Do You Use Voxer? by Susan Tuttle

As a writer I’m always looking for useful apps that will help me in my writing career, so when a friend of mine told me about Voxer I decided to try it out. And I LOVE it. So I’m sharing it with you today.

 

Voxer is basically a mash-up of a walkie-talkie and voicemail. You press a button and start talking. If the person you’re speaking to is there, you move back and forth in your conversation as if you were holding a walkie-talkie. If they’re not there, the message will save for them to play when they have a moment. You don’t need to walk around holding the phone to your ear. No dialing and waiting for voicemail to pick up. And much easier than tiring your thumbs writing a lengthy text. Just simple convenience.

 

How does that help a writer, you ask? Simple.

1. Brainstorming: I’ve had many brainstorming sessions with writer friends using this app. Either we chat back and forth as we work through their plot, or they send an idea for their storyline and I get back to them when I can. That’s part of the beauty of this app…they can quickly shoot me the question the moment it hits them, and I can answer when I’m able.

2. Encouragement: Writing can be a lonely affair. And as a writer, I often have fellow writers on my heart. This app has allowed me to shoot them a quick message and pray over them, encourage them, or share something funny. Sure. Texts do the same thing. But sometimes it’s nice to hear someone’s voice as you go through your day—and I don’t even have to make their phone ring. It’s simply recorded for them to play when they have a moment.

3. SOS Calls:  We all have those moments. We’re in the midst of writing a story. The flow is good. Words are flying. But something in your story needs addressing. Not enough to stop you, but enough to tie up precious brain space. Voxing comes in handy in these moments. You can toss the question or problem to a friend without disrupting either one of you. Then pick it apart later when you both have the time.

 

It might seem like a short list, but Voxer has dramatically changed how I interact with my writer friends. Emailing never seemed fast enough, and many times what I wanted to pass on was far too long to text. However, it was often not pressing enough to warrant a phone call. This has found a happy middle ground for communication, and it’s one I have every intention of continuing to use. 

 

If you’re not on Voxer yet, it’s a free app and I highly recommend it to you and your writing communityJ

Susan L. Tuttle lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her best friend and is a homeschooling mom of three. She’s firmly convinced that letters were meant for words, not math, and loves stringing them together into stories that inspire, encourage, and grow women into who God created them to be. Romance, laughter, and cookies are three of her favorite things, though not always in that order. You can connect with Susan at her blog, Steps, Facebook, or Twitter. 

The Dance by Susan Tuttle

Anybody remember high school dances? The dimly lit gymnasium. Soft ballads playing. Kids slowly spinning each other in a never-ending circle and calling it dancing. And that chip bowl where some of us spent many of our hours at. Ahhh…I remember it fondly.

 

Recently that memory melded with a moment in my writing world. You see, I received another rejection letter. We all know this is part of the game, and yet for a moment it sent me back to standing right next to that chip bowl. You see, I’ve helped many of my friends ready themselves for the dance of this writing world. Together we’ve primped and styled each others manuscripts, one sheets, and proposals. We’ve arrived at the dance giddy and breathless with the hope that someone will hold out their hand and asks us to twirl across the floor. We’ve stood together by that chip bowl waiting for it to happen. And I’ve watched as each of them had their moment. Their publishing partner appears and whisks them onto that floor while I’m still taping my toe to the music, waiting for mine to show up. Oh, they’ve circled. They’ve looked me in the eye even. But then the music changes, and they turn around or ask someone else.

 

I’ll admit. At first I smiled with my friends without a pang to be felt in my body. But as each one disappeared into the throng of dancers on the floor, I started to despair. Oh, my happiness for them remained, but I began to lament to God as I stuffed my mouth with more chips. Would my partner ever arrive? Why was everyone else found desirable while I held up the wall behind me?

 

Friends, isn’t God wonderful to open our eyes when we aren’t clearly seeing what is right in front of us? When we are too focused on what we are missing to see what we already possess? He has a way of speaking right to our tender hearts…because he holds them in his hands. See, I had a partner who’d been standing right in front of me the entire time. One who desperately wanted to pull me into his arms and onto that floor for a dance I’d never forget. And it wouldn’t be turning in a small circle. It would be spins and dips to a song written just for me in the arms of Someone who’d never let me trip or fall and had always found me desirable: Jesus.

