Tag: success

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The Intentional Writer

How to Turn Writing Dreams into Writing Goals

The intentional writer

As the year draws to a close, it’s a good idea to prepare for the year ahead. This post will help you turn fuzzy ideas and wishful dreams into a more actionable writing strategy for the year ahead.

To create next year’s writing strategy, begin by answering this simple question—Why do you write?

Step One: Know your why

Open your journal or get a blank piece of paper and free write about why you write. Just write anything that comes into your head. Don’t stop to think or correct. No editing. No wordsmithing. Keep your pen or pencil moving until you fill the whole page (or more than one page if you’re on a roll).

When you’re finished, read through what you wrote and highlight the key concepts that capture your most honest answer. On a fresh page, summarize the most important reasons you write. This motivation will inform the rest of your writing strategy.

Step Two: Clarify your vision

Considering your writing motivations from step one, answer the question, “What is my vision for this time next year?” If you could look back at the end of next year and see that you’ve been successful at furthering your writing dreams, what are the key areas of growth or achievement that you would have accomplished?

Or, to look at it another way, imagine what you would love to accomplish by the end of next year. Describe the main things you’d like to finish, master, or figure out.  

Defining your vision will give you something to shoot for. If you lack a concrete vision, it’s much more difficult to make progress or prioritize your goals.

Step Three: Where are you now?

Before creating writing goals for the coming year, you need to know where you’re starting from. So, where are you now in your writing journey?

Reflect on what you’ve accomplished this past year.

  • What important skills or lessons have you learned?
  • Have you taken a scary step forward?
  • What writing goals have you achieved?
  • What projects are still a work in progress (but progressing)?
  • How have you held firm to your key writing motivations?

Take a minute to congratulate yourself on the progress you have made. It’s important to pay attention to the milestones along the way if we want to stay motivated to accomplish our big writing dreams.

Next reflect on the main disappointments of the past year.

  • What hasn’t progressed like you’d hoped?
  • What didn’t work so well?
  • How can you pivot from that disappointment?
  • How have you strayed from your key writing motivations?

Step Four: Make intentional and realistic writing goals

Finally, it’s time to craft your writing goals. Use the information in the first three steps to create goals that will help you get from where you are now to where you’d love to be by the end of next year.

When crafting your writing goals, consider these factors.

  • They should stretch you or challenge you.
  • But they must also be realistic, not so far from where you are now that you’ll never meet them.
  • Goals are based on outcomes you can control (and there’s an awful lot you can’t control). They should be focused on your efforts, not the hoped-for results of those efforts.
  • They should specific enough and clear enough that you can tell when you’ve achieved them.
  • Finally, they should include a deadline.

Examples of writing goals

Example 1: I want to make the New Your Times Bestseller list. This is not a good goal. Why? This statement doesn’t include a date and it’s probably not realistic. The primary problem, however, is that you cannot control the outcome. Even if your book sells really well, it may not be selected for the list.

Example 2: I want my new book to hit the top ten bestseller status in an Amazon category by June 30. This goal is better. It includes a date, it’s easy to see whether you succeed or not, and it’s potentially within the realm of possibility. You still can’t fully control this outcome, but you can hire experts or follow their proven strategies to make it a potentially achievable goal.

Example 3: I will finish a revised version of my next book manuscript by May 1. This goal is specific and is based on an outcome you can control. It has a deadline, and success is reasonably clear. (Finish is a little vague, but if you aren’t prone to fussing over a manuscript forever, it might suffice.)    

May you have success meeting your writing goals for 2023!

I hope you will take some time in the next few weeks to think through these steps and come up with some specific writing goals that will help you achieve your writing dreams.

Lisa E Betz

Lisa E. Betz is an engineer-turned-mystery-writer, entertaining speaker, and unconventional soul. She inspires others to become their best selves, living with authenticity, and purpose, and she infuses her novels with unconventional characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her Livia Aemilia Mysteries, set in first-century Rome, have won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021).

She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in her novels. Lisa directs church dramas, hikes the beautiful Pennsylvania woods, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit www.lisaebetz.com.

