Write in the Way

Back from Cambodia!

2011-03-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

Hi, Friends!

I'm back from Cambodia and almost un-jet-lagged. :0) It's taken a bit longer than normal thanks to the crazy time difference.

The trip was incredible. It would be impossible to sum up all we did and saw. So many stories.... so I wrote about it on my missions blog. If you get a chance, please stop by! I'd love to see you there!

Just go here.

Have a great week!

Packing...

2011-02-21T05:00:00.001-05:00

I'm getting on a plane on Friday! This time next week I'll be in Asia. It definitely does not feel real. It's been a while since I've been overseas so I'm kind of out-of-body right now. Haven't started packing yet. If I pack earlier than the night before I leave, I'll be stressed out at having a project "half finished"... which means instead I'm stressing out over all I have to do! :0)

My mind is so swirly right now that I don't feel like I have much to say writing-wise. Instead I'm wondering the answers to these two all important questions:

1) What is one item you always make sure to pack?

and

2) Is Cheese Whiz considered a liquid?

Just kidding about the second one! But I am curious as to your all-important item!

Me? Zip loc bags. All it took was 1 serious rainstorm where I learned the value of wrapping everything in plastic. I'm too cheap to afford travel cubes, so every trip I buy a new box of gallon-sized bags and use those to organize the contents of my suitcase.

Oh, and my camera, of course!

You?

Character Sketch

2011-02-14T05:00:00.000-05:00

Went for a walk yesterday and saw this:

Who do you think they were?

And where are they now?

My guess: Um... teenagers who are currently in jail for vandalizing private property (notices the falls in the background... it's a state park). :0)

Just kidding!

Good-Bye to a Good Friend

2011-02-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, Friends! Thank you for your responses to last week's post! It meant a lot to read of your promises for prayer, encouragement, and excitement!

Now, for some bittersweet news.

I said good-bye to a dear friend this weekend.

To be honest, I took her for granted. She appeared the same night as my high school graduation, introduced to me by a cousin of my mother's whom I have never met, seen a picture of, or heard her voice (meaning I'm convinced she's a ghost) and I didn't think this new friend had a place in my life. After all, I was finished with high school. I still had my old trusty old friend... and I'm one of those people who doesn't need a large group to be happy. I'd rather have one or two close friends. What did I need her companionship for?

So I stuffed her in the back of my closet.

Three years later, my old friend and I bid farewell. She was bound for the dumpster. I was poor. Remembering the "new" friend in the back of my closet (now aged three years, but with no wear whatsoever), I sheepishly asked for her forgiveness.

She said she'd think about it.

From that day on, she accompanied me to every class. When I graduated from college, she went with me all over the world- from the feral Amazon Jungle to the mountains of Southern Africa, the slums of Delhi, India, and a Central American lake.

Somewhere in the midst of all of our travels, she became a bit worn. A snag here, a tear there... until a year ago I noticed her simply falling apart from the stress of our life together. The doctor couldn't fix her broken pieces.

And tonight, I met a new friend.

I'm excited about this new relationship. This new friend will go with me to places I've never known before and show me things I never new existed. But first, I want to send my old friend- who, I'm ashamed to say, I didn't want- good-bye.

You were always there, my perfect traveling companion. I will never forget you. Thank you for shouldering my burdens, for making my life easier. For nine years, you served me without complaining, even when I slung you in the dust and threw you across the room. Nothing was too heavy for you... even though some things were too big. Most of all, I loved how you let me use you as a pillow on layovers. I only hope you don't end up in a landfill.

Some pictures from our life together:

In the bottom of our boat on our 2 day trek out to the remote villages of the Amazon Jungle (we slept in those hammocks at night):

On the floor of my room in India:

Okay... so, silly. This weekend I threw out a bookbag I had for 9 years. It got to the point where the zipper didn't zip at all, and I was unable to get it replaced. Having not been bookbag shopping since my freshman year of high school, I was amazed at all the choices in the store.

The one I ended up getting supposedly will last me for life. That's nifty. It has a lot of organizational pouches that make me really happy- and excited to try it out in a few weeks!

Still, even though I knew it was a necessary purchase and it was something that's been on my "I'll need to buy one soon so I need to prepare for that" list for about a year, I refused to buy one until my old one was completely wasted.

Kind of like some ideas I've had....plotlines, characters, conversations, titles... I've discovered that in life I have a tendency to hold on long after the point of "It's time to let go".

Do you have that problem? Your characters?

P.S. Seriously... isn't a bookbag an odd gift for a graduation?

Cambodia (Take two!)

2011-02-02T05:00:00.003-05:00

Some of you remember when I boarded a plane a few years ago, bound for Cambodia... and never made it. I ended up getting stranded in India for two weeks. Thankfully, I knew people there!

But guess what? I'm going Feb 25-March 5, 2011... and I am SOOOOOOO excited! I know it's soon and this trip has come fast, but it's something I've been praying about for a while. Seeing it become reality is so great!

For me, it started in Swaziland, when I met teen girls taking care of their siblings because their parents had died. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen years old, and they were responsible for feeding, clothing, and providing for their brothers and sisters. When there was a knock on the door late at night and a man stood there with a bag of oranges.... they felt like they had no where else to turn.

A few months later, friends of mine went undercover in Southeast Asia just to see how deep the industry went. Within a few hours, these men of God were brought two girls, one seven-years-old and the other fourteen. My friends refused to hurt these girls and returned later to rescue them -only the girls could not be found.

Then, in India, I met precious little ones whose families couldn't afford to feed them and instead, sent them to an orphanage. If they hadn't been in a safe place, some of these children would have been sold into prostitution.

The reality of the global sex industry hit home for me last fall, when I spent a night in Atlanta working with a location ministry dedicated to ministering to prostitutes, strippers, and those who pay for their services. Walking the streets of the city, meeting and praying for those who live their lives in the dark, I began to pray to be able to do more, both for those here in the States and those overseas.

The prevalence of sex trafficking has become so great that it is a common request for missions trips here at AIM. This year we added an Ambassador trip for junior and senior females to Thailand. Students are filling that trip almost as quickly as the ones to Africa (they always go first). Most of the female leaders I've interviewed in the past few weeks have asked about that trip before any of the others. We have an STM trip to Thailand as well, and other programs within AIM have trips solely decided to ministry in the world of sex trafficking.
I have friends living in Southeast Asia working with those trapped in the sex trade. For them it isn't a story, something happening far away. It's the little boys, little girls, and teenagers they see every day. Their stories break my heart. Their stories make me want to drop everything and go myself.

(Photo by Ashley Musick, Angkor Wat, Cambodia)

And now, and opportunity has come! Feb 25-March 5, 2011, Connie Rock and I are going to Cambodia! For the short time we are there, we will stay with Alli Mellon, the Executive Director of the Hard Places Community, who lives in Cambodia with her team and two daughters. She asked us to come, see her life, share in her ministry, and pour into the team there. Missionary love... it's so needed.

AIM also has a two year team living in the same city, four women being mentored by Alli and are committed to working in this heartbreaking ministry. We've been asked to debrief these girls as well, to love on them, encourage them, pray for them, and give them whatever they need.

I'm excited. So excited. One, to see some close friends I've missed for a long time. Two, to go out and do what I love to do most- love on people and share the hope of Christ. Three- to see the powerful impact of the Lord through His people in a dark world. And four, to encourage the Body of believers in a small corner of Southeast Asia, to hold their hands, pray over them, and help carry their burdens to the Father.

Please pray for me as I go! The cost of this trip is $1700 and it's coming fast! To all of you who gave one time gifts or above your regular contributions these past few months, that support will go towards my trip there. Half of the amount I need has come in so far, which is awesome. THANK YOU! I still need around $700 to completely pay for this trip, so I would appreciate any prayers concerning giving specifically for this trip.

For those of you who’ve prayed about/mentioned occasional one time gifts, this is a good time for that. Just go to http://www.adventures.org/give, click on the “AIM Staff” link, and type my name when asked. Or you can snail mail to: Adventures In Missions, Inc., P.O. Box 534470, Atlanta, Ga. 30353-4470. "Kristen Torres-Toro" needs to be on the memo line and all checks need to be made out to Adventures in Missions.

Most of all, I need your prayers as I board a plane once again and travel to the other side of the world. I'm asking specifically for 20 prayer partners for this trip. If you are willing to commit to pray for me while I prepare and go overseas, please either reply to this email/blog or message me in some way. Thank you!

Here are some links for you to see more about what is going on in Cambodia:

1. A link from AIM's CEO, Seth Barnes: http://www.sethbarnes.com/?filename=sonyas-story-needs-to-be-told
2. A link talking about the 2 Year Team in Cambodia: http://adventures.org/cambodia/?tuid=4225341
3. A link to Daughters of Cambodia, ministry working with trafficking victims in Cambodia: http://daughtersofcambodia.org/

Photo Credits:
*1st pic- pic by one of my Swazi team members 2006
*2nd pic- child on the street in India. Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro

Monday...

2011-01-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you for all of your birthday wishes! I had the best day!

Due to a crazy week and the need to get to sleep, there's no writing related post this morning. But please come back on Wed for an announcement. I'm going overseas at the end of this month and I can't wait to tell you about it!

Something New

2011-01-24T04:00:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago I said something was in the air. After all, it snowed on Christmas Day for the first time in my life. I moved my prologue... and thought it worked. Now I'm even considering changing the voice, despite the fact that it would take so much work. Still don't know about that one.

My birthday is Tuesday (Yay!) and ... snow is in the forecast. Not a "storm" like last week, just flurries. But it counts. For the first time in my life... maybe in the history of the state of Georgia, we might have snow both on Christmas and on Jan 25.

This morning I looked outside for those unicorns. Guess they are still on their way. For the record, I've also requested centaurs and fauns to accompany them. :0)

And for the biggest impossibility of all.

I have a close friend with incredible taste in clothing. She always looks like a runway model. Sometime this year I began to suspect that she was slowly making over my closet with a suggestion here, encouragement there. I'd buy (cheap- we shop at outlets, Marshalls, and TJmaxx) stuff completely on her "Girl, that looks great on you!" comments. I'm not as interested in fashion as I am in color/comfort. So I trust her opinion.

But I have a few things I draw the lines on.

1) Jeans. Jeans bore me. I'm convinced they all look alike (when I told my friend that, she spent half an hour trying to convince me that every jean is unique and fabulous...um, no), and their only purpose is to be there... like ponytails, cereal, and sandwiches- what you wear when there is nothing else to wear. They are like a green screen when I see them on other people. I see their shirts and shoes, and the rest fades as if it isn't there.

I wear jeans, but I only have 2 pairs, just in case one gets dirty before I'm able to do laundry. I don't see the point in needing more. I only wear jeans when it's below 50 degrees outside. And don't get me started on skinny jeans. Not going to happen. Ever.

2). Pencil skirts. I love clothing that flows. Pencil skirts just emphasize hips, and what good is there in that?

Last weekend, I went shopping with my friend. She motioned at the jeans rack and suggested I try one on. I said no, that I didn't need anymore jeans in my life. I have two pairs... and it'll be warm enough in March that I won't wear them again until November. But to appease her, I grabbed a pair without glancing at them individually, just at sizes. Went into the dressing room...

They fit perfectly. Name brand jeans so on sale that even I can afford them, (NOT skinny jeans... seriously, never). First and only pair I tried on.

Impossible.

I walked out of the store bored, because even though it was a great find, they were still jeans. Not exciting. But my friends were excited for me. And even I know the odds of the first pair of jeans you try on looking great on you.

Last night, at another discount store, I found a pencil skirt for $10 that was remotely comfortable and not a giant hip billboard.

Three weeks into the new year, and it's like my mind has been repeatedly blown. I have a third pair of jeans. And a pencil skirt. Everything I knew to be true has turned upside down and laughed at me. Maybe this is my year after all. Hmm.

That being said, now I'm going to go scrutinize my story, to see if it's better in 1st person (current condition) or 3rd person. Oh, I hope it's 1st. Please, Lord. Wish me luck!

*As of Sunday night, Jan 23, snow has been removed from the forecast for this week. Whew! That was definitely too much for me to handle!

What Cabin Fever Taught Me

2011-01-17T05:00:00.008-05:00

We survived the Snowpacolypse 2011. Barely.

Sunday dawned late. By the time the sky was alight, I'd already risen at 3am, driven to the Atlanta airport, and returned to catch a short nap at 7am. The rest of the day was a tired blur as we were out and about running errands. Rumor was that grocery store shelves were bare. Turns out everyone else from Ga thought it would be worse than Y2K. Our goal was to be back at my friends' house by 7pm, but we were late by 20 minutes. I threatened to "sue" since it hadn't started snowing yet and the weather alert had already began.

The plan was for me and 2 other friends, a couple named Seth and Ashley, along with their dog, to spend the night at our friends' house. In all, there were 5 of us and 2 shih tzus.

Being oblivious to the "dangers" of snow, I didn't think to pack for more than 2 days, and even that felt like overkill. My other four friends, who were all from tundric lands like Michigan and Minnesota, scoffed at Southerners' panic. They bought frozen pizza. At 9pm, right around the time the snow started, we realized that if the power went out, we were screwed because we didn't have any bread. Or food that didn't have to cooked in some way. We didn't have batteries... firewood... a fireplace... or anything we'd need if we the power went out. But that's just fearing the worst, right? And if we lucked out and got a snow day at all, we'd be able to leave the next night. No worries. Just in case, we precooked some food for the next day.

The snow continued all night. By the next morning, we had 4-5 inches. Yes, that's just a dusting... but without snow plows, salt trucks, and on steep, windy, back country roads... we were stuck.

*neither of those people are me*.

By that night, we started making bets on who would lose their minds first. We tried sledding down the street in front of the house, but that turned into snowboarding/surfing on the ice.

By day number two, my friends pushed a truck out of the ice. We also decided baking pastries every day was a great idea. I started rationing the Coca-Cola I'd brought. We watched "Dinner for Schmucks" and I laughed more than I thought I would. Which was a good thing, because that day the snow mixed with sleet from the day/night before and became ice.

By day number three, the Coca-Cola, milk, baking ingredients, and meals were gone. We were getting more and more creative with what was in the cupboards. The sun came out in the afternoon.

On day number four, the "guest dog" broke first, whining at the door wanting to leave. The sun had melted enough snow that we decided venturing out might be okay. It turned out that the main roads were fine... but ours still had serious ice. We were able to get food at the grocery store and soothe our cabin fever. The two friends left with their dog; I still didn't want to drive on the back country road.

I'm writing this on Thursday night, still from my friends' house. Tomorrow is day number five, and it looks like we'll be able to get to the office tomorrow. It's my first day of work at the office, although I've been working all week off site.

I've decided that the South is the best place to be when it snows. Not just because it won't last forever (because we only get a few inches), but because when we get it, we're more able to stop and enjoy it. I mean, our whole world just shut down for four days. As much as people in other parts of the country scoff at how feeble we are in winter weather- I just had four days to enjoy life, my friends, and work from the table of a breakfast nook overlooking wintery, mountain woods.

Sometimes being weak is a beautiful, refreshing thing.

Btw, for right now, I'm keeping my "prologue" inside my story. Every day it seems to fit more and more.

Here are more pictures from our "snow week". The brown shih tzu is Brodie, the gray one is Roi. The final picture just makes me laugh because Roi looks so crazy in it!

BIG Events On the Horizon?

2011-01-10T05:00:00.003-05:00

On Dec 25, 2010, I saw snow on Christmas day for the first time in my life. It was so weird to see what's described in all those Christmas stories and carols. I always wondered what Christmas lights looked like reflected on snow... and now I know!

And now the Snowpacolyspe is coming. Da, da, duuuummm. Snow is in forecast for Monday, which means everyone in the South is freaking out. We don't know how to drive in snow and ice. We don't have snow tires or chains on our tires. Most people don't have four wheel drive. We don't have salt trucks or snow plows, and I live in an area that is very hilly (the hem of the Appalachian Mountains), with a lot of twists and turns. It occurred to me this morning that it could snow on my birthday this year, which is at the end of the month. If this happens, coupled with the miraculous events of Christmas day 2010, it will be the equivalent of something as improbable as... oh... unicorns eating clover in my backyard - underneath all the snow.

Birds are falling out of the sky, bees are disappearing, and then there are all those dead fish that made the news last week. Something strange is in the air.

Finally, this week I read my story, edited it, and pored over the judges' comments again, trying to see what I could salvage and what to stand my ground on. Something weird happened just a few minutes ago.

I moved my prologue.

Right now I have no clue if it works. It's just as strange seeing it inside my story as seeing snow on Christmas day. Not normal. Out of body. Does it really fit there? I have no clue.

So why did I move it?

Well, I've heard that no matter how strongly you feel about a piece of writing, sometimes it needs to be moved... or removed. Which will not happen, because it's perhaps the best written portion of my novel and it has a purpose. BUT-

My prologue was six pages. And while it ended in action, the first five pages were description, back story, and setting. My favorite part, honestly, because it flows so well. For a long time, I've felt it was necessary to be there to set the scene. But if it works where it's currently placed, then my novel will open with an argument, complete with all the conflict/angst-driven sparks.

I don't know if I like it yet. I'm not sure if I feel as if I've sold out by suturing my prologue somewhere else. Right now I feel as if... well, as if it snowed on Christmas day. Unsure of what to do next. Praise God for good friends with writing talent, who can tell me what they think.

I think the story is good with the prologue. I think the story is good with the "prologue portion" later in the story. The question is, which is best? That's what I'm trying to figure out right now.

Hopefully tomorrow the sun will still rise in the East. And everyone in the South won't die come Monday. :0)

*Btw, this was written on Saturday. *

Hope

2011-01-03T05:00:00.004-05:00

Hey, Everyone!

I'm sitting here wracking my brain for something to say. After all, with two weeks off of blogging, shouldn't I have plenty subject material? But the truth is that other than the traditional Christmas stuff (which, by the way, was awesome), I basically just took a ten day nap, using up the vacation time I had left so I wouldn't just lose it when the new year rolled around. I spent a week sleeping in and reading on the couch with my poodle in my lap- one of those phases where you read like a starving man at a holiday feast. I couldn't stop.

Last Friday, I caught Oprah's interview with J.K. Rowling. It was a rerun, but I missed it the first time around, so that made me really happy. It surprised me just how inspired I was just watching the interview. I'm not one of those crazed fans that stalk famous authors- and never will be- but I love it when I find a rare insight into their lives. I read Harry Potter once a year and each time am struck by Rowling's skill and ability to create Story.

The interview was so inspirational, in fact, that I spent New Year's Eve night rewriting the first 2.5 chapters of my new ms. Honestly, I wouldn't have known midnight came and went if it weren't for the fireworks a neighbor decided to set off beside my window. New Year's has never been a big thing for me. Sometimes I do stuff, sometimes I don't. This time it was just me and a few characters. Now it's caught up and I can move on!

I've also decided that it's time to re-submit my novel, the one I spent a year editing after a rousing round of rejections in 2009 and then submitted to a contest, only to receive 3 uber-confusing reviews. Now to edit one more time, research the submission process once again, write those query letters, and pray for. . .something wonderful.

Why is it so hard to hope?

Sometimes it feels easier just to bury the dreams in the basement. My mother has an ancient (okay, not that old) wooden chest in ours. There's nothing in it, but as a kid I used to imagine buried treasure inside. But I never opened it by myself because the lid was heavy and I had visions of it somehow swallowing me and closing on top of me, never to be seen again. Have any of y'all ever heard the old cassette tape story of The Case of the Secret Room from Adventures in Odessey? If you have, you know what I envisioned, except not in a secret room. Anywho, now the old chest sits empty, with boxes on top of it and luggage beside it. That's where I'd bury my dreams if I could do so and still be able to breathe in the land above. Only that's not possible. And after so long waiting, trying to gather courage and wisdom to do this again well, I think it's time.

Time to hope again. A new season. A new year. In so many ways.

Hmm... this post is very pensive. Guess I did have something to say after all. Thanks for reading, Friends! See y'all next Monday!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-20T05:00:00.003-05:00

Hey, Everyone!

Have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year! May you be stress-free, eat all the yummy goodies without guilt, have so much fun with your family and friends you never want the days to end, and have the joy of giving (and receiving!) the most perfect present.

May it be a beautiful celebration of His birth!

See y'all next year! The next post will be on January 3rd!

Where Impossibility Meets Reality

2010-12-13T05:00:00.002-05:00

As a child, my father told me that I'd hear stories about a fat man in a red suit, but not to believe them because the man didn't exist. He threw away Aladdin because he didn't want my brother and I to believe in a genie.

When I was in 11th grade, my Chem II teacher told me exactly why the sky was blue.

In twelfth grade, my physics teacher explained the exact preparations that have to happen in order to form a rainbow.

They explained away the magic...the possibility.

Last night, I watched the movie Julie and Julia for the first time. Have you seen it? If you haven't, the simple premise is that the movie is two stories: 1) Julia Child's journey to graduate from Paris' Cordon Bleu and publish a cookbook for American housewives and 2) a modern woman named Julie who needs meaning in her life. She decides to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook in one year and blogs about it. Along the way she discovers a unique connection to the woman she emulates.

Watching this movie as a writer, I heard a lot about the publishing business. Some of it was the publishing industry of decades ago, some of it more recent. For instance, Julia Child sends a manuscript directly to a publisher- who actually reads it- without an agent and the entire process we go through nowadays.

Julie, the modern character, gets so much interest in her blog that editors and agents follow her. Before she even writes a book, her answering machine has 65+ messages in one day, many of them by editors and agents offering their services.

Having been in the blog world for a while and seriously researched the publishing business, I saw so many things that made me think, "But that's not possible! That's not how it works according to my research." My mind kept going, "Well, this was a different time. And it's for a cookbook, not a novel like what I write. So maybe that can explain the difference."

The more I read about the difficulty of getting published, the more movies like Julie and Julia feel like fairy tales. Yet that's a true story, so I know it happened. And I know people now who have followed the rules, worked the process, and have signed with agents and released books.

Book publication isn't a fairy tale, even if it isn't my current reality. That gives me hope.

And makes me forget that I know exactly what scientific dimensions make a rainbow.

In Between

2010-12-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

Hey, Friends!

I guess I should start out saying that I am exhausted! We had our annual Christmas party at AIM last night, and I spent the week helping prepare for it. The room was beautiful, thanks to the vision/talent of my friend (who decorated it last year too). Definitely worth the time and energy... now I just need some major rest!

Today (Sunday) I slept in and cleaned/organized, thus ending my spurt of have-to-create-something-itis. I'm pretty sure it's gone now. Since I was on the go from early in the morning to midnight every night this week, I didn't get any writing done. But alas. I have a clean apartment. An organized one. And helped put together a pretty incredible success of a party. Still a week of accomplishment!

Sitting here in my wonderfully clean room, I'm a bit confused. You see, I've started transitioning decorating styles in the past month. When I moved here, I bought all the cheap stuff/pulled things out of storage that I could. Now that I've been here for a year, I have a better idea of who I am/what my decorating style is/what makes me feel at home in a room. So I've been slowly purchasing things here and there as my wallet allowed. Mostly small items, but this week I got a new bedspread. And now the change is so evident.

There's just one problem. The room is only half done.

Parts are the old, rushed together room. And some parts are the wonderfully, so-pretty-I-can't-stop-looking-at-it wonderland.

It kind of reminds me of whenever I go back through my stories and re-work things. I take the original vision and rewrite, tweak, and edit again, trying to incorporate it and make it better at the same time. Sometimes I have to start from scratch. But usually something, even if it's just the bare bones, is reusable. Until it's finished though, it's a confusing sight. I'm the only one who can see what it will be. Kind of like my room now.

But oh, the vision I have. If I can pull it off, it'll be gorgeous. That day won't be for months, though. Still, I wait... ponder... dream... rework angles, colors, light, and shadow. Trying to bring my vision to life.

Definitely reminds me a lot of the editing process.

Do you know that in between feeling?

Time to Create Something!

2010-11-29T05:00:00.001-05:00

Hey, Friends! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving (to my American readers... to my international readers... I hope you had a great weekend)!

I'm back in my apartment, trying to unpack and get all the last minute stuff done to re-enter life. Sometime during the break I became obsessed with re-organizing my apartment (which I've somewhat started) and I'm itching to do some before I go to sleep at night. Guess my body thinks it's spring, but I'll take it!

Lately I've been feeling the yearning to re-enter my novels. Editing, even. Possibly preparing a query. Making decisions. Is it time? I don't know. Shh, let's not spook the flame of ... whatever this is.

I think I'm just feeling creative right now. I want to find a creative way to use the space in my apartment. I'll spend most of this week helping decorate for my organization's Christmas party. And tomorrow I'm going to decorate my first tree (of my very own) on my desk at work. Maybe that's it. Whatever this is, I like it. Please, spark of inspiration, stay. I like life with you.

And with that, I must go organize something. :0)

See y'all next week!

What's Your Motivation?

2010-11-22T05:00:00.006-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Today's post concludes the series on the "Get Motivated" conference I attended in Atlanta on Nov. 1. There were all these famous speakers there, from Lou Holtz to Bill Cosby. So far, we've talked about not letting our characters contradict each other and creating memorable secondary characters (but not letting them steal the spotlight!).

Today we're going to talk about Motivation. Ha! How appropriate!

