Platform Building 302: Body Image

All mirrors are flawed. They hide the truth. I know this is true because whenever I'm caught by surprise in a photograph, I wonder who that person with the wild hair, frumpy clothes and extra pounds might be. Fresh from the sting of too much self-discovery too fast, I vow to make changes. But then I make a fatal error. You guessed it: I look in the mirror again and decide it must have been a bad picture, after all.

You don't have to be Ken or Barbie to get published. The truth is, the quality of your writing will make or break your career, not physical appearance. Still appearance does play its part. Social networking is, essentially, getting people to like you. It's easier to like those who like themselves. What does your appearance say about you? Don't look in the mirror! Have someone else take a picture. After all, the camera never lies.

Homework

I don't want to dwell overlong on physical appearance, so let's address everything else this week. We've covered hair and wardrobe separately, since I think they top the list in importance. But we shouldn't overlook the need for weight loss, dental care, etc, etc. Take inventory and then schedule your "To Do List." As with hair and wardrobe changes, most of us can't afford or can't tackle an instant makeover. Just keep moving forward toward the brand (also known as image) you want to present.

Anyone know why the mirror lies but the camera tells the truth? I'd love your opinon!

Believe in the Mountain

As I sit here looking through the window, a grey curtain of rain shrouds the world and hides the mountains that I love. I can’t see them; they’re lost behind the veil. But I have faith, faith enough to believe that even though I cannot see them, the mountains still remain. Majestic and towering over the valley, the mountains are not gone—they’re just hidden.

That’s what it takes… faith. Faith to believe what you know is true even when you cannot see is the faith that God builds into every believer’s life. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Think of Joseph. God gave him dreams. Those dreams were God’s message to him concerning the events that would take place, promises of God for the future. However, the cloud of his brothers’ jealousy drifted in. The cloud of lies from Potiphar’s wife filled his view. The cloud of the cupbearer’s forgetfulness shrouded the mountain of God’s promise and left Joseph in prison. None of those clouds ever moved the mountain.

Has God given you a mountain to believe in? Has God led you to a place where you are aware of His great calling and now the view is hidden by the clouds of uncertainty and fear? Have the clouds of rejection and disappointment veiled the vision and left you in the grey rain of doubt? Have faith. As Hebrews 10:35 says, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

The mountain is still there.

©2010
Rev. Michael Duncan

There Will Always be a Reason

Fleas, hot pans and thunderstorms – oh my! All things that have invaded my last few days and all perfect reasons NOT to do any writing (have you ever tried writing with a sun burn on the palm of your hand from grabbing a hot pan?).

Last night I stopped in to listen to a friend give a bible lesson online. It was simply to support him. But God had different plans. I have discovered that He usually does.

“Has God called you to something and you have turned back to say goodbye to your family or bury your dead?” The words were directed at me. I HAVE turned back. I have postponed the directives. I have chosen to wait to respond.

This morning I was not going to let anything get in my way. Throw it all at me. I am going to push through.

How is your determination for your writing?


Have you been called to write that article, book or post and you have turned back to do something you deem more important?


What reasons are you using to put off stepping out of the boat?

Obedience without hesitation does not come naturally to most people. Writers especially tend to be independent in actions, words and thoughts. Creating a habit of obedience only comes from building a foundation of trust. Trust comes from relationship. Building a relationship with God will give you the trust to step out, the courage to walk boldly ahead and the wisdom to know when to do both.

Make today the day that you choose to develop a personal relationship that will allow you to pursue your writing with obedience beyond hesitation. Create a habit of obedience that flows over into actions for writing success.

Tips for Taking Your Writing Success

1. Know your purpose – why is that you are writing. If you don’t know why you are doing something then it will be difficult to do it successfully.


2. Do the purpose – there will be things that get in the way of your freelance writing purpose. You have to come back to that purpose and give it the time and care it needs.


3. Stay positive – look for the good in everything. It is ESPECIALLY important to look for good in any rejections that you might receive for your freelance writing queries.


