Thursday, August 31, 2017

Editing Your Book Part II - Developmental Editing: the 50,000 Foot View

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SallyHamer


Tips for editing your book.
As I mentioned in the Part I of How to Edit Your Book, there are four basic types of editing:
  • Developmental Editing
  • Substantive Editing
  • Line Editing
  • Copy Editing
Each type of editing offers an opportunity to look at a manuscript from a different place. So, let’s start with Developmental Editing (DE).

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Unusual Skills for Writers: The Ability to Juggle

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

I don’t care if you’re a freelance writer, nonfiction writer, novelists or something of a hybrid. The truth is that you have to wear a lot of hats to find publishing success. You have to be able to write on a deadline, plan marketing campaigns, utilize social media, and of course, write.

Monday, August 28, 2017

An Intro to Pinterest Business and Board Covers

by Bethany Jett @BetJett


Last month we discussed some Pinterest basics, like choosing a great username and profile picture, writing a great a bio, the difference between public, secret, and collaborative boards, and briefly touched on business accounts. Today we’ll go a little more in-depth on the business account and how to create great covers for your boards.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

All-Consuming Praises

by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea




All-Consuming Praises. Not All-Consumed Pastries.

The other morning I woke up thinking…donuts. All thought processes were pretty much completely consumed with all things donutty, sugar-coated, fat-filled and mmmmm. So much so that when I got to the coffee shop, I contemplated eating the top three rows of pastries. Also there were only three rows of pastries. Yes, I wanted all the pastries. All of them.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

The Writers' Pledge

by Cathy Fyock @CathyFyock

One day I was meeting with a client who told me about the pledge that she and her grandson had written. It was an affirmation they would say together to set a powerful and positive intention for their day.

I thought it was a wonderful idea and decided to write my own Writers’ Pledge with input from my writer colleagues and clients. At the insistence of my coaching clients, we say it together at the beginning of every coaching call.

Friday, August 25, 2017

Tips to Create a Blog Post that Goes Viral

by Lori Hatcher @LoriHatcher2


Having a post go viral is a blogger’s dream. But much of what makes it happen is a mystery.

Or is it?

On June 15, 2014, I wrote a post called “Howto Know It’s God Speaking to You.” I created a graphic to accompany it that included a photo of my favorite place to read my Bible—on a porch swing at Edisto. The post contained a list of five ways I’ve experienced God speaking to me, so I superimposed the list onto the picture of the porch swing and my Bible. I posted it to Facebook and Pinterest. It got a few LIKES on FB and was repinned 20 or 30 times on Pinterest that week.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

5 Questions to Telling a Story

by Henry McLaughlin @RiverBendSagas

There are 5 questions to telling a story. Applying them to fiction will help us write amazing stories. What are these magical questions?

I first heard them in college as they applied to journalism. The 5 questions or signposts or guides to writing great stories are: Who? Where? When? What? Why?

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Creating Emotional Distance Can Add Dimension to Your Writing

by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Varying degrees of point of view (POV) allows the writer to establish emotional distance between the reader and the character. The distance is set in direct relationship to the role the character plays in the story, the mood, and voice.

The POV character takes the spotlight and has the most to lose or the highest stakes. Every word in the scene and subsequent internal reaction is filtered through the character’s sensory perception and life experiences.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Winning at the Social Media Game

by Molly Jo Realy @RealMoJo68

If you build it, they will come.
Social media (emphasis on social) is more than just "look at me." It's a mutual support.

When you place your focus on "social", "media" is just the means by which you connect. As writers, we are the first generation to have instant worldwide access. Why wouldn't you want a piece of that pie?

Sunday, August 20, 2017

The Labor That's Not In Vain

by Andy Lee @WordsByAndyLee


We can’t help it.

We live in a culture that applauds the loud, the successful, and the most known. And even though we are writers, and most of us prefer obscurity, it still would be nice to know if our writing affected someone for the good—actually, a lot of someones. Who doesn’t dream of being a best-seller?

Friday, August 18, 2017

Finding Time to Write When You're A Caregiver

Edie here. Today I'm excited to introduce you to my long-time writing friend, Emme Gannon. Emme has been in my life for many years and her gentle encouragement has always been a breath of fresh air. I've finally convinced her to share her insight with you as a regular columnist. Her insight as she manages full-time caregiving with full-time writing is an invaluable resource. Please give her a warm TWC welcome!


Finding Time 
to Write When
You're a Caregiver
by Emme Gannon 
@GannonEmme


One more hour before I had to be home to relieve my husband’s caregiver and I’d not met my writing goal. I’d driven to the park and found a vacant bench where I tried to relax to the sound of the Reedy River as it gushed over boulders and tumbled to rocks below. I inhaled the scent of the nectar-sweet flowers edging the river and silently asked God to de-clutter my mind so that words would come. Today was to be one of those days where thoughts of duties at home would march across my mind and snag my words.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

2 New Apps to Help Writers Reach Readers

by Cyle Young @CyleYoung

Have you  heard of the relatively new chat story craze?

Tap is a mobile phone app that drops you right into a story and you experience the story by reading someone else’s texts. Many of the chat stories fall within genres that are easy to wrap around short snippets of dialogue. Thriller, Suspense, Romance, Comedy, and Horror dominate the app.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

When You Doubt Your Calling as a Writer

by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28


We need you. Maybe you’re doubting your abilities as a writer. Maybe you’re new to writing and wonder if you can really fulfill God’s calling. Let me encourage you to play your song.

Each writer is like an instrument in an orchestra, and each instrument is needed. A single violin, although moving and beautiful, does not deliver the power of the brass section or the rhythm of the percussion instruments. An orchestra needs all of its instruments and musicians, just like the body of Christ needs all of its members. Just like the book market needs all of its writers.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

What’s an Award-Winning Author’s Deep Secret?

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel


So, this summer a miracle happened.

My book, Dwelling Places, received an award (Christian Retailing Best Devotional). Woo Hoo!

Oh, did I happen to mention that this is the twelfth book I’ve had published? And my very first book award?

No wonder it felt like a miracle.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

When Life Gets Overwhelming

by Sarah Van Diest @SarahVanDiest

I want to write to encourage you today, if today is a hard one for you. I would love to lift the gaze of your eyes from downward, focused on your path, to upward so you can see the Father’s smile as He looks at you.—So that whatever weight you carry will feel lighter, and so your heart will know the sweet sensation of rest and freedom.

But today I feel unfit for the task.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Stepping Out from the Shadow of Worry


by Beth Vogt @BethVogt

If I let myself, I could spend a lot of hours worrying.

About people I love.

About decisions I’ve made … or have to make … or about decisions others’ might make that affect me.

About finances. Isn’t there always a reason to worry about finances?

About my writing career.

About the future … in so many ways. 

Friday, August 11, 2017

Creative Nonfiction: What About Memoir?

by Marcia Moston @MarciaMoston


We might as well get the bad news out of the way first... 

Many are written but few are chosen.

We are a people fixated on reality TV shows. We are fascinated with sharing each other’s opinions in 140-character bytes, and are infatuated with posting the daily details of our lives on Facebook, along with the other two billion people doing the same.

So, given the popularity of peering into each other’s lives, why is it so hard to sell a memoir?

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Getting a Literary Agent—Am I Putting the Cart Before the Horse?

by Linda Gilden @LindaGilden

One of the most frequent questions I get from people getting started in the writing business is “How can I get an agent?” or “Can you help me find an agent?” Three people have already asked me that question this week and it is only Tuesday!

Before I answer those questions, let me say one thing I have discovered. Many people who ask those two questions are not ready for an agent. In fact, the entire publishing business often exhibits “cart before the horse” situations.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Tips to Develop Your Own Writing Mission Statement

by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted


I recently began attending an intense writing class. It’s true that a good writer never stops learning, and I want to always present my best work, so you can imagine my surprise when the first comment from the instructor was a question. What is your mission statement?

A mission statement was never something I considered for my writing. We have one in place for our ministry and for our conference, but a personal mission statement for my writing just never occurred to me.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Tips to Polish the Opening Paragraph of Whatever You're Writing

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

In the beginning . . . no.

It was the best of times, it was the worse . . . um, no.

It was a dark and stormy. . . definitely not.

The beginning of a devotion, an article, or a book can be the hardest part to write. And if you are writing from cover to cover, it will be the first hurdle you face.

Friday, August 4, 2017

Following Your Writing Dream—When God Says You Can, You Can

Edie here. Today I'm super excited to introduce a good friend and author, Andrea Merrell. She has a new book out, Marriage, Make It or Break It, and I persuaded her to share a post with us to celebrate. Be sure to learn more about her book below. For now, give her a warm TWC welcome.

When God Says You Can, You Can
by Andrea Merrell @AndreaMerrell

I’ve always said that God has a sense of humor when it comes to me, especially concerning my writing. He knows I can’t write or even use a recorder when driving, yet that’s when He chooses to give me a lot of ideas. Most of the time I have to pull the car over or wait until I get to a stop sign or red light to jot down a thought.

When my writing career began about twenty years ago, the Lord gave me a series of poems. Poems? Seriously, Lord? I don’t even care that much about poetry. But God obviously had a plan and purpose.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

A Book to Help Writers Persevere

by Lynn Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

I recently read a fascinating book, Grit - The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Dr. Angela Duckworth has studied successful students, athletes, soldiers, and even spelling bee champions in an effort to determine why some people succeed and others, well, don’t.

As you might guess from the title, the difference is grit. Grit is that intangible combination of passion and perseverance that ultimately trumps talent (your natural ability) and even skill (ability developed over time with practice). It’s the idea that someone less talented and less skillful could someday be on par, or even eclipse the achievements of their more innately talented and skilled peers because they were willing to put the effort into getting better.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

How to Edit Your Book – Four ways to look at it

by Sarah (Sally) Hamer @SarahSallyHamer


Okay, you’ve finished the book. Kudos! It was hard, time-consuming, and agonizing, but you finally got it done.

Next step? Send it out to all the agents and editors you’ve been courting, because one of them is going to snatch it up and make you a millionaire.

Right?

Wrong!

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Pinterest for Writers—Marketing

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict


Today we’re talking about the dreaded “M” word. No, not marriage—marketing! Specifically, how writers can use Pinterest to market their books.

Pinterest pulls together two critical things writers need: an interested audience and a place to share your book. The trick is to create boards that appeal to your readers. Then, include pins featuring your book with a link to where they can buy it.

You already have a feel for what your readers like. Now, it’s time to put that knowledge to work in your marketing. Here are three board types with plenty of examples to get you started.