 

Sometimes we become so focused on “making it” in this publishing world that we forget why it is we write. Friends, when our attention remains fixed on the fact that we’re still standing by the chip bowl, we miss out on the hand God is holding out to us. The fun to be had in dancing with him. Do I still pray to find that publishing house one day? Of course! I fully believe God created me as a writer and plan to use this gift for his glory. But even if they never come, God has a plan, and he’s filled my dance card with his name.

 

And I intend on dancing each step with him in the lead.

Susan L. Tuttle lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her best friend and is a homeschooling mom of three. She’s firmly convinced that letters were meant for words, not math, and loves stringing them together into stories that inspire, encourage, and grow women into who God created them to be. Romance, laughter, and cookies are three of her favorite things, though not always in that order. You can connect with Susan at her blog, Steps, Facebook, or Twitter.

 

 

Goal Setting for Writers by Julie Jarnagin

Terri here. I'm pleased to welcome my friend and USA Today Best Selling Author Julie Jarnagin to Seriously Write. Julie is a talented and goal driven author. I always find her advice helpful and I'm sure you will as well.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love all things goal setting and productivity. The research and science behind making new habits and reaching new goals is fascinating to me, especially as a writer…because writing is hard! Don’t you agree?

 

For me this writing journey takes willpower, concentration, and energy that some days I’m lacking. But when I look at my goals, I remember why it’s so important to make writing a priority in my life.

Here are 10 tips for setting and reaching your goals:

1. Make sure you have the right goal - Is it measurable? Is it realistic? Is it in your control? The last one is important. If your goal is to get a contract from your dream publisher by the end of the year, that’s something you can’t control. It’s an awesome dream, but not as useful as a goal. Instead, set a goal like – Have my manuscript complete and ready to pitch to the publisher at the conference or send out 15 query letters. These are measurable and in your control.

2. Look for the “why” behind your goal and visualize success – Why is this goal important to you? What makes the time and sacrifice worth it? How will you feel when you accomplish the goal? What would that look like? Knowing the why will help you know if you’re doing things for the right reasons and help get you through the tough times.

3. Limit the number of goals you’re focusing on at once – This is one reason so many people struggle with New Year’s Resolutions. They want to eat healthy, start a new exercise routine, find a new career, and get out of debt. We can’t do it all at once! This year, I broke my New Year’s resolutions down by month. Each month I focus on a different area. This means I can use all my willpower in one area – not ten.

4. Write down your goals and track your progress - Putting things on paper is powerful. Post your goal somewhere you can see it or share it with a trusted person in your life.

5. Do something concrete to help you achieve success - If your goal is to write more, schedule the date, time, and word count in your calendar. If your goal is to improve your writing craft, sign up for an online workshop or purchase the books you plan to read to make this happen.

6. Recognize that if you’re adding something to your life, you’re also going to have to give something up – Want to do more marketing? Where is the time going to come from? Are you going to give up one of your nightly television shows, wake up earlier, or spend less time on Pinterest. If you’re not careful, the time will be stolen from something you didn’t intend, like working on your manuscript or getting to bed at a decent hour.

7. Review your goals – Have a process for reviewing your goals regularly—whether that’s putting it in your calendar or putting a slip of paper with your goals in your wallet that you pull out every now and then. Revisit them to make sure you’re still on track.

8. Reward yourself - If your resolution is to work on your novel every day, reward yourself with a new book or a coffee from Starbucks each month that you write 20 or more days.

9. Don’t be afraid to fail – Nobody is perfect. If you get off track, get up and try again.

10. Give God room to work – Sometimes we think our list of goals is the best and only way to achieve success. Goals are good and useful, but only if we seek God when we’re setting them and seek God throughout the process. Goals are meant to keep us on track, but don’t be so set on your own road that you don’t notice if God is paving a new one for you.

Do you set specific writing goals? What are they? Do you write them down? How do you plan to stick to them?

Paige Morgan’s career is in shambles. What kind of wedding planner gets left at the altar? So when a job planning parties on a ranch in rural Texas comes her way, she jumps at it. So what if the cowboy who runs the place isn’t happy she’s there?

Rancher Nick Reid risked his heart once… and lost. Who needs love? He’s got a great life on the family ranch—so long as Paige Morgan and her city ideas don’t ruin it all. If only his family didn’t need her help to save their livelihood. And if only he wasn’t so darned drawn to the woman. But no sooner does Nick start to believe in love again, than a socialite shows up looking for Paige. Asking her to plan an elaborate wedding. Back in the city.

