Author, Author

Who do I admire as an author?

That person sitting in front of her or his computer wondering why they ever thought they could write. They started out not knowing anything about writing and blissfully wrote. Then sent their proposals off to agents and editors, expectantly waiting that acceptance letter and contract.

Then that person started learning the craft of writing and realized just how much they didn’t know. They are embarrassed by what they first wrote and sent out for people to see. Were they insane the day they decided to start that first novel? Was the prodding of the Lord really just indigestion?

They question their call.

They question their passion.

They question their sanity.

They call it quits.

But the writing muse won’t leave them alone. They get the next great idea, and the passion to write is rekindled stronger than before. Dare they sit back down at the computer and put their tender fingers to the keys and write?

Yes!

More writing.

More rejections.

More doubts.

More years.

Should they quit? For real this time? Are they wasting their time? Their family is whispering. People are laughing behind their back.

But they know they can’t quit. They must write and write and write. It’s not what they do, but part of who they are.

Those are the authors I admire. The ones who haven’t had a book published yet but also haven’t quit for good. The ones who are discouraged but keep tapping away at the keyboard. The ones who keep learning to improve their craft with every keystroke.

I admire your persistence.

Keep On Writing!!!

No Thank You

A.K.A. The Rejection Letter.

This is a huge milestone and shouldn’t be so feared. Like Kathy wrote, don’t let it be a millstone weighing you down.

Many writers think of a “rejection” letter, as a negative thing. Rejection even sounds negative. So I like to think of them as “no thank you” letters. Well, there is a flip side to every coin, a silver lining in dark clouds.

A rejection is two-fold—besides your manuscript not being published at this time.

First, like the lion in Wizard of Oz, you should get a metal. Do you know what a rejection or no thank you letter means?! You had the courage to send off your baby for someone else to judge its worth. That is huge!

Until you have received your first no thank you letter, you aren’t really a writer. You may write, even write a lot, but until you’ve laid your baby on the alter of worthiness, you just write. I believe a writer writes for others. So send out that manuscript and boldly proclaim yourself as a writer, author, novelist. Proclaim them all.

Second, I whole-heartedly believe that a no thank you letter from an agent or editor is direction from the Lord. He knows where you need to be and when you need to be there. He knows the perfect timing for a particular work to get published to get it into the hands He has planned for it to touch lives. He knows when you are truly ready as well as your manuscript for publication.

You aren’t really being rejected but redirected by the Lord.

So next time you get a no thank you letter, give thanks to the Lord.

Recycle, Reuse, Resurrection

(Well Paula took my idea for a post, sort of. But it’s well worth repeating. Mine is more the resurrection of an idea in general whether it’s a full manuscript like Paula’s, a partially written story, or just a germ of an idea.)

I think we all have story ideas we have started and for one reason or another have abandoned. Whether we became disinterested in the idea, the idea fizzled out, or it had gotten rejected one too many times.

An editor recently mentioned to me she might be in need of historical series ideas and would be interested in seeing what I might have. No guarantees.

If an editor says this, you bet your booty I’m going to send her something as quick as my daughter’s woodpile cat can disappear. He may be big but he is lightening fast. :-)

Starting a series from scratch takes a long time, even to just get the overall idea then each individual novel in the series.

The key words with a time sensitive project are recycle, reuse, and resurrection. Since this editor didn’t need chapter samples from me, just the synopses, the work was cut in half, but still a lot of work. By recycling, reusing, and resurrecting, my work was again cut in half.

One.

Two.

Three.

And they were off. One I recycled a series idea and tweaked it for this different market. One I reused a single story idea and built on it for the other two stories I wanted to propose in the series. And one, I resurrected a story that had previously been rejected as a single title.

In a short time, I was able to send off three series proposal to this editor. Now I’m waiting to see if she bites on any of them.

What ideas do you have lurking or hiding in a drawer (or computer file) that need a facelift to give them new life? Go mining for gold.

"Do you know what today is?"

My dad would say in a cheery voice.

As I shuffled into the kitchen, my first thought was, How can anyone be cheery so early in the morning? Then I would try to think if this was some special day I had forgotten. I would grunt, then say, “Tuesday?” Hoping it was indeed Tuesday.

And in his cheery voice he would say, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

I would groan not believing I fell for that one again! I heard this saying from my dad more times than I cared to count growing and never appreciated it.

When I was older, married, and with children of my own, I realized my dad was saying that today is a fresh start, make the most of it. Don’t worry about yesterday and the past. Today is a new beginning.

