Every Letter Matters by Emily Conrad

 
The book’s tagline went something like this: A woman with a dark past and an evil enemy collie.

Wait. Did that just say collie?

As comical images filled my mind, I reread more carefully. The tagline should’ve read: A woman with a dark past and an evil enemy collide.

One letter makes quite a difference.

The word count feature recently reported that the story I’m editing right now is made up of half a million characters, including letters and spaces.

Though I love this story, it’s given me a fair amount of trouble. I’m on my third somewhat major revision. That means, writing the book took well over 500,000 keystrokes.

Tap, tap, tap. (Multiplied by 166,667!)

I never gave much thought to the single letter building blocks my hero and heroine and all their friends and faults and victories are made of.

But each is important, if that enemy collie is any proof.

Seeing that number helped me realize how much I’ve invested in the story and how each little letter impacts the whole.

At times in the writing life, progress seems to stall, but even the smallest keystrokes, revisions, and submissions add up.

Even if your novel is shorter than mine (which admittedly could use some cutting), you’ve likely amassed at least a quarter of a million keystrokes to compose even a short novel. And those keystrokes represent characters, plots, story arcs, hopes, and dreams.

If you’ve made it that far, take a deep breath. Appreciate the accomplishment.

If you haven’t completed a manuscript yet, you, too, can take heart. However much you’ve written, you’re on your way toward a massive accomplishment. One that would not be possible if you weren’t willing to invest in typing those first few words.

When we follow God to the keyboard, the task before us is monumental.

Not only will we strike these keys hundreds of thousands of times (or millions, if we don’t stop at our first couple of books), but our words carry weight one letter at a time. As they form on the page, God can breathe power into them that will reach readers we’ll never meet.

This writing thing is bigger than any of us, but the task is not bigger than the God we serve.

I know it’s easy to get bogged down in the process, but as long as we’re following Christ, one day, we’ll look back and see something far more amazing than a tally of our keystrokes.

Psalm 139 says each of our days are written in His book before there was one of them.

If our novels are made up of hundreds of thousands of keystrokes, and each of those carry meaning, can you imagine all the meaning and value God packs into the moments of our lives?

Sometimes, as we wait for the next big milestone, we forget the value of the little in-between moments. We get lost in the keystrokes.

But the Author of the Universe has penned our stories. Rather than concluding after two hundred or three hundred fifty pages, these stories stretch into eternity.

As His children, we’re promised a beautiful outcome there with Him.

In the meantime, we live one keystroke at a time in the faith that each will become a valuable part of our stories—the stories of our lives, and the stories we pen.

With God, each moment is worthwhile, and each letter makes a difference.

At times in the #writerslife, progress seems to stall, but even the smallest keystrokes, revisions, and submissions add up. via @emilyrconrad #nevergiveup #seriouslywrite

We live one keystroke at a time in the faith that each will become a valuable part of our stories—the stories of our lives, and the stories we pen. @emilyrconrad #writing #faithwriter #seriouslywrite

However much you’ve written, you’re on your way toward a massive accomplishment. One that would not be possible if you weren’t willing to invest in typing those first few words. @emilyrconrad #seriouslywrite #writetip #writing

Photo credits
Person using laptop Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
Typing on typewriter photo by MILKOVÍ on Unsplash
Typewriter keys photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash

_______________________

Emily Conrad writes Christian romance and a blog to encourage women of faith. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two rescue dogs. She loves Jesus and enjoys road trips to the mountains, crafting stories, and drinking coffee. (It’s no coincidence her novel Justice is set mostly in a coffee shop!) She offers free short stories on her website and loves to connect with readers on social media.

www.emilyconradauthor.com
Facebook.com/emilyconradauthor
Instagram.com/emilyrconrad
Twitter.com/emilyrconrad

JUSTICE

The love of a lifetime, a quest for justice, and redemption that can only be found by faith.

Jake thought he was meant to marry Brooklyn, but now she's pregnant, and he had nothing to do with it.

Brooklyn can’t bring herself to name the father as she wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means and how it will affect her relationship with Jake.

If Harold Keen, the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake's coffee shop, has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both.

Can Jake and Brooklyn overcome the obstacles thrown in their path, and finally find the truth in God's love and in each other?


Amazon
Barnes and Noble

When Words Are Scarce by Emily Conrad

Writers write.

That’s the only qualification we have to meet to call ourselves writers: we must write.

It sounds easy, but writing is much more complicated than a two- or three-word sentence.

In order to write, we make space in our schedules and we take care of ourselves so we can have both the time and the energy. But, even when these variables are under control, we sometimes lack the spark of inspiration.

Even if we want to write, even if we sit down to write, words do not always appear on the page.

