At the 2002 ACRW Write to the Heart Conference I met many wonderful people and had several memorable experiences, one of which came when I sat down to dinner Saturday night. I recognized only one face at the table -- Deb Raney’s. However, I soon became acquainted with all my tablemates, and one in particular left a strong impression on me.

When I questioned the writers about their writing habits and plotting methods, I found myself involved in a fascinating discussion with Susan May Warren (also known as Siberia Susie because she and her husband are missionaries to Far East Russia). She has a well-thought out and detailed plotting method that I couldn’t help but admire. I plied her with questions until the speaker stepped to the podium, interrupting our animated discussion.

Susan’s methods work well for her. Last year, Tyndale’s HeartQuest line offered her a three-book contract to write “The Deep Haven Series.” Yet despite her success, she remains humble, eagerly sharing the credit with mentors and peers. She states, “It's such a blessing to be a part of ACRW, I know it is because of this group I am published and I am so incredibly grateful for the support and teaching I've received.” I echo Susan’s sentiments and applaud her achievements. I hope you enjoy this look “Behind the Scenes” into Susan May Warren’s writing career.

Q: How many years have you been writing?
A: I’ve been writing nearly all my life. I won my first book-writing contest in first grade, and wrote my first novel at age 14. I can’t remember not writing. I do remember when I realized that my writing life had become inescapable -- I was sitting on a pier in Russia waiting for a train, and for fun I pulled out a notebook and wrote a page on the scenery and characters around me. Meanwhile, my husband downed an ice cream cone. Hey, priorities!

Q: How much time do you spend writing daily?
A: My family would consider me full time. I’ve been accused of writing during homeschool, while housecleaning, while exercising, even while playing games with the kiddos. Actual writing time is about three good hours per day. I consider that full enough for my personal writing goals.

Q: Do you set daily goals for your writing?
A: I always map out a timeline for the book project I am on, leaving two weeks on the front end for research and characterization. Then, when I am in the “throes of creation,” I write 3000 words per day. I don’t grammar check or spell check. I reread the passage the next day to jump start the next scene, then keep going. After the book is finished, I allow two to three weeks for serious revision and editing then send it to my “critters,” who overhaul it. After I input their changes, I let the book “cool” for a week or two while I work on a new proposal (or clean my house), then print it out, reread it, and give it a final edit and proofing. During the “creating” stage I make reams of notes, reminders to add different textures, themes to draw out, spiritual threads to add. I add these in during the revision stage. It usually takes me three months, start to finish, to write a 90,000 word book.

Q: Where do you write?
A: Ha! Funny you should ask. I have a “chair” – this Italian armchair that I picked up in Russia that is wide and has low arms. I have a wireless keyboard, a footstool and headphones. Most of the time, I kick back, close my eyes, and write the chapter without looking at the screen. While we live in Russia, my office is in my bedroom, with a picture of Montana over the desk. When I moved to America last year for furlough, I panicked because I didn’t have “The Chair.” Yikes! How could I create? It made me, again, hit my knees in desperation and God reminded me that He would supply the words. He did.

One thing I do that helps immensely is create music files that fit the different “moods” of the scene. I have nature sounds, terror music (soundtracks from “The Patriot,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Abyss,” etc.), love music (Enya, Faith Hill, Lonestar, lots of soundtracks… and Frank Sinatra, of course). You get the picture. It helps when I am writing a scene to listen to the appropriate music.

Q: Do you plot or not?
A: I am a detailed plotter. The people who write by “the seat of their pants” scare me out of my skin (but they are some of my best friends…maybe I secretly want to be like them!). I have thick character files, and plot out each scene with Action Objectives (ref: Getting into Character by Brandilyn Collins).

One of the key elements in plotting that has helped me greatly is Brandilyn’s “Ds”. (Plug: if you haven’t picked up her book, you need to. Read and Reread it.) I define the “Desires” of each of my characters, according to their personalities, backgrounds, etc. Then I slowly rip away any hope of those desires (insert evil laugh here). I do add one “D” to Brandilyn’s list: Delight. I have to have a happy ending. It’s the fulfillment, through the intervention of God and other circumstances, of their Desire in a way they could never imagine. The Ds drive the plots and keep them (hopefully) from sagging.

