Both for your story's success, and your own mental health, letting go of your story on an emotional level is very important. We get so invested, so involved, so wrapped up and connected to our stories. And that's not a bad thing, but when you hit writer's block, or when you can't figure out this one character, or when you get harsh comments from a beta ... your feelings and emotions will plummet. You won't want to work on the book anymore because you'll feel like it's trash, and since your book is trash, obviously that means you are too, right?

You are a beautiful person, and writing takes time and growth. Each story you write will shape you more, and you will find yourself getting better and better and better ...

So let go of your story, friends. Just because it's a part of you doesn't mean it defines you.


There are going to be things you struggle with and face in life, but only by identifying those problems and dealing with them are things going to get better. It's so easy and tempting to ignore problems. I am a pro at that. But the longer you ignore something, the more time it has to sit and simmer in your heart and mind, until it's almost so large, you can't face it at all.

Be honest with others, but also be honest with yourself.


If you have problems, try to find solutions for them! Google it, even if it's far fetched and likely won't get a pinpointed response. Telling the truth to yourself about a given problem is the first step. Finding answers and taking action to help yourself overcome it is the next.

I got a bookstagram this year, and I've really enjoyed it! I haven't posted as often as I would like to, but that's because I've been a naughty reader and been very ... slow on reading. I've read 38 books so far, and I'm aiming for 40 before the year ends.


Looking back on this year from a writing standpoint, I'm actually fairly satisfied? I worked really hard to get draft 2 of The Thief's Conspiracy done, and after almost a year of work, I finished in February. And after reading through that draft, I realized it wasn't as much of a wreck as I had feared. Edits had been very successful. Granted, it still needs a ton of work, but it's better. And it wouldn't have gotten better if I hadn't stuck it out and worked.

I'm not going to explain this one. Except for some sly smirking towards the Tricky Seven.

If you haven't listened to any of those songs, go listen now. Forget this post. Listen to Just Like Yesterday. IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

I got a Twitter guys. After ages and ages of my writer frens telling me I needed one (because for some reason that's where it's at for all the authors?) I finally caved and got an account. So you should go get one too! It's great! Much sass! All the snark!

I flew for the first time this year. I actually flew twice. The first time was with my cousin to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Minneapolis Young Writer's Workshop. And the second time was to Arizona to visit my best friend. I was completely on my own the second time, which was a little stressful but completely chill.

When you're doing something new, it's important to take a deep breath and remember that this may be new for you, but a lot of people have done it before and if they can do it, you can too.

*coughs* That one's a mouth full. And a rather recent realization. Recently I've found it to be true, both in writing and in life, that planning is a very useful tool for effectiveness. It helps organize your thoughts and actions, and helps you to be productive. I even wrote a post on it!

STORY TIME! On my flight back from Arizona, I sat down next to Sara Ella. I knew who she was but I was terrified to talk to her. And I almost didn't! I almost let the opportunity pass me by, but I toughed up and said hi. She was amazing and wonderful and lovely, and I am so thankful to have talked to her! If I hadn't, a lot of things would not have been put into motion.

Like me attending the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in 2018. That's right. After a month of prayer and heart searching and consideration, I've made the decision to save up and attend this conference, as it will be held near me this coming year. I am so excited and thrilled, and I can't wait to see what I learn through this experience!

Well, that's it for me. Tell me, what have you learned in 2017?

I got home from work and was doing Very Important Things like scrolling through pinterest. And I came upon a graphic that said, "Remember what you are."

This was a curious statement to me. Why not who? Why what? We are people. But what about the whats of who we are?

As writers, we have a unique situation. Writing is such a consuming thing. It is both a passion, but also hopefully a career. It is so much more than a hobby. I always wince when people call it that. Do they understand just how much this means to me?

Writing isn't just something we do. It becomes part of who we are.

But, if you're anything like me, we walk a dangerous line. Writing is a part of who we are, yes. It's very, very important to us.

But it's not who we are.

And I'm speaking as a Christian right now. As a beloved child of God, I am a member of His family. I have been seated in Heavenly places. I have been called according to His purpose. I have been made holy and pure. I am beloved and blessed.

So why is it a dangerous line to walk? Why would identifying yourself as a writer be a bad thing?

Because if we hinge our identity on something temporal, it can be taken away.

In other words, my writing is a physical act. When I die, my books will turn to dust right along with me. And on a lesser scale than that, my books can fail. I could never get published. I could get published, but no one likes my work and it does horribly.

What would happen to my sense of self? My self esteem would crumble. Because I, being a writer, would be a failure.