The song Morning Has Broken from the 70’s came to mind as I was thinking about new beginnings and this being the first day of the rest of our life.

God made that first morning and He gives us each new morning.

“What is today?”

“The first day of the rest of your life.”

Saint Valentine's Story

My name is Valentine. I was a priest during the third century when Rome was ruled by Emperor Claudius. A lot of people didn’t like Emperor Claudius including me.

Claudius wanted a big army and expected men to volunteer to join, but many men didn’t want to leave their wives and families to fight in wars. This made Claudius furious and he decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought this cruel, and I thought it preposterous.

One of my favorite duties was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers. And one night the steps came. Terror rippled through us. Thank goodness the young couple escaped in time. I was not so fortunate and thrown in jail, sentenced to death.

Wonderful things began to happen. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love. One of these young people who visited regularly, the daughter of the prison guard, helped to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I had done right in defying the emperor and performing secret marriages.

On the day I was to die, February 14, 269 A.D., I left my friend a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine." I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. Now, every year, people remember and think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

**Paraphrased from http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm

Called to Worship

I have been called to write. I have questioned this many times, but the Lord keeps reassuring me. He has placed in my heart this desire to write, and He helps me everyday to when I write. He has called me to write then given me the ability to write. And just so I don't get a swelled head, He gave me the gift of a learning disability, so I would know that it is NOT on my strength but His that I can write.

I'm not sure why anyone would write who had not been called. It's certainly not for the recognition or money. We are truly underpaid for the hundreds and thousands of hours we pour into a single book. So few people gain fame and fortune from writing. So why do we do it?

God has called us.

Whether writing is easy or hard, being obedient to God's call to write is Worship. We have nothing. We can only give back what God has given us. He gives us the gift of writing everyday so we have a gift to give Him back in worship.

I Am Grateful!

Repeat the title ten times out loud. Each time with more gusto, emphasizing a different word or syllable until you feel it.

Go ahead. I’ll wait.

I am grateful.

i Am grateful.

i AM grateful.

i am Grateful.

i am GRATEful.

i am grateFUL.

i am GRATEFUL.

I Am Grateful.

I AM GRATEFUL.

I AM GRATEFUL!!!!!

My work here is done.

Business or Ministry?

You may think that your writing is a ministry. Well I agree. It should be. We should have the spirit of ministry wherever we go, whatever we do, and in all our words. But writing is also a business. You may not like to think of it that way, but if you are at all trying to get anything published, then you have entered the business of writing.

A publishing house (whom you want to publish your book) is a business. They must make enough money to produce books, distribute them, and pay their employees as well as other expenses. It IS a business as well as a ministry. You can’t keep the ministry going if you don’t pay attention to the business side.

You must think of your writing as a business as well as a ministry. In this day and age, you can’t have one without the other. Writing doesn’t do any good as a ministry if you don’t take care of business.

A church must take care of business to keep their doors open. Mission organizations must take care of business to keep their doors open and help people. A missionary must raise money before they can go out on the mission field. And writers must take care of business to get published and get their message into the hands of needy readers.

So take care of business.

A Guys' BBQ

I thought for my post on humor I'd tell a you a little real life story. I hope it brings a smile to your face as it did mine when my son recounted the events of his car meet.

What do you get when you gather two dozen young men who are car enthusiasts together for a barbecue and to show off their treasured automobiles? An adventure in cooking.

There are potato chips, burgers, buns, condiments, lettuce, tomatoes, sodas, paper plates, plastic flatware, a grill, fire. They had it all…or so they thought.

The fire is lit. The grill is hot. Stomachs are growling. They are ready to cook, so they throw the burgers on. Tssss!

Cookin’. Cookin’. Cookin’. Can you smell them? Let’s flip those burgers. Oops! “Anyone got a spatula?”

So being the creative and ingenious young men they are, someone comes up with the bright idea to use one of the plastic forks. They’ve got plenty.

Oops!

Melted!

Can you picture the curling white tinges of the fork?

Strange, who would have thought that fire would melt plastic?

In a frenzy to save the burgers some other bright bulb furiously tears up one of the boxes the soda cans are in. Cardboard won’t melt. Maybe not but it wasn’t really stiff enough to cram under a burger stuck to a hot grill...and kind of caught fire. Who would have thought?

They say necessity is the mother of invention. And two dozen hungry young men have needs. So they rooted around in their cars and one out-of-the-box thinker came up with the winning tool………….

