Gratitude isn't just for Thanksgiving

Reaching one thousand in my gratitude journal!

Hi Everyone, Danica Favorite here, and I wanted to share about a subject very important to me. I love Thanksgiving, because it makes us stop and think about all the things we're grateful for. But it bothers me that many of us only take one day a year to sit down and express all the things we're truly thankful for.

Almost two years ago, I started a journaling practice that really changed my life. I keep a gratitude journal. Every day I write down ten things I'm grateful for. When I first started, the rule was I couldn't be grateful for the same thing twice, but now that I have over a thousand things on my list, I've given myself a little more room to double up, as long as I don't do it too often!

Sometimes I skip a day or two, but I find that if I go more than a couple of days without writing in my journal, I don't feel as good or have as good of a day. It's easy to focus on the hard things in life, but when I take time to remember the good, and to count my many blessings, it's amazing to see how much better my life looks. In fact, the easiest way for me to turn any bad day around is to look at that journal, and see how, despite whatever bump I've hit, I have a pretty amazing life.

I'm always skeptical of claims of things that supposedly change people's lives, but can I let you in on a little secret about my life? Ever since I started keeping my gratitude journal, everything in my life has gotten better. It didn't happen overnight, and I can't point to a specific link between the two, but despite having the same ups and downs of life, some higher ups, and some lower downs, I have to say that overall, I am a much happier person. My life is a thousand times better.

It's not that everything bad in my life magically disappeared. I've had some really bad days. Crushing disappointments. But I think I handle them better. And sometimes, in the midst of those bad things, when I can still find things to be grateful for, I can't see the bad anymore. As for the good, I find so many small things to celebrate, from the snow glistening on the trees, to enjoying a peaceful moment with my tea, to hugs from my daughter, and a thousand (literally!) other things in between, I know that I have an incredible life. Even when I'm not writing things down, I often stop and pause in gratitude throughout my day because I know that I have so much to be grateful for!

How about you? Have you ever kept a gratitude journal? How can you add a little gratitude to your day?

Guest blog post, devotional, and giveaway on Shannah's blog

Hey guys, Camy here! I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to let you know about my guest blog post at Shannah’s blog. I’m talking about my writing process for my latest book, which is a short novel/long novella published in Sealed With a Kiss, the latest Inspy Kisses collection. I’m talking about my hero and heroine and showing the actors who inspired them.

I’m also doing a short devotional for Shannah’s Water Your Faith Wednesday, and then there’s a giveaway for my contemporary romance, Sushi for One. Head over to enter!

Writing Life

Hi all - Charlotte Carter here.

(This interview by Brenna Audbrey originally appeared in the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America newsletter, November 2011. She asked such good questions, I thought I share it with you.)

Under various pseudonyms, Charlotte Carter has authored 56 romance novels and cozy mysteries for Harlequin, Dorchester and Guideposts Books. Her most recent book, Big Sky Family, is a November 2011 release from Harlequin Love Inspired.

Q. You've written SO many books. How do you keep yourself motivated to write?

I’m compulsive! Maybe it’s because I started late in this writing business, but writing, discovering a story, soothes me (when it’s going well, of course). And there’s always another story to tell lurking somewhere in the back of my mind. So little time, so many stories......

Q. You've written in several different subgenres. Do you stick with one genre at a time or do you switch it up and change from book to book to keep it interesting?

The vast majority of my books have been romance novels. Now, however, I’m writing for two publishers: inspirational romance for Love Inspired and cozy mystery continuities for Guideposts Books. I try to alternate between publishers, which is somewhat dependent on my schedule for the Guideposts books in whatever series is current.

Q. What is your writing process like? Linear or dot-to-dot? Planner or pantser? Do you write long hand or on the computer? etc.

I’m definitely linear and a planner, although the characters have been known to give me a surprise now and then. I start off plotting with a pen and college-lined notebook paper. (You can tell how high-tech I am - Not!) I establish who the characters are and their goals, diagram a W plot and work through the hero’s journey. At that point I can usually write a synopsis, which I do on the computer as well as the rest of the manuscript.

Q. What is your most reliable "go to" tool when you realize your story is broken and needs fixing?

For many years, my favorite “go to” tool was Mindy Neff and Susan Phillips, my critique partners. More recently I’ve been whining to Kara Lennox ( Harlequin American author), who is great with the ‘black moment.’ If they aren’t handy, I may take a second look at Save the Cat by Blake Synder, do Debbie Macomber’s list of 20, or let my subconscious solve the problem while I sleep. I will say, by chapter 3 I pretty well can tell if the story is going to work.