I would know. It’s November, and I’m still trying to wrap up a manuscript I started in February and hoped to finish before August. Entire weeks have gone by without my adding to the word total of the work in progress.

But after months of struggle, on October 27th, I wrote more than 4000 words. That’s more than double what I usually can write—on a good day. What’s more, this standout day is part of a larger streak, where I wrote 24,000 words in just over two weeks. That's an incredible run, considering the first 58,000 words took me about eight months.

So what happened?

God answered a prayer.

As a Christian writer, I’m concerned that my words would honor Him. When I pray about my writing, that tends to be the direction my petitions go.

Lord, whatever I write, may my words bring You glory.

I still want my words to bring God glory, but I've realized now pride laced that prayer. I had this underlying belief that I'd be able to write because of factors I could control. Difficult hours at (or avoiding) the keyboard proved me wrong.

I need God to provide words in the first place, and also for Him to shape those words in the way He desires to fulfill His purposes. So, about two weeks ago, I switched the focus of my prayer.

I prayed for God to give me words.

Ask, and you’ll receive. He's answered that prayer abundantly.

As I write this post, describing what happened, part of me feels like a disclaimer is necessary. This past year has brought some tough events, and it could be that I’ve made progress in healing. I’ve also been using some calming, inspiring routines, like burning a candle and listening to music.

And yet, as the words started to flow, I knew. I knew I’d just changed my prayers, and I knew that whatever tools God used to get me to this breakthrough, the resulting words are from Him.

Routines and moods and all the self-care in the world won’t result in words unless God provides them. God, the Master Creator, the Word become flesh, is the one who gives all good gifts, including any words we might be eager to give back to Him.

Writers write, but Christian writers never write alone.

As we pray for our writing, may we never neglect to acknowledge that we have nothing to dedicate to God that He doesn't give us first. May we humbly ask Him to provide inspiration and words and then ask that He would use those words when and how He sees fit.

Lord, creativity and inspiration come from You. I pray you would give me just the right words today for each project I approach, whether it's a novel, a blog post, or an interaction with a friend. Without You, I have nothing, so I pray you would provide all that I need to serve You. May all my words be pleasing to You and bring glory to Your name.

_____________________

Writers write. It sounds easy, but writing is much more complicated than a two-word sentence. @emilyrconrad on defeating #writersblock as a #Christianwriter #seriouslywrite

God, the Master Creator, the Word become flesh, is the one who gives all good gifts, including any words we might be eager to give back to Him. @emilyrconrad on #writersblock and #writing #christianfiction for #seriouslywrite

Writers write, but Christian #writers never write alone. @emilyrconrad on #writersblock for #seriouslywrite #writetip

Photo credits
Blank postcard photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Typewriter photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash
Blank book photo by Martha Dominguez de Gouveia on Unsplash



Graphics created on Canva.com

Emily Conrad writes Christian romance and a blog to encourage women of faith. Her debut novel, Justice, released from Pelican Book Group in 2018. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two rescue dogs. She loves Jesus and enjoys road trips to the mountains, crafting stories, and drinking coffee. (It’s no coincidence Justice is set mostly in a coffee shop!) She offers free short stories on her website and loves to connect with readers on social media.

www.emilyconradauthor.com
Facebook.com/emilyconradauthor
Instagram.com/emilyrconrad
Twitter.com/emilyrconrad

JUSTICE

The love of a lifetime, a quest for justice, and redemption that can only be found by faith.

Jake thought he was meant to marry Brooklyn, but now she's pregnant, and he had nothing to do with it.

Brooklyn can’t bring herself to name the father as she wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means and how it will affect her relationship with Jake.

If Harold Keen, the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake's coffee shop, has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both.

Can Jake and Brooklyn overcome the obstacles thrown in their path, and finally find the truth in God's love and in each other?


Amazon
Barnes and Noble

You Want Me To What? By Susan Tuttle

If you’re a writer, chances are you know what you write, why you write it, and how you write. You know if you’re a plotter or a pantser. You know your genre. You know that writing burns inside you—even on days you stare at a blank screen—and you can’t give up. And because we know all these things, sometimes we forget who’s truly in control of our writing life.

Luke 5 is one of my favorite stories. It tells the tale of Peter and his calling. Peter had gone fishing and caught nothing. I’m sure there was some discouragement setting in as he washed his nets and thought through his next attack at sea. How long had it been since he’d brought in a haul? Scripture doesn’t say. It only tells us that he’d caught nothing that day.

 

Fishermen then, as they do now, had a system. They caught fish in the evening hours and always in shallow waters. It’s what worked best for them. They knew their vocation, how they fished, why they fished, where they fished. And then here came Jesus. At first he doesn’t address them. No. First he preaches the Word. First he brings Truth.
 

