Writers: What Do You Have To Say?

Several years ago, in a workshop for Christian Leaders and Speakers (CLASS), Christian communicator and author, Florence Littauer, taught us to ask ourselves two questions before standing in front of an audience to speak:

“Do I have anything to say?”

“Do people need to hear it?”

So, I ask myself that question every time as I prepare to stand before an audience—whether it’s a group of writers, a church group, or class of college students.

As a writer and a writing instructor, I recognize the need for people to tell their stories. And I’ve seen lives change as they listen to other people share their life lessons, especially their faith stories. Passing along our faith and family stories also help us make sense of some of the crucial issues that we face in life.

As a women’s Bible study teacher, I know the importance of sharing personal stories with other women, particularly in a mentoring or discipleship relationship.

But as a mother and grandmother, I also know the importance of sharing my stories with my children and grandchildren. My stories are my legacy to the next generation.

I believe in the power of story! And I love to encourage and instruct other people how to communicate their faith and family stories.

So, I want to ask you those same questions  that Florence ask us at one of my first CLASSeminars.

Do YOU have anything to say? And do people need to hear it?

Photo/KarenJordan with Florence Littauer

Related articles

• Share a Story – Shape a Future (storywritingstudio.wordpress.com)
• StoryWriting Studio: My Writing Dreams (BLESSED Legacy Stories)
• Don’t Die with the Story Still In You ( http://www.classeminars.org)

Karen Jordan writes creative nonfiction about her faith, family, and writing. She also encourages others to “tell the stories that matter most” in her writing workshops, her blog, BLESSED Legacy Stories  and her website (www.karenjordan.net).

Beyond the Wall

Are there any walls you’ve built in your life? Any walls you think are barriers to you? What can you see in the distance? What is just beyond the wall?

Painting/Mountain Wall in Pastel by Janet Aiken

Perfect Pitch

The dictionary gives several meanings for the word pitch. When a ball is thrown to a batter in a baseball game, it is a pitch. When a singer or an instrument sounds a note, that is a pitch. When baby Moses was placed in the ark, his mother covered it with pitch, a water-proofing agent. But writers know about another kind of pitch. When we sit across the table from an editor and tell her about our project, hoping to convince her to accept a proposal from us, we are pitching our writing project.

Making sure your pitch is perfect requires certain elements.

Solid preparation must come before any meeting. Make sure you have a thorough knowledge of basic proposal elements. If you know the editor’s preference for proposal style, be sure to follow it when you write yours. We all know to edit our writing, but make sure to edit your proposal. Go over it multiple times yourself, then spring for a professional edit if this is your first attempt. The professional help I sought completely revolutionized my first proposal and served as a master class on the subject. It was worth far more than the money I paid. When you are satisfied with the final draft, print it and place it in a professional-looking, plain folder. The editor probably won’t take the proposal at your appointment; you’ll send it later. But it should look good for the meeting.

If you don’t have time to write a full proposal, a One Sheet proposal will suffice. It should also look professional and contain the pertinent points. Whichever type proposal you employ, be sure to do your research on each editor and the publication guidelines for the house they represent. Make sure what you offer is something they might want.

Preparation of your writing is essential, but for a perfect pitch, so is preparation of your first impression. Dress in a manner consistent with the conference. Most prefer corporate casual clothes. What you wear doesn’t have to be new or expensive, but it should be in good taste. Pay attention to body language. Your posture advertises what you think about yourself. Project an air of confidence by sitting erect. Make eye contact with the editor. Smile. Finally, demonstrate enthusiasm for your project. It is, after all, your best effort. Your writing needs you for a cheerleader. But be realistic. Your writing does not need a caricature to promote it.

At your appointment, present a one-sentence summary of your project - a short sentence. Know your target audience: who they are, what they want/need, and how your project will meet that want or need. Tell the editor why their house is best suited for your project. And be sure to demonstrate familiarity with their publisher’s guidelines as you converse with the editor.

