7 Tips to Keep Your Career on Track over the Holidays By Marie Wells Coutu

Travel is essential to the business of being an author, whether attending conferences, doing research, or speaking at events in other parts of the country.

Marie Wells Coutu

And now that we’re in the middle of the busy Christmas season, many of us are traveling or visiting with family and friends. Since this season, as well as summer vacations, wreak havoc with my own writing schedule, I asked some multi-published authors how they keep their careers on track during such times.

Here are some of their tips:

1. Plan ahead. “If I have a vacation coming up,” says Christy Award winner, Beth K. Vogt, “I try to do everything I can to make it a vacation. So I work hard to meet my deadlines -- guest posts, my regularly scheduled blog posts, etc. -- and leave my writing obligations at home so I can concentrate on my family -- and relaxing and having fun -- while on vacation.” Multi-published author Cara Putman adds, “If you want to take a true break from writing, the word count [in advance] will have to go up to compensate.”
   
2. Decide on what you “must” do during the trip and what can wait until you’re home again. Deborah Raney, best-selling author of more than 30 novels, says, “My main goal when I travel is simply to not get behind on e-mail. That goes a long way toward helping me catch up quickly when I get back home. But if I’m on deadline, whether I’m traveling or not, I will need to write.”
   
3. Write while someone else drives. Or don’t. “Ken enjoys driving and I can get so much writing done on the trip each way if I put my headphones on,” Deb Raney says. But Beth Vogt has found that writing in the car is “just not comfortable for me. But I do like to brainstorm in the car with my husband.” And Cynthia Ruchti, who has won awards for both fiction and nonfiction, takes a mixed approach: “Only under a tight deadline would I write while my husband is driving, since it feels like turning my attention away from him, even though it is work. On a cross-country trip, I would write. But if it's just a couple of hours on the road, we use that time to talk and take in the scenery...and watch for hazards!”
   
4. Always have a notebook with you to capture ideas and inspiration that will hit while you travel, advises Cara Putman.
   
5. Use “neutral” time while traveling, such as during a flight or while waiting for one. Cynthia Ruchti says, “I write while waiting in airports or if grabbing a meal alone at the airport. I try to either write, ponder, or edit while in flight, but the tight conditions don't always allow that. Sometimes brainstorming with a pen and notebook is more productive in-flight.” Deb Raney, on the other hand, rarely writes during a flight. “If I’m flying, I don’t usually write on the plane unless it’s a longer flight and I have a row to myself. But I often choose a flight with a long layover because I love writing in airports. It’s great people-watching, wonderful white noise, and few interruptions.” Beth Vogt agrees. “I definitely can tune out and write in airports. TIP: Invest in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones.”
   
6. Travel with books, says Cara Putman. “Reading is as much a part of writing. Pick up that book by an author you've wanted to try and see what you like. What worked? What didn't?”
   
7. Minimize your actual writing time, especially if you’re traveling with or visiting family. That’s one tip all of these authors agree on. “It's easy to let writing assignments take precedence over everything else,” Cynthia Ruchti confesses. “But if they do, then relationships suffer, my health suffers, or I just plain miss out on the wonder around me while my focus is on my computer screen.” But sometimes deadlines mean there’s no other choice. Beth Vogt finds that an immoveable deadline often falls during a family vacation or during Christmas or spring break. “What I do then is juggle. I let my family know that I'm going to have to write during the holidays or vacation, but that I will also mark of time (or days) for fun. Sometimes I get up extra early or stay up late and write when family is sleeping.” Cara Putman agrees: “If you need to write while you're traveling, think about what will be least disruptive to the trip. Do you need to do it at night or should you [write] first thing in the morning. Capture the moments so you can still enjoy the trip.”

Hopefully, these tips from successful authors will help you maintain your writing momentum while not interfering too much with your vacation and family time.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

About the Author

Marie Wells Coutu’s newest novel, The Secret Heart, will be released in February 2017 from Write Integrity Press. Follow Marie on Amazon.com to be notified when it becomes available. The Secret Heart, loosely based on the lives of Bathsheba and David, is the third book in the Mended Vessels series. Books in the series are contemporary re-imaginings of the stories of biblical women, including Esther and the woman at the well. 

Her debut novel, For Such a Moment, won the Books of Hope Contest. Thirsting for More, the second book in the series was a finalist in the 2016 Selah Awards Contest and a semi-finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards sponsored by Florida Writers Association. You can find more about Marie and her novels on her Facebook page (Author Marie Wells Coutu), at her website (MarieWellsCoutu.com), or follow her on Twitter (@mwcoutu). 
Marie retired after 15 years with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and she and her husband now divide their time between Florida and Iowa.

