Workshop: Stepping Beyond the Page

Dancing Word Writers Workshop

with DiAnn Mills

September 15, 2006

Hosted by: Jason McDonald

Dancing Word Associate Editor

*This chat has been edited for clarity.

Jason McDonald: We'll get started. I'll pray, go over protocol, then introduce our guest

Dear Lord, thank you for this timewe have together. Thank you for laughter and friendship. Thank you that DiAnn could join us this evening. Please bless those who cannot be with us tonight. And bless everyone here. Let us all learn something this evening. In Jesus Name Amen

Protocol reminder: Type ? forquestions ! for comments and ga when finished. Please wait to be called upon in turn.

Tonight, I am pleased to introducea woman who knows research at the heart level. She has been to the Sudan and has written a couple of different books regarding what she has seen. Please welcome, DiAnn Mills!

*Annie leads the applause

* dragon screams woo hoo

* Spitfire thumps tail on thefloor as applause

* SassyStyle is clapping

Barbara Warren: Hi, Diann, Welcome aboard

Jason McDonald: Glad to have you here, DiAnn The floor is all yours

DiAnn Mills: Thank you! I have a lot of information for you tonight - some is cut and paste and some is from my heart. Thank you for prefacing my intro about my trip to Sudan - because it really opened my eyes to what true research is all about.

So first off I'd like to say that no book will ever grace a retailers' shelf that is not thoroughly plotted, contains unique characters and has been researched inside and out

My favorite line is: if you arewriting about your back yard, then you'd better know what kind of weeds grow there and how to kill them. So if it is ok with you, I'll slip in some info and then ask for questions!

Jason McDonald: Fine with me

DiAnn Mills: How far will you go to make your story take on the credibility it deserves? For that matter how far will you go when God asks you to step outside your comfort zone? Are you willing to trust Him when he drops a heavy project into your path?

Every writer struggles for credibility. No matter if your story is a contemporary, historical, mystery, sci-fi, or fantasy, each one of us wants our stories to take on the flavor of the characters, the culture, and the setting. So we research. We click through the various sites on line, take trips to the library, interview people, and visit our settings.

How far are you ready to venture when it comes to research? How much accuracy do you really want? Can you wing it with culture, settings, vocabulary, humor? Granted, some research has to be done in the traditional ways, but what if God called you out of your comfort zone into a precarious setting? What would you say?

Tough question for some, and yetsome of you have stepped into that arena and turned your writing into a ministry without realizing it. If you are writing women's fiction and you interview those women who have been abused, then you are in a ministry

If you take the time to interviewseasoned citizens about life in their twenties, then it's a ministry. If you are writing nonfiction - it's always a ministry. Or children, or self help, or any genre that plants seeds about the gospel.

The best way to outline your research is through sensory perception. Any questions at this point?

robert: What do you mean by sensory perception in the outline?

DiAnn Mills: Research through what you see, hear, taste, smell, touch and even the nudging in your spirit. I'll explain that in a minute

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