Q. How have you managed to brand yourself, given the different genres you have written in?

I’ve never quite understood this ‘branding’ business, but I do have a motto and a promise that I make to readers: Books that leave you smiling....by Charlotte Carter. When I was writing for Harlequin American (as Charlotte Maclay) I wrote warm, family stories. Now, with Love Inspired (w/a Charlotte Carter) I’m writing warm, family stories but with a deeper emotional tone and characters who are dealing with serious problems — a heart transplant recipient, loss of family members, and in my current book, Big Sky Family, a hero who is paraplegic.

Q. You have a wonderful sense of humor that serves you well when speaking publicly. How does your humor serve you in your writing career?

I wish I could say my sense of humor allows me to laugh at copy editors, but that would be a lie. In my writing, humor tends to worm it’s way into the story via children, who are always unpredictable, or by creating a ‘fish out of water’ story for the hero or heroine. Often it’s the reaction of a ‘straight’ character to a humorous situation that can make a reader smile.

Q. What authors and genres do you like to read?

I most often read suspense and romantic suspense, single title romance, legal thrillers, and the like. I’ve recently read James Patterson (Alex Cross story), John Grisham, Iris Johansen, and Rachel Lee books. Sandra Brown and Susan Elizabeth Phillips have always been my favorites And to my delight, my fellow Orange County Chapter members, Debra Mullin and Tessa Dare have brought me back to historical romance, my first love.

Q. What piece of advice do you consider most important sharing with an aspiring author?

Write! Write! And write some more. I was very fortunate when I joined RWA that I could come home from a chapter meeting and immediately use whatever information I’d gleaned in my work-in-progress.. It’s impossible, in my view, to learn to write without having somehow finished a story. My various critique groups have also been invaluable. (My technique is to be the dumbest one in the group so I can learn the most; so far I’ve achieved that goal..) I continue to learn by attending workshops and taking online classes in the hope of improving my craft. As Susan Macias said at the Orange County October Birthday Bash, “The only guarantee that you won’t sell is if you quit writing.”

Visit Charlotte’s blog at www.CharlotteCarter.com

Writing Life

Hi all - Charlotte Carter here

A writer’s life can be an interesting one. Not only can I go to work in my robe and slippers if I’m so inclined, odd things can happen.

Some years ago one of my Harlequin books was translated into Portugese and sold in Brazil. To my delight, I received some fan mail. It makes my day to receive a fan letter. But in this case I had a small problem.

The letters were written in Portugese. Because, of course, the reader read the book in Portugese including my Dear Reader letter.

Fortunately, I speak and read a little Spanish. At least I could tell the reader enjoyed my book. That's always a relief.

Since I don’t speak Portugese, I wrote back in English to thank her for her note.

This sweet 18-year-old girl was so pleased that a real live author had written to her, she wrote to me again — this time in her school English! Which was harder to understand than her Portugese! LOL

Then there was the fan letter from a prisoner in jail. Hmm, I didn’t write back to him. Lots of big-time authors get those; nobody responds. Ick!

The strangest thing that has happened to me occurred recently. I was writing a Christmas scene for New Beginnings for Guideposts Books. The holiday table was set, all the family members were there, lights twinkling on the tree and it was snowing outside.

My husband walked into my office at that moment to bring me the day’s mail. My VERY FIRST thought was ‘Why is the post office delivering mail on Christmas Day?’

Talk about having to blink to come back to reality! In case you had any doubts, authors really do get into the heads of our characters.

I imagine every career has its odd moments. What strange things have happened to you on your job?

Happy reading......

Books that leave you smiling - by Charlotte Carter

http://www.charlottecarter.com/

What it Takes to Write by Marta Perry

I often meet people who never wrote a thing before starting a novel, something that I find bemusing. How do you go from writing a grocery list to writing a 300 or 400 page manuscript?

I began my career in fiction writing in a very small way, writing 3 or 4-page stories for church school take-home papers. Since I didn’t have anyone to tell me I was doing it the wrong way, I simply analyzed as many published stories as I could find to figure out what made them tick, and then tried to write my own.

