Elva Cobb Martin's Tea Chatter Blog

New Year's Advice Heard From an Elder

2011-12-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

1) Watch who gets into your boat. Jesus got into Peter's boat and filled it with fish.
Jonah got on a boat and almost sank it.

2) God will not allow you to hang on to two worlds. You've got to burn your plow.
It's God's responsibility to send people to take you to the next level. It's your
responsibility to burn your plow.

3) As a true friend we must warn those who've gone astray. Once we warn them,
it's up to them to turn back.

4) We're in an all out war against our flesh giving in to the spirit of disobedience
that's at work in the world today. That's why the Bible talks about "weapons" of
our warfare. Best be learning what they are and how to use them in 2012. Here are a few of them: the Word of God, written or whispered in our ears; the blood of Jesus; gifts of the Spirit, and fruit of the Spirit, especially love, joy and peace. Hint: anything from God can always blast to bits anything from the enemy.

Have a happy, blessed, victorious New Year!

Creating a hero tips

2011-11-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

In a recent post Mary Lu Tyndale shared some great tips on creating a hero. Here
they are:
1) Pray and decide on a theme for the book, some moral lesson you want to express through the story. Make it a great take away--forgiveness, redemption, destiny, loving others, humility.
2) Choose a personality for your hero. You can use the many personality charts
available.
3) Give him a backstory. Write his history. Interview him.
4) Create a character arc and a spiritual arc for him. How does he grow? What does he learn? How do you get him from A to B?
5) Look for a picture of the man you've created and keep it close by as you write.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving and a great time creating a hero!
Elva Martin

Plotting Tips Part 1

2011-08-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Get a cuppa tea (or your favorite beverage) and let's talk some more about writing while
sitting in the shade on this lovely Unpubbed Island. Here's a cup for you and a photo of our setting.

Now, comfy? Let's chat about plotting. Are you a seat-of-the pants writer or do you like to plan and outline? I'm more of a planner. I like to know pretty much where I am going before starting out. Two folks have been a good help to me in finding a good plan for plotting my wip (work in progress). Randy Ingermanson has his great Snowflake method many find useful, including me. You can find out about it at AdvancedFictionWriting.com. I also like Cheryl Wyatt's "Plotstorming" idea, one of many great articles recorded in Seekerville's "The Unpublished Author's Boot Camp Manual". You can go to the manual by googling Seekervilleblogspot.com. Click on the button at top
"Writer's Resources." See article and click on "The Unpubbed Author's Boot Camp Manual for 2011". This manual has a ton of information and easy click on articles covering every aspect of writing and getting published. In my next blog I will share some helpful things I've learned and am using from this manual.
Be blessed today and keep writing, planning and plotting. Don't get carried away by the sand, sea and blue sky on Unpubbed Island. It's a place we need to vacate! Elva Cobb Martin

What Should You Take to Editor/Agent Appointments?

2011-03-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

Years ago, as a first time conference attendee, I took a fiction book proposal of 30+ pages for about six editors. That proposal, which I had spent blood, sweat, toil and tears on, weighted down my suitcase all the way to the conference--and all the way back home. I learned in those 15-minute appointments that editors don't want a full proposal, at least not from new writers, at a conference appointment. But what do they want?

That's not saying we may ever know what ALL of them prefer, but I do know what some want, especially those who came to our great March Carolina Christian Writers' Workshop in Anderson, SC, which I directed. Just maybe your targeted editors would like the same or similar. So sit down with some chocolate and a cup of tea for a moment or two. Something here may inspire, instruct or maybe, surprise you.

Abingdon Press Fiction Editor Ramona Richards (quoted)
"I'd like to see a business card (free ones are available from www.vistaprint.com; inexpensive ones from www.overnightprints.com and for each author to have their elevator pitch memorized and polished. They should be prepared to answer questions about their protagonist, antagonist, various plot elements--and themselves. Authors can bring anything along they want to help them, but I'll only be accepting business cards."

Acquisitions Editor Rick Steele, AMG Publishing
Rick told me on the phone that he would like to see a writing sample - an outline, or a synopsis, or a chapter by chapter outline/synopsis and a brief marketing comparison of current books on the market similar to yours and how yours will be different. He also likes to hear 50-word pitches and he sent me his submission guidelines for queries and full proposals to share which you can get by googling AMG Publishing. He prefers
queries before a full proposal on non-fiction or fiction.
Literary Agent Tamela Hancock Murray (quoted)
"An elevator pitch, a one-sheet, a synopsis, the first page, a chapter, a business card and brief bio are all great, especially if the author has only one project. I recommend a one-sheet for each project, or if its a series, then a paragraph devoted to each book in the series on the one sheet. I am happy with the author's bio and pic on the one-sheet. I don't need that and a business card if the author doesn't have them."

