Kristena Tunstall

  • Home
  • Bible Study Quiet Time
    • Jen Hatmaker
      • A Modern Girl’s Guide to Bible Study
  • Speaking/Webinars
  • Our Daughter’s Hospital Story
  • Blog
Kristena Tunstall > My Journeys > 365 Day Writing Journey > Day 62: Feast or Famine: Part 1

Posted on February 11, 2014 By Kristena Tunstall

Day 62: Feast or Famine: Part 1

Food FeastThis is a two-day posting. For today’s topic it’s about the “feast” in writing. Have you ever sat down to write something and story after story is sitting there ready to write. In fact, you have so many of them you’re overwhelmed with were to start. This is like the feast.

As writers we have to discern what we need to write about. A great place to start would be to pray asking for God’s help in knowing what should be written about first. So discernment is the key. We need to listen closely what our Heavenly Father has laid on our hearts to write.

I think I struggled with this head on without realizing it. The first full completed draft of Mari’s book is sitting in a “folder” collecting make-believe dust. Although, at the time, I thought telling her ENTIRE story was the right way to move forward. But then reality hit me as I kept being told the book I had written was fine for friends and family but that’s about it. I was crushed. All that time spent was for not. To be honest, I cried and almost gave up on the dream of publishing her story.

Once the pity party was over, I read some helpful advice. This person told me that to make her story more interesting to the general public was simple. I need to implement fiction techniques into her story. The problem was I had no idea how to do that. Me write fiction, not in a million would I do that.

But I decided to give it a try anyway. I mean, what did I have to lose. So I went to writing the first chapter infused with fiction techniques. I resubmitted it for critique and all of a sudden it all turned around. But then it dawned on me. To implement fiction techniques through the whole story would take my 100,000 word book and triple it if not quadruple it. So that would most definitely not be the way to go.

Then it struck me. What was the one thing more than any other I’ve had feedback on that seems to have made the most difference or impact? Mari’s hospital story. Those 16 days could be turned into a full length book and I already know her story resonates with people just from the responses alone I’ve received.

So yes, you could say I had one ginormous feast of things I could write about which then brought me to the simple words spoke during those 16 long, yet short, days.

 

Day 63: Feast or Famine: Part 2

February 12, 2014 Kristena Tunstall 0
Have you ever sat down to your computer or your binder paper and suddenly you have nothing to write. In fact, this goes on for several days. Nothing is coming to you. This is what we writers hate to have happen: Writer's Block. Or the famine. For whatever reason, all…
 

Day 61: Writing Hours

February 10, 2014 Kristena Tunstall 0
Everyone's writing time is individualized to that person and what works best for them. One person may only have an hour at lunch time to devote to the craft whereas someone else may have the entire day. We all lead different lives. Some are married while others are single. Some…

