Bestselling Author-Cindy Sproles

Post author By Cherrilynn Bisbano - Managing Editor A3
Post date September 1, 2016

Welcome Cindy Sproles.

Congratulations on your debut novel and bestseller. You are extremely approachable, and you strive to assist aspiring writers. What drives you to stay so connected to the writing community? I do love to teach new writers and to encourage them. I’ve been in their shoes. .the waiting, working, trying hard to break in…and it does make a body weary. My prayer has always been that God would help me keep a soft heart for those who are up and coming. I want new writers to have the same opportunity I’ve had to be mentored by folks who love the writing industry. I always think of the song that Babie Mason sang – Each One Reach One. Though this talks about evangelism, it’s the same premise. If each published author reaches out to even one new writer, we all have the opportunity to succeed.

Can you share a little about your recent book? Mercy’s Rain is an Appalachian Historical. It’s a hard story, set in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains during the late 1800s. It’s a story of redemption. The protagonist, Mercy Roller, was sexually and physically abused by her circuit riding preacher father who ruled the people of the mountains by his own twisted view of the scripture. This story is Mercy’s realization that what happened to her as a child was wrong. It walks the reader through her anger at her father and at God and then her redemption and forgiveness to be able to move on. It’s a raw, emotional book written to

1) give a voice to children who are sexually and physically abused

2) to address issues that churches and ministers face

3) to walk people through their anger at God and to realize God is not the instigator of evil

4) to find forgiveness and healing

5) to remind congregations to worship God not your pastor.

So it is a hard story. It’s a story you’ll have a love/hate ride with, and I promise, when you are done, your heart will be changed. (Disclaimer – Mercy’s Rain is FICTION. NONE OF THE INCIDENTS IN THE BOOK HAPPENED TO ME).

Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books? I write because it’s a passion God has given me. It’s my personal form of expression. As for theme. Well, I’m a mountain gal. Raised in the Appalachian mountains where life is a little slower, folks are friendly and generous, and the life is simpler – I wanted readers to feel the breeze of the mountains, yet see the hardships of its people. I’m able to share hard subjects with the simplicity and naivety of the mountain folks. I always want my books to offer truth in some form. For Mercy Roller, the truth was honest forgiveness. In the new book, Liar’s Winter. (Releasing in Spring 2017), it’s about choosing to be the better person – loving people despite themselves. So yes, I try to embed a deep spiritual message. I write my novels to the general market, but I embed that Christian undertone so that truth can prevail. One thing about the mountain people is their deep spiritual ties. When I tell these stories, I can share that tie with the general market reader and them not feel as though I am preaching at them. They simply see the spirituality of the characters as part of who they are. This allows me to speak the truth into a world that otherwise would not listen.

How long have you been writing? And how long did it take you to get your first major book contract? I’ve been writing since I was a child. But seriously, for about ten years. It took me six years to land my first major house contract. Six years of writing, learning the craft, honing my voice. It’s not a fast industry, and I was willing to continue to learn the craft and be patient for God’s timing. When I reached the level I needed to be writing wise; God blessed me with a contract from Kregel Publications. They took a chance on a debut novel, and both Kregel and myself have been blessed by God’s impeccable timing.

How long does it take you to write a book? Well, if I managed to write 8 hours a day…about two months. But I can’t write 8 hours a day. So it takes me about four months to produce a first draft and another month to edit and perfect it.

What’s your writing work schedule like? I do have a j-o-b outside my home, and I travel for Christian Devotions and Lighthouse Publishing, but I try to write a chapter a day.

Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it? I suppose it’s talking to myself. It’s not uncommon to see me standing in front of a mirror carrying on a conversation, watching body language and movements. For me, I can hit true dialogue when I look at the girl in the mirror and carry on the conversation. My husband has long learned I’m really not talking to dead people, but I’m working out a storyline.

What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career? My greatest joy has been being a part of the success of my peers. It’s such fun to work with a writer and then see them find the success they have worked for. That’s the paycheck – knowing I’ve done what I called to do – help others. And when I help them, God blesses me. So it’s a win-win.

What has been your darkest moment(s)? My darkest moments were the times I was sitting on the fence waiting for that first contract. I could have teetered one way and quit, or teetered the other way and been successful. I learned that this is the time Satan grabbed ahold of me. He tried to get me to self-publish, tried to get me to quit. Wanted me to whine and cry. I had to learn to let go of the completed book and move on to the next project. Shopping and selling the book was my agent’s job. My worrying and fretting did nothing except make me depressed. I learned to move on to the next project. Every project teaches and hones my ability and when I step out of the way, God can and will work. And He did.

Which of your books is your favorite? In fiction, Mercy’s Rain. Though I have two more books in this series that are dear to my heart. For non-fiction – New Sheets – Thirty Days to Refine You into the Woman You Can Be.

Who is your favorite author to read? On the Christian side: Francine Rivers and Steven James. On the secular side – Nicholas Sparks, Steven King, and Michael Crichton.

What advice can you give aspiring writers that you wished you had gotten, or that you wished you would have listened too? I would remind writers that this industry is a process. It’s a slow turning wheel and that rejections are not a bad thing. They are a measure of where you stand in your skill. Early on rejections are just…no. But the better your skills become, the better the rejections become. Things like: We don’t have a home for this right now or we liked this work, or money is tight…those are not bad rejections. They are telling you; we really like this, but right now our house is full or unable to manage another manuscript. This is when you learn to let go. Allow God to do the shopping for you. There is something to be said for the bloody knees that come with rejections. They grow you, bring you to a higher level of determination and skill. I would say, learn to be patient. Don’t rush. Rejections are not bad things. They are not personal. Let them allow you to grow as a writer.

What is the single greatest tool you believe a writer should have in his or her toolbox? Two things: 1)A teachable spirit is a must. You should never be so perfect you can’t continue to learn. 2)A good self-editing book.

Have you experienced rejection? How did they shape you? LOL – I lost count. Actually, I stopped looking. But as I said earlier, rejections taught me to persevere and improve.

Do you have a favorite character or scene in one of your books? Oh yes. By far the first chapter of Mercy’s Rain. You have to read it. I don’t want to spoil it.

Where do you get your ideas? Ideas are everywhere. A thought. A line from a television show. The look of a person. I keep my eyes and ears open.

What are common mistakes you see aspiring writer’s make? It’s always in the basics. But these are things a writer has to learn, like resist the urge to explain or goes without saying – redundancy. It’s part of the learning process.

Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market? Well, that depends. It varies with every writer and what they write. I would say, attend writers conferences. Those are your quickest roads into a publisher or an agent.

Cindy Sproles is an author and speaker. She is the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and the Executive Editor of www.christiandevotions.us and www.inspireafire.com. Cindy is the acquisitions editor for SonRise Books and Straight Street Books, imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She teaches at writers conferences and women’s conferences nationwide. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com.

Mercy Rain

Social Media links:

Twitter – @cindydevoted

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/cindy.sproles

Website: cindysproles.com

A Pinch of Poetry

Tanka: Poetic Forms III

Post author By Heather Hook - A Pinch of Poetry
Post date August 31, 2016

Today we are going to look at another short form of Japanese poetry known as tanka. The short form of this poetry, much like haiku, is great for any level poet, but especially beginners.

Tanka and haiku are technically different forms of poetry, but they are related. Some poets see tanka as an extended haiku because the first three lines take the same form. But others would disagree and maintain that they are two very distinct forms.

One difference concerning tanka is that the last two lines are 7 syllables each, making it a 5-line poem. Therefore it contains the syllabic pattern of 5, 7, 5, 7, 7.

Moreover tanka poems generally focus on a specific object or event to convey a mood or emotion through imagery and figurative language. In other words, the poems cover a broader field of subjects (not only nature) and can include some reflection as well.

The Shadow Poetry website offers a great explanation and examples of tanka.

As I noted before concerning haiku, be aware that tanka originated from Japanese culture so the form may be perceived and written a little differently in English. Obviously, I am explaining the English guidelines for writing these types of poems.

However, if you’re interested, Shadow Poetry covers some of the cultural and language differences. They also offer a host of resources for writing many kinds of poetry.

Now I’ll share my own tanka poem that started out as a haiku.

Purple irises

with proudly tall and green stalks

stand near the water.

Grass carpets the water’s edge.

And I, a lowly clover.

Honestly, I wrote this during a break at a writing conference while sitting by a pond surrounded by beautiful flowers. I was reflecting on how we can be easily discouraged and intimidated when surrounded by superstar writers or poets. So through imagery, personification and metaphor I attempted to convey that sense of inferiority.

Here are some tips to help you craft your own tanka:

*Try writing a haiku first and then adding the last two lines as reflection on your subject

*Use concrete images (relating to the five senses) that allow the reader to experience what you’ve experienced

*Choose vivid verbs and nouns but don’t forget to count syllables!

This article also has a great description, tips and examples for writing tanka.

[bctt tweet=”Short and sweet. Learn to write tanka poems. #poetry #poets”]

Now it’s your turn.

Next time when you are outside enjoying the beautiful weather or if you experience a meaningful event, jot down notes about it. Then see if you can transform that experience and emotion into a beautiful tanka to share with others.

Feel free to post your poems or questions in the comments below!

Tags haiku, japanese poetry, poetic forms, reflection, Resources, short poetry, tanka

Guest post archive

When Life Imitates Art-Robert Whitlow

Post author By Cherrilynn Bisbano - Managing Editor A3
Post date August 27, 2016
3 Comments on When Life Imitates Art-Robert Whitlow

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Art imitates Life.” This makes sense because every creative person, whether writer, painter, composer, is deeply influenced by what they’ve experienced, felt, and believe. The creative process flows from within, and each person is a reservoir of everything the river of life has deposited inside. This dynamic has produced another axiom specifically addressed to authors – “Write what you know.” When we write what we know, either from life experience or study, it increases the likelihood that the characters created and the world in which they live will have texture, levels of meaning and nuanced interactions that avoid one dimensional and stiff stories. As a southerner, I’ve never wandered from my roots. All my novels have been set in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, the states where I’ve lived. I know about those places and the types of people who live there. If I suddenly pulled up roots and started writing about Minnesota, I’d be rudderless soon after typing the first “You betcha.” A second axiom for writers is “Write what you’re passionate about.” I agree with this statement, too, but I’m not going to address it here. Instead, I want to tell you about a time in my life in which life imitated art. Here’s what happened.