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Guest Posts

What Are You Aiming For?

Guest posts

I stared at the one-inch thick pine board and sighed. I had attempted the side-kick break for what seemed like the hundredth time, but it refused to break. Aggravation mounted along with the belief that I would never accomplish the task. I was a girl. I wasn’t strong. I was new to martial arts. My list of excuses grew by the moment but the board remained the same, completely intact.

Memories of that day popped up as I read the email. My article query had been rejected…again. Suddenly the hundred rejection challenge didn’t seem like much of a challenge after all. Why bother?

No one wants to read my writing.

Frustration mounted along with a belief that I would never be a full-time writer. The field was already saturated. There was too much competition. I didn’t know the right people. My list of excuses grew like the rejection emails in my in-box, yet something about that memory from martial arts class stuck out.

When I started Taekwondo, I was only one of two females in the class, not counting our female instructor, who looked like a blonde Xena Warrior Princess. I was the only teenage girl in a room full of football players. They made board breaking look easy, but then again they had big muscles. The senior student, one step away from black belt, was walking me through the technique…again.

“Your side-kick technique is good.”

“So, what am I doing wrong?”

“You’re kicking the board.”

“Funny. What else am I supposed to be doing?”

“The board isn’t your target,” he said. He tapped the front jacket of the student holding the board. This is your target. You need to follow through on your kick. You stop when you hit the board.”

Something began to click in my brain. I was intimidated by the board, so I stopped when I got to it.

I was focusing on the wrong thing.

“The board isn’t your target. It’s the obstacle between you and your target. Try again.”

The board holder assumed position again wrapping his fingers around the top of the board with one hand and the bottom of the board with the other. He locked his elbows, holding the board forward, level with my kick height. I backed up and took my fighting stance, hands up. I took a deep breath and stepped forward into a side-kick, aiming for the holder this time. When my foot landed on the mat, the sound of applause startled me. I looked down and the board was in two pieces.

As a writer, rejection slips are just one of the obstacles between me and success as a writer. My goal is to be published, but like learning how to break a board, it requires learning the right techniques and practicing them. All the excuses about why I can’t become a published author are just obstacles that I have to break through. I can’t let them stop me.

What goals are you aiming for?

The key is keeping your eye on the goal, not on the obstacles in the way. We have to figure out how to get over, around, or through the obstacles. We have to do the work. In Taekwondo, I came to class twice a week for two hours. Every class we exercised, practiced kicks and punches, and practiced sparring. I showed up every week, and I got better with each practice. Eventually, I took a test and passed my yellow belt, which included a board break. The path to black belt included several more levels, each increasing in skills learned.

Whatever you are aiming for in life, it requires keeping your eyes on the target.

It also requires showing up and doing the work. You have to work through the obstacles; you have to work through the excuses. When you aim at the right target and follow through, you will have a break-through too.

Linda Lyle is a writer, knitter, and single mama to two crazy cats. When she is not running the office at a machine shop, she is working part-time at The Taming of the Ewe: A Yarn and Tea Boutique or scribbling ideas on her blog, The End of My Yarn.

Connect with Linda at website is https://lindalyle.com/.

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Devotions for Writers

How Do You Define Success?

devotions

Have you ever noticed how elusive success can be? I can receive a check in the mail for a devotional and feel elated one minute, then in the next moment, be on pins and needles about the status of another article.

Take a look at some guys in the Biblical narrative:

  • Elisha’s family might have been more than peeved at him, when he destroyed his plow.
  • Saul switched sides in the middle of the battle against Christians.
  • Samson became a prisoner of war.

All three of these men might be seen as failures, depending on the way you view their circumstances.

  • Elisha broke down his tools for success.
  • Saul broke the rules of engagement.
  • Samson’s spirit broke when he became a slave.

But, God. (Two words that make all the difference in a life.)

But, God changed the outcome of their stories and called them victorious.

Read more about these heroes of the faith:

  • Elisha. 1 Kings 19:19-21
  • Paul. Acts 8:3; 25:1-29
  • Samson. Judges 16:23-30
  • Also note: Hebrews 11
The mountaintop of success

What does success mean to you?

