Newsletters by Terri Weldon

I’ve been meaning to write a newsletter to promote my books and to get to know my readers for quite some time. Well, all my good intentions didn’t cut it. No newsletter. 

I subscribed to numerous author newsletters and watched as one writer friend after another produced a fantastic product. I kept telling myself I needed to do the same. 

So finally I plopped my backend in a chair and got busy. Things were going well and much faster than I expected. I could handle this. When I finished I printed it out and took it to the person I trusted to give me an honest opinion. She did. Didn’t like it and thought it looked unprofessional. Ouch! Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m thankful she told the truth. The last thing I wanted to do was send out an unprofessional newsletter that would cause readers to want nothing to do with my books, thinking they might read as poorly as my newsletter.

So I went back to the drawing board. It took me f-o-r-e-v-e-r to produce a product I was satisfied with. And guess what I discovered? There were still a ton of things I didn’t understand. 

If you have plans to start a newsletter I’ve got several suggestions for you:

1. Subscribe to numerous newsletters.
2. Choose a mix of authors you read and authors you don’t read.
3. Read their newsletters voraciously and see what makes the author seem real to you.
4. What did they include that made them seem fun? This is why it is important to read some from authors you aren’t familiar with.
5. What about their newsletter would make you want to read their books?

Now on to creating your newsletter:

1. Choose which automation service you’re going to use and sign up and familiarize yourself with the program. I didn’t do this first and as a result wasted a great deal of time.
2. Decide how often you plan on producing a newsletter – monthly or quarterly.
3. Use social media or whatever platform you choose to start your list of subscribers.
4. Determine how much of yourself you want to share publically.
5. Create the best newsletter you possibly can.

Okay, I’ve probably oversimplified the process. But hopefully you’ve gained a little insight into creating a newsletter. 

If you’re a writer and can offer some tips I’d love to hear them. If you’re a reader please leave a comment and let me know what you like to see in a newsletter. 

And finally, shameless plug, go to www.terriweldon.com and sign up for my newsletter. If all goes well it debuts next week!

The Matchmakers Anthology

A Match Made in Sheffield (Book Two by Terri Weldon)

Nalie Benton bounced from one foster home to another until she landed on Ellie Alexander’s doorstep. Natalie’s vagabond childhood caused her to yearn for a secure life, which led to Natalie’s five-year plan: complete her law degree, marry the perfect man, become a partner at Montgomery, Haynes, and Preston, and produce one child. Getting arrested wasn’t in Natalie’s plan. Needing a public defender wasn’t in her plan. Falling for Grady Hunter, her public defender, definitely wasn’t in her plan. Can Grady convince Natalie there is more to life than her five-year plan? Is Ellie the only one who sees a future for Natalie and Grady?

Terri Weldon is a lead analyst by day and an award winning author by night. Her novella The Christmas Bride Wore Boots won the best novella category in the 2016 Lyra Awards. She enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, spending time with her family, and shopping for shoes. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction. She lives with her family in the Heartland of the United States. Terri has two adorable Westies – Crosby and Nolly Grace. Terri is a member of ACFW and RWA. She is a member of the Seriously Write Team (www.seriouslywrite.blogspot.com). Readers can connect with Terri at www.terriweldon.com


 
 

BackStory is for You—the Author—to Know. Don’t be an intruder! by Caryl McAdoo

To develop a character, even on page one, the writer needs to know where the heroine’s been and what in her life has brought her to that day, but a reader does not. Don’t start your novel with backstory. It is unnecessary to bring the reader ‘up to speed.’ Actually, it’s a big, boring mistake.

In real life, when meeting a new person, you don’t know her back-story—getting to know the new friend is a part of the fun, right? Let readers meet your characters the same way—a little at a time. Who cares if her brother’s a Kentucky horse breeder or who her best friend is? No one. Not yet. Think about it.

Would you hold still to listen to a life history as soon as you sat down? No, it’s only after you get to know the person and find her interesting that you’re willing to go on a journey down memory lane. You’re interested in the here and now. The why or how you came to be there with her then what happens next.

The rest will be known in small increments, finding out more about her each time you visit. No one opening your book and meeting your character for the first time cares about her past either. They want to know what’s happening right then and what’s about to take place. If it’s interesting.

The backstory is great for the author to know, even vital. So yes, imagine the backstory that’s made the heroine into a strong woman. Work it all out, know it, then sprinkle it into your story as it progresses. Think of it as salt. Too much in one place will spoil your food, just as too much backstory—often referred to as an information dump—will spoil your novel.

Dole out backstory to readers on a need-to-know basis, as the information becomes relevant. Ana avoid author intrusion—writing information the POVC (point of view character) would not be thinking at that time because of what’s going on.

Example:

The private eye straightened behind the wheel at the ready. The object of her stakeout just emerged. He almost bounced down the brownstone’s stairs. What was he so chipper about that early in the morning?

Wiping blur from her eyes, she shook her head. Though he’d kept her up all night, she never regretted becoming a PI.

