Chris Pepple's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
Words and Buckets and Blocks
Writing Challenge: Baskets, Buckets and Boxes
In our house, we have always sorted things by categories so my children know where they go when it is time to clean. For example, when the girls were younger we had an art bucket for art supplies, a Barbie box for all Barbie related items, a bucket for toy cars (and anything else with wheels), and so on. I picked up this idea from a parenting book when my first child was starting to accumulate toys. We stuck with it through the years. Now we have a box for electronic chargers, headphones, random socks, keepsakes, etc.
A couple of years ago, my youngest daughter wanted to fill one of our large buckets with water so she could sit in it and pretend we had a pool. She dumped the contents out on the floor and headed outside to begin her swimming adventure. Later, of course, we had to refill the buckets with the toys. We decided to look at each toy and decide if we still used it (or if we needed to donate it). It was fun to watch my daughter rediscover some fun items she had forgotten about.
Challenge: Write about a basket, a box or a bucket in your home that holds treasured items or accumulated odds and ends. In 600 words or less, describe the container and its contents without describing a person looking at them. See if you think of the items in a new way or if you rediscover your fondness for a forgotten item.
In our house, we have always sorted things by categories so my children know where they go when it is time to clean. For example, when the girls were younger we had an art bucket for art supplies, a Barbie box for all Barbie related items, a bucket for toy cars (and anything else with wheels), and so on. I picked up this idea from a parenting book when my first child was starting to accumulate toys. We stuck with it through the years. Now we have a box for electronic chargers, headphones, random socks, keepsakes, etc.
A couple of years ago, my youngest daughter wanted to fill one of our large buckets with water so she could sit in it and pretend we had a pool. She dumped the contents out on the floor and headed outside to begin her swimming adventure. Later, of course, we had to refill the buckets with the toys. We decided to look at each toy and decide if we still used it (or if we needed to donate it). It was fun to watch my daughter rediscover some fun items she had forgotten about.
Challenge: Write about a basket, a box or a bucket in your home that holds treasured items or accumulated odds and ends. In 600 words or less, describe the container and its contents without describing a person looking at them. See if you think of the items in a new way or if you rediscover your fondness for a forgotten item.
Are your characters alive?
OK, writers, here’s a key question for you—are your characters alive? I’m not asking if you are writing about nonfictional characters. I’m asking if your readers can feel the life you breathed into your characters.
If you want your readers to keep turning pages, they need to be able to identify with your main characters in some way. The readers need to care about whether your characters live until the end of the book. It’s your job as the author to breathe life into your characters through your descriptions, but also through how well your characters interact with their environment. Physical descriptions of characters alone don’t bring life to your pages. In the long run, unless the information is somehow tied to the plot, most readers don’t care what color your character’s hair is. That information does not carry a reader’s attachment to a character throughout the book.
So how do you make characters come to life in a setting? Think about what makes you feel alive in a new setting. Think about walking into your kitchen close to time for a meal. What senses awaken in you? Do you smell the food cooking? Do you feel the heat from the oven or the steam from a boiling pot on the stove? Do you smile at the remembrance of a similar meal? Do you hear the metal spoons clanking against pans? Do you spot your favorite dessert on the counter?
What about the senses that become heightened during tense moments? Do you hear the grating change in a person’s voice? Can you see the shadows fall against the wall? Do you smell a foul or unusual odor? Do you feel something warm or thick on the door handle?
You process all of the information sent to your brain through your senses as you change settings. Your senses bring back memories of joy or alert you to danger and make you sense fear. These senses should all be alive in all of your key characters. When they change settings, let your readers know what your characters are seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling. You don’t have to have every sense mentioned in each scene, but if your characters walk through different settings without several senses being involved, your readers are going to have a hard time staying interested in their lives (your book). When you bring the senses into play for your characters, you are stirring up memories for your readers to relate to.
Let the readers smell the food cooking. Let the readers sense the fear with the noises and shadowy images. Let the readers hear the twigs snap and the leaves crunch as your characters hike their favorite trail. Breathe life into your characters through all five senses.
www.chrispepple.com
If you want your readers to keep turning pages, they need to be able to identify with your main characters in some way. The readers need to care about whether your characters live until the end of the book. It’s your job as the author to breathe life into your characters through your descriptions, but also through how well your characters interact with their environment. Physical descriptions of characters alone don’t bring life to your pages. In the long run, unless the information is somehow tied to the plot, most readers don’t care what color your character’s hair is. That information does not carry a reader’s attachment to a character throughout the book.
So how do you make characters come to life in a setting? Think about what makes you feel alive in a new setting. Think about walking into your kitchen close to time for a meal. What senses awaken in you? Do you smell the food cooking? Do you feel the heat from the oven or the steam from a boiling pot on the stove? Do you smile at the remembrance of a similar meal? Do you hear the metal spoons clanking against pans? Do you spot your favorite dessert on the counter?