In 2005, I wrote a novel entitled Jimmy. This story was different than anything else I’d written because the main character wasn’t a lawyer, he was the mentally limited teenage son of a lawyer. In the book, Jimmy lives in a small Georgia town. His mother abandoned the family when he was a toddler, and a few years later his father remarried. Jimmy’s stepmother wasn’t the evil stepmother stereotype of Cinderella. Rather, she was a maternal archetype, a woman who loved Jimmy with her whole heart. In fact, she couldn’t have loved him more if he were her own flesh and blood. However, there’s a dark side to limitless maternal love. Mama loved Jimmy, but she also smothered him. She was over protective, which meant Jimmy wasn’t allowed to take the risks necessary to mature and reach his highest potential. Enter Jimmy’s paternal grandfather, Grandpa, a retired utility lineman who worked for the Georgia Power Company (my father was an engineer with GPC and I worked there in the summers during college – art imitates life). Grandpa secretly taught Jimmy to climb an abandoned power pole in the grandfather’s back yard. In the process, Jimmy overcame fears and learned to do something unique. Grandpa was a mentor archetype, and climbing the pole was a metaphor for Jimmy succeeding in life. Their special bond is at the heart of the story. If you want to find out what happens in the novel you’ll have to read it.

Two years after I wrote Jimmy one of my daughters went into the hospital to deliver her first child, a boy. When I got the word from my wife that the baby was about to arrive, I drove five miles to the hospital. As I approached the facility I felt the Lord say to me, “He has Down Syndrome.” I immediately dismissed the possibility. A few minutes later, my wife delivered the news that we had a grandson with Down Syndrome. Both us then had the same thought – I was going to have an opportunity to be like Grandpa to this precious new life. The passion that I instilled in Grandpa the fictional character would have a new, real life object – Hunter Whitlow. That was over eight years ago. Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time and poured a lot of love into Hunter, and I want to do my part in helping him achieve his highest and best potential. Life imitated art.

Oh, and my wife made me promise not to put an abandoned power pole in our back yard.

Robert Whitlow is the best-selling author of legal novels set in the South and winner of the prestigious Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction. A Furman University graduate, Whitlow received his J.D. with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law where he served on the staff of the Georgia Law Review. A practicing attorney, Whitlow and his wife, Kathy, have four children. They make their home in North Carolina.

A3 had the privledge of interviewing Robert. Look for his interview November 17th, 2016

Tags christy award, Jimmy, Robert Whitlow, writing

The Writer's PenCase

Seamless Self-Editing—Part II

Post author By Donna L.H. Smith-Managing Editor
Post date August 26, 2016

Last month, we talked about what “publish-ready” means. This time, we’ll look at basic proofreading. Spell check in Microsoft Word or whatever word processing program you use—is simply not good enough. #amwriting #publishready #selfediting

Tags ediing, Grammar, Kathy Ide, proofreading, Seamless Self-Editing

Guest post archive

Hooking your Audience Part 1

Post author By Cherrilynn Bisbano - Managing Editor A3
Post date August 25, 2016
No Comments on Hooking your Audience Part 1

By Sarah Zuehlke

Magazines. They come in a never ending stream of styles and forms. In spite of the push to move everything into the digital realm, you can still find a magazine on just about anything: fishing, hiking, sports, science, and even rare pets. So now comes the fun part, have you ever wanted to write a magazine article? Most likely the process seems daunting, but with a little help from the good sport of fishing, your magazine article will be just what you were hoping for. Today we are going to look at hooking your audience.

The first thing in our proverbial tackle box is a net. Nets are important because they can cover a specific target area. You need to know who you are writing for, so research your audience. For example, if your magazine article is for kids, pick age appropriate sentences and vocabulary. Don’t throw in complex hard to understand sentences. If your article is aimed for scientists or engineers do some research on technical terms they might use. Once you know the audience you intend to write for, begin crafting your article. If you were fishing you would find out what kind of fish you were looking for before you started, and pick a net accordingly, otherwise you wouldn’t know how to catch them and you just might lose your fish.

A good example of an article written for a specific audience is in the 2016 July/August issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist where there is an article about Freshwater Filtration. This article, written by Kate Barrington, describes the numerous types of filters in the aquarium hobby as well as the importance of the right kind of filter. This article is written for a specific audience, tropical fish hobbyists. If the reader were completely new to the hobby they might become a little lost, but someone interested in the subject will enjoy the details. However, the author correctly researched for the appropriate target audience. I am a tropical fish hobbyist, and I found myself being hooked by the author’s research, which was informative and well written.

Going back to our tackle box, the second thing we need is bait. You want the people that read your article to go for the bait and take it. If the article begins on a boring note or has no interest to them they will pass over it. A fish will often completely ignore the wrong bait. Think of an exciting way to start your article. You want that first sentence to draw in your audience. If you are writing about puppy training start off with a cute story, then slowly weave in training advice. Or maybe you are writing about an experience that happened to you. If that is the case, start off with the most exciting part, then back track to the beginning and lay out how it all happened.

In the June 2009 issue of National Geographic there is an article about river dolphins. The author, Mark Jenkins, hooks the audience by colorfully describing the way the dolphins swim in the rivers of the Amazon, then precedes to get to the main points of the article. From the first sentences I found myself captured by the descriptions and interesting facts. If you have the right bait you will be able to catch the right fish. The same goes for writing, if you get the reader interested they will be sure to read your article and enjoy it.

Lastly, near our tackle box is our dependable fishing rod. The rod not only holds the bait; it can bring the bait to life from the movement of the rod. A great way to hook your audience is to write about something totally new, or even an old story in a new way. Maybe your topic has been trampled by uncountable authors but you have a different and new perspective. A novel perspective on an old topic can bring new life to a subject. Perception is important because every author brings a new perspective. It is the same for the fish. The same old bait comes to life when the fishing rod is moved about. There are endless possibilities of new and exciting news, information, and stories. So why not get your audience hooked by that novel story idea for an article?

Writing a magazine article might seem impossible, but we can see from our fishing gear that it is not so difficult in the end. Next time we will return to our tackle box.

Bio: Sarah Zuehlke

Sarah Zuehlke, a budding fantasy novel and short story writer, greatly enjoys hiking and exploring the outdoors. When not tackling her insect collection, she co-writes with her brother on their fantasy book series. Additionally, she pursues her graduate degree in Entomology with University of Nebraska.

Tags bait, fishing, hook, tackle box, writing

Uncategorized

Their, There, They’re

Post author By Carlton Hughes - Lighter Look at Writer's Life
Post date August 23, 2016

Their are writing problems I’d like to talk about, weather your a seasoned writer or not. There problems that can take on a life of they’re own if left unchecked. Its like writing has it’s own weird rules, huh?

Are you pulling your hair out and gnashing your teeth over those sentences? Now you know how I feel when I read items with these errors.

Growing up in a small school, I had the same English and journalism teacher from eighth grade through my freshman composition courses, and he was a grammar drill sergeant, pounding correct usage of homophones into us every day.

��OKAY, RECRUITS! The words ‘their,’ ‘your,’ and ‘its’ are possessive adjectives! ‘They’re’ is actually a contraction for ‘they are,’ IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW! ‘You’re’ is ‘you are’ in contraction form! ‘Its�� denotes the thing belongs to ‘it,’ but ‘it’s’ stands for ‘it is,’ YOU GRAMMAR FLUNKIES! Don��t even get me started on ‘weather’ and ‘whether!’ NOW DROP AND WRITE ME TWENTY SENTENCES WITH ‘EM!”

It didn’t go down in that exact manner, but there (not their) were days when I felt like I was in grammar boot camp.

Now, I credit that teacher and his training for my grasp of these and other grammar rules. Those drills prepared me for my work now, but they also ruined me when I see these words used in the wrong way. I have to bite my tongue and remove my fingers from the ��keyboard trigger” all the time. Once I get a grip on myself, I realize not everyone had a teacher like I did.

Now, turn up you’re music and cue up ��Their She Goes” or “I Saw Her Standing They’re.”

Or maybe not.

Tour

Blog Tour- Catherine West

Post author By Cherrilynn Bisbano - Managing Editor A3
Post date August 19, 2016
No Comments on Blog Tour- Catherine West

Welcome, Catherine.

Tell us about your latest book, The Things We Knew

When their tragic past begins to resurface, can he help her remember the things she can’t? After her mother’s death twelve years ago, Lynette Carlisle watched her close-knit family unravel. One by one, her four older siblings left their Nantucket home and never returned. All seem to blame their father for their mother’s death, but nobody will talk about that tragic day. And Lynette’s memory only speaks through nightmares. Then Nicholas Cooper returns to Nantucket, bringing the past with him. Once Lynette’s adolescent crush, Nick knows more about her mother’s death than he lets on. The truth could tear apart his own family and destroy his fragile friendship with Lynette, the woman he no longer thinks of as a kid sister. As their father’s failing health and financial concerns bring the Carlisle siblings home, secrets surface that will either restore their shattered relationships or separate the siblings forever. But pulling up anchor on the past propels them into the perfect storm, powerful enough to make them question their faith, their willingness to forgive, and the very truth of all the things they thought they knew.

Why do you write what you do?: I love family drama, so I am drawn to those kinds of stories. I write stories that mirror real life, real problems, sometimes life is messy. But I believe there is always hope to be found, and my stories will always point toward grace and forgiveness.

What are you currently working on?: I’m just finishing up edits on my next release, The Memory of You. This relational family drama takes place on a vineyard in Sonoma, CA, and will be available March 2017.

Thirteen years ago, Natalie lost a part of herself when her twin sister died. Will traveling back to the family winery finally put the memory to rest, or will it completely destroy her?

When Natalie Mitchell learns her beloved grandfather has had a heart attack, she’s forced to return to their family-owned winery in Sonoma, something she never intended to do. She’s avoided her grandparents’ sprawling home and all its memories since the summer her sister died—the awful summer Natalie’s nightmares began. But the winery is failing, and Natalie’s father wants her to shut it down. As the majority shareholder, she has the power to do so. And Natalie never says no to her father. Tanner Collins, the vintner on Maoilios, is trying to salvage a bad season and put the Mitchell family’s winery back in business. When Natalie Mitchell shows up, Tanner sees his future about to be crushed. Natalie intends to close the gates, unless he can convince her otherwise. But the Natalie he remembers from childhood is long gone, and he’s not so sure he likes the woman she’s become. Still, the haunted look she wears hints at secrets he wants to unearth. He soon discovers that on the night her sister died, the real Natalie died too. And Tanner must do whatever it takes to resurrect her. But finding freedom from the past means facing it.

