Karen Wiesner Shares Her Writing Process & Writing Tips

Today Karen will share her writing process and some writing tips with us.

Let’s begin with plotting. Take it away, Karen!

Both of my Writer’s Digest books, First Draft in 30 Days and From First Draft to Finished Novel {A Writer’s Guide to Cohesive Story Building} work together perfectly, and those who have read and used both methods say the same. Used together, they really are like a well-oiled machine focused on productivity, high-quality and unending momentum. One thing From First Draft to Finished Novel really targets is the importance of working in stages. I can’t stress how crucial this is for all authors. Let me explain.

In an ideal situation, a writer goes through the following nine stages to get a finished novel:

• Brainstorming

• Researching

• Outlining

• Setting aside the project

• Writing the first draft

• Setting aside the project

• Revising the first draft

• Setting aside the project

• Editing and polishing

A word about why “setting aside the project” so many times is so important: I believe a book is best if you give it time to "breathe" between these stages. Whatever fears you had about whether the story is working will dissolve after you’ve set the project aside for a good amount of time because it’s as if you’re coming into the work brand new. Allowing your projects to sit for a couple of weeks—or even months—will provide you with a fresh perspective. You’ll be able to evaluate if the story is really as solid as you believed it was when you finished it. All writers get too close to their outlines or manuscripts to really see them objectively. Distance gives you that objectivity and the ability to read your own work like you’ve never seen it before, so you can progress further with it.

Another reason for setting projects aside between stages is that writers always reach a point where their motivation runs out, and they may simply want to get away from the story as fast as they can. Who wants to write a book you’ve just spent weeks or even months outlining? Who would want to revise a book you’ve spent weeks or months writing? With every single book, I get to rock bottom and I’m convinced that if I ever see the manuscript again, I’ll tear it to shreds. Setting it aside between the various stages the project goes through really gives me back my motivation for it. I’m always amazed at how much better I can face the project again when I haven’t seen it for a couple weeks or even a month or more. I fall in love with it again. The next stage in the process becomes easier, too, and that helps my writing to be much better.

Also, the more books I have contracted, the more I seem to need these breaks in-between stages. I need breaks even when I feel a project is working beautifully. If I put it on a back burner for an extended period of time (as long as I can possibly allow and still meet my deadlines), amazing things happen over the low flame. By the time I return to it, I find myself bursting with new ways to fix any problems I couldn’t resolve when I was too close to, and sick of, the project, and this also allows me to see more of those connections that make a story infinitely cohesive in terms of knitting your characters seamlessly to the plot and setting.

Another reason for working in stages is that I’m able to start brainstorming on upcoming projects sometimes years in advance. When it’s time to work on that project, I’m just raring to go. I have a ton of ideas and the motivation to get them all down will carry me through the outlining like a breeze. Because I’ve always got multiple books going at one time, each one in a different stage of the process, I’m constantly brainstorming on the projects in the back of my mind, analyzing them for any weaknesses and coming up with ways to improve them. That’s so crucial to the overall strength of your stories.

The most important reason for working in stages is because each of those steps is a layer that is added to the book, a layer that makes it stronger, richer, and—I have to say it—more cohesive.

The only way to stay on track with your writing career is by working in stages and allowing yourself to come into each of them completely fresh and eager to add another layer to the project. On my website, you’ll find a page that includes my annual works in progress and accomplishments:

http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/WIP.html

I encourage listeners to visit this page because you’ll really see how well these methods work.

In an average year, I outline, write and revise about 10 novels and novellas, and I follow the annual goals you’ll see on my Work in Progress page. All of these are done in the stages I mentioned before. Right now, I’m working on eight separate projects, each one in a different stage in the process. Later this year, I’ll be folding five more projects into these current eight, so I’ll be juggling thirteen projects at once (with the greatest of ease!). I love that I’m never doing the same thing in terms of outlining, writing and revising projects. I move from outlining one book, to revising a different one, to writing something altogether, layering and building and developing each book into something wonderful that I could never get if I wasn’t working in stages.

Using my own writing methods, everything in my career is planned well in advance, and I keep tweaking my schedule to make it as productive as it possibly can be. Most people think that I must work 24 hours a day based on my productivity. That's the really amazing part of this whole method. I don't have to. Working in stages, using an outline and goals, I work from eight o’clock to noon on weekdays and I can take off every weekend and most of the summer and yet I’m constantly moving forward. At this time, I’m working about a year ahead of my releases. In other words, I’ve already completed all of my 2011 releases and I’ve already got a good start on my 2012 contracts.