And even less than that. Now, before I'm even published. I could get a negative comment from a beta and it might crush me. If that's what I'm basing my self-worth on, of course negative words on my work would crush me.

But my God? My God is eternal. And He does not fail. My status as His child can only be taken away if I choose to cast it aside--and I have no plans on that.

You want to know a little secret?

Ever since I've given myself to Jesus--ever since I stopped letting my work define who I am--I've found that it's a lot easier to both explain my book to people and share my work with them. I used to freeze up and freak out when someone asked me what my book was about, but now I smile and have a mostly coherent response to give.

Because I'm not afraid of being crushed by their words. It's okay if they think I'm stupid. My worth isn't defined by my "stupid" idea, or their opinion of me.

So who am I?

I write books. I play piano. I bake things. I make coffee. I read a lot. These things matter, and they're a part of me. But they do not define me. 

I am a Christian. That's who I am. And no one can take that from me.

Who are you? Where do you tend to focus your sense of self?

Finding titles is hard. But the goal of every story is to hook you. To draw you in. And the title is what does that first.

Think about it. You're in the bookstore, running your hands along the beautiful spines of hundreds of volumes. You can't pick up every book to read the back cover blurb or inspect the cover or glance at the first page. Only a select few get that privilege.

The title is the first test.

And this applies to blog posts, too. When I'm scrolling through my blogger reading list and my email, there are simply too many blogs to read all the posts I see. So I usually pick the ones that sound like I'll connect with them.

And how do I get that idea? What about the article or book tells me I might find it interesting?

The title.

Titles used to be super hard for me. I'd agonize over them, unsure if they were good or not. Of course, the first four years I wrote I was committed to the same book series. And that series was ... cliche. It was not the most original idea in the world, and as a result the title was not easy to find.

I've grown a lot since that nine book series I'd planned. And I've discovered a lot about titles.

Let's break down some of the different types of titles, shall we?

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The Thief Lord. The Book Thief. The False Prince. The Lost Girl of Astor Street. Peter and the Starcatchers. Steelheart. Coraline. The list goes on and on. Names aren't my favorite types of titles, and I think the phase of that has passed. But the opportunities for titles are endless. It can be the title of the main character (The False Prince, The Thief Lord, The Book Thief). It could be the title of an important minor character (The Prisoner of Azkaban). It could be the title of someone who was hurt (The Lost Girl of Astor Street).

Every story has someone that's important to the plot. Someone that set everything in motion. Sometimes, the title you give them is just a good description of who they are, and being who they are is important enough to warrant their label being the title of the story. Sometimes, it's the reason they are called what they are that gets them on the spine of a book.

Either way, the name/title tactic is a common but good approach. You could also fit groups of people or organizations under this category (like The Mysterious Benedict Society or The Boxcar Children or The Fellowship of the Ring or The Color Project). My current project is called The Dream Walkers. I gave it its name because the basic premise is about a group of children who go to a land of dreams every night, until one of them gets stuck there and they have go venture deeper in this world to save him. When you read the book, you come to know that these children are called Dream Walkers. And these children are the reason this story exists.

Howl's Moving Castle. Treasure Island. The City of Ember. The Westing Game. The Blackthorn Key. Serafina and the Black Cloak. The Screaming Staircase and The Whispering Skull. Dragon Slippers. 

The title could be something they're searching for (Treasure Island) or some puzzle they're trying to solve. It could be something everyone is after, or a place no one dares to go.

I wrote a book in July called The House at the End of the Lane. The title is tentative because it's similar to another well known book that I didn't know about until after I'd already come up with the title and let it stick, but I still like it because it plants that seed in readers' minds. They know there's something about that house at the end of the lane that will play a key role in the book. It'll be important. It's almost like a hook.

Pride and Prejudice. Divergent. Dare, Deny, Defy, and Deliver by Tricia Mingerink. A Proper Pursuit. Summerlost. 

It could be a lesson that they learn. A misconception they start out having, but have to learn to overcome. It could be task they have to complete, or a milestone they're working towards. Or it could foreshadow events later in the book.

I've had a story idea for ages that I'm still fleshing out, and I got an idea for the title today (hence, the post). I'm calling it Ashes of the Dawn and it's foreshadowing of what happens by the end of the book, with a little theme thrown in as well.


These are just three categories, and they cover a lot. And of course, you can always combine them. You could specify a name with an object or an object with a theme or place. The books in my YA series are combinations of people titles and actions/objects. The Thief's Conspiracy, The King's Vow, The Queen's Game, and The Hunter's Lament. 