How does your work differ from other work in its genre?: While I write faith-based fiction, I believe in writing stories that will appeal to everyone, not just readers of Christian fiction. You won’t find a heavy spiritual thread in my books, but the faith message is always there, it just may look a little different than other books within the Christian market. I don’t necessarily feel everything needs to be tied up neatly at the end, or everyone’s problems solved. Life doesn’t always work that way, and my fiction mirrors that.

How does your writing process work?: I usually get a story idea first, maybe a location, and then the characters. The story plays like a movie in my mind, and I’ll write as it comes. I am a total seat of the pants writer, although I am trying to get better at plotting, but even if I begin with a skeleton of where I think the story will go, it hardly ever works that way!

Catherine West

INSPY Award-winning author Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband have two grown children. Catherine’s novel, Bridge of Faith, won the 2015 Grace Award. Her new novel, The Things We Knew, releases July 12th, 2016, through Harper Collins Christian Publishing.

Catherine loves to connect with her readers and can be reached at

Catherine@catherinejwest.com

Social Media and Blog:

Website – http://www.catherinejwest.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CatherineJWest
Twitter – https://twitter.com/cathwest
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4715219.Catherine_West
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/cathwest/
Google + – https://plus.google.com/u/0/108781711729974539211/posts
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-West/e/B004RWZUHK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Tags Catherine West, Christian, Drama, Sonoma, writer

Guest post archive

For The Love of Writing

Post author By Cherrilynn Bisbano - Managing Editor A3
Post date August 18, 2016
No Comments on For The Love of Writing

by Shelbey Webb

At the young age of 10, as a 5^th grader, I recognized that I loved to write stories. I couldn’t understand my classmates’ dread each day as we headed to our English class. My teacher was what I would now label a “Grammar Nazi”. I hated her red ink marks on my papers, but I paid attention to her comments and learned from my mistakes. Her daily assignments were strengthening my enjoyment of writing.

I won’t say that I was a perfect child, but I certainly didn’t get into any trouble or cause any problems!! In primary school I wouldn’t dream of doing something that would cause my clothespin to be moved from “green” to “red”. I never spent a single minute in detention during middle school. In high school, like always, I steered clear of anything that would even possibly call for a trip to the principal’s office or a phone call to my parents.

However, during my junior year of high school, my days of being the perfect child ended. Yes, miss “too afraid to even think of being late to class” was in trouble for her first time. There I was, sitting in the principal’s office, not for an award, or a congratulations, but because I had plagiarized. Wait, I did what? Plagiarism? Exactly what is plagiarism and how can I be guilty of plagiarism if I don’t even know what it is? Right?

Well, the first thing I did was cry. I had made it almost all the way through my junior year of high school without getting into trouble. Man, I just knew I was toast! All of these awful thoughts were running through my head. Will I be suspended from school? Will I be able to get into college? Can I go to jail for plagiarism? My whole life is just ruined!! I had such high hopes for my writing career and I was afraid that I had just ended my career before I got out of high school.

Thankfully none of those things happened, but I did learn from that experience. The first thing I learned was the definition of plagiarism. According to Merriam-Webster….

Plagiarize: to use the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own words or ideas.

See, I can copy the definition of plagiarize, word for word, as long as I give Merriam-Webster credit!!

So, exactly what did I plagiarize? I honestly can’t remember. It was a homework assignment. I did that homework assignment just like all my other homework assignments. But, by the strict definition of plagiarism, I had copied a phrase a little too literally and the teacher took notice.

If I plagiarize at any point in college I will most likely fail and potentially be removed from the school. Now that I’m Almost an Author, the conceivable consequences of plagiarism are much greater. If someone were to take this post and call it their own, I would take great offense and possibly demand satisfaction!!

So maybe, just maybe, getting in trouble for plagiarism as a 16 year old high school student was a blessing in disguise, and here is why:

Nothing in life is just handed to you. You can’t just take someone else’s writing and call it your own; that’s not how life works. You have to sit, think, and write from your own thoughts. Don’t take the easy and wrong way out and steal from someone else.
Writing means more to me than I initially thought. I had always loved to write, but I realized how much I actually enjoyed it after feeling like it had been taken from me.
There are consequences in life, even if you aren’t aware that you did something wrong. Even though I didn’t know I was plagiarizing, I was still guilty. The same goes for anything that anyone unintentionally does wrong. Everyone makes mistakes and there are always consequences.
Never give up. I could have given up on writing. I was actually afraid that I would unintentionally plagiarize again and be even more trouble. I kept trying, though, and overcame my fear. Now I am blogging for a few sites and making connections with so many other writers around the world.

I could add more lessons that I’ve learned from mistakes that I’ve made, but then you might get the idea that I’ve made more mistakes than just plagiarizing in high school.

Shelby Webb:

I am a college student chasing after God’s own heart. Happily an ice-cream addict and a lover of all puppies. Arkansas girl with a passion for writing.

I write for theodyssey.com on the University of Central Arkansas’ team.

Uncategorized Writer Encouragement

Be Careful How You Live

Post author By Elaine Cooper - Writer Encouragement
Post date August 18, 2016
1 Comment on Be Careful How You Live

Elaine Marie Cooper

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5: 15-20

Being careful how we live in the evil days. So what does this have to do with encouragement for writers, you might ask? I would answer, “Everything.”

There is not a day goes by when the news is not inciting pain in our hearts as we hear of more unrest, murders, and other terrible “deeds of darkness.” It is enough to cause even the strongest Christian to tremble and become consumed with anxiety and depression. Yet these days of evil do not take God by surprise. Instead, He has given us a means by which we can fight the enemy that seeks to consume our minds with fear. It is called speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. It is singing and making music in our hearts and giving thanks to God our Father—not for the evil deeds but for our hope in Jesus Christ.

Is this our natural response to frightening news that toys with our minds 24/7? Of course not. It is a decision that we make.

It takes a conscious choice to turn off the constant news and put on Christian music that will uplift our spirit. I find that, even if I’m working and barely paying attention to the music in the background, the message of the music is making an impact. In the quiet moments, I find the words of the songs playing through my mind and uplifting me, shifting my focus from this world to the heavenly realm.

As writers for the Lord, we need to be aware that we “struggle not against flesh and blood…but against the powers of this dark world.” (Ephesians 6:12) The battleground is our mind. If we are frozen by fear, we become ineffective at spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Don’t let the evil one control the input. Take back control over what you allow into your minds and hearts. “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”

Image of woman listening to music courtesy of Imagery Majestic via freedigitalphotos.net

Image of violinist leaping in he air courtesy of Koratmember via freedigitalimages.net

Child's Craft Uncategorized

10 suggestions to overcoming writing obstacles

Post author By Jill Roman Lord - A Child's Craft
Post date August 17, 2016
No Comments on 10 suggestions to overcoming writing obstacles

We discussed the first three suggestion to overcoming writing obstacles in an earlier blog.

Run, walk, exercise – stir up the endorphins
Get outside. Breathe in God’s fresh air
Write in a different place – change up the scenery

Get involved with your target age group

If you write for children, lead Sunday school, girl scouts, brownies, boy scouts, little league. Volunteer at an elementary school, special Olympics, a buddy walk. Hang out with your neighbor’s little kids. Go to a park and observe children’s interactions with each other. Listen to their words, their expressions, their tone of voice. What makes them laugh? Notice children at Fast food restaurants, how they respond to their parents, how they eat, what they eat. Consider how they dress. Does it look like they picked out their own clothes? Imagine why they may have chosen to dress that way. Linger in a bookstore near the children’s books and observe the books kids choose, what they are drawn to.

5. Journal

This is my favorite. All writers can journal. Write a prayer to God, write what’s on your heart, what is bothering you, what makes you sad. Start a Thankful journal and document everything you are thankful for each day. You aren’t writing for publication in your journal but you are writing, doing what you feel called to do. Enjoy that time with God. Reflect, meditate, praise.

Color

Color in a beautiful creative adult coloring book. Borrow a page of your child’s coloring book. Blend the colors. Use colors you don’t normally use together. Use pens, colored pencils, crayons, markers, anything you have on hand or that you feel like using. Color in the lines, outside of the lines. Color abstractly. It’s a mindless, beautiful, expression of you and of your mood. Finish it or don’t. You decide. Any form of art is creating and God delights in creating. It may take the focus off your writing block and free you to create.

7. Sew or paint.

Pull out your sewing machine if you have one and make a table runner, a bright colorful table runner. Sew a new window valance. Cross stitch, needle point, fix a hem, hand stitch a square and use it as a napkin. Anything you feel like sewing together, stitch and create. Again, another form of creativity.

Paint a picture. Fully engage the artistic side of your brain. Let loose and have fun! Be a child again and quit judging your results. Just enjoy the process of creating. Or repaint a room. Choose a new color. Focus. Enjoy the big strokes of the brush and what ensues.

8. Go to a Writers’ Conference.

You’ve probably heard this a hundred times, but it is so important. I won’t linger on this point but find a conference and try to get there. You’ll be glad you did! At Christian Conferences we’re all there for the same reason and that is to further God’s kingdom through the gifts He has given to each of us. Conferences help shape writers. To be surrounded with so many other writers with this same desire of serving the Lord, of becoming better writers for His glory, of seeking to grow to become the best we can be is mind blowing and spiritually renewing.

9. Don’t forget about others.

Always take time to encourage others in their writing. If the lady in my earlier post, hadn’t slowed down her running long enough to talk to me and encourage me, I may still be struggling with every hill I face if I hadn’t already quit running all together. Sometimes helping others gives you the clarity to move beyond your own obstacle. Who might you encourage today?

10.Don’t quit!

Know that you will get around this obstacle. Sometimes obstacles cause us to notice more of God’s world, to smell the roses along the way, appreciate His gifts, depend on Him more. Know there are different seasons. Some seasons may be plentiful with writing. Inspirations and ideas may flow like a waterfall over you as you struggle to write fast enough to keep afloat. Other times may be seasons of reflection, of drawing near to God, of focusing on other areas. Don’t beat yourself up in these times and don’t make writing a chore. There may be deadlines to meet whether from a publisher, editor, writer’s group, or yourself. But have grace. Allow yourself to linger in God’s presence without demanding that you be productive every moment. Enjoy the writing and the obstacles. Allow God to grow you in the quiet times as well as in your writing times.

