Tag: Don’t quit

Categories
Book Proposals

The Two Big Cs

So, it’s Christmas and we’re all still dealing with Covid. Who would have imagined a year ago when we first heard rumblings about this virus that we’d be dealing with it twelve months later? And the artsy community is seriously suffering. Whether it’s authors, actors, singers. All in the what many people see as “disposable” community are working hard to keep afloat.

So, what does this all mean for writers? Huge sigh. It means, publishers are taking longer, looking harder, deciding slower, especially for debut authors. It’s tough. Without in-store shoppers, more bookstores have closed. Publishers are being far more selective in those they sign. Folks aren’t spending the dollars as many have lost jobs. “Thanks, Linda. Lots of really uplifting news here!”

But don’t despair. Because a LOT of folks are home now, it’s been a great opportunity for more writing hours. Instead of simply shopping one book around, I have quite a few clients with multiple books now. They have spent their extra time wisely and have been glued to their computers: writing, writing, writing!

As things begin to return to normal … and they will, my authors are going to have a bag full of new tricks, new novels, new ideas that can be shopped to the publishers. Instead of that one really awesome book I signed them for, there are now two or three books ready for a home.

How have you spent your extra time? Or, if you were lucky enough to continue to work, did you still look for new ideas, new ops for writing? And as you get those weekends back, will you push forward with even more writing? Now is the time to use your spare minutes wisely.

The key, folks, at any time, in any circumstance is to continue writing. Too often, we find excuses (and let’s face it, Covid has been a real game changer) to give up. We get depressed, who isn’t today, right? But those who keep at it. Those who refuse to allow their fingers and minds to quit. Those who see this as an opportunity instead of a loss will emerge on the other side stronger, better prepared, and ready!

Am I still signing folks? Yes! More in the last few months that in the last couple years. I’ve found that cream has truly risen to the top, and I’ve been lucky enough to find some amazing authors in this mix. How do I know they’re the cream? They’ve continued with conferences even if a Zoom conference isn’t first choice. They’ve worked at learning their craft. Even my clients that I’ve already been shopping around have used this chance to write more, write better, write with innovative motivation. They’ve taken out old manuscripts and rewritten them. They’ve dug deeper in to the ones I’ve seen.

Key here: they have not given up.

Nor have I. Again, Zoom conferences aren’t my first choice, but I’ve continued to be part of them in order to find new talent. And many very prestigious conferences have offered online versions for less than half the price. I’ve found numerous new clients over a simple Zoom appointment. I’ve done my best to stay abreast of changes and learning what the publisher are looking at now. And it has changed! But one thing never does: publishers want stellar writing from teachable authors who aren’t afraid to get themselves out there.

2020 has allowed most of us the opportunity to spend more time at the keyboard. If so, have you spent your time wisely? Are you writing more? Are you improving?

In less than a month, 2021 will replace what many see as the year of the century. What have you done to take advantage of and try to improve your lot in 2020? Stay the course, my friends. As my beloved mom used to say, “This, too, shall pass.”

Looking forward to a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year with hope just on the horizon for all of us. God bless you all, God bless your writing!

Linda S. Glaz is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency, and also the author of eight novels and two novellas, so she “gets” writers. She represents authors in both the Christian and secular communities. She speaks at numerous conferences and workshops around the country each year. Married with three grown children and four grands, she lives in a small town where everyone is family.

Categories
Book Proposals

We’re All Struggling

We’re all struggling in this craziness, but one thing is sure, we are writers! We push on and don’t allow circumstances to prevent our stories coming to life.

Each day the news is different, and depending on who we listen to, either good or bad. Print sales are up, print sales are down. Ebooks are soaring, Ebooks have tanked. Self-publishing is the only way to go in this climate. Self-publishing will only drain you financially and emotionally. And it’s all Corona’s fault.

It only takes two minutes to open social media or a literary report to give us goosebumps from head to toe. And … cause us to question our chosen vocation. It’s tough to work on a project for a year or more, only to learn at the end of it that we might not be able to sell it.

