Tolkien Reading Day - Book Promo

It's Tolkien Reading Day, so what better way to celebrate than with a book promo??

 

Buy now on Amazon!

 

Buy now on Amazon!

But what is Tolkien Reading Day?

Tolkien Reading Day began in 2003 as a way to encourage people to read the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. His writing is phenomenal, but it's the story behind the stories that hits home. Largely based on his experiences during the world wars, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are symbolic pieces.

It was interesting to find out that there is a whole society of Tolkien followers out there. If interested, you can visit the The Tolkien Society on their website for more information.

Near Miss Day - Hobbit Be Gone

It's Near Miss Day, and I just an interesting article on the Tolkien Society Page about the prolific writer, J. R. R. Tolkien. Apparently, he suffered a bout of trench fever and was sent to a military hospital days before he would have fought in a battle. The battle turned out to be a bloody one with many lives lost. Who's to say Tolkien wouldn't have died in that battle? If so, then he would have never written The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. I'd say it was a near miss....

You can read the full article here:

Tolkien Society

March is Ideas Month!

It's March! That means St. Patrick's Day, Spring cleaning, and my birthday. March is also known as Ideas Month. Need some help generating ideas? I've included some of my favorite methods for inspiring ideas and idea mapping.

Generating Ideas

Seventh Sanctum

One of my favorite places to go when I'm stuck and need help with generating ideas is Seventh Sanctum. Since 1999, this free online generator has inspired writers randomly in areas such as characters, names and naming, skills, abilities, and traits. Site owner, Steve Savage, is a computer programmer and writer. He says, "This site is designed to help people get their mojo going and have a good time well doing it. Go on, kick around, and join the fun" I agree. I use the site almost exclusively for character naming of minor characters, but occasionally I use the character generator for minor characters to kick start my inspiration. 

45 Master Characters

I have several GO TO books that use while plotting every book. My favorite is "45 Master Characters" by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. Not only does the author explain how to use mythical models for creating characters, but the book includes worksheets for developing your characters. And there's more! At the end of the book, Ms. Schmidt breaks down the hero's journey into male and female roles. She calls them the feminine journey and masculine journey. Use the worksheets to plot out the path your characters will take.

Idea Mapping

A visual representation of the inner workings of my mind. For those of you who've tried to talk to me, only to be met with a, "huh?" - it's because ALL this and more is going on in my brain at any given moment.

This picture above show how I  map out all the ideas I've generated into a 3-act, linear format. Pantsers will not appreciate this at all, but all you Plotters are getting really excited right now. The color coding and post-it systems are my own, but I follow the Hero's Journey strictly. 

You don't have to write fantasy to follow the hero's journey!

Another book I recommend is "Story Structure Architect" by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. In it you will find how to structure the Hero's Journey for every genre. Of course, I use the Romance structure. The most important feature of this book is learning how to set up your plot conflicts over the course of a 3-act structure. Timing is critical in novel writing. Authenticity is crucial. 

Inspiring Ideas

Still need idea inspiration? I recommend Pinterest. Start a board for your WIP. Do searches for various keywords and see what pops up. If you can, print out a bunch of pictures in color and pin them on a real-life pin board to look at while you write. Maybe create a scrapbook based on your findings. 

March is full of possibilities. Make this month's focus about generating ideas.