Her father had objected and her mother practically fainted the day she announced her decision, but she liked her work. Even if that first cheating husband almost shot her, the job hadn’t been that dangerous.

Risk, she loved it! Ever since the time her grandfather talked her into swinging on that grapevine.

Can you see? Even though that may be semi-interesting backstory, there’s no way the lady would be engaging in that introspection at that time. It’s old news for her. She knows it. All her focus, her internal dialogues, are going to be on that man leaving the strange address. She’ll be running scenarios as to the whys, trying to figure out her case.

Let your characters’ histories come out in dialogue or introspection, but in a natural manner. Backstory, no matter how beautifully written with amazing descriptions, is not from your character’s point of view (POV). Our PI in that example lived it. So why would she be rehashing what her parents thought about her career choice right then when the crisis is happening?

She simply would not.

So whose head is it in? Yours! The author! And you’re intruding on your character’s story.

Don’t do it.

Have you found it difficult to keep from spilling your character's history at inappropriate times?

~~~~~~

Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory, and a quick scroll through her novels’ rankings by Christian readers attests to the Father’s faithfulness. She loves writing almost as much as singing the new songs He gives her—look her up on YouTube to hear a few. Her high school sweetheart husband won her heart fifty-one years ago, and now they share four children and seventeen grandsugars. Ron and Caryl live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door. 

Author Pages:

     Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Caryl-McAdoo/e/B00E963CFG

     BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/caryl-mcadoo

     Simon & Schuster - http://tinyurl.com/S-SCarylsPage

     BookGorilla - http://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B00E963CFG/caryl-mcadoo
     Southern Writers Magazine - http://authors.southernwritersmagazine.com/caryl-mcadoo.html

     Sweet Americana Sweethearts - bit.ly/2q0tcfFbit.ly 

Website: http://www.CarylMcAdoo.com    

                         (All First Chapters offered here)

Newsletter: http://carylmcadoo.com/sign-up-to-the-caryler/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1hQx6UZbWi3OYwmKKxh6Q

                       (Hear Caryl sing her New Songs!)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CarylMcAdoo.author

Blogs:
    The Word & the Music http://carylmcadoo.com/blog/

    HeartWings (Devotional) - http://www.HeartWingsBlog.com

    Stitches Thru Time (Misc.) -   http://www.StitchesThruTime.blogspot.com

    Sweet Americana Sweethearts (Historical) -

                 http://www.SweetAmericanaSweethearts.blogspot.com

GoodReads:  http://tinyurl.com/GoodReadsCaryl

Google+: http://tinyurl.com/CarylsGooglePlus

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryl-mcadoo-00562323

Juggling Your Life by Marie Wells Coutu

Marie Wells Coutu

My husband likes to juggle.

Several years ago, he taught himself to juggle and got pretty good with four tennis balls. No, he didn’t try the more dangerous objects like knives or burning torches, thank goodness.

But he quit practicing for a while. Recently he decided to take it up again for the mental benefits, but he had to start back with two balls at once and he’s working his way back up to three or four.

I’m a juggler, too. Only I juggle writing, marketing, family time, paying bills, Bible study, exercise, dealing with legal issues such as wills and real estate, and spending time with friends (not listed in order of importance).

As we begin the new year, we all tend to struggle with juggling our various roles. How can we keep all the balls or plates in the air, including our writing?

Many writers like to use yearly planners that help you prioritize various aspects of your daily life. Use whatever works for you.

On a short-term basis, there’s a method I used in my job when I felt overwhelmed with too many tasks and deadlines, and it works for my retired life, too. (My apologies for not giving credit, but I honestly don’t remember where I learned it.)

Make a numbered list of all the tasks you have facing you, in any order. Beginning with the second item, put numbers at the end of each task as shown below, depending on how many items on the list.

Now you evaluate each task against the others in turn. So if “Feed the dog” is more important than “Pay bills,” you would circle the 2 in the second row. Move on to item #3 and compare it to each of the remaining 5 items, circling the number that should have a higher priority. Deadlines, possible penalties (for instance, having the electricity shut off if you don’t pay bills), and relationships all should be factored in for each item.

When you’re finished, calculate the total number of times each item is circled. See my example below, where I’ve used highlighting instead of circling the numbers.

In my example, the total counts wind up this way:

1. 4
2. 6
3. 3
4. 5
5. 2
6. 0
7. 1

Now, here’s my priority list, showing the items with the highest number first:

1. Feed the dog (if I had one, I’m sure he would complain until I fed him!).
2. Bible study (I need this!).
3. Pay the bills. (this might be different at different times of the month!).
4. Outline my next novel (finally I get to this one!).x`
5. Go for ice cream with my husband (on a different day, this might rank higher).
6. Market my latest novel.
7. Watch a movie (Might rank higher in some circumstances, such as if it’s for research).

