Just the things I'm feeling for you tonight...

There's something eating at you, and maybe only you know. Some dream, a long-abandoned ambition you never let live.

It isn't too late.

Don't be the person who dies without ever trying. Please don't, because what you were made to do might just be what I need to see, hear, read, feel, experience.

There's a chance no one has ever told you, in which case I'll gladly fill you in: your gifts were not meant for only you. Your skills could do so much more than just bring you joy (which they should...the deep down kind.)

Your talent might just create the ripples in this stagnant sea that rocks the boat of someone's life enough to wake them...

To realize their own dream.

To live.

Don't be afraid of failing. There are hands to help you rise again to the place of trying.
Failure is life being lived, and rising is where courage is born.

I can't wait to see what you're made of.

I believe in you.

Always,
Laura Fran

When Writing is Personal...

As writers, we all have lines we've written that mean something to us.

Words that, every time we read them, stir feelings. Maybe they inspire us, reminding us to keep doing what we love. Perhaps they're deeply personal...that one time, we were able to get down in words the true nature of what we held inside. 

For me, the Slave series was deeply impacted by personal experiences with severe social fear, particularly in my teen years...when life is already angsty enough. 

I remember a time, and couple years after high school ended, sitting outside Barnes and Noble (ironically) with a friend. I was feeling lost, unsure of my future. In his clear thinking, he asked: What is it that you want to do? What do want to do, Laura? 

In that moment, I wanted to scream, but in quiet words I said simply, "I want to write." 

"Then go to college and study creative writing. Study literature." 

What he didn't know, what he couldn't possible understand, was that his advice CRUSHED me. His words, though rational, made me feel that I would never write...not in the way I wanted to. 

The reason: FEAR. 

Why would I subject myself to another battleground of social anxiety like college, when I'd just escaped high school? You may not believe me, but when I say it was severe, that's no exaggeration. Many times I sat in a bathroom stall, crying and glaring, angry at myself for being AFRAID to walk into the lunch room and sit with my own FRIENDS. My heart was always racing, my mind always distracted and hyper-analyzing. Always. Nights were spent with a gnawing ache in my chest, anxiety screaming at me over all the 'mistakes' I'd made in conversations, actions, choices...

There was no way, in my still traumatized mind, that I would suffer through that again. So, in that moment, sitting in his car outside BARNES AND NOBLE, 

I lost hope that I would ever be an author. 

Years and many experiences later, the love of stories rattled back to life inside of me after reading The Hobbit on an afternoon drive between New York and Maine. Time passed, and the hunger only grew. Finally, in 2014, I gave in.

I began to read voraciously...obsessively. 

I studied YouTube videos and iTunesU lessons. 

I read blogs and articles...and practiced my heart out. 

There was this one stretch of weeks that I obsessively bought legal pads. In the evenings, I'd sit at the table at my MIL's house where we lived for a time, scratching words into stories, oblivious to anyone around me entering and exiting the house. I was captivated. That's the only word that could describe it. 

Surely they all thought I'd lost my mind. But what was happening was the birth of courage. I was learning to be brave. 

In the third book of my series, which is not yet released, there's a line Hannah says that is directly inspired by that moment in the car with my friend all those years ago. As they're running the base of the mountain, rushing to aid dying Workers, she says, 

"In my mind, I see my mother. When the Watcher dragged her away, she used her whole body, all her muscles, trying to break free. That’s how I feel now…like I’m straining, but I can’t reach the thing I want, no matter how far my fingers stretch."

Fear was dragging me away. Fear was stealing my dream. And no matter how desperately I wanted it, I believed it would never happen. 

But we can be free from fear. We can be brave. I found strength and grace in the power of God's love for me, whispering to me in the deep places of my heart that He put the dream there on purpose, and His breath stirred it back to life. 

Keep dreaming. 

You're braver than you think. 

I believe in you. 

Always. 

Laura Fran 

Tell the Truth...