So, right before lunch there was this massive infomercial. It was longer than the other sessions. This guy came out and talked to us about stocks and investing. Something I know NOTHING about. At the end, we discovered we couldn't do all the "tricks" he taught us without taking a specific course and registering/paying for access to a specific website.

The guy started off his talk holding up a $5 bill. He asked if anyone would give him $1 for the 5. Someone ran up and traded with him. Then he held up a $20 and asked if anyone would give him a $10. More people ran up. Then he said, "I have a $100 bill here..." As soon as he said that, a man on the 5th row leapt out of his seat, tripped, and fell flat on his face in front of a stadium full of people. It was hysterical! And the speaker ended up giving the $100 away in a different way. It was a gimmick.

Then, at the end, he started advertising the special course/registration. The more special offers he announced, the more people streamed from their seats. It was like watching a giant alter call- for money. People were rushing forward, pushing past each other, trying to get the special deals. It was fascinating.

And it got me thinking about motivation for our characters. That man who fell on his face was motivated, so much so that he was willing to look like an idiot just for a little cash. The people who ran from their seats for this course which would teach them how to make money, they were also very motivated. They knew what they wanted and were willing to do whatever they needed to get it. Their pull was wealth.

What's your character's? My current one is looking for personal worth. Quite simply, she performs and pushes herself to the limit simply because she feels she isn't good enough.

One of the biggest things we can discover about a character is motivation. Once we know that, things begin to make sense.

Have a great Thanksgiving, Friends!

Stealing the Show

2010-11-15T05:00:00.006-05:00

Hey, Friends!

Two weeks ago I went to a motivational conference in Atlanta. What I saw in the people around me and the speakers themselves really taught me about writing/creating stories. Last week we talked about using our characters in a way that contributes to the story as a whole, as opposed to contradicting each other.

This week we're going to talk about unforgettable characters.

There really isn't a rule to how to do this because character connection is so subjective to a reader. But I do think there should be no wasted space, no lazy dialogue, no pointless commentary. Every line, every word, must be intentional. This is something I'm really working on, because there are places in my book where dialogue is weak.

There was a GREAT example of this at the conference.

In the middle of the day, there were two separate sessions that were basically infomercials. When they announced the speakers, we turned and looked at each other, asking "Who?" They weren't the people on the billboard. When the second one was announced, I leaned over and asked a friend, "I wonder how the 'no-names' feel whenever they are announced and the audience barely claps?"

Before she could laugh, the speaker bounded out and said, "Don't worry looking for me in the book, Ladies and Gentlemen. I'm not important enough to be in it". (Or something like that). For the next 45 minutes, he made us laugh like crazy. He'd say something totally ludicrous and say, "Just wait. It gets worse." And then said something even funnier.

His subject matter dealt with making money through real estate (we suspect the two infomercials funded the entire conference), something I know nothing about. But I listened for the entire time. He was literally the highlight of my day, my favorite part about the entire conference. Why?

He spoke from the heart.

He made me laugh.

He spoke the truth. In fact, he spoke life. Though in a secular setting, he quoted the Bible. He even pronounced a blessing over the audience- even though most of them never noticed it.

This minor character none of us had ever heard of completely stole the show. By the end of his talk, I was ready to buy his book just because I wanted to hear his voice again.

He was unforgettable.

I walked away thinking about the minor characters in my stories and how important they are for adding... well, character. That extra touch, the accent, that takes the story beyond mundane.

While they might not have the spotlight like our primary characters, they can make the difference between losing an audience and taking them captive. However, as Jody and Jennifer pointed out in the comments below, it's important that our minor characters do not completely steal the show from the primary ones. If they do, there's a problem. I left the conference that day talking about one guy-James Smith. And his presentation had very little to do with the point of the conference. It was a supporting role.

For minor characters, it's important to remember what Brad Pitt's character said to Matt Damon's in Ocean's Eleven: "Be memorable, but not too memorable." In other words: don't completely steal the show. Just enhance it by doing your part well.

See y'all next week!

When Characters Contradict Each Other...

2010-11-08T05:00:00.005-05:00

So last week I was one of thousands at the "Get Motivated" conference in Atlanta. It was pretty cool. The speaker I was the most excited about hearing was Bill Cosby (and unfortunately, we had to leave before he spoke). But there were a lot of other speakers...Goldie Hawn, Lou Holtz, General Colin Powell, Rudy Guliani, plus a few who weren't advertised.

I saw a lot of characters and a lot of "what if" threads there. It was definitely a lesson in character study. Enough for several posts. So this will be a series that will end the week of Thanksgiving.

Anywho... first lesson: make sure your characters don't contradict each other.

So, each speaker had a specific topic to discuss with us: goals, leadership, perseverance, etc. It was advertised on the ticket. What we were not given was a program, so we had no idea who was going to speak when. It was a method to keep us guessing and in our seats, instead of leaving early for lunch and for home in order to beat the crowds. In our case, it didn't work.

The whole day seemed to go smoothly (though we had no idea how if the sessions were on time), until the final two sessions we heard.

I'm not an idiot. I know all of the speakers did not arrive at the Georgia Dome at the break of dawn and listen to all of the talks. They probably strolled in not too long before their scheduled speeches, sat in the green room on their phones/computers/hanging out with people, and then strode out to the stage to a rock star welcome when beckoned. But this made me wonder how much background each of them were given on the speeches in general:

One of the speakers, James Smith, encouraged us to turn off our televisions, our cell phones, our computers, and connect to life. He reminded us of what really matters (more on him on next week).

Then Rudy Guliani got up and did 2 things wrong: 1) He repeated a joke one of the morning speakers gave almost verbatim. But instead of enhancing the point of the joke, it just looked like poor preparation. Like he didn't know what his colleague was going to speak on.

2) After repeating that joke (asking how many people had a computer and knew how to use it) he encouraged each person to get an iphone, a kindle, a computer, etc. and stay connected to what is going on in the world, our businesses, and our governments.

What a contradiction!

Guliani's problem was his presentation. Honestly, he was so boring. He followed a fascinating speaker (with a topic I couldn't even understand- again, to be discussed next week) and had a topic I understood: leadership. But, oh my word. I couldn't wait for him to finish.

In his first moments on stage, he told an "original" joke that wasn't original and contradicted the speaker directly before him. It was like he prepared his speech, but not in the context of the entire conference. He didn't compare notes. And since he was the repeat, it made him look very ... silly.

Something I've learned the hard way is going through and checking the dialogue in my stories to make sure they are free of contradictions, not only in themselves, but in the context of the novel. It can be so easy to do... I mean, it's not like we write the entire book in one setting. It's such a simple slip, to make a decision later on in the process that contradicts an earlier one. But they are so important to catch.

If we don't, we can lose our audience.

See y'all next week!

Help African Orphans

2010-11-05T09:48:00.003-04:00

Hey, Friends!

There's a contest I just heard about and wanted to pass on to you. Please check it out!

It's really simple: someone entered the cause of Swaziland Orphans in a contest. Everyday, they go to a carepoint to get a meal a day. It's possibly the only meal they eat. If enough people vote, then the Carepoints will get $5000.

Just go to this link and click on "vote". You have to enter an email address... and then you can vote once a day until Nov. 15. Please go vote and pass this on. It's an easy way to feed starving children.

https://makeithappen.usbank.com/Story-Gallery/default.aspx?StoryId=14232

Thank you!

Conferences!

2010-11-01T05:00:00.001-04:00

Hey, Friends!

Happy November!

So, it's been a giant weekend of conferences. We had one at my missions organization this weekend and today (Monday), my department is going down to Atlanta to the "Get Motivated" Conference. We'll be there all day, meaning I won't be on my computer until late tonight. So I'm going to take this week off from posting and return next Monday. Have a great week!

My Bowling Name is "Neil"

2010-10-25T05:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks for weighing in on my decision last week! I ended up sitting down and writing a little bit on my newest story... discovered some initial plot discrepancies (which are always good to catch at the beginning!) and now am thinking through that. Why is it that every novel I write hurts? And why do I hope it would be any different each time? What's that quote about writing being like bleeding all over the page/computer screen? Seriously!

Also, thanks to T.Anne and Susan Reinhardt, who suggested I send my newsletter via email. I wasn't sure how to do that with the new program I've been using, then I learned a nifty trick last week. Thanks, Y'all! I hope to get it out soon. The newsletter is actually finished, but I have had serious issues with printers this week. I haven't been this frustrated since the last time I did a newsletter! Ha! Anywho, if anyone would like to receive the pdf form, let me know!

Last week, a bunch of people from work went bowling together at the end of the day. There were eight of us in all, so we were on two lanes. This was the first time I'd been bowling in years. When I was in college, I was halfway decent (for someone who has no interest in bowling)... solid scores 100-130, at least. One time I got a 181 and a turkey. Back then, a group of us would go bowling at midnight and do the laser thing. We all had bowling names we made up for each other... someone named me the "Black Widow" and that name stuck until we stopped doing the laser thing a month later (it was a youth group phase).

So, back to this week. I don't know what it was... the fact that I hadn't bowled in forever, the slippery shoes, the fact that I'm not used to wearing shoes (I wear sandals pretty much year round), etc., but I scored extremely low the first game-even with one strike to my credit. I mean, an 8-year-old beat me (granted, he had bumpers, but still). Sad.

Half way through the next game, two of the guys had to leave. So we took over their spots. I decided to bowl for "Neil". My first turn to bowl for him, I tossed the ball down the lane.

Strike.

Then I stepped up to bowl for me. Strike.

Back to Neil: 6 pins.
Back to me: 3 pins.
Neil: Strike
Me: 4 pins
Neil: Strike

Do we see a pattern here?

For the rest of the game, whenever I bowled for me, it was extremely low. Whenever I bowled for Neil, it was high. In all, I scored 4 strikes that game, but they were for two different people (and on two different lanes). Part of me was relieved to prove that I wasn't that bad at bowling (not so much because I love bowling but because I'm so competitive). Part of me was annoyed that I couldn't bowl well for myself. Part of me thought it was hilarious, especially when the people behind me started chanting, "We want Neil! Bring back Neil!"

My final score was 76.
Neil's was 109, and over 60 of those points I scored for him. Each time with a different ball.

Some things are just random and funny. But I felt more comfortable on Neil's lane. It was all the way on the end, so I felt like I had room to breathe, instead of being crowded. It was a "sweet spot" of sorts. And my "voice" came out - sounding just like me.

So that's how I went from being the Black Widow to Neil.

On Writing

2010-10-18T05:00:00.001-04:00

Thank you so much for the warm return last week! It's great to be back!

So... writing. I haven't done much of it lately, actually. There just wasn't any time in the summer, with such an erratic and very, very full schedule. Which was so weird about all excitement of people in my life over the Chicken Soup story. It meant a lot that people around me made a big deal of it... but it also made me nervous, ya know? Now people are asking about the next thing. They are more readily expressing their beliefs that they will read a book of mine one day (most don't know I've written several, for I'm very in the closet as far as this blog, querying, and even what I'm writing), and while I'm thankful for their encouragement, it's scary!

Right now I have some decisions to make:

1) I have a completed manuscript that I've edited as much as I can. It's the one I entered in Genesis and got three completely different critiques for. It's so confusing to figure out what to do! Right now I have some people reading it. I'm trying to decide if now is the time to re-query (knowing that this could be my last chance for this novel), or do... what? Something. Nothing? I don't know.

2) I have another completed manuscript that needs a lot of work. It was completed my senior year of college and I haven't done much with it sense. I love the story, but at the time I felt like it wasn't the time for that one to pursue publishing. Maybe now is the time? If so, it needs A LOT of editing!

3) I started another novel last fall. I'm three chapters in and stuck. This is the stage where I sit, stare at a blank screen for hours, and pray the storyline comes. I have some decisions to make on this one too.

ARGH!

At the moment, I have another current writing project. I'm in the middle of making my Fall Newsletter for my supporters. Until that's finished, I can't even think about my novels. It's a good creative outlet for now, though.

Speaking of, if any of y'all would like to receive it (it's snail mail), please email me at kristentorrestoro@gmail.com. I promise to keep your address private.

Have a great week! See y'all around!

October!

2010-10-11T05:00:00.001-04:00

WOOHOOO! October! That's fun!

So... How have y'all been? I've missed you! There's so much to say... too much, after such a long absence. How do you catch up? I've tried to stay somewhat connected, reading y'all's blogs as often as possible. I'm sorry I couldn't be as vocal as I was in the Spring!

So, y'all know about the teams we sent out this summer. And you know about the Chicken Soup story. What else happened? Hmm...

-In August, I went with 3 others from the Ambassador Team to Mexico. We drove there from Gainesville. It was the longest road trip of my life (so far!) and I loved it! We debriefed our final team of the summer, stopped by Houston for a few days, then made our way back.

-A week later, I went to St. Augustine, Fl, with my mother for a long awaited vacation. It was like going home! I love St. Augustine and haven't been there in years. That was a great weekend!

-Um... I was in a car accident two weeks ago. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the Psychedelic Black Knight will live to see another day... after she goes to the "hospital" this week to get a new bumper.

-Finally, my department at Adventures in Missions has been restructured. I was working with the Ambassador (high school) program. I'm still an Administrative Assistant, but now for the Field Support Department Managers. Basically, we manage, care for, send, and debrief all leaders for Youth Group, Adult and Family, College Break, and Youth Individual (formerly Ambassadors) trips, ranging from 3 days to 5 weeks--to both international and domestic locations. Translation: If you would like to go on a missions trip, or anyone in your family wants to go, or if you have friends who want to go, or if your church has a group that wants to go... contact me. I can put you in contact with people who can set it up. And if you would like to lead a trip... please contact me!

The new position is a good fit. It's exciting! I love working with leaders because I've led so many times. I understand what they are going through as they lead and love to pour into them. Like with the Amb program, I am assisting Don and Connie Rock, the managers of this department, who are an incredible. I am so blessed to work with them! We have a larger team (5 full time, 3 part time, 1 volunteer) and we still need a Representative for our Adult and Family trips. So if you know of anyone who's administrative and is willing to move to Gainesville to work with a missions organization, please contact me!

So... this blog. :0)

For right now, I'm coming back slowly. Meaning only one post a week- on Mondays. That's all I can commit to right now. But I'm going to try to make it to y'all's blogs--and comment--at least once a week.

Bye, Friends! See y'all next week!

Chicken Soup Book of Miracles Released!

2010-09-21T09:30:00.004-04:00

Hey, Friends!

Just wanted to let you know that Chicken Soup's Book of Miracles releases today! WOOHOOO!! I'm on page 35. :0)

Ironically, I won't see it for weeks because my copies were sent to my parents' house. And the only bookstore in my town isn't carrying it. Maybe I'll make the drive somewhere far away just to see my name on a shelf. Think it would definitely be worth it! First time in a book! WOOHOOO!!!

Anywho... Yebo!

News!

2010-08-27T09:29:00.001-04:00

Hey, Friends!

I'm sorry it's been FOREVER since my last post. It's been a crazy--but awesome--summer! We sent 16 teams overseas and their trips were incredible! I can't believe it's over now. For more stories from the trips this summer, you can check out my missions blog at http://kristentorrestoro.myadventures.org.

So, it's August, but I can't "come back" yet. It's a super busy time at work and all my focus is on my personal/professional life right now. Honestly, I have no idea what I'd blog about because I haven't had time to think! So I'm asking for some grace... not that I expect any of y'all to be waiting with baited breath on my return. I need life to settle back into something remotely resembling a schedule before I blog again. Maybe October? Just in time for the craziness of autumn and holidays to start! Ha!

That's not to say I haven't been around. I've visited most of your blogs weekly ever since June. I just haven't been able to comment on yours or post on mine.

But I did want to give you this piece of news. I just found out that my story, Sarafina, will appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul's A Book of Miracles in September. WOOHOOOO!!! This is the first time something I've written will appear in a book, so I'm super excited!

Anywho... must run! Just wanted y'all to know that I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. I've enjoyed checking in with y'all, even though I haven't been able to communicate much from my side.

Have a great day!

Training Camps!

2010-06-28T05:00:00.001-04:00

Hey, Everyone! How's your summer going?

Mine's been awesome--and is flying by insanely fast! Last Monday we sent out teams to Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, DR, Romania, Peru, Nicaragua, and Kenya. We've had some time to rest--but have needed this week to prepare for the next camp! I am so excited!

Yesterday we started our second leader training. Our students come on Wednesday and will fly out Monday, July 5. Then we start welcoming everyone back! Whew!

Below is a taste of our Training Camps. We have all of our students fly into Atlanta, bus them up to Gainesville, and spend four days training them, watching them bond as a team, and pouring into them. It's a lot of fun and very little sleep. Totally worth it!

See y'all in August!

http://

Time for Training Camps!

2010-06-14T05:00:00.005-04:00

Hey, Friends!

So, yesterday marked the beginning of what I've been working towards for a year: our trips are here! Over the next few weeks we will train and send out 16 teams (over 200 people!) to Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Mexico (2 teams), Dominican Republic, Peru, Nicaragua, Romania, Kenya, Costa Rica, Haiti, Scotland, Bolivia, Philippines, and Uganda.

So this is the last you'll see of me for a while. I'll be working long days and won't be online much. I will miss you, Friends! But I'll be back in August, I promise! And I'll do my best to keep in touch/come by your blogs as time allows over the next few weeks.

Pray for us--for our teams--and for me. We need wisdom, strength, energy, grace, and so much more!

See you later!

The Mannequin in the Room

2010-06-11T05:00:00.002-04:00

After that initial scene, do you ever go back to your setting and make sure it works? Do you continue to build on it? Take away? Tweak it?

Have you ever had to change it?

While we were in Bolivia, we stopped to take this picture in the city of Santa Cruz. That's my friend and I with the owner of a small shop.

Do you see it?

I screamed the first time I saw this picture. And pretty much every time after that. Creepy!

Have you ever read your manuscript and found one of these? It's easy for us to get caught up in the story, or even the nuts and bolts of technicalities, and miss something so obvious. Whether it's a season that's out of whack, room decor that doesn't quite fit, or something more serious--a character flaw, a character's existence, a story thread that doesn't go anywhere, etc.

Sometimes the problem isn't as difficult as we think it is. While we need to be willing to dive deep to fix the story, sometimes all we have to do is move the mannequin.

Or just be aware of our setting. :0)

See y'all Friday!

When the Life Has Left the Building...

2010-06-09T05:00:00.005-04:00

Hey, Friends!

This week we're going to talk about setting, one of my favorite things to explore in stories. Setting is so important. Written well, it can become another character. It carries and continues a story, grounds a scene, and provides history as well. It can foreshadow, deepen themes, and even create movement.

I was thinking about this a few weeks ago when I went to visit my parents' house. When I first moved back in January, I packed up my room at my parents' house "unseen" items first--the clothes in my drawers and closet, the boxes under my bed, the supplies from my desk, etc. Because my apartment is fully furnished, I couldn't take any furniture. We loaded up my car and part of my mom's, drove up here, and moved me in less than two hours.

When I returned to their house the next weekend for the rest of my stuff, I walked into my room and everything looked. . . almost normal. If I looked in the closet or in the dresser, I noticed the emptiness. But from outward appearances, it was like I still lived there.

Then I packed my books.

The next time I walked into my room, it was empty.

The furniture was still there, along with a few odds and ends I either didn't want to take or chose to leave for a specific reason. But it's as if the life left the room. Each time I visit it feels less and less like mine. Though I have a connection to it still, that link fades more as time passes.

For every setting, something brings life. Sometimes you don't know what it is until it is missing. It's different for each place, for each character, for each scene. For my room, it was the books. For my novel, it's a combination of the actual location, a physical place in that location, and the repeated appearance of a certain color.

What brings life to the setting in your novel?

In your house?

See y'all Wednesday!

An "Almost" Midsummer Night's Eve

2010-06-07T05:00:00.006-04:00

You know that feeling of anticipation children feel for Christmas? The utter excitement as they wait for December 25 to finally come? I've been feeling that for weeks.

It's been two looonnnnggg years and I have been very impatient. Waiting...waiting... waiting for my favorite author to publish another book. When the announcement came, I rushed to Amazon to pre-order it. June 1st felt like forever away. And who knew how long I'd have to wait for it to arrive in the mail. So I tried not to think about it. But I couldn't help it.

On June 3, I just happened to be in a bookstore. And I looked, hoping to sneak a peek. But alas, it wasn't there. When I arrived home, a package sat at my doorstep.

The book I've waited on for two years was there.

Friday night, I sat on the swing in my parents' backyard, the blue June evening whispering in the breeze. Frogs croaked in the sunset, fireflies twirled about, lighting the sky (seriously, only God could think of a bug whose rear end lights up), and my poodle trolled the yard. I read until I couldn't see anymore. It was a perfect summer evening, reading the most perfect book.

What a gift--the kind that comes... well, for me, hasn't come in two years. I still remember the last evening I had with this author and a summer's eve.

Reading Charles Martin's The Mountain Between Us was better than Christmas. His stories are masterpieces, but what I love most are his characterizations and his voice. It's how he writes that moves me... he can craft sentences so powerful I want to weep. My opinion doesn't mean much because it's as subjective as anything else, but he is the most talented writer I've ever read.

Martin wrote about something interesting on his blog and in the end of this book. He said that between this one and the one two years ago, there was another story. One he finished, delivered to his publisher, and was told a flat, "No. Try again."

Can you imagine?

His story really encourages me. First of all, because he kept writing. Second, that even the greats can be told "no". It makes me feel less out of their league. And I still want to read that book! True fans don't care about the commericial aspect of stories like publishers do.

I finished Mountain in less that 24 hours, fighting the dueling urges to devour the book in one sitting vs savoring it for all it had. It sits behind me now, closed, and I am satisfied.

So totally worth it!

Don't you love a perfect evening?

See y'all Wednesday! We're going to talk about setting!

When We Forget. . .

2010-06-04T05:00:00.006-04:00

Hey, Friends! One thing I forgot to say on Wednesday: that for those of you who loved the LOST finale, I'm so happy for you... and a little jealous of your fulfillment. Obviously, my opinion (strong, because it's based on emotion) is as subjective as everything else. :)

***

The thing I loved about LOST was how the show constantly surprised me. There used to be twists I couldn't predict. The characters were so rich... bigger than life.

Then the show became predictable.

It's like the writers got to the end and forgot everything in the beginning. They answered some questions, but forgot major themes. Then again, it could be how I interpreted it. For the sake of today's post, we'll pretend it's so.

Have you ever looked back at your past few chapters and realized you lost your way?

I don't think I have yet in writing. But that thought scares me to death. I know there have been times in life where I looked back, found my detour, and wonder how I missed it at the time.

I don't know if there's a lesson here... just an encouragement to remember--whether in life or in writing. And not to choose the easy way out, even if it's. . . well. . . easy. If we don't, in the end, everyone is disappointed.

By the way, I'm not saying all the loose ends need to be tied. I like it when the story ends with the possibility of imagination. But it's important to be faithful to the story.

See y'all Monday!

When Writers Break Their Word...

2010-06-02T05:00:00.004-04:00

Hey, Friends! Hope you had a great Memorial Day!

Any of y'all catch the LOST finale? I've spent the week in mourning, but not for the original reason I envisioned. I always thought I'd be upset the show ended. Instead, it was a feeling of deep disappointment.

I spent 4 years mesmerized by the show, perhaps a little too obsessed. I scared people by remembering tiny, insignificant details and bringing them up in conversation. Yes, I did. But when it came time to the finale, I didn't care. In fact, a friend and I concluded that the only good part of the entire show was that they didn't kill the dog.

Why?

Because the writers didn't keep their part of the bargain.

From the beginning they said it would all be explained. That it would be an incredible ride. And it was until this last season. They didn't explain enough. The parts they did explain were dumb. After investing so much of my life in the show, I felt cheated.

They broke their word. And now I don't have closure.

We have a contract with our readers. We need to be faithful to the story. We need to keep our word, to fulfill our contract with our readers. If not, we leave them disillusioned.

After all, we don't want our readers to say, "At least we didn't kill the dog."

Ouch.

See y'all Friday!

A Thousand Thoughts

2010-05-28T05:00:00.005-04:00

In his book, A Million Miles in 1000 Years, Donald Miller talks about his struggle to edit his memoir, which was too boring to make a good movie. The writers had to change several elements, throw in a bunch of conflict, and look for ways to spice up the plot.

Miller started to do the same with his life. That's why he set out to create change and sought adventure. It was cool, because he paralled it with his writing career--something we all can relate to. Like adding conflict. How many times have we heard that? Conflict is good. It's interesting. It's dynamic, as opposed to static.

He added risk. Again, something we need. The characters need to want something enough that they'll do anything to achieve it. It raises the stakes, and when correctly written, commits the reader until the end.

Last week, I had to laugh when I got my contest results back. I was given a lot of suggestions, which is what I wanted. I didn't enter because I wanted to win; I entered to see where I stood.

So, I started laughing, when with all these thoughts about conflict and risk swirling through my head, I read comments about how I needed to add even more conflict. The best was the absolutely correct observation that my MC is too introspective and reactive (versus proactive). At that point I almost fell off the couch, because it's something I've been told by people about myself.

I didn't mean to make her like me. And really, I didn't. MC is very different. But in this way, we favor each other.

Now I'm at a standstill, trying to figure out how to be less introspective and reactive. Maybe not for myself, but for my MC. How can I get her out of her head? Seriously--any help you have would be greatly appreciated. Because while I realize it can interest a few people and still be a good story (I had one judge give me a great score and high praise, proving the fact of subjectivity to me...my three scores differed widely), the suggestion feels right. Only I don't know how to do it.

