Tag: laughter

Funny Things Writers do…

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Ok, so we all have things happen to us that make us just laugh at ourself. None of us are immune from doing things that in hindsight, we question our sanity.

So, today I’m talking the Oops of writing…

Here we go!

1: Someone from the 1800’s can’t flip a switch for power. Yes, it’s something that happens to the best of us. But, it’s a face palm moment when your editor asks you if the book was no longer a historical romance.

2: When your editor texts you and says, ‘Do you even know the name of your main character?’ Yep, renamed midway, then went back to original in the same manuscript. (Character Lists are essential!)

3: You publish your book, then realize that your name is not on the cover. AT ALL!

4: This one hits too close to home. You’re writing more than one book at a time, and you get the storylines mixed up. My editor hates at times! I know she does! You can’t be riding a horse across the wild west one moment, then in a limo headed from the airport in the next chapter. Yep, I did that!

5: The last one for this post, but a goody. Hit submit and realize you submitted the proof copy, not the edited copy… Enough said!

I could go on and on, but you see where I’m going with this. As a writer, you have to laugh and move forward. There is way too many voices in our head to comprehend the simplest task. And yes, that sounds like maybe we need brain scans, but it’s normal for a writer.

Add to my list and give all of us some comfort in knowing we’re not completely crazy.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

And remember to laugh… Laugh hard… Then continue on…

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Wednesday giggles…

Have you ever been writing and went back to read over what you’d written? Sometimes you have to sit back and go, what the heck was I thinking…

I had one of those moments just now. It was a LOL moment. I have no clue what I was trying to say, but I had to delete almost a whole paragraph.

That’s why we edit, edit, and edit some more. Then we send to an editor, then edit some more. Sometimes I really think I’m drunk when I write some of my words. But, as I’ve said a thousand times, it’s a rough draft people.

So, happy Wednesday people…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Come by and follow me on BookBub to keep up with all of my new releases!

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/stephanie-payne-hurt

Coffee, love, laughter…

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Good Saturday morning all! How do you like one of my new rugs? I’m super excited about this one. Can you see why? If you’ve been reading my posts for the last three years then you know why. Hint, there’s three of them… Did you figure it out yet?

This morning as soon as I opened my eyes it was evident the rain was here. So much for some yard work this morning, but I can’t complain because we need the rain. Saturdays at our house are for cleaning and writing. For some reason this week and I’m still a little confused about this one, I actually finished most of my laundry early. That means more time for writing today 😉

If you haven’t checked out my Wattpad entry, then run, don’t walk over there. Votes and views are important for this one. I also enjoy the commments. As a firm believer in the close knit writer community, I want to hear from you. One friend has already helped out by pointing out something that needed tweaking. I’m ever grateful for that too! When someone that doesn’t see the story from your head makes an observation, then you can see it clearer.

Also, for you Five Oaks Ranch fans I have a nifty little surprise that I slipped in this week when you weren’t looking. Ridge is free on most sites for a while. With Chase riding on the heels of publication I had to get some things happening. The downloads have been pouring in, which means there’s an interest in catching up. As I’ve said before, i can’t wait for you to meet Chase, my favorite of the Cauthen brood.

So, what’s your plans for today? Writing? Cleaning? Just being alive? For me, all of the above! My advice for you on this rainy Georgia day, drink a pot of coffee, hug someone you love and laugh a lot…

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/48304085-tuscany

One more thing before you go! When Tuscany’s entry on Wattpad reaches 25 views I’ll be doing a sweet giveaway, then at 50 and 100! So pass the word around and give me some reader/writer love!

Too much emotion in your writing?

Can you put too much emotion in your writing? I’ve heard some writers say they thought that they’d showed too much emotion from their main characters. But in my opinion, the emotion is what draws readers in. Recently I sent out an excerpt from one of my works in process, “Faith Through the Tears”. Several people came in and said the emotional pull was what drew the in.

The excerpt was a very powerful part of the book where the main characters wife dies of cancer. It’s detailing the emotions that both were going through in her last hours together. It’s an emotional time, how on earth do you pull back on that? 

I thought about several classic books and if the writer had pulled back on the emotions. It would have screwed up the whole story.

Take Gone With The Wind for instance. When she does the pivotal scene where she falls face down in the garden and eats raw vegetables, then stands up and makes that famous speech about “Never being hungry again.” The emotion is strong, but if Margaret Mitchell had pulled back and Scarlett had just stood there without putting her fist in the air and speaking in a strong tone it wouldn’t have had the same affect.

