It’s a cold day here in Western KY. The weather app says 11 degrees and feels like 4, which makes me want to go back to bed, pull the covers up, and finish reading a book that I’ve waited for a long time. But there are homeschool lessons that need to happen and word counts that need to be met. So grab a cup of hot chocolate and let’s see what our Wisdom Wednesday author has for us today.
Thanks for joining us, Sally!
Name: Sally Chambers
Genre: Inspirational Suspense with a touch of Romance
Debut Release: Out of the Shadows
Writing Tip for Authors:
Write. Simply, write. Every single day whether a sentence or a chapter, write. If something you experience captures your imagination and speaks to your heart, write it down, date it (you’ll be glad you did). Make notes on things that inspire you or make you laugh. They can become plot ideas. Flashes of unusual scenes might inspire a new slant on something old. Use whatever resource is at hand to help you remember your impressions. Screen shots, your snipping tool, your phone camera, or recorder . . . a scrap of paper. File them, review them, utilize them. Filtered through your eyes your writing finds its unique voice as you walk through life.
For example, I recall the warm July day my husband and I drove from our small cabin in Loafers Glory, NC, into Spruce Pine to shop. I sky-gazed at a stormy cloud bank, musing as he drove, and the words came. “A sky, black and blue, bruised with the pummeling of a thousand bolts of lightning.” Because I grabbed a scrap of paper and a pencil, part of that sentence made its way into the first page of my first novel, The Stonekeepers. “Outside Lexi Christensen’s bedroom window, the world shook. The fast-moving storm hurled shards of silver lightning, and thunder bruised the heavens above rain-swept Nantucket Island.”
Why is this my favorite writing tip? Well, at times this busy writer’s mind resembles a sieve. And if I don’t write down those nuggets of thought, ideas, or inspiration, whether it’s midnight or midday, they tend to vanish—those fleeting God-gifted treasures are definitely at risk!
Great sentence! I don’t know how many times I tell myself that I will remember something, but I rarely do. You gave us great ideas on how to jot those nuggets down, so we have no excuse now. LOL!
Journal daily or as often as you can. Record your prayers, thoughts, events, anything that you itch to preserve. Journal it. My journals hold the stuff from which novels are built. Yours will too. Real stuff you can bend and stretch into fiction. The bones and flesh of new characters, the bricks and mortar of scenes and settings, the sound and passion of dialogue, and so much more. Journaling keeps you writing. And I can’t help but add: read, read, read, and never, ever give up! Blessings on your new year of writing and journaling.
I dream of journaling. I even have multiple leather books sitting on my desk staring back at me right now. I always want to keep detailed entries about my day, but then I don’t want to mess them up. I’ve started keeping notes in them about the book that I’m currently writing at the time, and that is helping me to get more into this habit. Great advice!
THIS WAS A DEADLY GAME AND SHE DIDN’T WANT TO PLAY
Three months ago, Ali Lamarque’s mother died in an accident Ali is convinced she could have prevented, and what little faith she had is fading. Grief-stricken, her father, a renowned scientist, has sold their California ranch and buried himself in his work. He will soon leave for Brazil’s Amazon rain forest on business. Ali’s relationship with her childhood best friend, Kane, is changing, and suddenly she’s being followed. Insidious and relentless, it’s harassment with no proof it ever happened.
With her life in turmoil, and against her father’s wishes, Ali takes a break from college to go with him, hoping the trip will help heal their grief and her guilt. It will give her time to sort out her feelings for Kane—and leaving would stop the stalking.
But Ali didn’t anticipate the dangers that would confront her or know that her choices would make the difference between living and dying for not only herself, but countless others.
Sally Chambers writes inspirational young adult fiction though new adults and women of all ages also enjoy her contemporary YA blend of suspense with a touch of romance. A finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s First Impressions contest with her first novel, The Stonekeepers, she has also won awards for her short stories and poetry. Sally and her husband live on Florida’s Space Coast. She braces for hurricanes every year but loves leaving her footprints across damp beach sand and reveling in sea breezes, warmth, and sunshine.
Alright, my friends, Sally gave us lots of ways to accomplish our writing goals. Whether we utilize a notebook, scrap paper, or use our phone to record or film, there are not any more excuses. What about you? Have you ever had an idea pop into your head but nothing handy to write it down? What’s the most creative tool you’ve used to jot it down? Tell us in the comment section. And don’t forget to connect with Sally on social media and her current release, Out of the Shadows.
Contact Info/Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sally.chambers2
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sallychambers22/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sallychambers2
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/SallyChambers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sallychambers2/
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2F3QV69
Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/2GYLgM1
Website: https://sallychambers.com/
Blog: https://sallypchambers.wordpress.com/
Thanks for having me on your Wisdom Wednesday Blog, Erin! And thanks to everyone who takes a moment to stop by.
You’re very welcome! I enjoyed having you. 😊