Friday Feature: Color Me Inspired

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Yesterday, I hosted my friend and fellow writer Rachel J. Good, who talked about how coloring book inspire her when she's stuck in her writing.

But coloring books aren't just for writers -- or kids. This article from USA Today on the benefits of coloring came out right around the time I was coloring with my college students, enjoying some of the benefits discussed in the article.

In my neck of the woods, they're calling for cloudy, rainy weather this weekend. Not-so-perfect weather for outdoor enthusiasts, but just about right for those of us who like to curl up with a good book.

Or perhaps a coloring book and crayons.

Thoughtful Thursday with Rachel J. Good

Last fall, I bought crayons and colored pencils and printed out coloring pages for my students (college freshmen) to color. It was perhaps the quietest five minutes we had all semester, and a few of the young ladies in my class ended up putting coloring books on their Christmas lists.

I never actually gave much thought to what went into creating them, until my friend and fellow author, Rachel J. Good created a coloring book of her own. Read on to find out how Rachel added coloring books to her resume. 

In the mood to color? Click here to download one of Rachel's coloring pages. 

Are You a Coloring Book Fan?

By Rachel J. Good

Have you been following the coloring book craze? I hadn�t. Although family and friends had been praising them as stress relievers and libraries in the area were attracting large groups of dedicated coloring book fans, I was busy meeting book deadlines.

Then an illustrator friend handed me her latest project � an adult coloring book. She thought it might reduce my deadline anxiety. I hesitated about taking time out of my busy schedule to try it, but I didn�t want to hurt her feelings. So I pulled out my markers and colored pencils, sat down, and colored.

And colored�and colored...

OK, so it was addictive.

Maybe it�s the throwback to childhood or the intense concentration it takes to shade in small sections, but coloring not only relaxes me, it puts me in the zone � the creative zone. Coloring unlocks the subconscious and frees the mind to solve problems, including those thorny plot problems I�d been wrestling with in my Amish novel.

Photo: Pixabay

Many famous inventors claim their Eureka! moments came to them spontaneously while they were resting or engaged in a simple, repetitive activity. If I�m stuck on a creative project, I find showering, walking, or washing dishes releases my writer�s block. Now I have a new technique that works equally as well, or perhaps even better, because coloring uses the artistic side of my brain.

For me that coloring book not only unleashed a flurry of creative ideas, it connected two unrelated projects � my Amish novel and coloring books � stimulating me to create my own coloring book, the Amish Quilts Coloring Book. Although it meant carving time out of my life to research and recreate original patterns, I enjoyed the challenge. It also gave me a chance to use my illustration background in a new way.  I had fun choosing each quilt and selecting an Amish proverb for the facing pages. And it makes a nice companion for the first novel in my Sisters & Friends Amish series, Change of Heart, which debuts May 3.

If you�re experiencing writer�s block, or just want to relax, why not try coloring? I�ve attached a sample coloring page with a quilt pattern and a proverb on the same page.  I hope it encourages you to create something new.

Join Rachel for a Facebook party to celebrate the
release of the first book in her Sisters & Friends
series. Details at www.racheljgood.com.

Rachel J. Good writes life-changing, heartfelt novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness and is the author of Amish romances in the Sisters & Friends series. Rachel grew up near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the setting for her novels. A former teacher and librarian, she completed her MA from Vermont College while raising five children. She is presently an MFA student at Hollins University. In addition to having more than 2200 articles and 30 books in print or forthcoming under several pseudonyms, she also juggles freelance editing and illustration careers. Sign up for her newsletter and/or visit Rachel at www.racheljgood.com.

So, What do You Write?

Photo: Luis Llerena via Unsplash.com

When I first started writing, I wrote nonfiction. Exclusively. I worked on one article at a time and never had to worry about getting characters or story lines confused.

When I began trying my hand at fiction, it was as part of a writing class. I worked on one piece at a time, and the stories were short. I had a job and a small child, and I wrote in small snippets of time during which it was easy to keep one story straight, whether it was fiction, non-fiction or an essay.

Novels came later, and since I still had the job and the child, I continued to work in snippets of time. Though I spent most of my writing time working on my novel-in-progress, I found time to work on articles over the summer, and even occasionally during the school year. Somewhere along the way, I picked up blogging, and started working that in, too.

When I retired, one of my goals was to blog on a regular basis. Four years later, I have a weekly schedule I stick to, writing five to six blogs each week and posting Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in three different locations.

That's when it got complicated.

Some days, I blog ahead of time so that my posts are all ready to go on their assigned days. Other days, I'm still figuring out what I want to write about early -- or even later -- in the day, and the blogs hang over my head until I write and post them. Once they're finished, I have time for discretionary writing.

When that time rolls around, I sometimes have trouble figuring out what I want to write. Right now, for example, I'm working on new story for one novel, revisions on a second and the occasional non-fiction article for one of the online or print publications that regularly accepts my work. Some days, one project is foremost in my mind, so that's where I put my energies. Other days, they jockey for position or, worse yet, refuse to be prodded into submission like so many unruly teenagers.

I told the barista -- a fellow writer --
that I was going to work
on revisions. 

Eventually, as most parents/supervisors do, I manage to coerce one of them into cooperation and actually make
progress. Sometimes, I need to leave home to do this.

Most writers I know work on multiple projects -- some simultaneously, others sequentially. Tomorrow, you'll meet my friend Rachel, who's primarily a novelist, but has also just put together an adult coloring book that fits with the theme of her soon-to-be-released novel. A talented illustrator, Rachel divides her time among a number of writing and illustrating projects -- and several pseudonyms as well. I don't know how she does it all. (Maybe she'll tell us tomorrow).

So, when you ask a writer what she writes, don't be surprised if the answer is "a little bit of everything." Unless she's famous, chances are good that she divvies her available time up among a number of projects, perhaps feeling as though she never really has enough time for any of them. Who knows? Maybe famous writers do this, too.

Perhaps some day I'll find out.

5 Questions from the Porch Swing for Laurie J. Edwards

What have you written? My writing�s pretty eclectic so I write under different pen names. I began by writing nonfiction for children and teens, so I have titles such as Pirates Through the Ages and Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes as well as more than 2200 articles in magazines and educational databases. I also write stories for anthologies (Love & Profanity is the latest), and I illustrate picture books. The Teeny Tiny Woman, a picture book I illustrated was chosen for the Billion EBook Gift initiative, so 200 million copies of the book will be given away to promote literacy.

As Erin Johnson, I write the WANTED series for teens. The series is set in the Wild West, and the first two books, Grace and the Guiltless and Her Cold Revenge, are out now. Two more books will follow.

Presently, I�m writing the Amish series SISTERS & FRIENDS for Charisma House. The first book, Change of Heart, debuts in May 2016. Buried Secrets releases in Fall 2016, and Gift from Above will be out in Spring 2017.

What do you read? My reading�s as eclectic as my writing. I�m a big fan of young adult novels because I like the fast pace and emphasis on emotion. I also pore over picture books, studying both the art and writing. As far as adult books, I read a lot of nonfiction and literary fiction. But when I want to relax, I pick up a mystery novel or a romance. I also love humorous books.

Why do you write? I began writing to keep my sanity when my 5 children were age 8 and under. Over time, it became a habit and was something I loved to do.

I once read that any time you write, you�re doing it to work out internal problems or deal with past issues and lay them to rest. Often when I begin a book, I don�t know that�s my intent. Yet later I can
look back and see how each particular book related to my life in some way.

Fun writing factoid (not technically a question, I know): I prefer to write in bed from midnight to 3 AM.

One more thing: I came to writing after being a reader, a teacher and then a librarian. I find that many voracious readers and people who gravitate to professions that involve learning and books often harbor a secret desire to write, but think they aren�t good enough. If that�s you, I challenge you to put pen to paper and try. Writing is skill that can be learned, like riding a bicycle, and if you're a reader, you have an innate sense of story.