Hoosier Ink

Time and Blood

2012-02-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

I always wonder how someone can write in coffee shops or restaurants and get anything done. Complete strangers will come up to someone writing and feel free to ask all kinds of questions about it.Usually the verbal exchange will end with, "Oh, you know, I could write a book. But I don't have as much time as you."

Tell me, writers, how many of you have heard that? Have you even said it before you started? Another common lament is "If only I didn't have a day job!"

In other words, the writer MAKING time to write is obviously a layabout and lazy person who gets scads of money and probably smokes and drinks (or at least drinks coffee) and eats DeBrand's chocolate all day. Their words go on the page like pouring melted butter on hot bread with an ending to leave the reader full and satisfied. Right? Is that how it is with you?

Ernest Hemingway said, "There isnothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." (Nowadays that's called a keyboard, Ernie.)

My friend, W. Terry Whalin, a writer and editor and publisher wrote a very helpful book, Book Proposals That $ell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success. He has this in his book, "Jerrold Jenkins, CEO of this group [Jenkins Group,] estimates that more than 6 million Americans have actually written a manuscript--just over 2 percent of the population. Publishers Weekly recently said that more than 1,000 books were published each week during 2003."

That sounds like a lot, but it really isn't. Writing the book is the first big battle, but getting it published is a whole new battle. If you have a desire to write a book, then the first thing to do is to find the time to write first. Then, you must find out all you can about writing craft, professionalism and the proper channels to take in order to sell your book, too.

This takes time, as any published author, editor or agent will tell you. But again, the first thing to do is put your behind in the chair and crank out the story. That's easier said than done. It helps if you have an ending, but most authors will tell you that they did not just sit there bleeding out words and--shazzam!--it was published. There is a lot of stuff in between "Once upon a time" to "The End."

How do you find the time? Well, you cut something out.of.your.life. in order to become proficient at that thing you desire. A doctor doesn't just decide to be a doctor and walk into a hospital and say, "Hey,I'm going to doctor on you now. I finally made the decision."

And also, a wannabe writer doesn't just call up an editor and say, "Hey, I've got this idea for a book, I know you're going to love it." Or worse,(well, depends on if you're an editor or a writer, I suppose) you don't approach a writer/author and say, "I have a great idea for you to write for me." (Believe me, most authors have enough of their own ideas. That's another business relationship entirely--one YOU pay for.)

One prolific author I know was a full-time wife, full-time mom/then grandmother and a court reporter. She typed all day long. But when she decided to start writing fiction and "live her dream," she took a night class with author/professor, Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, at the university where he started a professional writing major in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Taylor University. (This program is now at Taylor University, Upland, IN.) She got up extra early every morning to write before typing at her job all day, never knowing if she’d ever publish. She admitted that she is not a morning person.Then, she’d go to her night class once a week. (I was in that class with her.)

Today she is doing what she loves--an "overnight success"--Diann Hunt took many years to become that overnight success, and a lot of behind in her chair. You can check out her blog with her writing buddies at http://www.girlswriteout.blogspot.com/. Even though life hasn't been easy these days, she continues to write. She made the decision to write and make time to improve, too. Check out The Girls Write Out gang of Diann Hunt, Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck and Denise Hunter (3/4ths of these women are Hoosier ACFW authors, and we just love Kristin, too.) :) which just published the book Smitten (Thomas Nelson.) (Also, note Hannah Alexander, another one of the Girls Write Out crew.) Every one of those girls started off putting in time and money to learn to write, the rejections, the years of not publishing.

You make the decision to WRITE and to give up something in your life in order to do what you love. Where you spend your time says a lot about what you are passionate about--but you have to make those choices. Joining the American Christian Fiction Writers is a great place to make that step to excellence and commitment. Once you join ACFW, and if you live in Indiana, do come join our chapter! (And if you live somewhere else, there are chapters all over, even for international members.)

"It's nevertoo late to become what you might have been." George Eliott said. Just start today. Take that step.

If you're a writer/author, what do you give up to follow this dream? Do you have advice for anyone who might come across this site?

And, if you want to be a writer, what could you do to free up some time each week to write?

Crystal Laine Miller

Is what you read believable?

2012-02-07T05:05:00.000-05:00

One of the lessons I learned early as a writer was to write what I know. That's why my first heroine had the name Dani, lived in Lincoln, NE, and worked at a TV station. That's why my second hero and heroine were based on my grandparents and their love story in my hometown of North Platte, NE. That's also why Ciara Turner, the heroine of Dying for Love in Cherry Blossom Capers, is an attorney living in the neighborhood she does in the D.C. area.

You see, I went to law school inside the Beltway at George Mason University School of Law. One goal of many law students is to land a prestigious clerkship between graduation and that first law firm job. We start preparing for the application process in our second year. Then we send out approximately 100 packets of information to sitting judges. In my case, that packet included a copy of my published casenote, plus cover letter, resume, and more. I was targeting judges in Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, Iowa, Nebraska, and a couple other places.

Because I thought I might want to teach at some point, a clerkship was an important piece of the puzzle. It plain looks good. But it also gave me an incredible opportunity to see the legal system from a judge's perspective. After interviewing with several US district court or magistrate court judges, I was blessed to land a clerkship with Senior Judge Loren Smith of the Court of Federal Claims. It was a great experience. One that has opened many doors for me.

So if you read Dying for Love and wonder if the relationship between former clerks and their judge is realistic, it is. When you are working for a judge and taking his thoughts and legal theories to craft drafts of opinions and legal memos, you develop a deep relationship. One that would make you think you are better equipped than the marshals or deputies assigned to find his killer.

Have you ever wondered if something you read was believable?

Learn more about Cara Putman and her books at her website.

Writing Through Emotional Pain

2012-02-06T11:58:00.000-05:00

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Lifehappens. And sometimes it happens painfully. Professional writers must writeeven when their hearts are broken, and life is delivering its most powerfulpunches.

I’ve losttwo dear friends within a few months of one another and have anotherdevastating situation in my family right now. Crying myself to sleep,navigating my days in a vice-like fog and swallowing a constant lump in mythroat—these physical reactions to emotional pain challenge my ability,nay, my desire to write. But write Imust, because, you see, I’m a writer. And that’s what we do. And the publishingworld doesn’t care that I have issues. The publishing world will go right alongpublishing without me.

The only waywe can write through hard days is to keep our focus. And frankly, the only waywe can survive through hard days isto keep our focus. The focus isn’t on the writing. The focus for the Christianwriter is on Him.

Psalm 22:5says, They cried to you and were saved;in you they trusted and were not disappointed (NIV).

In KayArthur’s book, As Silver Refined: Answersto Life's Disappointments, she writes about how life’s disappointments arereally His Appointments. By changing just one letter in the word, we have awhole new perspective because the focus is on Him.

We can trustHim, even when things don’t make sense.

We can trustHim to give us the words to write even when we’re so broken we can barely moveour pen over the page, or our fingers across the keyboard.

We can cryunto God, and not be disappointed.

We will be appointed.

We willwrite.

"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later"

(Revelation 1:19, NIV).

Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, grandma to five beautiful little girls and author of O Canada! Her Story. She lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, and three silly dogs. Her favorite color is purple, favorite hobby is book-hoarding, and favorite food group is cupcakes.

Making the Most of the Time

2012-02-04T00:01:00.001-05:00

A forty-something friend posted this message to her Facebook page on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:

People are up far. too. early. - and are far. too. productive.! - on a day off. Clearly, we define 'holiday' differently.

I replied:

Are you kidding? I'd made a trip to the store, had breakfast, and wrote a couple of pages on my novel before 9 AM. And Judy went to the office. We old folks gotta "make the most of the time," 'cause we have less of it.

Funny, my friend didn't respond to that. (Maybe she'd gone back to bed.) But I stand by what I said, because I do feel a greater urgency to be productive as the years speed by. That exchange also started me thinking about ways I've learned to make better use of my time as a writer. Here are three obvious (but oft-neglected) principles:

1. Put First Things First. That particular morning, I began writing right after my devotional time. Before checking my e-mail, putting out the trash, washing the dishes, or doing a dozen other good things that I usually do before I start writing.

Following James Scott Bell's advice, I wrote my "nifty 350" (first 350 words) before taking a break to do any of those "good" things. Since I'm slow to warm up on a Monday, that first 350 took an hour to write. But after checking my e-mailbox and assauging my guilt with the other chores, the next 350 came a lot faster.

On many days, I've put those "good" things first and never did any writing at all. I've come to realize that all those "good" things are not the first things I need to do as a writer.

2. Write What's Ready to Write. Writing historical novels, I spend a lot of time on research. If I'm not careful, research can take the place of writing, especially if I get bogged down trying to mine the facts about a particular person or event related to my story.

My second novel takes place in 1932, when one of the main characters attends the Democratic Convention where FDR was first nominated as President. I discovered a wealth of research information about that event -- books, newspaper articles, even You Tube videos. Before I realized it, I had invested two weeks in research with no writing, and the end of research wasn't in sight.

So I started writing the next chapter while I kept on researching the convention. Eventually, I had to stop indulging in all that delicious research and finish my chapter about the convention; but in the meantime, I'd written several thousand words beyond that.

3. Resist the Temptation to Edit as You Write. We all know this principle, don't we? And at some time or other, we all violate it, don't we?

Certainly, we need to allow generous time for revision. Theodore Rees Cheney says about 75 percent of our time should be spent in revision, the other 25 percent in writing. I'll not debate that idea, but simply make this observation: If I spend all my time revising, my work will stall like a stunt plane in a steep climb. And we know what happens after that!

Scripture counsels us to be "making the most of the time because the days are evil." Take it from a sixty-something guy: The days are fleeting, too, so I want to squeeze from them every drop of juice I can get.

"I don't care."

2012-02-02T01:00:00.001-05:00

Last night, after I finished page 244 of a 378-page novel, I came to a decision: I wouldn't finish this novel. Why not? Because the author had created a hero who left me apathetic. After 244 pages, I realized, "I don't care what happens next."

Please understand, I do enjoy reading. Finding a novel that grabs the imagination like Velcro and keeps your mind engaged all the way to "The End" is a sweet experience. Unfortunately, the author of the novel that I abandoned failed to do that, at least for me. Since I have far less time for pleasure reading than I'd like, there's simply no reason to waste pleasure-reading time on books that don't capture my imagination.

I pondered the cause of my apathy. Was there no action? Sure, there was action, including a a couple chapters with explosions, a chase scene, a kidnapping, the sinking of a boat, and other dangers. Was the grammar or other style flawed? No, the grammar, punctuation, and style were all fine. I never spotted a single error in mechanics.

The shortcoming was in the main character. Although the hero was handsome, intelligent, and brave, the author had given no reason for me to cheer for this person. I had no reason to care whether he survived or not. What were the hero's goals and aspirations in life? Beats me. What did he think about? Again, no clue. The reader simply followed this guy from one page to the next, watching him face problems and escape dangers, but never truly caring about him as a human being. On the screen of my mind, I "watched" his exploits, but the author gave no insight into the character's mind and soul.

I'm thankful for this experience. As a writer, I too must bring my characters to life in such a way that readers will care, will want to know whether they succeed or fail, whether they live or die. If we writers fail to accomplish that, then we will have no readers. Our fiction will become pointless.

Have you ever read (or at least started) a book that you purposely decided not to finish? If so, what did you find lacking?

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Ramblings on Romances

2012-02-01T00:32:00.003-05:00

Christian love stories. Not a genre I usually read. Perhaps it goes back to childhood. My father forbid me to watch soap operas or read love stories. He contended they made women overly emotional. I've got to say, he had a point. I've watched friends, nieces, and some of my daughter's acquaintances who are secular soap and romance fans. The drama they create in real life is embarrassing, ridiculous, and destructive.Does it have to be that way? What is it that separates Christian romance from general market?

Of course, there is the lack of sex. Today's Christian romance can admit the existence of sex and sexual attraction without characters indulging in it. There are some who would claim that isn't realistic. Some also claim it's unrealistic to have a trucker who doesn't swear or a dock loader who isn't a neanderthal. Yet in the real world—by that, I mean the world as I experience it—truckers and dock loaders can be followers of Christ who conscientiously and thoughtfully live their witness without profanity. People learn from what they read. Characters influence readers.

