teachable heart – Almost An Author

Survival Tips for the Waiting Part of Writing Tip #19 – Remain teachable

My dear Mother-In-Law is ninety years old, but she’s not like any senior citizen you’ve ever met. Power suits, three-inch heels, bright red fingernails, and crimson lipstick are her trademarks. She’s a celebrity in her neck of the woods, not only because of her dynamic style and outgoing personality, but because she’s spent her whole life caring for others. Just a few years ago she retired from running a non-profit organization and is still active today as a representative of the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature. Yes, at age ninety!

I’ve often pondered the secret to my MIL’s success. The answer hit me one day as I witnessed her interaction with my fifteen-year-old daughter. My daughter was trying to teach her the clapping game Miss Mary Mack. Time after time again my MIL would get half way through the rhyme and accidentally clap left when she was supposed to clap right. But did she quit? Never. She laughed at herself while my daughter giggled with her, then they would begin the game again. She was teachable. Yes, at age ninety!

Teachability is one of the most valuable tools in any successful writer’s tool chest. Most of us begin the writing journey with tons of it, but as legendary basketball coach John Wooden states it: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

Here are five probing questions to keep us on the path toward teachability:

Am I willing to ask a question even if I’m afraid they will expose my ignorance?
When my writing is critiqued do I listen openly for truth or do I become defensive?
Am I willing to learn from a writer with less experience or fewer credentials than me?
Do I remain open-minded about doing things differently than I’ve done them before?
How do I handle failure? Do I consider it an opportunity to learn?

Scripture: Proverbs 9:9, Proverbs 15:32, Proverbs 1:5, Proverbs 19:20

Fun Fact or Helpful Resource:
If you’d like to catch a glimpse of my amazing Mom-In-Law in action here’s the link to a news story from a few years back.

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.

But My Writing’s Good…Why Can’t I Get An Agent?

I remember those days of whining to myself. “But it’s good. Everybody says so, especially all my friends and family.” Sigh … yes, I’ll admit it. I really took those familial critiques as having substantial meaning. And … they … did … not. And not because their opinions weren’t valuable, but because they do not know the market, no matter how many books they read. Or how well versed they think they are.

Most readers have a few authors that they have read for years, maybe even decades, and that makes them loyal readers, not professional reviewers. And once a reader is with an author that they like, they will accept however that author writes for the most part: good or bad, contemporary or old and stale, or anything in between.

Agents are always looking for fresh voices. New takes on old stories, new ways of expressing the same thing, because let’s face it, there aren’t that many new themes and/or ideas out there. So how do we sell it? A fresh voice that uses all of the new trends in writing, that steps outside the box for lack of a better expression, and who knows what the new readers are looking for.

How does a writer stay abreast of trends? How do they develop their voices? How can they get a chance to show off what they can do?

Let’s explore the answers to these questions:

attend conferences and workshops
attend conferences and workshops
attend conferences and workshops

Did I really answer all of those questions the same way? You bet I did. Because at conferences you’ll find numerous agents, editors, web designers, other authors, those who can help you build platform, and so on. It’s an opportunity to network, learn in classroom settings, discuss trends in the industry at appointments, network with and possibly join a critique group, and to get feedback on your work. HONEST feedback from someone who doesn’t have your friendship to lose if they don’t like it.

IN A WORD: invaluable

While I occasionally find authors through my email, most of the clients that I pick up are from conferences. Why is that? Most folks who are willing to pay for a conference have done their homework, learned their craft, and worked hard to be able to get to a conference. It means time away from family, a chip at the finances, but it also means time spent with others who GET US. Other folks with voices in their heads that just have to get out. They are writers who have thick skin and can take it when their work is confronted. They can say, “Wow! I didn’t know that. That certainly isn’t what I learned in Advanced English class.” In other words, they are teachable writers willing to listen, to learn, and to apply.

So, why can’t I get an agent? I am probably not taking all of the above seriously. I am convinced that I already know everything. I don’t work with critique partners. Why bother? They don’t know any more than I already do. I can’t afford to attend a conference (you can’t afford NOT to). I have an MFA in creative writing, so why bother? I know it all, right?

Leaving old notions behind, being teachable, learning to build platform, writing the best novel you possibly can after learning all the ins and outs of the industry, and you WILL be on your way to connecting with an agent or editor for your work.

There are conferences available from $99-all the way to WOW! break the bank.

Do your best! Nothing comes free. It comes with hard work aimed at a teachable spirit!

You can do this … yes, you can!

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.