  • To climb the corporate ladder? (Is there ever a top rung?)
  • Publish six books? Or, ten? (When will it be enough?)
  • Submit hundreds of articles? (What is the magic number?)

If success means one thing in your job, and something different in another work environment, could it also be upside down in God’s economy? What if the Lord has a different perspective on success and failure?

Exercise:

1. Look up the definition of success in the dictionary.

2. What does success mean to you?

3. Look up the following verses and jot down a summary of each.

  • Numbers 8:11
  • Ecclesiastes 5:19
  • Jeremiah 48:10a
  • John 6:27-29
  • John 9:4
  • 1 Corinthians 3:12-13
  • 2 Timothy 3:16-17
  • Hebrews 6:10
  • 1 Samuel 15:22
  • Joshua 1:7
  • 2 Kings 18:7
  • 2 Chronicles 20:20
  • 1 Chronicles 4:10
  • Isaiah 54
  • Isaiah 26:15
  • 2 Corinthians 9:8-15
  • 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

4. What do you think success means to God?

5. If you could do one thing today to take the next step in your writing, what would it be?

6. What do you need to overcome, in order for that to happen?

7. Will you?

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24
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

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A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

Are You Ready for Success?

lighter look at a writer's life

I read an article recently about actors that are great at what they do but not so great at being a successful person. They let their fame go to their head; they became entitled, hard to work with, and rude. More than likely, success found them before they were ready.

So, how will you be when you are successful?

Have you ever thought about it? If not, why?

You have prayed to be successful, haven’t you? If you have prayed for success, have faith that it’s going to happen. Be like the little boy who prayed for rain and went home to get his umbrella. Make sure you are ready when it comes.

I have had the honor of meeting quite a few successful writers, and I discovered that they are some of the nicest, most unselfish people in the world. They are willing to share their time and knowledge to help others on their writing journey. They love to sign autographs and talk to their fans about their books. They know how to win joyfully and lose gracefully. They celebrate the accomplishment of others even when that person wins an award they were up for too.

So, are you ready for success? You don’t have to wait until you reach the big time to find out. Are you helping others on the way? There will always be a newbie at a conference looking for a friendly face or someone who needs encouragement to keep plugging away.

You may not be where you want to be, but you might be the most successful writer someone knows. I was recently contacted by a lady who lives in my town because she saw my picture on the back of a book I co-authored. She said she had been praying for a writer to talk to about a project she was working on. She received the book as a gift, and when she looked at the back, there I was, a real writer in her own hometown.

I spent a few minutes on the phone with her, answering questions. When I realized that I didn’t have all the answers she needed, I contacted a writer friend and found the answers for her.

Writing is looking ahead for new opportunities and reaching back to help others when you are successful. After all, isn’t doing what you love and lending a helping hand a good definition of success?

Sue Davis Potts is a freelance writer from Huntingdon, Tennessee. She is mother to her beautiful adult daughter, Jessa.

Sue enjoys writing for both children and adults. She worked for years as a preschool teacher but feels most at home these days with other writers who speak her language. She has been published in local magazines, anthologies, Ideals, Southern Writer’s Magazine and Focus on the Family’s children’s magazines Clubhouse and Clubhouse, Jr.

She authored a children’s library book and her book of short motivations 101 Life Lessons from Uno (The One-Legged Duck) and the book she co-authored The Priceless Life: The Diane Price Story is available on Amazon. Sue can be found on Facebook and her website, www.suedavispotts.com

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Devotions for Writers

Personal Directive

devotions

“Lord, what about him?”

John 21:21 (NIV)  (Read John 21:15-22)

Have you seen someone reach quick success? Maybe you’ve been writing for years and struggling to get your name out? But they come along and effortlessly get published.

It’s easy to be jealous of someone else’s success. I’ve wasted a lot of energy on the green eyed monster, and can tell you first-hand, you never win at that game. There will always be someone more qualified/talented/prettier/more popular than you. Peter questioned Jesus about John’s future in comparison to his own. Basically Jesus responded, “It’s none of your business, Peter. What is important is that you do what I’ve planned for you!”

