Tag: holidays

Categories
Kids Lit

Beyond Halloween, Christmas, Easter!

Kids Lit

Flip through the 2021 calendar and remember especially happy times. Big annual events were special, but your best memories may the “less stressful but loaded with fun” celebrations. Libraries and bookstores are hungry for picture books and board books beyond the Big Three to fill demand year-round. And back list titles take on new life every year! How can you fill this need?

Lesser-known holidays

Imagine or visit the local party store. What decorations festoon the aisles? President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, May Day, Mother, Father and Grandparent’s days, Arbor Day, Thanksgiving. (Try mixing two – Valentine Turkeys, Thanksgiving dinner with the Presidents. Anytime a dragon or dinosaur shows up for a holiday, fun will ensue!)

Own voices holidays

If your personal traditions include Hanukkah, Juneteenth, Diwali or Cinco de Mayo, all children need these stories.

Birthdays and anniversaries

Celebrations are annual so the possibilities are always there. Kid birthdays are ready made opportunities for gift giving. How do flamingos celebrate? What’s the right gift for a grandma?  Who was the very first person to celebrate a birthday? (States have birthdays, too, as do countries, presidents and explorers. Great opportunity to piggyback on curriculum.)

“There’s a day for that?” celebrations

Foods have days: Jan 19 is popcorn, April 12 is grilled cheese, October 4 is tacos! Animals: Feb 27 Internal Polar Bear Day, June 4 Hug Your Cat Day, Dec 2 National Mutt Day. Activities, inventors, and saints all have days! None of these alone may be big enough for a book but a “Eat your way through the year” or “Which day is better Mutts or Cats?” (To find these lists put in your interest and add “holiday,” “celebration,” or “awareness day.”)

BONUS: all these celebrations lead naturally to back matter of recipes, crafts, family activities, and origin stories.

Here’s to a year of happy holidays!

Award winning author Robin Currie led children’s departments of Midwestern public libraries before being called midlife to ordained ministry. She has a special love for children’s literacy and Bible storytelling. Robin annually volunteers teaching English in developing countries. She and her husband actively grandparent 5 wonderful kids.

Robin has published seven library resource collections of creative ideas for library story times, and more than 20 Bible story books for children.

National Dinosaur Day is June 1! How to Dress a Dinosaur, illustrated by Alicia Pace and published by familius in March 2022.

Categories
Devotions for Writers

The Holiday Backseat Driver

“At your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God.” Numbers 10:10 (NIV)

Holiday festivals and feasts are not a new tradition. No, the Lord established special times in the lives of the Israelites so they would commemorate His faithfulness. Gifts were even given when Purim was established in Esther 9:18-22. But holiday customs have escalated in our time, leaving us little margin to escape the tyranny of the urgent.

Does writing take a backseat during your holidays? If Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day becomes an excuse to put off the written word, do the remaining months of the year make up for word output? What about Fourth of July, Easter and Valentine’s? Don’t forget Veteran’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Mother’s/Father’s Days. Of course, Memorial Day and Labor Day actually involve entire weekends, and Daylight Savings Time affects our ability to focus for the following week. What’s a writer to do?

Exercise:

  1. Let the season you’re in provide fodder for the next. Journal about the Christmas tree lights. Reflect about the gathering around your Thanksgiving table. Write down what you see at the first snowfall. Your words will evoke emotions to add to later articles.
  2. Look ahead three to six months on your calendar. What holidays can you pitch to a publication? Research magazines in your Christian Writers Market Guide. Make an outline according to their guidelines. Fill in the words, edit, polish and send.
  3. Create an ebook to send to your mailing list or upload to your website. Topics to brainstorm: favorite holiday recipes or a humorous piece about your burnt offerings, wrapping tips and gift-buying clues, hacks for less time in the kitchen, ideas for family fun in the kitchen, and 5,10 or 30 days of devotionals.

Give yourself grace in a time of holiday bustle. Take a sleigh ride. Put on the tea kettle and savor the season. It will put you in a reflective mood and balance out your heart rate. Let your holiday writing be a gift to the One who was our gift in Bethlehem. No more pushing your muse to the back seat!

Where is your favorite writing nook during Christmastime?

You’ll find me under the tree!

Sally Ferguson

Over 140 of Sally Ferguson’s devotionals have been published in Pathways to God (Warner Press). She’s also written for Light From The Word, Chautauqua Mirror, Just Between Us, Adult Span Curriculum, Thriving Family, Upgrade with Dawn and ezinearticles.com. Prose Contest Winner at 2017 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference.