(Oh! How important it is for us to stay grounded in the truth!)
 

Then he looks over and tells Peter, who is putting all his equipment away for the day, to come out into the deep and let down his nets. I can just see Peter’s hands still on the sparkling, clean net he’d just tucked away as he looks up at the sun gleaming in the sky and replays Jesus’ request in his mind. You want me to what? We don’t actually see those words in our Bible, but I can almost hear Peter whispering them to himself.
 

Jesus was asking Peter to approach his fishing in a new way. A way that made no sense to what Peter knew. A way that made no sense to fishermen as a whole. A way that required pure and active faith in the One who called him.
 

Friends! You don’t own the corner on your writing. God does. We need to be open to his calling on the words that flow from us—however he choses to use that call. We need to stay so close to him, day-by-day, and ask him where he wants us to throw out our nets. Yes, we may have days, weeks, months—or even years—of writing that follows one pattern, but that doesn’t mean he won’t shake things up and call us into the deep when he wants to do something new through us to reach people who aren’t in our current waters.
 

And when he does we will have a choice. Do we say no because the call doesn’t make sense? Or will we think back to his Truths that we’ve heard and choose to step out in faith and cast our nets where he’s calling? Peter stepped into that boat, rowed out in the middle of the sunshiny day, and tossed his nets into deep waters. Then he pulled in such a haul he needed another boat to contain it all.
 

May we be like Peter.

Susan L. Tuttle lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her best friend and is a homeschooling mom of three. She’s firmly convinced that letters were meant for words, not math, and loves stringing them together into stories that inspire, encourage, and grow women into who God created them to be. Romance, laughter, and cookies are three of her favorite things, though not always in that order. You can connect with Susan at her blog, Steps, Facebook, or Twitter.

Susan contributes on the first Thursday of each month.

Are You an Orphan like Johnny on the Hot Seat? by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

I’ve listened to CDs from Allen Arnold’s four-day class, God's Disruptive Invitation into Creative Intimacy. Writing the following story helped me understand concepts from Allen’s first session.

Johnny on the Hot Seat

Elder: Hello, Johnny. What brings you here?

Johnny: Nothing’s going right in my writing.

Elder: Sit and tell me about it.

Johnny: I prayed God would help me, but the middle of my story sags. I’m way behind in word count. I’ve had no time to connect on my social media networks. And now my editor wants me to rewrite the first chapter.

Elder: Wow. Overwhelming.

Johnny: If God called me to write for Him, why is all this happening?

Elder: Did God call you to write for Him or to be in relationship with Him?

Johnny: I thought, both. But I guess God is more interested in a relationship with me.

Elder: True. But the Creator has given you a gift and desire to create.

Johnny: But when nothing goes right, I wonder why.

Elder: Do you think you’re an orphan?

Johnny: Orphan? What do you mean?

Elder: You agree that God desires a relationship with you and that He’s given you the gift and passion to create.

Johnny: Right.

Elder: Then why do you throw up a prayer and then proceed to create on your own? Why do you act like making everything happen is up to you? The creating, the writing, the marketing? Why do you choose to be an orphan?

Johnny: Because God calls us to bear fruit.

Elder: So, the Lord is into production more than relationship?

Johnny: Now I’m confused.

Elder: May I suggest you create with God, instead of trying to create for God. Wouldn’t you rather create with the God who made oceans, mountains, and peacocks? Or do you prefer to do it all on your own like an orphan?

Johnny: I never thought of it that way.

Elder: Yes, it’s a rare activity. And it’s disruptive. There’s no 5 steps. God’s more interested in who you are first, and what you do second. Being intimate with the Creator, your Dad in heaven, can make your work fun.

Johnny: I’d like having fun with God as I work.

Elder: Then follow Him. When He turns left, you turn left with Him. When He says let’s go for a walk, you don’t freak about word count. Your creativity will be an adventure with God.

Johnny: So, I don’t need to learn the writing craft or marketing?

Elder: Oh, they have their necessary places, but the number one thing is creating with God. “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” (Ps. 34:10) The apostle Paul, said, “I would like you to be free from concern.” (1 Cor. 7:32)

Johnny: I want to be free from concern. Thank you, Elder. I’m off to create with my Creator.

Elder: And I, off to counsel a doctor to heal with the Healer.

<<>>

Try creating WITH the Creator of hippos, instead of trying to create FOR Him. Click to Tweet.

What do you think about working intimately with God?

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Now retired actuaries, Zoe and her husband evaluated the financial risks for insurance companies. Nick, in Zoe’s debut novel, Calculated Risk, is an actuary. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops at JoyWriters on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.
Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

Calculated Risk
by Zoe M. McCarthy

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books