The Lord has a specific design with you in mind. Each opportunity adds a stepping stone in the journey of self-awareness and understanding of what that design entails.

On a flight by the coastline of Georgia, I looked out the window and saw boats way down on the water. Actually, I couldn’t see the miniature vessels themselves, but I could see the white foam streamers left in their wake. I may feel miniscule, like the boats viewed from the airplane, but I can leave big waves and make a difference in the lives of others. You may not see me, but you may see where I’ve been and benefit from what I’ve done.

You, too, leave a wake behind you. God has a different plan for each of us. Don’t compare yourself to Peter or John. Do obey the Lord in what He has given you to do!

Exercise:

Do you wonder what you have to say, that someone else might want to read? Do you compare yourself with others? God has given you a writer’s voice that is uniquely you. Your assignment is from the Lord and needs to be said by you, because no one else could say it quite like you.

Have you found your voice, yet, that particular bent that affects your style of writing? A friend once commented, she knew my devotionals before seeing who wrote them. She knew my “voice.”

Pull out old journals. You’ll hear your voice, there. Read through them to appreciate how you’ve grown in wisdom and in humility toward God. Note answers to prayer and situations resolved. Stop to write down thoughts that trigger story ideas. How can you help someone who might be facing the same struggle? 

Learn from Peter, that each one has an important assignment from God!

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

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Devotions for Writers

Allegiance to the Call

devotions

“I have done as you have commanded.”

Ezekiel 9:11 (NIV)

In our passage, the man with the writing kit at his side returns to the Lord with his mission accomplished. He knew his assignment and the terms to complete it.

Have you ever felt convicted to write a piece that an editor didn’t feel convicted to publish? You worked and reworked to make sure it was ready. But, what you submitted wasn’t what the editor needed.

Maybe success is not measured by reward, but by faithfulness to what God has called you to do.

How does inspiration strike you? Whether an idea niggles at you for weeks, or pops up instantaneously, it can take you by surprise when fleshed out. What an awesome opportunity to watch an idea form. It has the power to inspire, intrigue, and inspect your audience. Best of all, work done for the Lord may impact someone for eternity.

I remember reading an article about doorways that convinced me that they are welcoming agents and first impressions. Now, I notice doorways when in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Who would have thought writing about a doorway would be important? But that author found an angle to made it compelling, and it did affect me!

Let’s link arms in obedience to write for God! He put writers on earth for a purpose, and as we fulfill that design, we too will experience the satisfaction of telling the Lord, “I have done as You have commanded!”

Exercise:

You have been writing. You have been mailing in work to editors. You are learning to discipline yourself to keep office hours. You are seeing the efforts of your hard work adding up to a nice list of queries.

But, what if it’s been months with no response from your query? General response time is six to eight weeks! Your mission today, should you choose to accept it, is to follow up on that long-lost piece. It could be buried on an editor’s desk. It could have fallen through the gap when the publication changed hands. But you need to politely inquire as to the status of that piece!

Go in obedience to God, to follow up on something He inspired. You obeyed Him by writing it in the first place, now obey Him by following up on what He orchestrated. 

Refresh the memory of your editor and sell the advantage to printing your piece. You can do it!

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

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Embrace the Wait

Survival Tips for the Waiting Part of Writing, Tip #9 – Avoid Comparison

There’s nothing quite like a perfectly ripened pear. Each creamy, sweet, citrusy bite contains the perfect texture and flavor to tantalize my taste buds. Pears are such a treat to me that I’ll sometimes splurge and order the gold wrapped, ridiculously priced ones from a trendy fruit supplier. When they arrive I horde them and refuse to share one bite. I can always justify this selfish behavior because my hubby is not a fan of pears and my kids don’t appreciate the quality.