Hopefully me breaking down the different types of book titles gave you some ideas. Go look at your book shelf and analyze what titles are your favorites. Go to the library or scroll through goodreads and see which titles catch your interest and think about why. Watch for cliches, too. Words that commonly come up in titles (like "thief") would be best to avoid if you want something really original. Then again, one of my favorite book titles is The Thief's Conspiracy. I was miffed that the book wanted to be called that, but I couldn't really say no. So if you have a really insistent title, don't throw it out just because one of the words is common in book titles.

Now you might be thinking, "Right, but how do I find out which type of title to go for?"

And the answer is, you just have to experiment. Sit down and pull out your notebook. Write down key people, key titles, key objects, places, themes. Write everything you can think of. Create an aesthetic of words for your story. Then string them together. See if any will fit and toss the ones that don't. The title I finally came up with today (after trying to find one for nearly a year) was the last of about fifteen-twenty combinations of the words dawn and ash. It took a lot of tries before I finally saw that they fit together and worked.

Don't be afraid to put down stupid ideas, either. Get it all out in the open. We have to scrape the weeds off the top before we can reach the rich earth underneath.

I've gone on enough. What about you guys? What category does your book title fall into? Are you trying to find a book title? If so, which category is your favorite? 

you may feel like you've been walking for ages
and the road, it doesn't end.
you may think you've accomplished nothing
and the list, it keeps going on.

your feet may have callouses
from the miles you've tread
and your bones may ache
from holding your weight for so long.
your eyes may be sore
your jaw may ache
and you may fear
it is all for nothing.

because when you look back
you recognize the terrain
and you might realize that
this whole time you've been walking
you haven't really gotten very far.
your steps have been too small
to cover much ground
and you've only made it
a couple of yards.

and when you see how much you've done
how little ground you've covered
you might throw up your hands in despair
because it wasn't worth it--those tiny steps
it wasn't worth it.

but wasn't it?

where would you be now
if you hadn't tried?
where would you be now
if you hadn't taken those little steps?
small, though they may be,
those steps are still steps
and steps carry you forward.
you cannot move
and stay where you are.

you may be slogging through mud
and your bones may scream
that's enough!
your eyes may protest,
it's not worth it!
and your lungs may heave,
give up!

