This short podcast is filled with fantastic advice for writers aspiring to proclaim Christ through their work. Fiction writers may not teach the bible like these women do, but they are still accountable for the truths they proclaim in their fictitious work. It’s all for the glory of God.
Funny story.
After publishing Write Every Day in the for writers category, I had to go back and edit out a mistake. Thirteen mistakes. I used the word everyday wrong every time. Thirteen times. All incorrect.
Quick tip:
Everyday – ordinary. Not special.
Every day – doing something daily.
Boy, is my face red.
Eventually, someone will tell you that you’ve made a mistake. You’ll learn a new grammar rule or an old grammar rule and recognize the dozens of ways you’ve mishandled the English language. You can be embarrassed. You can get angry (at yourself). You can run and hide and vow never to publish again. Or, you can be teachable. You can hear, apply, learn, and grow.
I am not a perfect writer. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time you already know that. But, I continually learn and apply new knowledge so I can improve. I lean less on editors today than I did yesterday, but I still require LOADS of instruction.
I’ve discovered that most other writers will share their knowledge with a student eager to learn. Many editors will graciously explain tricky grammar rules when the student responds to their correction and advice with a teachable spirit. It’s not always about being perfect. It’s about being teachable.
When I learn something new, I write it down on the white board near my desk so I can refer to it easily. My editor or writer friends do not want to continually correct the same mistakes over and over again. They want me to improve. So when someone is teaching, LISTEN. Then, APPLY their advice to all drafts before sending them back for another critique.
I don’t catch every POV slip in one edit. I don’t correct every telling scene on a first pass. However, there should be a marked improvement with each pass and it is helpful to organize your edits.
I do multiple edits, each one focusing on something different. The first edit focuses on the big picture/main plot line/ does it make sense/and do I answer all the questions. The next is an edit in the heroine’s POV. I focus on her emotional/spiritual growth and her story arc. The next edit is in the hero’s POV and I focus on his emotional/spiritual growth and his story arc. I devote an entire edit to the romance, making sure the pacing is right. I take my time, addressing things one at a time. Finally, the last edit is grammar and punctuation. My weakest area.
I do my best to ensure I send my editor the cleanest draft possible. I have friends, further along in this writing world, who graciously look over my work at various points to help me see the story with fresh eyes. They always see things that I have missed. Always.
After completing a first draft, I take a long break and celebrate the victory of having the bones of a book on paper. Then, after a rest, I start the long stretch of edits. If you give yourself some distance from the story, you may find yourself enjoying the edits rather than hating them.
You’ll send your best work to the publisher. You’ll send it after rounds and rounds of edits. You’ll send it after it has been critiqued by others in the writing community. You’ll send it when it is the best you can make it.
Then, be teachable when it sells and the publisher begins the editing process afresh.
Before I start, I want to address my non-writing readers. You will want to read to the end of this post and learn how you can win a $20 Amazon gift card from me!
Now, to those who write, want to write, are afraid to write, or are just curious about the mind of a writer…most of us battle fear. But what exactly do writers fear? Are all fears the same? How can we overcome fear and succeed?
First, there are different kinds of fear.
Fear of Failure Questions:
The Fear of Failure Lie:
Fear of Failure Truth:
Fear of Success Questions:
Fear of Success Lies:
Fear of Success Truth:
Fear of Self Promotion Questions:
Fear of Self Promoting Lies:
Fear of Self Promoting Truths:
All the above sub-fears share one core fear: Fear of man. What will people think of me, my work, my message? But I am not called to fear man. I am called to fear God.
The bigger question is: Do I fear the Lord? Because if I do, than I know my life isn’t about me. It’s about Him. The truth is, I will get some things wrong. I won’t always say it right, write it right, or be right. But God hasn’t called me to perfection. He has called me to repentance and obedience. He has called me to develop and use my gifts for His glory.
I’ve battled all three of these fears in the weeks leading up to this Friday. This Friday, I am celebrating the release of Glorious Surrender. Getting to this point has forced me to surrender even more to the Lord.
Come on back Friday, Nov 4th to this blog and celebrate a social media book launch party! I will be hosting in three places: my Facebook writer page, twitter, and on my blog. Visit any of those places and comment about surrender between 10:00am and 9:00pm EST for your chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card. See full contest rules here
Write every day. Those two words were the most repeated advice offered to me as a new writer. However, there was a huge discrepancy between what was said to me and what I actually heard.
Said: “Write every day.”
Heard: “Write novel material every day.”
Said: “Write every day.”
Heard: “It only counts if the writing is on your major writing project.”
Said: “Write every day.”
Heard: “If it doesn’t benefit the novel, it is a waste of time.”
A new writer writes every day because it is through the practise of writing that improvement is achieved. A new writer writes every day because it develops a habit that increases ones chances of reaching success. A new writer writes every day because no one masters a craft in which they half-heartedly invest. So yes, write every day.
It’s amazing that two simple words could be misunderstood for so long. To prevent you from repeating my mistake from years ago, let me clarify. Write every day means write something. Anything. Novel project? Sure. Brainstorm a new project? Sure. Work on a blog post? Sure. Trade your fiction for non-fiction? Sure. Simply write.
Something.
Anything.