Remember, the editor is a real person, just like you. Treat him with kindness and courtesy. Don’t waste her time with a project that doesn’t fit the needs of the house she represents.

Photo/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Kathryn also writes Mondays and Thursdays at www.KathrynGraves.blogspot.com and Tuesdays and Fridays at www.KathrynGraves.wordpress.com.

Writer’s Insurance

Have you ever endured the process of renting a car?

Recently, I rented a car on a business trip. I stepped up to the desk to check in, and immediately, the pressure began.

They tried to sell me some really expensive insurance and used hefty scare tactics to do it. Unsure of what to do, I stood there and prayed silently, asking God to guide me to a wise decision.

Seconds later, I heard a still, small voice in my mind, “I am your insurance.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, and nodded in agreement. I’m sure the clerk wondered what I was nodding at. And for the next few days, I trusted God to protect my driving vehicle.

Currently, I’m struggling to finish my first non-fiction book in time to meet my publisher’s September deadline. This isn’t an easy goal, since I also manage a large river resort, and April through September are my busiest months of the year. So I need a writer’s insurance policy.

Praying, I need the reminder that God is my insurance. He insures I’ll have the time, energy, and resources necessary to meet the deadlines ahead.

And so, I’m letting out the breath I’ve been holding. I’m nodding in agreement. I’m trusting God to protect my writing vehicle, so I can get the job done. He is my writer’s insurance.

Do you count on the assurance of God’s insurance so you can meet your deadlines?

Anita Agers-Brooks is a Business Coach, Certified Personality Trainer, Communications Specialist, national speaker, and author. She lives in Missouri with her family.

Contact her via www.freshstartfreshfaith.org or anita.freshfaith@gmail.com

Monday – Friday blog www.freshstartfreshfaith.wordpress.com

Check out Michael Hyatt’s New Book: Platform

If you are an aspiring (or already successful) author, artist, musician, public speaker, salesperson, candidate for public office—anyone who has something to or sell—I want to help you take the stage and get noticed beyond your wildest imagination. (Michael Hyatt)

Did you get your copy of Michael Hyatts’ new book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World?

If you buy Michael Hyatt’s  new book, Platform, by May 25 (TODAY), you can receive seven FREE bonuses worth $375.98. Check out his offer today!

1. Platform Video Jumpstart (a $179.00 six-session video series)
2. Why Now Is the Best Time Ever to Be an Author (a $47.00 one-session video)
3. How to Write a Winning Book Proposal (a $47.00, two-session audio series)
4. Writing a Winning Non-Fiction Book Proposal (a $19.97 e-book)
5. Writing a Winning Fiction Book Proposal (a $19.97 e-book)
6. All the Digital Editions of Platform (a $38.06 collection of the Kindle, Nook, iPad, and PDF formats)
7. Audio Edition of Platform (a $24.99 audio edition of the entire book)

I ordered my copy of Platform online for my Kindle, because I was anxious to see what Michael Hyatt had to offer. Now, I also plan to buy a hard copy—because I think it’s exactly what I need, as a writer and a speaker.

“If you’d like to expand your influence, read Platform and then read it again” (Donald Miller, best-selling author of Blue Like Jazz).

Check it out TODAY! I don’t want you to miss this opportunity, in case you wanted to take advantage of the special offer.

“Trust me, this guy knows what he’s talking about—so pay attention!” (Dave Ramsey, host of The Dave Ramsey Show and New York Times best-selling author)

Have you read Michael Hyatt’s new book, Platform? What did you think?

Related articles

• 7 Reasons To Buy My New Book Now (michaelhyatt.com)
• Need Help Building a Platform? Michael Hyatt Has Some Good Advice (donmilleris.com)

Dream Your Dreams

“Do not neglect your gift, which was given you . . .” (1 Tim. 4:14).

Dream Your Dreams
by Karen Jordan 

You gave me a dream, Lord, and I gave it back to you,
Saying, “I can’t do it, Lord; I don’t know what to do.”
You said You’d help me, Lord, but I’m scared to try.
Fear has told me I can’t; yet, I know that’s a lie.