A clipboard!!!

It worked beautifully and saved the burgers.

Now you mothers out there might be wondering if they cleaned the clipboard, because we can assume it hadn’t been shrink-wrapped and was probably lying on the floor in the backseat or trunk of one of these treasured cars. This is a question you don’t ask after the fact.

So the next time you go to a barbecue don’t forget a clipboard because plastic melts and cardboard burns.

Final note: Since the fork melting/cardboard burning/clipboard incident, my son has always brought a spatula to these events. The clipboard spatula has been retired if not thrown away.

And I will be using this in a story one day. Children create some of the best humor. I don't know that I could have made up a story like this.

Um...

Well here's a good example of time management gone wrong.

I was supposed to post this blog entry on Monday. Do you know why I didn’t?

Because I didn’t write it down.

I have told my children for over 12 years, “If it’s not on the calendar, it’s not going to happen.” Can you take a wild guess as to what I didn’t write on the calendar? Yep, my blog day.

My main time management strategy is making a list for the day and/or week. Well part of making that list is to see what’s already on the calendar for that day. Well if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t get on the list and it doesn’t get accomplished.

I have heard it said that you should tackle the most difficult task on your list first. There are three reasons for this. One, you are freshest first thing. Two, you feel good about accomplishing a big thing. And three, you aren’t dreading it all day, kind of a smooth sailing the rest of the day sort of thing. This is a good strategy.

Some times I will do a lot of the little things first to make my list shorter. This is especially true when I have a long list, say 10 things and eight of them I can do in an hour like mail a letter, give the dog his medicine, write a short e-mail, etc. It bolsters me to tackle a bigger thing because I’ve already accomplished so much in a short period of time.

One thing you must do when using a list is to cross things off as you complete them. This shows what you have done and gives you momentum to move on to the next thing. You have to look at your list anyway to see what you’re going to do next, so do it with pen in hand and cross the completed task off.

A list also helps you keep in mind what needs to be done so you don’t forget something like…um…let me see if I can think of a good example…oh like posting a blog. And while you’re working on one thing, your subconscious is working on one of the other items on your list. It’s like doing double duty. At the end of the day you can see all the things you accomplished that day and know you have done a goods day’s work.

So make a list (and look at it). See what all you can get done.

So guess what I get to do now? Yep, cross post a blog off my list.

Zzzzzzz

As I pondered this topic of renewal, a lot of things came to mind:

~Prayer – Refreshes and renews the spirit.

~Food – When you have low blood sugar, there is nothing like food to renew.

~Music – When agitated or mad, praise music can calm, refocus and renew.

~Crafts – I love doing things with my hands. The act of doing something creative with my hand helps unlock and renew my writing world.

~Writing – One of the most renewing things to my writing is writing. When a scene just flows and seems to write itself, I am renewed from the previous day’s writing struggles.

~Reading – Brings new story ideas or gives an insight into an existing story or character.

~Cats – Just sitting with one of my many cats sitting on my lap purring (the cat, not me) is renewing. Or cracking up at watching them run around acting like total spazzes over a twisty-tie. Cats are so weird. I love them.

~Daydreaming – Letting currents characters run wild in scenes that will never be in the book, or meeting new characters and spending time with them.

~A new story idea – Maybe that is not so much renewing as energizing.

~A deep slow breath – Ah, that feels good.

But as I have just spent nearly two weeks with a terrible sore throat (I mean strep throat sore with no antibiotics to make it get better because it’s not strep), so I didn’t get much sleep the past two weeks. It reminded me that one thing that renews like no other and is the foundation of the others is SLEEP. Pure, restful, deep, carefree sleep. Zzzzzz.

Dream the Impossible Dream

I believe dreams are a necessity to life. They give us hope and direction. Without hope we die inside, and without direction we flail. Don’t be afraid to dream. Big and small, dreams can be achieved by setting goals.

I like to encourage people to set goals for the coming year. Don’t just make a mental list. Write them down and post them where you can see them daily. Your subconscious will work on them even when you’re not aware of it.

So think and pray about what your goals should be for 2010. Then write out three spiritual goals, three family goals, three personal goals, and three professional goals.

3 Keys to Successfully Achieving Goals
1) Make them realistic: Don’t set a goal so unachievable that you give up on it before you start.
2) Make them measurable: Reading more is a good goal, but how will you know if you succeeded? Rather set a number of books or pages you will read weekly/monthly.
3) Make them within your control: Setting a goal that is dependent upon someone else to reach it leaves you helpless.

