Door Prizes

One of the breakout sessions I attended at the writing conference this summer was all about marketing and getting your writing out there. The speaker challenged us to look beyond the usual outlets for our work and to promote it in unique ways. I have just found a place. Our women's ministry is having a conference tomorrow and I am blessed to be a speaker. The director of this ministry always has door prizes to give away during the worship time and lunch. At our last event almost every lady there received a prize. Anyway, I have been given the opportunity to provide some as door prizes. I am so excited to see what God has for this. I pray that whoever receives them will be blessed and if they do not have children at home or at all, they will either read through it themselves or pass it along to someone who will be blessed by it. I'll have to post anything I hear about it.

Until then,

Happy Writing

Advent!

Well it is written. After an enormous amount of prayer, study, typing and even crying when the computer just would not read my mind, the Advent Devotional Guide for 2010 is written, back from the editor, and almost ready for print. I say this every year, it is my favorite.
Everything in it comes from my experience with God this year, and what I hope to teach my own children. That is what makes it hard to release to everyone else. Once it is out there, I get to hear the good, the bad and the ugly things people have to say about it, and believe me, people let you know what is on their mind. That can be difficult to hear, but I have to remember that this is what God called me to do. Criticism, even harsh, can make my ministry better, and my ability to work with difficult people stronger. I am always anxious to see what God does with this project. Every year I see it in new places and watch it leave old ones. I can't be hurt by that either. Every ministry has a season and those seasons do begin and end.
In a few weeks I will have a website with this year's devotional available. That sounds so official. When I have that information I will post it here first.

Until then,

Happy Writing!

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting . . .

In the spirit of setting attainable goals, I have decided to send one query a week. In the last two weeks I sent two queries with writing samples already published or one I submitted hopeful it will be printed somewhere. It is a lot of work to get everything together and present your idea according to all the guidelines, making your work stand out from the other possible contributors.

I am learning patience. According to one guideline it can take up to two months to anything. The other was a bit vague. I will update as I have information. In the meantime, I am working on a few projects, continuing my online class, and praying about a website. If I go that route I will update my blog with that information.

That is all for now.

Happy Writing

Query

Returning from the writer conference I am excited and refreshed. I sense a renewed purpose in my writing and the desire to branch out and explore new opportunities. Last week I submitted a query and devotional and this week a query, resume, and three writing samples to a magazine. Both guidelines stated it could be two months until I hear anything, either rejection or acceptance, so I am just plugging along getting another project ready. The problem is I am compulsively checking email in the hopes that by some miracle my query has been read and is something that the publication cannot go one without. Silly I know, but that is the excitement of having something to write and feeling the need to get it out there. This is a wonderful exercise in patience.

In the meantime, I started the online course I registered for at the conference. First lesson is on goal setting. This has been a slow lesson for me as I try to make attainable goals. A goal may be write a best selling novel this week. An attainable goal may be blog once a week about the projects I am working on. See the difference?

Well, I am off to set some attainable goals and hopefully finish the Advent project for this year.

Happy Writing

IWA Conference

Wow is how I would describe my experience Saturday. I recently returned from the Inspirational Writers Alive Christian Writing Conference in Houston, TX and came away with so much information and encouragement. It is always uplifting with others affirm what you know to be your calling from God. The speakers were insightful and patiently answered questions from seasoned writers and newbie wannabes calling both groups and any in-between "professional writers." That phrase has the most pleasant ring to my ears.

The most difficult part of the day was choosing which workshops to take. The descriptions of them all were so wonderful. Ultimately I chose AppeProfessional and aling Book Proposals given by Wayne Holmes. For anyone who has never submitted a book proposal I would definitely recommend it. His website is www.wayneholmes.com

Janice Thompson led the class that I think may have had the most turnout, entitled Making Money with Your Writing. This was especially interesting to me. As much as I love writing and I really do, it is really nice to get paid for something that you love. Her website is www.janicethompson.com

Brenda Nixon, writer, speaker and radio host spoke on Book Promotion Tips, a must after taking Janice Thompson's workshop on making money. I have never heard more creative and FREE, in most cases, ideas to get your book or yourself out there. Brenda's website is www.brendanixon.com

Finally Anita Higman's topic of Breaking the Publishing Barrier was very encouraging with fresh new ideas and angles that many of us may have never considered. Look her up at www.anitahigman.com

Coming away from the conference I understand that I really need to learn this craft. To do that I signed up for the Freelance Writing Course at www.freelancewritingcourses.com I can't wait to get started and will continue to update my progress on this blog.

