Waiting by Laura V. Hilton

Laura V. Hilton

I’m talking about publishing in this, but you can apply it to anything.

Back in the day when I first dreamed of getting an agent and getting published, it seemed an insurmountable effort. I had to wait—wait for an agent to believe in me enough to sign me. Wait for a publisher to like my story—and then wait while they took it to committee to decide if it will be a good fit for their publishing company. So many times, my hopes rose—just to crash face first in the dirt.

Now, it isn’t such a big deal. A publisher doesn’t want your book? Self-publish. You have control of everything. Or maybe a publisher does want your book, but you love absolute control. Or maybe… the genre you write isn’t what publishers are buying. They loved your previous books, your fans are clamoring for more, but the publisher doesn’t want to take the risk.

For those of us who want our books traditionally published, it is difficult to wait on the Lord. To wait on the publisher. Yet so often we must do this for our stories. Sometimes we must be patient while we seek the Lord’s guidance about whether to continue seeking traditional publishing or to self-publish.

I’ve looked for some insights about patiently waiting on the Lord. Maybe they’ll encourage you…

“Patience means living out the belief that God orders everything for the spiritual good of His children.” – J. I. Packer

“Grin and bear it is old-fashioned advice, but sing and bear it is a great deal better.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

“Patience does not just grin and bear things, stoic-like, but accepts them cheerfully as therapeutic workouts planned by a heavenly trainer who is resolved to get you up to full fitness.” – J. I. Packer

“Are we prepared to take the awful patient ways of God? We must not be infected by the world’s valuation of either speed or success.” – John B. Phillips

“The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, But God isn’t.” – Phillips Brooks, Boston Pastor

“I’m extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.” – Margaret Thatcher

“Patience and passage of time do more than strength and fury.” – Jean De La Fontaine, Poet

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstroy, Novelist

“Our patience will achieve more than our force.” – Edmund Burke

“With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.” – Chinese proverb

“Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” – Psalm 27:14

Are you waiting on something? Are you tired of waiting?

While you wait, apply meaningful waiting . . . spend time in prayer, talk with mentors about the situation, meditate on scripture, start a NEW project while you wait on answers to the current one . . .

About the Author

Award winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and three of their children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor. Laura also has two adult children.

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards). Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as a three book Amish series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard in April 2015, and The Bird House in September 2015. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press. Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer.

Connect with Laura
http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q
visit her blogs: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/ & http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @Laura_V_Hilton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/

The Postcard
by Laura V. Hilton

The Postcard (from Promised to Another)
David Lapp survived a “code blue” when he was in a buggy/semi truck accident in Seymour, Missouri. Now after extensive therapy he has lingering mobility problems and is still struggling to find his place in the world. Lured away from Webster County by thoughts of closed buggies and a postcard friendship he’s developed with an Amish girl in Jamesport, he moves north, hoping for a fresh start. He finds work in the area tying flies and basket weaving, selling his products in the Amish markets in the Jamesport area.

Rachel Miller dreams of travel, but feels tied to her Amish life. She is being courted by Obadiah Graber, but wonders if there’s more to life. When she sees David’s name mentioned in The Budget, she strikes up a pen pal friendship with David while he’s in the hospital and in therapy, consoling him when he and his girlfriend part ways. She never dreams that David will come north and move into her community. David is still fearful in the buggy, especially in high traffic areas. Feeling he’s called by God to preach, David spends hours in the Bible, but the Amish discourage him, believing their ministers should be drawn by lot. Will David follow his call, even if it takes him out of the Amish church? Will Rachel realize her dream to travel?

Tracking Story Threads by Annette M. Irby

printed manuscript with pen and pencil

Recently I printed off 280+ pages of my nearly-complete manuscript. I wanted to get an idea of the story’s flow and figure out missing scenes. Yes, I have the outline on Scrivener index cards, but reading the pages in order helps me gauge the flow better than skipping around in a Word document. 

As I’m working through hard-copy edits (and even while I’m typing the story the first time through), I keep a notepad nearby where I list page numbers and threads that will need to be readdressed in the story.

