy writing!

Katie

P.S.

I would like to dedicate this post to my grandmother, Margaretha Betz.  Thanks for everything, Oma.  I love and miss you.

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Author Events: School Visits, Library Presentations, and Book Signings

Hello everyone!

So, once you’ve publish your book, you’re job is done, right?  Wrong!  Now more than ever, authors have to market their books.  A great marketing strategy is to book live events like school visits, library presentations, and book signings.

These sorts of interactions can by scary for authors, especially for the ones who hate public speaking or are introverts.  The following articles have tips for how to have positive author events.  I hope they help!

Tips for Authors:

“Organization & Preparation Tips” by Garr Reynolds

“How to Host a Successful Book Signing” by WestBow Press

Tips for Schools:

“7 Tips for the Perfect Author Visit” by Brad Herzog  (Authors, consider creating an event packet to give to give to schools, libraries, and other event locations to help stir up excitement for your visit – see point 4.  Trust me, as someone who’s acted since I was five, an engaged audience is way more fun than an apathetic one.)

Tips for Libraries:

“Publicity, programming and promotion – Arrange an author visit” by the Association for Library Service to Children

Happy writing and good luck marketing!

Katie

Book Clubs: Making Them Part of Your Platform

Hello everyone!

I recently read an interview with Kathryn Craft, conducted by Donna Galanti: “Book Club Tips: Are You and Your Novel Book Club-Worthy?” I had never considered how making my book more appealing to book clubs could be a marketing strategy, but the points brought up during the interview made a lot of sense. I hope you find the interview as thought provoking as I did.

Happy writing!

Katie

Truer Love

Hello everyone and happy Easter!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (NIV)

Your writing challenge for the next two weeks is to write a story involving a minimum of two characters who have some sort of love relationship. Remember, love does not have to be romantic.

A few potential character pairings are:

1. Two friends
2. A parent and child
3. Siblings
4. A romantic couple

Something to consider: Both characters do not need to have the same depth of feeling.

Sometimes in relationships, one person feels more strongly for the other and/or invests more in the relationship. One of the characters could be ambivalent or even hostile towards the other’s love.

Important: You must have a strong plot.

Having a good relationship dynamic is not the same thing as having a good story. Choose a conflict or issue which your protagonist must resolve. His/Her relationship with the other character can be the conflict, but your story will probably be more interesting if the conflict is something else. Use the relationship to add pressure or to interfere with the resolution of the conflict.

As an additional challenge, do not use the word “love” in your story. Focus on showing the reader the relationship between the two characters through their actions, body language, facial expressions, and the way they talk to each other.

Happy writing!

Katie