How do you avoid writers block, Karen?

Brainstorming is what turns an average story into an extraordinary one. It’s the magical element every writer marvels about in the process of completing a book. Brainstorm day and night, whatever you do, wherever you are, whenever you possibly can. Something every author covets is the ability to sit down to a blank screen or page and begin to work immediately. The secret to doing that is brainstorming! When you brainstorm constantly and productively during both the outlining and writing processes, you’ll always be fully prepared to begin writing without agonizing over the starting sentences or paragraph.

Notice I specified that you should brainstorm productively if you want the writing process to go smoothly and quickly. That’s where your outline comes in. The brainstorming process will have allowed you to do all the hard work of plotting, characterization, etc. while creating your outline and so you won’t face writer’s block when you sit down to write each day. Once you have an outline, you’ll know every single day what you’ll be writing about in the book. You won’t have to decide where the story is going as you write, because you’ll have done all that in the outlining stage. The day or week before you begin writing a certain scene, start brainstorming on it. Also, working in stages keeps your writing so fresh, you don’t have to worrying about writer’s block or burn-out.

Do you have any other writing tips for aspiring writers?

In January 2011, I began a regular monthly guest column, called “From One Author to Another” on Savvy and the column will run for about a year. Topics will be of interest to writers-published and pre-published—and will vary each month. To check out my introduction and overview of my column and to read my first few articles visit:

http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/content.php?737-from-one-writer-to-another-with-karen-wiesner

Wow!  You truly are amazing, Karen!  Folks, remember to leave a comment/contact info to be entered in Karen's drawing!

Karen's Journey to Publication & What Inspires Her

Please share with us, Karen, your journey to publication.

I wrote my first book when I was ten years old. That was the summer my family was in Oklahoma (for my father’s job), and we discovered this abandoned old trailer with photographs all over the trashed floor. Both my sister (author Linda Derkez http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/linda.html) and I got a ton of ideas from looking at these pictures, speculating about who had lived there, what happened that they left all these photos behind. That was the summer I knew I was destined to be a writer. All those daydreams were about to pay off. I started brainstorming romances, thrillers, and mysteries in my head. By the time I was sixteen, I’d written almost a dozen books, short stories, and countless poems. Unofficially, I had my own fan club in high school and had a dozen publishing credits to my name (all poems).

Getting my fiction published was the hard part, and, ironically, I got so tired of the whole rejection thing, I’d just made the decision to quit writing for anyone but myself. I don’t remember whether it was a day or week after I made this decision that I received my first contract. Talk about turning a corner and coming face-to-face with a dream! In any case, my first novel (a romance) was finished published in June 1998 (I was 32). I’ve been on a roll since then.

My journey to publication with the Family Heirlooms Series started when Baby, Baby, Book 1, Shadow Boxing, Book 2, and Foolish Games, Book 3 were previously published by Samhain Publishing. When things didn’t work out the way I was hoping there, I took the whole series to Whiskey Creek Press, who bought all six books at once. Because my fans were waiting so long for Book 4, we decided to release Glass Angels first, then quickly re-issue the first three Books in the series in short order afterward. Book 1 was released in April 2011, Book 2 May 2011, and Book 3 July 2011. The final two books in the series, Shards of Ashley and Worlds Collide, will be released September 2011 and March 2012. Also look for the spin-off to my Family Heirlooms Series, the Friendship Heirlooms Series, with Clumsy Girl’s Guide to Falling in Love, Book 1 (inspirational romantic comedy/Chick-lit) and Michael’s Angel, Book 2 (inspirational romantic suspense).

What inspires you, Karen?

