Where Do I Begin? by Annette M. Irby

Dream*

On October 20, 2020, one of my publishing dreams came true. A team of fellow authors and I published a Christmas novella compilation together. (see below)

Probably twenty years ago now, I spent holiday seasons reading Barbour Publishing’s four-in-one novella compilations. I loved them—historicals. Contemporaries. Small-town, countryside. Homey. Romantic. Christmassy. These collections became a part of my holiday tradition. They inspired me, creatively.

And I dreamed of one day being a member of the team who published a novella collection.

I had no idea how long I’d have to wait.

The Best Advice I Ever Received by Kelly Goshorn

Encouraging other writers is something dear to my heart. I would never have finished A Love Restored if it wasn’t for the encouragement that came my way just when I needed it. An email from a friend who liked my characters or a comment in a critique that my dialogue made them chuckle. Whew! There’s nothing worse than trying to be funny only to find out you’re falling short of the mark!

But one particular piece of advice, changed everything.

I’d been writing seriously for about two years in April 2014 when I sat at my computer looking at the all the comments in red I’d received from a contest entry—"deepen the POV here, more detailed description there, and you used the word ‘gaze’ seven times in this scene.” While I knew the judge’s comments were intended to help me improve, I felt overwhelmed and way out of my league.

I closed the laptop and shook a mental fist at God. “Why did you call me to such a ridiculously unattainable task?” The names of my favorite authors flooded my mind—Tamera Alexander, Karen Witemeyer and Julie Lessman. I failed miserably in comparison.

Discouraged, I slumped over my computer and sobbed. “I can’t write like them, Lord. Why are you asking me do this?” As the tears streamed from my face, another voice spoke to my heart.

That’s right, you can’t write like them.

Wait. What? That wasn’t exactly the encouragement I was hoping for, God. Maybe a “keep at it, you’ll get there” or something. Then He spoke again. This time zinging my heart like only He can do with His timeless truth.

I don’t want you to write like them. I want you to write like you.

Reality struck. The only one expecting me to write like someone else, was me. A great burden lifted from my shoulders. My God who placed this desire in my heart didn’t want me to be anyone else but who he created me to be. I began praying for his inspiration as I wrote each day and while there were still many ups and downs along my road to publication, I no longer lived in the shadow of wanting to be like someone else.

A friend sent me this quote which I printed and pinned to the messy bulletin board that hangs above my writing desk.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

~Theodore Roosevelt

I do believe God has given me a gift for weaving words, but where that talent will take me is likely to be quite different from where it will take Julie Lessman. And that’s fine with me. After all, any talent He may bestow on us as writers, even in the tiniest measure, isn’t granted to make us feel good about ourselves or even for others to read an entertaining, well-written story.

The purpose of His gifts is always to glorify the Giver.

What is the best writing advice you have ever received? Do you have trouble with the comparison game?

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Kelly Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith and family set in nineteenth century America. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Kelly has been enjoying her own happily-ever-after with her husband and best friend, Mike, for 28 years. Together they have raised three children, four cats, two dogs, a turtle, a guinea pig, a gecko, and countless hamsters. Thankfully, not all at the same time. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her young adult children, scrapbooking with friends, board gaming with her husband, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi. Her debut novel, A Love Restored, releases June 29^th from Pelican Book Group.

You can connect with Kelly on:

Her website: http://kellygoshorn.com/
 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.j.goshorn/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyGoshorn

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KellyGoshorn/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyjgoshorn/

The Sophomore Slump by Christa MacDonald

Christa MacDonald

Hi friends, Annette here. Have you written series? Sometimes there are challenges in getting book two to cooperate with the writer. Please welcome fellow Mountain Brook Ink author Christa MacDonald as she shares about writing sequels in a series, and carrying on when it's tough going.