Both Paige and Nick need a second chance at love. But what will it cost them to take it?

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1QLy50m
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1odDd4g
iBooks: http://apple.co/1T3IEPZ

USA Today Best Selling author Julie Jarnagin writes sweet and inspirational romance. She grew up in a small Oklahoma town where her family farmed and ranched. These days she lives in a not-so-big city with her amazing husband and two young sons who tolerate all her nerdy quirks. Julie earned a B.A. in Journalism / Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. www.JulieJarnagin.com. Sign up for her newsletter to be the first to learn about new releases and free books: http://eepurl.com/5y5k

 

 

 

Take a Challenge! by Susan Tuttle

Susan Tuttle

Our first full week of 2016 is over! I can hardly believe it. As we stare down this new year, many of us have made resolutions or are focused on One Word for the upcoming months. New habits and new focuses are wonderful to have. They help us form a fresh start for the days ahead, but what about a new challenge?

If we don’t constantly challenge ourselves as writers, we grow stagnate, and our readers will feel it. It can be easy to churn out what we know, after all, there’s a certain comfort level in the familiar. And while familiar is good for readers, losing the fresh angle to our voice is not.

So this year I challenge you to take on a challenge. Here’s some ideas for varying levels of writers:

1.  If you write full length, try a novella or even flash fiction to tighten your words and plot. This forces you to focus on the main points of your story along with truly considering each word. In tightening sentences you’ll discover new ways to say old things, continue to grow your vocabulary, and ditch overused words.

2.  On the flip side, if you write shorter length, try a full length. Dive into the extra word count that will push you to learn how to weave in secondary characters with, perhaps, their own plots. Learn to juggle the small story within the big. Deepen descriptions. Expand the world you’re creating.

3.  If you’re a Pantser, try at least outlining your story. Push yourself to envision at least the bare bones of where the story needs to travel and write those notes down. You may find it saves you from rabbit trails and major editing later on.

4.  Read books on craft and apply what you learn! Many of us are out of school, but we should never stop learning. Take a month, put away your computer, and pick up a book on something you’re struggling to learn. Some great ones are:

a.  Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Brown & King
b.  Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfield
c.  Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

5.  Show your work to others. It can be scary, but the feedback is invaluable. And I’m not talking about people who love you and will gush over your words even when they are not so gushable. If a writer is going to grow, they need constructive criticism. You should have both a great critique partner and also unbiased readers. It’s scary, but at some point you have to put your work out there.

6.  Attend a writers’ conference. Yes, I know, many of us are introverts (my hand cannot raise any higher on this one), but the connections you make—both industry wise and on a friendship level—will enrich your writing life. Plus, to go with challenge #5, the education you receive at these conferences is amazing. I’ve attended both large scale and smaller scale conferences (ACFW and Breathe are 2 of my favorite) and have only grown in my writing life as an outcome.

I’d love to hear any other challenges you may already be taking or have done in the past to improve your writing. We can all learn from one another. Writing may feel like a solitary thing, but it’s in community that we grow the most.

Happy New Year, friends!

Susan Tuttle is a homeschooling mom of three who is crazy about coffee, dark chocolate, and words—both reading and writing them. Combine that love of words with her passion for leading women to a life-changing encounter with Christ, and you’ll find her crafting Inspirational Contemporary Romance stories laced with humor, love, and healing transformations. When not cheering on her Ironman hubby, chasing the family dog, or tackling complex math problems to teach her kids (yes, even the third grader), you can catch Susan at her blog, Steps.

Susan contributes on the first Thursday of each month.

 

The Gift of Writing for Fun

The Gift of Writing for Fun

By Terri Weldon

 



Terri Weldon

This year the holiday decorating theme for my office at work was Gingerbread men. Each of us were given two felt Gingerbread men and told to create a scene. Now I had the entire door to my office to decorate and these two little guys didn’t come close to filling up the space.

 

I’m not the least bit crafty. So I stared at the blank door and my two little people without a clue what to do. After a good while I decided to see how the others in the office were progressing. So I looked at the scenes on the walls and admired their creativity. My mind, as it often does, remained blank. Finally one of the gals in the office suggested I make a Westie to go with my people.