What obstacles have you faced in your writing? And how did you overcome them? We’d love to hear from you!

Tags calling, creativity, inspiration, jill lord, writing ideas, writing obstacles

5 For Writing

How Writing a Screenplay Can Help Your Novel

Post author By Doug Peterson - 5 for Writing: Rules to Write By
Post date August 16, 2016
2 Comments on How Writing a Screenplay Can Help Your Novel

My wife, Nancy, and I ride the E.T. bike at Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York.

By Doug Peterson

A funny thing happened on the way to learning how to write a screenplay. I wrote a novel instead.

In 2007, I had spent the previous five years writing children’s books for VeggieTales, but I decided that I wanted to learn how to write a screenplay. So I travelled from Illinois, through Tennessee and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the first-ever Gideon Media Arts conference just outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

My screenwriting teacher, Kathy Mackel, was outstanding, and I left the conference with the first page of my screenplay written. My screenplay would tell the true story of Henry Brown, a slave who escaped from Richmond, Virginia, in 1849 by shipping himself to Philadelphia inside a box.

As it turned out, Kathy Mackel was not just a screenwriting teacher. She is also a gifted novelist, and she suggested that I write my first novel, which became The Disappearing Man—the story of Henry “Box” Brown. Even though the story wound up as a novel, I never gave up on the movie idea, and I developed it into a screenplay while I was making revisions to my novel.

By doing this, I discovered a surprising thing. I found that writing a screenplay helped me write my novel, and I also found that writing the novel helped me write the screenplay. Both forms of writing fed off of each other. Things I did in the screenplay inspired changes to the novel, and things I did in the novel inspired changes in the screenplay.

My screenplay wound up being optioned for film by a company in New York that is actively seeking funding for a movie. But my experience with the screenplay/novel dynamics convinced me of the benefits of writing my stories in both forms, even if the screenplays are never optioned. As a result, I have written screenplays for all of my novels.

Here are a few of the ways that the process of writing a screenplay can impact your novel:

Writing a screenplay makes your novel more visual. In a film, of course, visuals reign. You have no interior dialogue, as you do in a novel, so you have to rely on good acting and strong visuals.

For instance, one of the most powerful images from Henry Brown’s story can be found in two slave narratives published in 1849 and 1851. In those narratives, Henry tells about being taken by his mother to the edge of the forest in autumn when he was a child. His mother points to the trees and says, “The life of a slave, your life, is like the leaves. The wind scatters ‘em, scatters ‘em where it will. And there ain’t no getting’ ‘em back.”

The picture of the leaves in autumn became a key image in my screenplay and, as a result, a key image in my novel. Leaves in autumn became a major metaphor of the story, and it all came from thinking visually when I was writing the screenplay.

Writing a screenplay helps you to show, not tell. In fiction writing, we’re always being told, “Show, don’t tell.” Make your scene real by putting your reader in the environment with concrete details. What does the character see, smell, touch, and hear? Show how a character expresses anger; don’t just tell the reader that a character is angry.

Because films are so visual, a screenplay forces you to tell your story by showing, not telling. You have to show what’s happening. It’s a movie! You have no other choice, unless you’re planning to have a narrator talk throughout the film—a sure way to ensure that no one options your screenplay.

Writing a screenplay forces you to be concise. Every word is precious in a screenplay. After all, each page of a screenplay equals roughly one minute of a movie, so beginning screenwriters are told to aim for about 90 pages—120 pages at the very most. The tightness of the page count forces you to be a concise writer, to cut out the fat, and this helps your novel.

I realize that readers thrive on the kinds of details in a novel that you cannot get in a movie; that’s why a lot of people say, “I liked the movie, but it wasn’t as good as the book.” So I understand that it’s important to let the story breathe a little in a novel, where you aren’t so constrained by the page or word count. But the risk is that a novel will wander and become loaded down with unnecessary details. A screenplay trains you to avoid these pitfalls and to stay focused on the central plot because you do not have the luxury of wandering.

Cutting your novel down to fit into a screenplay can be a painful process, but it forces you to decide what’s most important to your story.

Writing a screenplay helps your dialogue. In most movies (but not all), characters don’t have the luxury to talk on and on and on. Therefore, I find that the dialogue in my screenplay is much snappier and faster-paced than in my novel. After I write a screenplay, I often find myself going back to the novel and trimming my wordy dialogue.

Writing novels and writing screenplays are very different processes, so not every novelist will want to tackle a screenplay. But if you love movies and think you might have a knack for screenwriting, then by all means give it a go.

To play off of the words of Forrest Gump (a book that became a movie), “Writing is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

That applies to both novels and screenplays.

* * *

5 for Writing

Get writing. Find the time to write. Then do it.
Learn by listening—and doing. Solicit feedback, discern what helps you.
Finish your story. Edit and rewrite, but don’t tinker forever. Reach the finish line.
Thrive on rejection. Get your story out there. Be fearless. Accept rejection.
Become a juggler. After one story is finished, be ready to start another. Consider writing two at once.

Storyworld

The Speed of Communication – in Space

Post author By A.D. Shrum - Storyworld Columnist
Post date August 15, 2016

Last month we discussed various methods of communication in a fantasy realm. The general idea was that you can’t assume instantaneous messages between distant cities unless you develop a method of doing so. But can you assume immediate message delivery in a science fiction story?

The 21^st century is a time of information overdrive. Not only will important news on one side of the planet be known instantly on another, but trivial things like status updates and kitten memes can be viewed with virtually zero lag. We can take this immediacy for granted and once again fall into the trap of thinking that interstellar communication will be exactly like it is now on Earth. Not necessarily so.

To give some perspective, Earth’s nearest neighbor is Alpha Centauri. The closest star of this triple system is Proxima Centauri, situated a cozy 4.24 light years from us. That means that radio waves which travel at light speed, will take over four years to travel between our two systems. Currently there is no method of sending messages any faster, and numerous scientists have posited that there never will be.

That may stop science, but it doesn’t need to stop literature! Chances are likely that your space novel also has some method of faster-than-light (FTL) travel, which is also theoretically impossible. As fiction writers we can bend reality a bit to facilitate story delivery, and this may be an area in which you need to do so. Here are some quasi-scientific methods for you to get around this problem.

If you want to maintain a degree of information lag in your novel in order to maintain or build suspense, you could force your characters to physically go between star systems with FTL travel. This will make the speed of information in your novel akin to our colonial era, taking months to deliver noteworthy messages. Also, information can easily be blockaded by simply preventing ship travel.

If you want to speed things up a bit or just make them more interesting, you could force your characters to make use of technology that has limited availability. In the Battletech universe, Hyperpulse Generators (HPGs) were stationed on virtually all worlds and maintained by a mysterious, semi-religious organization. Interstellar communication thus relied on the good graces or financial incentives given to this group, but a tension always existed between the various political factions and this supposedly neutral cult. Again, great for building storyworld tension.

In Star Trek, “subspace relays” were placed throughout known space to allow near-instantaneous communication. However, the response time of messages varied depending on the vessels’ proximity to one of these relays. Thus the crew of Voyager, stuck in an untouched part of the universe, was completely incommunicado to Starfleet command. The video game Mass Effect also incorporated a similar method of communication (using “comm buoys”), but also prevented FTL communication during FTL travel. This made for some interesting plot moments that only occurred when the Normandy SR1 returned to real space.

Finally, if you absolutely need everyone to talk to one another in real time, there’s the ansible option. This is basically a nerd word for a near-magical device that breaks all the rules of physics and allows for instant, long distance communication. The ansible is seen in The Dispossessed, Ender��s Game, Wrinkle in Time, and various other sci-fi novels. Sometimes it is named as such, sometimes it has a fancier name. Scientists have theorized quantum entanglement might be used to create a real ansible device, but there are presently some physical limitations with those theories.

As I seem to end most of my articles, I’ll encourage you not to feel overwhelmed. Strict scientific limitations need not be imposed on your story. If your story requires instant communications, you can make something up to allow for it. If you need slow communications, you can do that. The trick is to craft a storyworld that facilitates your story, and make the elements that comprise that story interesting and believable.

Talking Character

First Impressions Matter, Part 2: Utilzing Point of View

Post author By Lisa E. Betz
Post date August 13, 2016
No Comments on First Impressions Matter, Part 2: Utilzing Point of View

How we introduce our characters should be designed to create the reaction we want in our readers. Is the reader supposed to like a certain character? Mistrust him? Despise him?

Writers have many ways to influence those first impressions. One of the most powerful is point of view.

Through the eyes of a character

When Todd, the hero, meets a woman named Emma, he will make a judgment of her based on the specific details he notices. His personality and background will color which details he sees and what he feels about those details.

Imagine Todd’s first meeting with Emma:

Example 1 – A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a deep blue silk blouse and gray slacks waited in the lobby. Simple yet professional. A good sign.
“You must be Emma. Welcome to Philadelphia.”
Todd offered his hand. Emma’s grip was firm, and she met his eyes, a polite smile on her face. “Good to finally meet you in person.”
Yes, it was.

Example 2 – A woman with bottle-blonde hair, a designer silk blouse and expensive sling-backs waited in the lobby. He could sense her impatience.
“You must be Emma. Welcome to Philadelphia.”
Todd offered his hand. Emma’s grip was aggressively firm, and she stared into his eyes, an arrogant smile on her face.
“Good to finally meet you in person.”
Yeah, right.

The same woman, seen through two very different lenses, leading to very different first impressions.

Conflicting impressions

Suppose in the next scene, Todd and Emma arrive at the office, where we see them through the eyes of team member Sarah:

Sarah caught her breath when Emma strode through the door. This was not the chubby, science nerd with mouse-brown hair and eyes that rarely emerged from the pages of a book. This Emma had poise and confidence. She smiled. She looked people in the face. And someone had taught her a thing or two about fashion.

Just as two friends might have different impressions of someone they’ve just met, so might fictional characters. Introducing somebody new through several pairs of eyes allows a writer to paint a more complex picture, either reinforcing or confusing the first impression.

Misleading first impressions

Suppose by the end of the story we learn Emma is a corporate spy out to ruin the company. If a reader started with the favorable impression of Example One, it may take a lot to convince them Emma isn’t who they thought she was.

Which might be exactly what you want.

A misleading first impression can be a powerful plot device. That first meeting can sway a reader’s impression, leading to assumptions that are far from the truth, and providing the opportunity to set up a false friend or a false enemy.