For those who might need to know, a One-Sheet contains: a photo of author with name and contact info, a blurb of the book project(s). If you have room, you can add: possible endorsers, a brief list of comparable books, a relevant illustration, a small bio. You can google One Sheets for examples. Kaye Dacus has a
good example on the net, too.

Did you notice how many times the word "pitch" came up above?

Here is a tip from Robin Perini, quoted a while back by Treble Books Publisher, Lee Emory, that has helped me. Robin relates pitches for fiction to the story question.

(Your Protagonist)________________MUST_________________(Critical

Plot Goal) BY___________________(Conflict with the Antagonist, etc.),

ONLY TO REALIZE_______________________(What the character learns about life that helps him change his goal during the journey of the book)

Here is an example Robin gave: Jacob Marshall must avenge his father's honor by implicating Serena Jones' father, only to realize revenge often hurts the innocent.

Here is what I finally wrote (and keep writing) for my Christian romance, Charleston Nanny

Rachel an orphaned college girl, determines to unearth the facts about her brother's death by going to Charleston as a nanny on a tea plantation, only to discover that the truth may destroy her new found love and could cost her life.

Hope this blog has been some help! Keep on studying to show yourself approved and keep on WRITING.
We will get off unpubbed island! Blessings, Elva

Five Techniques for Showing vs. Telling

2011-02-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

I have discovered wonderful help for showing vs. telling shared by Randy Ingermanson.
Today, I want to share it with you!
Here are the five techniques to use and I've used them. They work! Thanks, Randy!

1) Action - Anything your chracters do, shown in real-time.

                 Example: Jake swung the bat into the kidnapper's head.

2) Dialogue - Anything your characters say, shown in quote marks.

                      Example: "Take that, you scurvy dog!"

3) Interior Monologue - Anything your characters think, whether a verbatim record of the thought or a   mere statement of it. Verbatim thoughts, Randy says, are often shown in italics.
But indirect thoughts are not.

      Examples: "And if you ever touch my daughter again, you're dead."
                 What were these idiots thinking, to mess with the daughter of a Navy Seal?

4) Interior Emotion - Anything your characters feel. This is best done by showing direct physiological
          reactions which can be directly interpreted as emotions.

        Example: Another rush of adrenaline boiled up in Jake's stomach.

5) Description - Anything your characters can see, hear, smell, taste or touch.

         Examples: Two gunshots rang in quick succession.
                         Cold air rushed over Jake like a river.
                         He smelled gunpowder so strong he could taste it.
                         The small red dot of a lazer aiming device raced across the floor
                          toward his feet.

Go and use this stuff! Elva Cobb Martin

Theme - A Story's Most Basic Element

2010-09-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Fellow Unpubbed Island Dwellers!
Do get a cuppa tea or your favorite beverage and let's continue honing our writing skills. We will not lose heart on this island. Instead, we will become strong in heart and skills!

Today we are going to talk about theme--the kernel of meaning you want to portray in your story or novel.
Theme is the basic idea with which you start your plot. You often give insight into your theme when you start saying, "My story (or book) is about a girl (or man) who.... (plug in any of the themes below).

But first,let me share a word from the greatest book ever written, the Bible. Here is one verse from a prayer the Apostle Paul prayed for others. I often pray Paul's prayers for myself, family and friends. Today as I write this, be assured I am praying it for you! "May you learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value (recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences) and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless...May you abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness." Philippians 1:10-11 Amplified Bible

A good theme contains a goal or purpose for the story's main characters and an anti-goal for the villain.
Every successful novel has a strong theme that mirrors the experiences of its readers. We want our themes
to have a strong emotional pull. Themes can come from any aspect of life: romance, parenthood, old age, life's turning points, conflicts, relationships. Some basic themes/conflicts are:

Man against man - "The Impostor" FBI/CIA thrillers, Law and Order TV shows, Wars
Man against nature - Jack London's books, colonial America, exploration
Man against himself - Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
Man against the clock - many westerns, pony express, danger or enemy coming
Man against circumstances - Romeo and Juliet; coming of age stories like "You've Got Mail"
Man against progress - the railroads coming out west; women or minorities' rights
Man against age - "Requiem for a Heavyweight" by Rod Sterling

In less than an hour I found many great themes in the Bible covering almost every aspect of human experience. Here they are for your idea file!

