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