Monday, July 31, 2017
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Inspiring Quote for Writers
I hope you enjoy today's quote from Nathaniel Hawthorne.
TWEETABLE
Quotes for writers - today Nathaniel Hawthorne on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
TWEETABLE
Quotes for writers - today Nathaniel Hawthorne on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Friday, July 28, 2017
Are Our Devices Making Us Fat & Sleepy?
by Lori Hatcher @LoriHatcher2
How many of you love
to snuggle up in bed with your Kindle and read a bit before you fall asleep?
And since I’m talking to writers, how many of you will occasionally pull your
laptop into bed to work on a few more pages of your WIP until you get sleepy? Have
you noticed that you sometimes have a hard time falling sleep after these
nighttime sessions?
Thursday, July 27, 2017
What Is Your Hero Pursuing?
by Henry McLaughlin @RiverBendSagas
We’ve all heard story is about conflict and tension. And
that is definitely true.
Stories about happy people living in Happy Valley don’t
excite readers. Frankly, they can be boring.
The story becomes a story when something disrupts the status
quo. As John LeCarré once said, “The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat
sat on the dog’s mat—now that’s a story.”
Here’s another way to look at it: Stories are about the
pursuit of happiness. It’s even in the Declaration of Independence.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
The Lies Our Characters Believe & Why It Matters
by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
Our characters can be
stubborn. Just when we think we know them inside and out, they toss us a
wrench. We struggle to push them into a storyline that forces them to change
and grow—or slide downhill as in the case of antagonists—then they behave
contrary to how we sketched them.
We work hard at shaking
them inside out to ensure they are unique, memorable, and fit the plot and
genre. Our goal is to achieve the proper balance of complexity in an
unpredictable story.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Avoid These Writing Conference Faux Pas
by Eva Marie Everson @EvaMarieEverson
We’re
nearing the end of conference season, which begins in February (to my way of
seeing it) and ends around September. Every year, I attend a great many of
them, and enjoy each and every one. Some for one reason. Some for another.
I’m not
alone in this, I’m sure. When we gather at writers conferences, we talk about
which ones have the best editor and agent selection . . . the ones with the best
freelancers . . . the best beds . . . the best food . . . the best praise and worship (for
Christian writers conferences), the best social time. We mention the ones where
we laugh the hardest. (I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard in my life as I did at St. David’s Christian Writers Conference this year.)
Monday, July 24, 2017
Pinterest Basics & Insider Tips, Part 1
by Bethany Jett @BetJett
We’ve spent the last few
months covering the Instagram platform, and now it’s time to move to Pinterest!
Pinterest isn’t really a
“social media” platform. Instead, consider utilizing Pinterest as a search
engine for your audience. After all, there are times when I choose to search
Pinterest instead of Google. And if you’re a Pinterest-user, I’d guess you do,
as well.
Today we’re going to do a
light overview on some Pinterest basics, starting with…
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Unforgetting
by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea
Have I ever mentioned that I have a terrible memory? Maybe I
did. Or maybe it slipped my mind. But hey, I remembered to buy all those
vitamins that are supposed to help with memory. I’m pretty sure I’ve been
forgetting to take them though. In the old days, people tied a string around a
finger to help them remember. Guess I could try that.
I’ve always wished I had a photographic memory. Someone told
me I actually do have one—it’s just not developed. That’s probably it. I always
seem to be a few pics short of a full roll.
Thursday, July 20, 2017
What Is BookBub—And Why Do Authors Need to Know?
by Cyle Young @CyleYoung
As an agent, I often come
across authors and industry professionals who have no idea what BookBub is.
BookBub is currently the single best promotion opportunity for any eBook and it
is highly sought after by authors and publishers in the “know”.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Tips to Meet Those Writing Deadlines
by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowell
How well I
remember hearing the phrase, "Interruptions are my ministry!”
At the time I
was on the staff of a large church and I totally got it—at any given time I
was called up to meet with a parishioner or counsel a walk-in or fill in for
another teacher. I was also mothering four young children and learning that key
parenting moments occur when there's a knock on the bedroom door or a phone
call from school or a simple cry of "Mama....." from another room.
In all those
cases it was the distractions from my immediate task that propelled me to an
even more important task. I get that.
Monday, July 17, 2017
Proofread Your Social Media Posts
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMoJo68
Even social media typos can challenge our credibility as writers. |
We see it a lot.
Those nasty little things we call typos. They’re everywhere. And *gasp* we’re even responsible for some of them. Oh,
call the writing police and throw me in jail!
Folks, that’s
why we have editors. Amazing, awesome, hand-holding editors who take the reins
and shape our story into what we want it to be. They can see beneath our
fast-typing mistakes. They interpret the message from what we mean to what it’s
supposed to be.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Why I Stopped Chasing the Dream
by Any Lee @WordsByAndyLee
I once had a dream
that Prince Charming would sweep me off my feet, throw me on his horse, and
we’d ride into the sunset to live happily ever after.