This latest setback, the novel virus—we all know that has nothing to do with our kind of novel, has contributed to some interesting fluctuations in the market. So much so, that the very weak of heart have given up. But let me explain something. Those who aren’t in this crazy writers’ life for the long haul will use any excuse to give up. ANY excuse. Did you hear that?

They don’t like my work. I got three rejections in one day! I have to make a living (yes, a very valid reason, but if you can squeeze in just twenty minutes a day to write while keeping your day job…). It’s a LOT harder than I thought it would be.

If this crazy lock down did one thing, it’s this: it actually gave a lot of folks more time to write instead of less. And if not, then you’re no worse off than you were before. But write you must! Yes, there I said it. IF you are truly a writer, you have to write as surely as you have to breathe, and nothing … did you read that … nothing will stop you.

Artsy vocations aren’t like going to the bank from nine to five and pulling in a steady paycheck. Artsy vocations: theatre, sculpting, writing, painting, photography, etc., are not five days a week careers. They are 24/7/365 vocations that come from the heart. While you can learn to do all of these things, for true diehards, there is an uncontrollable itch inside that births the desire to create.

Few people wake up one day as a child and just know they must grow up to be a banker. But many children feel that tug to act, paint, or write. They set up stages in the family garage and act out Grease over and over until they are prolific with the songs and dialogue for each and every character. Others start writing stories as soon as they can string words together. And still others might paint/draw incredible concepts early on. This, my friends, comes from the heart. Not from classes, not from books, but from the heart. And THOSE individuals must pursue their art form, as I said, as surely as taking one breath after another.

Okay, nice philosophy, but do I really believe that? Should you really believe that?

Absolutely! If I quit writing altogether, a part of me would shrink (just like muscle atrophy when we stop moving), and I’d wither like a flower on a vine. I need—you need to be creative. We were made that way. As writers, we can’t look around us without seeing stories unfolding. We can’t sit at a keyboard and play games when there are voices in our heads begging to be released so they can tell their stories.

Do NOT allow these crazy, troubling times to become an excuse to sit back and give up. Only you can successfully tell the story or bring to life the information that has been woven into your heart. Don’t give up. Your story or article or memoir might be the very thing that helps another life grow into what he or she is meant to be. You never know who your writing will touch or why. In this lifetime, all you can do is write and assume you are helping to make a difference.

Press on and create. Let nothing … nothing … stop you.

Linda S. Glaz is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency, and also the author of eight novels and two novellas, so she “gets” writers. She represents authors in both the Christian and secular communities. She speaks at numerous conferences and workshops around the country each year. Married with three grown children and four grands, she lives in a small town where everyone is family.

Categories
Embrace the Wait

Survival Tips for the Waiting Part of Writing: Tip #15 – Avoid the Tap Out, and Help Others Avoid it Too

One of my family’s favorite series to binge watch is the survival show Alone. From the comfort of our cushioned sofa spots, we love to watch as ten skillful individuals compete to survive—all alone—in the wilderness. Each participant is dropped into their own little corner of a remote island and equipped with nothing but basic survival gear. There they must battle the terrain, weather, wildlife, and hunger to create a habitat for themselves that can sustain them longer than any of their competitors. The contestant who remains the longest wins $500,000.

All the contestants have been carefully chosen from thousands of applicants. Each possesses the skill, health, and mental stability needed to succeed. But in every season, there are always a few of the ten who “tap out” within the first week. The others usually dwindle gradually until you’re left with the final few.

It’s easy to see, from about the fourth episode, which contestants don’t have the know-how to make it until the end. But the most surprising element of the show is that very rarely does the contestant with the highest level of skill win. In fact, the most skillful often tap out early. Why? Because while the other contestants are still struggling, the greatest survivalists have already built a masterful shelter, secured a food source, and solved the wildlife problem. Then, with all other distractions gone, they must deal with the real challenge—isolation.