signature
Post Views: 1,695

Related

Site Archives

  • ►2020 (6)
    • ►June (3)
    • ►May (1)
    • ►January (2)
  • ►2019 (1)
    • ►March (1)
  • ►2018 (4)
    • ►November (2)
    • ►July (2)
  • ►2017 (15)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►May (10)
    • ►March (4)
  • ►2016 (11)
    • ►December (1)
    • ►October (1)
    • ►February (9)
  • ►2015 (22)
    • ►December (1)
    • ►November (5)
    • ►October (3)
    • ►April (1)
    • ►March (4)
    • ►February (3)
    • ►January (5)
  • ►2014 (221)
    • ►December (6)
    • ►November (6)
    • ►October (4)
    • ►September (3)
    • ►August (1)
    • ►July (3)
    • ►June (28)
    • ►May (15)
    • ►April (56)
    • ►March (34)
    • ►February (30)
    • ►January (35)
  • ►2013 (346)
    • ►December (34)
    • ►November (28)
    • ►October (50)
    • ►September (53)
    • ►August (22)
    • ►June (11)
    • ►May (31)
    • ►April (56)
    • ►March (31)
    • ►February (28)
    • ►January (2)
  • ►2012 (82)
    • ►December (6)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►October (1)
    • ►September (4)
    • ►August (11)
    • ►July (15)
    • ►June (9)
    • ►May (10)
    • ►April (3)
    • ►March (11)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (2)
  • ►2011 (46)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►June (3)
    • ►May (9)
    • ►April (1)
    • ►March (6)
    • ►February (7)
    • ►January (19)
  • ►2010 (43)
    • ►December (1)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►October (2)
    • ►September (1)
    • ►July (3)
    • ►June (12)
    • ►May (10)
    • ►April (2)
    • ►March (3)
    • ►February (5)
    • ►January (3)
  • ►2009 (49)
    • ►December (5)
    • ►November (2)
    • ►October (1)
    • ►September (4)
    • ►July (2)
    • ►June (1)
    • ►May (4)
    • ►April (7)
    • ►March (4)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (10)
  • ►2008 (34)
    • ►December (11)
    • ►November (15)
    • ►October (8)
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Twitter
My Tweets
Follow @MommysAngelHeav
  • Archives
  • Categories
  • Tags
Archives
  • ►2020 (6)
    • ►June (3)
    • ►May (1)
    • ►January (2)
  • ►2019 (1)
    • ►March (1)
  • ►2018 (4)
    • ►November (2)
    • ►July (2)
  • ►2017 (15)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►May (10)
    • ►March (4)
  • ►2016 (11)
    • ►December (1)
    • ►October (1)
    • ►February (9)
  • ►2015 (22)
    • ►December (1)
    • ►November (5)
    • ►October (3)
    • ►April (1)
    • ►March (4)
    • ►February (3)
    • ►January (5)
  • ►2014 (221)
    • ►December (6)
    • ►November (6)
    • ►October (4)
    • ►September (3)
    • ►August (1)
    • ►July (3)
    • ►June (28)
    • ►May (15)
    • ►April (56)
    • ►March (34)
    • ►February (30)
    • ►January (35)
  • ►2013 (346)
    • ►December (34)
    • ►November (28)
    • ►October (50)
    • ►September (53)
    • ►August (22)
    • ►June (11)
    • ►May (31)
    • ►April (56)
    • ►March (31)
    • ►February (28)
    • ►January (2)
  • ►2012 (82)
    • ►December (6)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►October (1)
    • ►September (4)
    • ►August (11)
    • ►July (15)
    • ►June (9)
    • ►May (10)
    • ►April (3)
    • ►March (11)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (2)
  • ►2011 (46)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►June (3)
    • ►May (9)
    • ►April (1)
    • ►March (6)
    • ►February (7)
    • ►January (19)
  • ►2010 (43)
    • ►December (1)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►October (2)
    • ►September (1)
    • ►July (3)
    • ►June (12)
    • ►May (10)
    • ►April (2)
    • ►March (3)
    • ►February (5)
    • ►January (3)
  • ►2009 (49)
    • ►December (5)
    • ►November (2)
    • ►October (1)
    • ►September (4)
    • ►July (2)
    • ►June (1)
    • ►May (4)
    • ►April (7)
    • ►March (4)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (10)
  • ►2008 (34)
    • ►December (11)