[bctt tweet=”First impressions. Powerful weapons in the writers’ arsenal. How well are you using them?” username=””]

Learn more techniques about first impressions in part one.

Writing for Transformation: Bible Studies and Devotions

How to Build Your Theological Library on a Budget

Post author By Leigh Powers
Post date August 12, 2016
No Comments on How to Build Your Theological Library on a Budget

The president of our seminary used to tell us that we needed over 1,500 books in our personal library before we graduated. I did the math and figured to reach that goal I’d have to buy about ten books a week over the course of a three-year degree—something I was happy to do if the school would only quit charging me for rent and tuition.

But I understood his point: preparing for ministry means investing in resources. As Bible study and devotional writers, we also need to invest in resources. We need good commentaries that will help us understand Scripture. We need books that help us understand biblical languages, times, and customs. And we need books with stories and facts that help us make applications and find illustrations that capture our reader’s attention. But books—especially theology books—are expensive. Here are six tips for building your theological library on a budget.

Use the library. I live in a small town in the middle of West Texas, but there are still four colleges within an hour’s drive of my house. Two of those schools have graduate programs in theology, and I can check out books from their libraries using my public library card. If you’re not within driving distance of a university, look into your public library’s interlibrary loan program and check out their resources. Our public library system has access to a religious and theological database that indexes PDFs of current theological journals. You might also want to explore what library services are available through the alumni program of your college or seminary. My seminary offers a library-by-mail program that allows graduates to check out books by mail for a nominal annual fee.

Buy used books. Several online booksellers now offer used books. If you live close to a Christian college or seminary, you might also look for a used bookstore near campus and check in periodically. Students often weed their bookshelves at the end of the semester.

Follow your favorite publishers on social media. Publishers like Zondervan Academic, Baker Academic, and Intervarsity Press all have accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Follow them and watch for announcements of sales. Zondervan steeply discounts e-book versions of some of their commentary sets a couple times a year, and I’ve been able to fill my library out this way.

Become a book reviewer. Some publishers offer free books to reviewers through a blog or book review program. If you have a blog and are comfortable reviewing books on sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Christian Book Distributors, joining these programs can help you build your library.

Buy what you need as you need it. When you sign a contract with a publisher, invest a portion of your income into buying some of the books you need. This will help you build your library over time.

Leverage discounts from software companies. Programs like Olive Tree or Logos provide e-tools for Bible study students. Though the higher packages can deliver some sticker shock, software packages can allow you to purchase large amounts of books for pennies on the dollar.

Building your theological library is important, but you don’t have to break the bank to do it. How do you make book buying fit your budget?

Magazine and Freelance

First Things First

Post author By Cherrilynn Bisbano - Managing Editor A3
Post date August 11, 2016
No Comments on First Things First

By: Terry Whalin

Many people want to publish their writing. After working as a magazine editor for years plus writing for many publications, there is a simple truth every writer needs to remember and practice:

[bctt tweet=”You have to do first things first…submit your work #freelance #magazine” username=”@A3forme”]

If you only dream about writing and never submit your work, then you’ve never taken that first step toward publication.

Yet even before you submit anything, you have to handle the blank computer screen. How do you figure out what to write?

Many writers and would-be writers have told me how that blank page petrifies them. In this article, we’ll explore my technique for getting started to write for magazines. It’s a rare day that I have trouble putting those initial words on paper. I always jot down some ideas ahead of time before I write. Maybe my notes are just a couple of points that I want to cover when I write the article. The reality is ideas for magazine articles are everywhere and the places to write are just as plentiful. Maybe you have had an interesting personal experience that you want to capture in your story. Possibly you have been involved in a ministry and created some unique materials that you’d like to tell to others through a how-to article. Maybe you’ve compiled some teaching on a topic from the Bible and would like to get that into print.

Or if you don’t have any material from your own experience to write about, consider interviewing some interesting people around you and writing their story for publication.

Before you write anything, the first questions to ask are:

Who is my audience?

What publication will use this article?

The possibilities are endless: adult, women, men, children, teenagers, or youth. Are they in a specialized occupation such as pastors or school-teachers? Are they a certain age?

[bctt tweet=”The important thing is to be sure to target a specific audience. #Freelance #amwriting” username=”@A3forme @terrywhalin “]You can’t write an article assuming that every reader will want to read your material because that simply isn’t the case. Articles are written for a particular audience and a particular publication.

Every writer meets with rejection and projects which are never published. In fact, I have files of material which has circulated and never been published. I caution you that rejection and unpublished articles are a part of the writer’s life and the road to consistent publication.

As a writer, you have to practice first things first. Craft your article for a particular audience then get it off your desk and into the hands of an editor. It can happen, if you get it into the market so make your move today.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

Tags freelance, magazine writing, published

The Ministry of Writing

Five Dangers of Theological Training: Seminary in 5 — Orientation Part 2

Post author By Jake McCandless - The Ministry of Writing
Post date August 9, 2016

Image of stained glass taken by Andreas F. Borchert and labeled for reuse.

Save money. Learn theology. Become a better writer. Minister more effective. That’s my hope for you. In this second year of my column, The Ministry of Writing, I want to take you to seminary — writing seminary. If you have had the chance to go to seminary then let this be a refresher. If you haven’t please soak up this tuition free theological education given each month in 5 points. God has called you to write. You want to glorify Him and reach the world, but the problem is that we can easily be false teachers and not know it. This is why growing and learning in biblical and theological knowledge is vital to your writing ministry.

Disclaimer…

You are reading this because you want to be a better minister through your writing, and I believe that necessitates intentional biblical and theological training. That training does not have to be in a formal seminary, but the teaching must be correct. Last month I wrote on five reasons why you must receive training. Again I can’t stress enough the importance — when you go to a doctor and your physical life is on the line you definitely want someone who has been trained. Right? So shouldn’t we desire that as much or more with the minister who is sharing eternal life.

Even though I am strongly for theological training, I agree with your grandmother, uncle, neighbor, and that guy at church who has warned you that seminary messes up good ministers. Training can and has messed up good writers — good servants of the Lord. Yet the risk far outweighs the dangers, but I do want to warn you of five dangers of theological training.

The Five Dangers…

The Danger of Puffing Up (Pride & Self-Righteousness)

Not only is the danger realized by countless examples we have witnessed with our own eyes, but Scripture directly warns of this. In 1 Corinthians 8:1, we are warned that knowledge can puff up while love builds up. The difference between knowledge and love expressed in this passage seems to be on their reach beyond ourselves. Although our possession of knowledge can help others, it can also cause us to become prideful and full of ourselves. Yet, love for one another builds each other up in Christ.

The context of the passage is instruction on how these newly converted Christians should deal with eating meat that had been served to idols. Paul is trying to explain Christian liberty, but he knows legalism is the enemy of that liberty. It seems in history and today the religious people or churches who focus on knowledge and sincerity of doctrine tend to be those who are the most mean spirited. They are the churches full of truth, but void of love. This was the nature of the Pharisees in the Bible.

Not only can knowledge make one legalistic or not loving, but it can make one prideful.

Gaining knowledge through theological training does not have to puff one up or cause them to be legalistic, but the danger has been proven over and over.

2. Danger of Not Relying on God

This danger of theological training has been gained by personal experience, and I have heard others express the same sentiment. Although this is gained from experience, Scripture makes clear that as followers of Christ we are to rely on God. In John 5 we read Jesus say that He could do nothing without the Father. In which He was pointing to the God sized results. We can use human efforts, but only God can bring the supernatural harvest.

I would not trade the theological and ministry training I have received, but I look back on the early days of my preaching with great joy. I began preaching at 16 and had no clue with what to do. Armed with a Bible and an A-Z Topical Concordance I went to work. I have to rely on God for everything and He delivered. It was amazing messages were given to me more spontaneously. God showed me things in unique and surprising ways. Messages came to me almost verbatim. Then I had to pray through every aspect of any ministry work.

Through seminary I had a greater understanding of the Bible. I learned teaching and preaching techniques. I learned how to do it in my strength. I was a better preacher, but I struggle with the temptation to rely on my training and not God.

As a Christian writer you need theological and writing training, but still only God can bring the supernatural harvest and transformation that you desire to see. Rely on Him.

3. Danger of Doing Ministry in Own Strength and Not Letting the Spirit Work Through You

This is very similar to the last danger, but I share it to make a point. The more we learn, the better we get as writers and ministries, the more we get in the way of the Holy Spirit. Again it God who is the Lord of the harvest. We are just His workers. Although we may have learned to correctly divide the Word of God, and to effectively convey it in writing, we should still desire to see the Holy Spirit work.

4. Danger of Losing Your Own Personality

As you probably can tell from my writing, I was trained in preaching not writing. I had a preaching class in which you would preach before the class, and then the professor would you evaluate you. One particular professor pushed each of us to follow this certain pattern, I hated it. But we took it as the way one must preach. So I went through a phase where I threw out my creativity and sense of humor to preach a “certain way.” I lost my personality. This can happen in our writing. Training can push us to do it a particular way, but we still need to be us. Don’t lose your personality.

5. Danger of Losing Evangelistic Zeal

First and foremost you are ministering through writing because the Lord has called you to do so. Then I imagine the second reason is that you hope others would come to Christ and experience a relationship with Him. You are driven by your evangelistic zeal. I have watched over and over as fervent soul winners lost their fire in seminary as they became wrapped up in knowledge and forgot what mattered most. Don’t let that happen to you. Listen to this warning given by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1:6, “Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.” Don’t get wrapped up in the secondary, please focus on the primary.

Promise Me…

Although there are dangers to theological training, you must still recieve training, but promise me that you will not lose your fire in the process. You only need to focus that fire.

Tags Christian writer, Christian writing, dangers of seminary, dangers of theological training, five dangers of seminary, Jake McCandless, seminary dangers, seminary for writers, seminary in 3 or 5, seminary in 5, writer, writing ideas, Writing Instruction, writing seminary, Writing tips

History in the Making

What I Learned from the Author of Charlotte's Web – Part 3

Post author By Sandra Hart - History in the Making
Post date August 8, 2016

by Sandra Merville Hart

Two months ago we talked about the author of Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White, and the influence of his writing professor, William Strunk Jr.

Last month we dug into three of the White’s twenty-two Elementary Rules of Usage.

This article focuses on commonly misused words. The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, lists twenty-six pages of them; we will mention only a sampling.

Some speakers or writers use certainly or very to intensify statements. Used often, these words become a mannerism.