Write.
As you string words together it contributes to your ability to write well. You learn to tighten your thoughts. You learn to structure your sentences. You learn to present information in a logical fashion. These are all necessary skills for every kind of writing.
My best advice to a new author? Love what you do, but don’t so tightly define what you do that you fail to recognize the value in all others styles and genres of writing. Love your fiction work (if publishing a novel is your dream). But don’t devalue non-fiction, poetry, research, blogs, articles, or newspaper work. Sometimes, dipping your toe into a different pond sends out ripples of creativity.
Publishing my first novel was my dream. However, I took a break that stretched over a few years and worked for a magazine, freelanced for various small publications, and worked on writing classes. I wrote every day for years and misbelieved I was failing because it wasn’t on my novel. What wasted years beating myself up! I would not have been able to rework that novel without those years of writing non-fiction. Those years schooled me in the art of writing. Those years—those writing classes—sharpened my skills.
Write on, my friend. And don’t fear taking a break from your major project. All writing is profitable when you are doing your best to write better today than you did yesterday.
Yes, those favourite books lining your shelves, you know – the ones you go back to again and again because they are just that good – can help you get published. But, before we go there, let’s lay out some cautions about comparing your unfinished to work to someone’s finished, professionally edited, and published work.
Every author, aspiring and published, eventually falls prey to comparison. Why can’t I complete a manuscript as fast as so and so? Why isn’t my book ranking like this person’s book? Why isn’t my blog getting the same amount of traffic as that one? Will I ever write as well as [insert favourite author here]?
The problem with comparing is that it sets the bar unrealistically high, especially if you are comparing your beginners work to someone’s advanced work. Comparing tempts you to beat yourself up for not reaching those unrealistic goals. It tunes your ears into someone else’s unique voice when they should be tuned into your voice.
What if you spent as much energy as you do comparing yourself to others on finding your own writing groove? What if you embraced the limitations that come with your current season of life and enjoyed however much or little writing time you have? What if your stress about not measuring up was transformed into being the best writer that YOU can be?
The next time you close a book that stirred deep emotion, instead of immediately comparing your work-in-progress to that finished book, go back and study it like a textbook. Study like you’re a month from graduation and you need to up your GPA to graduate.
Why were those your favourite parts? What verbs did the author use to convey urgency? What words created a visceral response? Did the author use many adverbs or adjectives? How wordy or tightly written was the scene?
Save those notes and refer back to them when you are struggling with a dead scene.
Sometimes a little comparing is good if you approach it from a healthy point of view. Did you know Gone with the Wind was rejected 38 times before it was published? Your pile of rejections doesn’t look so bad now, does it? Even the “greats” struggled.
Did you know it is reported that it took Margaret Mitchell TEN years to write Gone with the Wind? Maybe taking a whole year, or two or three, isn’t as wrong or unprofessional as you thought?
If you’re determined to compare yourself to another writer, avoid the headlines that lead you back into the trap. Skip the “self-published, debut author makes millions” because the likelihood of your novel or my novel making a million is slim. (But, we can keep hoping!) Instead, read the info that encourages you to be the best writer you can. Work at your own pace. Develop your own voice. Tell your own story—because no one else can write your story.
Understanding why you love certain books or writing styles can help you improve that manuscript and earn that book contract.
All for His glory,
Stacey
I started The Builder’s Reluctant Bride’s manuscript (then titled First Love) on my daughter’s first day of school back in Sept, 2008.
Doesn’t she look cute?
It took one year to write and edit the manuscript and it was promptly rejected for publication from several publishers by Nov 2009. The most notable rejection was from White Rose Publishers. Here’s what they wrote:
When an editor takes the time to make specific comments about your manuscript, be teachable. Editors are bombarded with submissions and many send a “form letter” rejection. (I have stacks of those too.) I could have been offended at the editor’s advice to keep studying the craft of writing. I could have self-published when a self-publisher called and offered me a deal. I could have been cocky and wrongly believed I had nothing left to learn. Had I done that, I would have missed out on the beautiful world of friendships within the writing community.
As sad as that rejection made me feel, I did as she suggested and signed up for writing classes where I met wonderful people who share my passion. I read LOADS of books about the craft of writing. I found a writing mentor (shout out to fantastic writer friend: Sandra Orchard), and I found a writing community where I learned that I had a LOT to learn about writing for the glory of God. I set aside the manuscript to study. I worked on smaller projects, freelanced for magazines, landed a job as a reporter, and eventually found myself looking at that first story again. Could I apply all that I had learned and make this publishable?
It was a lot of hard work to rewrite that manuscript. The story changed so much that I eventually changed the characters names to reflect their new identities. Sarah became Jenna, Dan became William, and First Love became The Builder’s Reluctant Bride.
Interestingly, White Rose is the imprint under Pelican Book Group that just released The Builder’s Reluctant Bride this month. My very first rejection is also my very first publisher.
Sometimes life is funny that way…
My advice to you is the same advice graciously given to me by that kind editor many years ago (who funnily enough was the same person to request the full manuscript of First Love the second time around). Study the craft, be teachable to instruction from those more experienced, and write on!
Dedication page inside The Builder’s Reluctant Bride
All for His glory,
Stacey