Stretch yourself with some of your goals. Some goals you’ll want to make very attainable, but set one or two that will stretch you. Don’t be comfortable where you are.

Then trade your goals with a friend or among your critique group or Bible study and pray for each other during the year. Accountability is great to help you reach your goals. Be each other’s cheerleader. Get pompoms if you have to.

I hope you each set some awesome goals to reach your dreams and glorify the Lord.

May you have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Forgetful Things

This has been a crazy month. I've been participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). For anyone who might not know what that is, it is where you go crazy for a month with a purpose. You lock your I.E. (Internal Editor) in the basement, even if you don't have one. If necessary, use Duct tape. Then you write 50K words as fast as you can and hope you hit that words count before running out of the days in November. They don't have to be good words, just words. You have to be highly focused to reach that goal. Well, at least I have to be highly focused.

So I've been looking at my calendar and reminding myself that I was up to blog on the 23rd. I even thought about it that morning. But my focus was centered on NaNoWriMo and my words count (I was behind and trying to catch up), and so I spaced it.

It can be like that with God too. We get so busy with all the things going on in life that we space God. We are so focused on the task at hand or the current crisis or whatever else is swirling around us that we forget to look to God.

I'm reading a book by Max Lucado called Facing Your Giants. In there he talks about David. How when David focused on God, it didn't matter how big his problem was or how big Goliath was, he knew God was bigger. As long as his gaze was on the Lord, there was no giant too big. But when he took his eyes off of God, even a munchkin was too much to handle.

Often we don't look to God when there is a munchkin standing in front of us because we think it is just a small problem and we can handle it. But God wants to help us handle all our problem, big or small. He also wants to share in our joys and triumphs.

So during this busy season of the year don't forget God.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We Want You!

It’s time once again to search your heart. Prayerfully consider a leadership position in your local chapter.

It’s been a privilege and honor to serve the Colorado Springs chapter. Though I was one of many to help get the Springs chapter going and have served as head of the chapter, it is not “my” chapter. The chapter belongs to all of us. Just as the Denver chapters do not belong to the officers but the whole membership. These chapters are your chapters.

Being an officer is such a great way to give back to your local chapter, to ACFW, and your writing friends. You may think you’re not qualified to be an officer. None of us are perfect, and we have all done some on-the-job learning. And you are not alone, you will have the support and help of the other officers.

So know this, I am praying for YOU! If God is nudging you to run for an office, OBEY! Please don’t let it stop you if someone else is running for that office. If the Lord says run, then run. I believe the Lord has something to teach you whether or not you are elected. Step out of your comfort zone and run. See what the Lord wants to do in your life.

Last year I felt the Lord pressing upon me to run for president of our local chapter again. And then He has spent the better part of this year persuading me to let go. I whined a lot but in obedience, I am not running for an office this year. And I have peace about it.

Nominations for chapter officers will wrap up Nov. 5th and then elections will follow. E-mail Margie Vawter (shevetwrite@pcisys.net) with your nominations.

Sipping From a Gushing Fire Hydrant

Wow! What a great conference!

I went to the Early Bird session taught by Donald Maass. It was extremely helpful, thought provoking, and entertaining. By our afternoon break, I felt like I had been through a whole conference. And that was just the Early Bird. The conference hadn’t even started yet. I learned so much and must confess that I have already forgotten so much. There’s only so much space between the ears. ☺

Conferences are like trying to get a drink out of a flowing fire hydrant. You are so thirsty for knowledge and growth but you can only take in so much. You can’t learn it all in one conference.

The problem is that like many people, we go to our first conference (and additional conferences) and try to learn it all. We try to drink all the water gushing from the hydrant, then become overwhelmed and drown.

We need to step back and take little sips from the fount of knowledge and let it sink in, refresh, and help us grow a little at a time. Don’t worry about all the knowledge you’re missing (or in my case forgetting already), and focus on what you did learn and let that become a part of you as a writer.

It’s the same with God and His Word, only on a much grander scale. The Fire Hydrant of knowledge is so vast, we cannot comprehend it all, and sadly don’t try. Then we shrivel up and die of thirst. But if we try to learn everything God has to teach us all at once we become overwhelmed and don’t understand Him at all.

But if we take sips of knowledge from God’s slow patient teaching and from conferences, we won’t drown or dry up.

Sip. Sip.