The Secret Heart
by Marie Wells Coutu

 The Secret Heart

Beautiful Shawna Moore married Hunter Wilson, the governor of Tennessee, after a whirlwind romance, only six weeks following her first husband’s death in Iraq. Now, she wonders if the governor loved her at all or only hoped to avoid a scandal.

An investigative reporter—and friend of Shawna’s—is asking questions. If he discovers the truth about Shawna’s baby, Hunter’s chances for reelection could be ruined. But keeping the secret is destroying their marriage. Will Shawna convince Hunter to choose his family and drop out of politics, or will he continue to put his career first?

The Secret Heart will be available for pre-order in mid-January. For a sneak peek, download the first chapter here.

God's Strength by Laura V. Hilton

Laura V. Hilton

It’s been a trying day. Things didn’t go as planned at all. I’d gathered everything I needed for the DMV office. My van had totally died; we needed a new-to-us van. God provided one. Got to the DMV. Standing room only. I stand there an hour. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

And then found out that the dealer I’d bought my new-to-me vehicle from didn’t fill out the paperwork right. I have to go to the dealership. Talk to the office. Get something signed.

I am ready to cry. As tears pool on my lashes, I remind myself that it is good I didn’t go to the DMV I’d planned to stop at. Because then I would’ve had to drive fifty miles to go to the dealership. But still. Somebody has to cry. I tell that to my three daughters who are with me. One of them is helping me walk because my bad knee wants to buckle after standing so long. They say, “We’ll cry, Mama. You have to drive.”

Right. No time to fall apart. Not now.

I get the paper signed. And rediscover that they have cokes at the dealership. I need the pick-me-up more than I know when I return to the DMV and learn the original one hour long wait has doubled.

Doubled! I can’t stand there another hour. Let alone two! And no one believes in giving up their seats anymore. Not for the elderly, not for women. An eighty-year-old man was there, leaning on a cane shaking as he stands—and no one offers him their seat. I would’ve if I could. I can’t. I have none.

I am praying that God will help me keep my balance as I near the end of my wait. I pray this time, the papers I have are enough. I didn’t think to pray I’d have enough to pay for it.

No one mentions sales tax will need to be paid at the DMV. For some reason, I’d thought that was part of the purchase amount we paid. Silly me.

I didn’t have enough. I was short one hundred dollars. But I write the check anyway, knowing where that missing money is. Knowing I can go home, go on-line and transfer money and it’ll be there.

I am too tired to go to the grocery store and shop. I am shaking too badly. My knee buckles with every step I take. And I am getting a headache from the stress.

I go home. Sit to rest a few minutes while I eat lunch. And God gives me this.

“God is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful.
God is not unaware of our need.
God’s provided in the past. He will again.
God knew this was coming before we did. He has answers prepared already.
God won’t abandon us in trying times. He draws us nearer. Nearer. Nearer.”
~~Cynthia Ruchti, Tattered and Mended, page 22

So many things this can apply to. In my life, my prodigal son. Unexpected time and money spent at the DMV. My strength.

Right now I am leaning on God. I need His strength to get me through whatever each day brings. I am drawing nearer to Him, resting my head on His shoulder, and while not crying, exactly, I’m pouring out my hurts. Anger. Frustration. Money woes.

It’s wonderful how God ministers right when I need it. Reaching out to me with the words I need, when I need it.

How has God ministered to you today?

About the Author

Laura V. Hilton

Award winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and three of their children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor. Laura also has two adult children.

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards). Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as a three book Amish series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard, and The Bird House in September 2015. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press. Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer.

Connect with Laura
http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q
visit her blogs: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/ & http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @Laura_V_Hilton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/

The Postcard (from Promised to Another)

The Post Card
by Laura V. Hilton

David Lapp survived a “code blue” when he was in a buggy/semi truck accident in Seymour, Missouri. Now after extensive therapy he has lingering mobility problems and is still struggling to find his place in the world. Lured away from Webster County by thoughts of closed buggies and a postcard friendship he’s developed with an Amish girl in Jamesport, he moves north, hoping for a fresh start. He finds work in the area tying flies and basket weaving, selling his products in the Amish markets in the Jamesport area.