I'm still in the process of wading through the suggestions and praying about what to do. It's confusing to have 3 different perspectives. They each gave me something to consider, sometimes in opposition to what another judge said. It's all made me wonder:

What kind of story have I written?

Have you ever wondered that?

Looks like I have a lot of thinking to do. Oops, there goes the introspection again.

See y'all Monday!

How Do You Write Your Life?

2010-05-26T05:00:00.009-04:00

So, what story are you writing?

I'm not talking about your book. We'll talk about that on Friday.

But with your life. What's your story?

Is it a romance? Mystery? Weird sci fi? Latest teen craze?

It's interesting to me to think of living my life as writing a story. It's such a perfect metaphor... and I talk about living stories... but I didn't see it until recently.

Miller talks about his journey of examining his life as he edited his memoir for a movie. He and his colleagues started re-writing his story when he realized the sad truth: that the reality of his life wasn't a good story. So he set out to make it a better one. And the tale he began to weave included hiking the Inca trail in South America and biking across America.

Pretty cool.

Which definitely made me think of my life. I've lived good stories, as is iconic episodes. But I think as a whole, it's been pieces... separate chapters... not a fluid story. Part of this goes with the whole perspective thing that comes with where I am in life. But part of it is stuff that I'm thinking through and working on as I write this.

That being said, I got my contest results back last week and would like to talk about them. They fit nicely with this whole Donald Miller lightbulb moment. So come back Friday... let's talk about writing our stories, as in our novels.

For now, I want to know how you write your life. Who are the main characters? What are the main themes? What's the conflict?

My story right now: missions, writing, and friends. Laughter. Coca-cola, sunshine, and tiger lillies. Starry nights, a silly poodle, and candles that smell like October. A Nikon d40, dreams of the future, and a car that can't decide what color it is. Stress, traveling adventures, and P90x. Jesus.

There's more, but I'm too sleepy to think anymore.

See you Friday!

Time for Another Book Feature!

2010-05-24T05:00:00.004-04:00

Hey, Friends!

So, I'm mixing things up today ::oohh!:: and doing a book feature on Monday. I know! What a break with tradition!

On the way back from Bolivia I read this incredible book:

A Million Miles in 1000 Years by Donald Miller.

It really made me think.

Miller talks about our lives as stories and asks us, "what kind of stories are we writing?" He uses examples from his life and his career as a writer to make his point. So it made me think "doubly"... as a human and as a writer. Which is probably why I'm starting the week off with the feature. It's the theme for the week.

Go read this book. :0)

I'll see y'all Wednesday!

Unplug Week...

2010-05-17T05:00:00.001-04:00

Hey, Friends!

By my calculations, it's time to unplug again. I know I just got back, but I didn't spend any time writing/thinking about this blog...when I'm overseas, I'm mentally all there. Now it's Sunday night, I'm watching the Survivor finale, and have a very full, busy week ahead of me.

So, I'll be around this week... I'll be on your blogs (for those of you who don't unplug) as much as I can be.

But here's some news!

Well...the Genesis results are back and my name wasn't on the list. Definitely disappointing, but it's okay. I'm looking forward to seeing the comments for my entry and seeing what I can do to improve my story. To all of you who finaled, congratulations!

Second, I'm published again! My nonfiction article "Confessions from a Christian" appears in the May issue of Susie magazine. I have to say, it is weird seeing it. I wrote it so long ago--back when I was in India spring of 2009--and I feel like I've lived several lifetimes since then. Also, I don't get to hide behind the title of "fiction". This is a true account of my battle with anxiety. There, I said it. My prayer is that it helps someone who reads it... and that hope is greater than me keeping this secret to myself.

My article is the first one in the mag and sits very close to a short story by Jenny B. Jones. That definitely gave me a thrill! Check it out if you get a chance!

Anywho... have a great week! See y'all Monday!

Peculiar Moments...

2010-05-14T05:00:00.004-04:00

Two stories for you, both from Monte Blanco.

On our second day there, our host, David Salazar explained a tradition of the camp. Whenever there was new staff, the "old" staff would pull a prank on the newbie. I caught the tail end of that conversation and didn't think anything of it other than that I hate pranks, so I was glad it wasn't me. Half an hour later, I heard a scream of surprise coming from the kitchen. David said, "Grab your camera, you'll want a picture of this".

I didn't. Big mistake.

I ran into the kitchen, following my friend who had her camera with her, to see a girl my age...a newbie... with a face full of black paint. Everyone was laughing. I started to laugh too.

Until a woman ran by me and slapped her hand on my face. I yelled in surprise, and reached up automatically... only to pull away paint-covered fingers. Knowing my friend had a camera, I bolted to the nearest restroom. But I couldn't get it off.

So I gave it as good as I had. I chased Maxima, the culprit, who incidentally had "locked" me in the "cooler" (a room that is chilled and acts as a refridgerator) earlier that morning. There was no handle on the other side, and the light went out. At the time I thought about yelling, then remembered I knew where the Coca-Cola was. Still everyone got a scolding when they finally let me out. :0) I think I started calling them "bad" in Hindi because it was the first language to come to me. Anywho, back to the war paint...

Maxima ran outside and in circles. I chased her, not really sure what I would do if I caught her. But chasing her seemed like a good idea.

Ten minutes into the chase, she ran back into the kitchen. I was feeling good, despite the black paint on my face and the altitude that took my breath away. She ran to a giant bin and turned back to me in a flash.

She dumped flour on my head.

And then for good measure, she dumped flour on my friend, who was chasing both of us with her camera, trying to get pictures.

So maybe it was a good thing I didn't have my camera. Anywho, here's a pic of me with the "war paint". Photo by Connie Rock.

A few hours later, we went on a tour of the center. There was a lot of ground to cover! It's such an amazing ministry... there's even a farm and an airstrip (runway) up on the mountain. After our walking tour, we rode around in the back of a truck to the destinations a bit farther away.

At one point, we had the opportunity to visit a cemetery for missionaries who served in and passed away in Bolivia. Standing there in front of the graves marking those who gave their lives for Christ, it was a humbling, life altering moment. Walking back, a thorn (about 2 inches long) pierced my flip-flop and went straight into my foot.

That's what I get for not wearing my Chacos! The things you see on the flip flop are sharp too!

Anywho... I didn't think that much of it. Until the next day when I woke up and felt the irritation in my foot. Then I climbed a mountain. :0) Afterwards, the site was really raw and I began to limp. The Monte Blanco staff noticed and pointed me towards the clinic, which the First Aid Guy had to put down his suitcase (he was leaving with the campers on a bus) and re-open the clinc. Another guy on the staff, David (not our host), came with him. But they weren't alone. This little guy came too...

(Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro)

The next thing I knew, I was sitting on that little bed with the First Aid Guy cleaning my foot and a hairy tarantula in a glass box 2 feet away. First Aid Guy was instructing David on what to do... both of them were speaking Spanish. Suddenly David turned to me... as the other guy was cleaning my foot... and held a syringe in his hands. He made a pumping motion with it and started talking seriously. My foot stung, the tarantula moved a hairy leg... and I started shaking my head. "No," I say firmly, looking to my friend for help. She was kind enough to document it for posterity.

(Photo by Connie Rock)

He kept insisting... making motions...and I knew exactly where that syringe would go. "No." At that point I didn't care if my foot fell off.

I found out a few moments later that David used to work in the circus. :0) I wasn't surprised.

(Btw--after that, my foot felt fine. It's healed, although I'm kind of rooting for a scar. Those are always fun).

While hiking on the mountain, a tree coated with the same thorns scraped my scalp and almost drew blood. Then a few hours later at the river, I watched this truck drive down the river. Yes, you read that right. It was parked in the river and they were loading rocks on it. When they were ready to leave, it had sunk too deep in the mud to get out at one crossing. So they drove down the river to get out at a different spot.

(Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro)

In 24 hours' time, I was locked in a freezer/cooler, coated in Bolivian "war paint", almost scalped by a mountain, treated medically next to a tarantula, and watched a truck drive down a fast-flowing river.

I love it when life gives me good stories!

Have a great weekend!

Santa Cruz, Bolivia

2010-05-12T05:00:00.006-04:00

Part 2 of the Bolivian Adventure:

We left the mountains for Santa Cruz on Thursday, which was an all day trip. The next few days were full of meeting missionaries who live in Santa Cruz, visiting ministries, and laughter. It was random and full of activity.

One of my favorite things to do is leave the day up to God and see how He leads. There was one day in particular where we prayed for God's direction. Less than 20 minutes later, we had all the direction we needed through what many would consider "random" connections. I love it when that happens!

The next thing I knew, I was walking through a crowded indoor market full of raw vegetables and meat carcasses, boarding two crowded buses where I had to stand in the aisle as it stopped and started, hurtling across the city towards an orphanage/Girls' Home.

There were 17 girls at this orphanage, ranging from very young to older teens. Most were sleeping when we arrived. It was a Saturday morning, after all! But a few came to greet us. We played with a puppy and on the swings, toured the grounds to learn more about the ministry, and most of all, poured into the girls around us. They even gave us lunch!

There was this one girl, Silvana, who came up to me and wouldn't let go. She loved to smile and loved pictures. I leaned over and said, "Silvana, Jesus te ama mucho" and a huge grin split her face.

It was a great day.

(Silvana is in gray).

See y'all Friday for some really funny stories!

Back from Bolivia!

2010-05-10T05:00:00.007-04:00

Hey, Friends! How have you been? I'm back from Bolivia... it was incredible and ended way too soon! I've been back for a couple of days and have just been trying to adjust to the States and catch up on work. It's been really busy! Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, and support for this trip. It means the world to me.

This week's posts will be dedicated to Bolivia. Today I'll tell you about the first half of the trip, which was spent in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Friday I'll explain the "war paint" thing I posted while there. :0)

Here we go... are you ready to go to Bolivia?

-Flew into Bolivia at 8am Tuesday morning . It was a full day of airports, delayed flights, hunger, turbulence, and an overnight flight--so little sleep!

-Our contact, David Salazar, picked us up, took us to breakfast, and then we drove to Monte Blanco, a conference center in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Monte Blanco, in English, means "White Mountain". Close to the center is exactly that--a white mountain. And yes, before you even ask, we did climb it--with the campers. But I'm getting ahead of myself! :0)

(An arial shot of Monte Blanco, photo by Kristen Torres-Toro)

-In order to get there, we had to drive on what used to be the World's Deadliest Road--5 hours of winding throughout the Andes, with a mountain to one side and a breathtaking view (interpretation--a sheer drop!) to the other. Now the road is paved and there are some guardrails... though crosses still line the road where people recently went over the edge, and the threat of mudslides still exists.

(First 2 pics from the window, photos by Kristen Torres-Toro. Final pic by Connie Rock when we stopped to take in the view on the way back into the city).
- We spent two days at Monte Blanco, which used to be called Tambo and was
a boarding school for MKs (missionary kids). My friend and Ambassador Program Coordinator, Connie, lived in Bolivia for 13 years and went to this school. So it was doubly awesome--to be able to hear her memories and see not only how God used Tambo/MonteBlanco then, but how He's using it now.

Monte Blanco has a camp ministry. They bring kids from the city of Santa Cruz and spend 3days pouring into them through recreational activities and the Gospel. It is so cool! And it was so neat to see the ministry in action. We were not only able to interact with the kids and the staff, but we became friends with them. At first I was intimidated because of my lack of fluency, but that didn't matter--and I began to speak in Spanish! Un poquito... a little! Some of my favorite moments from the week are from things we did with the camp and the staff--like the worship service under the stars on the pisto (runway... airstrip... oh, how I have missed the Southern Cross!) and climbing Monte Blanco. It was incredible to see the Church in action--and take part of it as well!

(The worship service under the stars. Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro)

(The view from White Mountain of Monte Blanco, photo by Kristen Torres-Toro).

(Don and Connie Rock, the Director and Program Coordinator of the Ambassador program, and me, on top of Monte Blanco).

(Photo by Connie Rock).

Monte Blanco is so beautiful. It's really high up--5000 feet?--so I had to get used to the altitude. Though weather reports threatened cold and rain, we had sunny skies almost the entire time- which made for great pictures! :0)
Here are a few more pics from Monte Blanco... Enjoy!

(Photos by Kristen Torres-Toro)

See y'all Wednesday!

Buenos Dias de Bolivia!

2010-04-27T18:38:00.002-04:00

Super short... sketchy internet and little time.

Writing this from high up in the beautiful Andes Mountains. I love Bolivia!

Here are two images for you to ponder:

1) the (former) World's Most Dangerous Road

and

2) Bolivian "war paint". :0)

Don't worry--I've been here two days and have already taken over 500 pictures!

Bye for now.... "see" y'all when I get back!

-K

Unplug Week--and a Winner!

2010-04-19T05:00:00.007-04:00

After much deliberation... actually, just tossing the paper salad... :0)

the winner of the 100th Post World Package Giveaway is:

DEB SHUCKA!!

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!

Please email me at kristentorrestoro at gmail dot com with your mailing address! Again, I'm sorry it'll be a while, but I won't actually go to Bolivia until April 25-May 4. So it would be a little hard to send you something awesome when I haven't been there yet. :0)

So, it's unplug week. I'd like to say I'll be writing, but I won't. I'm preparing for Bolivia this week and wrapping things up at work so I can leave. This weekend I leave for South America. I'll return to the States May 4th, which is a Tuesday.

My goal is to be back with a "this is what God did in Bolivia" post either Friday, May 7 or Monday, May 10.

See y'all then! Have a great few weeks. I'll miss y'all! And thanks for praying!

100 POSTS!!!!!!!!!!

2010-04-16T05:00:00.004-04:00

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I made it! :0)

Happy 100 to me!

It's been such a blessing meeting all of you and getting to know you. You've taught me a lot about writing and encouraged me as well. Thank you so much for your friendship! I look forward to reading all of your books one day. :0)

In honor of this epic event, I have a special giveaway... a gift package from around the world. Contents include:

a bag from Peru,

a necklace from Swaziland,

a pashmina from India,

and something way cool from Bolivia!

Can you tell I've been collecting for this for a while?

To enter is simple: leave a comment with your name below. The contest will close Saturday at midnight. Sunday I'll draw a name out of a hat. (I have to be old school about this, because I am so not a techie)! The winner will be announced on Monday.

Your package will not arrive for a while, since I have not been to Bolivia yet. :) I'll be back May 4, so it'll be sent sometime in the week after that.

See y'all Monday!

The Best Laid Plans...

2010-04-14T05:00:00.003-04:00

So... Monday I woke up, got ready for work, and was happy to notice I was early. But not long after leaving my apartment, I got stuck in a standstill. It was very ironic, because I've thought several times that if there was ever an accident on that very road, I'd be stuck. The only way to get from the office to my apartment involves crossing a very cool bridge using a two lane road. Something happened with a tractor trailer before I reached the bridge- I'm not quite sure what- and instead of directing traffic around it, my lane didn't move at all.

While we watched hundreds of cars drive past.

And of course, I had a major appointment that morning, set for an hour after I was supposed to be in the office.

I sat there for a long time. I called everyone one I knew. We looked at maps, iphone applications, etc. Nothing. I was stuck.

Kind of like where I am in my story.

So, eventually they towed the semi and I was able to move. I arrived at the office at 9:45--just in time to turn on my computer and leave.

But I thought a lot about what happened all day. The entire time I was stuck, my mind raced with possibilities, alternate routes, scenarios. I started thinking about characters and how it's so easy to throw a wrench into their plans. How the simplest thing can create a million possibilities.

I didn't really come to any conclusions. Other than that I really need to learn another way to the office. Either that, or learn how to teleport.

Needless to say, the next time I sit down to write, I'm definitely going to find the wrench for my characters' best laid plans. I think it'll be a lot more fun than being stuck in traffic. :0)

See y'all Friday!

This One is For Me

2010-04-12T05:00:00.001-04:00

I started a new novel last fall and haven't gotten very far on it. One reason is that as a panster, it's intimidating to sit down and try to "squeeze something from nothing"... when you have no clue where this story is going. Or that if you do have an idea, you're not sure how you'll get from Chapter 1 to what you do know, which might be chapter 14 (or thereabouts, because you can't even know the amount of chapters because you don't know anything). Right now I have a lot of conflict and two full chapters, some images, subplots, and characters who will appear in the future but I'm not sure what their roles will be. Despite the little bit I do have, I feel like the majority of it is just one giant hole. And it yawns in front of me, taunting me with the threat of NOTHING EVER HAPPENING--EVER.

Then, there's also the feeling I have that this story is going to go somewhere I don't want it to go emotionally. There, I said it. This story is personal. Not that I've ever written anything that isn't. But it's... how do I say it... current. I have a feeling that writing it is going to be less pleasant than the time I lost my toenail due to the wrath of a heavy door (and my weak, four-year-old arms). Or maybe it won't be current at all. Maybe it's just the threat that it is. I always try to feel what my characters are so that I'm into the story. Maybe I'm just afraid of the depth of that emotion.

But in talking with a friend a few weeks ago, I realized that I was putting unneeded pressure on myself. Because I've been trying to follow the advice out there--that while I'm waiting for something to happen, to keep writing so that you can say you've finished something else, are working on something else, etc. Only I ended up overwhelmed of the huge emotional jungle in from of me that I will have to get lost in as I write this story. But I forgot something important:

There's no one waiting with baited breath for this novel. No, really, this is a good thing. I'm not contracted. I'm not agented. Depending on the outcome of the two contests I entered, I'll know how to proceed with my completed stories. But I have no deadline, no one impatiently waiting for the next book to spill from my heart.

Maybe this one is just for me.

Or maybe it's not. Maybe I'll get to the end and be able to release it. Maybe it'll end up being something worthy of publication. But I'm going to write it because it's a story I need to get out, even if I don't know it all right now. So I'm writing. And while it doesn't make logical sense for me to write a novel that I don't know if I'll even put out there, I need to write this one.

That is, if I ever figure out what's happening.

Is anyone else at the beginning stages and frustrated?

See y'all Wednesday!

I'm Going to Bolivia!

2010-04-07T05:00:00.001-04:00

Hey, Friends! This weekend is Leader Training for my program, meaning I'm working straight through the weekend. It starts on Thursday, but I'll be away from my computer most of Wednesday. Needless to say, I won't have time to blog. I plan to be back next week though!

So, I wanted to let y'all know about this awesome opportunity I have coming up! If you receive my email updates or read my missions blog, then you already know. But I wanted to tell everyone else as well.

I'm going on another trip, much like the one I went on to Peru in February. This one is again to South America, to a country I've never been to. I'm going to Bolivia! WOOHOOOO!!!!!

I don't much much except for the dates (April 25-May 3) and that we'll be staying in the Andes Mountains (which I'm so excited about!). My job is to do what I do best: missions and writing. I'm going to meet people, love on them, and tell them about Jesus, to observe Bolivia, learn about the culture, and bring it back to tell y'all, better help train the Bolvia team this summer, and write about what I experience there. Oh yes--and my "husband" (camera) is coming too. He'll make sure to document the trip for you. :0)

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!

Please be praying for me as I go. There's a lot to do in preparation, travel, etc. I still need financial support--a little over $1000--and can keep raising that after the trip if I need to. (The amount I am raising a month doesn't include overseas missions. Just rent, utilities, gas, food, etc.). For those of you who’ve prayed about/mentioned occasional one time gifts, this is a good time for that. Just go to http://www.adventures.org/give, click on the “AIM Staff” link, and type my name when asked. Or you can snail mail to: Adventures In Missions, Inc., P.O. Box 534470, Atlanta, Ga. 30353-4470. "Kristen Torres-Toro" needs to be on the memo line and all checks need to be made out to Adventures in Missions.

I'll see y'all Monday for my final week of posts before Unplug Week and then Bolivia! Have a great weekend!

All Hail the Grad

2010-04-05T05:00:00.008-04:00

Hey, Friends! How was your Easter? Mine was awesome!

Thanks so much for your help in determining the maker of my favorite shoes last Friday! I'm going to hunt down all the leads y'all gave!

So, besides the beautiful Easter weekend (I'm currently giddy from a condition I call "excessive sunshine"), I have another reason to celebrate today. Guess what? This afternoon is my final session in the 13 week fitness program I've been doing, P90x. Remember when we talked about it last January? Well, after this afternoon it's official--I'm a p90x Grad!

Wow, I feel so good.

I mean, I'm proud of myself. This really pushed me. Not only physically, but in discipline as well. And while I knew I'd finish when I started, the reality of completing this intense workout schedule makes me want to celebrate. I was an athlete a million years ago. I love being outside and doing outside things... and doing fun things like hiking and water sports... but I haven't done anything like this in years. And for those who are wondering about actual results--yes, I can see and feel (and measure) the difference in my body. I don't look like the models in the p90x advertisements or even the chicks in the videos, but I am stronger, more flexible... and possibly in need of new clothes.

I feel confident. I'm not talking so much in my appearance as I am confident in the ability I have now as a P90x Grad (a.k.a my mega muscles) and just the knowledge that I did this thing. I don't look at a box and think, "I hope it's light so I can carry it". Now it's more like, "I can do this. I'm stronger than I've ever been."

Do I have more I want to accomplish? Absolutely.

Are there people out there in better shape than me, more flexible, stronger, and thinner? Definitely.

But you know what? I'm a P90x grad. I accomplished something big. I developed discipline with exercise, discpline I will continue--after I take a week long break. :0) And that's nothing to sneeze at.

I'm just "supposing" here, but maybe confidence is one of the best things discipline can give us. It definitely makes us better writers. It establishes the pattern of writing in our lives, exercises the writing "muscles" and our imaginations, and helps us accomplish a goal of crafting a novel. And I think a side effect of all of those things is a healthy dose of confidence--a sense that while there might be better writers out there and we have a lot to learn, that we did something big. We:

-finished that first draft
-rewrote half a book on the advice of mulitple crit partners
-queried that dream agent despite the fear of rejection
-wrote that synopsis
-started a blog and wondered if anyone would ever care to read it
-wrote multiple queries
-entered a writing contest...

Rinse and repeat--refusing to give up. Vowing to learn, to study the craft, the market, and the reader. Wondering if this next story would get us that agent or complete the contract for a number for a publisher, etc. Doing it over and over again, for as many stories as are ours to tell.

I'm not saying that there aren't moments of despair, when overwhelming discouragement threatens everything. When we wonder if we're that person who everyone says is a brilliant writer, when in fact we're the literary equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard. I'm not saying there aren't moments of doom, when we forget to back up our hard drives, see the blue screen of death, and lose everything. I'm not saying we ever need to stop learning.

But you know what? Because of these last three months of p90x, I know my limitations. I also know where I soar. I know what I want to work on, where I've seen a lot of progress, and where I hope to be six months from now. I have confidence, even in my weakness. Because I know where I need to work.

If we're having confession time, I'll say here that I haven't been as discplined in my writing recently. And my confidence has definitely suffered. Sitting here on this Easter night, I'm convinced the two are somehow linked.

What do you think?

See y'all Wednesday!

Have You Seen Me?

2010-04-02T05:00:00.012-04:00

So, a few years ago I was given the most awesome pair of shoes. I was in Africa, just days from flying to India for a Christmas Party, and my last pair of flip flops suffered a fatal blow out. I was also severely lacking in money and didn't want to go to the ATM (and incur another international ATM charge) while I pulled out what I estimated was the cost of shoes.

So a friend came to my rescue. It turns out we had the same size feet, which was weird because we wear odd sizes. She offered me--you guessed it--a pair of flip flops. I was so happy.

These flip flops are incredible. They are a hug for my feet. Two years later, I still have them. They've been torn up and "shoe-gooed" time and again, so I don't wear them as often now. But I love them.

Not too long ago, I looked into replacing them. Only, I can't. They were given to me with the logo half-worn away. So I don't know who made them. I don't know where to order them. When I asked the friend who so graciously gave them to me, she said she bought them in Indiana, but wasn't sure if it was at a national chain store or a local store. So, I'm stuck. Unless you can help.

Have you seen this logo before? If so, please help!

This week we're talking about identity and these shoes kind of remind me of the mascot I mentioned on Wednesday. Once again, they have an unknown identity for me. Except that this time I have a personal relationship with the item. I love it. And it's taken on its own identity to me. I don't know these flip flops as my Old Navy ones or my Walmart ones. They are my "hugs", given to me in Africa, and fellow world travelers.

I'm willing to go to great lengths to find "them" again. Well, I can't spend too much money, but you get the idea. I've literally asked everyone I know. I've searched the web. Now I'm asking y'all for help. Why?

They made an impression on me. These aren't just shoes to me. And I don't want to let them go.

Oh, I hope someone says that about my books one day--that they aren't just books to them. That they are stories they love. And that the covers, once perfect, are tattered and well worn, with my name half-rubbed away. Maybe the reader won't remember my name. I'd be okay with that. I just want them to remember my stories.

Have a great weekend. See y'all Monday!

Lost in Translation

2010-03-31T05:00:00.006-04:00

So, a couple of weeks ago I went down to Buford, this area with a ton of stores, restaurants, and the biggest mall in the state of Georgia. My friends and I were on the way to our favorite restaurant and saw this dude dancing on the sidewalk. At least, we think it was a guy. It was someone in a mascot suit.

Dressed in red and blue, the costume was easy to spot on the street corner. The poor guy (it was cold, so maybe he was just trying to warm up) did everything he could to attract attention.