The first story I wrote, called, I believe, “Kathy’s Bedtime,” was rejected its first time out. I figured I’d give it another try, so sent it out once more. It came back again, but this time the editor had taken the trouble to scribble at the bottom of the printed rejection slip, “Nice story.” Bless that anonymous editor. That response made me brave enough to try again, and that time it sold, to Story Friends magazine for the magnificent sum of $16. I took my husband out to dinner with the proceeds and told him I was a writer.

I’m telling you this not because I think it’s a remarkable story, but to show that writing careers, especially fiction careers, begin in all sorts of ways, some of them very small. If I had been discouraged by that first rejection slip, or if I had decided that the struggle wasn’t worth it for $16, I wouldn’t have reached the point of having published over 300 short stories and 43 novels.

I’ve known, over the past 30 years, so many very talented writers—some much more talented than I—who couldn’t keep going through the rejections, the slow pay, the no pay, the magazines that fold before your story comes out, the book lines that die inexplicably. If you ask me what the major ingredients are in success as a fiction writer, I’d have to say persistence and desire. Without those, writers don’t succeed, no matter how talented.

WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TRAIN by Marta Perry

Years ago, when I first started writing, (and no, I’m not going to tell you how long ago that was!) I had the opportunity to hear Phyllis Whitney speak. She was one of the first authors to hit it big with the romantic suspense genre, and I had been reading her books and admiring her work for years. I was so star-struck at actually seeing her that I probably couldn’t have told at the time what she’d said. But a story she told about how writers find success has stayed with me ever since.

I’m paraphrasing, but basically she said that making it as a writer is sort of like waiting for the right train to come along. While you’re waiting, you’re learning and reading and writing and practicing your craft in any way you can. And if you’re both diligent and lucky, eventually the right train for you will come along—you’ll find that the latest ‘hot’ thing is exactly what you want to write and what you do well, and you’ll be off on your journey.

Phyllis Whitney had written career books for young adults and ‘little’ romantic mysteries for years, never thinking of herself as anything but a working writer. Then, almost out of the blue, the romantic suspense craze hit, and she was ready to jump onto that train. A number of New York Times bestsellers later, she was still a bit bemused by how it all happened!

Taken as I was by Phyllis’s story, I certainly never expected that lesson to apply to my own writing life. I was working along, writing the series books I love for Love Inspired and Love Inspired suspense, and feeling terribly fortunate to have someone actually pay me for doing the thing I loved best in the world. I wasn’t really expecting anything else. Then, in an existing story set in my native rural Pennsylvania, I introduced a few Amish characters, wondering what my editor would say to that.

Her reaction was immediate—do more of that! The popularity of Amish fiction had just begun, and to my surprise, I found I was ready to jump on that train. I’d already built an audience for my work, and suddenly something in my own backyard, something that fit my own Pennsylvania Dutch heritage and lifestyle, was exactly what editors were looking for. Every publisher wanted an Amish author for his or her list, and there I was, ready and waiting.

No one has been able to fully explain the current popularity of Amish fiction. Why, in the midst of a wave of paranormal romances, would stories about simple families living without most of modern technology suddenly find a place?

My own feeling is that many of us are drowning in a sea of technological advances and constant input. The internet and the twenty-four hour news channels feed us a continuing diet of scary stories, and while what’s happening half-way around the world engrosses us, we don’t find the time for face-to-face interaction with the people around us. Maybe, especially in a time of economic uncertainty, we experience a longing to live for a few hours in a simpler society, where families are close to each other and people can work together without the interruptions technology brings. Maybe we can even draw strength from visiting a community in which people still have time to talk and are ready to drop everything to help a neighbor.

The ironic thing about the popularity of Amish fiction is that it has developed around a group of people who really want to be left alone to live separate from the world, as their faith teaches them. For the writer, this is a touchy business. I value my relationships with Plain People, and I try to write about them honestly and with respect. I can only hope I’m managing to do that in a way that doesn’t offend.

Like Whitney, I’m still a bit bemused, even as I’m writing a series of Amish romance trade books for Berkley and an Amish suspense series for HQN Books. Still, as she said, I was ready to jump on board when my train came along.

Someone more mathematically-minded than I am could probably create an equation from this. Maybe Preparation + Opportunity + Timing = Success!

I’m not saying that every career is meant to go in this direction, but I do believe there’s something almost magical about the results when the one subject about which you’re prepared to write, about which you can be most knowledgeable and passionate, suddenly penetrates the popular culture and creates an opportunity that couldn’t come in any other way.