Rachel Miller dreams of travel, but feels tied to her Amish life. She is being courted by Obadiah Graber, but wonders if there’s more to life. When she sees David’s name mentioned in The Budget, she strikes up a pen pal friendship with David while he’s in the hospital and in therapy, consoling him when he and his girlfriend part ways. She never dreams that David will come north and move into her community. David is still fearful in the buggy, especially in high traffic areas. Feeling he’s called by God to preach, David spends hours in the Bible, but the Amish discourage him, believing their ministers should be drawn by lot. Will David follow his call, even if it takes him out of the Amish church? Will Rachel realize her dream to travel?

Writing from the Couch by Cynthia Ruchti

Cynthia Ruchti

Within the last few days, I’ve heard of two people battling raging cases of Lyme Disease. It’s amazing how quickly my mind—and sympathetic parts of my body—returned to the years when that was my battle, too.

In the mid-1980s, I inadvertently signed up for the Symptom-of-the-Month Club and couldn’t find the unsubscribe button. And they didn’t oust the previous symptom. They piled on top of one another until I could make a spreadsheet of fourteen painful, debilitating, or inconvenient symptoms.

I wrote a daily, scripted, 15-minute radio broadcast at the time. But I couldn’t hold a pencil or punch the typewriter keys for the pain in my hands, and every other joint and muscle in my body. Write? Even then?

The disease affected my vision, saddled me with piercing headaches that lasted for months at a time with no let-up, threw my heart out of rhythm, and reduced me to couch potato status for all but the essential tasks.

Thirty years ago, but I remember lying on the couch, my arm over my eyes, dictating a radio script to my friend who jotted the thoughts on a yellow legal pad. And we didn’t miss a radio deadline.

The epigraph for the novel that releases today, coincidentally, As Waters Gone By reads:

“You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.”
Job 11:16 NIV
Did you catch the dichotomy there? We will forget AND remember! I’m keying words into my laptop at a fierce rate today, sitting upright, headache-free, with my heart beating a rhythm natural for a person drinking this much caffeine. I remember the Lyme Disease days, but only as waters gone by.

What hope that gives me for other times when the physical act of writing is hard—like when I finally succumb to my next knee replacement. Or when recovering from the flu. Or when the ache across my shoulders tells me I’ve been sitting here too long.

The day will come…
May we all hold onto that hope.

About the Author

Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed in Hope. She's the award-winning author of fifteen books and a frequent speaker for women's ministry events. She serves as the Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers, where she helps retailers, libraries, and book clubs connect with the authors and books they love. Visit her online at CynthiaRuchti.com.

As Waters Gone By

As Waters Gone By
by Cynthia Ruchti

Emmalyn Ross never thought a person could feel this alone. Sustaining a marriage with a man who's not be her side is no easy task, especially since her husband currently resides behind impenetrable prison walls. Now, on a self-imposed exile to Madeline Island, Emmalyn starts rehabbing an old hunting cottage they'd purchased when life made sense. Restoring it may put a roof over her head, but a home needs more than a roof and walls, just as a marriage needs more than vows and a license. With only a handful of months before her husband is released, Emmalyn must figure out if and how they can ever be a couple again. And his silence isn't helping.

Writing Barefoot by Cynthia Ruchti

Please welcome our good friend Cynthia Ruchti with some fortifying words this Friday as you head into your weekend.

Write Barefoot

Writing is work. It's joy, sure, but if it isn't hard work too, we're not doing it right. Gotta "feel the burn."

Writing is work and worship, as is everything else we do in Jesus' Name.

Do you write barefoot? Do you take off your sandals, your Birkenstocks, your expensive Italian loafers, your tiki bird slippers when you write? Precious friend, you're standing (or sitting or bouncing on an exercise ball, as the case may be) on HOLY GROUND!

If God meets you there in your writing world, and if His passion burns within like the bush through which He spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:5), when you lay your very human fingers over very earthly computer keys or grip an ergonomic pen, you are on holy ground.

Worship well today, writers-blessed-of-God! May it be a truly holy, out of body and into the Spirit experience for you.

Pressing on, digging my bare toes into holy carpeting,
Cynthia Ruchti

Cynthia Ruchti writes stories of “hope that glows in the dark.” The drama/devotional radio broadcast Cynthia writes and produces—The Heartbeat of the Home—airs on 16 radio stations and two cable/digital television stations. Cynthia is editor of the ministry’s Backyard Friends magazine. She also serves as current president of American Christian Fiction Writers. Her debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—releases in spring 2010 with Abingdon Press.