Dream your dreams; then, go on and follow through.
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you.
Set your mind on things above;
I’ll be there to guide you with My Love.

I’ll share my dream, Lord, by the power of Your Word;
Confess my doubts, Lord, and the lies that I’ve heard.
Then on the water, Lord, I’ll walk, and I’ll behold
All of Your miracles and signs that I’ve been told.

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2).

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What is your dream? 

Related articles

• An Impossible Dream? (StoryWriting Studio)
• Embracing Sacred Moments (StoryWriting Studio)

Writing about Heaven

YouTube/jesuskvinne (I Can Only Imagine ~ MercyMe w/ London Symphony Orchestra)

Do you have a story about heaven? What do you imagine heaven will be like?

 

Related article

• Feeling Homesick (BLESSED Legacy Stories)

Whole Food Revolution

Our two-year old grandson is visiting for a few days and yesterday we took him to a local natural foods store. They had peaches on sale and we wanted to buy some. Carson’s smile reached both his ears, his feet tapped out a little dance and we had to hold his hands to keep him from choosing all the peaches in the display. His daddy told us that the two of them walk to their local Whole Foods to shop every week. So fresh food is a normal part of life for Carson. Don’t let that fool you – he loves ice cream and candy, too! But he is accustomed to eating real, whole food for meals.

It is becoming common knowledge that processed foods are not healthy, and in my experience, younger adults are more receptive to this knowledge than older adults. We all need to internalize the truth that preservatives are a hazard to our health and avoid them entirely. In practical terms, this means a new way of navigating the grocery store. Shopping the outside aisles, you’ll find fresh produce, dairy, eggs and meat, and whole grain breads. If it comes in a box, jar, bottle, envelope, or can, my general rule is not to buy it. Exceptions are olive and coconut oils, canned fish, olives and organic tomatoes, and frozen vegetables.

We need to remember the power of deep-colored vegetables and fruits to nourish and even heal our bodies. These  should be eaten without heavy sauces or dressings. Organic butter or olive oil and sea salt usually provide plenty of added flavor. My favorite lunch is a salad and dressing I concocted.

Kathy’s Favorite Lunch Salad

(All ingredients should be organic except maybe the nuts.)

Salad Greens (whatever is in season where you live, but NOT iceberg lettuce)

A handful of broken Walnut halves

1 stalk Celery, chopped

1/2 Carrot, grated

Purple Cabbage, grated

red, green, or yellow Bell Pepper, chopped (if desired)

1 or 2 Green Onions, sliced

Grape Tomatoes

whole Black or Green Olives

handful of Chia Seeds

2 or 3 ounces of leftover meat OR 3 ounces of tuna

Place all ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle liberally with celery seed, cumin, sea salt and pepper. Add a dash of organic apple cider vinegar and probably close to 1/4 cup olive oil. Chop with a sharp knife. Enjoy.

This salad will stay with me for hours, unlike many other salads. My guess is that the high fat content from the nuts, olives, and olive oil is responsible, along with the animal protein. It’s a tasty, easy way to increase my colorful vegetable consumption.

Do you have a favorite recipe for a healthy summer vegetable salad? A fruit salad? Post them on our Facebook Group.

Photo/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Kathryn also writes at www.KathrynGraves.wordpress.com and www.KathrynGraves.blogspot.com.

Christian Writers at War

Christian writers don’t sign up for battle, and yet, are often called to war.

My friend Sharon said something I doubt I’ll ever forget. Words of wisdom so important it makes you look at life from a whole new perspective.

She said, “When I realized that Satan only took 1/3 of the angels with him as he was cast out of heaven, it occurred to me that God has 2/3 on his side. So no matter what Satan and his followers throw at you, God has twice as many angels to fight in your favor.”

In other words, we cannot lose!

Christian writers are often interrupted while we try to get words on a page. Spiritual warfare abounds when we get closer to accomplishing the goal God set before us. The greater the message He burrows in our hearts, the greater the onslaught of tactical problems designed to keep us from finishing.