Emotion is an integral part of our writing and passion includes emotion. So keep the emotion in and make it strong. Go for it, cry a little, laugh a lot and never slack up on the emotion. 

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Writing…

For me writing is a way to release stress and get the thoughts in my head out. I’ve always been a dreamer. Even as a child I could spin a story in my head. My teachers always would ask where I came up with the stories I’d write for assignments. I’d laugh and say out of my brain. My grandfather wanted me to be a journalist, which is what I wanted to be for a long time.

It’s funny how things change. As life starts to take over you make decisions and some are good and others you spend the rest of your life shaking your head at your own stupidity. Well, if I’d gone with my gut instinct writing would’ve been my career from the start. I’ve been writing stories since I was around 13 years old. I was also trained in classical piano and organ. I always dreamed of playing for a huge orchestra somewhere in Europe. Oh well, dreams of the youth. I started painting around the same time. I’ve sold a couple of my paintings but nothing to brag about. 

Again, it’s funny how life takes over. In college I took a liking to Accounting and it was all over for the journalism and music. I decided to get a “safe” career. Not that working with the IRS and their ever changing rules is safe, but it seemed the thing to do. Accounting has  given us a comfortable life and running my own accounting firm has afforded me the luxury of keeping my son close and always being able to go to all his ball games and such.

Now that I’m writing, it’s been such a rewarding aspect of my life. I’ve met some of the nicest people from all over the world. The support that other authors give you is awesome. I may never be on the New York Times Bestseller list, but I have the knowledge that I’ve put my work out there and gotten some great response to it. Maybe one day I can retire my calculator and replace it with a laptop, but for now I’ll enjoy all the aspects of my life.

A couple of aspects of my life that will never change is that I’m a mom, wife, children’s minister and a servant in my Church. Even if I was to get to the next level with my writing those things still hold on. Life’s short and you need to make sure you live it to the fullest. The Lord doesn’t promise you tomorrow so live today and enjoy it. If you have a talent, then use it for good. Make someone smile or laugh, maybe even inspire someone for a moment. Don’t let it go to waste.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Laugh, it’s Friday!

Hello fellow bloggers. It’s Friday. Had you noticed? Did you forget? Well, I woke up and smiled. It’s Friday and the weekend officially starts in a couple of hours.

Have you laughed lately? I’m not talking about that snicker or pretend laugh when someone tells you a stupid joke. I’m talking about a outright, stomach clenching laugh. Well if you haven’t then try it. It helps you feel better. It clears the mind and makes way for positive thinking. Studies show that laughter helps people heal faster. I don’t know much about that, but I do know it helps you feel better.

As a children’s minister I laugh a lot. Children can just bring on laughter just being themselves. Sometimes I get to class on Wednesday or Sunday with a splitting headache and soon I’m feeling better. I contribute it to laughter.

Try to laugh today. Don’t take things so seriously. You only live once and you need to enjoy it. It also helps your writing and during November a lot of people are on a writing marathon. If you don’t have anything to laugh about, go to the internet and find a joke site or youtube video. See if you don’t feel better after you have that healthy side splitting laugh.

Well, as always, good writing, have a good laugh and May God always bless you!

For those in the north that are still having issues from Sandy, try to laugh. I know that you don’t have a lot to laugh about, but it couldn’t hurt to just laugh. It might give you some hope or extra energy. Not to mention it will warm your body against the cold. Praying for all of you!

So I am soft hearted! What?

 

Well, last night my son and I were watching “Facing the Giants”. I started to shed a couple of tears (actually a flood). My son started to laugh at me. He said, “Mom, this is not sad, why are you crying?” I turned to him and tried to explain it. “Son, these are happy tears, not sad. I feel really good watching this film.” He just shook his head.

I have always been soft hearted. I shed tears while listening to music, watching TV, reading, and just in life. Nothing gets me more than a beautiful romance that unfolds and sees a happy ending. Weddings almost do me in. LOL!

So as I drink my 2nd cup of coffee this morning, I contemplate the issue of being soft hearted. Sometimes it can be embarrassing, but other times I look at people around me that are not reacting and I want to say, “Really. Don’t you feel anything?” So what’s wrong with a couple of tears while watching a good movie or reading a touching scene in a book. I consider it a compliment to the writer for evoking immense emotion. I could only hope to invoke that kind of emotion in my writing.

I recently was honored to have a fan write to me and tell me one of my books made her cry. She said it was in a good way. It made me feel like I had accomplished something. I had evoked emotion. So is it weird? I don’t think so, just maybe to some, but to the other softies out there, shed a tear and enjoy the moment!