writing Archives - Jan Cline

Interview with author Janet Bly

Welcome Janet!

“Beneath a Camperdown Elm” is the latest release of award-winning Janet Chester Bly. Janet has been bringing us great western stories for many years, and she loves sharing her own story as she speaks to groups around the region.

I’m honored to have Janet be my guest here today, and you are blessed to have the chance to win a copy of “Beneath a Camperdown Elm.” Leave a comment and the winner will be contacted on or around the 24th of February.

Here is my interview with Janet:

1. How does writing stories tie in with legacy for you?

Books can travel to places I may never go—an unexpected bonus of writing and publishing. What a privilege to hear of books authored by me or my late husband found in far stretches of the earth. Even in prison cells via donations to libraries.

Stories created can also last indefinitely, to the next generation and beyond.

A grandparent often spoils the children, then goes home. But if you’re a serious grandparent with an eye to the kind of inheritance you’ll pass on, you assess resources. Even with limited material possessions, a writer leaves a legacy, a generous will on their grandchild’s and great-grandchild’s heart. For the Christian writer, that includes a spiritual legacy. Even in fiction stories, characters can provide a testimony of faith and God’s work in our world in unsettled circumstances.

2. What is your favorite part of the novel writing process and why?

Surprises! Those ‘aha’ moments when the unexpected happens to resolve a conflict or figure out a problem. It’s that sense of discovery when a plot point takes a turn I never planned at the beginning of the process. That’s when I receive affirmation that I really did have a viable story idea and that maybe I really am a fiction writer after all.

3. Have you always loved stories from the past?

As a young girl with four siblings in a two-bedroom house, each of us treasured our visits alone to our grandparents’ house each summer. The bedroom shelves lined with authors such as Pearl S. Buck and Taylor Caldwell. I’d read some every night in bed by flashlight. Some of the poignant scenes from those stories still stay with me. A pleasant memory of past special moments of activities with Grandpa and Grandma melded with entering foreign worlds of adventure through books.

4. What would you say to the younger generation today about history and literature?

History is often regarded as ‘His-story’, referring to mankind as a whole and also to God. History has a story connected to it. It’s one big story about people, their passions and fight for survival. History is the study of past events that impact our present existence. Literature illuminates those stories and allows the reader to make more sense of the current world. The ongoing similarities of drama, power struggles, loves and hates, and intrigue from one generation to the next. The Christian Bible, most of all, provides this broad expanse of history in stories, as well as the foundation for how we should live.

Literature opens and expands minds and hearts to a wide world beyond our own narrow, self-centered sight.

It helps us to think in critique and analysis, to read between the lines to hidden meanings. We get to look inside other people, through invading the inner privacy of characters, to know the mind, reasoning, and motivations of another.

Reading history and literature also sparks creativity for the writer to imagine his or her own stories to add to the stacks available through the ages.

5. What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

Mysteries of all sorts—such as English author Anne Perry with her historical detective Thomas Pitt and William Monk series; or Mary Higgins Clark, because she was one of my mother’s favorites; or Elizabeth Peters and P.D. James, to name a few. Numerous others from the past and present cram my shelves. I also enjoy nonfiction that touches on research for a potential novel or expands on topics that enlighten, educate, or entertain. Right now on my TBR pile are books on music, prayer, nutritional cooking, a review of French language and culture, and an overview of western civilization.

6. What are your future plans for publishing?

I’m taking a break for a year or two from writing my own novels and taking on the tedious, but privileged task of re-releasing as many as possible of my late husband Stephen’s out-of-prints in paperback and eBook. He authored more than 100 fiction and nonfiction. Right now I’m completing Final Justice at Adobe Wells, Book 5 of the seven-book Stuart Brannon western adventure series. Published first by Crossway Books, they made a decision to discontinue fiction. Then Greenbrier Books picked it up, but sadly the owner, author and agent Ron Benrey, passed away. Now it’s my turn to keep them up and available.

Thanks so much for sharing with us! Below are links to Janet’s social media sites. Comment for a chance to win a book.

Be sure to explore Jane’t website, as she has some free downloads there. https://www.blybooks.com/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/BlyBooks/
Facebook Personal: https://www.facebook.com/janetchesterbly/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetchesterbly/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlyBooks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janetcbly/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/269265.Janet_Chester_Bly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetchesterbly

“I’m done,” he said.

by Jan Cline
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My husband has been a farmer for 34 years. He has worked very hard at his profession. I’ve been encouraging him to retire. I continued to hear, “one more year.” Then we would make time to travel.

Then one day, he came home, took off his boots and announced he was ready at last.

Just like that.

But he was worried about what to do with his time. I wasn’t. I mentally pulled out my honey-do list and sighed. “I wouldn’t worry about not having things to do.”

So, we put our lake cabin up for sale and bought a nice 5^th wheel.

Isn’t that what everyone does?

Talk about whirlwind life change. I had been so settled into the idea of “one more year”, that I hadn’t really thought through how life might evolve. We have a new home, a boat, a cabin, a trip to NC once a year to see our daughter, soccer games for grandkids, and farming in between. That was it. Plenty. More than most people.

We were grateful. And still are. And grateful to be done.

Now my husband has the bug to travel. As I write this we are nestled in the woods at an RV park in beautiful Montana, enjoying the peace and quiet, taking naps, walking the dog, and doing whatever we feel like doing. No schedule, no worries except how and when to plan the next trip. On our list is Mount Rushmore, Gold Beach, CA, Fort Stevens, WA, and Yellowstone. Maybe not all right away, but, you know.