Sally loves organizing retreats and seeing relationships blossom in time away from the daily routine. Her ebook, How to Plan a Women’s Retreat is available on Amazon. Sally Ferguson lives in the beautiful countryside of Jamestown, NY with her husband and her dad. Visit Sally’s blog at www.sallyferguson.net

Categories
Book Proposals

Thrive in the Quiet Holidays

For over nine years, I’ve been an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, a New York publisher. The two other publishers where I acquired books did not have publication board meetings in November or December. No meetings meant few books were contracted during the holidays. In fairness to my editorial colleagues at publishing houses, they are involved in special activities during the holiday season. For example, one publisher where I worked sent Christmas cards with signatures and well-wishes from the editors. We had numerous authors and I recall spending an entire day signing these cards for the various authors.

For several years, I ran my own literary agency. Just like clockwork, I experienced these slow or no responses every November and December. It is like much of book publishing comes to a screeching halt during these months. In a long-term pattern, Morgan James closes the last two weeks of every year and opens the Monday after New Year’s Day.

If you want to get published, what actions related to your publishing dreams do you take during the holidays? Do you put everything on pause for two months? Yes, you can certainly take a break but I want to encourage you to continue to move forward.

When comedian Joan Rivers died years ago, in a television interview Rivers revealed one of her scariest prospects: an empty calendar. If you want to write and sell books in 2022 and beyond, I encourage you to take control of your calendar during this lull in publishing.

Here are six ideas to fill your schedule:

  1. Purchase a book on proposal creation such as Book Proposals That Sell then study it. Every author needs a book proposal or business plan for their book—even if you are self-publishing and whether you are writing fiction or children’s books or nonfiction. A complete book proposal is often a 30-to-50-page document which involves a lot of effort and work. I encourage you to get my free book proposal checklist at: Book Proposals That Sell.
  2. Take an online course such as Write A Book Proposal and create better proposals.
  3. Attend a free teleseminar answering author questions about proposal creation at Ask About Proposals.
  4. Plan to write some shorter magazine articles in your area of expertise. The publishing experience will help you catch the attention of an editor or agent. A magazine article can reach more people than a book and can help you promote your book when it is published.
  5. Decide to attend a writer’s conference in the Spring of 2022. Begin now to target meetings with faculty members (editors and agents).
  6. Set aside specific time each day to write new proposals and query letters. To write a complete book proposal isn’t done overnight. It takes consistent effort.

            If you aren’t selling your book ideas, then you need to take action to approach more people and knock on more doors. Create your action plans during these quiet months and your next year will be positioned for success.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. The revised and updated edition released in October. You can get a free book proposal checklist. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Categories
History in the Making

The Tale of Two Celebrations

History in the making

Smell the churros? That cinnamon doughnutty aroma that draws you to the vendor’s stand? Or maybe your eyes are drawn to the rainbow-hued streamers dangling from tree limbs or encircling porch posts like an old barber shop pole. The sound of the mariachi band, shaking and strumming a catchy beat, drums in your ears while dancers twirl and swirl in colorful skirts.

Such a festive day.

But nothing like the first Cinco de Mayo.

May 5, 1862 was not marked by spirit-lifting dance moves or enticing aromas of tacos and burritos. Instead, it was defined by a battle. The colors were not expressing gaiety, but identity. France’s navy blue, white and red flag proudly preceded a regiment of French soldiers as they charged up the hill to the City of Puebla. Mexico’s red, white and green flag few high, declaring the loyalty of the Mexican soldiers who bravely met the enemy.

The battle raged, a flurry of fighting men carrying rifles and sabers, some on foot, some astride horses. Frenchmen’s dark navy and red uniforms tangled with Mexican’s pale blue ones as they clashed outside the fort’s walls. Soon, the blood of soldiers and horses seeped into the land. Moans of pain and screams of the dying tormented the ears of those who persevered, until finally… France surrendered.

Did cheers erupt from the conquerors? Probably. But how many minutes ticked by before the excitement of victory gave way to weeping and wailing as news of the injured and dead circulated? Did surviving Mexican soldiers dig 83 graves or just one to receive their dead?

Could they taste the post-battle meal?

This was the first Cinco de Mayo celebration.

In modern-day Puebla, its citizens memorialize the day with parades, festivals, re-enactments of the battle between Mexican and French soldiers, and local cuisine.

However, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo is less about memorializing the victorious battle and more about celebrating the Mexican-American culture and heritage. As early as 1863, celebrations popped up in the State of California. By the 1980s, over a century later, Cinco de Mayo flourished across the United States, its popularity fueled by marketing ploys of beer and wine companies. The jubilant atmosphere and extensive menu of Mexican dishes still lure many folks to gather for a May party.

