by Jason Joyner | Jul 17, 2023 | books, fiction, speculative fiction
A literal fork in the road. Didn’t realize how may of these are out there!
Hey friends. I hope things are going well. Today I get to talk about a fork in the road.
Life is full of changes, and we have to learn to adapt with them. As I tell people, God is more interested in our character and journey than the destination. As we walk the road, we may think we’re definitely, absolutely going to our chosen goal. Then things happen. Maybe God redirects us. Perhaps something unexpected (to us) crops up, and we have to walk a different path than we anticipated. We think we’re going in one direction but the trail veers another way. What do we do?
My writing has gone through a season of being remade. Mainly, my publisher has had to close. So my YA superhero trilogy, Rise of the Anointed (Launch, Fractures, Anointed) are no longer available online.
These things unfortunately happen. However, I am looking at a path forward for getting my books available again, along with new projects that I’m excited to share at the right time.
If you’ve wanted to complete the series, you can reach out to me directly as I still have a few copies left. Otherwise, I’ll be sharing things as I move forward into a new season of my writing journey. I hope you’ll join me for more heroic tales!
by Jason Joyner | Oct 29, 2019 | Blog, fiction, writing craft
Hey gang, I’m trilled to have JPC Allen sharing a guest post here today. She writes about how to beat a tight deadline. Check it out, and don’t miss the link for the giveaway at the end of her post.
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Last December, I was faced with creating a 5,000-word short story that actually made sense in two weeks. While I got ready for Christmas, taught Sunday School, and prepared for a visit from my in-laws. And I don’t write fast. It took me years to get my YA crime novel in shape.
But I decided to go for it. I met the deadline, got accepted, and my YA mystery, “A Rose from the Ashes”, was published in Christmas fiction off the beaten path on October 1.
If you face a tight deadline, the lessons I learned may help you.
- Know your ending before you start.
I wasted one whole day because I wasn’t sure what the theme of my story was. I wrote fourteen pages that were pretty much worthless. Once I knew the theme and how it would end, I directed all my efforts to reaching that conclusion. If my writing seemed to be veering away off course, knowing where I needed to end up got me back on track.
- Write a synopsis.
“A Rose from the Ashes” is about nineteen-year-old Rae Riley investigating who tried to kill her pregnant mother twenty years before and if the attacker is the father she’s never met. Because my mystery hinges on a twenty-year-old cold case, I wrote out exactly what happened, like book report. Then I could keep straight what Rae knew and what she had to discover.
- Tell your story to someone.
After I’d wasted a day, I sat down with my husband and told him my story. I am blessed to be married to an engineer. He looks at my plots logically, which is so important when writing a mystery. He was able to tell me what made sense and what I needed to work on.
- Write the basic story.
My first draft was getting down on paper the bare bones of the story. If inspiration hit for a description, I threw that in, but the point wasn’t to write well. I just wanted to write the story from beginning to end and see how it hung together.
- Rewrite with description
After I got down the basic story with the basic plot, I rewrote it with the idea of adding descriptions, both for characters and settings. I did this several times because each time I read through the story, I saw places that needed fleshing out.
- Ask readers, not writers, to read your story
Writers read a story differently than non-writers. Writers usually read with their professional hats on. Readers read simply to enjoy the story. I have a good friend and several relatives who love mysteries. I asked them to read my story for things that didn’t make sense or made them pause. Two of my sisters read a description that they took for an insult. That wasn’t my intent at all and completely changed the nature of a character. So I changed the description.
- Get a handle on your main character.
This should probably be #4, but I didn’t get around to it until late in the process. I wrote the story in first person. My mind was so deeply rooted into my main character that I didn’t realize I wasn’t putting all those thoughts and feelings on the page. After several drafts, I realized Rae was the sketchiest of all the major characters. I needed to get a handle on her, a way to sum her up. I enjoy photography and thought amateur photographer was a good way to describe Rae. It covered how she responded to settings and saw the people around her.
Have you faced a tight deadline? What lessons did you learn?
I’m holding a book giveaway on my site! Click here for details.
BIO
JPC Allen started her writing career in second grade with an homage to Scooby Doo. She’s been tracking down mysteries ever since. A former children’s librarian, she is a member of ACFW and has written mystery short stories for Mt. Zion Ridge Press. Online, she offers writing tips and prompts to beginning writers. She also leads writing workshops for tweens, teens, and adults, encouraging them to discover the adventure of writing. A lifelong Buckeye, she has deep roots in the Mountain State. Join the adventure on her blog, Facebook, Instagram, or Goodreads.
Book Blurb
Christmas fiction off the beaten path
Not your Granny’s Christmas stories …
Step off the beaten path and enjoy six stories that look beyond the expected, the traditional, the tried-and-true.
Inspired by the song, “Mary Did You Know?” – a mother’s memories of events leading up to and following that one holy night. MARY DID YOU KNOW? By Patricia Meredith
A young woman seeking her own identity searches for the man who tried to kill her and her mother on Christmas Eve twenty years before. A ROSE FROM THE ASHES. By JPC Allen
Princess, tower, sorceress, dragon, brave knight, clever peasant – combine these ingredients into a Christmas-time story that isn’t quite what you’d expect. RETURN TO CALLIDORA. By Laurie Lucking
Anticipating tough financial times, the decision not to buy or exchanged presents leads to some painful and surprising revelations for a hardworking man and his family. NOT THIS YEAR. Sandra Merville Hart
Years ago, a gunman and a store full of hostages learned some important lessons about faith and pain and what really matters in life – and the echoes from that day continued to the present. THOSE WHO STAYED. By Ronnell Kay Gibson
A community of refugees, a brutal winter, a doorway to another world – a touch of magic creating holiday joy for others leads to a Christmas wish fulfilled. CRYSTAL CHRISTMAS. By Michelle L. Levigne
BUY LINKS
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, 24Symbols, Kobo
by Jason Joyner | Feb 6, 2019 | awards, Blog, fiction, speculative fiction
It’s been a whirlwind start to the new year already. I can’t believe it is February already.