I remember how much I learned about life from the fiction I read as a small child: The Five Little Peppers series, Little Women, and Rose in Bloom. These taught me conduct, the value of prayer and faith, and consideration. What I read, I mimicked. (The point being made, I won't speak of the preteen years where I read stuff I wouldn't read today, which, of course, affected me negatively.)

There is value in Christian romance as characters respect themselves and others, and pay a price if they don't. Rather than being strictly social, a fall gives opportunity to learn of forgiveness, grace, and redemption. Compare Anna Karenina to Angel in Redeeming Love. In real life, who doesn't need forgiveness, grace, and redemption?

Fictional stories that have impacted me are Coming Home, These Is My Words, Love Comes Softly, Color the Sidewalk for Me, and Demon. A great story will endure even amateur writing, for example, The Shack. (The title alone scared me into avoiding it for months. The story stays with me because it bears truth.)

In spite of my initial disclaimer, there is an element of romance in each of these books, regardless of genre. Yes, even Demon and The Shack are stories of God's love for us, His Bride. He is sooo in love with us!

A recent study at York University found fiction readers were more compassionate in real life than non-fiction readers. Reading activated the part of the brain dealing with emotive response, with empathy. In other words, the reader learned from a vicarious experience. Fascinating, and not simply because it backs up what I've always believed: stories are powerful. Jesus knew this. He engaged the crowd through parables.

Most authors know this at some level, too. So, where's the romance in your stories? Is it overt or covert? What emotional/relational threads enhance your sci-fi, fantasy, or crime novel? Who are you hoping to influence? What romantic ribbon of any genre impacted you? Speak up, writers. I'd love to hear your comments.

The Best Part of Waking Up...

2012-01-30T07:12:00.003-05:00

What’s your best part of waking up every morning? Is it Folgers in your cup? Pancakes and sausage? Reading your daily devotions and morning news?

The best part of waking up for me is the peace and quiet around the house, and a chance to read the day’s devotions from “Jesus Calling,” along with a quick K-cup of coffee.

Over the years, I’ve found that my day runs so much smoother if I connect with God first, and then move on with the rest of my daily routine. And this is an example of what I mean by a smoother day:

I had a leisurely twenty minutes to deposit money at my bank down the road, and then pick up my daughter from school. But twenty minutes flew by quickly when I discovered AFTER I left the bank that they gave me some elderly man’s cash and driver’s license.

I know this doesn’t sound like a smooth day, but looking back—the poor guy got his cash and driver’s license back, my daughter eventually got picked up from school and we’re all okay. Smooth I said, not perfect.

Anyway, there are so many great devotional books to read, and currently I really like this one written by Sarah Young.

“Jesus Calling” is filled with short one-page daily readings written in first person as if Jesus were speaking directly to you. Of course, these readings are not inspired as Scripture is, but definitely a way to draw us closer to Him.

What's the best part of your day, after you're awake? Have you ever heard that your mind is freshest at the beginning of the day? For me, I believe it’s true. It’s the best time of day to schedule writing assignments. I think it would be great to finish my writing quota for the day, before I’m too exhausted to put my fingers to the keyboard.

Notice that I said, “I think it would be great.” What I really need now is some discipline for staying in my chair to write, and staying out of social media until I’m finished writing for the day…

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” --Psalm 118:24
~Marjorie DeVries

Keeping Your Tiggers and Eeyores in Line

2012-01-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Do you ever hear someone get asked a question and wish they asked you?

This was my case in June, 2005. I sat in a Toastmaster club as area governor elect. (Okay, technically I was appointed. Details, details.) The theme for the meeting was Winnie the Pooh, a theme well used by the Topics Master.

My question was what I would write if I wrote a children's book. That was a fun question. I told them I'd write about an otter raised by a family of beavers. You can imagine what that's like. The otter wants to play while his adoptive parents are getting him to work on the dam. This otter would meet a wolf taken in by a cougar family. “I want to be part of the pack.” “What pack? We aren't a pack.”

However, when I heard the next question, I wished I had gotten that one instead.

“You are Winnie the Pooh. You've been given a free counseling session. Now, you're well adjusted and don't need it. Will you give it to Tigger to help calm him down? Or to Eeyore to cheer him up?”

I was about nine when Disney's Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day came out, which introduced Tigger. I fell in love with Tigger. I wanted to be as bouncy and fun as he was.

Growing up, though, I found my companion and mentor to be gloomy old Eeyore. “It will fall off again,” he said when his tail was put back on him. “Always does.”

If I wrote this blog yesterday, I would have dealt with a topic that interested me, one that would give food for thought. But this has been an Eeyore week for me. Just this week? Maybe all of this year. (Fortunately, we're only half way through January; hope this isn't a trend.)

My Eeyore side has been given plenty to be gloomy about. My wife's dealing with health problems. The only presidential candidate I could be excited about finished 6^th in Iowa and dropped out. My Amazon review of that candidate's auto-biography has the current line “1 out of 6 find this review helpful.” (My hunch is that the five who found that not helpful did so solely because I gave a five star review to a book they disagreed with, but still it's discouraging.)

Also, I received a rejection letter (okay, e-mail) from an agent who kindly mentions my characters and plot don't resonate with him. Not much to encourage me to write, something I've been struggling to find time to do. To be honest, I'm even wondering if writing is what I'm supposed to be doing.

Did the person who got the counseling question think Eeyore was the one who needed counseling? No, she thought it was Tigger who was too hyper. I can identify. Sometimes, my Tigger tries to compensate for the Eeyore. Time to get bouncy. Find other activities. Keep busy, busy, busy, so I don't have time to be gloomy, gloomy, gloomy.

So how would I have answered the question?

Simple. I would have given the counseling to neither of them. Rather, I'd get them Tigger and Eeyore to counsel each other. Have Eeyore kindly mellow out Tigger, while Tigger gives Eeyore something to be cheerful about.

That's one thing good about the ACFW meetings or critique groups. We can point out areas of improvement but give encouragement at the same time. (This is one of Toastmaster's strengths, by the way.)

And the counseling session? I'd give that to grouchy Rabbit.

Are Bloggers Journalists?

2012-01-26T00:01:00.003-05:00

The Internet raises some interesting legal questions, including whether bloggers are journalists. The November 30, 2011 ruling in Obsidian Finance Group v. Cox answered that question about one particular blogger.* The case has generated a number of comments and, after reading the judge's opinion, I am ready to add my observations to the heap.

The judge did not say that bloggers can't be journalists. He did say that they are not automatically journalists, and his finding that Cox did not qualify was based on the specific facts in the case.

So why did the judge conclude that Cox was not a journalist? Here is his analysis.

Defendant fails to bring forth any evidence suggestive of her status as a journalist. For example, there is no evidence of (1) any education in journalism; (2) any credentials or proof of any affiliation with any recognized news entity; (3) proof of adherence to journalistic standards such as editing, fact-checking, or disclosures of conflicts of interest; (4) keeping notes of conversations and interviews conducted; (5) mutual understanding or agreement of confidentiality between the defendant and his/her sources; (6) creation of an independent product rather than assembling writings and postings of others; or (7) contacting "the other side" to get both sides of a story. Without evidence of this nature, defendant is not "media."

The judge classified these as examples of the evidence a blogger could produce and did not raise them to the level of factors to be considered in every case. Furthermore, the written decision does not suggest a blogger must produce all seven types of evidence or that some are more important than others are.

The good news is that any blogger who acts with journalistic integrity is capable of producing the last five types of evidence. And although the answer to the question isn't as simple as counting numbers, five out of seven sounds pretty good.

If a court held that a blogger couldn't be a journalist without journalism classes or affiliation with a recognized news entity, I would be concerned. But that is not this case.

The judge's ruling is simply this: if you want to be treated like a journalist, act like one.

And who can argue with that?

Kathryn Page Camp

*Obsidian Finance Group, LLC v. Cox, No. CV-11-57-HZ (D. Or. Nov. 30, 2011).

Coming out of the Nom De Plume Closet

2012-01-22T06:00:00.012-05:00

So, I’m coming out of the nom de plume closet in 2012.

photo credit: flickr creative commons

You may view my picture below and say, "Now, I've seen that face before. Didn’t that girl have a different name?”

Oh yes, that was my pseudonym, but I’ve decided to tuck it away with my floral print graduation dress and florescent spandex shorts. I may one day shake it out from moth balls and try it on again. Just not here. Not now. At Hoosier Ink, I’m going to be myself, wearing blue jeans and an acrylic sweater. It's more comfortable that way.

Over the past year, I've teeter-tottered about using a pen name. I've considered the benefits, listed the pros and cons, and exhausted the topic with my ever patient husband {whose eyes rolled back when I told him I was writing this post}. I liked the idea of keeping things separate and safe in this web like world. I loved the notion of following in the footsteps of George Elliot, Mark Twain, and George Orwell. And the best part? If you didn’t like my writing, I could hide behind my alias—no harm done. And for awhile, it looked like this identity would work for me.

Until I went to the ACFW conference this past September.

In the company of writers, I thought I could wear my avatar like a comfortable sweater, but the name felt like wool against bare skin. Though I'd used that name in my journal for years, I suddenly felt like I had left my journal on my fifth-grade teacher's desk. My mind turned in circles . How would I introduce myself?

When I met you—a flesh and blood writer--I couldn’t stop using my real name. For that is who I am. And in reality, I’m messy, and my words fumble, and I don’t always look like my best online photo. The truth is when I’m face to face with you, it's nice being authentic. Failures and all. It’s the only way I understand God’s grace.

As I embark on this writing path, I'm learning what works and what doesn't. Leopard skins? No. Cotton knits? Yes. Pen name? Maybe. Perhaps one day.

But at the beginning of a new year, I'm stepping out in faith, and it's both terrifying and exhilarating. For, I'm positive my words won’t tickle every ear, or turn to gold with every click-clack, and I'm certain some days my writing will be something akin to my toddler's tomato-stained onesie.

Even so, I’m pushing the door open, wearing my favorite turtleneck, and— gasp—writing as my real name.

Hi, I’m Melanie Brasher, and I'm a writer.

And you know what? It’s nice being me.

###

Over this past year, I've thought about pen names more than breathing, and here's my list of five do's and don'ts:

1) Do keep the first name of your nom de plume the same if you're planning on using it for all writing {and become it}. Believe me it's too confusing and uncomfortable if you use two different first names. However, if you're using the pen name for a very specific circumstance, and your real one for everything else, I don't think it matters if the first name is different.

2) Don't choose a pen name that is the same as a celebrity or an ex-convict's. Do your research and choose carefully.

3) Do consider using a pen name if your real name IS the same as a celebrity or ex-convict's. Yes, this is different from point #2.

4) Don't waste a year fretting about it {experience talking here:)}. The mantra, "when in doubt, throw it out" is relevant for a variety of situations: food in the refrigerator, the tight leather pants in your closet, and the pen name you adored in your journal.

5) Do pray about it. God knows your name, and He knows what's best for you. So, do pray and do disregard all my advice if God leads you down a different path. Let His word guide you.

*For further reading/advice on pen names check out agent Rachelle Gardner's post.

Have you ever considered using a pen name? Why or why not?

Melanie N. Brasher is a full time mama of two boys and wife to an incredible husband who understands her bicultural background. She moonlights as a fiction and freelance writer, crafting stories and articles toward justice and change. She's a member of American Christian Fiction writers and a contributing blogger for Ungrind. Though she's an aspiring author, she'll never quit her day job.

Sign Here

2012-01-21T04:00:00.000-05:00

Photo Credit: Marcel Hol/Stock.XCHNG

By Nikki Studebaker Barcus

Does your hand itch to sign on the dotted line securing anagent or a book contract? Perhaps your fingers long to feel the weight of thepen as you autograph the first copy of your very own published novel. Or maybeyou dream of the day when you press your written imprint across the “EndorseHere” line of your first royalty check.

I recently read an account of John Green, the Indianapolis-based YA author who, before therelease of his fourth book, The Fault in Our Stars, pledged to sign every first editionprint of the book. His first three books each ran around 20,000-30,000 copies, so thissounds like a worthy goal. Imagine Green’s shock when his anxious teenage fans pre-ordered enough books to put it in Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com's No. 1 spot before it was completely written and the publisher ran150,000 books in the first printing. Green required steroid treatments, but he fulfilled his pledge to sign every copy.

