Don't Listen to the Negative

Years ago, my husband and I wrote a mystery called Beginner's Luck. We entered a contest and won first place. That first place awarded us a read and an interview with an agent who told us the book/story/amateur detective was mediocre and couldn't compete with the many shelves of mysteries in Barnes and Noble, Borders, BAM and other bookstores. We listened to him. We believed him. We never finished that book. That agent knocked the wind out of us, discouraged us and we allowed him to do it. We put our story aside.

When I finally acquired an agent, and after she sold my first book, I created a 3-book romantic series. One of my characters was a literary agent. My agent told me no one wanted to read about a literary agent. She didn't try to market the series. I let her discourage me.

Awhile later an amateur detective series hit the stores. The sleuth--a literary agent. The series was written by the first agent who rejected my so called mediocre book. Evidently someone was interested in reading about literary agents.

And round and round we go. Where we stop, nobody knows.

I have always put professionals on a pedestal--the doctors, lawyers, policemen, teachers, editors, publishers and literary agents--and assumed all knew more than me. I was wrong. I know a lot. And there are times I actually know more than the professionals. I'm the authority when it comes to books I want to write and the passion I feel for them.

I believe all ideas are good. Some are better than others. Most need tweaking in some way. I believe ideas bounce around until someone grabs them and does something with them. Don't waste an idea because your agent or editor doesn't like it. Tweak it until they do like it.

Learn from my mistakes. Don't quit. Don't allow anyone to discourage you. Write your passion.

And never, never, never give up.

The writers who succeed are the ones who refuse to buckle under the failures that are heaped upon them; who reject the notion that they aren't as mediocre as industry professionals say they are. ~Jodi Piccoult

Revison: The Neverending Story

Revising my book, Miranda's Mistake, is probably one of the most challenging things I've ever done. Yeah, I might even put it up there with natural childbirth. Revision isn't as painful as giving birth, but just as scary.

I'm trying to keep the big picture in my mind. To do that, I need total silence and absolutely no distractions. I'm finding even the whir of the central air conditioning annoying. Am I creating bugaboos? Probably.

Last week I went off on a tangent, adding a vein of intrigue that doesn't work in my story. All the time I was doing it, I knew deep down in my gut that it was wrong. Still, I traveled that wrong road until I could go no farther. This week I'm cutting it.

I would say it's funny how desperation puts us on the wrong track, but it's not funny at all. I'm not laughing. Last night I printed out the entire book again--clean pages to read and mark up. One more time.

How do you keep the big picture in your mind when you're doing revisions? Don't tell me you only see one chapter at a time. How can that be when each chapter affects the next and the next and the next?

I thought I was being smart by just getting the story down as the pantsers advise. But the plotters might have the better idea 'cause there's something to be said for knowing where you're going and revising as you go.

Just get it down on paper, and then we'll see what to do with it.
~Max Perkins

Yeah, right! Revision. For me, it really is a never-ending story.

I lift up my eyes to the hills--from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2

I feel better already. :)

Revision - What Fun!

The first draft reveals the art, revision reveals the artist.
~Michael Lee

Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing.
~Bernard Malamud

In working on a poem,I love to revise. Lots of younger poets don't enjoy this, but in the process of revision I discover things.
~Rita Dove

There's different styles of writing, and then there's rewriting. For me, it comes from the heart first, from what I feel needs to be said, and from there I can shape it based on the reality that I live in.
~Omar Epps

Rewriting to me means, if I work on it for three days, I've rewritten it.
~Jules Shear

Rewriting is a large part of the whole job. And get rid of stuff that's not working. Just pare it down until it's a beautiful thing you can hand in, probably late, to your editor.
~Kurt Loder

The process of rewriting is enjoyable, because you're not in that existential panic when you don't have a novel at all.
~Rose Tremain

If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
~Elmore Leonard

Conference Blessings

There is a very creative buzz in the air. Murmurings about the ACFW conference in Dallas this September. I can't help remembering my first ACFW conference.

I drove to Houston all by myself. That's not unusual. I often drive to Houston by myself but this time I was attending a very large conference--alone. Sure I was meeting my online crit partner and good friend Marilynn Griffith, but we'd only talked via email. We'd agreed to room together, but what if she didn't like me? I was blasted by my insecurities as I circled the Airport Marriott trying to conjure up courage.

I walked inside and took care of registration then I sat and waited for something to happen. Kristy Dykes was sitting too and I'll always remember her kindness and encouragement. I don't approach strangers. I suffer from blank mind syndrome.

