Six Writing Myths YOU Should Know by Rachel Hauck

To know Rachel Hauck is to love her. (Dawn here.) She has a great sense of humor, is genuine, and has an undeniable passion for the Lord. Rachel serves as worship leader for the ACFW conference, and Annette and I have had the privilege of joining her as vocalists the past three years. Today she visits Seriously Write to talk about six writing myths.

Six Writing Myths YOU Should Know

The Myth - Writer's make a lot of money.
The Truth - Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Oh, man, shew, good one.

The Myth - If I make the story weird, they'll buy it.
The Truth - Hahahahahahahahaha. . . okay, I guess I can't do that too many times. If you make your story or proposal weird in an effort to get attention, editors and agent will only think you're weird and you'll wind up on some, "you'll never believe what someone sent to me," list. I've shared good laughs with editors and agents over this one. In fact, it's writer conference chatter, "So, what's the weirdest proposal you've ever received?"

The Myth - Leading with "God told me to write this," will get me a contract.
The Truth - No. Neither will, "This is the best thing you'll ever read." Playing the God card or the Aren't-I-Bold card does not ingratiate any author with an editor or agent. God speaks to all of us and if God really told you to write a book and take it to Mr. Certain Agent, He's going to tell the agent you're coming. Most Christian authors seek God about their work, about their agent and publisher. So don't think you're the first and only.

Being overly bold sometimes works in the corporate world, but back fires in the publishing arena. Authors, especially new ones, MUST be humble and teachable. No one writes a perfect book no matter how engaging the story. There are a few exceptions for first time novelists hitting the market with a bang -J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Myers -but don't count on being in that class. Yippee if it happens to you, but don't expect it. If it does, sleep with your lights on. The rest of us will haunt you.

The Myth - My publisher will promote the heck out of my book.
The Truth - Not possible. Most publishers have a small team to promote their books and there is simply more work than people. Most publishers do a minimum for each book, but seasoned and long time authors get the bulk of attention and money. Rightfully so. Or a new "lead" author gets attention. And of course, anyone who writes Amish. ;)

Be prepared to toot your own horn. Get on Facebook and Twitter. Build a nice web site with a blog. Join writers groups for help and support. Tout other authors who might in turn tout you. But be sincere! Hire someone like LitFuse to put together a blog tour for you.

The Myth - Once you're published, you're in, on the road, fame is the only sun on your horizon.
The Truth - Being published is certainly a help in gaining more contracts, but once you are published many other factors come into play. Some you can help, some you cannot. At the end of the day, even if you have written great stories, you also have to sell decently. Getting your book in the hands of readers is not as easy as you'd think. A book buyer for Barnes and Noble might determine all the purchases for an entire region. If a previous book didn't sell well, they are less likely to take a chance on the author's second or third book. A new author has a better chance of getting picked up.

The Myth - There's a reason writers struggle with their weight.
The Truth - Yes! It's called my desk is thirty feet from my refrigerator and my in-house office is one mile from Publix, McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Soprano's Pizza, Beef O'Brady's and 7-11.

The gym is fives miles away. Do the math. ;)



Rachel Hauck is a multi-published author living in sunny central Florida with her husband, Tony, a pastor. They have two ornery pets. She is a graduate of Ohio State University and a huge Buckeyes football fan. Currently she is a book therapist at My Book Therapy, while continuing to write. The Sweet by and By, written with Sara Evans, and published by Thomas Nelson, was released in January, 2010. Rachel’s next book, Dining with Joy comes out in October.

To find out more, please visit:

Rachel Hauck, author: http://www.rachelhauck.com/
My Book Therapy: http://www.booktherapy.com/

From the Inside...Out: Discover, Create, and Publish the Novel in You!

This Writer's Journey Wednesday, here's an inside look at From the Inside . . Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you! By award-winning authors Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck.

If you've always wanted to write a novel, this book is for you!

We all have goals, right? Dreams, desires, hopes that have been niggling at us for years. For aspiring authors, it’s the dream of writing a novel. You’re a writer if every time you hear an interesting job description or read a compelling story in the newspaper, you think, hey, that would make an interesting premise for a novel. You’re a writer if, when you get introduced to someone new, you can’t help but ask about their lives and can barely resist the urge to take out a pen and paper and jot down some notes. You’re a writer if, when you’re reading a novel, you occasionally take a breath and say, wow, I want to write like that. If you’re a writer, this book is for you.

I remember the day when I decided to write a novel. I was in Siberia, in the middle of a solemn and icy winter. I had four children, all under the age of six, and my husband was gone, again, planting a church. I had read everything in the house at least twice and decided that my own imagination could do at least as well as one of the books I’d devoured in a day. (Boy, did I have much to learn!) I sat down at the computer and said, “I’m writing a book.”

That’s about as far as I got. Because once I actually sat down and stared at the computer, I HAD NO IDEA HOW A BOOK WAS PUT TOGETHER. Where did I start? How did I develop characters? What’s my point? And most importantly – how did I get it from my brain to the computer and into print?