That simple suggestion jump started my brain. I went back to my desk and created a Gingerbread woman. I won’t bore you with the details of her cute little outfit, but it was quite fun. Next I whipped out my IPhone and searched for Gingerbread men. I found a man in a red and green outfit and busied myself with dressing the hero in my story in a similar fashion. Yep, you heard me, the hero.

From the minute I decided to make a Gingerbread couple the romance writer in me began formulating a story. So the one page novelette A Gingerbread Romance was birthed. And yes, I actually wrote it. The story became the inspiration for my door. My decorations played out the story and I even went so far as to cut the dialog out and attach it to the door in the appropriate places. I had a blast. In fact I received an unexpected gift – at work of all places – the gift of writing for fun.

This wasn’t written for publication and while I did the best job possible on the story I didn’t have to worry about pleasing a publisher, agent, or reader. A Gingerbread Romance was designed for my enjoyment and mine alone. As silly as this may sound, it was liberating. Reminded me of my love of writing and creating.

 

When was the last time you wrote something just for fun? Probably too long. I hope you’ll take a few minutes today and write a quick holiday story of your own. Let my Christmas gift to you be the gift of writing just for fun.

Merry Christmas!

 

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Purchase Link

Misty Winslow is determined to find her prince, and she meets the man of her dreams through an Internet dating service. Or is he, because the new dentist in town also sets her heart aflutter.

It's love at first sight for Tyler Davenport, but before he can finish his first root canal, Misty is involved in an exclusive online romance with Wes99—Tyler’s online persona. How can he tell her he’s the man she’s been waiting to meet, and how rational is it for him to be jealous of Wes99! Soon Tyler's pulling out all the stops to woo Misty.

As Christmas approaches, Wes99 and Tyler both ask her to meet them under the mistletoe. Which man will she choose?

Terri is a lead analyst by day and an author by night. She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing in the hand bell choir. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction.

She lives with her family in Oklahoma. Terri has three dogs – a lovable mutt and two adorable Westies.

Terri is a member of ACFW and OCFW, a local chapter of ACFW. Her dream of becoming a published novelist came true in November 2013 when Mistletoe Magic released from White Rose Publishing. To learn more about Terri visit her website at www.TerriWeldon.com.

Change...It's Never Easy by Dora Hiers

Two years ago, several of my author friends were announcing multi-book contracts. I was thrilled for them, but my inner voice mocked. "You'll never get one of those. You can't plot."

Sure, I'd managed to crank out five romances, but I’d written all of them in advance, and Pelican Book Group individually contracted and published them. That meant writing the entire story, submitting it, and then waiting, praying and hoping for a contract. I dreamed of snagging a contract for a series that I hadn't written yet...to know that the story I was laboring over would have a home when I finished. But, in order for that to happen, I needed to force myself to learn how to plot, so that I could submit a proposal based on a synopsis for three stories not yet written.

My neighbors probably heard me ranting and thrashing about my office, banging my head against my desk and threatening to toss my laptop out the window. But, I was determined to stick with it. 

Change...it's never easy, is it?

You can read my tips on how I made the transition here and how I organized myself here. Trust me when I say there was plenty of weeping and pulling hair involved, especially when I plunged into simultaneously plotting out five books, two independents and three for a series.

I dug my heels in and refused to surrender. Eighteen months later, I had five completed books…all contracted on proposal!

Want the secret? I'll share. 

Motivation. I wanted it. Big time. There's nothing more motivating to me than thinking I can't do something. Anybody else feel that way? So, unless you find a reason to change, you will keep doing things the same way. Have you noticed how that harbors discontent, sparks envy?

Take the first step. Change isn't even remotely possible until you take the first step. What's holding you back? Fear? Doubt? Why? You're a writer, aren't you? Every day I write I face my fears. Whether that's public speaking, writing curriculum for an online class, navigating the murky world of social media...whatever. God's got your back. Move forward in boldness. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ~Phil 4:13, NKJV

Be willing to adjust your course. Just as a ship adjusts its course for winds/storms/tide, I had to make some modifications along the way. I found that by the time I'd reached the fifth book, my skeletal plot needed a few tweaks, but that's OK because the original story line was strong. Multitaskers probably wouldn't have a problem with tackling five books, but for my single track mind, three is the max. Also, sometimes hubby would throw in traveling to a conference that wasn't planned or I'd be called upon to pick up a sick grandchild, so rather than continually adjust my completion date, I set a daily word count goal that took this into consideration. 