I recognized Mary immediately. She is every bit as charismatic in person as she is in her emails. We had fun rooming together. We laughed like crazy when my husband or hers--can't remember which one--called and couldn't tell us apart. Mary and I didn't hang together through out the conference. We split up and did our own thing. The trouble with that was. . . I didn't have a thing. I had no plans. I didn't have one sheets, pitches, proposals or appointments. I was there strictly to get the lay of the inspirational-writing-land.

As stressful as that conference was for me, knowing so few people, I came away from it so filled with the Holy Spirit that all I wanted to do was write. I didn't have a plan, but God did.

When I returned home, I was approached by a friend at the Beaumont Enterprise about writing for one of their inserts. I agreed. I could hardly believe the yes that came from my mouth. You see, I'd written NF many times before and truly hated it. It just wasn't my thing. Why was I saying yes?

Becky gave me my assignments and I met my deadlines. Within weeks I was asked to write for a Chamber of Commerce magazine and then a business magazine. I knew these assignments were a God-thing, and a result of attending the ACFW conference. How did I know? Because Becky had asked me to write for her several times before and I'd always vehemently refused. God wasn't opening this door for me. I believe He was giving me one more chance. A chance to be obedient. Several of the people I interviewed and profiled were very strong Christian businesswomen. Their stories would not have been told the way I told them if they'd been interviewed by someone else.

At the conference, we had been given the opportunity to dedicate our writing to God. I went forward. Someone prayed with me. I know without doubt God used the ACFW conference to change my heart about writing nonfiction and He used Becky to test my sincerity and my obedience. And because I was obedient, He blessed me. What would have happened if I'd returned home and once again, refused to write for Becky? I don't want to think about it. The blessings flowed. I wrote an article about Women In Toastmasters. You can click here to see how that article led to so much more.

My cup runneth over. :-) Thank you, ACFW, for being a place to learn and worship. You are a land of opportunity. :)

Last year, I attended the conference in Dallas and met critique partners, Sandra Robbins, Elizabeth Ludwig, Janelle Mowery and Marcia Gruber for the first time. We're all headed to Dallas again this year, and I know we each wonder what God has planned?

I pray we each truly believe God has a plan for our writing.
I pray we're willing to listen and learn.
I pray we're patient until He reveals that plan.
I pray that we're close enough to Him that we hear and recognize His voice.
I pray that we're obedient.
I pray that everyone at conference is there for the right reason.
I pray we're of one mind--to use our writing for His gain.
I pray no one is hurt or disillusioned but realistic about where they are in their writing.
I pray we show the love of Jesus to everyone we come in contact with because people are watching us with a critical eye.
I praise God for each and every ACFW member.

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Making a Commitment

An agent has offered me a contract. I've signed it. \o/ Yes, Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
But I'm scared. Signing on with an agent means I'll HAVE to get my book polished ...no fooling around. Reading his note over and over again, and staring at that contract, I asked myself all kinds of questions:

Can I do it?
Do I really want to do it?
If I really want to do it, why haven't I done it?

You know... all that searching, second guessing stuff we deal with. Commitment scares me. Especially this kind of commitment where I have to produce and all of you out there actually watch and see what I produce.

I remind myself of the man in Matthew who was given one talent of money and he buried it. He was fearful. He didn't have faith in his own abilities or his Master. And because of his fear, because he didn't exercise that talent or the understanding he had, he lost it all.

I'll go out on the weakest limb to encourage others to pursue their dreams, hone their talents, but I seem to have no encouragement for myself. It's almost as if I want to shoot myself in the foot before someone does it for me. :-)
Not anymore.
I want to be that guy who was given five talents and gained five more. I can do it because according to Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And I believe it!

By offering me a contract the agent is saying, "Hey, you ain't half bad. Revise, clean it up, flesh it out and I think I can sell you." He's fanning into flame the gift God gave me (2 Tim. 1:6). And now I must be diligent in these matters; give myself wholly to them so that everyone may see my progress (1 Tim 4:15).

What about you? If you're anything like me, then go to Matthew 25:14 and read the Parable of the Talents. Make a new commitment to glorifying your Master. I did...and I will.

Praise God from whom all blessings flowwwwwwww!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You... I think.

I'm baaaaaaack!
I'm so exhausted from trying to figure out these blogger problems I probably won't post again for some time. They've worn me down...whoever they are.

What have I learned from this? A lot. I know just what to do the next time it happens:

1) Have patience.
2) Hang in there.

And isn't that what a writer does?

Blogger Help for the Blogging Impaired

My blog has disappeared from the face of blogger. I understand since Blogger offers this free service, allowing me to blog, that they owe me nothing, but I'm on my knees here pleading... give me my blog back!

Please?