One day I had just bitten into the most delectable pear ever when I received a phone call from a friend. I set the fruit aside to focus on the conversation. During the call my daughter tapped me on the shoulder and mouthed, “try these.” I absentmindedly took a handful of tropical flavored gummy bears from her bag and nibbled on them as I listened to my friend vent about a family situation. After our conversation ended, I retrieved my pear to enjoy the last few bites. But it wasn’t the same. The pear didn’t taste sweet, and the creamy citrus flavor I had always adored seemed lacking. Not wanting to waste the fruit, I managed to gulp the last few bites, but there was little pleasure in it. The sticky, artificial sweetness of the gummy bears had coated my tongue and robbed my senses of the true, natural sweetness of the pear.

I have found the same phenomena to be true when we compare ourselves with others. The sweet and unique gifts God gives to us never seem as pleasurable when we allow ourselves to fall into the trap of comparison. In our social media inundated world it’s easier than ever to venture down that slippery slope. Every day we scroll past dozens of posts depicting the peak experiences, precious moments, and noteworthy achievements of our closest and not-so-closest friends. Yes, most of us are aware that these highlight reels represent a tiny glimpse of a sometimes purposefully skewed reality. But it’s oh so easy to be sucked into the trap of using those distorted picture-perfect clips as a measuring stick to determine our own worth.  

God recognizes our old nature propensity to play the comparison game. Scripture offers plenty of warnings against it, but even Christian writers aren’t exempt from the temptation to compare. In fact, we may be more susceptible. While waiting for our own victories in the publishing world social media allows us to celebrate with fellow writers who may get their big break first. Every day awards are won, contracts signed, and agents are landed. Even though we are truly happy for our friends’ success and show it by littering their wall with gifs, and emojis there’s still that temptation to subtly compare. Only when we keep our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith can we find true fulfillment in the gifts and journey He has created especially for us.         

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:12, Galatians 6:4-5

Fun Fact: Michelle Medlock Adams and Bethany Jett have a new book out that has an excellent chapter on this topic. The book is titled Platinum Faith. And it is amazing! Check it out on Amazon.

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.

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My Writing Journey

My Definition of Success

All too often we’re shallow enough to think the prize is worth the journey. Really it’s the journey that’s the prize.

When I was little my dream fit in three words: publish a book.

I didn’t care about sales and didn’t even know about the Times list. All I wanted was to see my book on a store shelf.

Now I’ve written three books, signed with an agent, and I’m waiting to hear if and when my books will hit stores.

But the moment I signed an agent contract wasn’t the moment I found success.

Signing my first book deal won’t be that moment either.

There’s a misconception that success equals sales stats and how many digits are on an advance check. Those are extremely important. Publishing is a business after all! However, they aren’t how I define my success as a writer.

Wanting to see my book on a shelf is what started my journey, but I’ve found the journey is actually more important than whatever success I may find at the end.

In college writing was the last job I wanted because I believed I was way too extroverted for it. Thankfully, an author sat me down and explained the marketing and publicity side of writing and I realized writing isn’t just about writing.

I couldn’t be a writer if I didn’t live life to the fullest because writing is about sharing truth of experience.

It’s giving words to the feelings of others.

It’s a medium to use when one physical person has a message that needs to reach thousands and millions and billions of others. I write because I want to communicate to everyone and writing is one way to do that most effectively.

As I’ve progressed from a third grader penciling sentences on wide-rule paper to a post-graduate typing thousands of words on my Mac, I’ve learned writing isn’t about writing.

Writing is about communication.

I graduated college last December with a degree in Strategic Communications. I had no idea one year later I’d be signed with an agent and already hearing positive feedback from multiple publishing houses.

At heart, I’m a communicator. At heart, I just really love people. And at the core of what I do, the goal isn’t to just “get published” anymore.

The goal is to communicate truth – through living, through interpersonal interactions, through writing. That’s why success isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime book deal (however awesome that would be!).

Writing is so much more than words. Success is so much more than numbers.

Writing is a venue where words are necessary to communicate powerfully and effectively with the masses.

When I get my first book deal I’ll be thrilled, no question about that! But success isn’t signing my name on my piece of paper.