The Sophomore Slump 

by Christa MacDonald

A little-known fact of the publishing world is that it’s notoriously difficult to write the second book. This is true even if it’s a planned sequel. Sometimes the pressure to produce is too much, or it feels as if there’s just not enough there for a next book. I had no idea how difficult it would be until I got stuck halfway through the sequel to The Broken Trail. It was awful, the book that is, and I knew it. As the weeks crawled by it got harder and harder to even open the manuscript and attempt a few paragraphs. I was blocked, or so I thought.

One day I resolved to sort out what it was that was making me hate writing. After reading through the whole thing I realized I had failed to connect to my main female character, Erin. I didn’t know who she was or what she wanted beyond surface stuff. Her heart and soul seemed thin as if she was still a secondary character. Writing Dan, the male MC, was a different story. Writing in his perspective flowed because I knew his struggles, his hopes. 

The scenes where his faith is tested practically wrote themselves. His thoughts flowed so well because I’d had them first. Surprisingly, more of my own experience went into the creation of him than in Erin. She didn’t feel familiar. I didn’t know her. So, I did something really hard. I chucked most of what I had written, and I started again. 

This time I made an effort to get to know Erin, asking questions about her childhood, what had been her hopes and dreams? How had her marriage to an abusive alcoholic changed them? How had her faith survived? In what ways was she still struggling? Finally, Erin was fully formed and the difference was immediate. It still took a lot of work, but the words were flowing again. I knew how Erin had to change. Her journey of faith was a quiet one compared to Dan, but no less profound.

When the writing process becomes a chore, I think authors get stressed out. We start listening to the voices telling us we’re no good, that it’s too hard, and that no one will want to read it anyway. When it starts to be a struggle to even open the manuscript we often give up, call it writer’s block, and walk away. But that’s the time to write daily instead. Even if it hurts, even if it’s terrible, write every day. Sit down at the desk, say a prayer, and open that document. Seek encouragement too. Talk to your writerly friends, pray for guidance, read a book, see a movie. Make sure that your creative well is filled and then put your fingers on the keys and write!

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As friendship turns to love, can grace bridge two conflicted hearts?

At the Crossroad by Christa MacDonald

Erin Sullivan has had to endure the rumor mill of Sweet River, Maine grinding through her family's scandals for years. Despite maintaining her status as a respected athletics director at the local Christian school, being a single mother locked in constant conflict with misinformation and judgment had taught her not to hope for good things. No matter how strong her feelings were for Pastor Dan Cooper, she would have to keep them buried for the sake of his reputation and her already aching heart. 

Dan Cooper had dedicated his life to the international mission field--that is, until he's called back to the States with the news of his mother's stroke. After three years in a job slowly chipping away at his spirit, his mother continues to show no sign of recovery. The choice to stay in Sweet River had seemed so clear before, but now he is scrambling for any direction from God before his passion withers altogether. While he didn't expect that answer to be a woman, a chance meeting with Erin Sullivan stirs something in his heart with her quiet strength and compassion. 

Find Christa at these links:

Website: https://www.christamacdonald.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1538432676468229/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cricketmacd