The dream came true. Prince
Charming did sweep me off my feet. We jumped into his black 1990 Trans Am, and
we rode off into the sunset for a forty-eight-hour honeymoon. There was a war
brewing, and my soldier needed to be back to work on Monday, and I had to teach
the first day of school. They frown on requesting a substitute on the first
day.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Memes for Writers
by Edie Melson @EdieMelson
Today I'd like to do something a little different. Summer is full on us, so I thought we'd celebrate the beauty of the season with a roundup of memes.
I took every picture below and added the quotes through PicMonkey, so you're welcome to share them on social media. If you want to learn how to make your own: Step-by-Step Instructions for Adding Text to Images screencast is the place to begin.
Today I'd like to do something a little different. Summer is full on us, so I thought we'd celebrate the beauty of the season with a roundup of memes.
I took every picture below and added the quotes through PicMonkey, so you're welcome to share them on social media. If you want to learn how to make your own: Step-by-Step Instructions for Adding Text to Images screencast is the place to begin.
Be silent or let thy words be worth more than silence. Pythagoras |
Friday, July 14, 2017
3 Ways to Kill Your Publishing Career
Edie here. Today I'm excited to welcome back Jennifer Slattery. In addition to being an amazing author, she's an excellent teacher in the publishing industry. Since her new book, Healing Love, is about to release, I convinced her to drop back by with more insight into the writer's life.
3 Ways to Kill Your Publishing Career
by Jennifer Slattery @JenSlattery
Perhaps you’ve sensed God’s call to write, maybe you even jumped in with passion and determination, fully convinced He’d bring your every dream to pass. But that was ten, twenty, maybe even more years ago, and you’re beginning to wonder, “Will I ever get published? Will these thousands upon thousands of words clogging my computer files ever see the light of day?”
3 Ways to Kill Your Publishing Career
by Jennifer Slattery @JenSlattery
Perhaps you’ve sensed God’s call to write, maybe you even jumped in with passion and determination, fully convinced He’d bring your every dream to pass. But that was ten, twenty, maybe even more years ago, and you’re beginning to wonder, “Will I ever get published? Will these thousands upon thousands of words clogging my computer files ever see the light of day?”
I believe when God calls us
to do something, He’s got the how and the when mapped out. Though His idea of
what our writing career will look like may be different than ours, I fully
believe He’s able to perfect that which concerns us and that He always has our
best in mind.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Composite Characters: Do They Have a Place in Creative Nonfiction?
by Marcia Moston @MarciaMoston
It was a familiar situation, a mix of writers—some fiction,
some nonfiction—coming together for their monthly critique meeting. Michelle
was working on a nonfiction submission. She felt she had included too many
characters for such a short piece and asked the group what to do.
Sitting across the table, Elizabeth, a solid fiction writer,
saw no problem. “Just combine the characters.”
I yelped. “You can’t do that. That’s not a real person.”
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Are Helping Verbs Really Helpful?
by Linda Gilden @LindaGilden
In school we learn about
helping verbs, also called auxiliary verbs, and the support they are to other
verbs. That is a good thing. Everyone needs a helper occasionally.
Maybe you have forgotten
what those helping verbs are. Is, am, are, was, were, been, being, are the most
common. Helping is not the only use of the helping verbs. Other times they are
used as a complete predicate. Think of the way you function—sometimes you are a
parent, other times you are a friend, sometimes in the spotlight and other
times not. The function of the verb makes it a helper or not. Many times these
verbs are functional and needed.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
The Importance of Book Influencers
by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted
Ding. The computer chimes
and you’ve got email. There’s a nice note asking if you will consider being an
influencer. That’s nice. We all like the thoughts of influencing others, but in
this case, a number of questions come to mind. Things like influence what? For
whom? What’s in it for me?
Let’s take time to learn
what an influencer is and then we’ll address what remains.
Monday, July 10, 2017
When Marketing Leads to Ministry
by Lori Roeleveld @LoriSRoeleveld
When I began this writing adventure, I had an attitude about marketing and sales. You see, I wasn’t going to concern myself with such worldly ideas, because, like The Blues Brothers, I was on a mission for God. I may or may not have harbored some unkind and judgmental thoughts about people who invested significant energy discussing branding, platform building, and target audiences. I was simply going to write and trust God to be my marketer. Boom. Mic drop. Thank you, very much.
When I began this writing adventure, I had an attitude about marketing and sales. You see, I wasn’t going to concern myself with such worldly ideas, because, like The Blues Brothers, I was on a mission for God. I may or may not have harbored some unkind and judgmental thoughts about people who invested significant energy discussing branding, platform building, and target audiences. I was simply going to write and trust God to be my marketer. Boom. Mic drop. Thank you, very much.