There was only one problem--none of us had any clue what store he represented.

I scanned the marquee in the parking lot, trying to figure out which venue he "belonged" to. But none of them seemed to make sense. We drove by the dancing mascot curious, but not enough to make us stop and figure out the mystery.

This is definitely a branding issue, but it goes deeper than that--all the way to identity. In this case there was a disconnect between the mascot and his store. And his advertisement wasn't very effective (at least for those of us in the vehicle), because he couldn't compell us to stop and postpone our feast at the garden of olives (ha!). He knew who he was, obviously, but it was lost in translation.

Sometimes I feel that happens with me too. Do you ever feel that way? I know sometimes someone will say something to me, citing a certain part of my personality and demeanor, and I'm completely surprised. Not offended, just surprised. Because I'm so far inside my own head that I don't notice how others see me. It always surprises me when someone tells me their perception of me and it's 180 degrees from what I would say about me.

I have my own sense of identity. I know who I am. But it makes me laugh when it gets "lost in translation". Then we have to look for the link between the two.

Unless of course, you're a dancing mascot with no correlation. Then you just drive on by.

This goes even beyond our identities as writers. What about the identities of our characters, especially the primary ones? Do we see them differently than our readers will? Or even other characters in the novel? What kind of craziness does this create for you, if any? For me it usually means I need to sit down and chisel away, see what's left, and then add what's needed. Very time consuming. But it usually gives me a better perspective of the character when it's all over.

See y'all Friday!

Sleeping Beauty the Day Before Spring

2010-03-29T05:00:00.004-04:00

She stood before me in pink and white shoes, their velcro laces securely fastened, and black cotton leggings. Practical on one end, fairy princess on the other. Her elfin face perfectly framed by a pixie cut, a pink ribbon caught the light in her eyes. Running through the yard on a beautiful March afternoon, her only care was to how high the wind lifted her princess gown, tattered from wear, and slightly darker than the dogwood blossoms down the street.

Searching for a stick to make the perfect wand, she turned to me holding one about nine inches long. "This one is perfect. It's 14 tall," she declared.

I could only agree.

The four-year-old bent over and started measuring herself. "And I'm five tall."

"But the stick is 14 tall?" I repeated just to clarify how such a small stick could be taller than her.

"Yes." She picked up another stick, this one shaped like a wishbone and half as long as the first. "This one is four tall. How tall are you?"

"Oh, maybe 17 tall?" Seriously, how could I know?

She studied me carefully, innocently swishing her poofy skirt. "You are fifteen tall," she decided.

So, friends, I am "1" taller than a stick. :0)

* * *

The final day of my dark week I got a treat--working outside on a beautiful day. This little girl found me and came over to talk. "Are you Sleeping Beauty?" I asked, figuring I had a small chance of guessing the right princess, especially since I haven't seen a Disney movie in forever. She nodded seriously.

What struck me was her simple beauty, despite the wear in her dess (obviously well loved) and the smudge on her face. She didn't need to tell anyone who she was. She knew without being told. she was a princess.

After sprinkling me with little girl fairy-dust and giving me tiny flowers, she skipped off to eat some grapes, leaving me to work in the sun on the eve of Spring.

How wonderful it is to know exactly who you are. To have the unwavering confidence of a four-year-old princess.

What about us, Friends? Do we know who we are?

Ways to Set a Scene

2010-03-26T05:00:00.007-04:00

Hey, Friends!

So, this week we're talking about setting the scene. Instead of discussing it, I thought I'd show examples. They were written on the fly but I think they did their jobs. Of course, they were only snippets of a scene. No moment, decisions, conflict, etc. occurred in them.

How do you set your scenes?

There are so many different ways to do it--tone, word choice, description, setting, conversation, etc. We could talk forever about them. But I think there are some absolutely essential rules for writing scenes:

1. Make sure you do it! :0) Don't just leave the bones without any meat.

2. Change it up. Don't write every scene the same way, using your automatic tried-and-true pattern. Play with different techniques.

3. Find an anchor. Mark the movement in the scene, whether it's physically, in dialogue, a first person insight, etc.

4. Identify the conflict. Change up how you do it, but make sure it's there. A novel without conflict is like chicken curry without the spice--missing something really important!

I'm really trying to incorporate all of these in my novels. That was something I really had to work on last fall when I edited--creating more movement, enhancing conflict, especially. My tried-and-true is always in setting, so as I write fresh scenes now I'm trying to approach it differently. Right now it feels like I'm writing with my left hand (as a right-hander, it's feels "awkward", even with all the years of practice per that reoccurring New Year's Resolution), but I think it's creating more flavor and layers in the story. At least, I hope so!

What would you add to this list?

Have a great weekend! See y'all Monday!

Expectation

2010-03-24T05:00:00.009-04:00

It's been almost three years since I last saw Spring.

Last year, in India, it went straight from cold to sweltering in a matter of hours. The sky was blue for two days, but that was all the warning we got (and the first time I ever saw a clear sky in India!). When I returned to Georgia two months later, summer dressed the earth.

The year before, in Africa, it was high summer when I arrived and just starting to cool down when I left three months later. I was there for Spring in Africa in October of 2007. Africa wears purple that time of year. It was beautiful--but being from the Northern Hemisphere, I really missed Autumn!

So as I write this, I'm sitting outside watching the earth tremble with signs of Spring. The clues are everywhere: the perpetual breeze, warmer temperatures, and the puffy, lighter-than-air clouds. It's a perfect day. The ground is barren, brown and brittle from winter, and the trees shake empty limbs, but I feel hope. Expectation. Soon the earth will trill with life. Color will come again. We'll have our warm days, outdoor cook outs, and summer sunsets. It'll be as if winter never came.

Right now Nature is just setting the scene.

Do you have the patience to breed expectation in your readers?

See y'all Friday!

*Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro, July 2009*

Parking Lot with a View

2010-03-22T05:00:00.009-04:00

Hey, Friends! Thanks for your encouragement about Unplug Week. I accomplished a lot of mini-projects, which made me feel really good!

So...

Last Monday I went to work as usual, only it was not a usual day. You see, many of my close friends went to Africa for a week, so driving into work I was all too aware how much I missed them--and how much work I had to do, since I remained behind to "hold down the fort" in our program.

Lunch time came and I needed a pick-me-up. So I drove to Chic-fil-A, ran an errand, and drove back. But there was construction on one road, and I got stuck on a bridge.

Not fun, right?

Oh--wait. I didn't set the scene. Let's try this again.

Lunch time came and I needed a pick-me-up. My new hometown sits around a lake, so there are no "short errand runs". Driving to Chic-fil-A and back almost takes a full hour in itself. So with the windows down and the country music blaring, I drove across town. The sun was so warm (after months of winter, even 56 degrees feels warm!) it tricked me into eating outside, despite the gusting wind.

After a quick run into Walmart, I drove back to the office--only to meet construction on the way. With thirty cars at a stand still before me, I came to a stop on a bridge crossing the lake. The breeze lifted my hair, the cold water danced in the sunlight on either side of me, and my favorite song came on the radio.

Paradise up high in a "parking lot".

Sometimes all we need to do is set the scene. It'll change everything.

How do you set your scenes?

See y'all Wednesday!

Time to Unplug!

2010-03-15T05:00:00.003-04:00

Hey, Friends!

I'm unplugging this week. I have some stuff to do, one of them being a snail mail newsletter that will take me many hours--on top of my 40 hours at the office. Also, right now I'm just feeling empty. I'll probably be around blogdom some (maybe commenting, maybe not), but I won't post a new entry until March 22. See you then!

Happy writing!

The View from Out Here

2010-03-12T05:00:00.006-05:00

Hey, Friends!

So another thing about perspective is that sometimes we need the help of others. The stories I shared Wednesday all involved other people. In each of those cases, it took hearing another opinion to encourage me to look for a different way.

Maybe you change it up because you can't stand routine. Or maybe you find yourself in a rut because what you did before worked. Why risk failure when you already know what will succeed? Or maybe you just can't see another way out.

I feel that for the most part, I'm a very logical person. But I've learned the hard way that what is logical to me makes no sense to others. I'm creatively logical--which means that 2+2=triangle. When I explain my way of thinking, it makes perfect sense. But until then I'm just extremely odd. Which has its own perks. :0)

But I get stuck in the well worn groove of how I think. I don't know to think any other way. That's when an outside perspective can make all of the difference.

Some of my closest friends are very different from me. When I'm stuck seeing the individual tiles of a certain situation, they see the mosaic before them. It's the same subject, just a different way of looking at it. Both are valid. Both are vital. Outside perspectives give the situation dimension that we can't see on our own.

Sometimes it's really hard to hear or read critiques of our work. After all, we poured our souls into it. There's this secret hope that it's brilliant and a secret fear that it's an utter disaster. But if we're able to get over ourselves, our fear, and even our pride, we might see something we didn't know we needed. We might find an answer to a riddle we couldn't solve on our own, or find another way out of a difficult situation--one a reader wouldn't expect that would completely shatter the problem of cliche.

The key is being willing to listen and consider the other viewpoint. Even being willing to try something different--adopting a different perspective.

Have a great weekend! See y'all Monday!

Just a Little Off Balance

2010-03-10T05:00:00.007-05:00

Hey, Friends!

This week we're talking about perspective. I've learned a lot about this through my new hobby, photography. It started simply enough--just taking pictures. I have some favorites I took over the years with my film cameras and point-and-shoot digital cameras. Then January 2009, while in India, I took a photo I couldn't stop staring at. Something about it drew me but I didn't know why. There was a girl on my team who had a "serious" camera so I asked her.

This girl explained that the perspective grabbed my attention. It was a photo of a leper woman up close, in the first third of the shot. Despite the empty space on the right, somehow it worked. The lines in her face were so clear, while the colors behind her were just a blur. Sarah explained to me the "Rule of Thirds", which has to do with capturing a subject. She explained how our eyes naturally travel to certain places and if there's a void, we pass over it. But if there's detail instead of empty space, like this photo:

... we find that sweet spot.

Until that day, I tried to center my subjects in the view finder. I'm big on balance and on symmetry, especially in art. But Sarah's simple lesson changed everything for me. She gave me permission to be off-balance. And when I started doing that--allowing possible imperfections--I started taking shots like this with my rinky dink point-and-shoot:

This year I've learned to be a little off balance. When decorating my new room everytime I encountered a decision I tried to think out-of-the-box... or at least, out of the box for me. I have a tendency to do what I did before simply because it worked. I'm learning to be "off balance" in my schedule, meaning trying something during a certain time of day I wouldn't normally do that--like working out later instead of during the morning. You know what? It worked.

I've really tried it in writing as well. Whenever given a suggestion on how to strengthen my novel, I tried it. I figured that even if it didn't work, I wouldn't know unless I put on those lenses. And you know what? Each new thing I tried made the story better. More three dimensional. It provided more room for conflict, tension, and to play with my prose. Those problem areas I knew weren't right but wasn't sure how to fix? It took care of that too.

Sometimes all we need is to be willing to be a little off balance.

See y'all Friday!

**Photos by Kristen Torres-Toro 2009**

Middle Perspective

2010-03-08T05:00:00.006-05:00

So, I've been thinking about perspective lately.

It's funny how our experiences shape how we think and react to things. I've had a unique "problem" in that I've travelled short term (maximum of several months in one place) that I don't think very far out in terms of time. People invite me to their weddings and I tell them that I won't know until closer to time if I'll even be in the country. And while that's a fun problem to have--I'm not complaining, because I love it--I've noticed recently how much it affects my approach to life.

**Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro 2009**

It's not that I shy away from relationships or that I'm afraid of committment. I don't cling too much either. But when I make a friendship, it's for life. I don't have time to just be a surface friend. If you want to go deep and be in community with me, I'm all in. Because I know all too well the time will end. The trip will close, we'll go to opposite sides of the globe, and the physical sharing of our lives will be reduced to email, cell phones, and skype. Do you see the problem here?

So, six weeks ago I moved to a new place. But I'm still thinking short term. I don't know how to think long term. Which means I'm tempted to rush, rush, rush, stress, stress, stress, and pack as much in as I can because the trip will end... only it's not a trip. This is life. And life at a frenetic pace will only lead to me needing medication. So I'm working on adopting a long term perspective. Like someone accustomed to only being able to see up close, this is taking some time! I've become my own broken record. Everytime I automatically react to something I have to suppress that knee-jerk action of immediacy and alarm, of savoring every last second of life because you don't know when you'll get another chance here again. And while I'm all about enjoying life, it's the focus that's off... like I'm near-sighted with life (I always get near-sighted and far-sighted confused).

I think it's easy for us to get that way with writing too. At least, I do. I don't know what's coming in the future. I do hope to be published in book form. I can only imagine the demands on me then, the new things I have to learn, do, and add to my schedule. A few weeks ago I was so overwhelmed with the combination of that and the place I'm in now I couldn't move or write. Not a fun experience. Now I'm shrugging it off because when the time comes for me, I'll be able to figure it all out. Somehow. But I can't miss this time I'm in now by looking too far in the future--and I can't focus so much on life right now that I'm blind to what's coming. I need a middle perspective, kind of like the picture above.

Sometimes even the short term demands seem like too much. Can I just say how proud I am of the people who've recently cried "Sabbatical!" and gone dark? Good for them! I'll follow them when they get back... miss them while they are gone... and hope they are able to focus on what they need to. Maybe my day will come when I need to throw up my hands and focus on one thing at a time writing-wise. I hope I have the guts to do it, if the time ever comes.

It's all about perspective.

See y'all Wednesday!

I Forgot and Pictures of Pink Dolphins (Part 3 of the Amazon)

2010-03-05T05:00:00.011-05:00

I forgot:

-the roar of the jungle as you approach the bank, whether it's floating past or cutting the motor when entering a village.

-how fun hammocks are

**Photo by Connie Rock**

-the humidity of this land baking in the sun

-exactly how hot it is inside a mosquito net

**Photo by Connie Rock**

-the unique Peruvian dialect

-how mesmerizing the river is

**Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro 2007**

-the magical pink dolphins

**Photo found on Google Images**

-How to walk up a muddy bank in flip flops

-how fun it is to bathe outside

-the pain of flip flops running against bug bites

-the three dimensional quality of the jungle that cameras cannot capture no matter how hard you try

**Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro 2007**

-the way the river brings everyone together

**Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro 2007**

Well, that's it! Hopefully you feel like you were able to come with me to the jungle. It was an incredible trip. We accomplished our purpose in going--set up for the team-- and personally, it was such a gift. Hopefully God will send me back one day.

Needless to say, I left my heart in the Amazon Jungle.

Here are a few final photos. Enjoy!

-this is a really lucky shot... the dog walked into a frame at the last minute. Dogs in South America must be smarter than dogs in North America. :0)

*Photos by Kristen Torres-Toro 2010*

**Me with friends so dear they are sisters. Above photo by Crystal Reitsma. Bottom photo by Connie Rock.**

See y'all Monday!

**The pink dolphins pictured above look more like porpoises, which is what I saw this time. I've seen the other kind too, in the past. If you go to google images, you'll see more pictures of them**

Life on the River (Part 2 of the Amazon)

2010-03-03T05:00:00.011-05:00

It's simple and beautiful, difficult and different every day.

Two years ago, I lived in huts like this with lovely yellow plaid hammocks and mosquito nets:

And saw this:

We traveled on a very small boat (with all 20 of us, two pieces of luggage each, a carry-on each, our water, food, and kitchen supplies), staying in each village for days at a time.

**All above photos by Kristen Torres-Toro, 2007**

By the end of my time there, I could predict the weather two days out based on sky and river conditions, I didn't remember what it was like not to smell like the river, and I became an expert in securing a hammock (the secret is in the knot). I felt so free. And the pink dolphins were pretty cool too.

So when our host said we'd get to go out on the river our final day, I couldn't believe it.

Everything about the afternoon was perfect--how the clouds played in the sky, how the sun felt so good, the way our laughter carried in the wind. Such a beautiful day.

**Above two Photos by Connie Rock**

After an hour, we pulled into a little village called Amazonas.

**Photos by Kristen Torres-Toro 2010**

There we met a bunch of people, visited the church, saw the cutest puppies in the world, and went swimming fully clothed. On the way back, it started to rain. Two pink dolphins swam past us.

Magical, those pink dolphins.

Oh, how I have missed that river.

See y'all Friday!

La Vida en la Selva del Amazon (Part 1)

2010-03-01T05:00:00.009-05:00

How do I find words?

It's late at night and I'm struggling, trying to think of a way to describe my trip to the Amazon Jungle. Some of you read my missions blog at http://kristentorrestoro.myadventures.org, and have already heard some of the story and seen some pictures. I want my account here to be different for you, my friends. I want you to taste the South American heat, swelter under its mischevious sun and watch the river race past a jungle dancing to its own beat. How do I describe such a beautiful, wild, dense, diverse place? How do I take you there with me?

Hopefully in these next few posts, I will find a way. This week my blog is dedicated to telling y'all about the trip. My goal is to make you feel you just spent a week in the wild Amazon Jungle.

First of all, the trip was way too short. Second, I arrived exhausted out of my mind. We weren't jetlagged at all, but after 24 hours of travel and very little sleep, I was more than a little goofy. Actually, I felt stupid. At one point at 5am, a security guard in the Lima airport asked me if I spoke English or Spanish so she could explain something. All I could do was stare at her, unsure if she even said anything remotely coherent. It took me a while to figure out she was speaking English!

My Spanish was rusty at best, having learned it through immersion, and I wasn't used to the jungle dialect anymore. So I spent my time there my mind all a-swirl, trying to keep up and also be able to communicate myself in this beautiful language. By the time we left, I felt like I was finally getting my "sea-legs" back in Spanish. Such a disappointment to leave!

We arrived to a typical Amazonian downpour, which was highly ironic considering the clear skies around us as we flew into Iquitos. My friend and I raced across the tarmac and prayed our luggage wouldn't get too wet. Our hosts met us at the airport (always a plus!) and after a quick lunch in Iquitos, we took a 90 minute taxi to the village of Nauta, which sits on the edge of the Maranion river, a tributary of the mighty Amazon.

I spent some time in Iquitos and Nauta two years ago, so seeing places I remembered--places I honestly never thought I'd see again--was very disconcerting. Things definitely changed and a lot was the same too. When we pulled up at my host's house, I knew where we were in the village. That was a cool feeling! You'll notice that the buildings in the pictures below have walls. There are motorcycles, auto taxis (kind of like rickshaws, but not on bicycles), and other western conveniences. It's not as primitive as many of the other villages I lived in back then.

**The streets of Nauta--Photos by Kristen Torres-Toro**

Children flocked about us. Not long after I introduced myself, cries of "Kristina! Kristina!" followed me inside. Determined not to crash until evening, my friend and I went outside to play volleyball with some girls. The rain finally let up so we were in the mud--perfect! I kept hitting it out of bounds (it was a very small court and all this p90x is making me really strong--ha!), making it roll down the hill towards the river. But the little girls didn't seem to mind chasing it, and we had a lot of fun!

**Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro**

After a bucket bath, a dinner of mac'n'cheese (brought over from the States), and a lot of laughter, we went to sleep.

Over the next couple of days, the four of us met with several pastors, walked throughout Nauta, sweated gallons in the heat, established the set up for the trip this summer (the reason we came), attended a children's ministry, taught in a youth service, and took a day trip down river. You'll hear more about that Wednesday--so please come back! It was a very full trip and we were tired, but it rejunvenated me at the same time. I got less sleep there than I get here, but I had more energy during the day than I have here. I felt... honestly, I felt like I was home. For me, that was the best part.

**Photos by Kristen Torres-Toro**

**Photos by Connie Rock: http://donrock.myadventures.org**

I was completely unprepared for the onslaught of memories, caught off balance by the trip itself. It literally came from out of nowhere. I graduated college in 2007 and three weeks later woke up in the Amazon Jungle. For two months, I was an Amazon woman. And a part of me came alive that I never knew before that time. Maybe it was the newfound freedom of being a college graduate coupled with the knowledge that I was doing what I loved and was in one of the most remote places in the world. I'm also a huge nature lover. I hate being inside. So living for several months in huts without walls was a lot of fun for me! The trip itself was hard... physically very taxing, amongst other things. I left the jungle feeling like it got the best of me. Returning almost three years later, I have a completely different perspective. And the shadows cast by those hard memories only create a contrast for the light. This trip I was able to remember the good--oh, it was so good!-- and in a way, re-experience it. It was exactly what I needed. I had no idea how much I'd longed for the jungle until I was there, back in her embrace.

Photo by Kristen Torres-Toro, 2007

See you Wednesday!

Hold the Presses!!!! No, Wait--Keep 'Em Going!!!

2010-02-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, Friends! So, a sign of how tired I was--I set this for the wrong day! Sorry it posted late! :0)

I originally planned to talk about my trip to the Amazon today but two things have forced me to postpone the update to next week:

1) I don't have words for how incredible it was and just need to process.
2) I'M PUBLISHED!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My short story, "Concert Mania", is in the March issue of Susie Magazine, available in stores now (I purchased mine at Kroger, so I know they carry it) and possibly online at http://susiemag.org next week. I'll let you know if it's posted there--they don't post the whole mag for obvious reasons.

It's a big moment for me. I've been published locally and in university-wide periodicals, but this is my first nationally printed piece since 1998. So I keep staring at it and reading the story over and over. :0)

**Photo by Connie Rock**

Standing there in Kroger with a friend, searching for the article, and then finding it--what a great moment! And how appropo--I just "happened" to have my husband (camera) with me in the car (I don't take him everywhere because he's so big/heavy... so unless something important is going on, he stays at home) to document the occasion.

The best part about joy is sharing it with friends.

And what a way to return to the States!

See y'all Monday!

Yo Voy a la selva de Amazon!

2010-02-17T05:00:00.001-05:00

Hey, Friends!

I'll be around blogs today but that's it because tomorrow I'M GOING TO THE AMAZON!

What?

Yes... I'm a little excited.

Just a little.

Un poquito.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

I'll be back Tuesday the 23rd and expect to be around blogdom some after I get back but I probably won't post until Friday the 26th. Don't worry--you'll see a lot of pictures and hear stories.

Have I mentioned I'm so stinkin' excited?

Until then, how would you like to go on a little trip? How about to a beach? Here are some pictures of my new haven. Doesn't it make you want to relax? Thanks for all of your decorating/settling in ideas!

Love y'all and see you next week!

My new bookcase with some of my favorite books. I love the purple vase and orange flowers on the middle shelf.

My desk and writing nook. This is my dream chair! My parents surprised me with it for Christmas.

Snow, Olympics, Legs, Amazon, and Writing Randomness

2010-02-15T05:00:00.014-05:00

What a weekend!

We got snow in Ga and it was so cool! Several inches! I know--laugh if you want but this is a big deal down here. I stayed at a friends' house and then we got to play in it with her dog. Remember Roi, the antagonist?

It was fun to walk outside in it, play, and take pictures. Best of all, the silence as it fell. That's my favorite part. And I saw a cardinal. Gorgeous. But I didn't get a picture of it before it flew away.

I know it's not so much everywhere else, but in Georgia, snow is magical. Like fairies. If we're lucky we see flurries maybe once a year. Snow resulting in several inches is a miracle. So last night I felt like I was surrounded by fairies.

And then, there were the Olympics! So fun!

Also, my legs are currently in Haiti. Kind of. AIM (Adventures in Missions) has set up a huge movement to get relief and people into the country so torn by the earthquake. I'm not going (for now), but last week they asked my talented friend to create a logo for the teams. It would be posted as a magnet on vans and stuff as way of identification. The next thing I knew, she pulled me outside to model. Here's the product:

Photo and creation by Connie Rock. Legs all mine. :0)

This week is going to be different. I'm technically unplugging until next Friday. But I'll still post on Wednesday of this week and be around until then. On Thursday, it's off to Peru! (We had to push back the dates of the trip because of air fare. So now it's Feb 18-23). From snow to Haiti :0) and the Amazon jungle in less than a week! That's a lot of fun!

Finally, I thought I'd give y'all a little update on my writing, since it's been a while since I've talked about it. I've been thinking a lot about the best way to present my novel (we'll call it "Novel #5") this time around. I queried it a year ago and received roughly ten battle wounds, one with an actual response (and suggestions) from a very prominent agent. I've since followed this person's advice completely. My novel has undergone extensive revisions several times over. It has been critiqued by an objective--and wise and talented--third party and is so much stronger than before. It's also lost "weight"--10k words--sitting right at 83k. I feel like I've done everything I can to it and it's ready.

But.

I'm nervous. Because this is the second time around and if all the responses are "no" again, I'm going to have to put this one aside for a long time. And that would make me really, really sad. I want this to be my first novel.

So I've decided to wait on querying. Instead, I'm going to enter the Genesis contest and one other. Both will reveal their results at the same time. I'm mostly entering Genesis for the feedback. Depending on what's said, I'll know whether to query or do more work.

In other news, all this talk about Sparks' The Wedding on Friday made me want to read it again. I think it's the first time a book I reviewed on my own blog has influenced me to re-read it for the millionth time. :0)

See y'all Wednesday!

The Most Romantic Book Ever--First Feature Friday of 2010

2010-02-12T05:00:00.007-05:00

****We interrupt this post for an announcement: it's snowing in Ga! HOORRRRAAAYYYY!!! This is the first time I've seen snow all winter. Celebrate with me, please!***

Hey, Friends! It's Feature Friday!