The authors considered using contact as a verb as self-important and unclear. Phone, email, or meet someone; don’t contact them.

If you are disinterested in something, you are impartial; being uninterested means indifferent or not interested.

A three-day battle started in Gettysburg on July 1, 1863 is a fact because it is verifiable information. An opinion such as the greatest president or the worst restaurant shouldn’t be confused with facts.

Folk is the same as people. Folks refer to family or those gathered. Use the singular form of the word in formal writing.

Beginning a sentence with however gives it the meaning ‘in whatever way.’ However doesn’t mean the same as nevertheless.

Rephrase a sentence to avoid using the word importantly.

The authors label interesting an unconvincing word. There is no need to announce something will be interesting; grab the reader’s attention with the writing.

Less (denoting quantity) is sometimes mistakenly used for fewer (a number.)

There is an important difference between nauseous (causing nausea) and nauseated (upset stomach.) Saying I feel nauseous actually means we create that feeling in others. Whoops! Don’t we often say this when sick to our stomachs?

Writers should avoid split infinitives (placing an adverb between to and the infinitive) unless desiring to stress the adverb. To tirelessly search or to search tirelessly is an example.

[bctt tweet=”Write with the reader’s enjoyment and understanding in mind. #Historical #Writing” username=”@Sandra_M_Hart”]When choosing whether to write that or which, remember that defines the one spoken of and which is nonrestrictive.

When writing of customary actions, would can usually be omitted. Every month she would volunteer at the soup kitchen. Remove would and make volunteer an action verb: every month she volunteered at the soup kitchen.

White dubbed his writing professor “Sergeant Strunk” in the introduction. He taught with authority and assurance of being right and that is the tone of this book that he wrote and White lovingly revised.

One of the greatest gifts of studying The Elements of Style was the emphasis on the reader. An author’s job is to communicate clearly so the reader understands exactly what’s happening.

So writing with readers in mind – people who can’t see what’s going on inside our head – should realign our focus to their enjoyment and understanding. It’s hard work that is worth the effort.

Tags Charlotte's Web, E.B. White, historical, historical authors, Historical writing, Sandra Merville Hart, The Elements of Style, William Strunk Jr

Guest post archive

Freedom from Plot

Post author By Cherrilynn Bisbano - Managing Editor A3
Post date August 6, 2016

by Laura L. Zimmerman

I went for a swim at 6:30 this morning.

Okay, not really, but in my story my I did. The characters in my book made the snap decision to hop in a pond and cool off. I hadn’t planned on this. In fact this swim doesn’t even have anything to do with the plot. But I wrote it, anyway. Ultimately, it was something they would do. So they did. It opened a door for conversation between two characters to grow closer and build trust.

This is a big deal for me. This never would’ve happened in the not-too-distant past. Until recently, I’ve functioned primarily as a ‘plotter’. I would plan and plot and outline my story, until I had it structured and polished. Then I would write.

But just over a year ago, I accidentally became a ‘pantser’. It wasn’t intentional. I had a scene for a new story that I wanted to get out of my head before it disappeared, but didn’t want to take the time to plot, since I was in the middle of writing another story. So, I sat and wrote the scene. Out of that scene came another, then another and another, until I had a third of the book written – something I hadn’t imagined possible without prior planning. The experience changed my perspective on a few things.

Here are four lessons I’ve learned about writing as a ‘pantser’:

Personalities stay consistent.We’ve all been there – after a beta reader or critique group finishes a section of your manuscript, the dreaded comment slaps you in the face: The action of a specific character isn��t consistent with what we know of him/her up until that point. Ouch. As a plotter, I would take painful care to review each scene and evaluate a character’s reaction. However, this didn’t stop those pesky personalities from wandering off their beaten path, because I was so focused on sticking to that plot. But whenthe character directs the flow of the book, it’s easier to think about what would come naturally for him/her. What would the next decision be for the character, not for the plot? The plot will eventually come to pass, but allowing each character to react in a natural way, will connect the reader to those characters.
There’s more conversation.I’ve spoken with plenty of writers who love the chance to tell their tale, but dread that dialogue! They agonize and worry over the words that come out of a character’s mouth. As a ‘pantser’, there’s no need to push to the next scene, as much asallowing the characters to take the reader to the next scene through conversation. I’ve found the characters share more meaningful words, once I allow them the privilege to speak freely.
Fewer worries about the plot.But what about that plot, you ask? Of course, don’t abandon it all together – we’ve all experienced frustration as we’ve read a book with plot holes and inconsistencies. But when the characters ‘drive’ the story, those characters and the decisions they make become more important. Plot holes and inconsistencies can always be corrected during revision and editing. But the general flow of the book will be more credible if you allow for deep, connected characters.
Beat that Writer’s Block. We’ve all cringed at that blank sheet of paper at some point. However, I’ve found this happens more often as a ‘plotter’, than it does now. When my brain felt forced to write something without inspiration, I couldn’t find the words. As a ‘pantser’, the words come easier when I ask myself, “What would this character do next?”

What about you? Are you a plotter or pantser? Which do you prefer? Feel free to comment below and share your experience!

Bio: Laura L. Zimmerman is a homeschooling mom to three daughters, and a doting wife to one husband. Besides writing, she is passionate about loving Jesus, singing, drinking coffee and anything Star Wars. You can connect with her through Facebook and Twitter and at her website, www.lauralzimmerman.com

Tags introducing characters, Plot, writing

Flash Fiction-Splickety Genre

Flash Fiction Endings: Satisfy Me, Baby

Post author By Cherrilynn Bisbano - Managing Editor A3
Post date August 5, 2016

Flash Fiction Endings: Satisfy Me, Baby

By: Teddi Deppner

In fiction, readers are looking for a vicarious experience. Every genre offers a different primary experience: adventure, romance, mystery, the wonder of discovering new worlds. While the endings for each genre might have a slightly different focus (mystery solved, romance culminated, quest achieved), the bottom line is the same: the reader must feel satisfied.

Let’s look at three of the most common mistakes authors make with flash fiction endings.

THE AMBIGUOUS ENDING

Ambiguous short story endings are tempting. We’ll never forget the first time we encountered ��The Lady or the Tiger” [link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady,_or_the_Tiger%3F ], and want to achieve the same greatness. But open endings are extremely tricky. Readers want to be emotionally and mentally satisfied when the story ends, and wondering what happens next is rarely enjoyable.

DON’T end your story without a resolution. Readers invest time in your story; reward them and they will love you. Withhold the climax and they won’t risk investing more time in your work.

DO give the reader enough information to draw a conclusion. It can be a powerful experience when the reader finishes the story in their heads, but they must have confidence that they know what happened (and feel a sense of satisfaction about it). The burden of painting that unspoken picture by pointing all the clues in the same direction is on you, the author.

THE CUT-OFF ENDING

In my time as an acquisitions editor for Splickety, I have seen this so many times: an author ends the story the same way they might end the first chapter or scene of a novel. The characters are introduced, the conflict begins, and then it just stops. That’s not a story!

DON’T leave the reader hanging. Like any story, a flash fiction story needs a beginning, middle and an end. If the protagonist hasn’t resolved the conflict or achieved the goal, then the story isn’t over. A short story has a smaller scope than a full novel, so the resolution may not be saving the world. If the story is about falling in love, then the ending might be a simple act like reaching out to take a hand, or deciding to kiss the girl, or even saying “Yes” to the invitation to dinner. Emotional satisfaction can come from achieving a goal, making a firm decision, turning a corner in a struggle or turning a new leaf. If there is no change in the internal or external state of the character, there is no story.

THE CHEAT ENDING

The cheat ending is where everything in the story points toward one resolution, and then you deny the reader their expectation with some unexpected twist. Many writers have a sadistic streak hiding somewhere inside them, and sometimes they yield to this impulse. It feels very satisfying as a writer to pull this cheat on the reader, but remember: it’s the readers who need to feel the satisfaction, not the writer.

When you finish a story, look it over with satisfaction in mind. Every element of your story is a promise the reader is hoping you will fulfill. Your chosen genre is a promise: you should know why readers pick up a sci-fi story or a horror story and provide what they desire. Your protagonist is a promise: we expect him or her to learn something, to grow a little, to experience conflict and overcome it. Your setting is a promise: you should transport readers somewhere they’ve never been, or describe a place they know so well that they taste it again, as if for the first time.

Keep your promises, and your readers will not only leave satisfied, they will clamor for more.

[bctt tweet=”If there is no change in the internal or external state of the character, there is no story. ” username=”@A3forme”]

[bctt tweet=”Every element of your story is a promise the reader is hoping you will fulfill.” username=”@A3forme”]

AUTHOR BIO:

Teddi Deppner is an indie author, founder of the SpecficCollective http://specficcollective.com

and Associate Acquisitions Editor at Splickety Pub Group. http://splickety.com/

She’s also a homeschool mom, artist and an avid toy and nature photographer. Hear more about her projects at

http://www.teddideppner.com

https://twitter.com/teddideppner

https://www.facebook.com/teddideppnerguru

The Writerly Cafe

A Large Serving of Muse, Please

Post author By Dee Dee Parker - Developing Your Writer's Voice/The Writerly Cafe
Post date August 3, 2016

Here at the café, I’ve received several questions on what a writer’s muse is and where writers can find it. The questions have been heavy on my mind during these hot summer days when my muse seems to have abandoned me for a hammock somewhere in the shade.

So let’s begin with a simple definition for a writer’s muse: It is a source of inspiration for a creative work.

Now for the fun part! Pull up a chair and let’s throw out ideas as to where we can find our muse. I’ll get us started. Please join in via the comment section.

Some ways I stir my muse:

I always have a small notebook with me in case inspirations strikes. I have been known to pull over in a parking lot after seeing something that I knew would make a great story or devotion.
One sentence from an article online can spark an idea for a totally different subject. An overheard conversation can lead to a short story plot.
I live in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains where every bend in the road offers inspiration for a writer. A writer friend of mine rents a cabin near me where she writes poetry.
I’ve found children and animals inspire me. One of my next projects will be a story inspired by a young girl and her gift to my daughter on her wedding day.
Music is high on the list as a muse. A few words from a song can inspire a story or even a melody, evoking emotions for the perfect story.
I am a people watcher and I often write stories in my head about a person that walks by, sits in a park, or stands outside a homeless shelter. A favorite piece I wrote was about a man I met in a thrift store whose wares funded food and shelter for people recovering from substance abuse.