For writers, a Cinco de Mayo scene can add sparkle to a story. With the winter holidays over and summer fun yet to come, this mid-year festival paves the way for a social gathering. Whether family or friends, a big event, a small gathering, or a restaurant’s promotional event to increase patronage, things happen when people come together. A door opens to romance, tension builds in a relationship, or just plain old fun is the name of the game for the day.

The 5th of May gala has the potential of igniting a change of mood; shifting setting; deepening plots; and/or revealing personality or growth in characters. Such a scene might even add a boost to the “sagging middle” of a story.

Jeannine Brummett lives in South Carolina with her husband of nineteen years, Don, who shares his three adult sons and three grandchildren with her. Reading is big on her list of things to do, but she also thrives on TV crime dramas, NBA basketball, and marvels at the critters and fowl life that live at the pond behind their house. She loves to sing praise songs, attend Bible Study, and help at a local food pantry.

Categories
Book Proposals

When You Hear Little (or Nothing) from Submissions

We live in a “hurry up” culture. If someone doesn’t answer their email or text you back right away, you figure something went wrong. From my years in the book business, I understand traditional publishing always moves to a slower pace. No matter what time of year you submit your proposal, it can take weeks and months to receive any response.

This year has been unusual with a world-wide pandemic. Editors and agents have moved out of their offices and are working from home. Depending on whether they have school age children at home, their work environment has grown even more complicated and makes getting a decision or any communication even slower than in the past.

I almost hate to tell you this pattern within publishing but need to prepare you for the final months of the year. During November and December, the response time changes to mostly silence or hearing crickets.

What significant actions can you take when your proposal submissions receive no response?

1. Discover new places to send your proposal Leading up to and during the holidays, some editors and literary agents turn to the unsolicited submissions and process them. The market is always changing. Find these places at your local bookstore or use a market guide from your library. Send your well-crafted proposal to different publishers and literary agents. Make sure in your cover letter or toward the first page of your proposal, you inform them it is a simultaneous submission. It is acceptable to submit to multiple places at the same time but if you use this approach, it is expected you will explicitly tell the agent or editor within the submission.

2. Review then rewrite your book proposal and sample chapter. If it has been some time since you’ve reviewed your work, fresh eyes can give you new insights and improvements.

3. Read in your subject area or a how-to book and take action to increase your connection to your audience. Get my free Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. Use several ideas to increase your audience.

4. Plan to attend a spring writers’ conference. Begin to study the editors and agents attending to prepare your pitch. Read their online guidelines and look at their recent publications to assure your book fits their editorial needs.

5. Purchase a resource like Book Proposals That Sell (http://BookProposalsThatSell.com) or take an online course like Write A Book Proposal then apply the new insights to your submission. When you learn more about how editors and agents operate and their needs, your submission will be more desirable.

If you make productive use of these quiet months, you can propel your publishing dreams to new levels of success in the months ahead.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200.. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. He answers to your proposal questions at: www.AskAboutProposals.com. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Categories
History in the Making

A Parade of Events

History in the making

Thanksgiving morning! Heroine’s day begins in the kitchen helping Mother stuff Tom Turkey. Task done, they lug the heavy roaster to the oven then hurry to the living room where the family has gathered. Hero has just arrived. Father turns on the television set and tunes into the Thanksgiving Day parade.

At this point, a writer of historical fiction who wishes to accurately portray the era, might ask this question:

Did the Thanksgiving Day parade exist during the time period of this story, and if so, had it been broadcast on television?

If the story is set in 1959, this family would probably be eagerly waiting for the first national television broadcast of the Thanksgiving Day parade. Every year thereafter, with the exception of a few years during World War 2, the parade provided television entertainment on Thanksgiving morning.

Before television, as early as 1931, radio aired the event. So the family gathering described above could be tweaked so that the family huddles around the radio.

The first Thanksgiving Day parades marched down the streets of Detroit and Philadelphia in 1921. It wasn’t until 1924 that New York City’s Macy’s Parade trekked to Herald Square. Absent television and radio, enjoying these spectacular events would have been limited to curbside seating.

Participants included the stores’ employees, marching bands, floats and balloons. Macy’s used live animals from the Central Park Zoo until 1928, at which time balloons replaced zoo critters. The arrival of Santa Claus at the end of the parade kicked off the Christmas buying season, a marketing strategy designed by the local department stores who sponsored the parades.

If our Hero, Heroine and family live in, or near, one of these three cities, they may have bundled up against a brisk morning and traveled to the parade site. Aha! Perhaps Heroine is a department store employee planning to walk the parade route. Hero might be a clown. Oh my, picture Father playing Santa Claus.

But what if the time period or setting precludes a parade? What might Thanksgiving Day look like?

Football!

In 1867, the first collegiate Thanksgiving Day game played in Philadelphia. Thereafter, the holiday game grew in popularity at both college and high school levels.

