Are You Shy?

Laurie, a friend of mine, blogged about being shy. Her post hit home with me, brought back so many memories--not all of them pleasant. I was shy too, painfully shy, and still am to a certain degree. I imagine a lot of writers wrestle with shyness and that's why we turn to writing. Our safe world. I'd certainly rather stare at a blank page than an unfriendly, judgmental face. There are lots of them out there.

I believe shyness comes from insecurity. I despise it when both traits rear their ugly heads. Here's what I do to fight them:

1) I joined Toastmasters and take part in their speaking assignments. If I ever have a heart attack it'll probably be during a Toastmaster speech. :) Mmmm, mall walking might get me first.

2) I volunteer to speak in writer's groups. Fun. I love writing and talking about it so I get lost in my topic. Lord knows if I make sense!

3) I join critique groups even though they feed my insecurity. I haven't learned how to combat this problem yet. A real battle. :(

4) I force myself to go to writer's conferences and speak with editors and agents. I love the seminars because I'm a perpetual student. I'd still be in college if I could afford it. :) I despise pitching my work to editors and agents. Can't begin to tell you how much.

5) I force myself to walk out my door each day and join the world when I'd rather stay home and be with my family.

But, thankfully, God gives us courage through His Word.

I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from my fears. Psalm 34:4

He's our rock and refuge so we need to call on Him before we ever get out of bed in the mornings. Sometimes I say, "Praise God, He's given me another day!"

God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

He's great at calming racing hearts. Really! Is that spirit of timidity our own creation?

I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words. Psalm 119:147

His word should be our confidence. Sometimes I forget and trek off on my own. I feel sad when I realize I've abandoned God. Hallelujah, He never abandons me.
So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Hebrews 13:6

Commit it to memory. We will not be afraid or intimidated or shy... we are in the Lord and He is in us. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. He is in us.

Something to Think About

How does the writer of creative articles (or anything else) become a professional?

This question is asked so often that I feel impelled to discuss it here: It seems to me that the amateur becomes a professional when he stops thinking of himself as an amateur, and regards himself as a serious, dedicated worker in a highly competitive profession. Only in so doing can he develop the professional working habits that he must have in order to succeed.


Taken from Writing the Creative Article
by Marjorie Holmes-Inspirational writer
1910-2002

Writing for Teen Magazines - Interested?

I've been teaching a nonfiction writing class for Lamar University for a few years now. It's fun. I had the honor of pulling together instructors for The Professional Writer's Center, better known as their Write Site and drawing up their mission statement. I'm always looking for courses to add by qualified writers. The story of how I fell into this job is a devo for Daily Devotions for Writers--a very nice, well-put-together book. For ordering info, click Daily Devotions for Writers or you can call 1-877-289-2665. Amazon has it too.

But let me get back on track here. I'm excited about a new class we're offering at Lamar called Writing for Teen Magazines. Jessica Burkhart is teaching it.

Jess has been writing and selling to magazines since she was 11 years old. She has a book coming out in early 2009. This young lady knows what she's talking about. If you're a member of RWA, she's been pubbed in their RWA Report magazine. If you subscribe to The Writer--she's been there too. Her knowledge and experience isn't limited to teen writing. Jess can teach you the ropes if you've dreamed of breaking into nonfiction for teens but you'll be able to use what you learn from her in other areas of writing.

Okay, I'm singing her praises way too much. Check her out for yourself:

Click HERE to read my interview with Jess and learn more about Writing for Teen Magazines.

Click HERE to visit her blog.

Click HERE to visit her website.

A Keeper: The Black Cloister by Melanie Dobson

When my daughter left for college, seven years ago, I had one very real fear: that she would encounter a religious cult. After all, she was going to a secular college where they had a free speech alley. Anyone and everyone could stand in free speech alley to shout their message. And daughter enjoyed her own free speech and message: she walked the campus telling others about Christ, was involved in outreach for the BCM and her church, reached out to the homeless at odd hours and went on mission trips. In my mind, I could see some handsome, exuberant 'christian' talk her into joining him to spread the good news. And then...and then...


My fear was brought back to me as I read The Black Cloister by Melanie Dobson. Her characters are likable and the story reads true. I was right in the middle of the evil and believing every word of it. What a story! I've read other novels about religious cults, but never one as good as The Black Cloister.

Dobson's protagonist, Elise Friedman, needs to know her mother's story, and what was behind her mother's death. She risks her own life for answers. Dobson does an excellent job of showing how young people are recruited into cults and brainwashed. A frightening process. Authentic. She also paints a vivid picture of evil.

The Black Cloister grabbed me and wouldn't let me go until I reached the very last page. A week later, Elise Friedman's story is still with me. I think about her, shiver at the horror she faced. Every now and then I find myself wanting to breathe a prayer for her . . .

Thankfully, my daughter was sitting across the room while I read The Black Cloister. If she hadn't been in my sight, I would have called her every few hours to make sure she wasn't talking to strangers.

Aside from getting lost in the story, I learned a lot about the craft of writing.

Melanie Dobson is a master at keeping secrets and sprinkling just enough info to hang on to her reader. There's not one information dump in this entire book. Seems every nuance is strategically placed.