    • ►November (15)
    • ►October (8)
Categories
  • ►About Books… (22)
    • ►Book – The Unknown Door (3)
    • ►Book Reviews (5)
    • ►Featured Books (14)
  • ►Announcements (2)
  • ►Featured Posts (8)
  • ►Holidays (39)
    • ►4th of July (5)
    • ►Birthdays (6)
    • ►Christmas (6)
    • ►Easter (1)
    • ►Father’s Day (1)
    • ►Memorial Day (1)
    • ►Mother’s Day (4)
    • ►New Year’s (2)
    • ►Tax Time (1)
    • ►Thanksgiving (4)
    • ►Valentine’s Day (1)
    • ►Wedding Anniversary (6)
  • ►Interviews (2)
  • ►Miscellaneous (1)
  • ►Miscellaneous (6)
    • ►VotD (1)
  • ►Mommys Angel in Heaven (246)
    • ►Featured Posts mommys (2)
    • ►Multimedia moms mommys (1)
      • ►Videos mommys (1)
    • ►My Writing mommys (10)
      • ►In Response mommys (1)
      • ►In The Moment mommys (4)
      • ►Monthly Blog Chain mommys (1)
      • ►Reflection mommys (2)
      • ►Stories mommys (1)
        • ►Nonfiction mommys (1)
  • ►Multimedia (20)
    • ►Photos (4)
    • ►Slideshow (2)
    • ►Videos (12)
      • ►YouTube (7)
  • ▼My Journeys (306)
    • ▼365 Day Writing Journey (152)
      • Day 1: Switchbacks up the Mountain
      • Timing...
      • Day 2: Sacred Space
      • Day 3: The Holy Calling
      • Day 4: Choosing Story Over Relatives
      • Day 5: Getting Caught
      • Day 6: Daring to Tell
      • Day 7: Jumping Off
      • Day 8: The Voice that Chirps and Chirps
      • Day 9: Getting Permission
      • Day 10: Working Out
      • Day 11: Racing Hearts and Churning Stomachs
      • Day 12: Patience
      • Day 13: The Matanuska Valley and Other Diversions
      • Day 14: Waiting for Pizza
      • Day 15: People in a Jam
      • Day 16: Exploding Typewriters, Smoking Computers
      • Day 17: Love Thy Reader
      • Day 18: Your Validation Posse
      • Day 19: The Five Characteristics of Good Writing
      • Day 20: Naked in the Hallway
      • Making a change
      • Day 1: Switchbacks up the Mountain
      • Day 2: Sacred Space
      • Day 3: The Holy Calling
      • Day 4: Choosing Story Over Relatives
      • Day 5: Getting Caught
      • The Journey with Carole Brown
      • Day 6: Daring to Tell
      • Day 7: Jumping Off
      • Day 8: The Voice that Chirps and Chirps
      • Day 9: Getting Permission
      • Day 10: Working Out
      • Day 11: Racing Hearts and Churning Stomachs
      • Day 12: Patience
      • Day 13: The Matanuska Valley and Other Diversions
      • Day 14: Waiting for Pizza
      • Day 15: People in a Jam
      • Day 16: Exploding Typewriters, Smoking Computers
      • Day 17: Love Thy Reader
      • Day 18: Your Validation Posse
      • Day 19: The Five Characteristics of Good Writing
      • Day 20: Naked in the Hallway
      • Day 21: Finding the Spotlight
      • Day 22: A Writer's Lifestyle
      • Day 23: What Writer's Do
      • Day 24: Writing While Drooled Upon
      • Day 25: Failing Better
      • Day 26: The Trampoline as a Metaphor
      • Day 27: Fruitcakes and Discipline
      • Day 28: In the Company of Animals
      • Day 29: First Things First
      • Day 30: Out of the Box
      • Day 31: Dreaming Your Ship
      • Day 32: Improvisation
      • Day 33: Diving, Not Drowning
      • Day 34: The Duck or the Pâté?
      • Day 35: Eight Ways to Sabotage Yourself
      • Day 36: The Peculiar Art
      • Day 37: Being a Writer
      • Day 38: Ideal Conditions
      • Day 39: Keeping a Journal
      • Day 40: Inspiration
      • Day 41: Overnight Success Story
      • Day 42: Darling, What If You Tried...
      • Day 43: Nelson's News
      • Day 44: Sad Flailing and Panic
      • Day 45: Stubborn and Stupid
      • Day 46: Frou-Frou in Your Head
      • Day 47: The Writer's Club
      • Day 48: Community
      • Day 49: Tilting
      • Day 50: The Narrative of Your Life
      • Day 51: Nothing New Under the Sun
      • Day 52: The Writer as Spy
      • Day 53: On Work and Sentences
      • Day 54: The Beginning Writer
      • Day 55: One Lie Leads to Another
      • Day 56: No Drama