Sunday, July 9, 2017
The Life of Breath
by Sarah Van Diest @SarahVanDiest
We know
this to be true. When we stop breathing, we stop living. There is no life when
breath is absent.
It’s
allergy season here in Oregon, and other places, too, I’m sure. And because
this winter was Portland’s wettest on record, there is now no shortage of
growing, blooming things.
An afternoon doing simple gardening can turn into a
night of sneezes and snores. Last night was a perfect example.
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Avoiding the Debris of Life
by Beth Vogt @BethVogt
Snags and debris.
We’re not going to make it through life without running it to one or the other
… or both.
Snags are impediments
to progress … irritants, interferences, interruptions … we want to go one way
and they push and prod us another, holding us back from our goals.
But debris … that’s
another kind of danger that can weigh you down, pull you under, and
drown you.
Snags can leave marks
— a scratch here, a bruise there. Debris, however, can be lethal. Emotional
debris like guilt … regret … shame … fear … they pile up on us and dishearten
us.
Best to heed Anne
Shannon Monroe’s words and “Pull yourself loose and go on.”
How?
- Ask for help from someone standing on firm ground — someone who sees the truth you’ve lost sight of.
- Recognize the debris for what it is: garbage. Nothing more, nothing less.
- Regain your focus. Realize you are stuck — remember where you’re headed — and start moving again.
In Your Words:
What snags have you run into recently? How do you avoid debris that stops the
forward motion in your life?
TWEETABLE
Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” A women's fiction novelist with Tyndale House Publishers, Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, as well as a 2016 ACFW Carol Award Winner and a 2015 RITA® finalist. In 2016, she continued her destination wedding series published by Howard Books with You Can’t Hurry Love (May) and Almost Like Being in Love (June). Visit Beth at bethvogt.com.
Friday, July 7, 2017
What to do AFTER a Writing Conference
by Bruce Brady @BDBrady007
Recently, a friend of mine,
Cherrilynn Bisbano, posted a meme for 1 Chronicles 28:20 from The Living Bible
translation. It says, “Be strong and courageous and GET TO WORK (emphasis added). Don’t be frightened by
the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you; He will not forsake you.
He will see to it that everything is finished correctly.”
Thursday, July 6, 2017
The Unglamorous Life of a Writer
by Lynn Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn
If you’ve hung around the
writing world for long, you’ve heard it before . . .
- Being a published author does not magically fix all your problems.
- Being a published author does not mean you’ll spend your days fending off random fans when you’re buying groceries.
- Being a published author does not mean you’ll spend your days in a lovely office overlooking a serene pastoral setting as you churn out novel after novel.
But . . . come
on. It has to help. Right? It has to be more good than bad. At least when you
get “The Call” or reach new writing milestones, there will be parties and
well-wishes and celebratory balloons falling from the ceiling. Right?
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
5 Tips on Writing a Legacy Letter to Your Family
by Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer
Families
are funny.
Sometimes
a family member can be a best friend. But all too often, childhood competition
and conflict break families apart. Even as adults, the ties of family – which
we’re told should be the strongest – don’t always survive.
I’m one of
five siblings. We weren’t close growing up but we’ve settled some of our
differences and found common ground we can all deal with over the years. Not easy,
but greatly rewarding. But one of my
best friends can’t even talk to her sister because of the hurts they both
carry.
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Pinterest for Writers – Research and Collaboration
by Cynthia Owens
@EfficiencyADict
Pinterest is a great tool for writers! |
Today I get to
write about my favorite social media format: Pinterest. People visit Pinterest
to relieve stress, find information, get inspired, and just plain have fun. It’s
a great place to go for entertainment and education. It’s also a great tool for
writers.
Now, gentlemen,
don’t check out. Yes, Pinterest has been heavily skewed toward female users in
the past, but the number of men on the site is growing. Don’t believe me? Check
out this article from Business Insider
to see cool things men are sharing on this hot media platform: How Men UsePinterest.
Monday, July 3, 2017
How to Write a Good Tweet—It’s Easier Than You Think!
by Edie Melson @EdieMelson
Use this simple method to compose effective tweets. |
Twitter, as many of you already know, is my Social Media Sweet
Spot—my easy button, if you will. It’s my go-to place to send and receive
information. Because of that, I compose all my social media updates from a
Twitter mindset. So no matter where I'm sending the update, I compose it with
Twitter in mind.
I know that Twitter is NOT the sweet spot for many of you reading
this blog.
Saturday, July 1, 2017
You Write Like a Woman
by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth
A few years ago, I
attended my first writers’ conference, the Asheville Christian Writers
Conference. The sweet lady who critiqued my first chapter looked me in the eye
and said, “You write like a guy.”
I thought, Great. John Steinbeck, James Patterson, or Jerry
Jenkins?
Not what she had in
mind.
She went on to explain I
had the action and the setting, but I was leaving out the personal side, the
emotions and internal thoughts of the protagonist.
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