I’m a life-long learner. Every experience in my life—whether happy, painful, sad or horrible—leads me to the question of what I’ll learn from it. But I’m not an adventurer. I’m not an explorer. I prefer to live vicariously through my characters. Too much excitement makes me completely insane, and I have to come home and plug in there or I run down. I really was designed to be a writer for those reasons. In my writing, many things inspire me. People watching. Listening to people talk. Faces—not necessarily beautiful or perfect. Unusual stories. An alternate idea not explored in a novel or movie. Headlines. I was in church a few years ago, and a family had gone on a missionary trip for a week to help build a house for a needy family in Mexico. They shared their experiences, and I was instantly captivated. A story I’d had in mind took shape quickly based on this show-and-tell, and the outcome was Shadow Boxing, Book 2 of my Family Heirlooms Series (which was reissued in May 2011). Inspiration is everywhere—plucking it out, refining and “brewing” it in my mind for a long period of time is the easiest and most incredible part of being an author.

http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/fiction9a.html

 
I just want to say I have a very healthy respect for you, Karen and all you've accomplished.  You're a wonderful writer and a great inspiration!  I wish you continued success!  Friends, don't forget to comment for a chance to win one of Karen's books.

Karen Wiesner Returns!

I’m pleased to have Karen back with us! Today she shares why she writes in her chosen genre.

As you can see by my biography, I write in just about every genre. The story dictates the genre in every case, but it’s a rare event that one of my stories doesn’t contain a romance in there somewhere. In the last year, almost all of my stories have been inspirational romances—whether contemporary or with a mystery/suspense angle. While I’ll continue to write in other genres as the individual stories dictate, inspirational romance is becoming my “main” genre. I felt very led by the Lord to go in this direction, and, so far, it’s been an amazing blessing.

I guess I can’t choose my favorite writing genre because, like in my eclectic reading, I’m enjoying myself so much with each one. Bottom line, there are worlds to discover everywhere. Besides, writing a different genre keeps me refreshed, since I don’t think I could stand to write in the same one always. I love that I’m never writing the same thing. If you read my work, you’ll always get something new and different. To me, the greatest part of being a writer is going anywhere my imagination takes me. For a breakdown of all my books based on genre, visit http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/genres.html

Karen’s recent & upcoming releases include:

Baby, Baby, Book 1 of the Family Heirloom Series reissue (inspirational romance) - Coming April 2011

Shadow Boxing, Book 2 of the Family Heirloom Series reissue (inspirational romance) - Coming May 2011

Souls on (B)Oring Street, Book 3 of the Denim Blues Mysteries Trilogy (inspirational romantic mystery) - Coming June 2011

Foolish Games, Book 3 of the Family Heirloom Series reissue (inspirational romance) - Coming July 2011

Incognito Series Megabook, Volume 4 (romantic suspense) - Coming Summer 2011 in electronic formats

“Wings of Love” {Cowboy Fever Series, Book 1} in Christmas Gems, A Jewels of the Quill Christmas Anthology (contemporary romance) - Coming September 2011

Shards of Ashley, Book 5 of the Family Heirloom Series (inspirational romance) - Coming September 2011


Wow!  You’re a busy lady, my friend! I wish you continued success in all your writing endeavors!

Glass Angels by Karen Wiesner

GLASS ANGELS, Book 4 of the Family Heirloom Series
Inspirational Contemporary Romance
Published by Whiskey Creek Press http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Blurb:

Nuggets of faith can be passed down as family heirlooms from parent to child, sibling to sibling, spouse to spouse.

Book Four Family Heirloom: Forgiving

A young Christian woman struggles with seeking pardon from those she's hurt when she can't seem to get past her own inability to forgive those who have wronged her.

Three years ago, Samantha Samuels had suffered under the violent hands of Ryder Feldmann, a juvenile delinquent her pastor father had been counseling. Now she's completed her psychiatry training and plans to help other victims of violent crimes at the rape counseling clinic in her hometown of Peaceful, Wisconsin. Unexpectedly, she finds herself sharing an office building and Sunday services at her new church with the older brother, a divorce counselor, of her attacker...the very man she'd been in love with before her rape.

In the time since Kyle Feldmann's brother was jailed for his crime against Samantha, he's lived with the torment of all he's lost because of his sibling. Before the tragedy that stole Samantha from him and destroyed his dreams, Kyle had begged her to risk her father's disappointment and elope with him. Seeing Samantha again after so many years, being near her, only puts him right back where he was before the rape. Kyle wants to heal Samantha, love her, and fulfill the dreams he grieved the loss of—by marrying her. But how can they be together forever when she's still so broken?