but look at the ground you've covered.
it may not be much
but it's something.
and do you know where you'd be
if you hadn't moved?
you'd be right back where you started.


~~~

Hey guys! How are you all doing? This installment of Hannah's Nano-Poems is short once again. I'm behind on nano but I'm determined to catch up this weekend. And I now have significantly more of a plotline? About 1/2? Mayyyybe 2/3? Anywho, I've made some progress, which is nice. And, as stated above, every step counts, no matter how small.

How are you guys doing? Talk to me peeps! Are you behind? Hit the 50k? Do you have any other goals this month apart from the nano standard?

breathe.
in and out
closed lids
tongue between your teeth
fingers drifting on your keyboard

breathe.
the time is here now
you have no reason to be afraid

breathe.
i know you feel like
you won't make it
like these words you're crafting
can only take you so far
but you can make it.
i know you can.

breathe.
just a moment
a day
a month
but
you're here because you chose to be.

breathe.
nothing's keeping you
nothing's holding you down
you have wings of light and laughter to spread
and spread them if you must.

breathe.
you're not alone
you're okay
you're strong
and brave.

breathe.
you won't know if you can do this
until it's over
so instead of stopping,
quitting,
running

breathe.
and remember
it's okay.
the world stretches on
and it's so vast. 
it's waiting beyond your closed lids
ready for your eyes to feast.

breathe.
your heart is wide
and wider still it will beam.
it isn't over yet.



How are you all doing? Did you like this poem? If you did, let me know! I'm thinking of writing more during this month as mini motivators through the nano craze. 

Generally speaking, you begin a story because you're excited about the idea. If you're doing nano, it's probably a big deal the story you picked to work on next month. You've probably been brainstorming characters and creating a setting and pondering theme and searching for plot, if not for several months before now, at least some this month.

If I had to guess, I'd say you're pumped for it. And who wouldn't be? New story! New idea! Or idea-you've-had-for-ages-and-are-finally-getting-to-write idea! Excitement! Fun! YAY!

But eventually, you have to move past that state of ecstasy and infatuation. You have to face this unpleasant thing called reality. And the reality is that finding a spectacular plot for your concept is not easy. It's tough. 

Finding the right story idea can often feel like searching for water in a desert. You're slugging through the endless waves of sand, your entire body is sweating and you're gross and sticky and hot. You feel a rush of excitement as you see something sparkle in the distance, but as you run towards it, it stays just out of reach. And you realize it was just an illusion the whole time. A mirage.

And that's a risk we run in every story. Following the mirage first, before finding the real oasis.

What do we do then?

We edit. That's what editing is for.

But for now, let's look at some ways to find that plot in the first place.

There's a reason I kicked off this mini series with a post on characters. They're really important because, when created and fully developed, they will drive your story. You'll be sitting there, agonizing over your plot when suddenly BANG. Your characters break down the door and charge, carrying your story with it. You snatch up your notebook and race after them, yelling after to hold on! wait! come back! you weren't done with that idea yet!


This seems like an obvious one (and it kind of is) but I'm serious. Think outside the box. Think about other books in your genre or books with similar components to yours, and try to create a plot that's polar opposite to them, or has hints of them to spice it up, or just to avoid their influence all together.

Sometimes, not going with your first idea is a good idea. I heard a piece of advice once that went something like, "Discard the first idea you get. And the second. And the third. Then, only when you surprise yourself, you can write that."

And that's a good thing to think about, especially if you're crafting plot twists.


To condense the long list of advice I have for you on this topic into three tips is quite a feat. But I think this encompasses everything.

You're not going to feel perfectly and fully confident in every scene you put into your story. You're going to have a little doubt, a little insecurity, a little unease.

That's normal.

And you've got to push through it. Just do it. Write the book. Pick and plot thread and write it if one won't come to you. Grab it with both hands and wrap a leash around it and make it work for you. Often, that's what it takes to get our stories up and running.

You've got to be a little bold. And it's scary and uncertain, but I know you can do it. <3

Do you struggle with creating a plot? What tips do you have for finding a great story for your idea?

I could do an 8 week, daily posting series on characters. I could do an 8 month post series on characters. In fact, I could probably go and create and entire blog dedicated solely to creating and developing real characters that people will love and cherish.

But today I'm going to touch on just a few aspects of characters that make them ones we want to stay with. Character we root for. How we create characters, how we help them become their own person, and what we do with them once they've formed.



I want to make a quick note. I am going to highlight three aspects of character that I find make me root for them. When I posted about making your scene emotionally gripping, having a character to root for was one of the key aspects of that.

But how do you do that? How do you craft a character that people will want to read about?


No one wants to read about the next door neighbor taking care of their cat for 8 weeks. That's not unique, and as a result, really not captivating.

I just read the first book of The Reckoners trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. I loved it so much, and one of my favorite aspects of the books was David, the main character. I didn't really connect to him on an emotional level, but man was that guy fun to read about! He has so many quirks that make me just want to grab him and hug him, or better yet--sit and watch his movie for a while.
Even if they seem a little dull, if your character makes people cry or threatens to wrench their hearts right out of their chests, they're likely to keep reading anyway. When you  have a character that you really feel bad for, a character who has captured your heart, you're not going to put the book down anytime soon. You have to see how they survive!


If all else fails, do your best to make them relatable. Most characters should be relatable on some level, but if you character is kind of dull and completely unsympathetic, a relatable character can often make the difference between someone picking up a book and leaving it on the shelf.

They don't have to be relatable in a huge way. It could be a common quirk they have, or a certain phrase they use. More often though, you'll fin the most power in lies they believe, and other struggles they are battling. I actually bought a book one time because from what I read of the blurb, I knew I would benefit from the main character's story.