Dobson is also a master at painting a picture of evil without using one curse word. I have many favorite secular writers. It pains me to read profanity in their novels. Dobson proves you can show--yes, SHOW--evil characters without cursing or using God's name in vain.

This book is good. Very good. I wish I had written it. How I wish I could write this well.

The Black Cloister by Melanie Dobson is a keeper.

My Quote of the Month

You know how much I love quotes. They encourage me and make me think. Sometimes I read thoughts by other writers that truly speak to my soul and I don't want to lose them. I print them out to tape to my computer. The quote below is worthy of such a spot.

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER reject yourself. That’s the job of the editor or agent. Don’t do their job for them! Your job is to write your best stuff. Your job is to present that in the most appealing way you can. Your job is to keep on keeping on until you make it. When you write something and then don’t even make an honest effort to sell it, you are rejecting yourself. Don’t do that!~Randy Ingermanson

I am so guilty of rejecting myself. Why? Is it fear of failure or fear of success? We've had this discussion before, I know, but I still ponder it. My daughter told me that her education professor discussed a particular kind of student that all teachers encounter at one time or another: the student who won't attempt anything if there's a chance of failure. Can you imagine? Since there's always a chance of failure that student--in essence--must never attempt anything new. Believe it or not, I know someone who has that trait.

Hopefully, we writers aren't that bad. Unless we've just started our writing journey, we're certainly familiar with failure. All writers are filled with a certain amount of doubt and insecurity. If s/he isn't then s/he's filled with a heck of a lot of arrogance, in my humble opinion.

Read Randy's quote again. Let it saturate your soul:

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER reject yourself. That’s the job of the editor or agent. Don’t do their job for them! Your job is to write your best stuff. Your job is to present that in the most appealing way you can. Your job is to keep on keeping on until you make it. When you write something and then don’t even make an honest effort to sell it, you are rejecting yourself. Don’t do that!~Randy Ingermanson

Now go check out his website and subscribe to his newsletter. This guy knows what he's talking about and he has a heart for encouraging writers.

CFBA Presents Try Darkness by James Scott Bell

I've been out of town for the past week. Today I found Try Darkness by James Scott Bell in my P.O. Box. What a treat! Unfortunately, the review is due--like--now.

Glancing at the first page, I'm thrilled by the opening line:
The nun hit me in the mouth and said, "Get out of my house."
If that doesn't grab you nothing will. James Scott Bell never disappoints his reader. His Plot and Structure is my writing bible. So it's my pleasure to post this CFBA review while I disappear to my reading corner with Try Darkness.

<>< <>< <><

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Try Darkness
(Center Street - July 30, 2008) by James Scott Bell

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAMES SCOTT BELL is a former trial lawyer who now writes full time. He has also been the fiction columnist for Writers Digest magazine and adjunct professor of writing at Pepperdine University. The national bestselling author of several novels of suspense, he grew up and still lives in Los Angeles. His first Buchanan thriller, TRY DYING, was released to high critical praise, while his book on writing, Plot and Structure is one of the most popular writing books available today.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Ty Buchanan is living on the peaceful grounds of St. Monica’s, far away from the glamorous life he led as a rising trial lawyer for a big L.A. firm. Recovering from the death of his fiancée and a false accusation of murder, Buchanan has found his previous ambitions unrewarding. Now he prefers offering legal services to the poor and the underrepresented from his “office” at local coffee bar The Freudian Sip. With his new friends, the philosophizing Father Bob and basketball-playing Sister Mary Veritas, Buchanan has found a new family of sorts. One of his first clients is a mysterious woman who arrives with her six-year-old daughter. They are being illegally evicted from a downtown transient hotel, an interest that Ty soon discovers is represented by his old law firm and his former best friend, Al Bradshaw. Buchanan won’t back down. He’s going to fight for the woman’s rights. But then she ends up dead, and the case moves from the courtroom to the streets. Determined to find the killer and protect the little girl, who has no last name and no other family, Buchanan finds he must depend on skills he never needed in the employ of a civil law firm. The trail leads Buchanan through the sordid underbelly of the city and to the mansions and yachts of the rich and famous. No one is anxious to talk. But somebody wants Buchanan to shut up. For good. Now he must use every legal and physical edge he knows to keep himself and the girl alive. Once again evoking the neo-noir setting of contemporary Los Angeles, Bell delivers another thriller where darkness falls and the suspense never rests.

If you would like to read chapters 1 & 2, go HERE

“Bell has created in Buchanan an appealing and series-worthy protagonist, and the tale equally balances action and drama, motion and emotion. Readers who pride themselves on figuring out the answers before an author reveals them are in for a surprise, too: Bell is very good at keeping secrets. Fans of thrillers with lawyers as their central characters—Lescroart and Margolin, especially—will welcome this new addition to their must-read lists.”—Booklist

“Engaging whodunit series kickoff . . . Readers will enjoy Bell's talent for description and character development.”—Publishers Weekly

“James Scott Bell has written himself into a niche that traditionally has been reserved for the likes of Raymond Chandler.” —Los Angeles Times

“A master of suspense.”—Library Journal

“One of the best writers out there, bar none.”—In the Library Review

Out of Pocket

I'll be out of pocket for several days. There are stories and ideas everywhere. Grab you one and start writing.