We have an enemy who wants to destroy the good words God plants in our minds.

Most of you probably already get this, but I’m pretty slow and stubborn. So for me, even though I got it on an intellectual level, until I heard Sharon speak, I didn’t connect with the power of knowing 2/3 of Heaven’s angels are fighting to help me succeed.

God outsmarts the enemy, He outnumbers the enemy, He out lives the enemy.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, made in the image of God, you and I get to share the plunder because our battle is already won. We can’t accomplish anything on our own. But we cannot lose, because He cannot lose.

So when invisible forces conspire to keep you from writing, remember to turn the battle over to God. Christian writers are at war, but we have twice the amount of support troops waiting to beat the enemy back.

Christ’s pen is mightier than Satan’s sword.

How have you endured in the midst of spiritual warfare?

Anita Agers-Brooks is a Business Coach, Certified Personality Trainer, Communications Specialist, national speaker, and author. She lives in Missouri with her family.

Contact her via www.freshstartfreshfaith.org or anita.freshfaith@gmail.com

Monday – Friday blog www.freshstartfreshfaith.wordpress.com

The Book – Beautiful Mystery (by David Andrews)

Once upon a time a family of letters was walking along and tripped over a mis-related participle that someone had just left lying around. The letters fell onto a fresh clean sheet of paper. It so happened that on this day they formed words – lots of words. It just happened that they all fell into line – stanzas to be precise. The words, by chance, formed poetry and all those who read were amazed, but not at all surprised at the evolution of the poetry book. It really was no mystery.

Nice story, but a bit of a fairy tale. Books are created, written by a creator and an author. Art imitates life and in this process ideas are formed. Ideas are the content of the creative process. Some form and structure is required t

o ever get words, ideas, and thoughts into a book. This is also a creative process. It is sometimes a painful process.

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
~Ernest Hemingway.

In the last month I have published my first book.  By the world’s standard I have become an author. The truth is I became an author a long time ago because I believed in a dream, a dream that God placed in my heart so many years ago. I had the faith to become an author because of the author who created this process in me, the author and perfector of my faith – Jesus.

All of this is a bit of a mystery to me, an enigma wrapped inside a riddle, to paraphrase Winston Churchill. It’s a beautiful mystery and yet at the same time very elusive.
This book will help you believe and dream. This book describes elements of this beautiful mystery. It is a roadmap. You will be able to use it to plot your course, but God is the only one who can determine your steps. In that gap between planning and waiting is where you will find your desire – your beautiful mystery. This is God’s desire for you – to find it and then go and do it.So I have launched  my book – Beautiful Mystery. Actually, God is the one who will launch it; I am just privileged to hold the pen. I am no different to you. You each have your own beautiful mystery, because God placed it there in your heart. If you haven’t found it you can if you choose to believe and dream.

If you would like to preview the book – Beautiful Mystery click here.

Proceeds from the sale of this book support The Rock Church’s (Wellington, New Zealand) mission programme in Cambodia.

Beautiful Mystery

Take me into your perfect love
The love that never ends
Take me back to your mystery
Where we were forever friends

Take me into you mercy
Where its whiter than the snow
Take me into the beautiful
Where your living waters flow

Take me into your perfect grace
And remind me I am free
Take me back to your mystery
Lift the fog so I may see

Take me into your presence
Here I stand with open arms
Take me into the beautiful
And protect me from all harm

Consume me in your perfect love
The love that casts out all my fear
Take me back to your mystery
With arms wide open I am here

In your beautiful mystery
In faith we walked before
In your beautiful mystery
Lead me back to you once more

David Andrews writes for Poetry in Motion. His writing is an expression of his faith in a world full of paradox. David is married with three sons and lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

Links:

Book view and purchase:   http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3154629

Website: www.poetryinmotion.co.nz

Related articles

• Poetry in Motion: Poet’s House (storywritingstudio.wordpress.com)

BookCover/BeautifulMystery
Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Photo/DavidAndrews