I thought of this in light of the recent debate concerning the decision in manyschools and states to stop the teaching of cursive handwriting. While many Indianaschools continue to teach it, legislators removed it from the third gradestandards with the 2011-12 school year. How are our children ever going to signcontracts, give autographs, or endorse their checks? Will a computer sign their pledges of undying love in notes written to sweethearts? Will a mere number suffice as proof on their marriages licenses? Will their fingerprint serve as the only identification next to their child's footprint on a birth certificate?

I hope it never comes to that. The truth is, we sign our name to those things we treasure and want to prove ownership of or to authenticate. A painting is made valuable by the signature of the artist. A first edition book is considered rare because it bears the autograph of the author. An idea is made law by the scrawl of a president.

Did you know you are also a "signed original"? Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do.” Some versions even use the word "masterpiece" when referring to you and to me. God signs his name to hismasterpiece when he put His seal on you. He claims you as His own good work, His rare work of art, His beautiful creation.

And like most things in life, God first sets the example and then asks us to follow. We are told to work at everything as to theLord. Is your work worthy of your signature? Are you willing to commit your autograph to your writing? What about your relationships? Can you endorse them in good conscience? And your walk with God--does it bear the seal of authenticity?

The year is still fresh and new, a superb time for making changes and commitments to do things better than we have in the past. Signature-worthy things, both in our writing and in our life. Who's with me?

How Can I Make Funny?

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

by Rachael Phillips

First, I suppose we must examine why we should use humor in our writing. One look at the U.S. census gives us a mega-hint: America's population stands at 312 million plus. Every single one of these people needs a laugh. Most could use two.

How do we create humor? After conducting extensive research--and being charged with only a few misdemeanors--I formulated the following suggestions:

Do stupid things. Staying in hot water pays off--if not in your insurance rates, definitely in your prose. People who survive telling their mothers-in-law mother-in-law jokes or accidentally overdrawing their bank accounts to write tithe checks either develop a great sense of humor or die trying.
Collect people who do stupid things. If you're married this should be simple. If you're single and have no parents, children, siblings, roommates or relatives, go to the airport, museum, corner convenience store or Sunday school and find some. No one in the history of the world has observed your particular collection of people with your unique twisted point of view. Record your fellow humans' odd appearances, names, mannerisms and actions in written or computer files. Retrieve them later and shake-and-bake as you design characters and plots.
Read the funny papers. Humor gives birth to humor. Barbara Johnson, author of Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy and numerous other funny books, collected clippings, sayings, comics, pictures and other chuckle-inducing goodies in a shoebox to read on her tough days. Organize your own collection of never-fail belly-laughers, including forwards, blogs, articles, etc., in a computer file, folders or shoebox (or a safe, if they're potential blackmail material). When your article, blog or chapter needs funny and you just received an audit notice from the IRS, your collection can help jump-start your sense of humor when you need it most.
Waste lots of time doing nothing. In a multi-tasking world, doing only one thing has become a lost art, and doing nothing is mortal sin. But if we don't think, we won't laugh. Tell jokes to your plants. Sit and stare at your feet a while (feet are always good for a giggle or two). Try to slide a Cheerio from your nose into your mouth. Do anything that takes you out of grown-up mode and gives you a grin. You'll write funnier, and your kids/grandkids will love the Cheerio trick.
Generate lots of bad writing. I've written biographies, magazine articles, Christmas novellas, devotional pieces, Bible reference materials and romance novels. But my weekly humor column often presents the biggest challenge. After five years of columns, I often must freewrite pages of totally lame stuff before I sense it's going somewhere. The key here, as John Vorhaus, author of The Comic Toolbox, says is to "kill your ferocious editor" and simply record the weird thoughts in your head. Of course, you'll have to resurrect him/her later in the final stages of your piece. But humor writing involves relaxing, not reporting, and it always requires taking a risk.

These techniques have worked for me, and so far, my bail hasn't been too awfully exorbitant. What methods do you use to make funny?

My Favorite Things

2012-01-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

It doesn't take diamonds, or fabulous trips to exotic locations, or anything expensive in terms of worldly possessions to make me happy. Mind you, that's not to discount my travels or my pearl and diamond ring. It's the memories I have, the memories I'm making, and the things I'm looking toward in the future that make me content. And the older I get, the more the concept of simply being content makes me happy. It's not a feeling of "settling," but a feeling of knowing I've run the race and fought the good fight. I'm secure knowing I'm where the Lord wants me at this point in my life. Lest you worry, no, I'm not ill, but with the dawn of this new year, I am perhaps being retrospective. It's not so much the "things" of this life which make me happy or content, of course, but the memories associated with them that give me incredible joy.

What started me thinking along these lines? I bought a Hallmark Christmas ornament at 75% off the other day. It's a replica of the famous "Cheers" sign used in the TV show of the same name. There's a little button on the side, and when pushed, it plays the theme song. It brings a smile every time I hear that song: "Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came..." I'm going to leave it on my desk year-round for when I need a little pick-me-up. Other things that make me smile: the report card with two A+ grades my 15-year-old Asperger's Syndrome-diagnosed son earned in two tough subjects (biology and algebra); my daughter's smile as she finally got her braces (she's 19); the way my husband looked at the photo on my third book and said, "I really love this photo of you." Those are memories I'll always treasure. Other things? Mountain Spring Tide and Downy. Wow, they sure are expensive these days, but they're the best at stain fighting and smelling fantastic, so I spring for them and skimp on other things. The taste of a cake from my favorite bakery or a homemade chocolate chip cookie also make me smile. The sight of the first daffodils of spring pushing their way through the ground hardened by winter's snows, and the scent of honeysuckle on the vine...is there anything quite like them?

When I was a kid, buying three Nancy Drew books with my $5 weekly allowance made me happier than anything (I'm showing my age here, but I'm actually beginning to love and appreciate my current age. It's where the Lord has brought me at this point in my life, and I'm not complaining). Being presented with a doll house made with loving hands by my grandmother and dad filled with me with a sense of pride and family. Going to an antique doll convention with Granny when I was seven and being called "A Living Doll" in a write-up in the Louisville Courier-Journal was exciting. Now, every time I look at that doll, my heart swells with love for my grandmother (the inspiration for Lexa Clarke's Nana in Awakening). She took the doll head I got at that convention (called "Miss Kentucky") and made her into a doll for me, dressing her in a beautiful velvet, beaded dress -- complete with a matching handbag -- and I adored her (still have her, too). Granny always fussed and regretted the doll wasn't "prettier," but to me, she's gorgeous, and is my most prized heirloom from my beloved grandmother.

As a writer, I cherish my book contracts and holding my books in my hands for the first time. There's not much like it. I hope all of you know, or will know, that unique and unbelievable blessing. I always said that even if my books weren't "officially" published, my prayer was that someone reading them (and I had a lot of ladies read the early versions of Awakening) might be somehow touched with the seeds of spiritual truths. You never know how your words might impact someone, so keep writing as He leads you.

What are the things and associated memories that make YOU smile? I'd love to hear, if you'd care to share. Blessings, my friends.

My Editor, My Coach

2012-01-14T07:41:00.004-05:00

I ran track and field in high school. Hurdles to be precise. I had this one coach who felt I had potential in the 300 meter hurdles. For those of you who don’t know much about track, its one of the most grueling races (in my opinon). You run almost a quarter mile as fast as you can—on your toes—while leaping over hurdles.

As you come around the curve and face the last 100 meters, you wonder how in all the world you’re going to make it to the finish line. You can barely breath, your calves burn, and you’re crying. Somewhere along the haze of pain you wonder why you didn’t chose some other sport, like tennis.

I am finding an editor is much like a coach. You work months and years to perfect your writing so that an editor will finally give your manuscript a second look and offer that coveted contract. But when the edits start coming, you wonder what he or she ever saw in your story.

What your editor saw… is potential. The skills are there, the story is great and it has a possible market. But the manuscript isn’t quite there, not yet.

So a good editor gets to work. And the newly contracted author wonders why she didn’t take up knitting instead :).

I am now entering the last phase of edits. It’s been hard. Really hard. But I have also learned a lot of good stuff. My editor has pushed me, helped me, and encouraged me. He knows I can do it (even when I've despaired). He's a good coach. And for that, I am thankful.

***

On that note, I am also thankful for the wonderful writers I have met this past year through the ACFW Indiana Chapter. God is moving my family to another state, and so I will no longer be a part of your group. So this is my last official post with Hoosier Ink. However, I will not completely disappear. I hope to see many of you at conferences and online. And once in a while, I might even stop by with a special guest post.

Morgan L. Busse is the wife of a pastor and mother of four children. She is passionate about authentic Christianity and shares from her own life her fears, doubts, and triumphs as a follower of Jesus Christ. Along with blogging, Morgan also writes speculative fiction and is contracted with Marcher Lord Press for her first book Daughter of Light. To find out more, visit her blog In Darkness there is Light.

Photos in Novels?

2012-01-13T13:26:00.007-05:00

Real-life photos in novels?

Sure! Why not? Especially if you're basing your novels on real-life like I am!

I read CANE RIVER by Lalita Tademy about ten years ago, and loved it! Since she based her novel on her own family's history, she included photos and other documents in the novel. I thought that was wonderful, and so story-enriching. I decided then I wanted to do the same someday.

And now I finally have!

Last fall, in my fourth paperback printing of my novel HUNGRY RIVER, I included eight photos. The photos are also in my first Kindle version of the novel. Above is one of my favorite HUNGRY RIVER photos. Readers tell me it helps them "get" the setting.

Last week I released both the paperback and Kindle versions of DRAGON WALL, the sequel to HR. I used one of my dad's "old" (pre-1950) Great Wall photos for the cover (below). Plus, I have ten more photos inside. Readers are responding with delight. And I'm delighted I can share several family photo treasures to enrich my family's novelized China stories. (My books are available from Amazon and my website.)

Real-life photos in our novels? Sure! They add an imagery dimension beyond words. . .

Millie Samuelson

http://www.milliesbooks.org

Building Blocks

2012-01-11T00:09:00.000-05:00

Writing takes a lot of building blocks. You start with one, and build on it. Last night I tried to place another block in the building, and realized that I've been building on a solid foundation of reading good writing from the early days in school. I've been thinking about what books I've read that have influenced my writing. What was I reading to build up my own writing?

You need to be a reader to write. Stephen King says in his book, On Writing: "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot."

Then he goes on to say that he's a slow reader, but still manages to read 70-80 books a year.

I spent my first five years of school in a Christian school with very strict rules about what I was allowed to read. It was pretty tough on me because if I could've, I would read everything I could get my hands on--and did--when I could. But in sixth grade I went to a public school and had a Jewish man as my teacher. He loved books and read to us everyday after lunch. But what really opened my world of reading was when he read to us the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. I never got over that. My heart pounded and I had to have more. His voice was rich and the words pulled me into the story. I couldn't stop thinking about it. It was something I had never experienced before.

We were able to buy books through Scholastic Reading Club, and my mom and I would scan the papers and she'd buy me a couple books each time. I remember it was in sixth grade that I bought a paperback version of one of my all-time favorite books--My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber. I read that book over and over. It still makes me laugh.

Then, the summer of magic happened. The summer before I entered 7th grade, my mom decided I could finally read Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. She actually owned this book, and I still have this book. I read it nearly around the clock for almost four days. I barely ate, and only stopped for necessary breaks (oh, I probably took it with me...) I was so fearful that she would change her mind and take it back, so I read it as fast as I could. It was so good, I read it again, this time savoring the scenes and characters. You can be that passionate when you're 13.

Then, that same summer, mom gave to me To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. They say there are books that change your life. That change you for having read them. Now, I can list many books since then that affected the way I thought, but that book startled me. I ended up reading that book over and over. I read it just to read certain parts. I read it through completely 21 times. I still pull it out to read sections. I wrote my own stories and they sounded like To Kill a Mockingbird.

Because I had been so protected as a child in reading books, it wasn't until I was in seventh grade that I read all of the Nancy Drew books. I could read one a day. I had never heard of Nancy Drew. Then, I read Mark Twain. I fell totally and completely in love with Mark Twain. I did reports on him, thought about wearing white suits and longed to see the Mississippi River.