In Between

Thankfully I can report that the article I mentioned in the previous post was published in Hometown Journey, www.hometownjourney.net. I am so appreciative to Angela Motz, Editor in Chief for giving me on opportunity. I encourage any followers of this blog to check out their monthly magazine for a taste of Texas hometown living.

This spring and summer I was given the task of writing another church camp curriculum for the Houston/Beaumont Area Conference Youth Camp. Previously I wrote for the 3rd-5th grade camp, but this year the curriculum was use for 5th-6th grade as well. I can't wait to hear how it went with the campers. That is one of my favorite all time assignments. Every year I think this myght be my last year and then the next year my dear friend Stacey will call and ask if I am interested in camp again. She knows how passionate I am about the camp experience and I am so blessed that she has given me so many camps to write.

Now for the real update. I have a book in mind. I tried to make it a novel, but I think that God has other ideas. The thing is it may never be published. This may be a project that I have to pour my blood, sweat and tears into just because I have to get this out of me. As I work on it I will post my struggles and success and see where it goes.

For now I am looking for opportunities as a freelance writer and speaker. Wish me luck as I begin this new adventure. This is a true calling and a scary step, but I think with the articles and devotionals I have published I can be considered a "real writer". I hope editors agree.

Happy Writing

Spring Break 2010

Our Spring Break experience is coming to a close and it was very eventful. Not what we planned, but a blast nonetheless. No matter, I thought it was good enough to write about and so I did! Luckily I have some really great friends that support me and so I sent them the article and asked for feedback. We will see how it goes. At least my Mom liked it, but isn't she supposed to? I wonder if even in my thirties, my mom looks at my work and admires it, not for what it is, but for who she knows created it. That certainly explains the boxes full of precious treasures that I have stored in my attic labeled with my children's names. So for now I have to hope and pray for honest criticism and hopefully some praise as I continue on this journey and hope that someone publishes my efforts.

Happy Writing!

New Assignment

It has been a long break from blogging and I am ready to return. I have been substitute teaching a lot and that has come to a close. At first I was a bit confused. I was so needed and suddenly I wasn't. Now I understand why. Right after my last stint with no dates on the horizon, I received an email requesting church camp curriculum for two grade levels. Usually I receive this request mid-March at the earliest, sometimes as late as early May and need to have it ready for June. This year I am so excited to have the opportunity to write for 4th and 5th grade and 6th and 7th grade camp. I have been studying the word "generosity" to prepare and letting the definitions of that word and many characters in the Bible roll around in my brain making connections that will eventually find themselves in the hearts and minds of the campers and counselors at camp this summer. Of all the things I love to write, camp curriculum holds a special place. This is an opportunity to a child or adult to come face to face with God in a place that is not given to distractions and stress of everyday life. In some cases the kids are just looking for a week away from home, or maybe their parents are looking for a week away from them. No matter the circumstances, God appointed them to be there that week, in that cabin, meeting those friends, under the leadership of this counselor studying the curriculum that God will give me to write. The process of writing camp curriculum is an absolute rush. I am given an idea from the directors, then the Lord and I get to work just talking and dreaming about what He desires the message to be. There is always a hook or something that the campers and adults take away from each lesson, and I work to introduce characters from the Bible that they may never have heard of, or studied in that way before. This year's theme is "Extravagant Generosity." I have enjoyed studying the word generosity this week. Being a lover of words, I find it absolutely fascinating the see the journey that words take. They have an original meaning on the language they are developed in, then they change as they are bumped along to other languages and new grammatical and spelling rules and social mores apply. Generosity has changed over the years. The Latin root is also found in words like genesis, genious, generation. I'll go into more later, but I am finding that the word "generosity" has had quite a journey and is more closely related to God that we think.
I plan to update this blog as I continue to write and find those characters who exhibited "Extravagant Generosity!"

Happy writing

REJECTION!

