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

Raw emotions - Answering a Q&A question...

Answering a Q&A question from the event I'm running on my Facebook page!

If you have any questions pertaining to anything to do with my book series or writing or whatever, please don't hesitate!

Today's question is from Megan Blakley-Seiler. (Thank you again, Megan!)

She said:  Dystopian future novels, and especially female protagonist dystopian novels, are wildly popular. Can you talk about why that theme resonated with you for your books, and talk about why you think it is so attractive to your audience? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Here's my response: They really are SO popular. And to be honest, because of their popularity, I was nervous to release one of my own. I thought readers might be getting tired of the genre, and was afraid that mine would get skipped over. When inspiration for Slave began, I'd just come up for air after binge reading the Hunger Games and the Divergent trilogies, along with Marie Lu's Legend trilogy, The Selection series, and several others. I was craving another, as we often do, and decided to write one myself, but dared myself to try for something that was clean enough for all demographics of readers to enjoy. By the time Hannah's story took shape, it was clearly a dystopian. That genre was where it nestled the best. Perhaps dystopian novels are so popular because we relate to the underlying struggles in the stories. We all go through difficulties at different times in our lives for different reasons. We all know what if feels like to be afraid or to need to overcome something. Or maybe it's that these stories, when done well, remind us to take a closer look at the world around us...at the direction we could be headed if we aren't careful. We want a story to challenge us to be better. When I first began mentally creating the story of Slave, I was compelled by a simple idea: good-hearted men trapped in criminal lifestyles under threat. This is not a fictional notion; I believe firmly there are these people all over the world in many different cultures, caught up in situations because their families are threatened or their own lives are at risk. Yes the majority of criminals are such because they chose it for whatever reason, but I narrowed the lens to those few, the ones who may be silently tortured by their own actions. This was one of the initial inspirations for Slave and where the story became clearly dystopian. {I chose to write from Hannah's perspective so we could see their evolution and journey through her eyes, as one of the victims watching the enemy transform.} As to why I think it is so attractive to readers, it's hard to say. Everyone approaches a story from a different perspective and a unique worldview. We all get something slightly (or significantly) different from reading the same stories. But if I were to guess, I would say that readers are drawn in by the emotional journeys of the characters. At least that's the truth for me when I read dystopian novels {or any novel, really}. {Slave ended up being exceptionally emotional. Hannah was created to be a very empathetic character. She's not just working through her own trauma, but feeling the trauma of others along with them. Writing these books often has me in tears.} Love, grief, joy, fear, anger, longing...these are all emotions that are familiar to us. Stories sometimes help us make sense of the things we're feeling. When we're able to immerse ourselves in the lives of characters, we get to learn lessons with them. When they fall, we feel the impact of their choices. And when they overcome, our hearts swell with pride. Dystopian stories in recent years have been deeply emotional and raw, and I love that. I love to read it, and I love to write it. I hope that answers your question, Megan! Always, Laura

The Pause...

Truth be told, I'm a lazy writer. (Hence this being my first blog post in months....sorry!) Or maybe it's that I'm a procrastinator because the task always feels so daunting. Whatever it is, I find I really have to push myself to write consistently.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've found the process exceptionally difficult. As reviews for my first book, SLAVE, pour in, I find I'm caught up in the detailed critiques some of them list out. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for every single bit of it. We don't grow as writers and storytellers by shrinking away from critics. At some point we have to poke our heads out of our hermit holes and at least glance at them. While some negative response is just mean-spirited, for the most part we can learn a great deal by listening to our readers.

But for some reason, I've found myself almost halted by the response. And isn't just the critical reviews. The majority of SLAVE's reviews are surprisingly positive! Even those have my fingers stalling over the keys, hesitating.

I think what it is is that now this story that for so long was simmering in my head is now out there, being considered and analyzed and enjoyed. It's being interpreted in new ways because the readers each approach it with a different worldview. Perhaps much different than mine.

Don't get me wrong, it's all very exciting. But this is part of the growth of passing the threshold from writer to author. It's the vulnerable side of this journey. The hope is that we, as storytellers, will always improve. The potential for growth in this field of work is endless. To achieve that, we have to be willing to pause and listen. Maybe not always, and maybe we don't have to take in everything. But there is value in lifting our eyes from the endless typing and letting our gazes move over the ever growing crowd of readers. There's value in taking in the response, and letting it give us pause.

After a time, hopefully not long, my thoughts will settle back into focus. I'm still writing, and BOOK TWO is slowly taking form. I'll hit a stride soon, and my family will wonder why Mommy hasn't washed her hair in a couple days. (<<Let's be real.)

Until then, I see you, readers. I hear your kind words, and I acknowledge your questions. I take it all in. Soon I'll have to push you out of my head and let BOOK TWO come to life on its own terms. But know that you are shaping my skills as a writer, and I value your input!

Love always,

Laura

Slave (Book One) Playlist

I am extremely affected by music.
Strong lyrics, crescendos, ballads, drum beats...it all gets me. So, like many writers, I compiled a playlist of songs that in some way inspired the writing process of Slave. Some songs simply carried a mood I was chasing for a scene. Others possessed lyrics that spoke directly to the characters I was dealing with that day, week, month.

Without further ado, this is my playlist for Slave (Book One). I'm so greatful for the positive responses the book is receiving! It's a story that means a lot to me, and I'm thrilled to be finally sharing it with you!

So, here 'tis.

1. Fleurie - Sirens
2. Sia - Alive
3. Sia - Bird Set Free
4. Christina Perri - Lonely
5. Coldplay - Midnight
6. Bethel Music - No Longer Slaves
7. M83 - I Need You
8. Amber Run - I Found
9. Story of the Year - Swallow the Knife
10. The Sound of Silence as sung by Allison
11. Fleurie - Breathe

Hope you enjoy!

Book two is currently in progress. Here's a glimpse into my current playlist:

SVRCINA - Meet Me On The Battlefield

Until next time!
Laura Fran