Professional football offered a Thanksgiving Day game as early as the 1890’s. The National Football League’s first Turkey Day game played on November 25, 1920, and the first televised football game was in 1953.

So, following the parade, Hero, Heroine and family may have watched football on television or found a local game to attend.

Traveling even further back in time, prior to the days of parades and football, a family’s Thanksgiving celebration would likely have been limited to a special meal. If a writer were inclined, researching the local traditions of the time period and setting might glean some story-enhancing tidbits. However, in the absence of such information, the tradition of feasting with family and friends would be a safe choice that would maintain the integrity of the story.

Thanksgiving Evening! The parade is over; Hero, Heroine and the family have devoured the turkey; and the final touchdown has scored.

Time for another piece of pie!

Jeannine Brummett lives in South Carolina with her husband of nineteen years, Don, who shares his three adult sons and three grandchildren with her. Reading is big on her list of things to do, but she also thrives on TV crime dramas, NBA basketball, and marvels at the critters and fowl life that live at the pond behind their house. She loves to sing praise songs, attend Bible Study, and help at a local food pantry.

Categories
Writers Chat

Writers Chat Recap for December Part 2

Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Bethany Jett, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!

“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”

Writers’ Favorite Christmas Memories & Gifts

In this open mic episode of Writers Chat, we share writerly Christmas memories, gifts received, and great gift ideas for writers. Some received beautiful and/or thoughtful pens, a spinning wheel, selfie stick/tripod. Fun memories were shared, like a cat bringing a live mouse into a women’s Christmas dinner, where a friend calmed the ladies by saying, “This was a drop in dinner”. This episode is full of great gift ideas, wonderful memories, and a lot of laughter, and even a discussion on transitive and intransitive verbs. This episode was a wonderful way to end Writers Chat for 2019.

Watch the December 17th replay.

JOIN US!

Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. Here’s the permanent Zoom room link. 

Participants mute their audio and video during the filming then we open up the room for anyone who wishes to participate with our guests. The “After Party” is fifteen-minutes of off-the-record sharing and conversation.

Additionally, you can grow your network and add to the conversation by joining our Writers Chat Facebook Group.

Categories
Mastering Middle Grade

The Six Reads of Middle Grade Christmas

One of the things I love most about writing for young readers is reading books written for middle grade readers. Christmas is a perfect time to reflect on treasured stories.  Here are six of my favorites (in no particular order). Give them a look and maybe you’ll find one you haven’t read.

1) A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens 

This classic tale of a man who learns giving is more important than receiving is a must-read.

2) How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss

This story is a lovely reminder that joy isn’t found in material things, but in the love we share.

3) The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson

The Herdman children’s hilarious and moving awakening to the beauty of the Christmas story is one that stands the test of time.

4) The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry

A beautiful tale of sacrificial love that is a perfect complement to the Christmas season.

5) The Third Gift, by Linda Sue Park and Bagram Ibatoulline

A uniquely striking tale of the birth of Christ told from the perspective of a myrrh merchant.

6) Saint Nicholas – The Real Story of the Christmas Legend, by Julie Stiegemeyer and Chris Ellison

The most historically accurate (and gorgeously illustrated) telling of the man whose faith in God inspired him to a life of generous work.

What are some of your favorite Christmas books for young readers? Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas season and a healthy, productive 2020.

Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.

Categories
Embrace the Wait

Survival Tips for the Waiting Part of Writing Tip #10 – Keep your creative juices flowing

During this busy season it can be difficult to find time for creativity. The left side of our brains are on overdrive—making lists and checking them twice, decking the halls, roasting chestnuts, and ensuring a holly jolly Christmas for every boy and girl, way into the silent night. Here are some fun ideas to keep the right side of your brain jingling all the way, during the most wonderful time of the year.