I guess this is retirement. I hope I have time to write.

Are any of you retired? How did you handle it?

Blessings and safe travels!

Jan

It’s Where You Belong

by Jan Cline
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You belong there. Pick up where you left off. Begin again. Start over. Get back to doing what you were doing when you quit doing what you were doing.

I hear these words so often in my head, and sometimes I blow them off as meaningless. I have done all the above so many times, what’s the use? You may have asked yourself the same thing a time or two.

But if my brain is continuing that driving drone, there must be a reason.

The reason, I’ve come to know, is that trying to deny your purpose in life, trying to avoid what you have been given to do, isn’t worth the struggle. Your brain, and most likely your heart, have figured it out. It’s your bruised ego that has yet to surrender.

I have no ego, you may say. Yeah, I used to say that a lot too. Yes you do, just as I do.

The reality of life is that we don’t like to fail, stumble, waver, be a fool, or sit at the bottom of the success ladder when it comes to our talents and gifts. It’s hard to keep plugging away, standing below those who are near the top rung of that ladder you love so much.

Our egos take many hits when we are striving to achieve a place in a field where there is so much competition. I have learned that the writing/publishing world is highly competitive and therefore has the potential to become my source of discouragement instead of my favorite place to be. I know in my head that comparing myself to others in the field is only going to hold me back. It’s the beckoning crook of my ego’s finger that gets me every time.

What’s the cure for this common disease?

How do you get back to where you belong?

Tell your ego to take a hike – a back seat to the truth. The truth is that if you keep going back to it, you are probably doing what you were designed to do. Can’t stop picking up that paint brush? Keep pulling out that computer to jot down a story idea? Is the five lines on that blank music paper still calling you? Putting up with some discomfort, discouragement, disillusionment, and fear is the price for being on the chosen list. I’d rather be chosen to be or do something than spend my life being or doing something I’m not supposed to do at all.

Time to get back to doing what you were doing when you stopped doing what you were designed to do.

Keep reaching,

Jan

Do You Work Without A Net?

by Jan Cline
2 Comments

April 14, 2016

Even trapeze artists occasionally fly without a net. They risk their lives, trusting their skills and training to keep them from falling. I’ve often wondered at what point did they roll up the net and fly free without something to catch them if they miss the bar.

How good do they have to be before they trust their instincts and talents?

I’ve been learning some news things through my recent book launch and subsequent planning of another book. One is that I learned more about writing than I thought I had. All I have absorbed during the studying of the craft, the coaching, and the workshops and classes, is finally starting to show in my writing.

The foundation has been laid, and the house of prose I’m building is on pretty steady ground. But I also stand ready to add another strengthening layer to it when I can.

Sure, I will still make mistakes, and I have a way to go before I write a GREAT book. But I’m ready to take down the net.

What is my net? It’s a tightly woven fabric made of several things.

Rules of structure and method.

While plotting, structuring, and planning are good things, trying to conform too much to them only kept me constrained and a bit frustrated. I had to find a happy medium of joy riding and sticking to the map of novel writing. My nature is to write by the seat of my pants. Tempering that with some structure allows me to fly free.

Fear of never being good enough.

Repeat after me: I will get better.

I’m a work in progress and so is my writing. It’s okay to not be a best-selling author. I do the best I can, knowing I will improve with practice – just like anything else I do. What is important is that I am NOT afraid to learn something about myself in my stories and then pass that along to my readers. Then it doesn’t matter if my writing is perfect, it’s usable, and I am usable.

Self-imposed unrealistic writing schedules.

I have a busy life. Yeah, yeah, so does everyone. I’m no spring chicken (sorry for the cliche) and I have an auto-immune disease that cuts into my productivity. I have to give myself permission to be less productive than the prolific writer I really want to be like. It is what it is, and by expecting too much of myself, my creativity takes a hit.

So, while I know that I need to rely on a safety net from time to time, I am hoping to drop it often enough to discover my best voice, hone my natural talents, and feel the freedom of the breeze in my hair as I fly through the air of writing my next novel.

What is your safety net? Do you feel you’re ready to let go of it?

Like the trapeze flyer….

Keep reaching!

Jan

Navigation Pane as Promised

by Jan Cline
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In my last post 5 Editing Tools I Use, I mentioned using the Navigation Pane in MS Word. Here is an explanation of how it has helped me.

Note: This tool will not help you much if you have a separate document for each chapter in the book you’re writing. It is most helpful to those of us who have a continuous manuscript in one document. I used to separate my chapters to have their own document, but it drove me crazy to try and find certain characters or pieces of story when I needed to. So I went back to one document and began to use the Navigation tool.

Now I can see as I go what is happening in what chapter or scene because I make notes at each chapter and scene change. All I need to do to maneuver through the manuscript is to click on the chapter heading or scene subheading in the pane.

I just learned about the feature from my friend and fellow writer, Suzanne Kuchynka. She is the master of organization and tools to do that with your plotting and writing. I’m not one to go to great lengths to be organized, but I do like using this tool in at least a minimal way. You may want to take it to it’s full level. I’m just going to share how I use it. Simple as it is, it really helps me keep track of my story as I write.

You will find the Navigation pane toggle under the VIEW tab in the menu at the top of your document.

(It’s the same thing you see when you click on “Find” to search for a word in your document.)