Success is the growth I’ll learn through the process of getting there.

Here’s to the journey!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Writer, working with brands to grow their audience reach. She studied Strategic Communications at Cornerstone University and focused on writing during her time there, completing two full-length manuscripts while a full-time student. Currently she trains under best-selling author Jerry Jenkins in his Your Novel Blueprint course and is actively seeking publication for two books.

Instagram: @sarahjrexford
Twitter: @sarahjrexford
Web: itssarahrexford.com

Categories
Book Proposals

Proposal Do’s and Don’ts

Why was my proposal rejected?

As a submissions reader, I now understand why my past book proposal was not accepted.

Each day I read proposals with bad grammar, misspelled names, or the submission guidelines ignored. I’ve had authors claim their manuscript is the next bestseller, better than J.K. Rowling, a must for every school in America, and sent by God to bless the world.

I shake my head and send them a “pass” email or delete the submission. Why would I pass on the next best seller?

Avoidable mistakes, like I made in my first book proposal.

So, how can we get our proposal noticed?

DO

  • Follow submission guidelines- Most agents will delete the submission if guidelines aren’t followed.  When an author does not follow submission guidelines the agent believes the writer cannot follow any instructions.
  • Take time to research agents- Spell the name correctly. Research what genre the agent represents. The agent I work with represents family friendly content as stated on the website. I’ve had three erotica submission in one month.  (The delete button is my friend.)
  • Send an edited manuscript-  An unedited manuscript denotes unprofessionalism. Agents want to represent authors who are ready to publish.
  • Have a Social Media Platform– Let’s face it, writing is a business. The more people you know, the more speaking engagements you book, and followers you have, the more books you sell. If you don’t have social media accounts, choose two platforms and build your followers. Build a website before you send your proposal.

DON’T

  • Say your book is anointed by God and we must represent you– Confidence is great, an agent loves to work with a confident writer. However, there is a fine line between confidence and exaggeration.
  • Address your proposal to many agents in one email- Your Manuscript will be rejected by most agents if they see other email address in the “CC” or “To” sections of the email.  In the body of the proposal state “simultaneous submissions,” this alerts the agent that other agencies are receiving your work.
  • Harass the agent with multiple emails- Agents are busy. Most submission guidelines give a response time. Three months seems to be the average. If you have not heard from the agent within the time frame stated on their site, chances are they passed on your manuscript.
  • Give up– Agents desire to see you succeed. Agents also look for specific genres. If one agent passes on your proposal, keep submitting to other agents. Meanwhile, make sure your manuscript is edited by a professional editor, have Beta Readers review your book, build your social media platform, and sharpen your writing skills.

If you follow these do’s and don’ts, you will have a much better chance of success.

 

 

Cherrilynn Bisbano is a speaker, editor, coach, and writer.  Her passion for helping people is evident. She is Managing Editor at Almost an Author. As host of   “Genre Chat”  she interviews established authors in a specific genre.

She considers it an honor to encourage ladies with the Word of God, as she travels to speak.

Cherrilynn is a two-time winner of Flash Fiction Weekly. You can find her published in Southern Writers, Amramp, More to Life (MTL), Christian Rep, Refresh, Broken but Priceless, and other online magazines. Contributor to Breaking The Chains–Strategies for Overcoming Spiritual Bondage. 

She earned her Leadership Certification through Christian Leaders Institute and continues toward a Chaplaincy certification. Cherrilynn proudly served in the Navy and Air National Guard; earning the John Levitow Military leadership award.  She lives with her fifteen-year-old autistic son, Michael, Jr., and husband of 18 years, Michael, Sr.

Website: www.TruthtoShine.blogspot.com

Contact: godsfruit@juno.com

www.almostanauthor.com

Categories
Writer Encouragement

What’s Your Perspective?

Elaine Marie Cooper

With six simple words, a writer friend completely changed my perspective: “You have had a great year.”