One Thing Leads To Another

In the olden days, writing was a solitary, lonely process. When I started out writing, there was no ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) to find other writers to commune with; there wasn’t even ACRW (American Christian Romance Writers). You counted yourself lucky to happen upon another writer in your town. You sent your proposals off to an editor by snail-mail with a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope). And dinosaurs roamed the earth. (But I won’t get into dinosaurs in this post.)

I had taken a correspondence course and then found out that there was another lady in our church who was a writer too. We became friends. She knew someone who knew someone who knew a lady who was part of a critique group. My friend told me to call and I did. We both joined the group. It was so great to have other writers to understand and support me. (Because let’s face it, we writers are a different breed.)

Then I moved and lost my support group. I was alone again, writing by myself in my closet. I was desperate to find other writers, so I searched and found one. It wasn’t like my old group, but I was around writers again. :-D

The leader of that group told me about a writers conference where I met a woman who told me about another conference that I also went to. Through circumstances beyond my control, my writing sample that was supposed to go to one of my favorite authors went to an editor to be read. I was terrified. But meeting with that editor led to my first book contract and publication.

So what? You’re probably thinking.

So because I met the other writer lady at church, I joined a critique group which led to another writing group which got me to my first conference which led to my second conference which eventually led to my first contract.

If you are one of the people who don’t think you are ready to go to a conference or that you shouldn’t go because you don’t think you should spend the money, you should go. Ready or not, conferences prepare you in your writing growth. I was not ready for my first conference, but it prepared me for the next one and my first sale.

It is all a building process. You don’t know what God has planned or who He has for you to meet, so . . .

One Thing Can Lead To Another. If you don’t go, you could miss the one thing that leads to all the others.

ACFW has an awesome conference September 17th - 20th. If you are thinking of going, GO! And see what God is going to start.

Confessions of a Novelist

My 16th publication is due out in September; 11 novels, 1 novella (released in two different books), a long short story, and two repackaged compilations. I have been given a few writing awards. To many people I may look successful.

But I have a secret.

I . . .

Can’t . . .

Write.

That’s right. A writer who can’t write.

Growing up in school if you would have asked me if I wanted to be a writer of any kind, I probably would have laughed at you or ran away crying because I would have thought you were making fun of me. School was very hard for me. Reading and writing in particular were very challenging to the point of painful. And spelling? I still can’t spell my way out of a soaking wet paper bag to save my soul, even with spellchecker. Fortunately, my salvation is not dependent upon my spelling ability. Jesus paid the price in full (and no spelling required). :-D

If you were to make a list of characteristics of a writer growing up, I doubt that I had a one.

Good in English . . . Nope.
Liked English . . . No way.
Decent Speller (Could at least last one round in a spelling bee) . . . Only in my dreams.
Read a lot . . . read minimally only when forced.
Liked to Read . . . Hardly. It gave me a headache from struggling so hard.

So if you had asked people when I was in school what they thought I might be when I grew up, writing not only wouldn’t have been last on the list, it wouldn’t have been on the list at all.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” II Cor. 12:9

I am like a stubby little pencil. You know the kind; it’s about 1”-2” long, eraser long worn off and the end chewed, and the lead worn down to the wood. Not very useful But in the hand of the God, He can do mighty things even with this stubby little useless pencil.

I am humbled when I finish writing a book or see one in print because I know I can’t write. The God of this universe and all creation chooses to use me, a stubbly little pencil.

My challenge to you: What weakness can you give to God to use and see what He does with it?

???, Ramblings, The Proposal, & Fear

Here I sits and ponder on what to write about. I want to write something deep and spiritual like some of the others do, but after mowing the yard, doing laundry, cleaning up after five orphaned cats in my laundry room, and having kitty litter stick to the bottom of my feet, I don’t know if I can get to deep and spiritual on this Monday.

So . . . . . . . .

I think I’ll tell a story but nothing is coming. I don’t have cute little toddlers or preschoolers anymore to spawn inspirational stories from, so I’ll go vacuum the kitchen and living room and see if something comes to me.

Well, that’s done. Now what? I could do a movie review.

On Friday I saw The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and some cute guy. I love Sandra Bullock. She is such a great actress. The movie is a romantic comedy. It was hilarious. It also made me cry. Sandra Bullock is a high-powered editor at a NY publishing house. Everyone in the office is terrified of her. And for good reason. She would just as soon fire you than let you get ahead of her. Well she is going to be deported back to Canada. Not so far but she can’t work for a U.S. company for a year. Well she can’t have that, so she says she is engaged to her assistant. The poor guy is dazed. He looks like he’s been hit over the head with a 2x4. He agrees because she threatens to fire him and make it impossible to work in the writing/editing world again. So they go to Alaska for Gammy’s 90th birthday and to tell his parents about the engagement. It’s hilarious. The whole thing with the dog and her cell phone cracked me up. One of my favorite things was Betty White. I’ve always loved her. She was great too.