Pray without ceasing. A no-brainer. :)

Change is never easy...but it's possible. With a little faith and a good bit of persistence, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

“If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.” ~Anthony Robbins

Do you embrace change or despise it?
What aspect of your writing style would you change?

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A Routine Audit? Hardly.

Red flags—including some goon who's following her—raise McKinley Frasier's suspicions that numbers don't add up at the insurance firm. When someone tries to snatch McKinley's daughter from school, she turns to police officer and ex-fiance, Renner Crossman—the cop who walked out on her a month before their wedding. But Renner's not the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a "new man." She trusts the new Renner with her daughter's safety...but what about her heart?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA, ACFW, and the Treasurer for ACFW-Charlotte Chapter. Connect with her here on Seriously Write, her personal blog, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Are You Conditioning Yourself for Success? by Dora Hiers

After months of freezing temperatures and dreary drizzly days this winter, on the first warm sunny day in April, I loaded up my dog and headed for the park. 

With over a mile of wonderful sniffing trails and lots of grass for scratching his back, Bruiser doesn't like to miss his walks. Who could blame him? But on this day, he seemed a bit reluctant to get out of the car. Eighty five scorching degrees and thirty minutes later, we were both out of breath, exhausted, and even I was glad to reach the car and the a/c.

After hardly walking for months, we were out of condition. The long winter left us with weak lungs and stiff joints. The winter blah's.

Maybe you're experiencing the winter blah's in your writing, where days, sometimes months go by without a word ever making it onto a page. Or perhaps you're going through a winter season with your writing. Whether you're working a full time job, rearing children, or caring for an elderly parent, there just isn't any available time for consistent writing. Are you out of condition? Do you need to flex your writing muscles? 

Here are a few ideas to work out the stiff joints:

Blog. A blog is an online journal or diary where individuals or groups of users record their thoughts or opinions. People blog on anything and everything: pets, books, cooking, travel and the list goes on. In case you didn't realize it, you're reading a writing blog right now. I'm the Thursday hostess here on Seriously Write, but I also manage my personal blog, Heart Racing, God-Gracing Romance, where I post book reviews and devotionals. Blogging is fairly easy and doesn't require much technical expertise. Two popular user-friendly platforms are Blogger and WordPress. Find your passion and blog.

Plot. Practice writing a few blurbs along with skeletal plots to go with them. There's no reason why you couldn't plot several books to keep on hand until your current season passes. 

Ideas. Don't let a good idea slip by without jotting it down. Record ideas as they burn in your brain, whether that's with a paper and pen or a voice recorder or notetaker app on your smartphone, and then transfer it to a computer file later. Keep a physical file with newspaper clippings of possible story ideas.

Create a Character Portfolio. Develop characters and maintain a character portfolio. When your spring blooms, bright and sunny, your characters will be ready to hit the first page of your book.

Write Short. Several publishers, like Pelican Book Group, accept submittals for short stories. They accept romances as short as 10k words. Also, publications/magazines like Woman's World contract 800 word romances, and Flash Fiction and Splickety Magazine accept stories between 500-1k words. And did you know that Ellie's Escape, just published with Splickety in the 6/20/14 edition, was written by our very own sweet Wednesday hostess, Sandy Ardoin? Way to go, Sandy! Write short.

Whatever it is, flex your writing muscles on a daily basis and you'll soon discover that you've conditioned yourself for success.

What about you? Are you going through the winter doldrums?

What would you add to this list?

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Five years ago, Emily Mannerson escaped small town living and moved to the big city where nobody knew "poor little Emily" and her miserable background. Now an attorney, Emily longs for what she left behind…her adopted mother and high-school sweetheart. Fire captain Matthew Westerly treasures his small town of Journey Creek and values faith, family, and friendships. When he rescues Emily from a horrific car accident, he's determined to win her back and make up for the lost years. Can a big city girl and a small town boy discover their true treasure? Will they trust God to work a miracle?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA, ACFW, and the Treasurer for ACFW-Charlotte Chapter. Connect with her on Seriously Write, her personal blog, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

No Boundaries!

Marianne Evans

The best part about being a writer? There are no boundaries. 

