Showing posts with label Pamela Thibodeaux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pamela Thibodeaux. Show all posts

Monday, January 19, 2015

I Have Arrived! ... Or Have I??? by Pamela S. Thibodeaux


Pamela S. Thibodeaux
Greetings, friends! Marianne here, wishing you all the best as the new year kicks off! In this month's edition of Monday encouragement, I wanted to introduce you to Pamela Thibodeaux. Pam is a gifted author with an encouraging message  to share. Hope you enjoy her insight and wisdom! Pam, take it away!!

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When I began writing more than thirty years ago,  I had no clue what I was getting myself into. All I knew was I’d been disappointed one-too-many times. Based on what I read, I figured it couldn’t be hard.
I can do better than this!

With the niavette of the uninformed, I figured all I had to do was write a good story and BAM! I’d be published. So I did. I poured my heart out in page after page of five-subject notebooks. By the time I’d filled several and started researching how to get published, I found out the manuscript had to be typed.

I didn’t own a typewriter nor could I afford to rent one. Then came the blessed day eleven years later I purchased a used word processor. Just when I thought I’d be able to really embark on the glamorous journey, submissions became electronic!

I’d put off buying a computer for lots of reasons, the main one ~ all I do is write. After getting connected, I figured the voyage to being in print was just an email away.
Wrong again.

My first novel was accepted as an Ebook, my first short story in an Ezine. What’s with this E-industry? I wanted to hold a book in my hands – after all, being Epublished isn’t really published. That’s what ‘they’ say (anyone ever figure out who ‘they’ are?).
In my article on Success, I make a statement…as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so is success. It is, in and of itself, success.

In addition to numerous articles and essays, poems and devotions, I now have 7 published novels available in ebook and print as well as 6 short stories and 2 nonfiction books.
Guess this means I’ve finally arrived……or Have I?

We all have our own definition of success, our own idea of what it means to ‘arrive.’ I’ll arrive when I can make a living doing what I love most – bring glory to God through my writing.

When will you know you have ‘arrived’? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Set at the tail end of the Vietnam War era, Circles of Fate takes the reader from Fort Benning, Georgia to Thibodaux, Louisiana. A romantic saga, this gripping novel covers nearly twenty years in the lives of Shaunna Chatman and Todd Jameson. Constantly thrown together and torn apart by fate, the two are repeatedly forced to choose between love and duty, right and wrong, standing on faith or succumbing to the world’s viewpoint on life, love, marriage and fidelity. With intriguing twists and turns, fate brings together a cast of characters whose lives will forever be entwined. Through it all is the hand of God as He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Purchase Links:
Create Space: http://bit.ly/1qRN3cb

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/136qK7n

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Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”


Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib


Thursday, May 29, 2014

My Most Valuable Writing Advice by Pamela S. Thibodeaux

Pamela S. Thibodeaux
When Dora invited me to write a post for Seriously Write, I wondered what on earth could I say that you haven’t already heard or, for that matter, something I haven’t already said and/or written about. So I thought I’d just recap some of my most valuable writing advice. Here goes….

Read. Read extensively in your genre and out. Take note of phrases & descriptions that capture your imagination or make your heart sing and mind race. I’ve yet to meet a writer who isn’t an avid reader!

Write. Doesn’t matter if it’s daily, weekly, or 2-3 days a month, just make time to write consistently. Don’t worry if it’s dribble to begin with just write. Whether you’re at a desk, the kitchen table, the library, or a coffee shop, get in the habit of sitting in your writing space and putting words on paper (or computer, or notebook, or i-pad)…You get my drift. Forget the rules and write the book you want to read! You can always check for publisher guidelines and edit/revise your project to fit, but those first drafts can be whatever you want them to be!

Edit. Most projects need a minimum of 3 edits…. Initial where you layer in descriptions, the five senses, etc. Second pass where you check for plot holes and pacing.  Third round where you check for grammar, punctuation, etc. Make sure you take at least two weeks to a month between edits! If you don’t, chances are you’ll miss mistakes that could cost you a contract or precious time in edits after the contract. While you’re letting this one cool, start another! Keep several projects in the works at all times so you don’t worry this one to death.

Query/Submit. At some point you’ve got to turn that baby loose. Even if your initial submission is to a critique partner or group, don’t let fear stop you from getting the feedback necessary to help you grow as a writer and produce the best work you can. Read the last two sentences above – they apply here too. Keep writing while you wait to hear back from your submission.

Revise, Re-submit, Resale. This applies mostly to articles and essays but sometimes you can even revise/rewrite a story and sell it elsewhere. Make sure you abide by any current or previous contract limitations and if someone doesn’t normally take reprints, be sure to let them know the extent of changes you’ve made that add a whole new twist to the version you’re querying about or submitting to them.

Promote. Okay you’ve sold a book or two or a dozen articles. There will be no (or very few) sales, reviews, or new opportunities, if you don’t let people know! Set up a website, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon Author Page. Spend a few hours a week building your fan base and readership. When you do a book signing or speaking engagement, ask for the name and address (email too) of everyone who buys a book! This is your readership. Ask to add them to your mailing/newsletter list. Don’t bombard them but keep in touch on a regular basis, whether that is monthly, quarterly or even annually.

These tips and hints apply to the craft of writing but here are a few more….

Keep good records. Writing is a business and even unpublished authors can claim business expenses such as office supplies, ink, business cards, etc. Check with a CPA or tax preparer and don’t miss out on these valuable deductions especially when you begin to make money!

Take Care of Yourself. Sometimes life throws us a curve ball or hand grenade and we have a hard time focusing on writing. Don’t worry about your career at this point. Take the time you need to recover and/or regroup and start over. Real writers never quit. We may take an extended leave of absence but at some point, we always return to our passion.

And last but certainly not least…

Don’t Quit! Writing is a gift and a talent given to you by God. Don’t hide your gift or bury your talent.

Dora here. If you could offer one morsel of valuable advice for new writers, what would it be?

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Purchase Link
Tempered Fire
Amber Harris is a good girl on the brink of womanhood. Stanley Morrison is a young man at the start of his life. For each other, they have always felt the fireworks that two people in love should feel. But the questions about his past, his pride, and Amber's father might be the end of what could be a strong relationship. As the two try to protect their budding romance, some unlikely but powerful forces conspire to keep them apart. Will they survive the wishes of everyone around them with their relationship intact? 
Purchase Links:
Kindle http://amzn.to/18Zptxm
Nook http://bit.ly/13HR0xX
Smashwords http://bit.ly/1h4vmLr

Bio: Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a Lifetime Member of Bayou Writers Group. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!”™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”   
Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com   
Twitter: @psthib