My favorite element of story telling is character creation. 

But if I were to be honest, I don't spend much time creating profiles before I start. Occasionally I'll fill in a character interview if I'm wanting to get deeper into their minds for a reason, but the majority of my writing comes instinctively. 

I'm what's called a PANTSER, and it is incurable for me. 

I love the thrill of discovering my characters during the writing process. I love the mystery going in, wondering who they'll be and what's buried deep inside them. Because, as we know, strong characters MUST be complex and real. I may be a seat-of-your-pants-er, but I still agree that characters should be well fleshed out. 

There are many elements that make up a STRONG character. Here are a couple:

1.) Strong characters are CONSISTENT. Their behavior, reactions, responses, etc should be consistent with the personality you've assigned them. Unless, of course, they're behaving out of character for a specific purpose in the plot of the story. 

2.) Strong characters DESIRE something. That want or NEED creates tension and conflict within the story...which we eat up like candy. They should have an inner need and an outer need. Frodo's outer need is to destroy the ring. His inner need, which is not always clear to the character, is more complicated. Frodo needs to learn the value in companionship. He also needs to learn courage and perseverance. (There are so many powerful characters in LOTR and many needs intertwined together. Brilliant.) 

But the thing I've learned, and what matters most to me when writing characters, is that they should always, in every instance, be HONEST. 

It's so easy to write to please. It's something most fiction writers wrestle with at some point. It's also tempting to write to trends. And, well, maybe there is a place for that. We're all writing for our own reasons. For some, it's a way to make money. For others, it's a way to make change. Some just want to inspire. While others would like a little bit of everything. It's ALL good.

But if you want to write a story with a deep impact on the reader, you must let your characters speak from their hearts, no matter how noble or wicked, complicated or well-balanced. Let your characters tell the truth, and don't sensor them to keep readers happy.

This is not permission to be recklessly offensive. Be wise and know the difference. 

But raw, uninhibited characters allow for readers to EXPERIENCE the story, rather than just be told one. These are the books we devour. 

I'll leave you with this quote that I LOVE:

Keep writing and tell us the truth! 

I believe in you. 

Always, 

Laura 

The Unavoidable Truth of Writing...

What I Learned About Writing on a Trip to China...

The Obvious, Unavoidable Truth.

We need each other.

I recently traveled to China to co-teach at a novel writing conference. Before you make assumptions about me, I should tell you this was not only my first time teaching on writing, but my first time attending a writing conference of any kind, as well as my first time spending time in person with other serious writers.

Daunting, to say the least.

It isn't that I haven't wanted those things. But my writing life, and life as an author that soon followed, blossomed during my time living abroad in Japan. (Where I still live...) It has, until now, been a very secluded experience. I don't despise that. In fact, I'm grateful. There's a certain tenacity you develop when you feel like you're going it alone. 

But that season needed to end for me. I needed like-minded people in my life.

This was the great lesson I learned on my trip. You see, I thought I was going strong on my own, and maybe I was. I've self-published, self-edited, self-formatted, self-cover designed, and self-motivated for the last three years. Apart from (amazing) beta readers and encouraging family members, I was wading through publishing in many ways alone. Somehow, by grace, I didn't sink. Somehow, my books have found their readers, and I did not faint. 

But I would not go back to that seclusion. 

In spending time with other writers and book obsessives, I found new inspiration and courage. Being around like-minded people is powerfully motivating. You share the same thought processes, similar dreams and aspirations. You may share the same strengths and weaknesses. You may be opposites, and in that case able to help each other. 

You cannot learn new things from yourself. 

At some point, your knowledge runs dry. You need help. You need new ideas or techniques. There is so much to gain from making time to connect with other writers...and nothing to lose. 

So my advice to you, whether you are a writer, a health enthusiast, a designer, a mother, an artist, an athlete...

Get around people who share your interests. Get out of your head, out of your bubble, and find inspiration in others. 

I believe in you.
Always,
Laura Fran