All her life, Samantha had wanted her father's approval, but his selfish part in putting her in a dangerous situation has led her to a painful place of desperately needing to forgive him and her attacker...and being unable to in all the time since the traumatic event that ripped her life in two. As she gives her heart to Kyle once more, her already fractured relationship with the Lord is tested. In the crossfire of faith, she wonders if glass angels shatter beyond recognition when they take a leap of faith, or if they can heal and become stronger than ever before.


Excerpt:

Prologue

“I know you were just glad to see Ryder Feldmann convicted at the trial, sweetie, so you weren’t concerned about how long he’d be in the institution.”

Samantha Samuels stared at her sister-in-law, a lawyer, who’d insisted she wanted to drive her to the airport today when she left for her two-week vacation. She and Justine were fairly close. Nevertheless, she’d been a little surprised by the offer. Not once had she considered that Justine wanted to drive her so she’d have time to drop this bomb on her.

Stunned, Samantha opened her mouth. Her sister-in-law wasn’t wrong—she’d heard nothing at the end of the trial but that—thank the Lord!—her attacker would be locked away. “I assumed he’d be in prison for a long, long time.”

Justine nodded, her expression pained. She reached across to the passenger’s seat and squeezed her hand. “I know, Sam. You didn’t want to hear anything else about it whenever I tried to talk to you about this in the last several years. I can explain everything to you whenever you’re ready, but the bottom line is that Ryder’s term of confinement is almost up. He’ll be released on September 30th, followed by a year of extended supervision...”

* * * *

“Miss Samuels,” the clerk called when Samantha entered the hotel with the rest of her tour group. Tired after the long day of exploring Southwest Ireland’s treasures, including a museum and a castle—along with fighting off the aggressive advances of a certain member of her tour group—she was eager to go to her room and shower. She’d been wondering if she’d have time to snatch a few hours’ sleep before dinner.

She wended her way through the others to get to the front counter.

“You received a phone call while you were out, Miss Samuels.” The man handed her a memo.

Samantha looked at the note without surprise to see her sister-in-law’s name and phone number written on it. Justine had called the night she arrived in Ireland, but Samantha hadn’t been able to get herself to take the phone call then. She hadn’t been ready to face the fact that the man who’d raped her would be released from prison after a mere three years paying for his unconscionable crime against her.

“I do hope everything is all right, miss.”

Distracted, Samantha glanced at the clerk and nodded. While dodging the crowd, she rushed up to her room as fast as she could. Had Justine called to apologize again for seeing no other choice but to tell her the truth—even if it meant ruining a perfectly lovely trip? Samantha had thought of little else except the single sentence that had deadlocked her in the days since: “He’ll be released on September 30th, followed by a year of extended supervision...”

She couldn’t fathom that Ryder had served only three years. Three years! In three years, I haven’t even begun to heal from what he did to me. And he’s done being punished, other than a year of” extended supervision”—whatever that meant.

Samantha took a deep breath to quell the sensation of suffocation rising inside her. The tightness of her chest resembled an evil force growing in proportion to her dread. Now it was gathering all the air in her lungs and transforming it into an ominous, black cloud.

After drawing another breath and letting it out slowly, she murmured to herself, “I’ll be home in two days. I can call Justine then and ask her all the details I wish I didn’t have to know. Right now I’m four thousand miles away and it must be nine or ten at night in Wisconsin anyway.”

Why had Justine called a second time? And why in the world did she feel she had to tell me this before I left for Ireland? As if I had any chance of enjoying the trip anyway. I’m too much of a homebody not to have started wishing my flight would return me to my home the day I arrived. Why, Justine, why? As a lawyer—though only part-time since the birth of her son a few years ago—Justine was too logical to drop a ticking bomb in someone’s lap without good reason. She certainly had to realize her announcement would upset Samantha for longer than a few hours.

Shaking slightly, Samantha tossed the messenger bag she’d brought with her for the tour today on her bed and grabbed the phone. Unfortunately, she realized that she didn’t have the slightest clue how to make an international call. When she phoned down to the desk to explain her trouble, the clerk calmed her with the words, “Allow me to place the call for you. I’ll forward it to your room shortly.”

Samantha thanked him, gave him the information, then sat on the edge of the bed, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. An odd thought entered her head. What if Justine’s phone call had nothing to do with the announcement she’d made in the car? What if someone was ill? Perhaps her son, daughter or husband—Samantha’s older brother—Joshua.

Daddy? Samantha’s cheeks filled with shame and regret.