We haven't had one in a while simply because I wanted to discuss other things. But the time has come for me to reveal my most favorite romantic book. Are you ready? It's a great one!

Nicolas Sparks' The Wedding!

I love love love this story! It's the sequel to The Notebook, and you have to read that book before you read this one. The movie doesn't count. And the reason why is because Hollywood changed the ending to The Notebook, therefore making it impossible to produce The Wedding. Seriously, I'm almost as bitter about that as how they ruined Eragon. But I digress...and I'm not saying The Notebook as a movie stunk, because it didn't. Just that this book would make an even better movie. :0)

So, I can't say much about the plot because it's one of those books. What I can say is that it's set in the South, it involves certain beloved characters and locations from Notebook (I won't ruin the book for you if you haven't read it), and a beautiful, incredible story about a love between a husband and wife (versus a dating couple). The next time you're in a bookstore or library, look this one up. It's worth the read--and that's coming from a "nonromantic"! :0)

Happy Valentine's Day! See y'all Monday!

Dangerous Love

2010-02-10T05:00:00.006-05:00

Hey, Friends!

So, this week we're talking about L-O-V-E. Or as we call it in the South: LUV!

It can be a lot of fun to be in love. Or even to love a friend, a family member, a pet, or child. That's a great feeling! But love isn't always easy. Sometimes it can be really hard to live out love because we just don't feel like it. Or maybe the person is being a jerk. Or we're really tired. Or... yeah, sometimes it isn't gooey.

Sometimes it can even be dangerous. The cliches (can't sleep, can't eat) sound unhealthy, but it goes beyond that. What about when infatuation turns into obsession? Or abuse? We all know the stories of what can come from that. Have you ever written (or considered writing it) into your stories? It can be terrifying, a messed up picture of what "Wuv, twue wuv" really is.

I think we've reached the point in our friendship as writing buddies where I can make this confession. You'll still love me, right? It's just a little obsession. Yes, I've lost sleep over it. No, I've never lost my appetite. But sometimes it's all I think about. Even with all the things swirling in my head right now--Peru, living in a new place, writing, etc--it's there, demanding attention. Begging me to surrender. Sometimes I just feel so. . .

LOST!

I love this show so much it's scary. You can ask my friends. I'm the girl known for remembering all the exact random connections from past seasons. I get a little too into the show whenever it's on. Most of my predictions are accurate, but I don't project too far out. I have no idea where the show is going, but last week's premiere made me really excited. I'm writing this before the second episode airs (AND PLEASE DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE 2/9/10 EPISODE BECAUSE I WILL NOT SEE IT UNTIL WEDNESDAY NIGHT), but I expect it will be awesome too. Tuesday nights are sacred for me.

So there's my big confession. I love a tv show a little too much. Anyone feel my pain? What's your guilty pleasure? It doesn't have to be television. I'd just like to know if someone else loves something a little too much like I do. :0)

See y'all Friday!

When Did You (or Your Characters) Know?

2010-02-08T05:00:00.007-05:00

Hey, Friends! Happy Monday! It’s the most “romantic” week of the year!

Okay, so I’m a little surprised I wrote that. I’m not a romantic. GASP! Not in the way most people are, at least. Definitely not in February. It has nothing to do with being single. I’ve just always been allergic to Valentine’s Day in general. Maybe it’s because I feel the colors clash. Or the sappy clichés floating about (btw, hats off to all of you romance writers—it’s hard to write it well but you do it--and I love your blogs!). In college I wrote a satirical essay in the vein of Alexander Pope’s “A Modest Proposal” (if you’ve never read it, it’s a tongue-in-cheek proposition on how to regulate population control in Middle England. The key is to remember it’s satire, if not you won’t sleep well after you read it) about Valentine’s Day, citing Romeo and Juliet, Wesley in The Princess Bride, even Jesus and the actual St. Valentine—the reason the day was created. What do all of these people have in common? They literally died for love. I’ll let you draw your conclusions on the content of my essay. I had a lot of fun writing it and ended up getting a very cheeky “A”! :0)

Now, I do enjoy a good romance. There are romantic relationships in my stories. I don’t watch a lot of chick flicks, (and I seem to love moody romances most, like P.S. I Love You), but I have some tried-and-true ones I’ll watch over and over. It’s a genre read and appreciate. Just not where I spend most of my time writing. Can we still be friends? :0)

Of course, this day has one huge redeemable quality—chocolate! :0)

But in light of all the love in the air (ha!), we’re going to talk about the gooey subject. :0) I have one question for you: When did you—or your characters, if you want to make this literary—know? Know what? Well…

--you’d fallen for him/her
--he/she would be the love of your life
--you couldn’t imagine life without him/her?

You know that moment when everything changes… care to share it (for yourself or your characters)?

I had a moment like that a few years ago. It was July of 2007 and I lived in the sauna-like village of Mundial in the Amazon Jungle, Peru. I had another name for this village relating to the oven-infused heat, but I’ll refrain from typing it.

After a particularly difficult night of no sleep (hammocks are killer on the kidneys… thanks to gravity, sometimes you’re getting up every hour to wander to the outhouse and sometimes that’s a precarious situation) thanks to physical issues, the dogs/chickens/ducks living beneath our hut (all huts are on stilts because of the river and animals live under there) breaking out into violent altercations randomly, and encounters with the local wildlife (a spider whose torso was bigger/fatter than my big toe. Seriously, no spider ever needs to be that big), I was wiped out. As the fog faded and the sun rose over the jungle, I went down to the river to pray. Mundial sat on an inlet, so as the water swirled past and villagers waded in bathing and washing clothes, I began to relax. I ended up in the Psalms and found a verse I’d read before but never seen (only to find out later it was prayed over me as a child): Psalm 63, ending in verse 8: “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." I love this chapter. The love described in it is the greatest love I’ve ever known or felt for anyone. That’s where my relationship with God moved into the Song-of-Solomon, I-understand-what-it-means-to-be-the-Bride-of-Christ type love.

My life forever changed that day.

As a writer of inspirational fiction, this is the feeling I strive to depict in my stories. I suspect many inspirational writers will agree. My last MC, Brooke, has a moment like I described above, an exact experience where she knew her life had changed forever--even if she couldn't voice it then. It's a pivotal moment in the book, one I opened with as backstory originally and now have placed it farther back in my novel. It really pops now--and involves a homecoming game, a boy she'd just met, and strength she never knew existed. Like I said, my stories do have romance in them. :0)

So… I remember the Amazon with fondness because it was where I “fell in love”. It was the greatest adventure I ever lived. It was hard. It was beautiful. We saw God do so many incredible things. I’ve often thought I’d love to go back, but don’t know how that would work.

::Enter the coolest surprise ever::

My co-leader from that week was a wonderful woman named Crystal. She’s a great friend. After our trip, she returned to Peru and now lives in Nauta, a village deep in the jungle on the edge of the river, about 90 minutes’ drive from Iquitos, the “capital” of the Peruvian Jungle (which is only accessible by air or water). A picture is below, courtesy of her. She’s currently here in Georgia and will return to Peru February 16. And I’m going with her.

AHHHHH!!!!

It’s important for our program to send staff to the locations before we send the students and do something called “set up”. We meet with pastors, check out local ministries, learn the area, find lodging, etc… basically anything you can imagine. That way our teams can jump right into ministry when they get there. We prepare the way, I guess. So I’m returning to Peru (though I will not go up river to Mundial or the other villages; just to Nauta) with Crystal and another Ambassador staff member/friend, February 16-21. I can’t believe it. We’ve been praying about it ever since the opportunity came up and already God has worked out so many details.

Will you pray about this with me? I know this is a fast turn-around and after this, I will not leave the country for a while, but I am really praying God will work it all out. I need $900 to go and can keep raising that after the trip if I need to. (The amount I am raising a month doesn't include overseas missions. Just rent, utilities, gas, food, etc.). For those of you who’ve prayed about/mentioned occasional one time gifts, this is a good time for that. Just go to http://www.adventures.org/give, click on the “AIM Staff” link, and type my name when asked. Or you can snail mail to: Adventures In Missions, Inc., P.O. Box 534470, Atlanta, Ga. 30353-4470. "Kristen Torres-Toro" needs to be on the memo line and all checks need to be made out to Adventures in Missions.

Thank you! I look forward to reading your "moments". Thank you for praying and for considering this. See you Wednesday!

Know Yourself

2010-02-05T05:00:00.008-05:00

Hey, Friends! Happy Friday!

This week we've talked about the importance of knowing our audience as writers, whether it's the general reader or someone in the biz. But there's another thing we need to know, something else the presenter last week taught me. He not only knew his product and his audience--he knew himself too.

We could probably talk about confidence for weeks and not reach an end to that discussion. I know we'll probably come back to it. But I thought it was important to talk about today.

The coolest thing about this presenter was his unique voice. His accent was one I couldn't place and for someone who studies people, that's so much fun! I never asked him where he was from because I thought that might be rude, but I had my guesses. He spoke clearly, succintly, but in his own way. Because his voice was so unique, I'll remember it for a long time.

He didn't apologize for his different pronunciation or make any attempt to cover it. He came as himself. He was confident in his product, his ability to "sell" it, and in who he was. He did a great job--my mind didn't wander once.

How often do we approach writing (not personally, but professionally) with confidence? What about when we step out into the industry? Did anyone catch my qualifer on Wednesday, the paragraph where I felt I needed to explain that while I hadn't yet written a successful query, maybe there was something worthwhile in my post about querying? I always feel like I have to qualify myself to others as a writer--that I'm published but not in book form, but I'm trying to be, have written five novels, and have been pursuing publication for the past year. Why can't I just say, "I'm a writer" and be confident in that?

I have a beautiful friend who encourages me so much with writing. In front of me she'll tell others, "Kristen's a talented writer". She calls me "author". Every time something inside of me leaps in excitement and then what happens? I interject my qualifying statement about how I'm not published in book form yet and then mentally berate myself because my friend gave me something so priceless--her vote of confidence--and I want her to know it means the world to me. I'm learning to smile and accept the happy feeling of being known as a writer. I'm learning to claim that title. And you know what? It feels really good!

Do you do this? I'm trying to break this practice now, because I have a feeling it never ends. There are ways to qualify ourselves as writers even post-publication. Most of us know the insecurity of wondering if we're good enough, if we'll ever be published, or if we are, if we'll ever produce something equal in quality again. That alone might save us from being that idiot who's convinced he/she is God's gift to Art and wastes everyone's time (think certain auditions from American Idol). But lack of confidence won't sell our books to general readers, a publisher, an agent, or even to us. This is where I really went wrong last Spring when I queried. I wasn't confident. And it was clear in my query.

We need to know our stories and our audience. But we also need to know ourselves and trust our abilities (and the years we've spent honing our craft). I'm still learning how to do this and I don't know if I'll ever be all there. Maybe confidence is the achilles heel of most writers (whether too much or not enough). I know it's mine.

Do you qualify yourself? What have you learned about presenting yourself with confidence in the writing industry--and life in general?

See y'all Monday!

Do Your Homework

2010-02-03T05:00:00.010-05:00

Hey, Friends!

This week we're talking about some of the research we need to do while writing and pursuing a career in publication, using the analogy of a presentation I listened to last week. The presenter was trying to sell a product-- just as we are as writers. We're trying to get people to invest in us and in our stories, whether those people work in the biz or spend their mad money on books. And to get them to look at us, we need to know our audience, whether it's in our novels, a query, or a proposal.

We've all read agents who've talked about how important it is to follow the guidelines on their websites. They aren't suggestions. Those guidelines will guarantee our queries are read instead of tossed in the trash. I'm unagented so I've yet to write a successful query, but I'd imagine specificity (if possible) helps as well--as long as it's accurate--like comparing your novel to one that is already on a the shelves (that the agent represented) in a way that is fair, realistic, and compelling. I'm not saying we need to say "We're the next Karen Kingsbury" and we'll guarantee the same stage of success she has. But if our novel is comparable to a one she wrote, that's worth mentioning. For example, if I've written a book about a patient with a brain tumor, I might mention her novel Halfway to Forever as a comparable title.**By the way, this section is up for debate. I know this is a section in a proposal, but it's something I also read is a good idea in a query. Not as long or indepth, but a mention. What do you think?**

We need to do our homework, just as this guy did. Querying an agent who doesn't represent our genres won't get us very far. Not following guidelines will do the same, as will doing all the "wrong things" most of have read not to do by now. This blog is a result of my "homework". I started reading them a year ago and realized that I needed to build a viable, consistent presence--and that the information I'd learn would help me as a writer for the rest of my life. I didn't know about the community until I "came out" last July, but what a blessing!

Again, I learned the hard way how not to query a year ago and haven't tried again (took a year to edit the book). So I haven't done this successfully. But I know several agented authors read this blog, as well as a bunch of people like me--serious writers who are in the querying stage, have been studying it for a while, and have very necessary and accurate things to say. So please weigh in. What do you think? All comments are welcome, as always. And since my time to query is coming up, I'm taking the ensuing conversation under consideration as I create mine!

See y'all Friday!

Know Your Audience

2010-02-01T05:00:00.005-05:00

Hey, Friends!

How was your weekend? Mine was good. I ended up going home to pack some more things up and cuddle with my poodle. I'm happy to report that my new bookshelf is now full! Hoorray!

I feel like every day I get more and more used to being here. It helps that I've been involved with AIM for over three years and have spent the past four months driving up and spending a couple days a week in my new hometown. Still, the first week was full of emotion. I take a while to adjust, so I'm just taking things as they come and trying not to overreact.

So, one of the aspects of my job is arranging travel for our teams. It's a little more involved than just using Priceline.com (love them!) or something because there are a lot of other issues to work out and spreadsheets to make. We hope to send up to 300 students to up to 15 different countries this summer. It's complicated tracking that many people across the globe! Last week a salesman with an airline visited us and gave his pitch on why we should consider sending our trips with them. I can't give any details, but I'll tell you that this was a carrier I'd never heard of and never flown on. It's not well known in the States.

I was intrigued as a seasoned traveler and as a potential client. And as a former college student who battled her way through Intro to Speech (don't even get me started on how horrible that professor was--it was the only negative review I ever gave in college), I was interested in the actual art and format of his presentation.

Probably the most compelling thing about this meeting was how this man knew his audience. He did his research before coming to meet us. He introduced himself to each of us and then remembered our names. At the very beginning of the presentation, he asked each person what he/she needed from this airline in terms of our programs (locations, number of passengers, etc.). He wrote down our comments and referred to them throughout his talk, calling us by name when he needed to. Whenever he came to a point where he needed to explain (or just wanted to impress us), he referred to past clients of this airline, clients we as missionaries recognized. These were specific examples. And since I'm positive this airline's clientiele exists of more than just Christian organizations, I'm sure these examples were custom-designed for us.

We need to know our audience as well. As authors in a specific genre, people come to us with different needs for a story. Some want intrigue, others romance; some a thrilling chase and others a deep literary discussion. They all have different reasons for what composes a story, what makes them pick our books up in the first place, and what will keep them coming back. Stories are personal--not just to their creators--but to those who read them as well. Readers invite our characters, plots, and words into their homes, minds, and hearts. They quote them, discuss them, give feedback, and hopefully recommend them. But to attain that treasured spot on their shelves and in their minds, we need to know what they're looking for. And we need to meet those expectations.

The elements are different for each genre. I'm not so much talking about branding here as I am about the Story in the form of Romance, Mystery, Women's Fiction, etc. I'm one of one of the few who right now has no desire to write outside of her genre (women's fiction). That removes some conflict for me. I can pinpoint mine, savor it, and study it at the same time. Because I am my own audience, I know what I'm looking for--what makes my heart race when I read a certain line and what plots leave me disappointed. My hope is to create a stronger story each time.

So much goes into this--voice, word choice, plot, characterization, setting, etc. We have so many options available to us in how we craft our novels. Most of us in the blog world hope to see our books on the shelves. We love to write and will keep doing it no matter what, but we don't feel called to write in a vacuum. If we did, we wouldn't be building our platforms, creating an online presence, and studying the craft. We want an audience, preferably one that keeps coming back. To do that, we have to get to know them.

What do you do in order to know your audience? What are the specific ways you engage your genre?

See you Wednesday!

Add a Dash of Adventure...

2010-01-29T05:00:00.009-05:00

Hey, Friends! Happy Friday!

This week we've talked about my big move and how we deal with displacement in our characters. Big things really help. Little things can make all the difference. But adventure makes it fun!

I originally thought I'd spend Saturday unpacking and trying to get my bearings. That didn't happen because upon arriving in my new hometown I was invited to go on a road trip to Chattanooga. The goal was to have fun, eat great food, see awesome friends, and McKays--the most magical place on earth.

McKay's is this incredible store that I wish we had in Georgia. Basically you can bring in movies, dvds, videos, video games, ipods, and books and sell them. You turn them in, get a number, and spend the time waiting sorting through the stacks of music and books. It's heaven. Check out this picture--how would you like to shop here? They had EVERYTHING!

A two story bookstore--with an elevator? Heaven!

For those who bring things to trade, you have the option of cash or a store credit (which is higher than the cash). So then you get to go nuts getting "free" stuff. So fun! Because I didn't know I was going until it was too late, I didn't have anything to trade. But I took a lot of notes on things I saw and would love to look for again. You can bet I'm going back! The entire back wall was inspirational fiction.

The prize of the day for me was the shelf above. I couldn't believe it when I found one labeled and dedicated to the most super sleuth of all time: Trixie Belden. I'm trying to collect the entire series again (that's a long story) and am missing a lot of books. They are pretty hard to find unless you look online, where they are too expensive. McKay's had four, one of which I didn't have. Woohoo!! Now I have book #11--Mystery of the Bob-White Cave!

It was a little thing combined with an adventure in a magical place (oh, the stories in that room!). Just what I needed for my first weekend in my new life!

I'm not a very spontaneous person so Saturday's trip was even more fun--and very needed. Best of all, it was just great to be with friends. Sometimes unexpected adventures are exactly what we--and our characters--need!

Have a great weekend! See y'all Monday!

Big Things, Little Things

2010-01-27T05:00:00.016-05:00

Hey, Friends! Happy Wednesday!

So on Monday we talked a bit about being overwhelmed and displaced. I think at some point we've all experienced that, whether from a first day at a new school (or college), a new job, a move, or even a life change.

I cope with this a lot in missions, especially when going overseas for long periods of time (and then returning). It's to the point now where I often feel like I "belong" in other cultures. America sometimes is the hardest adjustment for me. It just depends on the trip and my situation when I get there. I've learned the hard way not to take anything too seriously the first week or so. My "balance" is off then. I'm exhausted, everything is new and different, and it's easy for things to take impractical proportions.

Like I said on Friday, my faith is a huge thing to help me through. But I've discovered little things have great impact as well. Like laughter with friends. I was surrounded by dear friends on Friday, people who I love and get to work with now. They helped me set up my room, unpacked my things, folded my clothes, made my bed and whatever else needed to be done while I flitted from one box to another and tried to create a beautiful room. They used their gifts to help me through, whether it was humor, decorating, etc. My room looks beautiful now. We accomplished in a few hours what I couldn't have done in an evening. And we had fun doing it!

When we left for town there wasn't much left to do. Just little things that I couldn't complete until I bought things like hooks, shelves, etc. I woke Saturday still overwhelmed, wondering if I should rearrange the furniture again I finished everything. But I couldn't do anything because of an adventure in Chattanooga. When I came back late that night, I had a surprise waiting for me. My incredible roommate and a friend put my bookshelves together for me! When I saw that, my "overwhelmed" feeling disappeared. I felt at home. She has no idea what such a little thing meant to me--not only because I'm a writer and a reader, but because it involved energy and time I didn't have.

So... little things. Big things. They are important. And they vary in power depending on our hearts. As I brainstorm for my mc, I try to keep little things in mind. I think they seal the character for us, ya know? It's easier to come up with the big things, but the secret details, the ones that make the character breathe life and step out of that two dimensional mold, those are difficult to unearth. I hope I'm doing enough. I hope it works. Right now I need to write it out and see what happens!

Have you found the little things for your characters?

See y'all Friday for the story of the adventure in Chattanooga!

Displaced

2010-01-25T05:00:00.015-05:00

Hey, Friends!

Thank you so much for your kind words and prayer this past week. I needed them and appreciated them so much! This past week has been very intense. And while I definitely missed blogging (and interacting with all of you), an unplug week was exactly what I needed. I made it by most of your blogs at least once but mostly chose not to comment because of the time factor. But I'm back this week! Can't wait to get back on it!

So, today's my 26th birthday! That's fun! It's also my first day of full time work. How ironic. I haven't started my "new life" yet, but I believe blogging will look a little different for me in the future. I'll still post Mon, Wed, and Fridays. On those days I'll be all over blogs, probably in the afternoon/evening instead of the morning like usual. For the most part I won't be online on Tues, Thurs, or weekends. I really want to open up time for writing I didn't have before, and this is the best way I can think of. I'm going to take a few weeks and see how this schedule works. Right now everything is up in the air...

So, my new home! Want to hear about it? It's a furnished basement apartment in a neighborhood. We rent from a family and right now I can hear them all running around upstairs. :0) It's really nice. Our living room looks out over the backyard and behind the fence, there are woods-y trees (not too thick--I can see a house on the other side because there are no leaves, but enough to where we won't see them in the summer). It's been raining so I can't check it out, but there's a drop-off of some kind and I'm hoping there's a creek down there.

My room is beautiful. So bright and "beachy". Thanks for all of your advice! I used a lot of them and now am in the final stages of arranging things. I'll post pictures in a week or two. Right now there's an empty bookshelf because I left all my books at home, due to the fact that I needed to purchase and put the shelf together and wasn't sure when that would be accomplished. Since I can't bring all my books, I'll need to go through them in the future and pray the ones I must have will all fit.

I spent Friday moving and unpacking (some friends came to help), then my new roommate, a friend, and I went shopping for home decoration stuff that night. I'm not much of a shopper, but it was fun and I got a lot of the "I need to get this to finish my room" pieces, like shelves and hooks and stuff. And some pretty vases, pillows, and baskets. It was strange falling asleep that night. New bed, new place, unfamiliar furniture... my mind was all swirly. I was overwhelmed. Do you know that feeling?

What about your characters?

My newest WIP (which, in all that's been happening, I haven't been able to work on in a while) is struggling with that right now. She's ... displaced... I guess that's the right word... and trying to find her way in a new world that once was familiar. I've battled my way through this a lot in missions (the combination of jet lag and culture shock is potent, even if it's on a return back to the States) and will work through it again. As I write this, I don't feel so "out of water". But it's making me think of all the little ways I can play with my newest MC as she tries to cope.

What keeps you grounded when your world turns on its end? Or your characters?

For me, it's my faith. That's the biggie. And then little things matter a lot. But I'll talk about that on Wednesday! See y'all then!

Letter From a VIP--Very Important Poodle

2010-01-22T05:00:00.009-05:00

Dear Friends--

My sister asked me to write this post for today because she is extra busy this week. She's been packing and finishing last minute projects, working out, and most of all, cuddling with me. Though she hasn't exactly told me why she's packing, I know what it means. I always do. I always know it's coming before she tells me. The first time she packed to leave I tried to help by removing all the socks from her suitcase. It didn't work. She doesn't wear socks anymore and I stopped doing laundry years ago.

This time she says it's different.

She'll still come back and visit--often, because best friends can't go long without seeing each other--but we won't get to cuddle every night like we want to. At least she's not moving to Africa again. She did that once and I didn't like it. Thankfully God sent her back early. I was so happy.

I understand she has to leave and I believe in her. I love her so much that I will forgive her absence, but I still refuse to talk with her over the phone. I don't know how my sister gets in that little machine, but I don't like it. She'll have to come see me in person. But she says she's fine with that. I'll be here waiting for her. I always will.

She's been preoccupied this week and sad as well, with the same expression she has before going overseas. Anxious about all that needs to be done, excited about what's ahead, and upset to leave me. She says when she comes back in the future it won't be for a week or longer, but just a few days. We'll make do with the time we have, I guess.

Will you pray for her today? And me too. My poodle-heart is heavy (though my sister would say my belly is still the heaviest part of all). My sister said to tell you that she'll be back in blog world next week. It'll be a week of celebration despite the sadness of the weekend, because Monday is not just her first day of full time work--it's also her birthday. What timing... kind of like when I decide I need to go outside just as she sits down to eat lunch. Anywho...

Thank you for understanding. I think I must go and entice my sister into playing with the hippo. That always makes her feel better--even though she says she prefers cuddling most of all. But who can resist a poodle and a hippo?

My regards to all--

-POODLE
(Mitsi Gail Boodylicious)

Packing and Settling In

2010-01-20T05:00:00.007-05:00

With what I do for a living, packing is a way of life. I don't even blink at it anymore. I'm not a procrastinator with it, but don't see the point of packing until the night before a trip. Mostly because it stresses out my poodle. After years of going overseas for months at a time, I've gotten pretty good and packing only the essentials and none of the extras. It's to the point now where if I'm packing for less than a month, I don't take it seriously. Which means I overpack for a week--not a good thing.