  1. If you’re scheduled to attend a particularly boring or stressful holiday event, party, or gathering (come on, admit it, no one is immune) spice up the drudgery by mentally hijacking the event and making it your own creative playground. Designate yourself the secret narrator of the meeting. First, choose a genre. If you want to really exercise your storytelling muscles, choose one that is outside your comfort zone. Then, from the time you enter the venue, mentally compose a literary masterpiece based on your observations. (Note: don’t verbally act as narrator. People will think you’re nuts!) As you meet new people, plot them into your story. As narrator you have the power to transform the mundane into mystery, chaos into comedic, and an obligatory gathering into an opportunity for creative genius.
  2. This is the season of giving, so we might as well give creatively. Some of the best gifts I’ve ever received are ones that didn’t cost much monetarily but were worth their weight in gold when measured in thoughtfulness. For those most important people in your life, why not give them the best of your God given talents. Use your way with words to create a personalized scavenger hunt with clever clues that lead to a gift. Write a poem and use a program like Canva to set it attractively, then frame the treasured keepsake for your loved-one to enjoy. Compose a song, hire someone to set it to music, and record it for family or friends. The gifts that are cherished the most are ones that are given from the deepest part of us.
  3. Use your literary skills to spin a yarn about the origin of an obscure holiday tradition. My first writing award was presented to me in the seventh grade. The challenge was to write a creative story, 500 words or less, that explained how zebras got their stripes. A zany tale that featured the Keebler Elves won me second place, and I’ve been hooked on writing ever since. This is a great time to prepare publishable pieces for next Christmas, so don’t hold back. Let your creative juices flow.
  4. I’ve saved the best for last. During this holiday season press in to the One who gave you your creative gifts. From a very young age I’ve felt the gentle and gracious pull of the Father calling me to worship. I was eight years old, sitting on the shag carpet in front of our console television watching a Christmas special. A carol I’d heard many times before came to life for me during that program. As the choir sang, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” I dropped my face to the floor and began to weep. My mother was alarmed and tried to comfort me. But I had no words to explain to her what was happening. God was drawing me to Him—to adore him. And I had to. He deserved my adoration, my worship, my whole heart. When I consider how often I’ve failed Him and others since that sacred moment, and that He, already knowing every future fault, still called me to that privilege and honor of His presence, I’m humbled and long for the heart of that eight-year-old worshiper again. When we abide in Him and He in us—there’s no stopping Him from creating in and through us the fruit that will last.  

Scripture: John 15:4

Fun Fact: One of the easiest ways to get back into the creative flow is by using writing prompts. According to Writer’s Digest writing prompts, “force us to take a premise and find creative avenues to turn it into a story. They allow you to break out of funk you’ve been trapped in and enter an entirely different arena—likely one that you hadn’t considered before.” I’ve used them before, and it works! Here’s a link to some that might help:

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
Book Proposals

Use the Holidays to Beat the Catch-22 of Publishing

      From my experience in publishing, editors and agents are often slow to respond to submissions. This time lag grows even worse during the final months of the year because often these professionals are focused on outside activities like sending holiday greetings and special events.

     Yet time is marching on during the holidays. How can you make the best use of this slow publishing season when you feel like your correspondence goes into a black hole? Take this time to be writing and refining your book proposal. Use my book proposal checklist to make sure you are creating what is expected and needed.

     Also use this holiday season to increase your publishing credits and credibility with the editors and agents. As a New York acquisitions editor, I’ve read thousands of submissions. One of the key elements publishing professionals will notice is your publishing experience. But maybe you’ve never published anything or only self-published and your credits are limited. If you are in this situation, it is like when you get your first job. How do you create a job resume when you don’t have any experience? You are stuck and unsure how to do it—which I call a catch-22 type of situation. It’s the same in publishing but you can get around this catch-22 if you publish in magazines. If you have published other books and in magazines, your proposal gains a more careful reading and consideration.

          The best place to gain publishing experience is in print magazines. Magazines are shorter than books and quicker to accomplish than books. Yet in print magazines you learn how to write for a target audience, for a specific deadline and word count—all valuable skills for your book writing. First select some target publications. Use a Writer’s Market Guide (even from your library). Which publications do you read? Study them and see how much freelance material they are using? Craft a query letter or if they allow it, the full article, then submit this material. Then you will be published and your proposals will gain much more attention.

Use the holidays to improve your publishing potential.

W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. Get his free Book Proposal Checklist at: http://terrylinks.com/bookcheck Terry is the author of Book Proposals That Sell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success  and he has written over 60 books and for more than 50 magazines. He has over 200,000 followers on twitter. http://twitter.com/terrywhalin

Categories
Devotional/Christian Living

How to Write Christmas Devotionals All Year Long

I don’t normally get into the Christmas spirit until after Thanksgiving, but as a Christian Living or Devotional author, if you want to publish a book or article with a Christmas theme, you need to write about it long before December 25.

When Victoria Duerstock began writing her Christmas devotional book, Heart & Home for Christmas: Celebrating Joy in Your Living Space, it was the fall so she brought out the Christmas music, peppermint, and hot chocolate a little early that year. Writing through Christmas time was inspiring, but it was harder to stay in the Christmas spirit during the post-Christmas-time editing and rewriting.

Author and blogger Jean Wise from Healthy Spirituality got the ideas for her Christmas devotional, Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room, during the Advent season. Then when Advent was finished, the writing work began.

“I know having first collected my thoughts during the season did help,” said Jean Wise. After Christmas, she continued to listen to Christmas music and lit an evergreen scented candle to help her stay in the Advent mindset. 