It took me a year of writing, first on Saturdays, and then every day. But I finished my first book. (To all who think that then I ran out and found a publisher – not! 4 books later . . .)

What I learned through that first novel was that:
1. Writing a good novel was harder than I thought, and I needed a lot of work.
2. I love to write and was willing to make the journey, whatever it took.
3. Even if I never got published, God could use my writing journey for good in my life.

A writer’s life is solitary, hard work, fraught with rejection, frustration, and even envy. BUT, if you look at it as another way that you will grow and experience your world, then it’s a journey that is ripe with rewards.

This is the book I wish I had when I first started. It’s because of those years of angst and study that I started My Book Therapy, a blog about how to write and a fiction editing service to help writers along the way. Because, see, I was in Siberia. As in RUSSIA. Alone. Just me, some novels, and my imagination. I wished I had a reference guide, something to organize all the information I needed in one place, maybe a step-by-step journey, and a companion/encourager to help me complete my dream. Sure, I had writing books, but they made the process so . . . complicated. I knew it had to be easier. Inside Out is MY writing manual – what I developed and now use to create stories. It’s my successes, my systems . . . and my secrets. And, as a bonus, you also get the perspective of Rachel Hauck, my pal and My Book Therapy partner, thrown in to add another rich perspective. It’s the manual of writing the books we know how to write.

God Bless you on your writing journey!

Susan May Warren

Founder, www.mybooktherapy.com

Why I Love To Write by Rachel Hauck

Please welcome guest writer and good friend, Rachel Hauck. She leads worship at the ACFW conferences where Dawn and I lend our voices to the team. She’s here to share her reasons for writing.

A year or so ago my husband and I were walking our dogs around the neighborhood, chatting occasionally, being in that place of comfort and understanding with each other in silence.

I felt so at peace and at home with myself. Not only had God worked His love into my heart over the past years, but I loved my husband and our life together.

And I loved my job. Writing books.

“Writing is so deeply satisfying to me,” I said to my husband, pressing my hand over my middle. “Like, I’m perfectly content.”

Right after graduating college, I went with a friend to a beach house on the Gulf in north Florida. The day we drove in was beautiful, warm, clear, full of … emotion.

A swell of desire and longing filled me. I wanted to capture the moment, some way, but I didn’t know how. Write? Sing? Dance?

I had similar emotions often in those days. After seeing the coming-of-age college movie “St. Elmo’s Fire” I remember looking at my good friends thinking “I want to write about us like that some day.” We were in college, the same sorority, living a life of friendship similar to what I’d seen on the big screen. (Though not quite so … um … wild, shall I say?) But I wanted to capture our college emotions and friendship.

When I started writing, the restless longings ended. By the grace of God I’d met the desire of my heart He put there.

I love to work with words like an artist might like to work with clay or paint. I love to create a story and work with elements like conflict, goals and motivation. I love to create and solve problems.

It’s fun to mimic life. It’s awesome to present a piece of God in my stories and characters.

Writing is something that is just in me. I’ve had a lot of jobs I’ve loved and enjoyed, but nothing sits home with me like writing a book.

I don’t want fame or riches. I don’t envy celebrities or politicians, or winners of reality shows. Why? Because I’m doing what I was designed and called to do. I think I used to envy them because they were living their dream and I wasn’t.

For me, the dream was simple and clear cut. Writing. Others have a plurality of dreams. They love painting or nursing, or home schooling their children or coaching football. Writing is one aspect of their lives. They are living their dreams too.

If you love to write, it doesn’t have to be your only dream like mine, but a part of who you are. Either way, take time for your writing, your dreams. Set goals.

I love to write because when I do, I feel His pleasure in me.

Rachel Hauck is a multi-published author living in sunny central Florida with her husband, Tony, a pastor. They have two ornery pets. She is a graduate of Ohio State University and a huge Buckeyes football fan. Currently she is a book therapist as part of www.mybooktherapy.com, while continuing to write.

My Book Therapy

Book Therapy is made up of authors Susan May Warren, Rachel Hauck and Sarah Sumpolec. Their goal is to help writers identify and diagnose story problems, and then fix them!

My Book Therapy Mission Statement:

We at My Book Therapy are all about helping the writer help him – or herself. We are a professional story crafting service designed to give writers the tools they need to develop and enhance their craft. We don’t line edit - we footnote your story, giving you suggestions, lessons and examples on how to apply them.

In short, we’ll teach you how to write.

If you are ready to take your writing to the next level, we’re ready to help.

Check out their summer specials at this link.

Here’s a list of helps:

~Basic Book Therapy

~Chapter by Chapter Therapy

~Synopsis Therapy

~Brainstorming Therapy

Also, during 2009, these authors are writing a book with you if you join the Book Therapy Voices. Learn more here.