Sometimes you may have a tie. If “Pay the bills” tied with “Feed the dog,” for instance, I would compare how the two items ranked against each other.

Ed, the Juggler

I hope you get the idea. Be as specific as you can. (Obviously “Market my novel” is too vague for this to be useful. “Write a blog post” or “schedule Facebook posts” would be more helpful.)

Once you set up the list with the numbers, you can easily revise it as often as you wish, eliminating the completed tasks and adding new ones. It only takes a few minutes to make the changes, and it gives you your plan of action for the day (or the next few days). If an item is enough to make the list, it will eventually rise to the top—or you’ll decide it’s not important and remove it.

Juggling can be a fun hobby, but when it comes to juggling your obligations, having a system to help relieves the feeling of being overwhelmed. I hope this system will help you juggle your priorities this year and achieve your writing goals.

About the Author

The Secret Heart
by Marie Wells Coutu

Marie Wells Coutu retired in 2013 from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. She now spends her time writing fiction—when she’s not busy having fun with her husband or with their four grandchildren. She has written three novels for Write Integrity Press, including the award-winning For Such a Moment and Thirsting for More. Her most recent book, The Secret Heart, released in February. She is working on a historical novel set in western Kentucky, near where she grew up.

Marie is a regular contributor to Seriously Write. For more posts by Marie, click here.

Conversations With Fear

By Peter Leavell @peterleavell

“Hey, Fear,” I say as I sit down to work on a new project. “You’ve been working out at the gym again, I see.”

“You know, I don’t care to be here. I show up only because you want me. I'd rather be watching videos.”

I take my hands off my keyboard. “Really. I invite you? No offense, but I really could use some peace. This is a big project, and people are depending on me to be world class. Things are backing up, and frankly, my career as a writer depends on what happens next. So, if you don’t mind, I better get to work.”

I try to move my fingers. They won’t budge.

I hear chuckling in my head. “Paralyzed by Fear.” He’s laughing so hard now I almost think he’s funny.

“Okay, you’ve had your joke. Now look. I can’t mess this up. Here, here’s a few distractions. I’ll count backwards from five. Sometimes that works.”

Photodune

He wipes the tears from his eyes and the laugh lines smooth. “All right, I’ll warn you, I’m strong this time. I’m not going anywhere. Besides. You’ve written over one million words in your career. And I’ve been your constant companion for EVERY SINGLE WORD.”

“True, Fear. You are my constant companion.”

“Now, let me be your guide.”

I sense his strength. It’s appealing. I want to give in.

I hear another voice clear His throat.

“Jesus!”

His presence is strong. But fear is strong, too.

“Jesus! Make my fear go away.”

Nothing happens.

“Jesus! You promised!”

Fear looks embarrassed. “That’s not how this works.”

“What do you mean?”

Fear lifts his chin and says in a flutelike voice, “Conditional love produces fear. You want love. But you connect love and success. And now, when there’s serious work to be done, you have no secure place to go.”

“No secure place?”

His brows curl. “You’re afraid to disappoint God.” He nods toward Jesus. “As if you’re winning His love, along with everyone else’s.”

“Ah.”

“When He said He was closer than a brother, it wasn’t because He was going to take me away.” Fear looked triumphant. “I’m here to stay.”

“Then what good is He?” The words slip out before I can stop them. I look at Jesus, horrified, but His presence hasn’t changed. Perhaps hurt. Maybe compassion. “I’m sorry.”

“In the times and places you are in, many ask that.” Fear crosses his arms. “And I’ll make it clear, since I’d rather be doing something else.”

“Watching videos.”

“Yes, watching videos. Now, look at Jesus. Look at Him. Not only as God, but as mankind. What will you go through that He has not? I’m in Him, too, you know. And yet…”

“And yet He walked this earth.” Understanding dawns on me.

Fear chuckles. “That’s right. I’m here to stay. But so is He. Don’t look to me for comfort, look to Him. No one’s going to take me away. But no one’s taking Him away either. You just seem to like me better.”

I look at Fear. “I just need someone who understands, who loves me no matter what.”

“The boy can think! He’s given you the work—to write. Now He’s here, and He's given you someone to comfort you. Look, I’m going to be there for the Big Day. The one where you die. But you know, when you cross that river and step on shore, Someone will be there with an open hand, as you leave me behind. He knows what it's like, because He's been through death as well. So, write."

"Yeah, okay." I nod to Jesus, and somehow I feel comforted, like when my dad puts a hand on my shoulder.

"One thing about writing He knows, too." Fear settles in and grabs a magazine from the coffee table in my head. "He’s written a book called the Bible, and wow, has that gotten split reviews! So He knows...”

“Hey fear? I think I know why He doesn’t take you away.”

“Really?”

“You’ve given me perspective.”

“Great, kid. Now, go do what you’ve got to do.”

                                    ~~~~~

Peter Leavell, a 2007 graduate of Boise State University with a degree in history, was the 2011 winner of Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest, and 2013 Christian Retailing's Best award for First-Time Author. Peter and his family live in Boise, Idaho. Learn more about Peter's books, research, and family adventures at www.peterleavell.com.

~~~~~