      • Day 57: Juggling
      • Day 58: Retreating to Play
      • Day 59: What Writers Can Learn from Six-Year-Olds
      • Day 60: Showing Up
      • Day 61: Writing Hours
      • Day 62: Feast or Famine: Part 1
      • Day 63: Feast or Famine: Part 2
      • Day 64: Writing Is Not Pretty
      • Day 65: Why You Don't Show Your Work to Your Spouse
      • Day 66: The Pitfalls of Grammar
      • Day 67: Seinfeld's Calendar
      • Day 68: Making Use of Fear
      • Day 69: Your Naked Prose
      • Day 70: The Right Age to Write
      • Day 71: Being Your Own Shrink
      • Day 72: Writer's Remorse
      • Day 74: The Truth and Nothing But
      • Day 75: Signs and Messages from Above
      • Day 77: Why Write?
      • Day 79: What Does Your Mother Think?
      • Day 80: The Strip Club
      • Day 81: Writing on Water
      • Day 82: Finding a Genre
      • Day 83: Retyping the Best
      • Day 84: How to Be a Writer
      • Day 85: Motivation
      • Day 86: Looking vs. Seeing
      • Day 87: Lessons of Drama
      • Day 88: From the Desk of God
      • Day 89: Worries of Writing Memoir
      • Day 90: The Wrestling Match
      • Day 91: Naming Names
      • Day 92: Rituals of Discipline
      • Day 93: Habits of Writers
      • Day 94: Lighting Candles
      • Day 95: Five Things Writers Can Learn from Dogs
      • Day 96: The Things We Keep
      • Day 97: Clear Language
      • Day 98: Ideas in Limos and Planes
      • Day 99: Writing Your Own Corner
      • Day 100: Writing as Therapy
      • Day 101: Waiting for the Train
      • Day 102: Five Things Writers Can Learn from Cats
      • Day 103: Closing the Gap
      • Day 104: Writing Your Own Front Yard #acfw
      • Day 105: PERFECTION! #acfw
      • Day 106: Odd Notes #acfw
      • Day 107: A Love Story #acfw
      • Day 108: Aunt Boo's House #acfw
      • Day 109: Just Reading #acfw
      • Day 110: Reading in Russia #acfw
      • Day 111: Authors on Pedestals #acfw
      • Day 112: Getting to Denver by 4:00 #acfw
      • Day 113: Surrender #acfw
      • Day 114: The idea That Won’t Go Away #acfw
      • Day 115: Writing the Tree #acfw
      • Day 116: Why Writers Get Scared #acfw
      • Day 117: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Writer #acfw
      • Day 118: Infusion of Hope: The Circus Rider #acfw
      • Day 119: Stillness #acfw
      • Day 120: Writing the Event #acfw
      • Day 121: Life Rafts #acfw
      • Day 122: Fiction vs. Nonfiction #acfw
      • Day 123: An Empty Swimming Pool #acfw
      • Day 124: Breaking Glass: Metaphor and Symbols #acfw
      • Day 125: Approval #acfw
      • Day 126: The Art of Finding Solitude #acfw
      • Day 127: One True Sentence #acfw #365days
      • Day 128: Learning to Swim #acfw #365days
      • Day 129: Imaginations Going Nuts #acfw #365days
      • Day 130: Paying Attention #acfw #365days
      • Day 131: Do Not Try This at Home #acfw #365days
      • Day 132: Double-Edged Sword of the Internet #acfw #365days
    • ►A to Z Challenge (68)
    • ►A to Z Challenge mommys (30)
    • ►NaBloPoMo (56)
  • ►My Writing (551)
    • ►365 Days (185)
    • ►Bible Study Quiet Time (93)
      • ►Jen Hatmaker (42)
        • ►A Modern Girl’s Guide to Bible Study (21)
      • ►Priscilla Shirer (2)
        • ►The Armor of God (1)
    • ►In Response (37)
    • ►In The Moment (149)
    • ►Monthly Blog Chain (3)
    • ►My Journeys (2)
    • ►Reflection (68)
    • ►S.H.E. Time (2)
    • ►Time (6)
  • ►Other Site Authors (2)
    • ►Clever Girl (1)
    • ►Mari’s Teacher Mrs. A. (1)
  • ►Poetry (32)
    • ►Athena’s (1)
    • ►Free Form (11)
    • ►Rhyming (7)
  • ►Songs (13)
    • ►Lyrics (6)
    • ►Music (5)
  • ►Stories (16)
    • ►Fictional (4)
    • ►Nonfiction (9)
  • ►The Journey (75)
  • ►Websites (3)
  • ►Writing (42)
Tags
Array Name author book child children daughter death EMAIL family fiction fun God grief heart home hope interesting IP Journey life long loss LOVE memories mom new pain people person precious