Kristin Dobrowolski, author and illustrator of Jesus’ Unexpected Family Tree: Anticipating Jesus’ Birthday, had a different take on writing about Christmas. After looking for a simpler version of the Jesse Tree countdown to Christmas, she couldn’t find what she was looking for so she decided to create something herself. A year later she tested her ideas on her own family. Then she and her co-author tweaked and rewrote and designed a test version which she sent to 100 people so they could test it and try it. From that feedback, they redesigned and edited and then released the official book on Amazon last Christmas.

When I asked her how she stayed in a Christmas mood constantly for many years, she said something surprising:

“When you spend years thinking about something, it changes your perspective. It wasn’t about Christmas after a while, it was about the timeline of God’s story and all the people pointing to the arrival of His Son. Those stories of Jesus’ family are something we hear all throughout the year, so thinking about Him was natural. And Christmas is really just the birthday party.”

Blogger Jennifer Love capitalizes on the focus of Jesus’ birthday party by working on her Christmas themed posts between October and December each year. Having these fresh articles ready on her blog, Intentional Traditions, brings a lot of readers at the exact right time they are preparing for Christmas for their own homes.

Keeping Christmas themed devotional writing fresh can be a challenge. When I was preparing to write a short Christmas devotional, I wanted to look at a part of the Bible that is not talked about often. I wanted to challenge Christians to Read the Hard Parts of Scripture since that is the focus of my writing and speaking ministry. Through prayer and Bible study, I discovered that the Bible book of Malachi has a lot of themes that applied to Christmas time. At the end of November, I set aside a large chunk of time to write The Finishing Touches: Preparing for Christmas with the Book of Malachi.  I shared it with my email list during Advent, then published it as a Kindle book after Christmas so it was ready to share with readers the following Christmas.

Have you written any Christmas themed devotionals or Christian Living books or articles? How did you keep in the Christmas spirit while you were writing? Comment below!

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Categories
Copywrite/Advertising

Add Some Holiday Sparkle to Your Copywriting

Everything feels magical at the holidays. More smiles. More laughter. More glitter.

Here are some ways to sprinkle holiday sparkle into your copywriting.

Know your client’s holidays. Sometimes you are so caught up in your own holidays you forget not everyone celebrates the same way that you do. Know what your client believes so you don’t end up putting Merry Christmas on a Jewish person’s business Facebook page or signing off an email for a Muslim business owner by mentioning the Savior’s birth. Not good! Even if the business owner celebrates a particular holiday, they may not want you to mention it in your copywriting because of the beliefs of her client base. To be safe, ask your client if they want the holidays mentioned outright in your copywriting or social media posting.

Know your client’s location. No one in Florida is dreaming of a white Christmas. That is why they moved to Florida—to escape the cold slushy mess from the north! If you do have the go ahead to mention the holidays, do so in a weather-appropriate way. If you are writing for New Mexico, don’t paint the picture of a winter wonderland. This tip applies all year long. If you are writing for a company that concentrates on local business, know the local weather and a bit of the local culture so you can write with that particular audience in mind.

Know the feelings of the season. Even if you cannot mention the holidays by name, there are a lot of feelings that are amplified during the holidays that can be mentioned to connect with potential customers. Family time, togetherness, and time to reflect on what’s really important are some common themes. And don’t forget the New Year. This is the time when people are setting goals for themselves and feeling empowered to make them happen. How can your client’s service or product improve the customer’s life? This is really something we should be doing all year long, but people are more willing to hear it when New Year’s Day comes.

Let us know in the comments. How do you add holiday sparkle to your copywriting? Are there any types of businesses you’ve had a hard time when it comes to mentioning or not mentioning the holidays?

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife, mom of four, and a copywriter. She also helps Christians find the simple truths in the complex parts of the Bible at readthehardparts.com. Her other writings and publishing credits can be found on rachelschmoyerwrites.com.

Categories
Child's Craft

Christmas Grief

Christmas is usually crammed full of jingle bells and jolly times. But not always, and not for everyone.

Just as Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year it can also be the most miserable time of the year.

As a child my Christmases were filled with anticipation and joy and iced cookies with lots of sprinkles. My parents loved hiding gifts and surprising my sisters and I with unexpected delights.

But when I grew up life didn’t center around Christmas surprises and goodies anymore. Life was hard at times—even at Christmas.

My husband suffered from depression. At times it was debilitating for him. And those times almost always included Christmas. His PTSD from serving in Vietnam made matters worse. December seemed to be the lowest time of the year for him.

Don’t get me wrong. Both my husband and I loved Christmas. He wasn’t usually a fan of shopping, but for Christmas he pulled out all the cash he could and bought all the gifts he could for those he loved. He was a very generous man. I’m thankful for many happy memories of him pulling off surprises and finding unique ways to gift every member of the family with cash.