Join me over at Cathy Baker’s site, Cultivating Creativity, to learn more ways I find my muse. (You will also learn about a hidden talent of mine!)

Thank you for sharing one way you find your writing muse in the comment section.

Tags Cathy Baker, Come Go Home With Me, Cultivating Creativity, Where Do You Find a Writer's Muse? What is a Writer's Muse? Dee Dee Parker, Writer's Muse

Uncategorized

Daily Rituals and Creative Energy

Post author By Cathy Baker - Have Words, Will Travel....Travel Writing 101
Post date August 2, 2016

For years daily rituals have fascinated me.

Was there a secret to the creative energy found in writers, poets, artists, and musicians? Would waking up earlier, staying up later, drinking lattes only after the froth had melted into an oblivion propel my creative energy into overdrive? I’m thankful to report that there’s no right or wrong way. There’s your way, and there’s mine. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than one of my favorite finds in recent years. Enter Mason Currey’s brilliant book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, which is the resource for the following examples of daily rituals:

Ernest Hemingway had his share of writing idiosyncrasies. “He wrote standing up, facing a chest-high bookshelf with a typewriter on top, and on top of that a wooden reading board. First drafts were composed in pencil on onionskin typewriter paper laid slantwise across the board; when the work was going well, Hemingway would remove the board and shift to the typewriter. He tracked his daily word output on a chart⎯’so as not to kid myself,’ he said. When the work wasn’t going well, he would often knock off the fiction and answer letters, which gave him a welcome break from ‘the awful responsibility of writing’⎯or, as he sometimes called it, ‘the responsibility of awful writing.'”

“Ann Beattie works best at night. ‘I really believe in day people and night people,” she told an interviewer in 1980.

I really think people’s bodies are on different clocks. I even feel now like I just woke up and I’ve been awake for three or four hours. And I’ll feel this way until seven o’clock tonight when I’ll start to pick up and then by nine it will be O.K. to start writing. My favorite hours are from 12:00 to 3:00 A.M. for writing.‘”

“‘To me, George was a little sad all the time because he had this compulsion to work,’ Ira Gershwin said of his brother. ‘He never relaxed.’ Indeed, Gershwin typically worked for twelve hours or more a day, beginning in the late morning and going until past midnight. He started the day with a breakfast of eggs, toast, coffee, and orange juice, then immediately began composing, sitting at the piano in his pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers. He was dismissive of inspiration, saying that if he waited for the muse he would compose at most three songs a year. It was better to work every day. ‘Like the pugilist,’ Gershwin said, ‘the songwriter must always keep in training.'”

How about you?

Do you have writing idiosyncrasies like Hemingway?
Are you a “night” person like Ann Beattie or are you a “day” person? {And I saved the best question for last.}
Do you wait for your muse to appear or, like Gershwin, do you plug away every day whether you sense it’s there or not?

Please share your answer to one or all of the above questions. We would love to hear from you! Thank you for stopping by.

Tags Ann Beattie, Cathy Baker, choreographers, composers, Cultivating Creativity, Daily Rituals, Ernest Hemingway, filmmakers, George Gershwin, How Artists Work, Mason Currey, painters, playwrights, scientists, sculptors, writers

Bestsellers

Best Selling Author- Jerry B. Jenkins

Post author By Cherrilynn Bisbano - Managing Editor A3
Post date August 1, 2016

Welcome, Jerry. We are honored to have you partner with us. Can you share a little about your recent book?

The Valley of the Dry Bones (Worthy Publishing)

A 17-year drought, earthquakes, and wildfires leave California uninhabitable and irreparable, forcing its citizens to relocate. Fewer than 1% of its population remain—by choice or necessity. But a contingency of 16 feels called of God to stay at their own risk to minister to the stragglers. Calling themselves The Holdouts, they must live underground, finding water and food where they can, and producing their own fuel and other necessities. They face a clash of cultures, ethnicities, religions, and politics that pits friend against friend, with the future of the country at stake.

In the midst of the chaos, while facing their most menacing opponent, the unlikely but heroic leader of The Holdouts becomes convinced he’s heard directly from God Himself. The result is a finish you’ll never forget.

Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?

I was already a sportswriter when, as a teenager, I felt a call to full-time Christian service. I initially thought that signaled the end of my writing career, but a wise mentor told me that often God equips a person before He calls him. He told me to consider my writing as a vehicle to answer that call. Thus, to me, success has nothing to do with typical publishing earmarks like awards, bestseller lists, or royalty checks.

Regardless what happens with my books, I succeed every day merely by obeying the call.

My theme, message, or goal for any writing project is to share my faith and point readers to Christ. Due to my worldview, not every book ends with everything tied in a neat bow, but they do all carry themes of repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope.

How long have you been writing?

I began writing for pay as a 14-year-old sportswriter for a local newspaper.

And how long did it take you to get your first major book contract?

My first book was published in 1974, accepted by the second publisher to which I submitted it.

My first New York Times bestseller was my 75^th book.

My first multimillion-copy bestseller was my 125^th.

The Valley of the Dry Bones was my 189^th.

I consider myself mono-gifted. I don’t sing or dance or preach; writing (and teaching writing at JerryJenkins.com) is all I do.

How long does it take you to write a book?

A lifetime, Seriously, it varies with length and genre. At my peak of productivity, I was publishing several books per year, though some of those were shorter works for younger readers. I now average around two books every three years. Actually, I recently published a guide for how I write books, which you can find here.

What’s your writing work schedule like?

I write only on deadline, and then I keep a fairly rigid regimen: I’m at the keyboard shortly after breakfast, and the work I do before noon will be the best I do all day. I begin with a heavy edit and rewrite of the pages I wrote the day before. Then I turn off my internal editor and write my pages for the present day.

I consider that draft just a hunk of meat to be carved the next day.

Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it?

Though it may not seem so from the volume of my production, I am a procrastinator. Before starting any book, I become a neatnik and must have everything else done, including sharpening more than a dozen pencils—despite that I haven’t written with a pencil since sixth grade.

What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career?

The highlight of my career was assisting Billy Graham with his memoir, Just As I Am.

It has also been an unspeakable joy to hear personally from thousands of people who tell me they came to faith as a result of reading the Left Behind Series^®.

What has been your darkest moment(s)?

Fortunately, my darkest moments have not been career-related.

Which of your books is your favorite?

Riven (Tyndale House), a novel. I had the idea and the characters in mind for nearly 2 decades before I wrote it all in one long rush. It’s also my longest book, so readers who don’t like it can use it as a doorstop.

Who is your favorite author to read?

I believe our greatest living American writer is Rick Bragg. His memoir, All Over but the Shoutin’, is a poetic masterpiece I read at least once a year. Some writers make you want to emulate them; Bragg makes me want to simply surrender to his superiority and enjoy the read.

What advice can you give aspiring writers?

Writers are readers; good writers are good readers; great writers are great readers.

What encouragement would you give an aspiring writer?

Don’t start your writing career with a book. That would be like starting your educational career in grad school instead of kindergarten. Get a quarter million clichés out of your system, polish your prose, hone your skills. Be edited. A book is not where you start; it’s where you arrive.

Allow yourself to be bad before you expect to be good. Babies don’t walk from birth. First, they roll over. Then they crawl. Then their first steps are halting, and they usually wind up on their rear ends.

The same is true with reading, riding a bicycle, dancing, public speaking, or becoming proficient at any skill. Cut yourself some slack and give yourself time to learn.

Develop a thick skin.

Learn to take criticism.

Join a critique group.

Engage a mentor.

Read everything there is to read, especially in your genre.

Carve out the time to write; you won’t find it in your schedule—you have to create it.

Read The Elements of Style

Take your writing career seriously and insist that others do as well. Before you become a professional, you need to act like one—investing in the right tools of the trade and creating as ideal workspace as possible.

Do not sacrifice your family on the altar of your writing career. Maintain your priorities so that when you do sit down to write, you’ll work without guilt and find yourself more productive than ever.

Do you have a favorite character or scene in one of your books?

My favorite villain was Nicolae Carpathia, the antichrist in the Left Behind Series^®.

My favorite scene is from Nicolae, when Chaim Rosensweig is discovered by a man he assumes is a guard assigned to kill him, and it turns out the man is an angel assigned to protect him.

Where do you get your ideas?

I make them up. Usually, they are a combination of seemingly disparate impressions that rattle around in my brain until a story begins to take shape. If it sticks with me and won’t leave me alone and I keep embellishing it, I assume it will have legs and readers will stay interested. If I lose enthusiasm for it, I let it die before I start writing.

What are common mistakes you see aspiring writer’s make?

The Five Most Common Mistakes I See in Beginners’ Manuscripts http://bit.ly/29saRw7

Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market?

Local paper
Blog
Guest blog
Local and regional market magazines
E-zines
On the Inspirational side, Sunday School Papers

Jerry B. Jenkins is a novelist and biographer with 21 New York Times bestsellers, 7 of which debuted at No. 1. His books have sold more than 70 million copies worldwide. He is the former Vice President for Publishing at the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago and now serves on Moody’s board of trustees.

He is the writer of the Left Behind Series^®and has written biographies of such luminaries as Hank Aaron, Walter Payton, Orel Hershiser, Meadowlark Lemon, Nolan Ryan, and many others. He assisted Bill Graham with his memoir, Just As I Am.

Jerry owns the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, a subscription site for budding writers.

He has been married to Dianna since 1971, and they have three grown sons and eight grandchildren. Jerry lives in Colorado. www.JerryJenkins.com

Tags Almost an Author, Author, Bestselling, Billy Graham, Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind, New York Times, Valley of the Dry Bones

A Little Red Ink Editing

Conferences: Paid Critique

Post author By Bethany Kaczmarek - A Little Red Ink
Post date July 29, 2016

Conferences: The Paid Critique

So you’re thinking about attending a writers conference, or perhaps you’ve already registered for one. Even if you’re a pro at this, a paid critique still may benefit you. You’ve got a new story, and every story is different.

Here’s why:

One-on-one attention from an industry professional.

A worthy investment. Photo cred: 401(K) 2012

For a small investment, you get to sit down with an agent, an editor, a seasoned author. Not only are you getting a fresh set of eyes on your work, you’re also getting their experience and expertise. And this is not a pitch, so there’s not quite as much at stake. It’s a lesson, a mentoring session.

Be a learner.