I guess the epitome of this was two years ago, when I returned home from overseas and had three weeks to completely cut my life off here in the States because I was moving to South Africa for a year. I was supposed to lead a three month Swazi trip and then settle down outside of Jo-burg. My scheduled return was set for December. I had two suitcases. One with bare essentials for Swazi and the other with "fun" clothes, my new warm North Face jacket, my favorite chocolate candy, a pair of shoes, and a notebook full of dvds. It's humbling to reduce your possessions to two suitcases, a carry-on, and a book bag. Even more humbling when you return to America after only three months because you're sick, run down, desperately in need of rest, and most of all, walking in obedience. I walked back into my room that day and felt so detached from all the things that were once so familiar--and are so again.

Now I'm faced with another packing dilemma. The blessing of a fully furnished apartment (and a different allotment of space--translation, less storage) means I can't take everything I originally planned on. How do you decide what's important? I want my room to feel familiar. I want my apartment to feel like home, even this temporary place. So as I sit in my room now (the one I've known as "my room" since I was a child), I'm overwhelmed with trying to decide what to take.

I need y'all's help with something. Any of y'all good at decorating? I'm not, although I do have a close friend who is and who will help me. I need ideas on how to make my room feel like me. Even though it's temporary, it's important. I can't paint, but can rearrange all but one (old) piece of furniture. I can't put nails in the walls, but can use sticky tack and other dorm-style tricks. My colors are the beach: blues and purples with bright accents-- yellow, orange, and pink. I love natural light. In fact, I don't turn on "fake" lights until the sun goes down. And I love bright, in case my blog didn't clue you in on that fact. :0)

How would you brighten and make my new room "beachy"? Your ideas will definitely help me out this weekend!

On Friday there will be a special guest post by a VIP!

Sometimes It Happens Really Fast...

2010-01-18T05:00:00.008-05:00

Hey, Friends! How are you? Happy three day weekend!

So this is going to be an interesting week for me. I'm moving on Friday!

I haven't met my support goal yet, but I am seeing God provide in some cool ways--like a temporary place to live! A girl at AIM is letting me stay with her until I meet my support goal. How cool is that? She rents a basement apartment from a family. The location isn't convenient--about half an hour from the office--but it gets me up there, which is the most important thing of all. I'm excited and anxious, with a mind racing full of lists of things to do. It's easy to get stressed out but I'm trying to make wise decisions and focus on what I value most right now. Extra projects can wait. Even writing can wait. Right now I need to pack and cuddle with my poodle.

The apartment is actually fully furnished and my future roommate has lived there for a while. So my lack of stuff isn't an issue--everything from plates to a bed and dresser are provided. Now I have to sift through everything I've collected over the past few months for my new apartment and see what I can actually take. Until I get my own place, I'll leave a lot of stuff at my parents' house. Since I adapt to big changes slowly, this is actually the best possible way I can do it. Now I just have to go through it all. Right now that seems more monumental than just packing it all up at once!

Anywho, if I seem different this week--noticeably absent from blogs (I'll still come on mine throughout the day and will try to read y'all's, but I might not comment this week) or a bit emotional, that's why. I get like this whenever a big change comes. As soon as I make the transition, it's better. It's just the building up that kills me. I plan to be back as "normal" on Monday.

This is a big week for me--moving, reaching 100 followers (woohoo and thank you everyone!), starting my job full time, and my birthday next Monday! So much to take in! See you then--and hopefully around the blog world this week as well. Thanks, Friends, for understanding and being there. Thanks for your prayers, support, and encouragement!

-K

As thankful as I am for this place to live, I still need help with support. If you've been praying about it and would like to contribute, please go to this post or click here on the AIM site. Thank you so much!

Cut the Fat

2010-01-15T05:00:00.012-05:00

Hey, Friends! This week we've been talking about things I've learned from P90x. Pray for me--today is Yoga X!

So, there are some things Tony does to annoy me. Some of his jokes really aren't funny. He calls the people behind him "kids". But I like how he tells me it's okay if I can't do everything they do. He says, "Do your best and forget the rest". I can do that, because the people behind him must be superhuman. For the most part I appreciate his job teaching me and talking me through the workout.

There is one thing that trips me up every video. He says the name of each move, which is great. But sometimes those names are massive. We're talking 5+ words. It just sounds difficult because it takes so long to say. So when he says the name of a move, I'm left trying to decipher the meaning of the words he just said and miss the beginning of the exercise. You know why? Too many words.

We can overdo this. I had a teacher in college so intent on cutting my essays that they bored me--even if they were on interesting topics. She cut so many words that only meat was left, no "potatoes". Have you ever tried to eat a meal of pure meat? You need the other stuff. But it's like Brad Pitt's character tells Matt Damon's in Ocean's Eleven: "Don't say eight words when four will do". (Or something like that--is it six? Anywho, you get the point).

I struggle with being wordy. I was reminded of that again when I edited my novel last fall. And I seem to like compound words. We use word pictures in the South and I find them randomly slipping into my speech. For instance, I have a friend who says "church house" and "boss lady". There are places where it works great. But there are others where we need to cut the fat. If we choose the right word, we won't need the phrase. The word itself will pack such a punch that it'll be more than enough. It won't need qualifiers or description. Passive verbs are a huge waste of words. So are complex verb phrases (where it takes more than one or two words to complete the action). Linking "to be" verbs add bulk too. Adverbs (NO! Not adverbs!) mean a verb needs a qualifier.

Don't cut all the potatoes (oh, I love potatoes!). Don't be like that professor with her meaty essays. We want a delicious story, one we can savor with every page. Just lose the unnecessary ones. Make your words speak for themselves--and leave the rest of us captivated. It's not that less is more--it's that better is more.

How do you "cut the fat" in your novels?

See y'all Monday!

Change it Up

2010-01-13T05:00:00.012-05:00

This week we're talking about the things I'm learning about writing from my new work out program, P90x. Since this post is set for Wednesday, I'm driving back from my future hometown and taking a day off. But tomorrow I'm back at it!

So P90x's claim to effectiveness, other than its "extreme" regime, is variety. Tony (the speaker dude) says the cliche a few too many times--something about "spicy" variety. What he means is: "change it up".

The program itself is based on variety. For every video, there are four people on stage doing any of four possiblities for each move. Some are more difficult than others, but all of them work. I'm currently in Phase I, which means I do a specific schedule of videos in a seven day period. But next week is my "Recovery Week" and it'll be more stretching and cardio--not really resting because I'll have to do Yoga X twice! Then I enter Phase II, which has a completely different arrangement of videos. Tony says that by varying the workouts and changing them up just as our bodies get used to them, we'll confuse ourselves out of plateau-ing. They even have a nifty little graph to illustrate it, but you get the point. It's something exercise gurus have said for a while--don't do the same routine every day. Change it up. Push yourself. Don't get stuck in a rut--your body will too. If you want to see results, be willing to get out of that groove.

All I know is that three weeks in, I'm not bored. And that's awesome. Because while I used to have laser-like focus which lasted hours, I eventually went to college. And now I'm more ADD than I was going in. Still, it's getting to where I can quote Tony's bad jokes before he says them, which isn't the greatest thing in the world. Then again, I'm not particularly witty when I'm suffering either.

As it is with exercising, it's important to change it up when we write. Maybe we change our sentence structure, rebuild a scene, or subtract a character. Maybe we take the roundabout approach to a conclusion only to cut across at the last possible minute. Maybe a character says something out of the box, maybe a plot twist scatters everything to the wind, or we just need to re-think word choice. How can we make our stories the best possible? Often it means getting out of our own groove.

We're working with limitations: twenty-six letters...and few basic plotlines. But how we use those twenty-six letters, how we work the plot, and how all the other variables like characterization, syntax, dialogue, foreshadowing, etc., can make all the difference. Though cliches say it so well, we have the opportunity to make it new--and say it even better! Shakespeare was notorious for writing plays based on well known plots--even stories! I.e., Romeo and Juliet. What made his works so incredible weren't the barebones. What made R&J timeless was how he wrote the story. That doesn't mean we don't need to come up with stories of our own. Plagarism isn't cool. But it does mean we need to throw ourselves--and possibility--into every word. Though cliches say it so well, we have the opportunity to make it new--and say it even better!

Tolkien's a great example of this. He read Shakespeare's Macbeth ::swoon:: (I love love love that play--not so much R&J!) and was disappointed on a few points. Guess what came out of that? Ents. That's right, when he read Shakespeare's depiction of the Great Birnam Wood, he said, "I can write that better". So he did. And Eowyn's line in Return of the King: "I am no man!"? That too came from Tolkien's version of how Shakespeare should have written it. As much as I love Macbeth, I have to say, Tolkien did it better. He used every possible variable he could.

How do you change it up?

On Monday Elizabeth Spann Craig posted about the Basic Plots of writing. As always, a great post. And I thought it went well with the one I wrote last weekend for today. Great minds, eh?

What Kind of Clues Do You Give?

2010-01-11T05:00:00.007-05:00

Hey, Friends! Thank you so much for your responses on Friday. You really encouraged me!

So, a few weeks ago I started working out. This had absolutely nothing to do with a New Year's Resolution because a) I didn't make any and b) I started working out almost a full week before 2009 ended (ha!) and had everything to do with the fact that I've wanted to work out for a while but because of this weird limbo I'm in, haven't been able to. My life has been such the past few years that I haven't been able to establish a set exercise time. Going somewhere for a few weeks/months and coming back for a few weeks/months then repeating the process does not a schedule make. The only time I ever regularly exercised overseas was in India last spring when I did pilates on the marble floor of my room and then ran in the triple digit heat. I stopped doing that when the triple digits hit 120+. I decided that being alive was enough at that point, especially since I hate working out. Plus I was tired of dodging peacocks, rickshaws, motorcycles, construction piles, random children, water buffalo, and demonic dogs. :0) But that's another story for another day...

Because it is so stinkin' cold outside (I know I live in Ga, but highs in the 20's and lows in the teens is COLD! And we did get "snow dust" last week, the closest I've ever seen snow to Christmas in my life! And in case you're wondering, I'm still in flip flops) I can't run (and I hate running anyway). I can't join a gym here anyway because I hope to move in the next few weeks. So I was left with one resort, a gift from a friend: P90x.

If you haven't heard of P90x, just turn on infomercials during the day or late at night. It's the one with super muscular people talking about how they can now leap tall buildings because of its magical powers. The "x" stands for "extreme"--which it is. What was I thinking?

Today starts week 3 for me and I'm still going strong. Woohoo! Take that super-in-shape-and-therefore-intimidating people! This program is intense. I'm doing the lean version, so it's cardio and core, shoulders and arms, abs, yoga, legs and back, kenpo (Law of the Fist!), Plyometrics, and so much more. By now I have my own personal names for each workout and there have been times I started calling out to Jesus in whatever language came to mind (I try to learn the basics in every country I go to).

P90x has made me think a lot about subtleties in writing. Like foreshadowing for instance, little clues which hint as to what's coming. These can vary from soft phrases the most astute reader barely notices to making the setting crackle with tension. In P90x, Tony (the speaker dude) isn't so subtle. I've learned that the number of times he says "Let's get busy", "This next move is one of my favorites", or the yoga position "Downward Dog" directly correlates to the amount of pain I'll be in the next day. Talk about foreboding!

But while Tony is not very subtle, he does have a few tricks up his sleeve. Dual purpose work outs, I call them. Like Kenpo, which means "Law of the Fist". I like to call this one "Accidentally Punch Yourself in the Face" because I'm convinced I'll do that one day. But I'm sticking with it because it's different, it's insane cardio, and it's teaching me self defense. I might punch like a girl, but by golly, by the end of these 90 days, I'm going to have great form doing it!

And then there's the explosion you didn't see coming. In life, it's a lot like when
I boarded a plane for Cambodia and ended up stranded in India for two weeks. In writing, it's a lot like a super awesome twist that even leaves us as the writers stunned. In p90x, it comes in the form of Yoga. Having never done yoga before, I didn't realize it was a violent sport. I mean, isn't it usually associated with peace and tranquility? I thought so until I tried it for the first time. My friends warned me it was a Beast. Their stories left me a little intimidated. Ten minutes into the 90 minute video, I very, very scared. Did I mention that my "recovery" week schedules me to do yoga multiple times?

I guess even working out has its up side--like teaching me about writing. :0)

What kind of clues do you give? Do you like to play with them? I try foreshadow certain things in my stories, but it really helps when you know the ending--which is a toss up for me as a panster. I seem to have a knack for "accidental foreshadowing" (that's when I accidentally do something right without realizing it). It's such an important part of the story that I really try to work on my symbols, phrasing, allusions, etc. I love duality, when something works many different ways. And even the occasional "explosion"--as long as it doesn't leave me stranded in a foreign country again! I'd prefer never to relive that night ever again!

See y'all Wednesday!

It Also Takes the Church

2010-01-08T05:00:00.008-05:00

Hey, Friends!

I've gone back and forth over how to say this. I've prayed about it for weeks and asked God to give me wisdom over if this post should happen. Right now I have peace about it. If today's entry rubs you wrong, please come back again on Monday. I promise it'll be back to normal.

Just as no writer exists in a vaccuum (we also identify as parents, spouses, children, siblings, friends, cousins, co workers, etc.), I have a second idenity as a missionary. It's been such a pleasure and an honor to share my journey with y'all--to tell stories, speak about the opportunities and obstacles in front of me, and let y'all see this incredible life God has given me. I can't begin to describe how much it means to me when you tell me you're praying for me and that you support me in this. Your encouragement means so much.

I truly believe that this ministry isn't mine. It's God's, ultimately, and it belongs to all of us. Because while I'm so thankful that I get to go and do all of this, I can't do it without people praying for me and supporting me. The emails I receive overseas really keep me going. Here in the States, too. We're partners in this ministry. My fruit belongs to y'all too, because without you I wouldn't be out there. It's pretty cool to think about how everything I do is connected to so many people. Without the Church behind me, I wouldn't be able to do this. God never meant for missionaries to go rogue. We need to be sent out, to be covered in prayer, and to have others share in our ministry.

I've told y'all in the past about this awesome opportunity to join Adventures in Missions. We're an interdenominational organization who goal is to make disciples wherever we go. I'm with the Ambassador (or the high school) program as an Administrative Assistant, which is everything from scheduling travel and purchasing tickets to writing for the program, managing the students' blogs (I know!), training the students, and actually going. We hope to send up to 300 high school students to up to fifteen countries next summer. Can you imagine the impact on the nations? I am so excited!

So my role is going to change my life a lot. I'll be based out of the States. I need to move to the area, which is why I've been apartment hunting and trying to make all of those decisions. I'll still go overseas, but it won't be for six months or years at a time. I'm really looking forward to being "settled" versus going somewhere every few weeks, to having a place of my own, and being able to impact the field from all sides. My missionfield just expanded exponentially, because those 300 students will be my fruit--and y'all's as well.

Here's the thing: the week before Christmas I sat down with the HR department and went over my support. You see, I'm not getting a paycheck. I'm still supported as if I were living overseas. We decided to push back my move in date because I don't have enough yet to sign a lease or meet the utility bill payments. Since I won't have a roommate, I need to make sure I have enough for it all and I really need help. My support goal is for $1400 a month. This budget includes rent, utilities, gas for my car, food to eat... you know, the basics. It does not include overseas travel, so any financial gifts to come in over that amount will go towards flights, lodging, transportation, and food when I'm overseas.

Right now I need $600 more a month to meet the initial support goal.

I know, it sounds like a lot. And there's a myth in support raising that if someone can't give a large amount, it's not worth it. That's simply not true. All gifts are big for me because I understand exactly what the sacrifice means, whether it is giving up a Starbucks coffee a week or a couple of fast food meals a month. A $10 or $25 a month gift means as much to me as a gift for several hundred. One time gifts are so appreciated, but I also need people to commit to monthly support. I need to be able to present a list to HR saying that "this many people have committed and this is the amount projected each month". This is to make sure I don't sign a lease, move in, not have the support, and then get evicted within a few months.

This is such a personal decision (which is why I hesitated to write about this), and I know the economy has severely crippled many of us. As a writer, I understand the lack of financial compensation for a lot of what we do. I just ask for you to prayerfully consider supporting me, whether it's a monthly gift or a one time donation. And that no matter what you decide, that you will cover me in prayer. I know that God is going to provide for me. Right now I'm just waiting to see how He does it.

Here's all the information for financial support:

Contributions can be given via credit card at http://www.adventures.org/give. If you choose to donate via the secure website, just click on the “AIM Staff” link and type my name (Kristen Torres-Toro) when asked.

Or snail mail to: Adventures In Missions, Inc., P.O. Box 534470, Atlanta, Ga. 30353-4470. If you choose to donate via snail mail, my name just needs to be on the memo line. All checks need to be made out to Adventures in Missions.

The most important part is to specify that it’s for Kristen Torres-Toro.

If you'd like to read my missions blog, just click on the link. There's a place there you can sign up to receive automatic email updates everytime I post there.

Obviously, this is a personal decision. If you'd like to reply privately instead of in the comments below, you can email me at kristentorrestoro[at]gmail[dot]com or my AIM email: kristentorres-toro[at]adventures[dot]org.

Also, if you'd like to receive my support updates (via email) or a snail mail newsletter, just let me know with your information (an email or an address) and I can make that happen.

I just ask you to pray about giving. And if you can, please give. Either way... whatever you decide... thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how much it means to me. I can't even put it into words. I am just so thankful for each of you. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for praying.

By the way, the cool thing about this life change is being able to focus on writing as well. So none of this changes blogging, writing, or my pursuit of publication. It just means I'll be in the States more and won't be living with my poodle at my parents' house.

See y'all Monday!

And It Takes a Team...

2010-01-06T05:00:00.008-05:00

Hey, Friends!

This week we're talking about relationships--of all kinds--and how they influence us. Hopefully the literary theory on Monday didn't leave you cross-eyed. That class was the hardest one I ever took, but was definitely the most beneficial. Literary Theory fascinated me in college and I got to use a lot of it in papers and stuff.

Anywho... so today we're going to look at another relationship we know very well in our culture: teams. And our picture is going to be the greatest sports movie ever made: Remember the Titans.

One of the primary characters in this movie, Julius, understands the meaning of teamwork. Throughout the movie, he urges his teammates on by his words and example. His conflict at the beginning of the movie with Gerry only demostrates his handle on both of these dynamics. As the movie progresses and the team comes together under his and Gerry's leadership, they begin to win games. Why? Because they work together.

But there's one person on the team who refuses to completely join in until the final game--Coach Yoast. He worked all his life for the state Hall of Fame only to be sidelined for a new coach. There's a lot of disagreements as the two men butt heads. They have different coaching styles, different pressures on them, but they have two things in common: they love football and they have precious little girls. The two coaches have an agreement. Coach Boone is the Head Coach, but Coach Yoast's area is Defense. Yoast has something to prove. After all, he is supposed to be in the Hall of Fame. But during half time of the State Championship, he realizes that his pride could make the difference between the Title and second place. So he asks for help.

The result is a fluid, beautiful example of a team working together. Suddenly, all the boundaries are gone. There isn't Offense and Defense, just the Titans. They move as one; they celebrate and groan together. It's the coolest thing to see.

Our stories and their casts of characters are kind of like a team. Maybe there are a few key people in the forefront, but we need them all to make the story work. A story with one character is flat and boring. A story with secondary characters who vie for the limelight is disconnected. It doesn't flow. But when we're able to wrestle the characters into obedience and they do their jobs, something cool happens. They support each other--even the antagonists. Even though a story might be about one particular person, they need everyone else to tell the story in a complete, authentic, and compelling way. Our novels need that same fluid give-and-take as the Titans needed to compete for the State Title. Our characters need to be a team, not just a cast given certain actions and speaking lines.

Sometimes that's easier said than done. I feel like I'm learning more and more about this everyday. The best thing I've found is taking a step back from the story and evaluating its composition instead of individual pieces--like a mosaic. It's easy to get caught in the individual tiles and miss the continuity of the work as a whole. We need both viewpoints to make it work. It's hard to make everyone memorable without taking the focus from the protagonist, isn't it? But if we're able to get them to work together, the result will be a story that lives instead of falling flat.

What are some of your tricks to coaxing exact and appropriate activity from your characters?

See y'all Friday!

If It Takes a Village...

2010-01-04T05:00:00.010-05:00

Hey, Friends! Happy New Year! I hope these past few weeks have been incredible for you.

One of the coolest experiences I was my organization's Christmas party. A good friend was in charge of decorating for it and she asked me to come up and help her out. So I spent the week before Christmas in my future hometown, consumed with the minute details of preparation. It was so cool. My friend is so talented when it comes to this. She knows how to make anything beautiful. The coolest part of all was how she did it. A large portion of our decorations came from people's homes. There were souvenirs from trips overseas, statues, candles, bowls, and platters. I thought it was so cool how "home" was represented in the room. The tools we used to make the centerpieces were borrowed from different people in the organization. And finally, we used what God gave us--pinecones, sand, rocks, branches, etc. My friend even dried orange slices, tied twine through them, and used them as Christmas tree ornaments. This was the final product:

Some of the different branches of the tree:

The finished tree:

One of the tables/centerpieces. I think it's funny that the statue seems to be pointing the way to the food!

Here, the statue seems to be pointing to the window. We used that one for "formal" photographs for couples.

Several of the tables and the tree:

The food table! The other half of the magnificent duo who designed this party used to cater for weddings. The food was incredible!

Pretty cool, huh? The room was beautiful. Why? Because my friend had a vision (and the manpower to carry it out). She saw how ingredients from so many walks of life could come together and make something beautiful. Her eye for detail made the room what it was. People exclaimed all night at how incredible it was. Some remarked on specific reasons why they sat at certain tables--their favorite color, the design of that centerpiece, the view of the incredible tree, how a specific piece reminded them of their time overseas.

If the room existed solely in a vaccuum, it would have been beautiful. But what gave it such a profound impact was the relationship of the pieces she used. Our memories, our love of nature (and candles--after all, we've all had to live without electricity), and our experiences layered beauty and gave it depth.

There's a literary theory that says literature in itself does not exist in a vaccuum. Instead, it is contigent on so many different factors, from the work's physical appearance, its existence on the shelves, the author's mindset as he/she wrote, the reader's mindset upon reading, the reader's experiences, memories, and influences, etc. For a reader, the sum total of the impact of the story depends not only on how well we wrote it but also the reader's needs as well. This is one reason why so much of literature is subjective, why this book on missions can rock me but perhaps move someone else in a different way. I went into the story with memories and experiences that made me better able to understand the story and relate specifically to the plot.

Perhaps the best way to think of it is as a symphony. While the work is the composition as a whole--what the audience hears--what makes it are the ingredients of the work (all the different instruments and the expertise of those playing them), the reaction of the audience, and the emotional connection between the two based on memory, taste, desire, experiences, etc. Someone who spent years trying to master the violin will have a greater appreciation for that portion of the symphony and will listen for it above all the others. Someone who loves the flute will watch the flutists with excitement. Does that make sense?

(By the way, offhand I can't remember the name of this theory. It's been years since my literary criticism class and while it was the greatest class I took in college, the textbook and my folder of papers are buried in the basement. I usually just think of it as the "Contingency Theory").

Anywho... what makes this so important are how relationships influence stories--and our reactions to them. We (both as authors and as readers) approach stories with the full person of who we are. And that what makes stories come alive. That's what creates those magical moments, when we've discovered another author we love, another book we will celebrate, for the rest of our lives. It's why so many of us see writing not only as a calling or something we can't not do, but also as a ministry. We hope that our stories will inspire healing, hope, or a myriad of other things. Why? Because of relationships. It's all connected.

It takes a village to create a Story.

Is this something you've ever thought about before? Or is this theory difficult to understand, ridiculous, etc.? The great thing about theory is that it's supposed to make us think. We don't necessarily have to agree. So, what do you think?

Taking Stock...

2009-12-30T05:00:00.007-05:00

Hey, Friends!

What was your favorite New Year's?

Mine was last year. I was in India, invited to a party at a neighbor's house. We got to meet the family and had the most fascinating conversation. They gave us chai (hoorraay!) and a dessert (not so much of a hooray), then they went dancing. I was in bed by ten. Jet lag, you know. This year, I don't have any plans--other than to be asleep by midnight. :0) I'm actually a night owl but lately I've been waking up at the same time everyday without an alarm clock. Staying up doesn't have the same appeal it once did.

What are your plans, if any?

2009 was a great year for me. I started it off in India, wondering where in the world my life was going and am ending it with direction. That's pretty cool. I started reading writing blogs in January, in July started my own, joined ACFW, and even had a magazine pick up two of my pieces (a nonfiction article and a short story). I also queried a novel, received roughly ten battle wounds (ahem... rejections) and spent most of the fall overhauling said book. My plan is to re-submit spring 2010. I'm trying to wait until the Nano downpour is out of the way. I started novel #6, started coming on staff with a missions organization, and most importantly, cuddled with my poodle as often as I could. All in all, a pretty good year.

2010 already has one strike against it because I can't make a smiley face out of the digits like I've been doing with the double 00's for the past decade. But other than that, I have great hope. :0) I guess I could still make a smiley face, but it would look weird. And I don't know whether to call it "2-10" or "two thousand ten". Which do you prefer?

I don't really make New Year's resolutions. I used to make twenty every year. I'm not really sure why, just that I felt like it had to be twenty. Then I scratched them all and just started making the same one: to be ambidextrous. Whenever I'm bored I try writing with my left hand in pursuit of this ambition.

I do dream, though. This time next year, I want to have an agent. I want either a book on submission with a publishing house or a contract. I want novel #6 to be written, edited, and ready. I want to revise book #4 and have it ready as well.

Guess I better get to work!