While munching popcorn in our PJs, I admit my family and I have been known to roll our eyes and make fun of those muscle-bound pansies who tap out and throw away a half-a-mil just because they couldn’t bear to go to bed another night without kissing their wife. Why must they get into their own heads that way? My husband and I think that it’s because when all the work is done, and they are left without a purpose, the boredom drives them to loneliness. Yes, I know it’s easy to throw stones when you don’t have to sleep on one. But to have the prize in the bag and quit just because you’re lonely seems crazy!

Well, it did seem crazy until … quarantine.

We were created for fellowship. Just like our bodies need food for nourishment, our souls require the support and encouragement of others to keep us going. Last month I talked about ways to stay connected even while apart. That’s important. But it is just as important for us to use this opportunity to build up, encourage, affirm, and support people around us.

As writers we have the unique ability and responsibility to make our words count for something good. Instead of wielding our well-crafted words to cause further division, we can choose to give people a reason to hope. This applies to fellow writers and people in general. Let’s be the reason people choose to keep on reaching for the goal. Armed with that driving purpose, we will be less likely to tap out of our own writing journey and continue toward the prize set before us.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2 Timothy 1:7, Proverbs 18:4, Proverbs 12:18

Fun Fact or Helpful Resource: For several years I have enjoyed the inspirational devotionals emailed to me through the Joni and Friends ministry. If anyone has the experience and credentials to speak to challenges involved with isolation it would be Joni. If you need a pick-me-up geared to encourage you to push past your obstacles toward the finish line check out her daily devotional.

Annette Marie Griffin is a award-winning writer who speaks at local women’s group meetings and women’s retreats on the topic of biblical womanhood and finding our identity in Christ. She is the Operations and Events Coordinator at a private school for special needs students and is the editor of their quarterly newsletter. She has written custom curriculum for women’s retreats and children’s church curriculum for Gateway Church in San Antonio, Texas where she served as Children’s Ministry Director and Family Program Director for over twenty years. She and her husband John have five amazing children and two adorable grands. She’s a member of Word Weavers International, ACFW, SCBWI, and serves on the Board of Directors for The Creative Writing Institute.

Categories
Create. Motivate. Inspire.

Writing His Answer

I was immersed in online research for a work-in-progress when my computer froze and a warning banner flashed across the screen. I tapped on the keys, hoping for a quick fix. No such luck.

The escape key was my next option. Nothing. I was ready to ctrl-alt-del when the warning banner changed colors and a shrill alarm filled the room. Um…not good.

Right before my eyes, I was under attack. Irritated, I shut down my computer and waited for rescue by my super-tech husband. I was confident he would hit a few keys and life would return to normal. How bad could it be?

For hours my husband and I worked on that virus. Oh, there were promises of answers. Hundreds of “voices” offered solutions and quick fixes—for a price. But we had no way of knowing what or whom to trust.

I felt frustrated. Anxious. Vulnerable. I needed an answer—it seemed that my life was on that computer. And I was mad—at the virus, and at the attackers.

Around midnight, after five straight hours of intense effort, my husband placed the computer on my lap and gave me a tired smile. “It’s going to be okay.”

Relief poured over me—and gratitude. An answer! There was an answer!

In our Christ-walk, God wants us to pause, look around, and see a world searching for answers. Really see the men, women and children who are overwhelmed, frustrated, and anxious. People who search for a solution to their emptiness in a culture of chaos. Those under attack by myriad “voices”—confused about whom to trust.

They are souls waiting for rescue.

In Galatians, Paul encourages the believers to “do good to all people” and to “not become weary.” He knew that as Christians in a secular culture we would get tired and be tempted to quit—especially when we didn’t see quick results from our efforts.

But there are those who long for the sweet relief of discovering The Answer. Those who crave truth and purity and liberation from their bondage to this world.

They need someone to say, “It’s going to be okay.”

God’s word promises us a harvest—if we don’t give up. So stand strong.

Keep writing His answer.

Don’t quit!

[bctt tweet=”Keep writing His answer. Don’t quit! @A3forMe @LThomasWrites #amwriting #write” via=”no”]

[bctt tweet=”There are those who long for the sweet relief of discovering The Answer. @A3forMe @LThomasWrites #Write #Amwriting” username=””]

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

How do you keep discouragement at bay in your writing life?