Well it was bound to happen, but so exciting. I got my first rejection letter from a publication. I know that you might not think this is so great, but I am thrilled to death! It is the first time that something I wrote has been rejected. So far it seems that things have come to easily on this adventure. First writing for a real newspaper in high school, then the overwhelming (in my circles) response to the Advent devotional, next was the experience in writing for Hometown Journey Magazine, and finally the Daily Devotional For Writer's (I had all three devotionals I submitted selected) response. I just knew that the devotion I submitted to the good folks at the Upper Room would be snapped up and they would wonder what they ever did without me-think the scene in A Christmas Story when Ralphie turns in his composition. This is not exactly what happened. I got my postcard in the mail with my rejection on it, but my name and the title of my devotion was HANDWRITTEN. Instead of just a run of the mill rejection, I got a handwritten one. That means, to me anyway, that someone actually read it.
I never thought Stephen King with inspire me, but after reading his memoirs I have been just that. He kept every one of his rejection slips as inspiration to continue to write and to rewrite and even rewrite that better. As I look at this little postcard with "I'm sorry" written on it, I know that I can and will write a better one next time, or rewrite this and make it even better. So I may not have anything coming out in the coming months, but I can continue to write and write and write some more and submit, submit, submit until I get it right.

Happy Writing

Writing Samples

I need writing samples with links to them on the internet for editors to review for prospective assignments. I wonder if a blog counts since it is on the internet, but it isn't real writing. After going through old articles written for magazines and trying to find them in archives online, I contacted a previous editor and asked for her help. She not only came through with samples of my published work, but she also requested a reprint of one article and took a couple of pitches from me for other articles. I have a quick turnaround time on one deadline, but it can be done. I am so excited to have an actual assigment for a magazine after writing bible studies and camp curriculum for such a long stretch. I still love writing devotionals, Bible studies and curriculum, but the challenge of article writing is fresh and new and I can't wait to see the finished product.

Happy Writing

Rejection

It is bound to happen in all areas of life, but when it your precious writing is rejected it is as if you are being rejected. I don't know why I would think that everyone would love to have my work as a part of their Christmas experience. I get so much more positive feedback than negative, but it is the negative feedback that sticks.
My only solace is this is what makes my skin tougher, my heart softer and my writing cleaner. I hope that with each rejection of my work I grow as a writer and not shrink as a whiner remembering that I just love to write. This is not about accolades or praise from others, but a direct response to the call that God put on my life.
I hope this encourages another writer someday.

Happy writing!

Opportunities

It is amazing how you can being 15 minutes early can provide all kinds of opportunities. I arrived 15 minutes early to an appointment and stuck up a conversation with a woman who was working on a laptop. As it turns out she is taking a writing course online and has had much success with various online freelance websites. I had never thought about this as a viable avenue in my writing adventure. Of course I began to research and discoved there are many people who have lots to say about working for these various outlets. It is comforting that I know a real flesh and blood person who has had lots of success and speaks highly of the experience. I am still investigating, but it would be a great way to get more experience and validation as a writer. Tune in to see where this new opportunity takes me!

Happy Writing

What a Blessing

I am so excited about speaking last night at YCA. There were so many encouraging comments afterward and I can't wait to hear about what God is doing in those families.
I have decided to submit some devotionals to the Upper Room and hope they will be accepted.

Happy Writing!

Welcome YCA!

If you were at YCA tonight welcome to my blog. It is a place to write about what is on my heart and my journey as a Christian writer. I imagine you came looking for some of the information I discussed tonight and as promised here are some of the tips I gave.
Life Savers: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." Remind your children that Jesus came to save them. Not their physical bodies, but their forever part. He wanted us to be in Heaven with him forever.
Hot Chocolate: John 4:13-14 "Whoever drinks from this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." As you drink hot chocolate this season remind them that after they finish drinking this they will want more. With Jesus we can have something that will be enough. We won't have to continue striving to please God, we will have all of him forever.
Christmas Lights: John 9:5 "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. John 12:46 "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." As you drive around looking at Christmas lights or put lights on your tree remind your little one that Jesus brought light to the world to show us the way to God. It is only by believing in him. Explain that when they believe that Jesus is God's son and he died for their sins they have that light and they can show it to the world when they tell others how much God loves them and what Jesus did for their sins.
Baking Goodies: John 2:8-10 "Then he told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquest.' They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wiine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servents who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, 'Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.'" As you are baking this Christmas explain that just flour, raw eggs and even sugar and not very appealing by themselves. It is when you know what to do with it you can create something really yummy. When Jesus made this wine, he made it from water that people had washed their feet in. YUCK Jesus knew what to do with that and he knows what to do with our sins so that we can be exactly what God created us to be.
Pajamas: Luke 2:7 "and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, as there was no room for them in the inn." Christmas Eve is a time for anticipation of what the next morning may hold. As you get you little ones ready for bed in their pajamas talk to them about Jesus as a baby with the hope of the world resting on him. There was great expectation about what he was here to do and you and your children can hold great expectation about what God is going to do in and with you.
I hope this is helpful. I would love to hear from you as you take this journey with your family. Please be sure to comment on my blog and let me know what God is doing through this study. It is always such an encouragement to me to know that God is able to use regular people.

