Stretching Ourselves as Writers by Missy Tippens

Have you ever declined a writing opportunity because you were scared or felt underqualified? Or have you felt as if all doors are closed and you can’t even get a toe in the world of publishing? Today, I’d love to encourage you to try again.

I recently learned of a writing project from my agent. I told her I might submit a short devotional, but then the illness and death of a family member kept me from writing the piece. Thankfully, the editor involved contacted me directly a few weeks later, and—despite my fear over trying my hand at something new—I told her I would send a writing sample asap. I was anxious, because up until that day, I had only written a couple of devotionals for my church. This felt like brand new territory. But I was glad I followed God’s leading and sent in my work, because it felt good to spread my wings. I’m pleased to say I heard back later that they’d like to include several of my devotionals in their project! I’m thrilled to be a part and hope to be able to announce the news soon. :)

I also have another project that was a first for me and terrified me because it was such a departure from my norm. I wrote a contemporary cowboy novella! I’d never had any experience on a ranch other than occasionally riding a horse. I wanted badly to do it but feared I should decline. However, I felt strongly God had given me this opportunity. So, with my heart pounding, I accepted the invitation. Then I immediately emailed two of my close writer friends who live on ranches and begged for their help with research. They were happy to support me and answer my many, MANY questions about building fences and birthing calves. Thanks to their help, I am now part of a boxed set, Cowboys of Summer, that just released this month! I’m so grateful to work with this group of authors I admire.

What about you? Have you had opportunities you’ve been afraid to chase? Have you had invitations to submit your work but chickened out? I hope the next time you get a chance to stretch yourself, you’ll think of my experiences and consider going for it! Here are some quick tips I’d like to leave with you…

--Look for writing opportunities everywhere! Follow all leads.

--Don’t be quick to decline something. Take a serious look at your qualifications, and...

--Challenge yourself. Try something new or maybe even take a class to learn how.

--Don’t forget to reach out to other writers for assistance if you need it. You can do this!

What project have you taken on that has stretched you as a writer?

~~~~~~

After more than 10 years of pursuing her dream of publication, Missy Tippens, a pastor’s wife and mom of three from near Atlanta, Georgia, made her first sale to Harlequin Love Inspired in 2007. Her books have since been nominated for the Booksellers Best, Holt Medallion, ACFW Carol Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Maggie Award, Beacon Contest, RT Reviewer’s Choice Award, and the Romance Writers of America RITA^® Award. Visit Missy at www.missytippens.com, https://twitter.com/MissyTippens and http://www.facebook.com/missy.tippens.readers.

Using Marketing Hooks to Your Advantage

A few months ago I had the pleasure of listening to author Missy Tippens speak to the Carolina Christian Writers about creating a proposal for Love Inspired. One of the things that struck me was her reference to using "marketing hooks" in a proposal. I've asked her to explain here the importance of these marketing hooks.--Sandy

Missy: When I was trying to sell my third book—the first I’d sold on proposal, I struggled to find just the right proposal idea. While brainstorming with my editor on the phone, she told me something that caused a light bulb moment. She said, “I think you’re trying to force these two characters together. Just start fresh and come up with a one-sentence idea. Send me that first, and then we’ll go from there.”

A one sentence idea.

Immediately I started thinking of one-liners, of marketing hooks. Of back cover blurbs.

And that’s exactly what we need to think about as we come up with new book ideas. Because no matter how much an editor loves a story, she may still have to get the idea approved by the marketing department before she can buy it. Everyone in the publishing house needs to be on board for a project to succeed.

So I started thinking of my book, thinking what are my hooks? In that book that became A Forever Christmas, I had (hooks in bold print): a single dad with full custody of two little boys. I had a Christmas story. I had a reunion story—the heroine dumped the hero in high school, then he turned around and broke her heart by getting someone else pregnant and marrying her. Plus, I already knew how the book ended—those two boys ask for the heroine to be their mom for Christmas.

All those thoughts were stewing in my mind, and it just so happened that at the time, I was working on a blog post for a group blog where we were doing fun posts for the 12 Days of Christmas. And a sentence hit me:

A woman with a mission. Twelve days till Christmas. Will this single dad grasp the true meaning of Christmas in time to nab the one gift his boys really want: a new mom?

Being the insecure writer that I am, I emailed a group of writer friends and asked what they thought. They gave me the thumbs up and said I had found my hook. The 12 Days of Christmas thing.

So I expanded that one liner and started thinking more about who my heroine could be and how I could throw her together with the hero. I came up with a long blurb that included my original hooks and ended with:

So she decides to put her own feelings aside and sets out on mission: force him to spend quality time with his boys over the 12 days before Christmas.

Will Gregory grasp the true meaning of Christmas in time to nab the one gift the boys really want: Miss Radcliffe for a mom?

Now, I had my one-liner and my blurb and emailed that to my editor. She responded that it had several good hooks (she noticed!) and gave me the go-ahead to come up with a new synopsis.

Are you beyond the idea brainstorming stage? You can also work in the reverse. Take a story you’re already working on or have finished and try to boil it down to a one-liner. If you can’t do that, then maybe you need to try to focus your story and consider adding something that’ll make it more marketable. It’ll help you have a fabulous pitch when you’re ready to sell your story!

I learned a valuable lesson while trying to sell the proposal that became A Forever Christmas. I still tend to jump in plotting and have to back up, to remind myself to focus and use this method.

Give it a try next time you’re brainstorming. It’s always helpful to start with a kernel of an idea that contains hooks readers love, something exciting an editor can take to the marketing department. I hope my experience has helped you.

Have you used this form of developing your story and one-sentence pitch? Feel free to share with us some marketing hooks from your current story, and/or your pitch.