This morning, I found myself in Nashville, Tennessee with the current ‘it’ couple of Christian contemporary music, but they’re having a tough go of it at the moment. A few weeks back, I celebrated Christmas in London with the delightful Colby family. This is my second trip abroad to pay them a visit. Oh…and did I tell you about the sea-cliff wedding I attended in Ireland earlier this year? I danced reels and sang karaoke with four fantastic girls who have become dear friends of mine. It was absolutely fabulous.

Okay, okay, it’s time for me to ‘fess up. These journeys took place not in real time but within the fertile soil of my imagination, prompted by characters that live in my heart and story lines that bubble in my soul until they’re released into the cyber land that’s known as my computer.

Every writer is different in how they approach their craft and their lives. Me? I love to travel. I’m starting to believe I was born with some form of wanderlust because I’m drawn by fresh sights, new cultures and experiences. In lieu of physical travel, I love to pour over videos, travel guides, pictures and websites that transport me to a different time and place. This both fills me and prompts me as a writer because in my writing universe, the settings for my stories become a character. I draw upon setting to immerse my reader within the world I create—with visuals of sweeping mountains, with the scent of roasting chestnuts, with the texture of sea-spray against a cheek, or the sound of church bells peeling across a valley.

As an added bonus to this process, I feel shackles break free when I engage myself in my stories and let the words flow. When I sink deep into setting, character and experience (aka: story arc) I find myself heartbroken or healed, angry or rejoicing, in tears or in laughter…

There are no boundaries. (Click to Tweet!) There’s joy in the writing journey no matter what chaos my characters might encounter, because God’s hopeful, grace-filled hand guides my pen to the outcome He envisioned for the story from its beginnings.  

How about you? What inspires you? How do you unchain yourself from the day-to-day and lose yourself in the craft of storytelling? I’d love to hear all about it!

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Marianne Evans is a multi-award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. She also earned wins for Best Romance of 2012 from the Christian Small Publisher's Association and the Selah award for best Novella of 2013. Happily married and the mother of two, Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan who is active in a number of a number of Romance Writers of America chapters, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President.

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Jodie's Song by Marianne Evans

Nothing fills Jodie Cunningham's spirit like sharing contemporary Christian music and scriptural insights on her morning drive radio show at KWJD. But lately, she’s overwhelmed and depleted by family circumstances that have led her from Dallas to Angel Falls, Texas and Heart's Haven apartment complex.

Kevin Mitchell is the groundskeeper at Heart's Haven—a place famous for angelic intercession and loving connections. His uncle owns the facility, but he's ailing. Kevin eagerly chips in, and as he prepares the grounds for a spring wedding, he meets Jodie. They begin to work together to make Heart's Haven sparkle.

But just as Kevin succeeds at coaxing Jodie's heart to bloom, tragedy strikes in a double dose that tests both their strength of faith and the love they've found.

Planning Is Not A Dirty Word by Susan Sleeman

Susan Sleeman

Dora here. Today, Susan Sleeman offers five principles to make your writing time more productive. Enjoy, and keep writing! ~Dora

I’m one of those organized people who plan ahead. If you’re not a planner don’t stone me. Just hear me out as I believe even a little bit of planning and goal setting will increase your productivity. Honest! Published or not if you apply these five easy principles, I’m sure you’ll be more productive.

1. See yourself as a professional writer

Attitude is critical for success in this business. If you believe you’re a writer, you’ll do the things necessary to become a published writer. Set up a dedicated writing space. Even if it’s an orange crate and a chair. Then write, write, write. Whether you feel like it or not. Whether you’re turning out award winning prose or garbage. Write. Why? You’ve heard the old saying practice makes perfect. I don’t know about perfect, but writing on a regular basis grows your skills.

2. Set a Goal and stick to it

Decide which days of the week you’re going to write and set word goals. To keep up my publishing pace, I must write at least 2500 words 5 days a week. Do I always want to write 2500 words? “No,” I scream loudly. But by setting a word goal, it allows me to see at a glance when a rough draft will be finished and contract other books accordingly. Plus it keeps me on target. If I fail to hit 2500 words one day, I know I have to make it up the next day.