In high school I had the best English teachers and I took every single English course my high school offered. I won the English department award and was even an assistant to one of the English teachers who had me teaching reading to students (mostly boys) who had trouble with reading. One time we read aloud, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. For my own enjoyment, since I worked in the high school library, I read almost every book we had. I found the likes of Faulkner, Hemingway, Steinbeck--but I also went back to pick up all the childhood books I should've already read.

It wasn't until I was studying to be an elementary teacher that I discovered Roald Dahl. One of my all time favorites that he wrote was Matilda. I felt like Matilda. The very first chapter is titled, "The Reader of Books." I understood Matilda. Roald Dahl was a genius in my book.

When I became a sixth grade teacher, I read to my students The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Since my students could barely read themselves, were kids who were kicked around and "outsiders," they related to that book above all of the books I read to them that year. It changed them. They became readers that year.

So, recently I was told to make a list of books I loved and felt passionate about to help me focus my own writing. I had to give up in frustration. Reading books is a joy, and I love to discover a new book. I love books. I have published around 1000 book reviews and have books stacked to the ceiling. But of all the current books I've read, A Girl Called Zippy by Haven Kimmel is my favorite in modern times. I finally realized that this book is at the top of my list. Something Is Drooling Under the Bed by Bill Watterson is probably up there close to the top, too. (In case you don't know, this is a Calvin and Hobbes book.)

Anyway, here are a few books. I'm sure it will change soon. It's not necessarily in order, either!

1. A Girl Called Zippy by Haven Kimmel
2. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
3. On Writing by Stephen King
4. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6. My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber
7. A Heart for God by Sinclair Ferguson
8. On the Anvil by Max Lucado
9. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Burns
10. Jan Karon’s Mitford Series
11. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
12. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
13. Centennial by James Michener
14. Matilda by Roald Dahl
15. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
16. Columns written by Will Rogers
17. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
18. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
19. Lighthouse series (3) by Eugenia Price
20. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning

21. All Things series by James Herriot
22. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
23. Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
24. Lake Woebeggon by Garrison Keillor
25. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
26. Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
27. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
28. O’Malley series by Dee Henderson

29. All of Julie Klassen's books

Ok, I have to stop there for now and I haven't even listed a single Hoosier ACFW book--and I've read a lot of them and love them all.

What are a couple of your favorite books?Any in particular that stand out from your childhood? Any that have changed you or influenced your writing?

Crystal Laine Miller

Greater Than

2012-01-08T06:00:00.002-05:00

Third grade math was a blast. We kids competed like Olympians when Miss Barbara passed out the timed drills. We knew what equaled what and we sported paper crowns to prove it. Then came the big bump in the road: inequalities. That meant slowing down to compare objects and figure out which was larger and which was smaller, however similar. Gone were the crisp parallel lines. In came the arrowheads, pointy ends accusing the smaller and open arms reaching for the larger.

The memories of early math days tumbled back this week when I came across a paper headed “God is Greater Than.” GOD marked the left side of the page and a few things that turn most of our heads were on the right. I took the liberty of lengthening the right hand column.

GOD fears

failures

embarrassments

conundrums

conflicts

sin

death

loves

hopes

plans

abilities

creativity

reputation

accomplishments

Just one of the right side items can feel like a weight only a truck scales could handle. Add the jumble together and they could sink the earth right out its orbit. And then I remember this God, the God of Scripture, God alone, measures the universe in the hollow of His hand like I used to cradle tad poles weighing slightly more than a speck back in third grade.

Someone has said writing requires reverence, really seeing and being awed by the wonders everywhere around us. No doubt. I drive blind through a lot of life, one day plowing down the interstate of fear and confusion and the next day turning off to feast my eyes on every scenic bend in the route to achievement.

Writing forces me to repent. Writing demands me to pull the car over right now and do a one-eighty whether I’m stewing on all that has gone, is going, or will go wrong or delighting in successes I can see for miles. Writing insists on the about-face, turning the back on both the worst and the best. Only then are any of us free to face square into God.

And then we’ll get it right as any child. We’ll draw the pointy end toward ourselves and all that concerns us and draw long arms sporting a very wide angle toward God, who is greater than all.

Surplusage

2012-01-07T00:01:00.010-05:00

Occasionally (though not as often as my wife would like), I pick a boxful of books from my library and trundle them to the nearest Half-Price Bookstore, where they are sold. Invariably (as my wife will attest), I return with a few others I have bought. She puts up with this because the net result is less apartment space devoted to my books. It forces me to unpack another box of books from the back bedroom, and brings us closer to the day she can use it as a genuine guest bedroom.

On last month’s trek, I snagged a copy of Theodore A. Rees Cheney’s book, Getting the Words Right (Cincinnati: Writers Digest Books, 1983). It has been in print continuously for nearly thirty years, so it may already be a trusty companion of yours; but it’s a brand-new discovery for me, and well worth the shelf of books I traded to find it.

Two paragraphs from Cheney’s first page have become a smoldering ember deep within my mind. I’ve been exploring the book for the past month, alternately blowing hot and cold over its detailed instructions for revision, but those two paragraphs keep kindling a fire under me. Here they are:

Seventy-five percent of all revision is eliminating words already written; the remaining twenty-five percent is improving the words that remain. Although experienced writers may do all kinds of revision almost as they write, they are apt first to try reducing the quantity of the words.

The Victorian writer Walter Pater said, “All art doth but consist in the removal of surplusage.” The secret is in knowing which words are the surplus words (Cheney, 1).

Michelangelo learned this. Eleven years before he was born, another artist began roughing out a 14-foot block of marble that was to be a majestic statue of King David, but he made a mistake: He chipped off a large chunk of marble on the figure's chest that he did not intend to remove, leaving an ugly crease and bulge that ruined his vision for the piece. The sculptor found no way to fix it, so his unsightly attempt was abandoned for 36 years. On September 9, 1501 (the event is recorded in Florence’s official history), Michelangelo chipped off that bump and soon finished the project.

Reportedly, when someone asked his secret, Michelangelo said, “I just got rid of everything that wasn’t David.”

The removal of surplusage--it's the secret of all masterful art, including masterful fiction.

Hope or Fear: It Really Is Your Choice

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

One unexpected thing I have learned from freelancing full-time is that being fearful is a choice. You can all too easily let fear eat away at your time and your talent – leaving you frozen in place when things don't go exactly as planned. Or, you can keep plugging along, trusting that God is truly guiding your way. In no other job have I ever actually been able to really see God intervening on my behalf. [I'm sure it happened, but I wasn't able to see it as clearly.]

During times when the work has run dry, and therefore the funds have too, God has repeatedly found a way to sneak a little extra cash into our family accounts. One time it was in the form of an extra tax refund check when my accountant somehow forgot to ask if I'd been paying taxes on my own on a quarterly basis? (I'm still amazed that happened since my accountant is the one who had set it up for me to pay quarterly taxes the year before?) More than once it has been in the form of an insurance-related refund ... and most recently a partial refund for paying for all-day Kindergarten. None of the refunds were expected, and they always came when we were starting to worry over how we were going to scrape together enough money to pay the bills.

I don't mean this to sound like I feel like I could sit back, relax, and the Lord would just do my bidding; nor that I should go on a spending spree because 'magic cash' will just appear. Far from it. However, what it does mean to me ... is that as long as I keep doing my part, God is making sure my family's most basic needs are met. [It reminds me continuously of the bible verses regarding the sparrows ... Luk 12:7]

This gives me so much to be hopeful about.

Beyond money, God has also helped me make invaluable connections with people that have helped me grow as a Christian and as a business. Have you ever felt the prompting from God to write an e-mail or call someone you barely have a connection with ... only to find out that they were praying to hear from someone exactly like you? Yup, that happened to me.

It was a pretty amazing experience, yet the most powerful personal example for choosing hope over fear that I have is even more remarkable. During my first year as a freelancer I had a freelance client who stiffed me for over $700 worth of time already spent working on his company's web site copy. I had done everything I was asked to do, the cost had been quoted and agreed upon prior to the first draft, and I had every intent of revising the text until they were satisfied. But instead the client was quite rude, reacting as though my writing was in no way what they had asked for, and they not only refused to pay but refused to explain how it could be improved - which meant I could not even try to improve it to make them happy. I was devastated. I was angry. And when further negotiations failed I began to question my writing abilities, and my business skills, more than I ever had before.

I had always had very positive client writing experiences in the past - even when changes were necessary. I had also never had someone treat me in so unprofessional a manner. It ate away at me in the weeks following, and I remember at my lowest point crying and praying for God to somehow let me know if I was meant to keep writing. I questioned if it was my will or His to be a writer. [Am I the only one who has prayed this prayer?]

I still get goosebumps thinking about this ... but all I did was walk maybe 20 steps to my office from where I had wept and prayed that prayer ... to do something as mundane as check my e-mail. I had already been on the computer most of that day and checked my e-mail many, many times. However, when I returned to my computer, moments after praying that prayer, in my e-mail inbox was a request to buy an article that I had written and submitted over 6 months prior to that day. Of note is that this was my first article I ever sold that wasn't written 'for hire'. So this was a very big deal to me. It felt like winning the lottery - though I probably earned a grand total of $150 and it was only published on a blog.

The timing of that sale sounds like something 'made up' even to me. But I still have that remarkably timed e-mail, and I look at it whenever I need a pick-me-up. [I actually sold a second unrelated article only a couple of weeks later – one which was also submitted around the same time frame as the first one. Which reminds me ... I really need to submit queries more often!]

What about you? Have you had moments of fear about your calling to be a writer? Has God ever answered your prayers in a way that gave you every reason to hope and continue writing?

Suzanne Wesley works as a full-time freelance graphic artist and copywriter from her Indiana home. She is also a full-time mom of two girls under the age of 6. (Sometimes the two full-time jobs collide, but mostly it is the best job decision she ever made!) Between filling sippy cups, reading princess stories ... oh, and designing marketing materials, she sneaks in time to work on her secret passion for fiction writing.

She also reads and reviews Christian books and their cover designs on The Book and Cover Reviewer blog - found at www.suzannewesley.com

Alas, Poor Apostrophe!

2012-01-05T00:04:00.007-05:00

I feel sorry for the apostrophe. It’s a perfectly fine piece of punctuation, but modern society holds little respect for this nifty little guy. Not only is the apostrophe (’) often omitted (especially in text messages), but—adding insult to injury—he increasingly gets replaced with his cousin, the beginning single quote mark (‘)! Unfortunately, even many budding authors don’t realize the difference.

Please allow me to defend my little friend, the apostrophe. Then, if you still choose to ignore or to abuse him, at least you’ll be doing it on purpose and not by accident.

So, what is the apostrophe’s purpose for existence? Half of the time, he shows the reader that something has been left out of a word for brevity’s sake. For instance, with the aid of our little hero, we can change slightly stilted word combinations into sleek, streamlined, single words.

Exhibit A:

It is = It’s

Could not = Couldn’t

Cool, huh? The apostrophe can also indicate possession:

Exhibit B:

The home of Professor Tolkien = Professor Tolkien’s home

The ice cream cone of Susie = Susie’s ice cream cone

Also handy: When an apostrophe shows that letters are omitted at the beginnings of words, it makes them more folksy or simply easier to say:

Exhibit C:

Goodbye! = ’Bye!

Sic them, Fido! = Sic ’em, Fido!

And this, my friends, is where the apostrophe has most often received abuse. Why? Because when personal computers became popular in the 1980s, word-processing programs (such as MS Word or WordPerfect) couldn’t tell for sure when an author wanted a ’ or a ‘. The programmers decided that, if a human hits that particular key immediately after a letter (see Exhibit A above), then the punctuation should curve to the left since it must be either an apostrophe or a closing single quote mark. So far, so good. However, the programmers also assumed that hitting that key after a space must mean the writer is about to begin a quote within a quote. (E.g., “John sends a warm, ‘Hello’ to all of you.”) Bad assumption! That’s why word processors replace perfectly good apostrophes with an opening single quote mark and incorrectly produce such as expressions as…

Well, ‘til we meet again! (Abbreviating until should result in ’til.)

Go get ‘em! (Abbreviating them should result in ’em!)

