Writing Tips
Carnival of Christian Writers #5 February 2007
It’s carnival time! This month’s carnival is sure to entertain and inform. So please keep your hands and feet inside at all times and buckle up for your safety. Enjoy the ride… Literary Agent Chip MacGregor shares Ten Changes in Christian publishing. Dena Dyer at the CAN Marketing Blog writes about surviving (and learning from)…
A Small Prayer Answered … and a Story to Tell
Is it worth it? This is a question I ask myself at least once a week when it comes to writing. As I’m trying to balance family life with my call to the keyboard, I sometimes wonder if maybe I’m just a little bit selfish. Shouldn’t I be more fulfilled with my duties of caring…
It Works for Me
As I wait for the impending release of Ruby Among Us (Jan 2008), I work furiously on my second novel. One thing I have learned about the second one is that I am pretty much writing it using the same process I used for the first one. At first, I tried to be very organized.…
Getting Organized
by Dena Dyer www.denadyer.com If you have a resolution to “get organized” with your writing, here are a few tips that have worked for me: 1. First, know your organizing personality. For example, don’t try to use notebooks if you’re not a notebook person. If you love doing everything paperless, go paperless. Don’t try and…
A Writer Going Home
Celebrating my savior’s birth notwithstanding, at this point I feel loaded down with the holiday season’s commercialism and busyness. Don’t misunderstand. Christmas was great, but how do I come down from it, so I can get back to writing? Sugar plum fairies still dance in my head uninvited. Really, you too? So then, what do…
To All a Good Night–
Blame it on the holiday rush and stress, or perhaps it’s sensory overload. With all the gorgeous things to see in our neighborhoods and towns, all the wonderful smells coming from our kitchens, all the sounds of carols and bell-ringers and jingle bells, it’s no wonder when it comes to writing, the spirit is oh-so-willing,…
The Gift of Time
Over the last few months I’ve given myself a special treat. (No, I did not wait for Christmas!) I signed up to have once a month sessions with a life coach for writers. Yes, it’s pricey, but the few hours I’ve spent on the phone with her have been life-changing. In one of our exercises,…
After the Call
I recently told you about The Really Long First Call. And then what happens after the first contract has been signed? In a word, Wait. But eventually, after we come back down to earth, we get back to work. Every writer is different, but here are a few things I’ve been working on while I…
Mid-Week Motivational Menu
Starting Your Day Out Right! Devotional Thought A couple of weeks ago, I addressed planning out your day, recalling that God is a God of order, as revealed through his detail of creation. However, this week, I wanted to highlight another seemingly contrasting characteristic of God. What about being spontaneous? I don’t know that the…
Music To A Writer’s Soul
Like all you other writers out there, I get antsy when I can’t work on my novel. But lately, I’ve had to be creative to find ways to sneak in writing here and there during my day. Many afternoons I purposely leave the house a half hour before school’s out. Then I sit in the…