3. Don’t let distractions get in the way during your writing time

Easier said than done right? Especially when there’s email and social media at our fingertips. So how do you avoid spending too much time on them? I allot myself the first hour of the day as I am coming awake with my coffee to read email, Facebook, Twitter, etc and again as I eat lunch. When time’s up, I have a calendar program that reminds me to get to work. A good computer calendar program to give you reminders is invaluable in so many areas of a writing career. And you don’t have to spend any money on one. I use Mozilla Sunbird, which is a FREE program. I put deadlines and other events on the calendar and set appropriate reminders. For example, if I have a blog post or interview due, I set the due date and the calendar tells me when I should be working on it. Until then, I can put it out of my mind and concentrate on writing.

4. Set a book deadline whether the book you are working on is contracted or not

Any published author will tell you that a deadline will make you do super human things to complete a book on time. But you don’t have to have a contracted novel to do the same thing. Give yourself a deadline. Treat it as if an editor is waiting for your manuscript and stick to it. After all, once you do get that contract, you’ll have to work under deadlines. Learn to do so now when the pressure isn’t as strong.

5. Plan out your novels – okay I know this is going to start a seat-of-the-pants writer versus plotter argument, but read on anyway

When I first started writing, I didn’t plan a word. I didn’t even know where the book was going or how it was going to end. When I was able to contract with a publisher on proposal only—the first three chapters and a synopsis, I had to learn to plan my books in advance. And that’s what I did. I took the high concept, figured out character conflicts and the main story conflict as I had always done then expanded it to create a list of scenes that fit the book. Learning how to go from pantser to plotter would take a whole series of blog posts, but I bring it up for two reasons. 1. If you want to stay on the schedule you set, I believe you have to know where you’re going. If not, you’ll write, rewrite, and cut many words that will then put you behind schedule. 2. If you can’t plan ahead, you will never be able to sell on proposal and that means writing entire books that may or may not sell.

Well, there you have it. My five tips to being more productive as a writer. So what do you think? Can any of these tips help you get more words on paper?

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MISSION: PROTECT BABY

Gina Evans knows her brother was murdered—even if the police won't believe her. After catching a quick glimpse of the evidence her brother had gathered, the same criminals are after her and her baby niece. And Gina's only hope is the man she left behind. Despite the painful memories, private investigator Derrick Justice won't fail Gina and her baby. Yet now, the woman he never stopped loving and the baby he's come to adore are in a killer's crosshairs. But can Derrick trap the cold-blooded murderer before he strikes again?

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a bestselling author of inspirational and clean read romantic suspense books. Her first book, High-Stakes Inheritance was an ECPA bestseller. The Christmas Witness was nominated for the Daphne du Maurier Award and Thread of Suspicion for Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award. Susan lives in Oregon with her realtor husband. They have two daughters, a son-in-law, and an adorable grandson.

The Good and the Bad ~by Susan Tuttle

koratmember on freedigitalphotos.net

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 

~2 Corinthians 4:1

I read this verse recently, and it brought home two points as I approach this writing ministry. I thought this might be a good place to share. :)

First off, if you’ve been in writing long, you know it’s full of rejection. No two ways around it, closed doors and “no’s” are all part of the game. We talk about growing thick skin and learning to love “constructive criticism”…all of which is true. Yet it can start to seep into our bones. Is this all worth it? Will I ever be published? Am I even good at this whole writing thing?

Fact is, if God has given you this ministry of writing, then yes, you are good at it. Yes, he’s going to use your work in some capacity. And yes, it is more than worth it. Do you still need to grow and polish your talent—of course! Does that mean you’re going to sell a million books? Nope. You might have written that one book just for the editor who rejected it but found healing in its pages nonetheless. And that is what makes it worth it. If you only change one person with your writing—and never even see it, just have to believe it—then it is still worth it. Because God’s seeing it, and he’s got the instant replay waiting for you to watch some day. Amen? Yes. Amen!

So don’t lose heart. This ministry that you have is all through God’s mercy. The rejection doesn’t lessen what he’s doing through you. Keep pushing forward, believing in the talent he’s given and that he’s using it, even when you don’t see it! Someday—either here or in heaven—you will see it.

Which brings me to the second part. While we cannot take on the rejection of this ministry, we also cannot take on the glory. He’s rather specific about this, in fact, one of my favorite reminder verses says: I am the Lord, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another! Isaiah 42:8 He doesn’t beat around the bush. Look. He’s even got exclamation points, and as a writer we know not to just throw those around. Touching his glory is like trying to take his place, and that never ends well. We don’t shine for people to see us, we shine for people to see him—it’s the reason he lights us up with his fire. Don’t redirect it.

