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Five Minute Friday (or Saturday) – SIMPLIFY

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The word this week is “Simplify.”
Honestly, writing about “simplify” gives me heart palpitations and a nervous sweat.  I put so much pressure on myself to once and for all “get organized.” I think of my closets, my drawers, my schedule…
I would love to be able to open each drawer or cabinet of my home and proudly say things like, “Here are my cleaning supplies, alphabetized by name brand.”

or

“In this drawer are my socks, coordinated by color and outfit for which I might need them.
or
“Here is this month’s calendar…all perfectly coordinated with no double bookings or emergencies.”
But honestly, that is not how I live. And probably never will.
So how could I possibly have anything to say about the word, “Simplify?”
I went to the expert—my 14 year old son. I asked him what was the first thing that came to mind when he thought of the word, “simplify.”
His answer made me smile.
“Math,” he said. 
“What?” I asked.
“You know, fractions.”
 
Simplify fractions.  I love it!  It was enough to get my brain moving in a different direction.
Maybe my post doesn’t have to be about organization!
And I thought of Jesus. What would he have to say about this topic?
Jesus told Martha, the queen of all organization, that only one thing was needed.
ONE THING!
That was sitting at his feet and spending time with him.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42
So that is my challenge to you and to myself—
Have I done the one thing that is the most important? 

I’m pretty sure the rest will fall into place.

Author life, Book Review and Author Interviews, Writing tips

Writing tips with Jackie Yeager, Author of SPIN THE GOLDEN LIGHTBULB

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 Thanks for joining me again today, Jackie. Congrats on the release of SPIN THE GOLDEN LIGHTBULB! I appreciate you being willing to share some writing tips with us.  I would love to glean some wonderful words of advice from you!   

First of all, I would like to talk about character development.  As an author, how do you go about creating your characters to be unique and realistic?
That’s a great question and something that’s so important because a story may have the most fabulous plot, but if the reader doesn’t care about the characters or relate to them on some level, they’ll never read to the end. When I create my characters, I usually have some hard to define ambiguous quality that gets me wanting to write about them in the first place. It could be their way of speaking, their mannerisms, or their determination—something that pops into my head and makes me want to write about them. Once I have an idea like that in my mind, I can add on to it. The most important thing for me when creating characters is to make them memorable. So hair color or height is not so important but a unique characteristic is. 
When I created Kia Krumpet, the main character in Spin the Golden Light Bulb, I knew that she was going to be a very determined and focused eleven year-old, with tunnel vision—a sort of one track mind when it came to the competition in the story, the Piedmont Challenge. From there it was easy to add characteristics like biting her nails—a lot and talking about the Piedmont Challenge—a lot in almost an obsessive way. I had to be careful not to make her stereotypical though, and instead unique. I guess that’s the challenge we all have when creating characters!


Secondly, I am curious about how to develop sequels.  When you began this novel, did you plan it to have a sequel, or did that just come about naturally through the writing process?

I guess I would say it came about naturally through the writing process. When I originally began thinking about the plot for Spin the Golden Light Bulb, the first of THE CRIMSON FIVE books, I had no idea that it could turn into more than one book. At first, the story was simply about an over-the-top creative problem solving competition based loosely on my experience as an Odyssey of the Mind coach. But as the ideas began to solidify in my mind, I realized that the world I was trying to create was pretty big and it was going to be very difficult to fit all of my ideas into one book!

At what point then did you know you had sequel material?
As I molded the plot, I soon realized with certainty that it would take more than one book for me to tell the entire story of these five kids. Breaking the story into two books was actually quite easy because it revolves around a competition and the different levels involved. So I decided to write a stand-alone book only, leaving the door open for a sequel, and developed a loose outline for the second book right away. 
Do you think there is potential for a third book? 
Yes, I do think there’s potential for a third book! With these five kids and the world they live in, it’s very possible. With that said, the sequel, is also written as a stand-alone book. But, never say never. I do have a loose outline written for a third, so you never know!

I hope that happens!  I think the whole process is fascinating.  As a writer of picture books, I admire the skill of creating a “world” as you have done!  

Once again, thank you so much for your willingness to talk with us and share your writing tips!  I wish you all the best with SPIN THE GOLDEN LIGHTBULB and its sequel.  


About the author: 
Jackie has a Masters degree in Education, lives in Rochester, NY with her real life prince charming and two royally amazing teenagers, and would live in a castle if she could.  When she is not living in her own fairytale world, she spends time reading, practicing yoga, and cheering for the crew at marathons, triathlons, cross country meets, track meets, and hockey and baseball games.  She does a lot of cheering!  She is also a former coach of a middle school Odyssey of the Mind team who once upon a time competed at the World Finals.  They may or may not have been the inspiration behind the book, and even its sequel.

You can find Jackie at her website:
http://www.swirlandspark.com

Also on Facebook and Pinterest


My Faith

5 Minute Friday – MOTIVATE (My title: Know Your WHY)

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I am back in action with the Five Minute Friday Blog Link-Up.

Today’s word for five-minute-Friday is MOTIVATE.

Recently at school (I’m a teacher) we had a training that helped me unlock MOTIVATION on several levels.
            First, we were talking about motivating our students. 
            This also transferred to us as educators.  We need motivation.
The big idea was the importance of knowing your “WHY.”  
When you know WHY you are doing something, and you buy into that reason, you become very motivated to do it!
–Students need to know WHY they are learning or studying certain topics.
–Teachers need to define WHY they are in the classroom each day.
–All of us, for whatever task we undertake, have a WHY, but maybe we have never taken the time to define for ourselves what it is.  
Knowing your WHY (or even reminding yourself of it) can make all the difference in the world.
Two quick examples:
            
My teaching:  Being a teacher requires a wide skill set.  Not everything I do is enjoyable. But here is my why—I’m there for the students. To help nurture them into becoming adults who will reach their potential.  Reminding myself of that flips a switch in my heart while I’m doing some of the “not so pleasant” stuff.
My writing:  My why is to PLANT SEEDS OF TRUTH in young hearts. That gives me focus, even as I’m selecting the topics I want to write about. Also, If I’m just out to make a name for myself, despair is going to set in quickly. But my WHY keeps me motivated to continue.   
In conclusion,
                       
Knowing your WHY…it’s a game changer!  It MOTIVATES!

What is your WHY for the task God has given you to do?
Author life

I’m a STORY STORM participant!

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Each day of January I am pledging to brainstorm ideas for new stories.  All participants of STORY STORM are on the honor system (meaning we don’t actually share our ideas publically), but each day on Tara Lazar’s blog, she hosts an “expert” who gives exercises and techniques for authors to use.  The first few days of January were a little rough for me, but I have now officially started and am ready to CREATE!  Maybe one day I’ll be able to say…”that book you hold in your hand was an idea that came from STORY STORM 2018!”

Tara’s blog/website

Thanks, @Tara Lazar for this inspirational experience.
You can also follow the Twitter hashtag #STORYSTORM to see what we are up to.