But beyond the gift giving he struggled to have the “joy” that Christmas is supposed to bring. That meant our children and I faced some unique challenges trying to keep the season merry and bright.

Late into our marriage my husband got professional help with his depression and that made celebrating Christmas a little easier for him (and us) for about ten years.

In the midst of that time a tragedy happened in our lives. Our son died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He was thirty years old.

That drew a dark curtain over the next few Christmases at our house. How could we celebrate? How could we enjoy jolly times without Stephen?

How We Dealt With It

It took time. Nobody wants to hear that answer. But it is true. It takes time to heal from a grief so deep you can hardly breathe.

It took determination. We had to make up our minds that we were going to find something in Christmas that we could enjoy.

It took avoidance. Yes, we deliberately avoided certain aspects of Christmas that our family had traditionally enjoyed. Stephen loved pecan pie. I had made one for him every Christmas since he was four or five years old. But not the Christmas after his death. Nor the next, nor the next. It was probably ten years before I could make another pecan pie and enjoy it.

Our Christmas tree was decorated with little kid-made ornaments from our children’s youth. But not the Christmas after Stephen’s death. I packed those ornaments away and didn’t pull them out again for many years. I bought shiny new ornaments and decorated our tree in a totally different fashion. It was the only way I could bear to look at it.

Other things changed, too. The hole in our hearts was so deep that we had to find different ways to celebrate or be sucked down into that black hole of grief.

It took prayer. Not the “bless this food” or “lay me down to sleep” kind of prayer. It took submitting my heart to God’s perfect will. It took throwing myself into the arms of Jesus and crying on His shoulder. It took whining and pouting and beating my fists on God’s chest. It took prayer that leads to surrender to the greater will of my loving Father. It took learning to trust that He always knows best.

It took permission. We were counseled wisely to give ourselves permission to be sad. To let the sadness play its role in our Christmas. Over the years I would sit down before Christmas and stroll through old photo albums remembering the vacations, birthdays, Christmases and graduations. I would spend that day crying and letting the sadness cover me like a quilt. But I knew that the next day I would get up from that position and move forward with the things families do to build new memories of Christmas and other important events.

Time, determination, avoidance, prayer, permission.

They helped us to find a new way to celebrate and a way to find new joy at Christmas.

In my grief I learned to see Christmas through God’s eyes a little, I think. Was it a joyous event for the Father? Or did He grieve because His Son was far away in a strange place surrounded by sinful people? Did He weep because He knew what His Son was going to endure in the years after that Silent Night?

Maybe God’s full and complete joy came not at the manger, but at the empty tomb.

That’s where I find my Christmas joy—at the hope of the empty tomb.

Jean Hall lives in Louisville, Kentucky. She is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary. Her premier picture book series Four Seasons was recently signed by Little Lamb Books. Jean is a member of the SCBWI, Word Weavers International, and the Kentucky Christian Writers. Visit Jean at www.jeanmatthewhall.com, on Facebook at Jean Matthew Hall, and on Twitter as @Jean_Hall.

Categories
Mastering Middle Grade

The Writer’s Gift of Intention

Somewhere between Christmas pageant rehearsal, decorating the tree, shopping, and making travel preparations, a still, small voice whispers. The conversation goes something like this:

My Conscience: What about your story? You remember, the one you were over-the-moon excited to write? The story with the characters you loved that you have not touched in a week?

Me: *sigh* I remember.

MC: When are you going to write? You are so close to finishing.

Me: *breaking out in a cold sweat* Not now, conscience. This is not the time.

MC: I know, I know. So…you will write it later, then?

Me: Yes, later. Absolutely. I will finish you later. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed right now.

MC: I get it. Thanks. I’ll look forward to later, then. If it is not too much to ask, I have one quick follow-up question.

Me: Sure.

MC: When, exactly, is later?

The holidays may be a little slow for publishers but for writers, especially those of us young in our journey, they can be a joyous but trying time. We want to use this time for planning, querying, networking, and (of course) writing – but there are about a gazillion competing activities (Christmas party, anyone?) and none of them want to leave room for the other.

So let’s give ourselves the gift of leaving room. Let’s give ourselves the grace we would give a friend. Along with that grace, let us honor the work we’ve already done by planning the work yet to come. The conversation with our conscience could look like this:

Me:  Let’s compromise. I’ll take a few minutes now and make a to-do list, jot down your ideas, and let’s let them soak for a bit. After family has gone home, and I get a little rest, we will get back on our regular writing schedule.

MC: Let the ideas ‘soak?’ Like a Christmas turkey brine type of soak, or a hot buttered dinner roll sort of soak?