You thought I was going to say more than that, eh? Not so much. That gem speaks for itself. With the fresh set of eyes comes a fresh perspective. Be a learner.

Let’s look now at the different industry professionals who might be willing to meet with you.

Paid Critique: Agents

If you’re on the Great Agent Hunt, this is ideal. You’ll get to not only see what the agent thinks of your work but also get feedback. When you query them, most agents don’t take the time to offer tips or insight unless they genuinely feel that, with some revisions, your work would be a good fit for representation. So this is a rare treasure! Choose the agents you meet with carefully, though. Don’t waste an agent’s time (or yours!) if you write sci-fi and all their other clients are historical fiction. Do your research beforehand and pay for a critique from your dream agent.

Some agents truly are as cool as Sidney Bristow and James Bond. Photo cred: Alice Birkin — Some agents truly are as cool as Sidney Bristow and James Bond. Photo cred: Peggy Marco

To me, one of the best reasons to meet with an agent at a conference is to get a feel for their personality. In the agent-author relationship, it’s most important to find someone you could work with well. You may want a champion, a cheerleader, a career advisor. You may need a quiet professional relationship.

I remember at one of my first writers conferences, I met with an agent who��on paper—looked ideal for me. It turned out my work wasn’t a good fit for her, and I actually felt relieved. I could see, even before we sat down for the appointment, that our personalities wouldn’t gel. The meeting only confirmed it. We both handled ourselves professionally, and I can honestly say she’s a well-respected agent with impeccable taste. I just wouldn’t have enjoyed working with her. That’s important to me. Now? I count my agent a dear friend. (And she’s better than Sidney Bristow.)

Paid Critique: Editors

Again, do your research early and choose your appointments wisely. Get feedback from editors you hope will love your book. Listen to what they say about your writing. Ask questions about your story. But most of all, use the opportunity to ask them what they’re looking for. What makes a good story in their opinion? If they could give you any piece of advice, what would it be? They��re meeting with you because they want to be an encourager and a sharpener to you. If they didn’t want that, they wouldn’t offer paid critiques.

(Many don��t. They may still play this role in an appointment, though. If you’d like to see what editors want from their regular appointment slots at a conference, check out this excellent post by Karen Ball.)

So many authors, so many styles. Photo cred: Anton

Paid Critique: Authors

Meeting with authors who write in your genre is always a good idea. Get feedback—after all, they’re published. They know what works. Listen to their pointers on your writing with an open mind. Take notes. Think about what they’ve said that will work for you. They won’t try to change your voice, but you can gain valuable insight into both the industry and the writing process.

If you’re an indie author, this opportunity is golden. So very much goes into writing and launching and marketing a book well, and every author has their own story. Be brave and ask the hard questions. You may find the conversation invigorating and leave feeling better equipped for the challenge!

Wrapping up

Make the most of these opportunities. Many connections formed during these appointments can lead to valuable relationships. The publishing industry is always shifting and changing, and there’s always something to learn.

Have you ever had a paid critique? Tell me how it went.

Tags agent, Author, editor, paid critique, Writers Conference

Specs: Speculative Fiction

3-Step Plan for A SPEC-tacular Audience

Post author By Kaz - Specs
Post date July 28, 2016

3-Step Plan for A SPEC-tacular Audience

By now you have already noticed the play on words, and I’ll admit…It is certainly dreadful. But perhaps you’ve seen past it and have realized: this post holds the secrets to gaining an audience and achieving your wildest dreams!

Well…sort of. I mean, I’m not an expert on the subject, but this is what I’ve been learning, and I think it’ll make sense to you like it did me. Sure, it’s a little difficult, but I’ve discovered the three “secret” steps to successfully gaining an audience.

Oh...the humble beginning. — Oh…the humble beginning.

Step 1 Aim for the Tribe
Identify your audience. Ask yourself:

“What kind of content do you make? And who would be interested in it?”

“Well I’m glad you asked, Kaz! On my YouTube channel, humor and a slice of life—especially for those who enjoy clever banter and proper etiquette. I write speculative fiction—both cyberpunk and industrial fantasy. I’ve found that people who enjoy reading it are, in fact, also fans of witty conversation and the high moral ground.”

Step 2 Enter the Village
The Audience is an incredible group of people, and these smart individuals hold a lot of power. However…there are some things we cannot expect them to do. Find us, for example. The interwebs are sprawling. How can you get your target audience to notice you hiding in the bushes? Of a very dense jungle? With a pilot who is even now betraying you? (Maybe that’s just me.)

[bctt tweet=”How to build an audience: Be where your audience is, Be heard, Be prepared for their appearance. ” username=””]

Be where your audience is. You may have thought the jungle was a one-time metaphor, but Oh no! Here it is again. If you have something that you think a certain tribe needs, you will go to them, to their…jungle gym, if you will, and spend time with them. You certainly wouldn’t want to be viewed as a traveling salesmen, but if you cultivate relationships, become a useful part of the community, your ideal audience will eventually know you.

Be heard. In the real world, (because jungles don’t exist in the real world) you should frequent blogs they like. Comment regularly. Ask questions. Perhaps, once you are at least an acquaintance, ask the blogger to do a guest post for you. Their followers, then, may visit your virtual establishment. Build a great body of content first, and have enough of it ready to go that you can impress anyone you approach and pitch.

Be prepared for their appearance. When they visit you, that is your primary opportunity to offer them something they’ll enjoy. If, in this jungle, someone stopped by my dugout, I would welcome them with a tray of hors d’oeuvres and a spot of tea. How daft would it be to say, “Come in and sit down, but I’ve got nothing, man. Nothing. Can I interest you in…a spoonful of peanut butter?” (I jest. Peanut butter would be delicacy in the jungle.) My point here is, have something to offer. Content, people. Content them with your content.

Invest in your real estate.

I mentioned my dugout before. But know this. I intend to have a nice place in the jungle. There shall be landscaping. There shall be real chairs. To accomplish this, I need to spend jungle currency. (Earning and saving it is another matter entirely.) The point is, I have to spend money. Investing in your virtual presence will work. Pay for your domain name. Dress it up. Place an ad, boost a post on social media. Have snazzy business cards. You don’t need to lay out a fortune to accomplish this. Setting aside $50 here and there at key moments will do the trick.

Request an audience with the village leaders.

There are some people who have pull in this grand village. Your target audience knows them, loves them, and follows their lead. Learn the village hierarchy, and spend time being a learner. You’re not there to push your agenda. You’re there to learn from the masters. They have achieved what you have not. I have found that it is best to approach them humbly, as pupils. (Not the eye kind.) In time, the relationship may evolve from master/pupil to wise colleague/well-respected amateur. One can go places from there. At that point, you can ask whether they might be willing to mention you, share your posts, use their influence on your behalf. You will not have simply used them; you will have built a relationship with them.

And that is something that can last whether your career is ultimately successful or not.

A Gent who's been at this a long time. — A Gent who’s been at this a long time.

“Has anyone given these a shot? If so how’d it go? Add your experience to the comments below.”

(I found this rhyme carved into a rock wall in the village’s “Magic cave.” Is it a prophecy? Will folks actually comment on my post!)

Thanks to: ClkerFreeVectorImages, for the edited photo of Specs. And thanks to: Wikipedia , Graham Campbell, OpenClipartVectors, and rebel68, for the unedited images.

Tags Audience, Caleb Kaczmarek, Clever Gents, How to build a following, Kaz, Spats & Specs, Specs, target audience

Touching Soul and Spirit

The Hawk of Heaven and the Bush Hog

Post author By Nelson Hannah - Touching Soul and Spirit
Post date July 27, 2016
1 Comment on The Hawk of Heaven and the Bush Hog

Bush hogging helps me clear my head (no—that’s not hunting wild hogs in the bush). It’s a farm implement one hooks to a tractor and mows the grass, weeds, or bushes that have gotten a bit out of hand. This week I climbed aboard my Ford 2600 tractor, set the height I wanted to cut, engaged the power take off, and off I went. For the next several hours it was just me, the tractor, and the field I was cutting. I had plenty of time to chill out and think even though the temperature was hovering close to one hundred degrees.

God often speaks to me during times like this from his creation. As I was grinding the weeds into mulch, a rather large field mouse was forced out of his liar in the weeds and headed for a safer place. I didn’t think much about it until I made a round and headed back. Then out of nowhere I saw a reddish copper blur descending at breakneck speed toward the ground where the field mouse had fled. It was a rather large red-tailed hawk. In a blink of the eye, the hawk and his field mouse filet were headed for a private meal in a dining room in one of the pine trees that surround the field. It all happened in a matter of a few seconds.
Later that afternoon, I flushed another large rodent out of his cozy condo in the underbrush and the very same thing happened—table for one and a free range mouse steak served rare off the grill in Chez Pine Tree. This hawk was racking up and waiting for me to set him up with the prime cuts.
As I pondered my contribution to the decimation of the of the field mouse population, I began to hear God’s unmistakable voice in my spirit. I had been witnessing far more than a lesson in nature’s food chain; I had been witnessing a picture with tremendous spiritual meaning. Let me show you what I mean.Every person is like a garden or a field that must be tended or maintained very carefully. If we neglect that care—if we are inattentive to God—if we are careless and allow sin to take root—spiritual weeds start to grow. And if left untended for very long a fruitful garden or field can soon become overrun and turned into an overgrown jungle.
Weeds attract vermin like rats and field mice and allow them the cover to feed and breed without too much fear in the natural. Spiritual weeds also attract vermin of the demonic nature, and that undergrowth allows them to hide and carry out their work undetected. A little neglect, spiritually speaking, can quickly produce bondage in many different areas without a person even knowing it.
The only thing that gets rid of these spiritual weeds is confession and repentance—a high powered bush hog guided by you or me. Confession and repentance is our responsibility. Every so often, all us need to climb up on the tractor of prayer and unleash the bush hog on the weeds that have taken root in our own garden spot. (Stay out of your neighbor’s field—that’s his responsibility alone.)
“What about the hawk?” you might be thinking. “Where does he fit in all this?”
Oh, he’s there. Whenever we confess and repent, the enemy has no place to hide—no ground from which he can launch his attacks. He has to run, and when he does, the Hawk of heaven—the Holy Spirit—attacks with his talons bared and the enemy is no more. Gone in the blink of an eye.
What about your garden or field? Is it neatly manicured and mowed, or filled with underbrush and weeds? The Hawk of heaven is there—there high above your field…waiting. Why not crank the tractor and put the bush hog in gear?