This is my last post for the week--and the year. I'll see y'all 4 January. Have a great (and safe) New Year's, whether you're asleep before midnight (like me, hopefully) or stay up into the wee hours of the night. I love y'all and am thankful for you!

Post Christmas Game of Tag

2009-12-28T05:00:00.005-05:00

Hey, Friends!

I hope you had a great Christmas! Mine was great. Now I just need to recover from that deep fried turkey! Yum!

So, I've been tagged! Here are my answers to all of these literary questions. I didn't tag anyone because everyone I could think of has already answered these questions.

What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?
The first thing I wrote that I still have... I think my first novel, which I've vowed to burn because it was just that bad, is still around somewhere...

The last thing I wrote… I’m working on a devotional for my program at AIM. We send students on two week, three week, and four week trips with a devotional for each day. They are all different so returning students will not repeat what they read the year before.

Write poetry?
Sometimes.

Angsty poetry?
I love moody. :0)

Favorite genre of writing?
To write? Women’s fiction. I think there’s so much room to play in it and it’s just so rich. To read? I’ll read a lot of genres, but my favorite is probably women’s fiction as well.

Most annoying character you've ever created?
A character for a short story I wrote in my creative writing class. It was my “cathartic release”. We’d been studying Flannery O’Connor (love her!), so I decided to write something similar. At the time I worked in a dry cleaner’s and hated it. So I wrote a story about a college student in a dry cleaner's. Some of our most notorious customers made cameo appearances (I changed their issues but kept it similar) and finally, the Queen of Idiots came in. Let’s just say she got what was coming to her, Southern Gothic style.

Best Plot you've ever created?
Book #4 was the most technically challenging plot I ever created. It gave me such a headache, but when I finally figured it out, I felt like I’d climbed Everest. I really hope to see it published one day. It won’t make a great “first book” so I’m just sitting on it for now.

Coolest Plot twist you've ever created?
Definitely in book #5, the one I spent the fall hyper-editing. Let’s just say the twist is awesome. :0)

How often do you get writer's block?
Too often. I don’t want to talk about it. :0)

Write fan fiction?
No.

Do you type or write by hand?
Hmm. Depends. If I do write poetry, it’s by hand. Papers in college were always by hand first, then typed. Books are typed. Which is why I can’t write outside. And since I love being outside and Nature is my muse, sometimes I get bitter about that. :0)

Do you save everything you write?
No.

Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?
Not really.

What's your favorite thing you've ever written?
Books 4 and 5. I love them both so much. I really hope Book #5 will be my first published book.

What's everyone else's favorite story that you've written?
Hmm… Not many people read my books (because I'm partially still in the writing closet and keep my novels close), but so far it's a tie. Book #4 is really dark and has so much going technically—parallels, foreshadowing, intense conflict, etc. People have said that it’s haunting but has helped them find healing for things in their own lives. Book #5 hasn't had as many readers, but people seem to really like the themes in it.

Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?
I wrote chick lit once. It was Book #3. The rest of my novels have romance in them, but that’s not the focus.

What's your favorite setting for your characters? The South. I love playing with all of its craziness.

How many writing projects are you working on right now? Novel #6 has two completed chapters. But for work, I’m writing a devotional that is almost finished.

Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I won “English Paper of the Year” two years in a row in college. And I won second place for a poem, Snow Globe, in a different university-wide contest.

What are your five favorite words?
"Quite". And judging by how often I use it, "that". I'd love to campaign for it to have meaning again! Just kidding. Also, the words my friends and I made up in high school: "zephenous" and "guavadent".

What character have you created that is most like yourself? Hmm. Probably Brooke, my mc in Book #5. We both try to live by faith and really value our relationships.

Where do you get ideas for your characters?
Life in general.

Do you ever write based on your dreams?
No.

Do you favor happy endings?
Only if it works. Some books with sad endings are my favorite because those endings are so rich and layered.

Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
Yes. I really try to make it all work. My problems with grammar come when I edit and don’t completely replace the first draft lines with the revisions.

Does music help you write?
Yes. I listen to movie soundtracks while writing fiction. My favorites are Dreamer, Pirates of the Caribbean, Titanic, Narnia, The Pianist, Road to Perdition, all of the Lord of the Rings, and anything by Aaron Zigman.

Quote something you've written. Whatever pops into your head?
I wrote this a year ago, on New Year's Eve, in India. It's posted on my old missions blog, but I think it's new to most of y'all. Enjoy!

A Feast Fit for a King

Conversation swirls around me as colors mix and flow through my line of sight: red, orange, yellow, blue, green, purple, gold--garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, peppers. The scent of onions mixed with wood smoke makes my eyes burn. A small pile of garlic grows near my ankles, where I sit cross-legged in a circle of women, removing the "good" from the bad... a husking of sorts. A glass of chai sits by my side, purchased on the street and prepared with local water. When it is finally cool enough to sip, I am amazed at just how good it tastes.

Laughter erupts as a Hindi woman tries to get an American girl to eat a hot pepper. Half of the women close their eyes and look away. Some laugh and others protest loudly. "Nehi," Patima, an old woman with a leprous left hand, says. "Do not eat." Still, this daughter of Mississippi threatens to bite off the end to everyone's delight.

One piece of garlic, two, three... the work is methodical and easy. It's pleasure. As the conversation swirls around me, I find myself lost in the normality of the moment and the beauty of all around me; of gnarled hands shelling peas and bandaged disease-formed feet resting close to the food, almost in the pile. No one cares that we are American and Indian, sick and "whole". No one sees our differences. We are united in our common humanity--the need for food--and most of all, the need of Him.

See y'all Wednesday!

An Unusual Gift

2009-12-23T05:00:00.006-05:00

I got a cool gift last weekend.

A friend and I were in a grocery store, walking by the magazine aisle, when she stopped and pointed. "Hey, isn't that the Susie magazine?"

"What?" I stopped and scanned the rack. There it was, set apart from the rest. Not my issue--that won't come out until spring. But this was the first time I'd seen the magazine in stores. For those of you unfamiliar with the mag, you might not be realize its editor, Susie Shellenberger, was the editor for Focus on the Family's Brio, a magazine for teen girls. I always dreamed of for writing for it, and in 2005, the magazine purchased one of my pieces. It was never published and in February of this year, the magazine released its last issue. Thanks to the economy, we lost one of the greatest resources for teenagers across the world. But that didn't stop Susie. Not long after, she launched her own magazine with a vision to create an global sisterhood for teen girls. How cool is that?

Needless to say, I bought the magazine, even though it wasn't my issue. The check out lady saw the mag and said, "Isn't it refreshing to see something else beside Tiger Woods in the media?"

"Yes," I agreed, handing her my money. "I write for this magazine. My article will appear in the spring."

"That's so neat!" She finished ringing me up. "Congratulations. I wish you well!"

So, that was really cool. I didn't see that coming. It was the first time I've been able to tell a stranger like that. Most people in my real life don't know about those articles or even much about my writing (they will one day, but I'm remaining in the closet for as long as possible in order to protect my own sanity). What an awesome moment! Not as great as I imagine picking up my own book will be, but still one of the coolest gifts I could have received. It came at a great time.

So did the reason for this week's celebration.

Between Malachi and Matthew, there were four hundred years of silence--four centuries where the Israelites had to wait without word from God about the coming of His Son. It's called the "Intertestamental Period". Some of the more vigilant were still watching, waiting for the prophecies to be fulfilled. But just imagine it--no one alive knew anyone who'd heard anything new from God. Not even their great grandparents did. During those four hundred years, Israel was in exile some of the time, either taken as slaves or their country was occupied. Heroes like Judas Macabbees helped rescue them for a time. So that's what Israel was looking for: a military, conquering King. What they got was a baby in a manger.

But that was okay. Just give Him time. He'd grow into that Heroic King.

But instead of military prowess and tens of thousands to slain by the jawbone of a donkey, their King ate with tax collectors, let prostitutes wash His feet in public, and healed people on the Sabbath. He died a criminal's death by hanging on a cross.

Then there was that little issue about coming back to life. Now that was heroic, except that the Israelites were still under Roman rule. And now the King's followers were in danger of persecution and death at the hands of both Israel and the Roman Empire.

Definitely not what the people expected. What an unusual gift.

What a perfect gift.

I am so thankful for Christmas and will spend this week savoring every moment that I can. I pray the same for all of you. This will be the last post for the week, so I'll see y'all on Monday! Have a wonderful, beautiful, Merry Christmas. Or as they say in Swaziland, uKhisimusi muhle!

Have Your Tastes Changed?

2009-12-21T05:00:00.008-05:00

Hey, Friends! Happy Christmas week! Or as the sweet orphans say in India, "Happy Marry Christmas" (complete with the unique spelling)!

They say our taste buds change every seven years. I definitely believe that. I'm such a picky eater and my stomach problems don't help the situation at all. This isn't a good combination for a missionary, because you're expected to eat whatever is put before you, from chicken intestines (oh yes I did!) to turtle (YUM!). Needless to say, my taste buds have changed a lot! The first time I came home and told my mom I liked onions, she was speechless. When I got excited about chili, she looked at me like I'd grown nine heads. I have so many new treasures--avocadoes, certain kinds of soup (never was a fan of food I couldn't chew--and I have this thing about mixing food), omeletes (same with the mixing). It makes me very happy and keeps my mom wondering if I'm actually the daughter she gave birth to or a really good extraterrestrial replacement.

Other tastes have changed over the years as well. I never was a big fan of Christmas music until I spent a Christmas season in Africa. Even then, I didn't want to hear it because all my team wanted to play were songs about snow. It was ninety degrees outside. But when I came back to the States three days before Christmas, I couldn't get enough of it. The next year, the same. This year, I've played Christmas music every day since December rolled around (never before--never, never, never!). I've even purchased some for my ipod. GASP! Unthinkable!

Have your tastes changed over the years? Have your characters' tastes?

I started thinking about this heavily the other night. You've Got Mail was on and it's probably one of the only Christmas movies I will watch aside from Narnia (I don't know why, I just never liked Christmas movies. And I'm not a huge chick flick fan). But I love this movie for the writing/book aspect. And I pretty much like anything Tom Hanks is in. His characters are awesome. (By the way, I consider it a Christmas movie because it's always on that time of year and a huge portion of the movie is set during that season, but I'm not altogether sure if it's classified as such).

So, I'm watching this movie, half in the the story and half out, thinking how dated it is. I mean, look at the technology, Meg Ryan's clothes/hair, the lighting, etc. And does anyone talk on IM anymore? I use skype, but that's it. But it struck me that the conflict in the story is still going on today. Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) owned a book store called "Around the Corner". It was in business for forty-two years and was as much a part of her as it was her heritage. Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) built a book superstore nearby that sold the same books at a cheaper price, and she began to lose business.

At first, Kathleen couldn't believe that anyone would go to Fox Books. She had a relationship with her customers. They'd known each other--and her mother--for years. Books weren't just a way of making money to her. They were friends too--and her customers viewed them the same way. But their tastes changed, or their pocketbooks protested really loudly, and Kathleen had to close.

We don't have many speciality book stores in my area. All we have are the major ones scattered across the US. But we have something now some of us probably didn't see coming: E-books and of course, the new movement in self-publishing. Neither of these were around in Kathleen Kelly's time, which was barely a decade ago. If you'd told her or Joe Fox what was coming, they probably would have laughed.

But our culture has changed. And with it, so have our tastes.

It'll be interesting to see what rises to the top.

Right now, I can't imagine ever choosing an e-book over a "real" one. I can see myself buying an e-book as a supplement to the "real" one, so that I have it with me when I travel overseas, but not as the top choice. Then again, that's paying twice for one book--even more money. A digital reader is just something else to steal overseas, another thing you have to pray you'll find electricty for just to charge it. But maybe when the technology gets a bit better, the prices plummet, and other stars align--who knows? Maybe my tastes will change.

After all, I never thought I'd eat onions, let alone intestines.

What do you think?

See y'all Wednesday!

Choices of Reason

2009-12-18T05:00:00.006-05:00

Hey, Friends!

This week we've talked about choices and how they impact our lives and reflect values. In example given this week (my apartment options, "community view" versus "parking lot", and your choice to re-read any book for the first time again, your answers revealed your heart. What about the reasons we make these choices? Is it possible to have a good reason and it still be wrong? Can it be wrong for one person and right for another?

The characters in my novel have a lot of choices in front of them. Big choices. Choices that not only determine the trajectory of the future but hold the potential to really hurt people close to the characters' hearts. My antagonist is so wrong, but her reasons for her decisions are the depth of her love for two people in her life and her fear. Fear skews her decision and provides the major conflict in the novel. Her decisions set that proverbial domino effect in motion.

But there's another major decision in the novel, one of sacrifice. A primary character chooses to see the antagonist and understand her heart. Her choice brings healing, because the reason behind it is pure love without fear.

Both characters make decisions based on love for the other. The difference is the absence of fear.

When I make decisions, I ask God for peace. Usually I try to "wear" the choices, meaning that I've spent this week mentally trying to imagine my furniture in all three of those apartments and playing images of myself coming home after a long day of work. As I write this, I haven't made a decision. But I know the one I choose will be the one that brings peace.

Peace is something I've been learning a lot about lately. God started with faith, moved on to surrender, and now is connecting it to peace.

Which leads me to a personal decision I made earlier this month. You see, this is the most prolific time of year for me. But other than blogging, I haven't really been writing. When I write, I lock myself in my room, which means my poodle, who loves to come by but doesn't hang out in my room, is not with me. Right now, I'd rather spend time with her. Because in a month or so... I don't even want to think about that. Though I have ideas now that I'd love to run with, I just can't bring myself to leave her. And if I sit with a notebook or a computer in my lap, she pushes it aside. So I'm using that time to read instead. The only deadline I'm on right now is my own, so I decided I value cuddle time over writing.

What choices have you had to make this Christmas season? Your characters?

Have a great weekend! See y'all Monday!

Word Choice

2009-12-16T05:00:00.006-05:00

Hey, Friends! Thanks for all of your reponses on Monday! I really enjoyed your perspectives. I'll definitely let y'all know what I decide. Right now I need to wait for other things to fall into place before I can sign a lease. This whole process is so circular and to tell you the truth, I'm kind of tired of it! Hopefully I'll know something soon.

Today we're going to talk literary choices. First topic--word choice.

Words build a novel. They are the soul of a story, what makes it come alive on the pages or over soundwaves. Word choice can make or break a novel. It's such a great feeling to find just the right phrase, that image that is so real you can't believe you created it. Sometimes the search for it can be difficult but when it fits, it just feels perfect.

I started thinking about that this week when one representative at the complexes told me certain patios had community views. I thought that meant I'd have to share a deck with someone. It turns out that a "community view" is a fancy way of saying, "parking lot". Big difference, huh?

What other interesting terms (or words) have you discovered recently? I still get a kick out of "previously owned". When I worked at the dealership I had to bite my tongue a lot. "Pre-published" is one I've claimed for current state of being. It's kind of funny too!

Second, while staring at my bookshelves and thinking about all the hassle it's going to be moving said books (and shelves) to my new apartment, I started thinking about arranging the shelves. I file books by feeling. I'm not really sure how someone as organized as I am doesn't care if her books are in alphabetical order, but mine aren't. I have a "favorites" shelf. Other books just find their own placement. I can't explain it. Women's fiction is next to suspense which is next to historical fiction... the only shelf "alone" is fantasy. Every book on the shelves has been read (I never file an unread book) and I keep multiple books by the same authors together. But there's no system for organization other than feeling. So, I really wanted to ask y'all: Am I the only weird one in this? How do you "file" your books? Are your shelves alphabetical, by genre, in the order you bought the books, what? I'd love to find out the secret of your shelves!

Finally, last week on ABC's Castle,

I heard an amazing question that inspired me. I knew I had to ask y'all. On the show, Castle (the author) and Beckett (the detective) worked with a man with amnesia. As they looked through his apartment, the amnesiac remarked that he'd have to re-read all of the books all over again because he didn't remember them. To which Castle replied, "What I wouldn't give to be able to read "The Cask of Amontillado" for the first time again".

First of all--great reference! And I love that he dressed up as Poe for Halloween. But I digress...

What a great statement! I had to ask y'all--what book would you love to read for the first time--again?

Hmm... For me, I don't know. So many to choose! But on my short list: Charles Martin's When Crickets Cry, Narnia, books 4-7 of the Harry Potter series (reading them straight through), and The Lord of the Rings.

Have a great day! See y'all Friday!

Decisions, Decisions

2009-12-14T05:00:00.008-05:00

Hey, Friends! Happy week before Christmas!

Our topic this week is going to be about choices. Does anyone else have trouble making decisions? No? Just me? Lucky!

Okay, so I'm in the middle of a big life change at the moment. In January I am moving an hour and a half away and will work full time with Adventures in Missions. I'm pretty excited about this and scared to death at the same time. Most importantly, I'm not looking forward to leaving my poodle. She's my best friend, my sidekick, but she can't come with me. So Kristen and Mitsi Gail Boodylicious are going to be very sad in January. Okay, not going to think about that right now.

So, last week I went up to future hometown and toured apartments. My mind is all swirly right now with all the choices before me. I found three possibilities. Since I'm on support, budget is going to be a huge determining factor. But let's just pretend--we'll call it fiction--and say that I could live in any of these places. Which would you choose for me? All are 1 bdrm and 1 bath because I will not have a roommate.

The dream place (a bit more expensive but great value) with the biggest closets and a little writing nook?

The place with the best prices but not quite as nice, the smallest closets, the best fitness center, and a side entrance within running distance of the lake?

Or the place with almost the best prices, second-nicest apartments, mirrors on the kitchen wall between the cabinets and the counters (seriously--why?), almost the biggest closet, a garden tub, the most privacy, and a wooded view?

All three complexes are safe. They all have pools and fitness centers (really small gyms), and business centers. All are in a similiar location.

Poodle's no help. I asked her I should do and she told me not to move. I just really want to love where I live. I want it to feel like home, like my place. I want to feel creative there, safe, and not like a sardine.

You can learn a lot about people based on their choices. Characters, too--whether they fly off the handle, what makes them act out, and what their motivations are. Decisions reflect values. Because while I'm not the biggest fan of the mirrors in the kitchen in apartment #3, it appeals to me as an introvert. And I really value garden tubs. Both #2 and #3 appeal to my love of nature. #1 is just an awesome apartment. A lot more space, plus the writing nook. It's probably closer to work and my friends than the others. So, what do I value more? Hmm...

What about you? What do your choices say about you? What about your characters?

And most importantly, where should I live?

See y'all Wednesday!

You See, I Read this Book... (Part 3)

2009-12-11T05:00:00.008-05:00

It's Feature Friday!

Okay, hopefully you all are excited about the great unveiling today. I am--because I hope that a lot of people buy this book and support this author. She's amazing!

Here it is!

My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay.

A few weeks ago, Nicole Baart blogged about this book, the Australian author, and even had a giveaway. As soon as I learned that I didn't win the contest, I bought the book. I started reading on a Sunday afternoon and finished it on a Monday night. I couldn't stop reading, and it only took me that long because I made myself stop reading it just to digest everything. To know more about this book and the author, please check out Nicole's post on the link above. She said it so well I'm not going to say it again.

What I want to talk about is my reaction to this book. You see, it's about a teen who goes on a two month missions trip (two weeks of training and then six weeks in the field) to Indonesia. While she's there, violence breaks loose. The team has to run into the jungle for safety and travel many, many miles in search of a way to get back to the States.

So, you can see why I liked this book. It's about a missionary. But it was more than that.

Definitely, I knew the world Lisa described. I've never been to Indonesia, but I have lived in the jungle and I've spent a lot of time overseas in nations like Indonesia. I understand the missions trip mentality, as I have been on many of these trips and led four of them. I did not go with the same organization, so our experiences differ there. But there is too much similarity to just ignore it.

This book is different because it's not an easy read. I don't mean the writing is unaccessible; in fact, it's the opposite. McKay has incredible talent. The story is not easy. It's not a "beach read", I guess. That's why the book moved me so much. My time overseas hasn't been all happiness, bunnies, and fluffy clouds. There have been incredible times when I've seen miraculous healing or someone come to Christ. There have also been times when I've experienced tremendous loss, violence, and the instinct to flee and find safety. I understand culture shock from both directions and the difficulty of re-entry all too well--especially after a difficult trip. Though my story and Cori's (the main character) are very different, reading hers helped bring healing to me.

Sometimes all you need is someone to say, "It's okay. I understand. I lived it too. I know where you are." Cori did this for me. I will read this book over and over as long as I live. I will pass it on to everyone I think it will help--especially those in ministry (whether overseas or not). The subject matter in this book is not easy. The characters' traumatic story could overwhelm you. But for me, it was what I needed.

Thank you, Lisa McKay! I'm already fascinated by your life, but your book has profoundly impacted me. Thank you for writing it. I put your book on my shelf next to the books by my "favoritest of favorite" authors. And thank you, Nicole Baart, for featuring her on your blog.

Have a great weekend! See y'all Monday!

You See, I Read This Book... (Part 2)

2009-12-09T05:00:00.004-05:00

Hey, Friends!

Today's post is building up to a book feature on Friday. I just wanted to show it differently because this novel had such a profound impact on me.

You see, I read this book and it was personal.

A few weeks ago, we talked about authenticity, comparing it to my quest to find great Indian food in Atlanta. An authentic story is definitely personal. But there's something else to it, ya know? Maybe it's the perfect storm of the setting, the plot, and the actual writing style. This book definitely has that. But still I believe there's more.

I loved your comments on Monday about the names God has given you or the reasons why y'all write. When you said certain things, I thought, Oh yes, me too! I know that feeling. It's part of my reason. Your responses really made me think and evaluate my own life--so much that I rewrote the post for today.

You see, I went back to that room and looked in the mirror again (and the almost three years that have passed between that moment and now). I realized that sometimes I forget to live this identity. My characters do that too. Sometimes they forget. Sometimes they even choose to return to the safety and the horror of what they knew before.

Some days it's not so bad. I almost believe it. But then there are the days or areas of my life where I look back into the mirror, see the old name, and believe it instead. There's been a lot of talk in blogdom lately about insecurity. I know that struggle well, especially in writing. Sometimes it's easier to believe the lie, because then it doesn't hurt as much when you try so hard and it doesn't work out. This way you just prepare for the weight of disappointment beforehand and soften the blow.

My pastor has talked a lot about faith lately. The other day, he said something I can't forget: "It doesn't make sense for you to believe God for something He already did, like: I believe God's gonna make the sun rise this morning when it's already noon. That isn't faith. But how many of you have given up believing God can do something? Why do you think He's going to fulfill something now that you don't even believe He can do?"

Ouch.

There are things I have been tempted to give up believing in the past, like dreams of publication. Sometimes even the thought of success is overwhelming, because while failure stinks at least we know it. It's safe. Living the new name isn't safe. That's when we return to the old one.

The thing about the new name is that you can't just see it and walk away. You have to live it. You're accountable to it. That's what makes it personal.

In this book, characters are forced to reckon with things that completely change them and their perspectives on life until the day they die. Their internal struggles are so great as they battle what they knew to be true, what they saw, and where they are now. Isn't that a battle we all face at some time or another?

Have you or your characters turned back to the old name? Why?

How do you fight to live your calling?

See y'all Friday! I promise you'll find out the name of the book then!

You See, I Read This Book...

2009-12-07T05:00:00.004-05:00

Oh my word. Wow. That's all I can say. I finished reading this book last night that shook me. It rocked my world in such a way that I can never go back to who I was before. Though it's about to be placed on the shelf, it goes with me today. Perhaps every day.

You see, this book made me remember.

A few years ago, I acted in a... trail... of some sort. It was a room called the "No Hope" room. The characters inside depicted various people in the throes of desperation and hopelessness: homeless and begging for money, addicted to drugs, abusive relationships, cutting, etc. My character was "low self esteem girl". They put me in front of a mirror with some make up and a candle. The room was hot and putrid, the air tasted like rotten trash. It was dark, loud, full of weeping and screaming as we all went into character. Angry music blared from the speakers. In every way, it was uncomfortable.

I settled into character, begging God to give me the strength to go all out for this persona. My hair was mussed out of its normal style and my face made up with dark shadows and messy mascara. I grabbed the tube of lipstick and wrote on the mirror. Over my image the blood-red "UGLY" judged my reflection.

I guess I should stop right now and say that there was a point to this room. We see people like this every day. Maybe we don't know who they are because they aren't physically screaming in our faces, but they are right in front of us. Or maybe we do, but we're so uncomfortable that we don't know what to do. Maybe that person is--or was at some point--us. Maybe we understand exactly where they are and haven't dealt with it yet. Or maybe we just need our hearts broken with compassion.

As people walked into the room and watched us locked in heartwrenching pain, they froze, unsure of what to do. It was too much sensory detail to take in at once, too much horror. I kept acting, staring into that mirror and weeping as my character demanded. I was so caught up in that I didn't see or hear anything else in the room.

Out of the darkness, a hand touched my back. Someone knelt beside me and smeared the "name" on the mirror. So lost in character, I panicked. Screaming "NO!!!" I lunged for the lipstick and tried to rewrite it. She fought me until the lipstick broke and just held me. I kept acting, praying inwardly to see what she would do. And she started praying--loudly--for her friends that she knew who struggled with this. She prayed for people whose names she didn't know. She even prayed for me.