Me: Take your pick. I’ll see you bright and early January 2.

As you can probably guess, I am eager to get back to my normal writing routine, but I’m also excited about the celebration and rejuvenation that the Christmas season brings. My goal is to use this time to live life well and fully, so I can bring my most creative self back to the keyboard in the new year.

My intention for 2019 is to give myself the gift of a schedule, with set times for quiet, writing, work and play. What does your new year writing intention look like?

Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Last-Minute Christmas Gifts for Writers

When checking to make sure you have gifts for everyone on your list, you may find that your author friends are the hardest to buy for. Here are a few suggestions to make the holidays merry for writers everywhere.

  1. A nice pen. I am not suggesting an expensive pen. Just something that writes well. Authors love pens and need them by their computers, by their beds, and to sign books. A writer can never have enough pens and the thrill of a new one never grows old.
  2. Time to write. If your writer friend or relative has children, offer to babysit or take the kids for ice cream so he or she can focus fully on his or her writing for an hour or two.
  3. Help him or her to tidy up the office. Although the office of a writer often looks like a cyclone came through, he or she probably knows exactly what is where. However, writers enjoy a tidy space and often find things cleaning up that that have been missing for months.
  4. Make a meal and take supper to the writer’s family. Here again, a gift of time to write.
  5. A briefcase. Like a new pen, a new briefcase is always welcome and makes a writer feel he or she is moving up in the world of publishing.
  6. A writer ornament for the tree or a piece of jewelry that identifies him or her as a writer.
  7. Help him or her attend a writers conference. This is the best way to help writers move ahead their careers. You could do this in several ways:
  • Provide funds for them to attend.
  • Offer your flyer miles to help with transportation.
  • Help care for children while they attend.
  • Buy a new briefcase for them to use at the conference.

One of the very best gifts you can give a writer is to help him or her feel validation. Brag to others about the writer’s accomplishments. Offer to suggest your book club read his or her book. Share news of published articles online. So many people think because writers work at home that their work is more of a hobby than a career. So any praise or recognition you can offer is always welcome. Everyone needs a little support now and then and applause makes a great Christmas gift!

Linda Gilden is an award-winning writer, speaker, editor, certified writing and speaking coach, and personality consultant. Her passion is helping others discover the joy of writing. Linda recently released Articles, Articles, Articles! and is the author of over a thousand magazine articles and 17 books including the new LINKED Quick Guides for Personalities. As Director of

Categories
Child's Craft

What IS a Christmas Story?

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Yay! It really is my favorite holiday. It’s all about gratitude, family, friends, food and for some people, football.

Some 20 years ago it meant that Christmas was lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

But that trend long ago melted away to Christmas making itself known more like the day after Halloween! Marketing.

I’ve been wracking my creative brain for several years for a great Christmas picture book idea. And every November I read every Christmas picture book I can get my hands on. I love them – well, most of them.

Lately my brain has been wrestling with the question of what really makes a story a Christmas story.

If I look at the shelves in B & N, Hallmark, Wal-mart, Target etc. I would conclude that any book that mentions a Christmas tree, snow, gifts, stars, angels, Santa, toys, polar bears, teddy bears, snowmen  . . . is classified for marketing purposes as a Christmas book.

In the adult book world it seems everyone writes a romance story that is set at Christmas time and gets it on the “Christmas book” list. Again, marketing.

But my question goes a little deeper. What ingredients go into a real Christmas story?

  • Definitely the retellings of Christ’s birth qualify as Christmas stories.
  • Stories centered around a Christmas tree, ornaments, gifts qualify.
  • Surely stories about Christmas family traditions and celebrations fall under “Christmas.”
  • How about stories around the theme of selfless acts and giving in December?
  • What about stories centered around angelic visitations or miracles that happen during the Christmas season?
  • I think of stories about Santa Claus, elves and reindeer. Are these important elements in creating a Christmas story?
  • And, of course, there are hundreds of stories about snow people.

Should Christmas stories be about selfless giving? About love? About joy? These are all part of what we call “the Christmas spirit,” aren’t they?

I think what I’m really wondering is does simply setting a story (for children or adults) during the Christmas season really make it a Christmas story?

Or should it have more than that? Should it reflect a deeper truth that is often associated with the Christmas season—even if it’s about snow people or reindeer?

What do YOU think?

Jean Hall lives in Louisville, Kentucky. She is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary. Her premier picture book series Four Seasons was recently signed by Little Lamb Books. Jean is a member of the SCBWI, Word Weavers International, and the Kentucky Christian Writers. Visit Jean at www.jeanmatthewhall.com, on Facebook at Jean Matthew Hall, and on Twitter as @Jean_Hall.