I hope the year is going well for all of you out there. I’m thankful to say that it has been a good start of the year for my book Launch that came out last July. I received two bits of news I wanted to share.
First of all, I found out that Launch tied for Gold in the young adult fiction category for the Illumination Book Awards, highlighting the best in books written with a Christian worldview. That was an amazing piece of news. I was also excited to find I tied with my writer friend Gillian Bronte Adams and her fantasy book Song of Leira. Gillian’s an amazing writer, so sharing the award with her is an honor.
The next week continued the good news. The INSPY’s are the blogger’s award for faith-driven fiction. They came out with their longlists, the top ten books for each category, and Launch made it in the YA category. All books have to be nominated and voted by readers, so it was an honor to have enough people nominate Launch that I made the cut. When I look at all the authors who are nominated, it is such an esteemed group.
It’s been an adventure having a book out for readers to discover and enjoy. If you’ve read Launch, leaving a review on Amazon and telling friends is the best thing for an author.
Book 2 is being worked on as we speak. The editor is wielding her red pen, and I expect to be working on revisions soon. While waiting, I’m already working on book 3. The trilogy is coming together. I hope to have more news soon.
I’m going to try to blog more in 2019. If there’s any topics you’d like to discuss, leave a comment below. I’ll leave you with a question – what’s a book you’re looking forward to reading this year?
by Jason Joyner | Oct 3, 2018 | Blog, books, fiction, speculative fiction
Huzzah! I have finally hit 1000 followers on Twitter. To all the bots who follow me, I thank you.
Seriously, it’s just one marker out there on social media, but it’s a pretty cool landmark. And I’m in the mood to celebrate.
This summer I released my debut YA superhero novel, Launch. I’ve had a great time connecting with readers over it and seeing it in the hands of people. So I want to give a copy of Launch away to keep it going.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL.
I have two talented friends, John W. Otte and Matt Mikalatos who have ALSO written some awesome superhero books: Failstate and Capeville.
So the winner will receive a copy of ALL THREE BOOKS.
You can find out more about the contest here. You get an entry just for signing up, and bonus chances for things like following me on Instagram or signing up for my newsletter (where you can win more prizes this month, shhh, don’t tell).
If you like Marvel, DC, the Incredibles, or are fans of cool adventurous fiction, then sign up for this trifecta of goodness. You won’t be disappointed.
by Jason Joyner | May 1, 2014 | Blog, blogging, fiction, spoiled for the ordinary
What do you do for an encore?
Welcome to the new Spoiled For The Ordinary 2.0. I’ve been hanging out at my old location since ’06, but it was time for an upgrade. So here I am on WordPress, ready to go.
I’ve grown so much since I started to blog. I guess it is time for this to do so as well.
I will continue to talk about issues of faith as well as the ins and outs of fiction. Oh, and I like to have some fun in between. That’s the focus of the blog: faith, fiction, and fun.
As I looked back to my first post, this line stuck out to me:
I serve a big God, a God of adventure and life. I serve in His kingdom, and because of that reason alone, I have been “spoiled for the ordinary”.
That still sums up what I want to do here.
To celebrate, I want to give something away.
I’ve got a brand new copy of Captives, the first book in the YA dystopian series by awesome author Jill Williamson. She’s crafted a great story, and I want people to know about it.
All you have to do is leave a comment on any post from now until May 19th. I’ll choose a random winner to receive Captives.
Thanks for stopping by. Let’s not be satisfied with ordinary. Let’s do this.
by Jason Joyner | Mar 20, 2013 | Blog, Boise, conference, fiction, writer's block, writing craft, Writing Wednesday
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| Bronco Nation |
Idahoans are used to being fodder when someone needs to reference a place in the U.S. that’s way out there. “They even know about this in Boise, Idaho!”
The Boise State Broncos and their blue football turf has helped change some of that (Go Broncos!) and given us more recognition. For writers, I have another reason why we’re not the remote, end-of-the-world place we may seem.
I just returned from the Idahope Writers Conference in Boise – the Idaho chapter of the ACFW. It was a great one day conference, and we didn’t lack for being potato heads.
So I’d like to share some gleanings I got from our author panel, which included:
These fine wordsmiths were asked several questions. One that interests all writers is, “How do you overcome writer’s block?”
Ellis: Finish your writing day with a scene hanging. When you come back, you have something to return to.
Hatcher: You need to know your characters better, or you’re trying to force them to do things that goes against their nature.
Collins: Kicking cabinets always helps!
Leavell: Read authors you hate. Then you’ll say, “I’m better than them!” Voila, instant motivation.
Williamson: Sometimes you have to make yourself. If you’re really stuck, skip to a fun scene or something you know is needed to keep you going.
Hatcher: Sometimes the blech, the garbage just has to come out, in order to let the good stuff start flowing.
There’s a sampling of what our day was like. Thanks to all who made the Idahope Conference such a success. And here’s to writers and blue Smurf turf!
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