After it was all over I saw something. When my character panicked and fought to rewrite that horrible word on the mirror, even I was surprised. I expected relief. God, where did that reaction come from? I asked him. Mentally, I replayed the scene over and over, each time feeling my heart jump, afraid, when she smeared the word. Then I felt something else: loss. When the girl erased the word, she took my character's identity. "She" didn't know who she was after that.

Then I saw a new name on the mirror: "Beauty".

The moment stunned me, much like now, when writing a character's story and seeing how God works in that person's life. Suddenly, I had to know. God, what name has been written on my mirror? And what is your name for me?

The answer to that, is between me and God. He gave me a new name that day. And with that name came a calling. It's the reason I'm in missions. I'm not called to a certain people group. My people are broken. They are in every land, every nation, in the church and not. They are in Hollywood, on Capitol Hill, and elementary schools. They need Jesus to come and heal them in some way, whether that be physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, etc. This is my calling. It is also why I write. I was a writer before that day. I finished my fourth novel not long after it, actually. But it was the first time I was able to put into words the ministry writing is to me.

This book brought me back to that day, when I saw the new name on the mirror for my character and for myself. It moved me in such a way that I had to tell you about it. Because I think we all know books like this. They are different for each of us and the best part is when they come from out of nowhere. I didn't expect this book. And yes, I will tell you what it is--on Friday. It just had such an impact on me that I wanted to dedicate a week of blog posts to it.

Because, you see, I read this book and it made me remember why I write.

What is your reason?

Do you need to remember?

See y'all Wednesday!

Be Prepared for Anything

2009-12-04T05:00:00.007-05:00

Hey, Friends!

This week we're talking about character development using the analogy of my adventures puppy sitting. On Monday we talked about how our characters are their own "people" and Wednesday, about how important it is to look for the little moments and find the human side of our antagonists. Today we're going to talk about the most important rule: be prepared for anything.

I never knew what Roi was going to do. If he trotted off, tail bouncing happily, I only assumed that he was plotting something. If he disappeared for more than a few seconds, I had to find him. Though I could guess where he was (and the tell-tale bell sound of his collar usually led me right to him), I found him in some interesting predicaments. I had to block the stairs and the dining room, close off another room, and make sure he was far away whenever I opened the dishwasher. I had to plan my trips to the kitchen because he'd wake up from his nap at the sound of the ice maker and follow me, ready to get into more trouble as soon as he settled down and I went for a snack! I had to know that he would want to go outside as soon as the show I waited for all day was on tv, right after a commercial break ended--and it had to be right then--even if it was freezing and pouring rain. I had to be on the look out for toys and his own tiny body, to move the toilet paper (very tempting to play with) up high, and spray "Fooey" on every chewable surface. Of course, it turned out that he liked the stuff and no matter how careful I was, I ended up tasting it instead.

The same is true with our characters. Like we talked about on Monday, they are letting us into their stories. And if we truly let go and let them show us their lives, we need to be prepared for whatever they bring us--whether it's celebration, joy, chaos, or silence. In life, I'm highly detailed, a planner. I don't like chaos or spontenaity. It's so ironic because as a writer, I'm more of a panster than a plotter. I usually get one word or image for a chapter (this is only after I'm a few chapters into the actual story) and that's it. I've learned the hard way that even with that limited plan, my characters always take the story in another direction. And if I spend all of my time fretting over that plan, I'll miss what they are doing. Instead I just have to strap myself in and hold on. Things that are set for the end of the story happen in the middle, one conversation changes the entire course of the plot, and one phrase creates a new theme. I could fight it, but honestly, I always love the finished products so much more. The "accidents" make it all the more "real" to me.

I realize that this might be a bit easier to do if you're a panster. What are you tips, you plotters out there? How do you handle it when your characters change it up?

Below, Roi with a great big smile:

By the way, check out one of the last comments from Wednesday's post. Somehow our little furry antagonist figured out how to find my blog. Now, who taught him how to type?

Oh no... Roi's discovered Facebook. Looks like he's changing it up again!

"He's Such A Character"

2009-12-02T05:00:00.006-05:00

Have you ever said that about one of your pets? Or of a child? Or someone so precocious that's all you can think of to describe them?

If there's one way to describe sweet baby boy Roi, that's it. He's a character. With a gleam in his eyes and the wild thrill of puppydom, all of life is an adventure. He wants to play, to feel the wind in his ears, to gnaw the world to splinters, and sleep only when he collapses. With his own unique sense of humor, fears, needs, and desires, he definitely is own "person", as we talked about on Monday.

There were times when this little puppy drove me crazy. He wouldn't listen and kept chewing on the furniture. He started playing with the bell he rings so he could go outside, and if I didn't take him, he'd bark and whine. But he didn't have to do any business. He just wanted to eat the leaves.

But even in the chaos, there were moments where he was completely adorable. Like the sweet kisses he gave me when I picked him up to take him outside. Like how he let me cuddle with him right before I put him away for the night. Like how he'd randomly turn and look at the television, then tilt his head as different images appeared on screen as if he were really watching it. Or the times he looked at me simply with such a beautiful combination of trust, innocence, and humility. I find that expression often in animals, especially dogs. I think it's what draws me to them.

But I had to look for those moments. Those were the events that made everything worth it, the moments when he became sweet once again.

Have you ever looked for the human, vulnerable side of your characters--particularly your antagonists? What makes them click? What makes them cry? Have you ever felt sympathy for them?

I had an interesting experience writing and editing the book I just finished revising. In short, I fell in love with my antagonist. Her actions made me so angry because she was so wrong, but when I looked at her motivation, my heart broke for her. This character is so misguided and full of grief--and she doesn't know why. Her actions are a direct result of her genuine and beautiful love for certain individuals in her life, unfortunately it caused more pain than any other conflict in the story. Why? Because it came from her. At first, I hated her. But the more she opened her heart to me, the more I understood her. The more I identified with her. And it was those pauses, the sweet, vulnerable moments that drew me to her. After walking through her story with her, I want all of my antogonists to be as real to me as this lady.

Have you looked at your antagonists and seen more than their mean side? What makes them tick? Are they human--real "characters"?

The face of a ferocious antogonist. Notice the underbite. Grrr.

And now, a super sweet moment:

See Y'all Friday!

Tuesday Tidings

2009-12-01T05:00:00.008-05:00

Hey, Friends!

I know--I'm blogging out of schedule. Plotters, please do not freak out! I just thought I'd have an extra post this week and take care of some "housekeeping".

First of all, I had a silent contest yesterday. I've actually been holding it for quite some time now. But y'all didn't know about it because it was "silent". :0) So the contest was for my most recent goal: getting 30 comments to one blog post in a single day. Some of those comments could be mine as I replied to you, but whoever scored the "30th post" would win a prize. Well, I don't know if it was the super cute puppy or the fact that turkey compelled all of you to visit me and comment yesterday (Did you miss me over the break?), but I reached my goal for the first time! WOOOHHOOOO!!!! Please celebrate with me! And the winner is Terri Tiffany! WOOHHHOOOO!!! Terri, you win an authentic red-orange Indian pashmina that can be worn as a shawl, a scarf, used as decoration, or even regifted for Christmas. :0) Please email me at kristentorrestoro[at]gmail[dot]com for your address. It'll be in the mail next week because I can't get to the post office until then!

For everyone else, beware! I'll have silent contests in the future. You'll never know when they will pop up!

Second, I now have a writing Facebook profile. Right now it's under "Kristen Torres-Toro Author". Please "friend" me, if you'd like. Actually, this leads to my question of the day: do you think it's presumptuous to say "Author" if you're pre-published? Should I just change it to "Writer"?

The idea for this came from the awesome Elizabeth Spann Craig's post on Facebook. If you've never read her blog, please go check it out. Her advice on having a private and professional account solved my problem of wanting to goof off with friends while still pursuing the marketing/platform side of this business--especially until it is a done deal and I'm actually published in book form. I've really chafed at the idea of using my personal Facebook for business. I'm a really private person and didn't know how to use Facebook without feeling like I was losing something precious. Yes, I'm aware that it is the internet, but I still don't want a bunch of strangers reading something I'm saying to a close friend. I want to personally know everyone on at least one account. This way, everyone's happy--except for my friends who suddenly think I've married someone with the last name "author"! Wouldn't that be nuts!

This also solves a separate problem for me. My current name will be my pen name if I ever get married, but I plan on taking my husband's last name in "real life" without the maiden name. This way I can build a page under my author name. If I ever do get married, I'll drop the "author" on the writing profile.

Third, I just heard that Danny Gokey is going country and I am so thrilled.

Fourth, it's December! That's fun!

Fifth, I heard the most beautiful version of Silent Night a few weeks ago on Grey's Anatomy. It's sung by Sara Ramirez and is so beautiful. Unfortunately, it's not available on itunes. But go check it out on YouTube! There's a conversation in the middle of it, but you can still hear it in the background.

That's all for now. Have a great day, Everyone! And thanks for making mine yesterday! See y'all tomorrow. We're going to talk about antagonists!

A Mind of Their Own

2009-11-30T05:00:00.003-05:00

Hey, Friends! How was your Thanksgiving? I hope it was great! Mine definitely was. Now I need a break from the break! Isn't that always how it goes?

This week we're going to talk about characters, but with a twist. You see, the week before Thanksgiving I puppysat for some friends. I love their sweet little boy. He looks a lot like the ottoman on Beauty and the Beast, with a swirl of long black and white fur and thick, snowy paws. His tail curls over his backside like a DQ ice cream cone, his eyes are slightly unfocused in that sweet "puppy" look, and his precious underbite is more adorable than pirahna-like. At five months old, his puppy belly still jiggles, he still goes limp when tired, and the puppy breath is beginning to fade. He's also highly active, doesn't need as much sleep, and tries to chew/bite everything. With a particular penchant for leaves, going outside is less to do business than it is to play, something that drove me crazy because I couldn't get anything done.

Sometime in all the running about, declaring things like: "Good boys don't bite" and trying to coax him into cuddling (he seems to think that my favorite activity in the world is playing--same as my poodle--which, for the record is just not so), I realized that he was teaching me a lot about characters, even though he just thought he was making me crazy.

The first thing he taught me was that he had a mind of his own. You see, I had a grand plan for the week I stayed at my friends' house. I planned to edit to my heart's content, work on my other projects, and even start writing my WIP again. I mean, I had a week of nothing to do but write. Paradise, right?

Well, the first four days went by with no writing. Why? Because Roi (pronounced like "Roy") had his own plans for the day involving his girlfriend (a stuffed dog), tennis balls, his squeaky monkey, chewing the furniture, hiding under the furniture, and of course, the aforementioned leaves outside. None of those plans included a nap, my favorite activity of the day. Roi wouldn't let me work. He wanted to play and even when he didn't want to play, he wanted to wreak havoc. He had to be with me everywhere I went--and I mean everywhere--and didn't want me on the computer at all.

At first, I was really frustrated. But you know what? He was letting me into his life, into his own world--a world full of adventure, fierce conflict (or you'd think it by his growls), and simple pleasures--like froclicking in the leaves outside. He had his own ideas, his own instincts, and separate desires. He wasn't like any other dog I've ever known. He was his own "person".

The same is true with our characters. Sometimes it's hard to remember that they are their own people with completely separate desires, ideas, needs, and personalities. Often I forget, and it's only after being stuck in a scene with no idea what's going to happen--and being bored myself-- that I realize the character might have something important--and entirely different-- to say. It's when we reliquish control of the reins, given them their "head", and allow them to freedom to move, to breathe, to speak that their stories come to life. After all, we aren't telling our stories. We're telling theirs'. And while our stories might be bound up with theirs', it's not our turn to speak. Our turn will come. But when it's their time, we need to be willing to completely enter their world--and see where this completely different person will take us.

It wasn't fair for me to expect Roi to be like me, my poodle, or anyone else (dog or person) I've ever known. I had to let him be who he is--a precious, very energetic shih tzu.

What about you? Do you need to let your characters loose?

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2009-11-25T00:00:00.004-05:00

Hey, Friends! I so enjoyed your Thanksgiving stories on Monday! Thank you so much for sharing your memories with me! And can I just say, I am SO LOOKING FORWARD to deep fried turkey tomorrow! (For those of you nonSoutherners, I guess I should explain that this is just how we do it in the South. Down here, anything fried is Biblical). WOOHHOO!!! And mashed potatoes. Oh my goodness... I'm making myself hungry again.

This is the last post for the week. I think between the turkey, the watching of football (which bores me--I'd rather play than watch any sport), and the shopping (I'm not a shopper), I'm gonna need a really loooonnnnnggg nap and therefore will be unable to leave y'all an fascinating post on Friday.

I just wanted to say that I'm really thankful for this blogging community. When I stumbled on "blogdom" earlier this year, I wasn't sure I was going to go for it. It's such a commitment, I thought. What if I can't think of anything to write? I feared. And then the age-old, what if no one likes me? I never expected to find such rich friendships with like minded writers! This "underground"... er... cyber, I guess... world is a lot of fun! Thank you all for your friendship, your comments, encouragement, prayers, and laughter! I look forward to seeing all of y'all online!

On another note, I saw a movie on Saturday I wanted to promote. I know that there's a different "hot" movie of the week, but seriously, go check out Sandra Bullock's new movie, "The Blind Side". It's a football movie with a twist--full of great dialogue, awesome characters, and a truly gripping Southern story. I hope you'll like it as much as I did. Then again, Sandra Bullock is one of my favorite actresses. And I love sports movies.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving, that your time with family and friends is more wonderful than stressful and that the moments hover somewhere between eternity and perfection here on earth. May you eat a lot of great food, find the best Black Friday sales, be safe, and discover awesome stories for future bestsellers. Have a great weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving!

See y'all Monday!

Revision, Thanksgiving, and Memories

2009-11-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Week, Everyone!

I have happy news on my revision efforts--this round is complete! Wooohhoo!! I'm excited because this round involved a lot of rewriting. In a way I feel like I have a whole new story! Actually, most of the elements are the same. What's changed is how those elements are depicted. There's more conflict, backstory is woven throughout the novel instead of dumped at the beginning, there's more dialogue, and less telling. I'm pretty excited! I also just finished re-reading and doing heavy line edits, lamenting over all my beautiful adverbs, (trying to) correct my little comma problem, and looking to see if everything works. I think the story is a lot stronger than it was, which makes me REALLY excited! Now I just need to type all the edits in.

It's kind of appropriate that I'm doing all of that right now, because my novel is set in the months of November and December. Thanksgiving and Christmas are pretty major events in the story, and not because they are holidays. They just aren't a part of the setting as far as "time", they are catalysts for major plot points.

So many things go into holidays, ya know? There are traditions, familial cultural habits, our national habits, and then the individual events in our lives. For our characters, it gives us a lot of room to play. There's more than just a gathering and a meal going on; relationships can grow, change, and fracture, characters can develop, and plots can take off. They can be scenes of warmth, conflict, celebration, grief--or some combination thereof. Holidays are so rich for stories simply because their options are unlimited. One side comment, one slip on a wet floor, one missed place setting and Armageddon can erupt.

I love chaos--just not in my real life. It's fun to write though! ::laughs maniacally:: Ha!

Have you ever written a holiday in your story? Did you play with it? What was your favorite Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear your stories!

My favorite Thanksgiving was in 2007. I was in Swaziland, Africa and dreading the day because I knew I'd miss my family and America a lot. Before that, I'd only been overseas on July 4th, so it was my first major holiday away. But we had a huge surprise planned for our team. It's a long story, but we ended up spending the weekend in South Africa. A generous--and wealthy--family of one of my students flew in and threw a feast for my team--and sixty other people!! Most were Americans, but there were South Africans and Swazis in attendance as well. This, of course, was their first Thanksgiving, since it's not an African holiday. I was clean, actually straightened my hair and wore makeup for the first time in months (I don't wear it normally, so it felt really weird wearing it on the field!), wearing a brand new dress purchased just for the occasion.

No one on my team knew until we pulled up at the restaurant. The daughter got the surprise of her life when her father walked out! I remember sitting at the table with my rock star team, eating traditional Thanksgiving food African style, catching the eyes of my best friends across the tent, and signing, "I love you". That night we even went to a mall for a few hours, so the experience was complete!

Below are some pictures of that event!

This is the best picture I have of our feast. I was too busy eating to want to take pictures. :0) We're trying to figure out how to carve the turkey at the moment. These turkeys actually had to be flown in and the restaurant staff had to learn how to make them because this isn't a typical meal there.

We were just happy to have meat--especially the guys!

Here I am with two friends. I think I was most excited about the mashed potatoes. I LOVE potatoes!

My Swazi brother, Musa, in traditional Swazi dress. It was a huge honor for him to wear that--this is not what Swazis wear in everyday life. They dress just like us normally.

See y'all Wednesday!

The Authentic Voice

2009-11-20T00:00:00.008-05:00

The best part about authenticity is its reward.

This week we've been using Jen and Kristen's Great Indian Adventure (Part III) as an analogy for authenticity. So far we've--barely--made it to the restaurant and ordered our food. The mood is set, save for the fact that the restaurant is WAY too quiet. If it were India, everyone would be yelling.

The first taste of our appetizer calmed any fears I had. It was so hot I downed an entire glass of water. And when my heavenly chicken curry finally came, I drank another gallon. It was so good! Instantly, I was on the other side of the world, eating with my fingers and sitting on the cold marble floor, asking myself how I could live without spice. The garlic naan was exactly what I'd dreamed of since August.

We found our portal to India.

After our meal, I order chai, which is the Hindi word for "tea". Chai is tricky because I haven't found a place in America that does it right. Most places call it "Chai tea" on their menus, which is a clear sign that it's not authentic--because they are calling it "tea tea". I figured this place was safe. So I placed my order.

This is not what I received. I did receive chai, just not the kind in the picture above.

I just had to laugh, though. The truth is that I've never been to a restaurant in India where everyone at the table got exactly what they ordered (food and drink). Something was always mixed up. If you ordered Coca-Cola, they'd bring an off brand that tasted nothing like it. If you sent it back and asked for Coca-Cola again, you might get "lucky" and score some Pepsi (if you prefer Coke over Pepsi like I do, it's still a sacrifice). Sometimes you don't get your meal at all. That's just India. So ordering something and receiving something different was the most "Indian" thing that could happen to me. It was most definitely authentic.

So far, we've talked about research and committment to Story as key ingredients for authenticity in our writing. Today we're going to look at something we discussed a few weeks ago--voice.

We need to know our characters, our setting, details, and plots. We need to do the research or else someone will know something is missing. We need to be fully committed to telling our stories, no matter the pain and fear we might experience. Most of all, we need to be true to ourselves. We need to know who we are, how we write, and where we shine. I'll never write horror. Mysteries would even be a stretch for me, as much as I enjoy reading them. And while my stories have romance, I don't know if I'll ever write a novel in that genre--even though I read them. I know where I fit now. Changing genres wouldn't feel authentic to me or to anyone else.

If the chicken curry hadn't been full of spicy fun or if the garlic naan had fallen flat, I would have been so disappointed. It would have been a while before I looked for another Indian restaurant, because I wouldn't want to risk it again. Our spice is our syntax, our rhythm, our subtle art--the inflections that are completely our own. It's what keep readers coming back, what hooks the agent from the first page of our sample pages. It's what makes us unforgettable.

When we write fully researched, fully committed, and fully like ourselves, we find authenticity. It's hard fought and takes a lot of time, but it will make all the difference!

Below is a picture of Jen and I, taken by her husband, photographer Jon Chandler of Jon Chandler Photography. Authentic Indian Adventure: Check! We'll definitely come back!

See y'all Monday!

***Images found at Google Images***

Danger During the Great Indian Adventure

2009-11-18T00:00:00.007-05:00

We were almost killed on the way to the restaurant.

Okay, I'm only exaggerating a little. You see, there's this interstate that goes around Atlanta. It's one big circle, full of potholes and semis. The speed limit is 55mph, but if you drive under 70mph you feel like you're going to be run over. I like to call this highway "Satan". I avoid it at all costs. In fact, I'd rather drive through Atlanta than around it.

But alas, we had to go around. And ten miles out, a group of motorcyclists going 90mph almost took out the entire section of highway. It was too loud for us to talk and too astounding not to comment on. Ironically, it just set the mood. After all, Indian traffic is like nothing I've ever seen in the States. To read a description of it, go here. It seemed appropriate to almost die on the way to dinner. Very... Indian.

As I mentioned on Monday, India is very capricious. Just because we were in America meant that it would be even more unnerving if she changed her mind. But on this evening, India smiled on us. She dropped us off politely--still alive might I add--and even pointed out the Indian grocery store at the end of the shopping mall. We were excited!

When we walked inside, we were in a different world. Hindi music floated from hidden speakers; red was the dominant color of the restaurant. Though none of the patrons were Indian (a possible sign for alarm), the staff was. Instantly my accent came back. I said "thank you" and "water" with flair. We found our favorite dishes on the menu and ordered.

Then we sat back to enjoy the night.

The thing about writing is that it's all a risk. It's dangerous. We're putting our hearts out there, transcribing the stories on our souls onto the printed page. And then we're offering it to people who will slash what doesn't work, honor what does, and tell us the truth about what's left.

If we're not committed, it won't work.

Have you ever read a book where the author didn't commit to the story? Has that ever been said about something you wrote? It's hard to put all of us in our stories. It would be so much easier if we could just walk right up to that vulnerable place and leave it there, without stepping over the line, exposing ourselves, and risking the possibility of getting hurt. Writing would be so much easier if we did that.

But then we'd never find authenticity.

Whenever I read a story where the author fully committed to be real--not pretty, perfect, or exactly what we want, but authentic--I'm left breathless. Authentic pain will not only find but will minister true healing. Authentic joy will encourage us. Authentic tension will keep the reader awake long into the night, unable to put the book down. Authentic friendship will remind us of one of the greatest gifts from God. And to depict those things, we have to be committed. We have to be willing to go to that place that isn't safe and risk everything. We have to trust the One who gave us the story in the first place. And we have to be completely honest.

Finding the restaurant wasn't enough for Jen and I. We had to go. We needed the full experience to satisfy our craving for an Indian adventure. We had to commit. It was the only way we'd find to satisfy that desire--even if it meant driving to the other side of a major city, risking our lives on the roads, and finally, entering a completely different world.

Committment is always worth it. Are you committed to your story?

See y'all Friday for the rest of the story!

An Authentic Adventure

2009-11-16T00:00:00.005-05:00

Saturday night held a highly anticipated event. I was so excited! Dressed in my purple penjabi, I felt like royalty. The chilly November air floated throughout my car and it felt just a little like India. My first few trips there were actually at Christmas, so I still associate "cold" with India. For a night, I could pretend. And the best part was I didn't have to suffer through the flight or risk being stranded in that airport again!

The beautiful and talented Jen Chandler of Woolgatherings and I have been friends many years. We met at a youth group a million years ago (okay... maybe 13?) and became great friends, neither of us knowing the other wrote. That revelation didn't come for many years. What excitement that was! In honor of our heroes, Tolkien and Lewis, we meet often at an undisclosed location for hours of writerly talk and great food. Last spring, we upped the ante and Jen joined me in India for a few weeks. So it just seemed natural that we have an "Indian" night. We spent days researching Indian restaurants in the greater Atlanta area, because unfortunately, there aren't any on our side of "town". We ended up driving clear to the other side.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Jack... I mean, Jen, arrived, looking beauiful in her penjabi, the color of an autumn sunset. Her husband joined us for this illustrious event. We dubbed him Charles and welcomed him to our group. Then we set out.

Our hopes were high. You see, after spending quite some time in India, I can tell from a glance whether something is authentic or not. Picking a random restaurant off the internet was intimidating simply because we wouldn't know until we arrived if the food was that intoxicating mix of delicious and so spicy your tongue is on fire. And since the prices certainly weren't authentic, it was a bit of a risk. We settled on a restaurant named for the Himalayas, more out of whimsy than anything else. The rest was up to... well, India. Experience with her (India) has taught me that's she's as capricious as a hurricane, so it was quite a gamble.

I've been thinking a lot recently about authenticity. How it's important in every part of our lives. I think the quality I admire most in people is authenticity. I want to see who they really are, not some facade they put on. I want to see authentic Christianity as well. If I don't--and if I'm not trying to live it either--it's so disappointing. I want the same things in what I read. I know from the first page if the author is really committed to the whole story. It's something I really strive for in writing as well.

As I edit and revise my novel this month, I ask myself a lot: "Is this authentic? Is it real?" I keep pushing myself, keep trying to find ways to reveal the true shades of the story in any way possible. I want this book to resonate. I want it to continue in the readers' minds long after the covers are closed and it's placed in a personal library.

How do we do that?

One HUGE way we create authentic stories is by knowing them inside and out. In other words, research. If at all possible, visiting the setting if it's not where you've been before. Have you ever read a book set somewhere you've lived and were let down by the depiction of the place you know so well? I have. Have you ever read a story where the plot didn't ring true? Yeah, I have to. It felt incomplete to me. It was missing something, that "it" factor that makes a story come alive. For me, those stories stayed on the page.

Jen and I committed to some major research for our Indian adventure. We read menus, compared prices, estimated gas mileage, etc. After quite some time, we narrowed our choices down to three. Our final pick came from instinct. When you've done the research, the gut kicks in and makes it work. The combination of our knowledge of India and the information we found on restaurants in the Atlanta area gave us what we needed to make a decision.

And when we finally arrived, we knew we'd made the right one.

Please join us for the rest of our Indian adventure and discussion on authenticity! See y'all Wednesday!