For a long while, I spotted such gaffes mainly in self-published works by people who didn’t use the services of an editor. Now, though, this cancerous error is spreading into professionally produced advertisements. The poor little apostrophe practically shudders. Is it doomed to follow dinosaurs and hoop skirts into the dust bin of history?

Dear friends, rally to the cause! If you need a little piece of punctuation to show you’re leaving something off the beginning of a word, then please always choose the apostrophe, never the opening single quote mark!

P.S.: If you’ve gotten this far and still can’t understand what I’m ranting about, then merely select a nice, sans serif font such as Arial or Calibri instead of Times Roman. Since the sans-serif fonts don’t curve their quotes and apostrophes, they’ll look correct every time!

The Story of You

2012-01-04T00:32:00.001-05:00

Another January. The year 2012 is an empty notebook, the days waiting to be filled with the Story of You. This cooperative effort—co-authored by God and you—can unfold in various ways.

Perhaps you've already determined what your personal story will be, outlined it in detail, established goals to mark your progress, and asked God to assist you. If so, you may start with one idea only to discover circumstances or characters will drive you in a different direction, maybe even force you into places you'd prefer not to go and experiences you wish to avoid.

The Story of You may fill the pages of this year with heart-wrenching experience and deeper insight. You may even be taken to a place of complete dependence on God. It'll feel like a terrible place, but time will reveal that total dependence on God is the best real estate in the world and leads to an outflow of blessing.Noah couldn't steer the ark, he had to rely on God. Abraham couldn't force God's timing of the promised child Isaac. Joshua's victory at Jericho was God's doing not human effort.

Perhaps you are a timid, crossing the squares off the calendar while you wait for life to happen. The experiences you do have seem faded compared to the bright dream you foresee. Your prayers may grow into mantras of "Why not me, Lord?" The scriptural directive to rejoice with those who rejoice may taste bitter as others enter into your dreamland, leaving you behind.

You may demand an explanation, failing to see that God has been waiting on you to take a step of faith in the Story of You. David had to go out to meet Goliath. Mary had to say yes to God's plan for a virgin birth. Elijah had to pray, pray, pray for the raincloud that brought an end to the drought. Ruth had to bow to the instructions of her mother-in-law. To say no out of fear despite God's urgings can leave blank pages and gaps in the Story of You.

Chances are you fall somewhere between hurtling recklessly forward and frozen stiff. Whatever your approach to writing life, prayerfully ask God to give you a theme for this year's Story of You. Then stop long enough to hear His reply.

Having a theme for 2012 establishes a plumb-line for measuring your choices. Perhaps it's Relate More to Others or Be Gracious or Promptly Obey God's Directions. It may be Act on Every Writing Opportunity or even Mentor.

There will be a Story of You in 2012. 2013 will reveal in detail what it was. However, setting a theme now will unite all aspects of that story—spiritual, mental, physical, relational, ministerial, financial, professional, and recreational—into the greatest Story of You possible.

New Year's blessing on each of you ACFWers. My prayer is that you find a theme for the year and live it out. I've been doing this for a few years now. Anyone wanting to dialogue on it can email me. I'd love to help or encourage you.

Incorporating Your Loves into Your Books

2012-01-03T05:06:00.000-05:00

One of the things I love about writing is the ability toincorporate the things I love into my writing.

As a gal right out of college I headed to Washington, D.C.,to launch my career in public policy. You see, there weren’t a lot of jobs inNebraska for a girl with a degree in political science. That was all right withme though because I love D.C.

D.C. has an energy, ambition, and pace that appealed to me,the gal from smallish town Nebraska. And my parents acquiesced because theinternship I’d landed was at a conservative non-profit that provided housing.

The Leadership Institute and Washington were the perfectplaces to start my career. But it was also a little lonely. I quickly madefriends where I worked, but finding a good home church and community of friendsoutside work took more effort. Until I moved to Fairlington Village with myhusband.

In Fairlington Village, we found a community – some of itready made because many of our friends from work also owned condos or townhomesthere. Ours was an end townhouse steps from a swimming pool and tennis courts.Even better we had friends within a couple blocks in just about any direction.We also could walk to neat shopping areas., the grocery store, Great Harvest,the post office, you name it. And when we got a puppy, it was a rare area whereI felt safe being out any time of the day or night.

Sure, it’s listed on the National Register of HistoricPlaces, but what made it so special was the people. So when some friends and Istarted brainstorming a novella collection set in Washington, D.C., I knew wehad to model the community our characters lived in on Fairlington Village. Ipulled on my man warm memories of our years there. Much like the community wemodeled after it in Cherry Blossom Capers, our neighbors became a secondfamily. Next door lived two middle-aged women who became grandmas to our oldestwhen she arrived. Across the parking lot lived an Air Force chaplain and hisartist wife. I could go around the cul-de-sac and mention people who becamespecial to us. Spontaneous BBQs and movie or game nights occurred frequently.

That’s one reason I had such fun writing Dying for Love inCherry Blossom Capers. I was able to recapture some of that special feel in theneighborhood we created. Why does this matter to you? When you’re stuck in yourwriting, look for elements from your life that you can pull into your story. Itmay not be a location, but maybe it’s an experience, a job, a person you knowwell, a career. Incorporating elements that are important to you may providejust the spark to launch a new plot line. Or the research will inspire you withideas and challenges to throw at your characters. Or maybe the details will bethe precise one that brings the story to life for you.

And that is half the fun of writing…at least to me.

How about you? What techniques to you use to make a storycome to life on the page?

Bio: Cara C. Putman lives in Indiana with herhusband and four children. She’s an attorney and a ministry leader and teacherat her church. She has loved reading and writing from a young age and nowrealizes it was all training for writing books. An honors graduate of theUniversity of Nebraska and George Mason University School of Law, Cara loves bringinghistory and romance to life. You can read about her community based onFairlington Village in Cherry Blossom Capers, a January 2012 novella collectionreleased by Barbour Publishing. Learn more about this and all her books at http://www.caraputman.com or http://www.facebook.com/cara.putman

"Teach us to number our days"

2012-01-02T15:22:00.000-05:00

"Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

Psalm 90:12

Mayan Calendar. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Welcome to a new year, fellow writers!

This is the time of year we vow to make changes in our lives:eat less, exercise more, and most important for the writer: be better managersof our time.

The best advice I ever received regarding time management came from Dr. Dennis Hensley in his Freelance Writing class at Taylor University. (For some great videos of Dr. Hensley, click here.)Using hissuggestions as guidelines, here are a few things I hope to stick to for a moreproductive year. (After all, the world comes to an end on December 21, 2012. I don’t have a lot of time left.)

I will say “no” more than I say “yes.” As apastor’s wife, this is very, very difficult. I am greatly motivated by guilt. Butthe older I get the more I realize my energy level isn’t as high as it used tobe. And I don’t know about you, but I prefer to write while I’m awake

I will shut my door, keep out the devil. (Haveyou heard that song?) What I mean is, I will shut my door not only to keep out peopledistractions, but all the shiny things that grab my attention: TV, Netflix,Facebook, et. al.

Do a better job of keeping my desk organized.(See my post from last year. I actually did a fair job of it in 2011, but there’splenty of room for improvement.)

When given delicious back to back hours towork, I will exercise in some way for 5-15 minutes between hours. (My backside isn’t getting any smaller.)

I will try harder not to be obsessive-compulsive. Once I’m on a roll, it’s hard for meto stop. I’ve got to learn that the world isn’t coming to an end if I leave mydesk in the middle of a chapter to go play with the kids or give Mr. Himselfsome attention. I’ve mentioned thisbefore, but Hemingway always left off in the middle of an exciting part of hisbooks so that he could begin writing immediately when he got back to his desk.

I will make my own deadlines and keep them. Ilike what Dr. Hensley says about deadlines: “Deadlines mean, ‘go past this lineand you’re dead!’”

Another thing Dr. Hensley taught me was to use a life map. I’vefilled it out before but I’m going to do it again. I want to know my goals forone year from now, three years from now, five, fifteen and thirty years fromnow. (Will I be alive thirty years from now? I’m not getting any younger whichmakes it even more important to be a good time manager. Oh, and then there'sthat December 21, 2012 thing…)

How about you? What will you do differently in 2012 to reachyour writing goals? Where will you be in thirty years?

2012 Has Arrived!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.019-05:00

Happy New Year!

From everyone here behind the scenes of Hoosier Ink.
May 2012 be your best writing yet!

Two Constants

2011-12-28T06:00:00.003-05:00

Two constants exist. One is change. People. Politics. Circumstances. Geography. Writing conventions. Word meanings. They all change like the clouds in an Indiana sky.

At my age, I should be used to change, I suppose. I should take it in stride. I've certainly seen enough of it. "Of such is life," I should say. Fact is I don't accept change easily.

Therefore, when the email arrived announcing that our ACFW Scribes small critique group had been disbanded, I was sad. It didn't come as a surprise. Some members now have agents and/or contracts, and their critique needs have changed. While I celebrate the victories in the lives of my fellow Scribes, I will miss the camaraderie, the tough critiques, the prayers and encouragement we shared.

This year brought other changes, also. I attended two Writer's Digest webinars and the Indianapolis Christian Writers Conference. I also finished the first draft of my second middle-grade novel. Even as I revise that work, I'm writing a third MG and researching for a historical novel set in southern Indiana (using a pseudonym).

What changes will 2012 bring? That's not for us to know.

Which brings me to the second constant: God, our immutable Sovereign. Isn't it a comfort to know that whatever the new year holds, He Who said, "I Am that I Am," already is there. What security! What peace!

New Year's Resolutions--
Resolved: I will write, as the Lord enables and leads.
Resolved: I will submit to select agents and publishing houses.
Resolved: I will wait upon the Lord to work His will in my life and career, acknowledging Him as my Supreme Agent.

Your Turn!
What changes occurred in your life this year that affected your writing? What do you anticipate for 2012? What resolutions have you made relating to your writing? Please leave a comment.

A LAMINATOR FOR CHRISTMAS?

2011-12-26T10:21:00.003-05:00

“A Laminator for Christmas?”

That question has lingered around my house since yesterday morning, when my son Corey unwrapped the unforgettable gift.

For the past three months, Corey had been hoping to get a “Turnigy 2WD Desert Racing Buggy.” This remote-control car was at the top of his Christmas Wish List. Therefore, a few weeks before Christmas I ordered his wish online, which was exclusively sold at Hobby King. In Hong Kong. And could take up to 45 days to deliver. Yikes.

At midnight on Christmas Eve, with no Turnigy Racing Buggy to wrap for Corey, I turned to the only store open in Indiana—Walgreens. The store resembled black Friday, and the shelves looked ransacked.

From a distance, I spotted a laminator, which sat neatly untouched on a lonely shelf. I remembered that Corey listed one of these bad dogs on his Christmas Wish List (more toward the bottom of his list).

On Christmas morning, Corey ripped off the wrapping paper, and my heart sank as I saw his eyes lower with disappointment. He reminded me of Ralphie in a bunny suit from “A Christmas Story.”

“A laminator for Christmas?” Corey asked.

Apparently, he didn’t remember writing that on his list.

Just like Corey and the laminator, so are a writer and the rejection letter. It’s so disappointing after months of anticipation, and then to receive a rejection letter. But that doesn’t mean it’s all over.

If a writer is patient, a different package could someday arrive in their inbox or mailbox. Like maybe a contract for a novel, or even a series of novels. Whatever the case…Don’t give up!!

I guarantee Corey won’t give up the story about the Christmas he got a laminator instead of a Turnigy Racing Buggy.

~Marjorie DeVries

On the Word Becoming Flesh

2011-12-25T06:00:00.028-05:00

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. --John 1:14

This Christmas, I'm thinking about the Word becoming flesh.

photo credit: Jeff Weese

And did the angels deem the incarnation plan ludicrous?

God in seven or eight pounds? Wrinkled flesh and floppy head? A completely dependent baby? Is this the message for the shepherds?

Isn't the announcement supposed to read: today in the town of David a Savior sits on a throne? Arrives in flashy cape? Rides a conquering white horse? Leads a massive social revolution against the powers-that-be? Surely these earth entries are more fitting for God Almighty.

Surely the line can't be Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord (Luke 2:11)?

So God's going as a wee little thing, hey? He's going to rely on imperfect parents to raise him in an uncertain world? This is not exactly a winning formula to re-create the royal glories of the Davidic age. And aren't God's people expecting someone to transform a society that's slipped away from it's pious past?

