The Business of Writing by Vannetta Chapman

As a writer seeking publication, you're a creator, but you're also a professional. It's a business. Today, author Vannetta Chapman provides her tips for treating it as such. -- Sandy

Vannetta: It doesn’t seem like those two words would fit together—business and writing. Most of us like to think of writing as something mysterious, and it is … but it’s also like any other business in some aspects.

Meet your contractual obligations. If you sign a contract for a 90,000 word manuscript due on November 1, then turn in a 90,000 word manuscript on November 1. You are building a reputation with every project, and you want that reputation to be a good one.

Be a team player. Whether you’re indie or traditionally published, you have a team—people who are helping you to complete and promote your books. It makes sense to “play nice” with these people. They’re on your side! If a publisher asks for a blog, say yes! If your influencers ask for a copy, send it! Do everything you can to show respect for those on your team.

Don’t whine. You can whine to your mother or your best friend, but that’s it. And only do so in person—not on facebook and not in texts (I’m the queen of sending texts to the wrong people). Yes, we all feel discouraged or slighted at times. You’ll feel better about it tomorrow or next week or in a month. In the mean time, don’t put anything out there permanently. Just don’t do it.

Try to be logical. I’ve heard everything from “my book is like my child” to “this is my art—my very soul.” It’s not either of those things. It might be an important message that you want to share with people. It might represent some important experiences, but it is not YOU. Trust me on this. Learn from reviews, but don’t sweat over them. Take editorial suggestions to heart, but don’t take them personally. Try to think of your book as a very cool car. Folks are helping you to make it the best car that it can be, and some of those folks are experts in some areas that you aren’t (marketing for example). Thank them, use what you can, and do not dwell on the rest.

The first few books I wrote I was teaching full time. Now I write full time. But in every instance, I addressed writing as a business, albeit one that is very close to my heart.

Blessings,

Vannetta

What is your best tip for treating writing as the business it is?

~~~~~

When a tornado strikes, Anna Schwartz’s life is changed forever. She suffers a spinal cord injury and finds

herself learning to live as a paraplegic. But then a miracle happens, and the world’s attention is drawn to this young Amish girl who has experienced the unexplainable.

Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her novel, Falling to Pieces, was a 2012 ACFW Carol Award finalist. A Promise for Miriam earned a spot on the June 2012 Christian Retailing Top Ten Fiction list. Chapman was a teacher for 15 years and currently writes full time. She lives in the Texas hill country with her husband. For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com





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What To Do When Your Manuscript Is Stuck by Vannetta Chapman

Vannetta Chapman

I love new ideas. You know that moment--the one where you're looking at a brand new page, on a clean new document. That place where you are just beginning. It's like an unmarked page on a brand new calendar. There are limitless possibilities!
Fast forward a month, or several months, and suddenly you're rather tired of these people you have created. You're not sure where they're headed, or why they're going there. You really wish you could just move on to another project. Or maybe that's just me!

So what do you do when your manuscript is stuck in the mud? How do you move on? I'm working on my twenty-fifth manuscript, so I have some experience with this phenomenon. Here are a few things that have helped me over the hump.

• Stop and write your ending. I do this every book now. I begin at the beginning, and then write until I'm bored. That's usually somewhere between 30 and 40 thousand words. When I find myself STUCK (playing more solitaire, cleaning out the bottom desk drawer--you know the symptoms), I move on and write the ending of my story. This might be one chapter or a dozen. You might be asking, “How can you know the ending if you don't know the middle?” I just envision where I want my characters to be when the book is done.
• Take a break! Sometimes you need a day or two, maybe even a week, away from your manuscript. Set a defined limit and give yourself time off, then start back at it with a well-rested mind.
• Go to the hammock with a pen and paper. Write down 10 things that could happen to your characters. Don't police your thoughts. Anything goes here! Be as outlandish as you'd like. The next day look at your list, pick one idea, and follow that thread.
• Consult your notes. If you had any original notes for your manuscript (or even an outline, maybe a synopsis), pull it out and look at it. No doubt, your characters have developed in different ways than you imagined and your plot has taken a few curves. What about those original notes still appeals to you?
• Pray. You initially felt that God put this story on your heart to share. Ask for guidance and a direction. Ask that God bless your words and your work and use it to touch lives.
• Keep writing. Even when it feels like you're writing complete nonsense, keep writing. Push through until you find the path your characters are supposed to take. Yes, you may delete some of these pages later, but deleting is not a problem. Just. Keep. Writing.

Being stuck is not a sign of imminent disaster. In my opinion, it's a natural part of the writing process. Hopefully one of these ideas will help you when you’re stuck in the mud. Now it's your turn. What suggestions do you have for writers who are stuck?

About the Author

Murder Freshly Baked
by Vannetta Chapman

Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. Her novel, Falling to Pieces, was a 2012 ACFW Carol Award winner for best mystery. She writes Amish mysteries for Zondervan, Amish romances for Harvest House and Amish novellas for Abingdon and Zondervan. All of her books have been Christian Book Distributor bestsellers. Her most recent release is Murder Freshly Baked, the third book in her Amish Village Mystery series. Chapman lives in the Texas hill country with her husband.

Murder Freshly Baked
When delicious baked goods become lethal, a trail of poetry leads to a sweet-toothed killer.

The Amish Artisan Village of Middlebury, Indiana, might be the last place you would ever expect to find a murderer. But Amber has been managing the Village for decades and there’s nothing she hasn’t seen. Or so she thought.

When poetic notes begin appearing around the bakery, warning that some of the pies have been poisoned, Amber is as confused as she is concerned. Who poisons pies? And more to the point, who leaves poems of warning after they’ve done it?

Can Amber and Hannah help the police before the Poison Poet strikes? Both women will need to draw on their faith to preserve the peaceful community they’ve built in Middlebury . . . and to protect the girls who work in the Amish Artisan Village.

Researching in Amish Country by Vannetta Chapman

Author Vannetta Chapman has written a number of novels featuring Amish characters. Today, she's going to share some lessons she's learned while researching her books. -- Sandy

Vannetta: I will have two books releasing in March – Murder Simply Brewed and An Amish Garden. Both are set in northern Indiana. Murder Simply Brewed begins a series that will take place in Middlebury. An Amish Garden returns to the town of my first Amish series, Shipshewana. These will be books number 9 and 10 for me, the first having released in 2010. I thought that today I’d share with you what I’ve learned during that time regarding research—both virtual and in person.

1. It is worth it to spend your advance, or a good portion of your advance, on in-person research. Although you can learn a lot about a place on-line, it’s not the same as drinking coffee at the local café, meeting with the local librarian, and generally puttering around town. I’ve been to the northern Indiana area four times since 2010. Every trip has been worth the expense.
2. Take lots and lots and lots of pictures when you go. Since we’re in the day of electronic photography, there is absolutely no reason to hold back. I take pictures of things I’m only mildly interested in. That’s okay. Let your interests guide you. For example, while in Middlebury, we learned of a local Amish farmer who was raising camels in order to sell their milk. We walked down to his place and took a few pictures. Two years later, the idea of camels and the Amish has become a nice subplot in my series.
3. Ask questions and collect contact information. I have visited Amish in their home, in their stores, and even in their schools. While it’s not proper to take close-up pictures in those places, I’ve learned a lot from the time I spent there. I learned details that are important to my story. I always retain contact information so I can send a book, a thank you card, or future questions.
4. Spend more time rather than less. If you can afford 5 nights by staying at a less expensive hotel, then do! What’s important is that you get the feel, and often the history, of the town.
5. Use on-line research judiciously. I visit a place before I start a series if at all possible. In March I’ll begin a series set in Oklahoma, but I won’t be able to visit there until June. That’s okay. I’ll go ahead and write the story and add details after my visit. In the meantime, I’ll use on-line research, but I’ll do so carefully. I only  have 6 months to write a book, actually 4-5 when you leave time for sending to pre-readers and editing. So I limit my on-line research. If I have a question, I pop on-line, find the answer, and then get off. No straying down bunny trails.

Research is an important part of every writer’s work. It adds flavor and authenticity to our writing. Here’s hoping that your research will bring you the answers you need to write the next bestselling novel.

Where has your research taken you? Do you have anything to add to Vannetta's list?