Have you ever read a book where a thread wasn’t closed? I remember a novel I read years ago where a specific element was a key part of the character’s knot. She struggled, sought advice, and worried. We spent a lot of pages, a lot of words, on that element. But when she actually faced the situation, the writer glossed over it, leaving it off screen and never following up. I felt cheated, as if the editors and author didn’t give readers credit or didn’t consider the reader’s response. There we readers were, immersed in the story, and then we were denied what we’d been reading to see. The hook became a betrayal.

In sewing, if you don’t tie off your threads, you risk the fabric coming apart. In writing, you risk losing reader loyalty. Generally, you satisfy readers by tying off those threads and tracking them will help you do that.

Now, that’s not to say you need to tie everything up in a neat bow. Sometimes writers leave threads incomplete because that treatment is more true to life. You get to decide how you address the threads you introduce. Just remember, the more time you spend on something, the more your readers will expect you to revisit that thread later. 

I’ve heard some mentors recommend highlighting various threads by subject throughout the story in order to track them. I like that idea and have used it before, on hard copy. *wink*

What techniques do you use to track your story threads? Are some threads easier for you to track? Do you print your manuscripts at or near completion in order to edit them? 

~~~~~ 

Her Nerdy Cowboy

Her Nerdy Cowboy

Whoever heard of a bookish cowboy? When Logan McDaniel’s brother-in-law dies, he steps in to help his beloved sister run her ranch. But what does a city boy know of herding cattle? Claire Langley loved her cousin. After he dies, she agrees to serve as a temporary nanny for two heartbroken children. 

Claire and Logan find they share a love of books, and Claire can’t resist the nerdy uncle who is great with children, and who reads to her of pirate romance. Claire’s ailing mother needs her in Seattle. Can she break away? And if she does, can there ever be a future for Logan and her?

~~~~~ 

Annette M. Irby

Annette M. Irby has three published books and 

runs her own freelance editing business, AMI Editing. 

See her page here on Seriously Write for more information.

Why I Wrote Chilled in Chattanooga by Deborah Malone

Deborah Malone

Writers come up with ideas for stories through various avenues. If you’ve ever wondered about writing a story based in a real location, I think you’ll be encouraged by Deborah Malone’s experiences. Enjoy! ~ Dawn

Why I Wrote Chilled in Chattanooga

Chilled in Chattanooga is the fourth book in the Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Series. I had been writing about cities that were interesting places that people enjoyed traveling to. I have loved going to Chattanooga for many years now. Even though Chattanooga is not is Georgia, Rock City and Lookout Mt. are in Georgia. All of these are incorporated in the book.

I had fun researching for the book. I took a day trip to Chattanooga and spent an entire day exploring the city and taking pictures. I must have taken over 200 pictures. It was fun eating at several of the well-known restaurants and visiting the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Most of the places that I mention in the book are real and you could visit them if you wanted to. I already have someone who told me they wanted to visit the English Rose Tea Room across from the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. I hope you find a place you’d like to visit too.

All of my books are humorous and I hope that when they are read that they give the reader a little time of respite from the stresses of the day. There is encouragement between Trixie and her best friend Dee Dee and they also help each other strengthen their faith. But I don’t take a baseball bat and hit you over the head with a particular message. I just want the reader to enjoy a good clean mystery without having to worry about compromising their morals and do it while having a little fun.

Chilled in Chattanooga

Chilled in Chattanooga

Trixie Montgomery, her best friend Dee Dee, and her beloved Nana are out to experience the city of Chattanooga, while Trixie attends a writer's conference and works on a murder mystery for Georgia By the Way. But who would have guessed that Trixie would not only uncover a body in the deep freeze, but also end up a prime suspect in the murder case? With a killer on the loose, Trixie and Dee Dee have to work fast to find out who is responsible for the crime before Trixie ends up getting locked up for a murder she clearly didn't commit, but is surely being framed for! Join Trixie and Dee Dee as they, along with Trixie's Nana, sort through suspects and get to the bottom of yet another murder mystery, while still finding time to enjoy the sights in Chattanooga!