~~~

Georgia Sweethearts (from Love Inspired, April 2013)

A Pattern For Love...

After inheriting her great-aunt's failing yarn shop, Lilly Barnes is determined to make it a success. All she wants is stability, something she doesn't think possible in the small town of Corinthia, Georgia. Then Pastor Daniel Foreman rents space in her store to hold meetings for his growing congregation, and this proves to be her lifeline. At first Lilly wants nothing to do with Daniel's big dreams, but she soon finds herself starting to share his goals. Yet trouble between her customers and his congregation make them both doubt the path they're on. That is, until practical Lilly shows him that love is a risk worth taking.

~~~

Missy Tippens, a pastor’s wife and mom of three from near Atlanta, Georgia, made her first sale to Love Inspired in 2007. Her books have since been nominated for the Booksellers Best, ACFW Carol Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Beacon Contest and a 2013 RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. A House Full of Hope has recently been named a Romance Writers of America RITA^® Finalist. New from Love Inspired, Georgia Sweethearts is an April 2013 release.

Visit Missy at www.missytippens.com,

http://www.facebook.com/missy.tippens.readers and @MissyTippens on Twitter.

Are You Connected?

Me

You thought I meant social media, right? 

Wrong! 

Dora here, and today I want to talk about connecting to a local writers group.

"Just one more thing to swallow more of my time." 

Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on the group. The dynamics, the schedule, the speakers, even the centrality of the meeting location.

Recently, under the leadership of newly elected president, Myra Johnson, (Yay, Myra!) our group transitioned to every other month meetings from our previous quarterly schedule. We also moved to a new, permanent location, a fire station "community room" conveniently located to a major interstate that connects both North and South Carolina. The new facility boasts a kitchen, WiFi access, and a large meeting area that accommodates up to fifty people.

Carolina Christian Writers ~ New Meeting Location

Like the new digs? Yeah, me, too.

But I digress. Of course, you're not just interested in visiting the fire station. But what if a Fire Chief talked about fire scenarios for your fiction? What if he cited examples or helped untangle plot issues? 

Missy Tippens, Love Inspired Author

OK. Maybe you're not working on a fire scene right now. You're polishing your manuscript and praying over it before you send it off to a publisher. Would you be interested in the advantages of working with a smaller publishing house? Or in a multi-published, award-winning Love Inspired author's presentation on Writing Proposals That Sell The First Time?  

Perhaps you just received a rejection from a contest entry. Would you want to hear an author with vast experience in winning and finaling in contests share tips? 

Or maybe you just want to connect with like minds and hang out with some of your favorite authors?

From L-R: Jennifer Hudson Taylor, Myra Johnson, Dora Hiers, Sandra Ardoin (standing), Mary Annslee Urban, Lynette Eason, Jennifer Fromke, Amy Clipston. Where is Angie Arndt?

There she is! Angie Arndt

Would it be worth a couple hours every other month?

Not yet? Really?

Hmmm...

What if you received a publishing contract from one of these meetings?

Ahhh...your eyes just lit up. Now I have your attention.

I'm a member of the Carolina Christian Writers, the local ACFW chapter serving both Carolinas. My first contract with Pelican Book Group (PBG)/White Rose Publishing was a direct result of one of our meetings. One of my CCW friends directed me to PBG, who was about a year old and hadn't blipped my radar yet. Would I have found my publisher had I not connected with CCW? Only God knows that, but He definitely opened a door where I had no idea one even existed.