A great year? I almost balked. Yes, it was so great that I had an infection that destroyed some of the bone in my leg, underwent two surgeries to repair the damage, spent six weeks in daily IV antibiotic infusions, spent days and weeks fighting anxiety, depression, and pain, and had to cancel three trips—one a much-anticipated book tour for my latest release. I fretted over numerous bills and an inability to work for weeks at a time. Great year?

id-100246951

But then I paused. What was she seeing that I was not? I began to reflect on my year

I watched with joy as my younger son married his precious wife. I was able to spend my grandchildren’s birthday with them before I discovered I needed surgery. I had two books release (one a re-release) and now look forward to the re-release of the third and final book in a trilogy. I obtained an agent. I grew closer with my social media friends as well as friends at church with whom I shared my struggles. When not on pain meds, I was able to write more deeply. I accomplished edits on three books. I had the elders at my church pray for me before my last surgery and I came through amazingly well. I graduated from physical therapy in less than a month.

In short…I not just survived…I thrived. With God’s help and the prayers of His people, it truly has been a great year.

So what about your year so far? Has it been all “gloom and doom” as I was viewing the events of this past year? Are you doing as I was and focusing on the negative?

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Are you a writer who sees all of your inadequacies and perceived failures in the last year? Or have you tried to focus on your writing successes, however small you may think they are?

If there is one thing I’ve learned first hand this year as I’ve watched so many friends deal with so many struggles, we all have something—days we’d rather forget, pain that may or may not heal, disappointments that leave a void in our hearts. Yet if that is all we focus on, then we are missing the full story—the part that God wants us to dwell upon.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

The God of peace has been with me. That deems it a great year.

Anxiety/ Fear sign courtesy of Stuart Miles, via freedigitalphotos.net

Peace card courtesy of digitalart, via freedigitalphotos.net

Categories
Write Justified

Look Back to Move Ahead

A few days before the deadline for this blog I had some time to begin thinking about the next year and the goals I would set for myself as a writer in 2016. Naturally, I looked at the goals I’d set for 2015 as a starting point. True confessions, here. I didn’t do great at achieving the goals I’d set for myself last year.

Oh, I can rationalize that personally last year held more drama and transition than I could have foreseen. Job loss and a major move count for something, don’t they? Who wouldn’t have abandoned some goals in the face of that kind of upheaval.

Yet, honesty compels me to acknowledge that one of the primary reasons I didn’t meet more of my goals is fear. I know I’m not alone as a writer in struggling with fear. I’ve read enough other writers’ blogs and published authors to know that all of us who aspire to put ourselves out there in print for the world to see cringe at the prospect of being misunderstood, ridiculed, or both. It’s much easier for me to wield an editor’s pen than to submit my own prose to others probing, critical eyes.

I could continue to berate myself for not blogging regularly, not attempting to submit more articles for publication, or not joining the professional editor’s group I’ve considered joining for three years, but still haven’t invested the funds. It may be more helpful, however, to recall the small steps I’ve taken in the last year:

  • I took the Goodreads Book Challenge and set a modest goal of reading 15 books in 2015. By early summer I had reached that number. By year’s end I’d read more than 30.
  • Included in those 30 reads of 2015 are a few that took me outside my usual nonfiction genre of history, biography-memoir, spirituality. I dipped a toe into horror with Stephen King’s The Shining and magic realism with Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child. Though reading outside my usual interests wasn’t a goal I’d specifically set for myself, I claim it as a small step of progress in expanding my awareness of what constitutes good writing—an essential element in being a good writer.
  • Connecting with other writers was at the top of my list when making the adjustment to our new home. I’m grateful to have found A3 this year, as well as a local chapter of Word Weavers, a Christian critique group.  The friendship and sounding board these writers provide are a sweet blessing on my journey.
  • I submitted two pieces for publication in 2015; one was accepted. That’s an acceptance rate I can live with. The challenge in the year ahead is to be a bit more productive than that.

[bctt tweet=”Setting goals is essential to realizing our hopes and aspirations.”] Michael Hyatt says they are a prerequisite to happiness and offers five principles for goal setting. To these I would add, [bctt tweet=”…celebrate small accomplishments. For small successes are a great antidote to fear.”]