In addition, I’ve learned that every story should have three layers, an emotional plot, a spiritual plot and a "plot" plot. Using Brandilyn's "Ds" that I mentioned before, I outline the "Ds" for each thread, ending with a "Delight" (where all their dreams come true). Then, as I write the synopsis, I "braid" them into the piece, making sure that they are present throughout the synopsis. I even take three different color highlighters during my rough draft form of the synopsis and highlight them so that I can see the progression and make sure I have mentioned every thread. (This means that you have to really get into your character in the proposal stage). Finally, when I go to write the book, I plot Action Objectives for each chapter and each scene relating to these threads, weaving them so that the tension builds for each thread. The best way to do this is to do the plot first, and let the plot drive the emotional thread, and then the spiritual thread. If you have a "D" outline, you'll better be able to organize and plot your multi-layered objectives.

I know this sounds like a lot of work, but if you are writing a multi-layered book, you need to keep track of the emotional and spiritual progressions of the characters. It is easy to miss steps and have a character suddenly have an epiphany that the events don't lead up to, or take an emotional jump that doesn't make sense. By plotting these threads out through action objectives, you'll be able to realistically track the progress of your character.

Dee Henderson gave me a great tip once. Construct your plot around pivot points, then every 5,000 words or so, bring one of your story threads to a new crisis -- spiritually, romantically or plot-wise.

Now, I have to do this all on paper because I am a visual type of person. There are plenty of writers out there who probably do this naturally in their heads. I think I would probably combust. (I already have trouble sleeping when I am in the middle of a writing project. I wake up in a cold sweat at 2 a.m. SURE that I am forgetting something!) This method helps me keep things straight, and, in my mind, realistic.

Finally, I pick plots that intrigue me. I love researching and can spend hours rabbit trailing. Just last night, I watched a Discovery channel program about a deadly fish whose venom is used to stop epilepsy…hmmm…and what if that fish was located, say, in the Persian Gulf, and was nearly extinct after the last war from the environmental destruction…and, so, if we bomb them, the fish dies…but the president’s daughter has life-threatening epilepsy…and one of the president’s major contributors is a pharmaceutical company mining this fish…You get my point. By the way, plotting is the MOST fun in the cozy atmosphere of a Caribou Coffee, while drinking a Raspberry White Lite Mocha with your husband.

I think the most important parts of plotting are to make it real, make it intensely personal to the main characters, and make it compelling to the reader’s life.

Q: Is your first draft rough or do you aim for a polished manuscript the first time through? How much time do you spend on rewrites?
A: I spend about half as much time on the rewrite as the initial composing. My first draft is rough, ugly and not even close to what I want to say. But I don’t sweat it. That’s why I keep notes, allow time to fix it and have excellent critique partners.

Q: How does your Christian walk influence your writing?
A: Don’t write a WORD without hitting your knees and asking God for divine wisdom. Keep a journal of ALL He’s teaching you through your quiet times. Undoubtedly, the things He is teaching you will be used in your current manuscript. At least, that’s how it has worked for me. I’m a “structured” study person. I love going through a book of the Bible (I often use a Navigator study). I also love, love, love the Beth Moore studies. Often, I keep a separate “spiritual notebook” just for my thoughts on how to incorporate when I am learning in the Word into my WIP (work in progress). And, if I am writing and don’t know what to say, I leave it blank and wait for the revisions. It’s okay to go through and add it afterward, like you would the themes of the book. Most importantly, when you get stuck on a scene or a spiritual thread, ask God for help. He’ll always come through.

One thing I try to do is make the Christianity real -- portray our struggles, our doubts, our anger and our more-than-often reluctance to face God, even for the believer walking with Him. Christianity isn’t easy, but God is faithful and loving in ALL circumstances, and even when we turn from Him, He is there. That’s a good message for anyone, Christian or non.

Finally, (and I don’t mean to get on a soapbox here), I let Scripture do its own preaching. I pick one passage to weave throughout the entire book. I prefer using verses to drive a point home, with perhaps one line of application, than sit through a sermon. God says it better than me anyway.

Q: Do you have any advice for a new writer?
A: Keep writing, learning, and honing your skills. This is the best use of your time and talents. God has used this entire process to draw me closer to Him -- the waiting, the frustration, the joy. Most of all, I ask Him to teach me whenever I open a book, whether it be fiction, or a how-to. Unfortunately, now, I can’t read a book or watch a movie without analyzing it!