Happy Writing!

Speaking, What to say?

The countdown has begun and I have requested prayers from all my friends and family. On Thursday night, less than one week from right now, I will be giving a talk to over 100 parents about how to make Christmas more meaningful for their families. I am so excited. I know that God has given me a mission in this area and the advent devotional is a part of that vision. I also know that God will give me the words to say as he has for every children's sermon or lesson I've given. Then why do I have those pesky butterflies in my stomach. It isn't that I am nervous about speaking in front of people or that I am worried about what they will think of me. Instead I think it has more to do with the logistics. Should I have a powerpoint, handout, sample book, film or music clips. This is after all a multi media generation. Will I cover what the audience needs to hear in a format that they can get it in. The problem is even this blog was a stretch for my computer skills. I am getting more and more practice and God is leading me to some wonderful people, but I was not gifted in this administrative way. Then I think about the eunich and Phillip. All he needed was Phillip to explain-no mention of a powerpoint. The woman at the well just needed a straight answer-no film clips required. And when the disciples were going out on their mission to preach Jesus did not give them a format for handouts. I want only to bless God through this presentation. I know that doing that his Holy Spirit will do the rest and these ideas will flow as families learn to make memories together. If that means they pick up a copy of my latest advent devotional, great. If not I have done what God desires of me, obedience to his call to tell others what I know to be true about him. That he loves me so much he sent his son to die for my sins so that I would not have to pay the penalty for my sins. This is what makes me pure and holy and able to spend eternity with God in Heaven.
WOW! I feel so much better. I think I am going to use the gift God gave me to connect with people, and just be myself as I tell them what has worked in my family.

Check back soon. Happy Writing!

Exciting Opportunity!

Yesterday I met with the Principal of a local christian school. I have been asked to come to a parent meeting next week and present ways that parents can make Christmas more meaningful for their children. For anyone who knows me I am picturing a long children's sermon for grown ups. I want to make sure that I get the point across, and of course it wouldn't be complete with out a little something to take home. Just ask the kids at Old River Baptist Church. Watch for more details about this exciting opportunity. I pray that my message will be directly from God and will touch just the right person.

Happy Writing!

Advent 2009 Final Copy

Here it is very late and I am of course down to the wire getting the Advent devo ready for publication. I am so excited about this year and I just can't wait to hear and see what the Lord will do with it this year. I am already getting bites from new churches and I am praying that this my obedience in this area will bless others. I am exhausted, but it is a happy tired and full of anticipation! I'll let you know what happens next.

Happy Writing

Advent 2009

The Advent Devotional for 2009 is already being written. I am thrilled to announce that four have been written, I am in talks with a real editor and if things go well, I'll be sure to post their informaation on this blog for anyone else that is in need of line by line editing. I am also debating the use of a website and whether or not to become a not for profit ministry since I mostly write specific curriculum's for churches.

Things are beginning to move fast and furiously, and my goal is to have the 2009 Advent Devotional Guide completed sometime in March and ready to market to churches in the Spring as they make plans for the Advent season. Since I now have four years completed, I'd like to be able to offer churches that are new to this project some different options to choose from.

Failures are finger posts on the road to achievements. C.S. Lewis I hope that as I embark on this journey this year I remember this and move on after any mistake or failure that is made.

Happy Writing!

Compliments

Last night I received such affirmation about the Advent project. When I began writing it, I felt compelled to write each devotion in 200 words or less, without using any "church words." It was an incredibly difficult task, but God was so faithful to lead me in how He wanted this written. The person that commented last night was unaware of the changes in this years study, and this is also her first year to do it with her family. She said it was just right, long enough to get a message across, but not to long or written on a level that her children could not understand. It is such a wonderful thing to know that I was obedient to what God called me to do and relied on Him to help me complete the task.

Happy Advent!

Advent

So much has happened since my last post. First, I received my copies of Daily Devotions for Writers. How exciting to open the box, flip through the pages and see my name in a real book in print. Needless to say, I shamelessly donated one to our local library, and anyone else who was interested in reading it.

We moved over the summer and again I was blessed to write a church camp curriculum for fouth, fifth and sixth graders. Lastly, the Advent devotional guide, The Gift is completed and this year at least three churches are using it. I have beenworking like crazy to get it done in time and to this year I am printing my own. It is a big undertaking, but well worth it.

I'll post more when I can.

A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one. ~Baltasar Gracián