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christa-MacDonald/e/B01GGIU8D8/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14189014.Christa_MacDonald

~~~~~

About the Author

Christa MacDonald began her writing career at the age of eleven, filling a sketchbook with poems and short stories. While at Gordon College she traded the sketchbooks for floppy discs, publishing short personal narratives in the literary journal The Idiom. After graduation and traveling cross-country she settled down to focus first on her career in operations management and then her growing family. When her children reached grade school Christa returned to her love of writing, finding the time between conference calls, dance lessons, and baseball games. Mountain Brook Ink published her first novel, The Broken Trail, in fall of 2016, and her second novel, The Crossroad, in October, 2017. When not at her desk working or writing, Christa can be found curled up in her favorite chair reading, out and about with her husband and kids, or in the garden. She lives with her family along the coast of Massachusetts in the converted barn they share with a dog and two formerly-feral cats.

Coping with Deadlines by Annette M. Irby

 

Computer keyboard*

I’m on a few deadlines. In addition to editing work, the first book in my series will release this September 1^st, and the second book is due this summer as well. I’ve had to prioritize and strictly enforce my schedule lately and I’ve spent hours and hours at my computer, writing and rewriting for my summer deadline. I have other projects in the works, so the sooner I hand this project off, the sooner I can work on the others that have been on the back burner.

Prioritizing

So, how do I decide what to set aside during crunch seasons? How do you decide? For me, I set aside social media, even marketing, until I can focus on it. I ask myself: what’s due soonest? Timing helps me in many ways—it both motivates and dictates my schedule. I set aside reflexively checking my e-mail, and I close all unnecessary tabs and apps/programs on my computer in order to stay focused on the necessary ones. My family needs my attention, so they are a priority. Sometimes you have to say no to extra tasks. That’s a hard one for some of us. I sometimes struggle with that. Even when I say no, I sometimes feel guilty later, which doesn’t help me focus on work. But our jobs as writers is important. If we honor our writing time, others will begin to respect it too.

Pansies in the rain^

Permission to Take a Break

Summertime is an especially challenging time to have to work 8-12 hours a day, so I do take breaks, which are so necessary. I recommend finding a peaceful setting to decompress. When the sun moves around the house to my flower garden, I love to go out and tend my plants. (Here's a photo from one of my hanging baskets on a rainy day last spring.) The warm sun, so different from my cool home office in the basement corner, feels good. And tending my flowers makes me happy. I catch myself walking around, smiling from the joy of a simple hobby. Breaks are also helpful for working out plot points and overcoming writer’s block. And they’re probably good for our health. We must take care of ourselves, even on deadline.

Back to Work

The thing about breaks is, you have to set a time limit and discipline yourself to get back to work. Your book won’t write itself. So, I’ll take time away for family get-togethers, and meals, and even a trip to the pool so my youngest gets a chance to swim, but then it’s back to work. 

Praying woman **

Best Advice for Deadline Crunch Time

My writing sessions involve a lot of prayer. Prayers for grace, help, words, wisdom, insights, for the story to come together, for my readers, and for God’s glory and message to come through. He honors our prayers as we write for Him. Sometimes when I know I only have, say, a half hour left before I’ll be away from my computer for a while, panic will set in, thinking about all I have to do. Then I ask the Lord to help, and He does. Pretty soon, my fingers are flying over the keyboard and enjoying the thrill of a scene coming together in a profound way with word counts piling up.

How about you? What are your tricks for meeting deadlines and surviving the deadline crunch? I’d love to hear.

Write on, friends!

 ~~~~~

Husband Material by Annette M. Irby

Husband Material

Wyatt Hansen has no fears about commitment, but only three years have passed since his beloved wife died, and he can't bring himself to break their annual dinner date—that is until he meets restaurant owner, Lara Farr. Lara doesn't have time for romance; she has a business to run. At least that's what she tells herself so she doesn't have to admit that commitment scares her. But Lara's business is failing, and it just may take a miracle—or marketing analyst, Wyatt Hansen—to save it. Can Wyatt rescue Lara’s restaurant, help her overcome her fears, and prove he is good husband material?

~~~~~

Annette M. Irby

Annette M. Irby is a freelance editor and Christian fiction author who dabbles in gardening and photography. She enjoys spending time with her family and husband of over twenty-five years, and has completely fallen in love with her grandson. You can learn more about Annette by visiting her website or her page here on Seriously Write. 

Connect with me at:

Facebook Reader Circle: https://www.facebook.com/groups/252272708574760

Twitter: @AnnetteMIrby

Website: www.annetteirby.com

Book Review Blog: www.AnnetteIrbyReviews.blogspot.com

   

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*photo credit (1st) -- Pixabay.com

^ photo credit (2nd) -- Annette M. Irby 

** photo credit (3rd) -- Pixabay.com