The plan's simply crazy.

Perhaps the angels understood God's rationale once they witnessed the shepherds cradling baby Jesus with their dirty, weathered hands. Just maybe their heavenly voices were silenced by the sight of rough men hugging God to their chest, their filthy hearts.

For, maybe they realized why God's redemption story begins with newborn hide: it's easy to draw near a baby.

And this Christmas, I'm thinking about how the living Word dwelt among us so we could read the story in flesh and blood--in nails and a rugged cross.

And I wonder, do I, as a writer, live my words?

Merry Christmas, fellow writers! Let us live our words in 2012.

Melanie N. Brasher is a full time mama of two boys and wife to an incredible husband who understands her bicultural background. She moonlights as a fiction and freelance writer, crafting stories and articles toward justice and change, and contemplates faith, family, and writing at her personal blog. Though she’s an aspiring author, she’ll never quit her day job.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T06:00:00.009-05:00

T'was the night before Christmas and all through Hoosier land, ACFW members were busy editing their manuscripts, some even by hand.....

Merry Christmas from the Hoosier Ink ACFW Indiana Chapter!

Interview with Scott Nehring, author of You Are What You See: Watching Movies Through A Christian Lens

2011-12-23T06:00:00.003-05:00

Last month, I reviewed You Are What You See: Watching Movies Through A Christian Lens by film critic Scott Nehring. I had the privilege of hearing Christian film critic Scott Nehring on Chris Fabry live (3-5pm on WGNR-FM, 97.9). Nehring's reviews have been syndicated on several websites including Reuter's, USAToday, FoxNews, and The Chicago Sun Times.

This book has a lot to say about how we look at movies as a Christian, but I also saw elements that spoke to writing. This month, I have the privilege of interviewing Scott Nehring.

JR: How did you get started writing movie reviews?

SN: I began in 2004 when I started my first site. I had gotten tired of the usual reviews I found online. It seemed most critics either didn’t have any idea what they were talking about or they were insufferable snobs. I thought I could step in and try to fill that gap.

JR: What are the most memorable responses (positive or negative) you've received to either your book or to your reviews?

SN: My personal favorite was having a woman named Tessa telling me she hoped I “get raped and contract A.I.D.S.” for my negative review of The Constant Gardner. The flood of responses for my calling Avatar the worst movie ever made (it is – and unbelievably racist to boot) is also another feather in my cap. It's always nice to receive compliments, but it's also fun to get someone riled up enough to slam your work.

JR: Have you ever tried your hand at writing fiction?

SN: Yes. I have been writing screenplays since I was child. I wrote my first screenplay when I was 12. I moved into writing stage plays in my late teens. I have been produced and enjoyed some minor success, but nothing to put a roof over my head. I’m living proof that just because you know what you’re doing, it doesn’t mean you have the talent and luck to pull it off. I backed away from fiction writing in 2004. Since then, I have found that my talent rests more in deconstructing stories and helping others learn how to see the components of a properly told tale.

JR: This leads into your book. The second section deals with the structure and character types common in movies. What do you think a budding Christian novelist can learn from that section to help their writing?

SN: As explained in my book, the structure and character archetypes found in story are engrained in us. These structures are instinctive to us and are used to influence how we communicate and understand concepts. By understanding how these narrative mechanics work and how they can be applied to our stories, the Christian writer can improve their work and make their tale more enjoyable to the reader.

JR: If you were to write a novel or screen-play, how would your experience as a film critic and writing You Are What You See influence it?

SN: The process of writing You Are What You See forced me to consider how I watch film. It also forced me to think about the kinds of stories I used to write and how I went about writing them. I went through a serious maturing process in regards to how I look at my work while putting the book together. I believe that would come through in my writing. I would be far more conscious to the messages I was weaving into the narrative and more aware on how those messages would play in the final script.

JR: Picture hundreds of Christian novelists listening for any advice/exhortations in reaching today's culture. (Okay, make it more like a dozen novelists.) We're all ears. How would you like to challenge us?

SN: The Christian writer has a responsibility to do more than simply write – they need to express their faith in their work. If you call yourself a Christian then your work inescapably reflects your faith. This being the case, you need to do your best to release works that glorify the Lord and the gifts He has provided to you. In short, we don’t glorify God by making crap.

Look at the culture we live in today. It is hollow and stagnant. This is because it is secular and only serves itself. A hundred years from now – I take that back, 20-30 years from now, how much will remain from this moment in cultural history? The Arts and the culture they produce have become disposable and ultimately useless.

Christian artists need to realize that when people complain about the state of our culture, it is their fault. The Arts have fallen into disrepair because over the last 60 years we have failed to fight for and protect them. We have handed over our role as cultural leaders and now see the results of that surrender. The time has come for Christian artists and writers to work towards reclaiming the culture. This is done by creating valuable works that aren’t just mimicking the latest fads or playing to the most sensitive and restrictive members of our audience. If we make works that are intellectually and artistically fulfilling -- ones that challenge the artist and the audience -- we can begin to make the changes in this society towards a more fruitful and productive future.

JR: Thank you very much for your time, and also for writing this excellent book.

If you want more information on Scott's book, go to http://www.YouAreWhatYouSee.com. You can also access Scott's movie reviews at http://www.GoodNewsFilmReviews.com.

Lesson 12: Requiem

2011-12-22T00:01:00.001-05:00

You hope your book will have a long life, but few stories are immortal. Yours might be another Odyssey (as in the one written by Homer), but it's more likely to be one of the tidal wave of books that go out of print every year. Chances are, your manuscript will eventually die.

And your contract contains its funeral instructions.

Not that the contract is trying to hasten the book's demise. Your publisher wants it to live a long, healthy life.

But even a book should be prepared for death, and the "out-of-print" or "reversion" clause tells the publisher when to pull the plug.

It used to be a lot easier to know when a book was deceased. If the publisher decided that it couldn't sell enough copies to cover the cost of another print run, it would simply refuse to print more. The refusal was the book's death certificate.

Today, with e-books and print on demand, the publisher may have the ability to print and sell single copies without losing money. So books with sales that would formerly have put them out of print may now be kept alive by life support. But that may not be what you want. It's better to have a clause that says the book is out of print (for purposes of the contract) using more objective measures. Here are some examples:

The book is out of print when the publisher has sold less than __ books of any type (e-book, print on demand, mass market paperback, trade paperback, hardback) over the past __ months;
The book is out of print when the contract has generated less than $__ in royalties over the past __ months [or during the last accounting period];
The book is in print only while copies of an English-language print edition are readily available and offered for sale in the U.S. through regular channels and listed in the publisher's catalog.

Since some authors want to pull the plug sooner than others do, I'm not going to fill in the blanks. But your contract should.

So why would you ever want to pull the plug? As mentioned in my March 24, 2011 post, the contract rents certain of your copyright rights to the publisher. While the contract is in effect, you can't use those rights yourself. So if sales are very slow and you think you can sell the book to a different publisher or do better on your own, you want the lease to terminate so you get your rights back.

Unless it is a work for hire, make sure that the contract states that the rights revert to you if the contract terminates under the out-of-print clause or for any other reason. The contract should also require the publisher to notify you when the book goes out of print. Even better is a provision that requires the publisher to also notify you when the book's vital statistics indicate that it is close to death.

The contract may terminate for other reasons, such as the publishing company's bankruptcy. The author should receive the same reversion rights as it would if the book were out of print. This is also true if the publisher wants to abort the manuscript before it is published. Ideally, the contract will require the publisher to publish the book within a specified period after receiving an acceptable manuscript and will provide for the rights to revert to you if the publisher misses its deadline.

Authors shouldn’t have to repay unearned advances if the book is out of print, the publisher misses its deadline, or the reasons for the termination are beyond your control. So make sure that's what your contract says.

Regardless of the cause of your book's demise, you want the right to purchase any remaining copies from the publisher at a deep discount. And the best provision will also allow you to purchase--at cost--any existing electronic files, plates, films, and artwork.

Why are these provisions so important?

Because the birth of your publishing contract is the best time to plan for the death of your book.

Kathryn Page Camp

Magic Skates and Stories

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

by Rachael Phillips

Hans Brinker, the young Dutch hero in Mary Mapes Dodge's nineteenth-century children's novel, and I shared a common grief. Neither of us could afford the beautiful ice skates our hearts craved.

Family illness and poverty forced Hans to use clumsy wooden skates. Because of my family's tight budget, I wore hideous brown rental skates that, in my fourteen-year-old mind, certified me as an eternal member of Plumbers on Ice. Chunking and clumping around the city skating rink, I longed for sleek white skates that would magically morph me into Olympian Peggy Fleming. Wearing them, I would spin into an alternative universe where all that was wrong with my world would go right. There I would skate like a champion, never making an ignominious landing on my rump again. Even my zits would fade away.

Unlike Hans Brinker, I found my fairytale skates under our Christmas tree, and my family went skating that evening. Will I ever forget that enchanted black velvet night when the new skates cast a spell on my oversized feet and long wooden-puppet legs? As God cheered and threw silver confetti from the heavens, I glided, spun, even leaped and landed, moving in perfect synch with Peggy (who just happened to drop in).

For many of us, a good story acts like my Christmas ice skates. Reading a riveting novel rescues us from the everyday take-out-the-garbage aspects of life and sends us to imaginary kingdoms without limits. Cynics might question the dermatological benefits derived from using new skates ("Your zits went away? Oh, please!")--or reading a fascinating story. Still, both passions encourage healthy self-forgetfulness. Yet they dare us to be better than we are. As a child, I devoured Hans Brinker, reading it several times. Although dripping with summertime sweat, I lived thousands of miles away in his world, skimming over frozen canals, consumed with Hans' longing to win the silver skates--and challenged by his willingness to sacrifice his own desire to help someone else.

Cranky joints, a high insurance deductible, and the fact I type for a living have curbed my skating. But enthralling stories still send my heart twirling, swirling, and soaring. If we writers can produce novels that bless others in a similar way, even Peggy Fleming in her prime couldn't match the heights to which we can leap.

How about you? Any stories you've read or written, past or present, sent you soaring?

Don't Hate Me Because I Love the Patriots!

2011-12-19T05:24:00.004-05:00

Don’t get me wrong. I’m on the Tebow bandwagon as much as the next person, at least in terms of the Bronco quarterback’s strong Christian testimony, on-and-off the football field. While a lot of Christians belly-ached because Tebow and the Denver Broncos fell to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday, I’d venture to say Tim would be the first to tell you it’s only a game and to get over it. He knows going into every game that one quarterback will emerge the winner, one the loser. Sure, it’s his livelihood, his paycheck, but it’s not his life. He’s living his faith, and doing it in a public arena.

The old cliché, “it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game,” is alive and well. Following his victory, Tom Brady met Tim on the field and gave him a word of encouragement. Likewise, the Patriots coach embraced Tim. That’s sportsmanship in the truest sense of the word. As far as the headline proclaiming Tim has run out of miracles, that’s hogwash, only a headline capitalizing on the events of the past few weeks where “Tebowing” has become a known posture of prayer around the globe. Students who emulated Tim and got in trouble were advised by the quarterback to follow the rules. He knows that’s how you play the “game.” I pray this young man keeps his head on straight in the midst of all the media hoopla surrounding him. The son of American parents who served as Baptist missionaries in the Philippines, Tim's mother was advised to have an abortion because her child would most likely be stillborn. She defied the odds, and the doctors, thank the Lord! The youngest of five homeschooled chidren, Tim seems solid and grounded. I think he’ll be just fine.

I’m on deadline and it’s crunch time, so I’m going to make this shockingly brief. I’d like to propose a question to you: Are you a “team” player? We’re all on a team, if you will, and our goal, like Tim Tebow and Tom Brady, is to “win.” If you think you’re an island, think again. We need each other for encouragement and support, and the surest way to break down a team is one-by-one, honing in and exploiting the weaknesses of another player. Encourage one another, pray for one another. Love one another, and not only during this most joyous season. Live your faith, through your words and through the life you lead. You never know the impact you might have on someone else, and the impact they might have on you. Blessings at Christmas, my friends. John 13:34

Becoming a Yes Man (or Woman): Gifts from the Writer

2011-12-17T04:00:00.000-05:00

Photo Credit: Davide Guglielmo

Just spend a few minutes on Facebook, wait in a check-out line, or watch television and you can't miss it. Finding the perfect gift is on nearly everyones mind. I enjoy searching for, and snagging, that ideal present for everyone on my list and can hardly contain my excitement when I find just the thing that I know will light up someones face.