Luckily, the phone rang within a few moments, disrupting the usual direction of her thoughts. “Justine?” she said as soon as she picked it up.

“It’s me, Sam,” Justine answered, her flinty voice filled with reassurance. “Don’t panic. This isn’t a medical emergency or anything like that. You had to know I couldn’t leave things the way we did at the airport. I didn’t want that conversation to go like that, sweetie.”

“Why did you have to tell me now?”

Justine sighed. “Oh, Sam, I thought long and hard about whether to bother you about this before you left for your vacation. I talked to Joshua, Tamara, Kim and Peter, and they all advised me to tell you right away.”

Tamara and Peter, Samantha’s oldest siblings, and Peter’s wife Kimberly were the three people Samantha trusted most in the world. Even still, she couldn’t understand why any of them would encourage Justine to go ahead with this.

“Did I completely wreck your vacation?” Justine asked softly. “We all knew when you got back, you’d be going to work at the clinic, putting in long hours...and you wouldn’t want to hear the truth then any more than you did at the trial and the years since. We couldn’t see any other way to do this. And you insisted your friend Jordan was picking you up from the airport when you got back from Ireland. You weren’t willing to negotiate.”

I’ve been in hiding. I don’t know how else to cope. After all this time, I still don’t. Samantha shook her head. Eyes closed, she asked in a tone that begged her sister-in-law to enlighten her, “How can they possibly release him, Justine? He raped me. Ruined my life in ways that no can begin to understand...” Samantha inhaled shakily.


Read more:

http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/GAexcerpt.pdf
Purchasing info: http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/fiction9.html
Visit Karen’s website: http://www.karenwiesner.com

Author Karen Wiesner

Joining me this month is the wonderful Karen Wiesner. Karen is an accomplished author with 82 books published in the past 13 years, which have been nominated for and/or won 111 awards, and 15 more titles under contract. Karen’s books cover such genres as women’s fiction, romance, mystery/police procedural/cozy, suspense, paranormal, futuristic, gothic, inspirational, thriller, horror, chick-lit, and action/adventure. She also writes children’s books, poetry, and writing reference titles such as her bestsellers, First Draft in 30 Days and From First Draft to Finished Novel {A Writer’s Guide to Cohesive Story Building}, available from Writer’s Digest Books. Her previous writing reference titles focused on non-subsidy, royalty-paying electronic publishing, author promotion, and setting up a promotional group like her own, the award-winning Jewels of the Quill, which she founded in 2003. Jewels of the Quill produced two award-winning group anthologies per year published by Whiskey Creek Press from 2005-2011. All were edited by Karen and others. Along with her writing, Karen enjoys designing Web sites, graphics, and cover art.

Be sure to comment throughout the month for a chance to win one of Karen's books!

[Anne] Name one of your favorite books as a child.

[Karen] How to Care for Your Monster by Normal Bridwell (of Clifford fame). I’d never known anyone else to have read it until I met my husband.

[Anne] Do you have a favorite author?

[Karen] Yes—for every genre. Some of my favorites are J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Agatha Christie, Angela Hunt, Terry Brooks, Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (pre-Detective Aloysius Pendergast series).

[Anne] Out of all the books you’ve read, which one comes immediately to your mind?

[Karen] The Lord of the Rings (a brilliant concept so beautifully executed in Peter Jackson’s films).

[Anne] If there is a favorite scene you remember, please share.

[Karen] The scene where Eowyn realizes she’s fallen in love with Faramir. Men tend not to be great at romance scenes, but this one was so poignant, it stands out in my mind.

[Anne] Your favorite vacation spot (whether you have been there or not)?

[Karen] I’m a homebody to the extreme. Agoraphobia is common in my family. Leaving home for longer than a few hours is painful for me.

[Anne] Which would you rather have: A custom closet or a custom kitchen?

[Karen] Kitchen, definitely. I’m as far from a fashion-ista as they come. Besides, I don’t have enough clothes to need a custom closet.

[Anne] It’s Saturday afternoon and you’re home alone. What are you wearing? And yes, you must have clothes on.

[Karen] Yes, I must have clothes on. I love pajamas and I’d wear them at all times if it was socially acceptable.

[Anne] What’s your favorite dish?

[Karen] I haven’t progressed out of my teenage years—pizza. The more cheese, the better.