Okay that’s done. I know I’ll ask my daughter for inspiration or words of wisdom from the POV of a 17-year-old girl.

“Fear can either hold you back or drive you forward. The choice is yours.” Jessi Davis.

How did she get so smart? I wasn’t that smart at her age. I think the fear was holding me back at 17. I don’t know that I can do any better than that. I do have one other fear quote.

“Feel the fear and do it anyway.” Jack Canfield.

I am trying to live both of these fear quotes. The Lord did not give us a spirit of timidity. There will be fear, but don’t let it stop you.

Memorial Day

“Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. … It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.” (Text) (Photo)

To honor those who gave their all. We live in a country that is free because of ALL the men and women through the centuries who have fought and died. Who gave their all.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13NIV) If a friend would have no greater love than to die for me, how much more love is it for a stranger to die for me. For our country. For our freedom.

People you don’t know and will never meet have died for you and are dying today for you to remain free. The love. The sacrifice. When I think on this, I am in awe.

“In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.”

(Text)

Just remember, freedom is never free. Someone, somewhere has paid for your freedom. And that blood of heroes never dies.













(Photo)

2009 Goals

Wow. The year has gotten off to a roaring start. I can’t believe that January is almost over.

I’m sure those of you who know me are waiting with baited breath to see if I succeed at this blogging thing. I’m holding my breath that this works. And if it doesn’t, I’ll probably pass out soon. ☺ I think I’m getting light headed. ;-P

Since this is my first time posting on the Inkwell, I’ll start with a bit of an introduction. I have been writing for twenty years and have books fourteen and fifteen coming out this year. I have a Web site and am trying to figure out this blogging thing. Technology is not my strong suit but I am trying to learn. Really I am.

Also, I am the president of the local ACFW chapter in Colorado Springs. Kim Woodhouse is our VP, Evangeline Denmark is our Secretary, Tiffany Stockton is our Treasurer, Heather Tipton is our Industry Liaison, and Daneen Padilla is our Publicity Office. I have a great team to work with. I couldn’t run our chapter without them.

We are hosting our first annual writers conference, Peak Writing Conference, at the end of February. This is going to be a great conference with Donita K. Paul, Lisa Tawn Bergren, and Beth Jusino. If it is the success I hoping it is and I haven’t gone crazy, we’ll do it again next year.

As this new year begins, I have asked the members of my local ACFW chapter to write down their writing goals for the year so I can pray for them throughout the year. I did this last year and enjoyed being able to pray for them.

I asked them to write out three or more writing goals. They needed to be realistic for them, measurable, and within their control. Here are some examples:

Don’t write, “I’m going to get an agent this year,” because you have no control over this. Rather write, “I’m going to send out one proposal a month until I get an agent.” You have control over how many proposals you send out but not if an agent accepts you.

Don’t write, “I’m going to write one book a month this year,” when you haven’t been able to finish one in your lifetime.
Rather write, “I’m going to complete one book this year.” If you complete twelve, great! It is fine to exceed your goals.

Don’t write, “I’m going to write more this year,” because how do you define more? More than what? How much did you write last year?
Rather write, “I’m going to write one page a day or a thousand words a week.” You can measure that.

Other goals you might want to think about putting on your goal list would be to read a certain number of books on the craft of writing, or going to a writer’s conference, or getting into a critique group, or starting one, start a Web site or blog. Stretch yourself.
And if you are not a writer, set other goals for yourself like reading books, or gardening, or volunteering, but do set some goals.

One of my goals for this year is to blog two to three times a week. That will be a stretch for me. I’m hoping once I get in the habit of it, it will come easier. I have actually start posting again on my blog. I have even started posting a chapter of a novella each Friday.

Then trade your goals with a writing buddy or among your crit group and pray for each other during the year.

“Reach for the stars. You may not get there but you will soar higher than if you had never reached at all.” Unknown

If you have no goals, any road will get you there. (Or rather nowhere.)

So I challenge you, set some long term and shorter-term goals for the year then focus on meeting them. Even if you don’t reach them all, you will get closer than if you never reached at all.

Blessings,
Mary
:-)