Even if you already have a pretty good idea of who your character is, I would reccommend checking over these three aspects. A character readers will root for is so important. It can make the difference between reading the story, and not reading.

I'll share a piece of why I think the MC of my nano novel is relatable! I'm going to be writing the second book to my YA Fantasy series, and my MC (Rissa) is sympathetic. In book one, she lived in a really tough situation. She was hopefully fairly interesting and relatable, but her situation making her sympathetic was what I really think will make readers want to finish her story. They want to see her rise above the challenges she faces and conquer.


What about you? Are you doing nano this November? If you are (or if you're not!), what trait does your character have to make them a character to root for?

I'm going to do this a liiiittle differently. I was inspired by Katie to share some of my own goals for the end of the year. So as I'm giving updates of things that have already taken place, I'll share some goals and hopes for the remainder of the year.

OH HEY! That'll be my "thing" for this quarter wrap-up! I'll give goals for each topic in place of poems for first quarter and mottos for second.  :D

and so hannah still somehow manages to remain original

One thing about this show is that it models a lot of healthy relationships. None of them are perfect, of course, but Barry has a lot of people he can go to. He has a lot of people that care about him, and they care about him enough to call him out when he's made a mistake.

At the beginning of season two, Barry tries to isolate himself because he feels responsible for some severe things from season one. And his friends honor his wishes and keep away ... for a while. But they soon realize he's not going to forgive himself, so they need to be there for him. Even if it means doing what he doesn't necessarily want.


That's another big one. Barry takes the full responsibility of everything that happens that's connected to him. People die? It's his fault. A building is destroyed? All his doing. And he's constantly beating himself up about if only I was better and if only I was faster then, of course, none of this would have happened.


Barry is really good about sharing stuff with those who he loves and those who love him. When he gets down or feels ultra responsible, he tries to shoulder it all on himself. But that never lasts very long before he's going to Joe or Iris or Wells, asking for advice.

One of the devil's favorite tactics is to isolate you. He wants to make you feel alone and vulnerable. And if you don't hold onto your friends, if you don't reach out and open yourself up to them, his attack will succeed.

Don't let that be the case.


Barry is far from perfect. He makes a lot of mistakes, some of which result in very serious consequences. But there's a turning point in the series when he finally realizes, yes, I messed up. Yes, this was my fault. Yes, I could have done better. But I didn't. I messed things up this time, and there's nothing I can do about it. But I can change the future. I can put all my energy from being upset about this to making an effort towards that never happening again. Then I'll actually make a difference.

I don't know about you guys, but that really hit home with me. Watching him let go of the guilt ... he wasn't blameless, but he was able to let the guilt go. He was able to free himself from that heavy burden, with the help of his friends.

We mess up. We make mistakes. But Jesus has given us the chance to let go of all of that. We can move on. We can move forward.

We just have to let go.


I know this isn't really writing related, but I hope you enjoyed this post all the same! If you want something that is writing related and written by yours truly, go check out my guest post on the lovely Savannah's blog! You should totally check out all she's got going on over there. It's awesome!

Have you ever watched The Flash? What do you think of Barry Allen, and what have you learned from him? Are there any other characters in fiction that you've deeply connected with?

I don't know about you, but I used to feel a little guilty when I got a new idea. Especially if it was a super good one.

I guess I felt like I was "cheating" on my WIP? I don't really know. But I didn't want to give it too much love and attention because can't stop working on the WIP! 

But is that really the best approach?

If you've got this new idea, and you're getting tons of the pieces to the story ... if you just shove it all away so you don't forsake your WIP, what happens later? What happens when that WIP is done, and it's time to move on to a new story?

I've opened documents in my idea folder many times and found just one sentence. It seemed brilliant at the time, but since I only took the time to write down one sentence, I often completely forget where I was going with the idea.

So it's useless to me.

I've settled into a groove of things now, and it works fairly well for me. So allow me to share my method (which I've referred to several times) with you all.

I have a file on my computer. It's called, "She's an Author". There are currently 51 files labeled "Idea" in it. I like to number my ideas so I can look back later and see which ones I got first. (That's how I know I got the idea for my current WIP before my last WIP.)

I started doing something recently, too. I have "Character" files. If I get an idea for a really cool charrie but they have no story (that doesn't happen for me very often, but it does sometimes) I'll just give them their own file. (I only have 12 of those types of files right now)

Now, most of those 51 ideas are just a couple sentences long. I thought they were cool in the moment, and so I ran to my computer to write them down.

But there are few, 5-6ish, that tug at me often. Idea 5, 21, and 35 are my top three ideas. These are files that I open maybe once or twice a month to make notes in. These are ideas I think about.

These are ideas that are dangerous.

They tempt me to flutter away from my WIP. They're so cool and fun and new and exciting.

But you know what? Allowing myself to visit those idea folders, to make a map of the world and to write a character's backstory and to write down the vague plotline ... that keeps me going. It helps me write my current WIP when I don't feel like writing because I have more stories to tell. And that's exciting. I want to move on. (I reallyreallyreally want to write idea 35. It's this giant fairytale/epic poem mashup and it's a chaotic mess but IT'S A BEAUTIFUL CHAOTIC MESS AND I WANT TO WRITE IT NOW.)

It's tempting to shove that away, because UGH I JUST WANT TO WRITE IT. But if I shoved away all the ideas, I wouldn't have anything to look forward to.

So the conclusion? You don't have to organize ideas like I do. (I also keep a journal for various story ideas, since I like to handwrite stuff.) But I do encourage that you document your ideas somewhere, and you let yourself visit them every now and then. That will keep you excited for them, and keep you motivated to edit that WIP so you can move on to something new.

How do you organize your ideas? Do you have any stories you're dying to write?