A couple months ago I discovered that a lot of comments to this blog were not making it through to the actual post. They were not appearing in my comment filter, either. I had a couple friends test it out for me by commenting on a post and none of their comments came through.
Not knowing how to fix that, and having had experience with Blogger (and liking it better than Wordpress) I mooooved this blog over to Blogspot.
The new address is: http://www.lynnettebonner.blogspot.com .
I hope you will drop by and sign in to the Friend Connect feature over there. This blog will go bye-bye in a couple weeks.
http://psalm516.blogspot.com/2010/03/give-away-nora-interviews-lynnette.html
That link will take you to a blog that is hosting a give-away for Rocky Mountain Oasis. Just leave a comment on that post to be entered to win. You might find out some interesting things about what a strange person I am, too. 
The other day I had to run my 11 year old somewhere. When I jumped in the car I glanced in the rear-view mirror and said, “Drat! I don’t even have any make-up on yet!” My son looked over at me and replied, “Mom, you are just as pretty without your make-up.”
I posted this precious bit of conversation on my FaceBook account, warning all parents of 11 year old girls that this boy was on his way - and promptly received an offer of arranged marriage between my son and someone’s daughter. 
When I told my son about the offer, he refused, for some strange reason - even when his dad promised him we’d allow at least 2 weeks for him to get to know the girl before the wedding.
Now let’s look at this situation in light of romance, which is, after all, what this blog is about.
If you have your two main characters in a similar situation and the girl comments that she doesn’t even have any make-up on yet, you can take your story in one of several ways.
Okay, so here’s a little exercise for you:
“Come on. We need to go.” Brad held the door open for Kara.
Kara snagged her purse and coat from the hall-tree and glanced at her reflection in the mirror over the entry table. “Oh! Drat! I don’t even have any make-up on yet.”
Finish that scene with one sentence of dialogue from Brad. Give us the emotion you would attempt to invoke and then his line of dialogue. Like this:
Jealousy.
Brad stared out across the lawn, suddenly seeming to have forgotten her presence. “I’ve never seen Sophia without make-up on. Do you think she’s just as pretty without it as she is with it?”
I’m looking forward to your lines!
I just love secondary characters! You can do so much with secondaries that you just can’t do with your main characters.
I’ll stop my list there. I’m sure there are more options for secondaries, but my words of advice are to simply have fun with them. Don’t be afraid to make them a little out-there - strange, crazy, flamboyant, sanguine, or so shy they can hardly speak.
Secondary characters make a great foil to prod your main characters into doing what you want them to do. Cause the death of your hero’s favorite secondary character and watch what will happen with your story!
They are also great for comic relief in a tense situation - think of Merry and Pippen in The Lord of the Rings.
Secondary characters can be used to lengthen out tension. Leave your main characters in a cliff-hanger situation and switch to a scene or two involving your secondary characters.
However you use them, just make sure your story has them. Readers need the release that comes with secondary characters.
What are some of your favorite secondary characters? If you are a writer what are some of your favorite ways to write secondaries?
Just a quick post to give you a link to an interview I did for Romance Writers on the Journey.
http://romancewritersonthejourney.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/meet-debut-author-lynnette-bonner/
Blessings on your day!
Okay, let me just confess right up front. I’ve struggled with getting this blog going. With so many things pulling at my time, I’ve just flopped with making it a priority. Not because I didn’t feel it should be a priority, but because I haven’t known where to focus the blog.
There are so many writing blogs out there - and I know that I still have so much to learn about writing, so who am I to offer writing advice? Thus I didn’t feel confident enough to jump into a writer’s advice blog. Also, a writer’s blog is, bluntly, supposed to be geared towards an audience that will hopefully buy your books later on down the road. And since I write romances, not every writer is going to be in my target market.
I toyed with going with a devotional type blog. But again, there are so many out there. And again, I didn’t feel that was the correct angle to go.
I could have blogged about our everyday lives - let’s face it, with three boys and a 6 year old girl in our house, there are plenty of things to blog about - but I didn’t feel that would be fair to my kids. They have enough pressures on them without knowing that I’m writing about them for all the Internet to read.
One area where I do have plenty of experience and a little expertise is the area of Christian Romance. With my first romance just released and a second one contracted and about a zillion romance-book-readings under my belt, I feel this is an area where I can offer people some help.
So I hope you will stay tuned. Tell your romance writer and reader friends about the blog and invite them to drop by. I’ll look forward to getting to know you all a little better in the days to come.
The first romance focused post will go up Monday Nov. 2. And we’ll be talking about the essential elements of the first pages of a romance. See you then! 
I have a guest post up over at Encouraging Emerging Authors today. Drop by and read it. I hope you will be encouraged by the post.
http://msghomeschoolauthors.blogspot.com/2009/10/finding-hope-in-your-writing-projects.html
The winner of The Sound of Sleigh Bells is… Jan Cline! Congrats, Jan. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I’ll be contacting you for your address so I can mail you the copy of the book. I know you’ll enjoy it.
Let’s face it. Writing is a fairly solitary profession. I like it that way. I’m a bit (ahem) of an introvert and really enjoy the time I have to myself to work on my next project. But there are days when I honestly have to ask myself, “Is this worth it? Am I making a difference?”
You see, as a Christian, my goal is not only to entertain, but to offer a message of hope in my books. The trick is doing that in a way that doesn’t ruin the simple enjoyment of a good story. And, honestly, weaving the two together, message and story, can sometimes be a CHALLANGE.
So after fighting with the characters in my current WIP the other day, it was a particular blessing to run across an uplifting and encouraging review of my book. It was a post that made me sigh and feel, if only for a few moments that, yes, all the struggle to get that story birthed was worth it.
http://bookreaderscentral.blogspot.com/2009/10/whistlestop-wednesday-book-review-rocky.html
What was the last thing that really gave you the emotional burst you needed? Doesn’t have to be related to writing. I’d just love to here your encouraging story.
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