#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes DiAnn Mills @diannmills

Good Morning!

My little trip to Bandera last week greatly refreshed my soul. It's amazing how a place can call to us. Lot's of exciting things going on. I proofed the audio version of Lori's Redemption last night. We should be releasing to ACX for their final review and then publication. Next up will be Tempered Truth and at some point, my other books will follow. I'll definitely keep you posted.

Enough about me though!

Today's guest has been a regular visitor for years so please give DiAnn Mills a huge, SWLA .... 

W-E-L-C-O-M-E!

Take it away, DiAnn....

How Cooking Makes Me a Better Writer

I love to cook and bake. It’s relaxing, satisfying, and hopefully the results are tasty. I’ve discovered my passion for writing has a lot in common with food prep. In fact, cooking makes me a better writer.

Take a look at the following, and I think you’ll understand what I mean.

Decide on a recipe

Just like I first must decide what to cook, I must first choose a genre. For me, contemporary romantic suspense is my preference. My recipe also needs an intriguing story line. 

The right ingredients

For a taste treat to win the hearts and taste buds of others, I need to know what to include. Who are my characters? What is their problem? Where is my story set?  

Measure precisely

A story needs a balance of action and narrative woven with character emotions. In turn, those emotions transfer to the reader’s experience. Growth and change happen when the character’s method of handling stress leads to critical errors and new measures of problem-solving and attitude flow fresh. How many mistakes will my character face? Can the reader see measurable growth?

Cut and dice

Editing is the part of story writing where scenes are cut and diced. Making a story stronger means weak plot points have to be slashed. The use of strong verbs and nouns establishes a meatier story than sliding in adjectives and adverbs. Is the dialogue in character? Is the setting antagonistic so the character is forced to struggle? Where can a sentence be condensed to a phrase or a phrase to a single word? 

Don’t be afraid to vary a recipe

Story is king. Nothing reigns over story. While a writer follows the rules and guidelines taught by professionals in the industry, sometimes those very same principles need to be tweaked. Try something new. Does it work?

Stir thoroughly

Quality writing means to shake up my characters. Force them to step into the unknown and forbidden. Throw in an ingredient midway that forever changes the story. Get your characters dirty. Make them smile, cry, angry, sad, and lonely. Always create the unpredictable.

Bake

Every story needs time to bake. When I walk away from my computer and refuse to open the file (oven door) for as long as possible, the result is a fresh concept, and I can tell if it’s finished or needs a little more time. 

Serve 

A writer never knows how readers will respond to a story. I can only do my best and hope the book will be delicious, satisfying, and leave the reader wanting more. 

Does cooking relate to your life? How?

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is the director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and Mountainside Retreats with social media specialist Edie Melson. DiAnn speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, BookBub, YouTube, LinkedIn or diannmills.com

DiAnn's newest release, Trace of Doubt can be purchased online and in brick & mortar stores where great Christian fiction is sold.

Read DiAnn's previous posts here.

Thank you SO Much, DiAnn for sharing this wonderful analogy! I never thought of writing and cooking like this but I'm sure I will from now on.

Hope you enjoyed DiAnn's post friends and that you'll drop by each week for more great information from writers and artists on Wednesday Words with Friends and sneak peeks into wonderful books on Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT