Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Team Hope

“God doesn’t miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you’ve shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don’t drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them.” (Hebrews 6:10-12 MSG)

Idaho Public Television recently ran a program on Adventure Racing. They followed a four person team through sixty-three miles of biking, twenty-two miles on foot, nineteen miles of kayaking across a lake (complete with a storm and lightning), and a frigid swim across Button Hook Bay.

Not only do the competitors have to complete this grueling course, but also find a series of mandatory checkpoints and optional controls. Whew!

Team members encourage one another, talking, keeping tabs on each person’s progress – both mentally and physically. The race can’t be completed alone, and each member is needed.

Life’s challenges often stack up like an Adventure Race, and the trials seem daunting. 
To read the rest, please link to Writer Interrupted, Team Hope


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Scribbles: If You're Going to a Writer's Conference

Scribbles: If You're Going to a Writer's Conference




Conference time is here. Are you planning to go? 
Many of my writing friends are getting their manuscripts, 
and nerves ready to put their precious babies out on 
display.

I've been to three ACFW (American Christian Fiction 
Writers) conferences, and one North Texas Christian 
Writers conference. I was blessed to be surrounded by
friends I knew that helped and encouraged me through 
it all. Conferences can be both inspiring and dream 
crushing, all at the same time. But if you go prepared, 
not just mentally, but spiritually, down in your heart, 
you will survive and the experience is so worth it.

To read the rest... If You're Going to a Writer's Conference

From the Heart: Painting with Words by Andy Scheer

From the Heart: Painting with Words by Andy Scheer:
Painting with Words by Andy Scheer

Last week I made a plea for writers to put their name on their papers.

I wrote, “A title like ‘Full Proposal for Hartline Literary’ may help you identify that document, but in the computer of a Hartline agent, it sticks out like one more penguin on the iceberg.”

Afterward, several readers commented on that phrase, “one more penguin on the iceberg”—how it caught their attention and communicated the essence of the situation.

That's the power of a word picture. And it’s one of the elements I look for when I evaluate a piece of writing. Does the writer have the knack to pick a phrase, to craft a fresh bit of verbal shorthand to sum up a situation and communicate it memorably?


The Ultimate Writer's Tool

The Ultimate Writer’s Tool
Lisa Buffaloe


Today I’m writing on writing, so my desk and bookshelves are scattered with tools of my trade.

Books, conferences, mentoring clinics, critique groups, and a bevy of online authors/agents/editors/publishers/marketers blogs are available in abundance.

I could stay so busy reading about writing, and learning about writing, that I would never accomplish any writing. To be honest, I have many of those days.

To read the rest, please visit... The Ultimate Writer's Tool

Thursday, August 25, 2011

A Matter of Perspective



by Tamela Hancock Murray
During a recent visit to my local bank, I produced a document bearing the Virginia State seal. The banker commented on how terrible the seal is for men.
To read the rest, A Matter of Perspective


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Finding Your Voice by Lisa Buffaloe

My friends don’t talk, think, dress, act, or look alike. Not one is a clone of the other. And I love that!

I love their unique qualities…from the quirky friend who rattles off one-liners with the speed of a machine gun, to my friend who reads and studies her Bible so much the pages are falling out. Or the girlfriend who gives the best hugs, and the friend who has the gift of organization, and the one who has the gift of hospitality and cooking (neither of which, I might add, are my strong points). I wouldn’t want any of my friends to change. I cherish them for who they are.

Editors, agents, and publishers are looking for authors with unique qualities and a voice all their own. So how on earth do you find your voice?

To read the rest, please link to… Finding Your Voice 

Cec Murphey's Writer to Writer: Setting and Background in Fiction (Part 6 of 8)

Cec Murphey's Writer to Writer: Setting and Background in Fiction (Part 6 of 8): If we choose the right background, the setting itself can become an element of suspense. What if she is to meet someone at the Vietnam Memor...  To read the rest... http://cecmurpheyswritertowriter.blogspot.com/2011/08/setting-and-background-in-fiction-part_23.html

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Finish the Book by Kathleen Y'Barbo


Finish the Book

by Kathleen Y'Barbo

Some people have no trouble writing books. Words flow and contracts arrive almost as frequently as 747s land at LAX. Life is good and so are the royalty checks. Is this your idea of the writing life? Guess what? That’s fiction. Writing is work. Sometimes hard work. Not for the faint of heart or those prone to dropping projects before they’re done.

To read the rest... A Procrastinator’s Guide to Getting to THE END and Hitting Send
http://writerinterrupted.com/2011/08/16/finish-the-book/


Sunday, August 21, 2011

I was annoyed, but now I’m hacked!

WRITTEN BY: EDDIE SNIPES - AUG• 16•11

My dad just received a phone call from the church secretary. “Mr. Snipes, did you know you are sending us emails for Viagra?”

Imagine that. Deacon George sending Viagra ads to all his friends and church associates. I thought it was funny, but he was hacked. In every sense of the word.


We’ve all seen the ads. Our friends post links to our Facebook wall about how they lost three times their body weight on this new amazing diet. We get emails from someone with a link to buy various drugs from an overseas pharmacy without a prescription. Hot stocks, secret bargains, or the infamous video where you are informed, “I can’t believe what I saw you doing at that party – click here”

Friday, August 19, 2011

Erica Vetsch On The Write Path: One Sheet


One Sheet


So, all the buzz this last month before the ACFW Conference is centered around mental and phyiscal preparation. One of the big facets of preparation is the One-Sheet/Pitch Sheet/Sell Sheet. This piece of paper goes by a lot of names, and it causes a lot of consternation and fear in unpublished authors, but basically it's a sheet of paper that tells what you've written and why you think it is cool. It is to be used during your agent or editor appointments or if you happen to have a moment with an agent, editor, mentor, or otherwise interested party to help you organize your thoughts and give you something to refer to and/or hang on to so your hands won't shake.

Often I hear the question "What goes on a One-Sheet?"

So I thought I would show you the One-Sheet....

To read the rest, please link to...Erica Vetsch On The Write Path: One Sheet


Freebie Writing Books through Amazon

Rules of Writing: http://www.amazon.com/Roberts-Rules-of-Writing-ebook/dp/B00506WXAE/ref=zg_bstf_digital-text_16

Portable MFA: http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Creative-Writing-Workshop-ebook/dp/B0033ZAVVM/ref=pd_sim_kinc_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Grammatically Correct: http://www.amazon.com/Grammatically-Correct-ebook/dp/B003YJEYDI/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

En-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part One)


En-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part One)
by Karen Ball
One of the most difficult—and important—things we did when I worked in the publishing house was come up with titles for our authors’ novels.

To read the rest....En-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part One)



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Writing Tip from Help Me Tell My Story

Rejections

Focus on giving publishers what they want. Celebrate each rejection as a learning opportunity. Look for clues to better style and topic selection. If you’re not getting worse, you’re getting better. Improvement matters most.

To see other great tips and information for writers, please visit... Help Me Tell My Story


Monday, August 15, 2011

Back to School? | The Steve Laube Agency


Back to School?

by Steve Laube
Depending on where you live and your school district policies you may already be in a back-to-school mode or preparing for it.
It got me to thinking about the need for all writers to always have a “back to school” mentality.
Here are five things we can learn from always going “back to school.”

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Fire at Will, but aim for his funny bone!


Fire at Will, but aim for his funny bone!
WRITTEN BY: EDDIE SNIPES 
Using Humor in Writing

Everyone likes a little humor in writing. A chuckle can break the tension and give the reader a mind break. It’s one of those emotions that snap us out of a dull state of mind, energizes us, and opens the door to a positive reading experience – including ones that introduce other emotions.

Humor in writing is like playing peek-a-boo with your conscious mind. There is an element of surprise in every bit of humor. We laugh when our mind is following a normal train of thought,

To read the rest... Fire at Will, but aim for his funny bone!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Kathryn Stockett's 'The Help" Turned Down 60 Times Before Becoming a Best Seller


Kathryn Stockett's 'The Help' Turned Down 60 Times Before Becoming a Best Seller

Katherine Sockett
Photographed by Ben Hoffmann










If you ask my husband my best trait, he’ll smile and say, “She never gives up.” But if you ask him my worst trait, he’ll get a funny tic in his cheek, narrow his eyes and hiss, “She. Never. Gives. Up.”

It took me a year and a half to write my earliest version of The Help. I’d told most of my friends and family what I was working on. Why not? We are compelled to talk about our passions. When I’d polished my story, I announced it was done and mailed it to a literary agent.

Six weeks later, I received a rejection letter from the agent, stating, “Story did not sustain my interest.” I was thrilled! I called my friends and told them I’d gotten my first rejection! Right away, I went back to editing. I was sure I could make the story tenser, more riveting, better.

To read the rest...http://shine.yahoo.com/event/poweryourfuture/kathryn-stocketts-the-help-turned-down-60-times-before-becoming-a-best-seller-2523496/



Natalia Gortova: OVER THE EDGE Brandilyn Collins


OVER THE EDGE Brandilyn Collins







Brandilyn Collins’ novels are touted as ‘seatbelt suspense’, and Over The Edge is no exception, but with a unique twist. Jannie McNeil is..."

To read the rest, Natalia Gortova: Review, OVER THE EDGE Brandilyn Collins: "

Responding to Criticism | The Steve Laube Agency


Responding to Criticism

by Tamela Hancock Murray
When someone tells me she’s not sure she wants me to read her manuscript, I know she’s not ready for publication. Such sentiment shows a lack of confidence and a fear of both rejection and criticism. Even though readers usually treat writers with respect, a critical word can puncture the heart.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

James Scott Bell on Snatching Time

Fun video by James Scott Bell

Show or Tell: How Do You Know? | The Steve Laube Agency


Show or Tell: 

How Do You Know?

by Karen Ball
As we discussed last week, it’s okay to tell at times, but in fiction you want to show the important, emotion-laden scenes. That way the reader gets the vicarious experience along with the character. So how do you know when you’re telling rather than showing? Here are a few tips: Show or Tell: How Do You Know? | The Steve Laube Agency

Questions regarding Agents

Literary agent, Wendy Lawton has some excellent information regarding agents. Please visit her at...http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Exquisite Sentences

"Now I found it in writing sentences. You can write that sentence in a way that you would have written it last year. Or you can write it in the way of the exquisite nuance that is sriting in your mind now. But that takes a lot of ... waiting for the right word to come." — Joseph Campbell 

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Show, Don’t Tell | The Steve Laube Agency


Show, Don’t Tell

by Karen Ball
I’m From Missouri—SHOW me!
Okay, truth be told, I’m from Oregon. But in the 30 years I’ve been editing fiction, I’ve discovered a number of issues almost all writers face, regardless of how much they’ve written or been published. If I had to pick the top issue I see over and over, it would be Show, Don’t Tell.


Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Beyond the Churchyard: Christiany Fiction

Beyond the Churchyard: Christiany Fiction: (Chance for a free Starbucks card below. ) Should Christian fiction always have a 'conversion scene? I have been mulling over this thought..."
To read the rest and comment, please link to...http://hilarey.blogspot.com/2011/08/christiany-fiction.html

Your Voice

"Writers live with many fears--of success, of failure, of a ten year project garnering a one year paycheck. Their greatest fear, however, is of their own intimate voice, and they find many ways to subvert hearing it."
--The Artful Edit by Susan Bell

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Thomas Merton on writing


"If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men--you may make some money and you may give someone a little joy and you may make a noise in the world, for a little while." — Thomas Merton 

Scribbles: Day 344: Writing Blog Spotlight

Yay! Fliterary is blessed to be featured today on Scribbles!

Scribbles: Day 344: Writing Blog Spotlight: "Today I'd like to spotlight a friend's site called Fliterary . Is that even a real word? I don't know, but we writers are famous for maki..."

To read the rest.... http://jackie-castle.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-344-writing-blog-spotlight.html


Monday, August 1, 2011

Three Questions About Publicity


Three Questions About Publicity

by Steve Laube


Publicity is the art of telling the world about you and your book. We recently received a few questions about publicity via the green button you see in the right hand column of our blog (yes, it really works).

1.) When should a writer hire a publicist? I think an author should wait to see what their publisher will provide in this area. If you do hire a publicist make sure they coordinate with your publisher so as to not duplicate efforts. (Don’t aggravate your local TV station with multiple PR contacts.)
To read the rest....Three Questions About Publicity