~~~

Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. Her novel, Falling to Pieces, was a 2012 ACFW Carol Award winner for best mystery. She writes Amish mysteries for Zondervan, Amish romances for Harvest House and Amish novellas for Abingdon and Zondervan. All of her books have been Christian Book Distributor bestsellers. Chapman lives in the Texas hill

country with her husband.

You'll find Vannetta at www.vannettachapman.com

Why You Can by Vannetta Chapman

Welcome to Fortifying Friday here at Seriously Write. Have you ever felt discouraged while trudging, strolling, or jogging down the road to publication? Guest author Vannetta Chapman offers encouragement and explains why you can reach your destination.

Why You Can

by Vannetta Chapman

There are plenty of articles written about how difficult it is to become a published author. Most of those articles are true, but they're only showing you one side of a coin. I thought I'd show you the other side--since I've experienced both. It took 12 years of intensely focused effort (while working a full time job) to be offered my first contract, but now I have 6 more books coming out in the next 2 years. I'll let you decide if it's worth the effort. Here are a few reasons Why You Can become a published author.

Unpubbed Writers Help Each Other: We live in a very competitive culture, and publishing is a competitive business. Maybe that's why it surprised me to find that other unpublished writers were so willing to help me along. Think of the road to publication as a line, with writers at different places along that road. It amazed me that folks took the time to help someone farther back. Why would they? Didn't that mean they'd have one more writer to compete with? Not necessarily. As a reader, it's hard for me to find enough good books to read. A rising tide lifts all boats, and improving the skills of a group makes us all better writers.

Pubbed Writers Help Unpubbed: This one really confused me. WHY would a multi-pubbed, award-winning writer take the time to help an unknown, unpublished author from Texas? Maybe it's that they were helped by someone else and wanted to return the favor. Maybe there's a desire to teach in all of us. All I know is that I couldn't be where I am today without the help of Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, and Mary Ellis. And that's the short list.

Editors and Agents Want You to Succeed: Whoa Nellie! Haven't you always heard that it's practically impossible to sign with an agent? That editors are too busy for anything more than a one-page query? The first is not true. I signed with my agent two years before I had my contract with Abingdon Press (A Simple Amish Christmas, Oct. 2010). The second may be true, but it doesn't mean they're not interested. It means they're busy. Respect their guidelines, and you might receive a request for more pages. Withstand enough no's until you find the publisher who has the perfect slot for the book you have written. In my case that happened with book #9 because I didn't stop writing while I waited for a yes.

You can become a published writer. Might not be easy. Might not happen right away, but as my momma has often said, "Good things are worth waiting and working for."

Vannetta Chapman holds a BA and MA degree in English and has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups.  She published an Amish novel with Abingdon Press called A Simple Amish Christmas.  Her first Quilt Shop Murder Mystery, Falling to Pieces (Zondervan), will release in September of 2011.

To find out more about Vannetta and her books, please visit

http://www.vannettachapman.com/

http://vannettachapman.wordpress.com/

http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Authors/Author.htm?ContributorID=ChapmanVan&QueryStringSite=Zondervan