What about the senses that become heightened during tense moments? Do you hear the grating change in a person’s voice? Can you see the shadows fall against the wall? Do you smell a foul or unusual odor? Do you feel something warm or thick on the door handle?
You process all of the information sent to your brain through your senses as you change settings. Your senses bring back memories of joy or alert you to danger and make you sense fear. These senses should all be alive in all of your key characters. When they change settings, let your readers know what your characters are seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling. You don’t have to have every sense mentioned in each scene, but if your characters walk through different settings without several senses being involved, your readers are going to have a hard time staying interested in their lives (your book). When you bring the senses into play for your characters, you are stirring up memories for your readers to relate to.
Let the readers smell the food cooking. Let the readers sense the fear with the noises and shadowy images. Let the readers hear the twigs snap and the leaves crunch as your characters hike their favorite trail. Breathe life into your characters through all five senses.
www.chrispepple.com
Bible study encourages readers to leave a written faith legacy
Author Chris Pepple’s fourth book, Writing Your Faith Journey, challenges readers to put their faith into words. This resource encourages Christians to leave behind a faith legacy for children and grandchildren or family members and friends that will include thoughts on various faith topics that have been important on their faith journey. The resource can also be used to start community conversations that explore our faith foundations.
“We spend a lot of hours making wills and other legal documents to ensure that our personal and business assets are passed along to those we intend. I was once asked by a preacher if we took as much time to leave documents that passed along our faith legacy,” says Pepple. “Writing your faith means leaving notes, books, letters or journals that talk about what you believe about hope—what you believe about the comfort and guidance promised to us through the Holy Spirit—what you believe about church attendance—what you believe about forgiveness—and why do you believe these things—where do you get your beliefs…I’m sure mostly from Scripture, but maybe there are hymns or books or poems that deepened your beliefs about these topics.”
Guided questions are included in the back of the book. This study can be used by individuals or church groups/classes. Chris Pepple is available to lead seminars on this topic. Visit www.chrispepple.com for contact information.
“As a Christian Mom, I know how important it is to talk to my children daily about Scriptures and prayer and faith. We share Bible study time and incorporate our faith into our daily lessons. But I know that I won’t always be with my daughters. Whether my time on earth is short or long, I have no way of knowing. But for all of us, physical death will come. When I am not with my daughters or grandchildren, will they have faith questions that they wish we could talk about together? Will they wonder what I believed about a topic or wonder how I chose the church I chose for us to attend? Will they know my thoughts and feelings about my favorite hymns I sing?
“I have been journaling and writing letters for my daughters since they were very young. But recently I realized that I had not written down any of my thoughts about my decisions about which church we attend or about what I believe about baptism (among other faith topics). We have talked about my decisions as a single mother many times, but they may have questions later in life when they are raising their own children. I may not be available for them when the questions arise. I don’t want them guessing about what my words would be. I want to leave behind a faith legacy for my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren that will include my thoughts on various faith topics that have been important to me on my journey. I am reminded in Scripture of why Paul left us letters: ‘This is why I write these things when I am absent…’ (2 Corinthians 13:10).”
“We spend a lot of hours making wills and other legal documents to ensure that our personal and business assets are passed along to those we intend. I was once asked by a preacher if we took as much time to leave documents that passed along our faith legacy,” says Pepple. “Writing your faith means leaving notes, books, letters or journals that talk about what you believe about hope—what you believe about the comfort and guidance promised to us through the Holy Spirit—what you believe about church attendance—what you believe about forgiveness—and why do you believe these things—where do you get your beliefs…I’m sure mostly from Scripture, but maybe there are hymns or books or poems that deepened your beliefs about these topics.”
Guided questions are included in the back of the book. This study can be used by individuals or church groups/classes. Chris Pepple is available to lead seminars on this topic. Visit www.chrispepple.com for contact information.
“As a Christian Mom, I know how important it is to talk to my children daily about Scriptures and prayer and faith. We share Bible study time and incorporate our faith into our daily lessons. But I know that I won’t always be with my daughters. Whether my time on earth is short or long, I have no way of knowing. But for all of us, physical death will come. When I am not with my daughters or grandchildren, will they have faith questions that they wish we could talk about together? Will they wonder what I believed about a topic or wonder how I chose the church I chose for us to attend? Will they know my thoughts and feelings about my favorite hymns I sing?
“I have been journaling and writing letters for my daughters since they were very young. But recently I realized that I had not written down any of my thoughts about my decisions about which church we attend or about what I believe about baptism (among other faith topics). We have talked about my decisions as a single mother many times, but they may have questions later in life when they are raising their own children. I may not be available for them when the questions arise. I don’t want them guessing about what my words would be. I want to leave behind a faith legacy for my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren that will include my thoughts on various faith topics that have been important to me on my journey. I am reminded in Scripture of why Paul left us letters: ‘This is why I write these things when I am absent…’ (2 Corinthians 13:10).”