For me, the benefits and blessings I gain from my CCW connection far outweigh the time commitment. You see, on March 15, I celebrated my fifth release with White Rose.

What about you? Are you connected with a writers group? 

If not, did I convince you to get connected?

If you are, what meeting topics would interest you?

Purchase Link

After a humiliating breakup, best-selling romance author Teal Benning flees to Promise Lake to complete her current novel, minus paparazzi and flashing cameras. Suffering from writer's block and a broken heart, Teal accepts the offer of help from neighbor, Hunter Miciver. 

Hunter longs to be more than the friend who picks up the shattered pieces of Teal's heart, but when Teal finds out his secret, will she see him for the man he is—a man of faith and devotion, a man who would cherish her for the rest of her days—or will she lump him into the same category as all the other men in her life, including her father?

Will Teal recognize when truth whispers her name?

Fortifying Friday by Missy Tippens

This Fortifying Friday, we’re pleased to have guest author Missy Tippens share about her path to publication. Enjoy!


I’m so thrilled to visit with you today. I appreciate Dawn inviting me. I hope I can be an encouragement, especially for writers still trying to make that dreamed-of first sale.

Soon after my first book, Her Unlikely Family, came out in February 2008, two thoughts occurred to me:

--I started writing when my middle child was nursing—holding him in one arm while typing with the other hand. When the book came out, he was 13.

--And when I used to need writing time, I would bribe my three children by telling them if they would let Mommy write, then I would use my first advance money to buy them a swing set. Hmmm. By the time that book came out, my oldest was about to graduate from high school, and my youngest was 11.

Obviously, the journey took much longer than expected. :-)

When I started on the road to publication, I never, ever, would have imagined waiting so long. Whether published or not, this business isn’t for the faint of heart. And it isn’t for those who give up easily. We need to trust God and put the journey in His hands.

And you know what? I’ve realized that taking so long to publish wasn’t such a bad thing after all. For one, I believe it happened in God’s perfect timing—at a time when I was finally ready. But, also, by the time I sold, my children were old enough to really enjoy the thrill with me. When that wonderful first box of books arrived, after everyone cheered, my 13-year-old, a reader like me, grabbed one out of the box and took off to his room to devour it. He also grabbed one for his lit teacher. My oldest took one to church to show it off. And my youngest picked up my Alpha-smart to continue writing her own story. Then when the book released, our whole family made a trip to Wal-Mart to see it on the shelf and to snap photos. :-)

All well worth the wait!


Missy Tippens is a pastor’s wife and mom of three. She has a story included in Blessings of Mossy Creek, published by BelleBooks. After ten years of pursuing her dream, she made her first sale of a full-length novel to Steeple Hill Love Inspired. She still pinches herself to see if it really happened! His Forever Love was a June 2009 release and will be followed by A Forever Christmas in November 2009. And that debut novel, Her Unlikely Family? It’s a 2009 ACFW Book of the Year finalist!

You can find Missy at www.missytippens.com. And she blogs all over the place: www.lifewithmissy.blogspot.com, www.seekerville.blogspot.com, www.writingbyfaith.blogspot.com, and www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com.
She’s also on Facebook, MySpace and Shoutlife, so be sure to give her a holler!