Husband and wife join in wrongdoing (Adam and Eve, Ahab/Jezebel, Ananias/Sapphira)

Jealousy, conflict between siblings (Cain/Able, Rachel/Leah, Joseph/brothers, Jacob/Esau, Mary/Martha)
Godly person staying true in pagan society (Noah, Job, Ruth, Esther, Elijah, Elisha, Stephen
Love/hate triangle (Abraham/ Sarah/ Hagar; Jacob/Leah/Rachel)
Incest (Lot and his daughters)
Tender love at first sight (Jacob/Rachel)
Arranged marriage (Jacob/Leah, Isaac/Rebekkah, Christ and His Bride!)
Rape (Dinah and Shechem; Tamar/Ammon)
Family Strife and Reconciliation (Joseph)
Adoption vs. Infanticide (Moses)
War and its mighty men (Joshua, David, Gideon, Samson)
Covetousness/stealing (Achan)
Women’s rights (the daughters of Zelophehad, Numbers 27, Joshua 17)
Godly woman aligned with warrior (Deborah and Barak)
Timid son’s rise to fame (Gideon)
Harlot’s son overcomes beginning and makes good (Jephthah)
Rebellious son’s end with victory (Samson)
Sex slave trafficking/women kidnapped for arranged marriages (wives for the Benjamites, Judges 21)
Poor widow attracts older wealthy landowner (Ruth and Boaz)
Fast rise then fall of a leader/jealousy (Saul)
Unknown rises to highest seat (David)
Overcoming Big Odds (David/Goliath; Israel and her enemies, the NT church)
Woman married to really bad man (Abigail/Nabal)
Epitome of a wicked woman (Jezebel)
Treachery of warrior leader (Joab/Abner)
Adultery/Murder (David and Bathsheba, Absalom and Ammon)
Idolatry and its consequences (all through Bible)
Love of a king for a shepherdess (Song of Solomon)
Rise of uneducated, simple people to high seats of authority (the disciples)
Martyrdom (Stephen and others)
Rebellious Child and Father's forgiveness/restoration (The Prodigal Son, Jonah)
Conversion/Transformation (the disciples, legalistic Paul, adulterers; the insane/ demoniac; the sick, the lost)
Dead Religiosity Exposed by the Authentic (Prophets/Israel, Christ/Jewish leaders; John/ Seven Churches Long-awaited birth bring joy and change (Rachel/Joseph, Hannah/Samuel, Elizabeth/John, Mary/Christ)
Maturing Faith of youths (Samuel, John Mark, Mary)

Doesn't just reading these themes stir up ideas for your own story or novel? Does an idea you already
have fit into one of these themes? My novel I am polishing has the themes of forgiveness and restoration in the hero's life and maturing faith in the heroine's.

Be blessed today. I pray for balance in your lifestyle--your work, rest, healthy diet/water and READING of good books!
Elva Cobb Martin

Write Every Day...and Study

2010-08-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

Get a cuppa tea or your favorite beverage and let's continue our chat about writing!
First, I want to share a verse from the Bible that has encouraged me often in my writing and I am quoting
from the Amplified Bible:
I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ (right up to the time of His return), developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. (Philippians 1:6)

Now that's encouraging. The Lord is working with and in us to complete the good work He has for us.
And keep in mind Jesus is the Alpha (beginning) and Omega (ending). He knows how to give you a new
beginning and bless you, even in an ending. The enemy would like to steal away the joy of an ending in your life. Perhaps something has ended in your life recently--a job, a relationship. The end of an era is not the
end of your destiny. The best is yet to come according to this scripture!

To review our first posting about getting off Unpubbed Island we said
Step 1 is to make a quality decision that you will do whatever it takes to get to Pubbed Island.

Step 2 Write Every Day...SOMETHING
It may just be answering emails or writing a note on a card you send out snail mail. It could be journaling.
Journaling is a great way to get the the creative juices flowing. I have a Prayer Journal in which I write
out first, my praise and thanks to the Father for whatever is current, then my petitions. I look up and
write down scriptures He may give me. I may not write in this journal every day, but I do write regularly.

I heard an author say that when she comes back to writing on a novel after stopping for a time, a good
way to get back into it is to journal in the main character's point of view for a few paragraphs.

I also have a Fiction Journal where I record snippets of dialog, descriptions, settings, characters, plotting methods. good hooks, good endings. You can get organized with this into sections and have a great deal of information at your finger tips for future use. Author Phyllis Whitney first gave me the idea and now others have greatly expanded this idea.

Step 3 Study to show yourself approved (to some agent, editor or publisher!)
When I decided to finish my novel I had begun years earlier, I decided to take a novel-writing course.
Courses like this can really help you. There are quite a few out there and you can google some of them.
I took Rosey Dow's novel writing course and it may still be available at http://www.christianfictionmentors.com/.
Next time we will cover some of the first things I needed to study--Theme and Worldview.

Be blessed today and feel free to comment.
Elva---your best friend on Unpubbed Island

Hello from Unpubbed Island!

2010-07-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hello to all you tea and fiction lovers. Get a "cupa tea" or your favorite beverage and let's chat about writing. Right now I am residing on Unpubbed Island with my first Christian Romantic Suspense novel I entitled Tender Deception. It is set on a Charleston Tea Plantation, hence the emphasis on tea (which I love!) I invite you to follow all the steps I am taking to GET OFF THIS ISLAND. Maybe you will decide to get in the row boat with me? Pubbed Island, here we come!
Step 1: Decide you are going to do whatever it takes to get TO Pubbed Island.
Elva
First post July 31, 2010