In my September post to Hoosier Ink, I supplied you with hints on ways to say no to the countless bids for your time, treasure, and talent. (Click here to read it.) But today, in this season of giving, I want to give you some ideas of gifts writers can bestow on their family, friends, church, community, and the world. Writers are wordsmiths, so use your word power to bless in some of these ways by saying yes--whether they've asked or not.

Gifts to Give Your Friends and Family:
*Write special poems, stories, or thoughts for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, or graduations. Your family and friends will treasure your words much more than ready-made cards.
* Record all those family stories for the generations to come.
*Keep the family connected by hosting the family blog.
*Create personal devotions or short stories for the special people in your life.
*Offer to write reference letters for couples in the process of adopting.

Gifts to Give Your Church:
*Write content for the weekly bulletin, newsletters, or the church website.
*Create newsletters for individual ministries within your church.
*Donate devotions, articles, poems, skits, or plays you've written to leadership for in-church use.
*Edit/proofread the writing of others for churchwide use.
*Write reference letters/letters of recommendation from the notes given to you by adopting families or your pastor.
*Aid your pastor by using your research skills to help your pastor prepared for his sermons.
*Teach a class based on your research or topic of your manuscript.
*Write curriculum to accompany current sermon topics.

Gifts to Give Your Community:
*Write grants or proposals for nonprofit ministries and organizations.
*Donate a portion of your royalties to nonprofit groups that have a connection with a topic in your book such as adoption, domestic violence, troubled teens, refugees, orphans.
*Write newsletter or website content for nonprofits.
*Write grants and proposals for funds for community or para-church organizations.

Gifts to Give Your World:
*You may be able to employ many of the ideas above for worldwide ministries and organizations.
*Link you social media sites and your website to worthy ministries around the world.
*Play FreeRice. What writer can't improve his or her vocabulary and grammar (amoung other things)? FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Programme and for every question you answer correctly, they donate 10 grains of rice to hungry people around the world. Click here to play.

In this last week before Christmas, you can easily find the perfect writing gift to give to your family and friends, your church, your community, and/or your world. Writing is always the right size, people are happy to receive it, it is practical and fun, and doesn't have to cost you a thing except maybe a little time. So break open the laptop, fire up the desktop, or sharpen that pencil and start giving. What other ways to do use writing to give back?

Nikki Studebaker Barcus

Staying on track ...

2011-12-16T00:30:00.001-05:00

My daughter and I were talking about "the perfect horse book" in her mind. Not one where an inexperienced rider is the only person who can tame an unbroken bronc, wins the race or show class and ends up marrying the stable boy.

So, what would be the perfect horse story?

She laid out some awesome ideas, including friendship and family relationships surrounding two cousins and their horses. In our story, one of the horses is an old but reliable beginner's horse and the other is a bronc-y (if that's a word) little mare, who, with some more wet saddle blankets, could be a winning barrel racer. We did throw in a couple of cliche's, including a mean girl and an evil ex-boyfriend.

What would it take to get this on paper?

We talked about Christmas break, our upcoming vacation, and writing a thousand words a day. Can we do it?

This reminds me of some of our horse-related talks about riding lessons, practicing for contesting and rail classes and finding time during the school year with everything else going on. "How bad do you want it?" I have often asked.

A lot of our time with the horses is not glamorous. There are stalls to clean and hay to bale. One of the most monotonous tasks ever was shortening her Quarter Horse gelding's mane from about a foot long to about four inches to prepare for the county fair. This took hours because manes should be pulled, not cut. If one of the horses gets sick or lame, sometimes there are shots or medications or soaking hooves or poulticing and wrapping legs. Sometimes there are late nights, walking a sick horse until the vet arrives. Other times we get to see our daughter and her horse in the ribbons at the fair.

So ... how badly do I want this? I have been asking myself this about not only the horse story but other projects as well.

Can we get a thousands words a day written on our horse story? I don't know, but it would be a good goal. What would we have to give up to make time for this? Is there any research involved? If we write it, then there is rewriting, revising, brain-storming, organizing and probably revising some more. Not as messy as a clay poultice for a gimpy horse, but still, some work involved.

How do we stay on track with our writing? Daily or weekly goals? I would enjoy hearing other ideas. I will be back after work!

What Do You Want to Read in Christian Fiction?

2011-12-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

Crystal, Age 7, whose first dream was to be a Christian book influencer/missionary

I used to be a kid. (I know, hard to believe.) But when I was growing up one of the things I wanted to be(of a whole list of things) was a colporter. I don't even know if I'm spelling that right! I only heard the name as a child--never saw it in writing. But every single day in my little 4-grades-in-a-room Christian school, we prayed for these people. From what I could understand, they were missionary book sellers and influencers. They went around trying to sell religious books and Bibles to people, and sometimes they even left free books and pamphlets with people. (Some of you may recall seeing large blue Bible story books in doctors' and dentists' offices. This was a result of a colporter.)

I thought this must be the best job in the world--even better than being a librarian. As one of these book missionaries, you basically influenced the reader into reading about Jesus or His followers. I prayed as fervently for these people as I did for my missionary aunt, uncle and 3 cousins in Nigeria. I prayed that God would let me be one of these people! And of all the stories my uncle told of being a missionary in Africa (Nigeria during the Biafran war and Ghana)I thought the most amazing one was smuggling Bibles into Communist Russia (before the Iron Curtain fell) to the Christians there. How exciting to get the story of our Savior to people who were persecuted.

Well, in a way, God answered that childish prayer in many details tailored just to me. For one, I was a primary grade teacher in Christian schools for many years. I taught kids to read and to pick out books to read, and I taught the Bible.I was the department head to the children's Sunday school and ministry department in my church for years. I taught and ran Vacation Bible School and sent books to children any chance I could. I read tons of books to my own kids. I have given away tons of books and money for books.

Then, I learned to write for publication, and while I never realized my dream to write for children (yet,) I have published many articles and columns and over 1000 published book reviews. (I lost track of how many now.) I have worked on many (other authors') fiction manuscripts in the pre-published stage as a book doctor for both editors and agents, and as a professional reader. I've also been doing a blog feaure called, When I Was Just a Kid. Also, many book recommendations and interviews are on my blog, Chat 'n' Chew Cafe', as well as when I speak. I have influenced for the Christian market for years. I love Christian fiction and respect the whole team who publishes books.

Books have been a part of my life since I was very small, (just as many writers tell me is true about themselves.) I've been so pleased to see how the Christian market, and particularly the Christian fiction market has grown and become influential.

Recently on another writers' loop, there was a discussion about how substandard someone thought the Christian fiction books are. She expressed disgust that Christian fiction writers were "watering down" the Gospel in their stories. She based this on a couple books she read. I couldn't disagree more and I base my opinion on thousands of books (both general market and Christian market) that I've read. Yes, maybe not every Christian fiction book has the Gospel of Christ presented in the story, then a conversion takes place. That's unrealistic, and there are many stories with a Christian worldview for various reasons. Not everyone wants to read this genre. There is a mission and theme for each story, and each author and if you think otherwise, then you don't know how Christian authors work.

In my opinionthere are more good stories than poor, or substandard, in the Christian market.But you have to know what you are looking for and what genre, and for thatmatter, which publishing company. And yes, each publishing company has a veryspecific type of author and stories for their company. There for awhile in my heyday of reviewing, I could tellyou which company published the story I was reading without looking at the imprint.

I’ve worked forseveral publishing companies and some agents—from conservative to not-so-conservative. With demanding guidelines authors have to not only adhere toa high Christian standard in almost every case, but even certain words cannot be used in respect for the audience. I admirethe author's tenacity to what his Christian audience demands.

Readers have great influence on Christian fiction. Just remember that a whole team has gone into the publication of a book, so do approach them with respect, and you'll find a much more attentive author and publishing company to what you want to say. It's never good to go at an author with accusations or attacks on their personal faith. You are not the judge of this aspect--God is. But you can express what kind of story you'd like to read.

And there is a variety in the type of fiction offered. Go to http://www.fictionfinder.com at the American Christian Fiction Writers' site and you'll find biblical fiction, conversion stories, "real life" stories, Christian romances, historical stories and speculative fiction or teen fiction, and what you find is a good story with a Christian worldview. These authors are a dedicated bunch.

Do check out the Hoosier Ink authors, too.(See either the Members tab or the Store tab above.) I think we have some of the best storytellers in Christian fiction.

If you love to read Christian fiction, what is your favorite genre, or author or type of story to read? If you're a writer, what do you like to write? (And if you're a Christian fiction writer, you should be reading a lot of Christian fiction.)

May your reading bless you and make you want to live a better life,

Crystal Miller

Confessions of an Unmerry Writer

2011-12-11T06:00:00.008-05:00

Recently a friend pointed out that the comma comes after, not before, merry in “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen.” The Christmas carol is not addressed to merry gentlemen, but likely, to unmerry.

That’s me. Unmerry. Unable to focus. Unable to relax. Running on E.

In the stress of the season rest sounds especially delicious. But what did the author wish us? Repose or remainder, a kind of keeping back? By the word, descended from the German Ruhe, i.e., quietude, the author bids us merry tranquility.

My rest? It comes in a few familiar forms: pushing back deadlines, dot-comming and drinking venti lattes. These offer a smidgeon of distraction, perhaps, but rest? No.

The carol’s opening line overflows with meaning. By implication, I cannot rest myself. God rests me. Still more, the line is a wish: God rest you merry. And God’s rest is genuine; better still, merry. The verse continues with a command: “Let nothing you dismay.” Clearly as a writer at this time of year I have a choice: let cooking, cleaning, driving, shopping, gathering, billing, giving, (oh!) and writing dismay me…or trust God to bring His merry rest in the midst of these.

These acts dismay only when I try to stack them towering one upon the other until I cannot see, cannot balance, can hardly take a step without upsetting them all. This is small challenge compared to the larger, more profound dismay found in the subsequent verses: fear, scorn, poverty, tempest, Satan’s power and might. How to keep these dismays—small and large—from merry rest?

The third line, another command, offers insight: Remember. “Remember Christ our Saviour was born this Christmas Day.” And on that day commenced the story that changed everything: because we were gone astray, the Blessed Babe, the Son of God by name, was born in Bethlehem. God sent a blessed angel who brought the glad news to shepherds, who rejoiced, left their flocks, and went straight to Bethlehem, where they found the announced Christ-child.

Tidings of comfort and and joy! Dismays melt in the heat of their gladness.

The next-to-last verse bids me join my voice with the shepherds’: “Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place.” Why? The stanza answers, “This holy tide of Christmas all other doth deface.”

The tide, I’m told, refers to the season. So this holy season of Christmas defaces all other seasons, however bleak. It outstrips, outshines each one. But what if the tide refers to tidings? Then this holy story renders every other story weak, perhaps even obsolete. Could it be that these tidings of Christmas do violence to any other story that would dismay us and bar us from the Christ-child?

Who knew that a friend’s notice of a well-placed comma could lead this dismayed writer to God’s merry rest? Who but God knows what rest He intends by your pen? God rest us merry this Christmas-tide.

God

2011-12-10T12:50:00.013-05:00

Just that one word calms me, reminds me why I write, and that He is in control, even when everything is spinning the other way. When I worry about what others will think of my book, I remember I am writing for an audience of One. When I worry about juggling work, family, and writing, I remember how many times I have placed my work in His hands and that He has always provided time for me to write without neglecting family or job.

Lately, I have found myself praying to God more about my writing. I now have deadlines, edits that need to be done, marketing, interviews, and websites to set up. Panic starts to set in and my heart beats faster. How am I going to do all this? Then God calmly whispers and reminds me that its not my book at all, it’s a gift He has given me to share with others. I do my best and He will accomplish His will through my work.

I don’t know how other authors do it without God in their lives. How do they face the pressure, the critics, and the self-doubt? I know tough skin is an attribute writers need to develop. But going to my Heavenly Father with my burdens and fears gives me more peace than facing it on my own.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

OOPS!