I guess bottom line is this…your writing ministry is God’s. The good and the bad of it. Don’t touch either. Don’t lose heart in the “no” and don’t take the glory of your “yes”. Just let him use you however he sees fit. It’s a wonderful ride :)  

Susan Tuttle
Steps

Susan Tuttle is a homeschooling mom of three who is crazy about coffee, dark chocolate, and words—both reading and writing them. Combine that love of words with her passion for leading women to a life-changing encounter with Christ, and you’ll find her crafting Inspirational Contemporary Romance stories laced with humor, love, and healing transformations. When not cheering on her Ironman hubby, chasing the family dog, or tackling complex math problems to teach her kids (yes, even the third grader), you can catch Susan at her blog, Steps.

Spare Me the Details by Susan Page Davis

Susan Page Davis

While writing The Prisoner’s Wife (my novel in the New England Romance Collection), I had to learn a lot about the Maine/Massachusetts legal system in colonial days. A quirk of the law led me to write this story, about a marriage intended not to last that turned out to be one of those forever unions.

My research included a trip to the old jail (Old Gaol) in York, Maine, with three of my children. We had a wonderful day, and I highly recommend a day touring Old York to anyone who has the chance. (Learn more about The Museums of Old York at http://www.oldyork.org/ )

While we were there, we toured the Jeffers Tavern and several historic houses, in addition to the Old Gaol. I learned many intriguing tidbits, but they weren’t all suitable for my story.

Did the man who beat his wife to death with a codfish make it into my story? No.

Did the fascinating mourning samplers on display in one of the houses made it into my book? No.

Did the pleached alley or the herb garden or the secret hiding place in the fireplace… You guessed it, they did not.

But all of these things are still in my mind and may show up in one form or another in another story. Immersing ourselves in the past for a day gave us a feeling for early times and the way people lived in them.

But not all the things I dig up in research can go in the book.

My first book, Protecting Amy, was also a historical romance. In it, several cavalry troopers were protecting a young woman. When confronted by a band of bad guys, they made a stand. The story is pre-Civil War, and they used muskets. The loading process takes time. I went over the steps with my husband, a former gunsmith. I wanted the reader to understand how agonizing it was to have to reload after every shot, so I described that in detail in the story.

My editor cut it all out. He wrote a note to the side—“Just let him shoot.”

At first I was upset. After all, this was my first book, and I was proud of my story and my accuracy. It took me a while to come around to his way of thinking. I had to learn that the reader didn’t necessarily want all the minutiae. The reader wanted a fast-paced, smoothly flowing story. This was an action scene, but I had slowed it to a crawl.

So, yes, writers, revel in your research. Soak it all up. Enjoy it. But don’t try to give your readers a history lesson. Set the scene with vivid touches and stay true to the times in all that is said and done, but remember, it’s the people and the relationships that count most. As a writer, I’m a stickler for accuracy, but sometimes as a reader, I can do without the details.

Dora here. As a reader, I tend to get bogged down with too many details, especially technical aspects of a particular profession, but usually I will keep reading. As a writer, it's painful to slash sections or details that have taken me hours to research, but with every book I write, I become more comfortable with what to include and what needs to go.

How do you feel about this? Readers, do you skim past areas laden with unnecessary info or do you put down the book? Writers, do you find it difficult to accept your editor's recommendations to weed out unnecessary details? 

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Susan Page Davis is an award-winning author with more than 40 novels published in the historical, mystery, romantic suspense, and contemporary romance genres. A Maine native, she married an Oregon man and now lives in western Kentucky. She’s a winner of the Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award, and the Will Rogers Medallion. Visit her website at: www.susanpagedavis.com , where you can enter her monthly drawing for books.

The New England Romance Collection contains five complete historical novels set in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, including Susan’s award-winning novel, The Prisoner's Wife: Jack Hunter is about to be hanged for the murder of his neighbor. Jack knows he's innocent, and the unscrupulous constables will seize his land when he's dead. He asks Lucy Hamblin, the only girl he ever loved, to marry him in the jail. Her father broke them up three years ago, but now her father is dead. Will Lucy be willing to grant his last request and become the widow Hunter? Set in Maine, 1720. Buy now from Amazon: http://is.gd/qM11Sh or Christian Book: http://is.gd/JSjF7H