Deborah Malone's first novel Death in Dahlonega, finaled in the American Christian Fiction Writer's Category Five writing contest! Deborah was also nominated for 2011 and 2012 Georgia Author of the Year in Novel category. She has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, for the historic magazine, "Georgia Backroads" since 2001. She has had many articles and photographs published, her writing is featured in "Tales of the Rails," edited by Olin Jackson, as well as the "Christian Communicator." She is a member of the Georgia Writer's Association, Advanced Writer's and Speaker's Association and the American Christian Fiction Writers.

You can learn more and connect with Deborah at the following online sites:

www.deborah-malone.com

deborahsbutterflyjourney.blogspot.com

sleuthsandsuspects.blogspot.com

cozymysterymagazine.blogspot.com

 

Expect Favor by Dora Hiers

Recently hubby and I were blessed to hear Christian Success Coach Dr. Dave Martin speak at our church. With thought-provoking concepts and stand-up-comic-belly-laugh humor, he preached an entire sermon focused on one verse with the acronym DARE.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! (Eph 3:20 The Message)

Hang with me. I promise not to summarize the entire sermon or go into all of the letters, just E.

EXPECT favor. 

As in…expect favor from God, the Creator of the entire world. Who filled it with a sun that lights our days and warms our backs, and makes it rise and set without us ever having to lift a finger. He created seas that roar, rivers that trickle, and mountains that surge to the heavens. He crafted man from dust and woman from man and gifts us with precious little souls with miniature toes and fingers, exact replicas of their mommies and daddies. He’s amazing, right? He’s able to do infinitely more than we can ever imagine, but --

Do we really expect Him to?

Martin’s philosophy is that when we recognize and celebrate His involvement with the little things, we'll begin to see an increase in the bigger things. Cool, huh? 

Exactly two mornings later, I was immersed in writing and my son asked me to pick up our sick granddaughter from school. My first thought was my word count just got kicked to the curb.

My second? Expect favor.

Oops. Can I have a do-over?

Thank You, God—

·      for a job that allows me the flexibility to do things for my sons and grandkidlets.

·      for the few minutes of undivided attention with my teenage granddaughter, where she feels free to share what’s on her heart. Whether that’s about boys, friends or homework, thank You that she still likes to chat with her Meme.

·      that my son and his family live within a five minute drive of our house.

·      that even though I didn’t reach my daily word count, my weekly goal was right on target and my overall word count was ahead of projection.

·      for the break in routine, something You know I find challenging.

Whoa! Major attitude shift, right? Later that evening, I wasn’t stressed that I didn’t accomplish as much as I’d hoped. God is more than able to take my little and multiply as He pleases.

Expecting favor is not a one-time deal. It’s a lifestyle. It’s waking up and marveling over what miracle God will reveal today. It’s looking for the good in every circumstance, it’s treasuring the gift of the moment, it’s discovering nuggets of joy in the simple and mundane.

Expecting favor in my writing means praying over my stories and characters, asking God for His words to cascade down from heaven, to flow like a waterfall through my brain to my heart and then out my fingertips. It's savoring that first cup of java while the sun rises over my back deck or in front of a glowing fireplace, just me and Him. It’s rejoicing over every idea that percolates, every word that flows onto the page, every story that comes to life, whether or not it makes it to print. It’s appreciating that tingle of anticipation as my fingers poise across the keyboard, that jolt when a scene comes together in my head while my dog's dragging me around the park, or that satisfied sigh after writing a particularly emotional scene or finally arriving at THE END.

Maybe you’ve been doing this writing gig for a long time, and that mountain of rejection letters has buried your tiny seed of hope. Ask God to move the mountain and then expect His favor!

How about you? Can you see areas in your writing where you might adopt this expect favor attitude? Do you live every day expecting favor?

Purchase Link

Still stinging from the publicity surrounding her father's death, social phobic Rori Harmon prefers the solitude of her animal sanctuary, accepting that marriage isn’t in her future. Racecar Driver Graham Decker refuses to be wrangled into a relationship by another money-hungry female. On a philanthropy mission, he arrives just in time to assist Rori with a llama birthing, but his appearance thrusts her into the media spotlight again. Has Graham found a woman who doesn't care how deep his wallet extends? Has Rori finally met a man who will stick around when times get tough? Is healing for a hurting heart finally within Rori's reach?

Dora Hiers

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. Connect with her on Seriously Write, Fiction Faith & Foodies, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.