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

OOPS!

This was my blog day and I missed it. . .

Tune in again for me next month.

Meanwhile, meditate on this great quote posted on Facebook by Robin Stanley: "Write from who you are so the world can know Who God is!"

Christmas JOY blessings to all my ACFW friends and readers!

Millie Samuelson
www.milliesbooks.org

More Gifts Writer's Love

2011-12-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

Last year I posted some gift ideas for writers, so I thought I'd pull an "Oprah's Favorite Things" again this year, and shower you with more gift ideas for the busy, preoccupied writers in your life. Because of the economy, I decided to make this year's list is a little more practical.

Give them a gift card from a bookstore that will allow them to buy the books on writing craft that they've longed to buy. Writers never stop learning to write, and every book on the writing craft teaches us something new that revitalizes our writing skills.
Click on the names along the side of this blog and order some of the books our fellow Hoosiers write. We love reading our colleagues books and posting reviews. This helps both the writer and the writer's friends.
If your writer doesn't have an ebook reader yet, it's past time to get them one. Kindle (my personal favorite) now comes in a variety of styles and sizes. Hint: you get what you pay for in ereaders. If you want an ereader with all the bells and whistles, which usually means also being able to surf the web, then you will pay more.But if you want one that only reads books in black and white, you will pay less. (However, Kindle does offer a large black ink e-reader that costs more than the color reader.)
Every writer could use an iPad. This is a pricey gift, but definitely a great investment for the writer. I don't have one yet, but I can think of many reasons why I could use one now. Not only is it an e-reader, but it's much more portable for on-the-road writing and research. Not to mention that it will do so many other things as well as: keep track of notes, documents, schedules, pictures...the limitations really are endless depending on which applications you use.
Computers, computer software, accessories -- all writers need these things.
How about this cute Women Writer's Magnet Set? I'd love to have these on my filing cabinet to inspire me.
This sign: "Warning: Novelist at Work: Bystanders May Be Written Into the Story"
For the male writer in your life, how about this "Writer Man Cave" sign?
Magazine subscription to the writer's favorite magazine.
Membership to a writing organization such as ACFW.
Pay a writer's way to the annual ACFW conference. Or give a monetary gift to go toward either the tuition, the hotel or transportation.
Thin notebooks the size of 4x6 to up to 9x7. Target always has such cute ones. I like this size because they are thin enough and small enough to fit in my bag or purse but not too small. I write a lot of chapters on the run in these. I also like them better as bound and stapled rather than spiral because the wire spirals get bent or snag on my clothes. I love these little bound notebooks and am always sad when I run out of them. Some writers may prefer something sturdier such as a Moleskine. I prefer the less expensive because I rip out the pages. Another tip: if your writer is left-handed, they may prefer a flip-top notebook.
A good pen. I love my Vera Bradley pens.They have some cute perfect-sized notebooks out now, too. And they're an Indiana company, so we're supporting Hoosier jobs this way.
A lap desk. If your writer likes to write with family around in the living room, a lap desk is a great gift. You'll have to determine what their chair situation is to decide which one to buy.
I don't use a lap desk (yet) but I do love my Targus Chill Mat for setting my computer on my lap. It keeps the dirt out of the fan and keeps my lap and my computer cool.
Is your writer bedridden? How about this laptop table that allows them to lie down and write?
Need more ideas? Try here.
How about volunteering to cook a meal or clean the writer's house?
Send your writer on a research trip and pay for the expense.
Bake a pie, send a note, pass the word on your writer's latest book. Pray for your writer. Be a friend. That's the best gift of all.

Merry Christmas!

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, and grandma to five beautiful little girls. She lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, and three crazy dogs. Her favorite color is purple, favorite hobby is book-hoarding, and favorite food group is cupcakes.

The Value of a Writing Mentor: Priceless!

2011-12-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

No matter what level of writing you currently rate yourself, I believe one of the best resources a writer can have is to find a writing mentor. From my own experience, I know that I am a better writer because of mine.

Recently, after having lunch with my writing mentor, I spent the drive home thinking how lucky I was to have just such a person to call upon. I know most of us have writing groups, forums, and email loops to participate in, but having a writing mentor to act as cheerleader, sounding-board, and even cattle-prod can make the “published” difference in your writing journey.

By nature, when you share your writing with the world, you are putting yourself out there to be reviewed, critiqued, and even rejected. For “young” writers, this can cause a high level of anxiety (that often prevents such sharing). By starting with your writing mentor, you will hopefully feel less at risk. With continuous feedback from your mentor, your drafts will eventually attain a more professional level. As a result, you can eventually build up a “first draft immunity” to the risk of sharing your stories with others.

Your writing mentor is hopefully someone with at least one book published and is well versed in the art of writing. When your mentor has passed that published stage, you stand to gain all the wisdom from their trials, obstacles, and challenges in order to become a published author.

Duties of a writing mentor:

Provides encouragement.
Can be the lightning bolt in your brainstorm.
Keeps you focused on the big picture.
Pushes your writing potential forward.
Can assist in networking within the industry.
Share experiences from his or her writing journey.
Gives advice on book proposals, query letters, agents, and editors.
Will be able to provide feedback on your manuscript revisions.
Will have a unique understanding on your strengths and opportunities.
Just loves to proofread with a red pen.

I have always been told a writer’s skin needs to be armor plated. Having a mentor to help guide you along the publishing journey will help keep your armor polished and strong (and even repaired when needed).

If you are not mentoring anyone right now, and you are a published writer, consider taking a Hoosier writer under your wing. Likewise, if you are looking for a mentor, consider adopting one. I have found that, from personal experience, a mentor doesn’t always realize (or think of themselves) as a mentor. If that is your case, be sure to let your would be mentor know.

Who knows, your protégé might start out his or her first published book with, “This book would have never happened without the constant nudging of (insert your name here).”

Tips from the 2011 Indianapolis Christian Writer’s Conference

2011-12-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

This November 3‒4 conference sponsored by Wesleyan Publishing House was first-rate, and the first I attended. I’m a fulsome note-taker, so I came away with pages of great ideas from the speakers. Here are a few nuggets for those who couldn’t attend:

“Laughter is the key that unlocks a reader’s heart. When the reader trusts you, you can speak to the deepest emotions.” — Angela Hunt, “Getting to the Heart of the Matter”
“In our postmodern culture, people don't want to be told what to do. They want an experience...Creative nonfiction has a special concern...to stimulate the readers' emotions.” — Shannon Marchese, “Creative Nonfiction”
“Your first sentence, your first paragraph must grab the reader and give a sample of the entire book’s tone and style. Avoid throat-clearing.” — Andy Scheer, “Is Your Manuscript Ready to Edit?”
“It’s OK to end a book in a series with a story thread open if the next book is largely or completely written. Readers will expect to read the next volume within a year. With the shift to e-books, they expect the next book immediately.” — Shannon Marchese, “Pet Peeves of a Fiction Editor”
“There’s a blueprint for every type of writing you want to do. Go get the blueprint and learn it.” — Angela Hunt, “You Have Everything You Need”

Joe Allison and his wife Judy live in Fishers, IN. Joe has just completed the first in a trilogy of historical novels set during the Great Depression.

Supplementing Your Publisher's Marketing Efforts Part Three: Your Role In the Process

2011-12-02T09:45:00.000-05:00

In today's economy publishers, like many other businesses, are having to cut back on marketing budgets. In some cases this means authors are left needing to supplement whatever has been provided – on their own. In parts one and two of this series we covered ways to find a qualified professional designer to assist you in creating supplemental materials to market you and your books and what to expect as you negotiate the terms of a design project.

You now have a designer, you've negotiated a price ... and now what happens?

If you are doing a larger project, such as a web site, book trailer, or ebook design you may have been asked to pay a portion of the design cost up front or as certain stages of the project are completed. Part of this up-front payment is to enable the designer to pay for any photos, illustrations, videos, sound files etc. they might need to purchase on your behalf and also for them to be able to pay their rent and utilities while they work several weeks with you to complete a longer project. (Much like the advances a publisher can give a writer during the writing process.)

On smaller projects, such as a single postcard or bookmark design, you are more likely to be billed at the end of the project. (Note: On larger projects it is very common for a signed contract to be used - for the protection of both you and the designer. The timing of expected payments will appear on the written contract.)

A designer may also have supplied you with a proposal or a creative brief prior to signing a contract. This is where they will describe their plan of action, giving you expected deadlines and descriptions of what they plan to do for you. Often this will repeat the details you have given them about your target audience, your goals, and what you have asked them to do. Depending on the size of the project and the designer it might be handled in a less formal fashion via e-mail instead of a formal document such as a brief or proposal.

Reviewing Drafts

By your negotiated deadline the designer will likely send you a first draft for review. In order to prevent delays in this process you will need to provide anything you were meant to supply to the designer ASAP. Examples of such items include: a professional head shot of yourself, the cover art of your book from the publisher, and any marketing copy or other text you may have agreed to supply. Note: If you have these items ready before choosing a designer you will certainly speed up the process!

The designer will likely send you either a link to a test site or a pdf or other file via e-mail for review. Often these drafts will be low resolution and will possibly include 'mock up' or 'comp' photos that are low resolution images with watermarks still on them as they have not yet been purchased. You may even receive several files at once with different appearances. This depends on your budget and what you have agreed upon. Using comp images saves you money. It allows you to approve all images used before they are purchased.

Once you have approved a design

Design changes and new drafts will continue to go back and forth via e-mail until you approve the total design. At that point you will be invoiced either the full amount for smaller projects or the remaining amount if you are working on a larger project and paying in installments. The designer will provide you with the final files or they can also submit files on your behalf to printers and advertisers. Often this is a good choice in case there are any file issues so that you don't end up having to mediate.

With luck, you won't be left having to supplement your publisher's marketing efforts - but if you do I hope that you now know how to find some help and feel comfortable with the process.

If you already know you need supplemental materials what are they? And how much do you think it should cost? (I'm asking for sharing purposes only. If you want a quote from me let me know, but I'm just asking to get a general idea of what people need and feel they can afford.)

Suzanne Wesley works as a full-time freelance graphic artist and copywriter from her Indiana home. She is also a full-time mom of two girls under the age of 6. (Sometimes the two full-time jobs collide, but mostly it is the best job decision she ever made!) Between filling sippy cups, reading princess stories ... oh, and designing marketing materials, she sneaks in time to work on her secret passion for fiction writing.

She also reads and reviews Christian books and their cover designs on the book and cover reviewer blog - found at www.suzannewesley.com

Satan as a Ghost Writer

2011-12-01T09:50:00.001-05:00

Did you know that Satan is an author? It's true. Of course, he doesn't sit down and write manuscripts and submit them to publishers. However, just like a ghost writer, he comes alongside Christian authors and offers his services--invisibly and for free.

Of course, in the normal understanding of the term, a ghost writer teams up with a busy or inexperienced individual to add literary expertise and thus create a much better manuscript than the individual could do alone. Satan, on the other hand, plays a sneakier game. He's out to sabotage your Christian stories and articles in such a way that you don't even realize he's doing it.

The Devil's first step in this diabolical scheme is to duplicate your own inner voice. (Yes, he's a master of first-person point of view.) So, as you prepare to write, he'll mimic your own thoughts and slip them straight into your brain as if you had generated them yourself:

- "Whatever made me think I could write something for God? I'm probably no good."
- "That agent never replied with a single word about my query. That must mean she hated it."
- "Sure, I've had some stuff published, but my work is nowhere near as good as ________'s stories."
- "Maybe I could sell more books if I just tell a clean story but stop mentioning God and Jesus."
- "Today's market wants steamy bedroom scenes. I could write those and make big bucks!"
- "Write? I have no time to write. Real writers must have huge blocks of time for creativity."
- "It just takes too long to learn and polish my writing skills to get published. I give up!"

Of course, these are just a few samples of the slick thoughts that the master of deception handcrafts for your particular brain. He carries many others in his literary toolbox. The bottom line, though, always aims toward the same goal: to slow down or stop you in your quest to touch hearts and minds for the Lord. How you respond to such unwanted destructive criticism may very well decide your future as a writer.

Let's go on the defensive together. Has the enemy tried to plant any of these wily sentences in your mind? Or, has he penned other propaganda not listed here that you want to warn fellow authors about?

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)