[Anne] Hey, we never grow out of pizza:)  Okay, other than writing, what do you enjoy doing?

[Karen] Designing cover art and graphics for websites. See my designs here:

http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/KarensCoverDesigns.html

[Anne] You’ve just landed a multi-book contract with a major publisher! Which vehicle would we be more likely to see you driving after you’ve collected your huge advance: a Hummer, RV, truck, muscle car, or BMW?

[Karen] None of the above. I’d just like a basic, new car—a Saturn SUV of some kind would suit me perfectly. Ms. Practicality, that’s me.

[Anne] What’s your favorite television show? Movie?

[Karen] I watch almost no television. I do catch American Idol as often as I can when it’s running, occasionally watch House when it comes on, but mostly I watch cooking shows when I do sit down in front of the television. My favorite movie is The Lord of the Rings.

[Anne] You’ve won a talent show! What act did you perform?

[Karen] I love to sing. Very cool if I could win a talent show for my singing.

[Anne] Would you rather have the power to be invisible or be able to fly, and why?

[Karen] For an introvert, the easy answer for me is to be invisible. You can’t imagine how often I just want to be invisible wherever I go, whatever I do.

[Anne] What was one of the most surprising things you learned during your journey to publication?

[Karen] That I could make the rules…write my own ticket. I never expected that and it’s difficult to give up that perk now to work with a publisher who wants to control every single aspect of the work. I love a publisher who trusts me and can see my vision instead of the other way around.

[Anne] What was the most interesting research you did for a book?

[Karen] In the process of outlining the final book in my Family Heirlooms Series, Worlds Collide, I had to do a ton of research about Japan along multiple angles—marriage, family living, childrearing, housing, traveling, etc. What a culture shock. It’s absolutely nothing like the United States over there. Writing a book where a main character is Japanese was beyond difficult and so I felt the only way to make it truly believable was to make her have grown up in the United States—this helped to create a character who’s at home in both worlds.

[Anne] Where do you go when you need to get inspired to write?

[Karen] Almost exclusively to my office. But I admit I do love to take a bunch of music CDs and go for a long drive in which I brainstorm like mad on a book.

[Anne] Do you have any writing quirks?

[Karen] Maybe it’s a quirk that I don’t believe there are absolutes in writing. There are so many writing trends, and I admit I find most of them silly. If anyone tells me when writing Never do this or Always do this, I immediately take a step backward. There’s only one rule in writing: If it works for the story, go with it. The only rules are the ones you enforce yourself in your writing. Don’t let anyone else tell you differently.

[Anne] What do you think makes a good story?

[Karen] Great characters. Without them, no story could be good enough to engage a reader.

[Anne] What are you working on now?

[Karen] I’m researching and outlining Clumsy Girl’s Guide to Falling in Love, the first book in the spin-off to my Family Heirlooms Series. I’m also revising and polishing two novellas: “Beauty is the Beast”, the final story in the miniseries I’m doing within my Woodcutter’s Grim Series, and “For Always”, the third in my Cowboy Fever Series.

[Anne] What's one of the more interesting experiences you've had with one of your readers?

[Karen] Interesting might be stretching this, but I often have people send me their books—usually out of nowhere—and ask me to read them. As if I have the time or inclination do to anything of the kind. Don’t get me wrong: I believe in giving back and helping new writers as much as possible, but there is a point where one has to draw the line. One time when I was having this happen to me practically once a week and was getting fed up with it, I had someone beg me to read his work. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He even offered to pay me. Maybe it was wrong to accept it, but I figured it was no different than charging for a critique at a writing conference. In any case, I think we offered each other a valuable service, but honestly I’d probably never do it again. I put a disclaimer on my website now that says don’t send it; I’ll delete it without looking at it. So far, it’s worked pretty well.

[Anne] Complete this scene: It was raining. The man came out of nowhere, and before I knew it....

[Karen] I was wishing I’d never left home to begin with. (Hey, pre-agoraphobic talking here.)

For more information about Karen and her work, visit her Web sites at http://www.karenwiesner.com, http://www.firstdraftin30days.com, http://www.falconsbend.com and http://www.JewelsoftheQuill.com. If you would like to receive Karen’s free e-mail newsletter, Karen’s Quill, and become eligible to win her monthly book giveaways, send a blank e-mail to

KarensQuill-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.