4. Manage your time – learn how to schedule all that you need to do and to make time for your personal freelance writing along the way.


5. Laugh regularly – humor is the best tool to overcome defeat and to drive you one to freelance writing success.


6. Edit all that you do – be ready to present a completed work so that your freelance writing is always at the peak of professionalism.


7. Move toward your goals – every day do at least five things that will help you reach your freelance writing goals.


8. Bring life to your writing – look for stories in the ordinary actions of your life and of the lives around you.


9. Bring your writing to life – make your readers use all of their senses by being descriptive.


10. Write in a new way – create your own voice. Trends are fine, but give them your own twist.


11. Give it a break – walk away from the work before sending it in. Come back later and look at it with fresh eyes.

Luke 9:59 ”He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

How are you going to reply to your calling?

Character Development #2

"The last shades of daylight slid silently into the darkening night sky. The little girl stopped crying and listened. The bedroom clock on the dresser across the room continued its steady tick-tock. An evening bird called to its waiting mate as it hurried back to its nest. But these sounds were drowned out by the deafening silence that now surrounded her. An overwhelming sense of loneliness settled over her as she realized that nobody was coming - nobody had heard her cry. She curled into a ball, pulling the clean but worn blanket up around her face as though to shut out the oppresive sense of aloneness. From under the corner of her blanket she watched as the last pink/grey hues of sky was replaced by the twinkling of a promising summertime night sky. As she fell asleep, her feelings and thoughts settled deep into her memory, to be collected and catalogued with similar experiences, not to be retrieved until much later in life."

Where do we draw our information about the people we write about? The first place is through our own life experienes. The characters in our books come from real life and as we identy and understand ourselves both developmentally and experientially, we have a greater storehouse of information to write from.

We have alot of experiences going through life that influence how we think and perceive the world and ourselves, create expectations and our responses to life. From the moment we emerge from the womb into a cold and hostile world, we struggle with the scrapes, bruises and hurts of life. As we toddle through childhood, favorite toys are lost, our dog is hit by a car, we aren't selected for the team and our parents miss the school concert. Later as our world expands, so do our losses. My best friend finds someone else to be with, I am excluded from the "cool" crowd, and after all my hard work I still got a D. We often feel lost, lonely and confused; but we are told to stop feeling sorry for ourselvs, stop crying, have a cookie and evereything will be better tomorrow, etc. etc. In other words what we lost was not imporatant. The experiences become catalogued in our memory banks and are triggered without our even knowing it later in life. And our feelings.... well, you stuff them, tell yourself you don't have them, they are not good, you are bad if you have them, you tell yourself you don't have them, or just get over it!! In other words, don't feel. But to be human is to feel.

Get a notebook and label it Character Development. As you explore, write down what you learn. Last week we explored what you were passionate about, how you would define who you are, and fear at different stages of your life. This week, pick a time in your life while growing up when you experienced a loss that was important to you at the time:

• How did you feel?


• What did people say to you when you tried to explain why you felt the way you did? Were your feelings validated or ignored or were you told not to feel that way? If you were told not to "feel" that way, what did you do with the feelings? Do you still judge your feelings today?

Focus on the feelings honestly without judgment. Allow yourself to simply re-visit those life experiences and write down what you experienced both with feelings and associated thoughts. Evaluations can come later.

Marlene Anderson, MA, LMHC, NCC

copyright 2010

Platform Building 301: Do You Write in Your PJ's?

She writes in her pajamas, a well-known author confessed in an online interview. Comments from others who do the same followed. Some writers can't get into a proper mindset for work unless they dress for success before reporting to their office. I fall somewhere in the middle. I don't write in bed, and I don't wear pajamas, but I do wear comfortable clothing and slippers while working. No, I don't wear PJ's to my office. But I could.

Dressing in whatever we choose is a definite benefit of writing at home. A problem develops, however, when we take that same casual attitude into our public writing life. There are probably a few people whose brand supports such a style, but most writers, like it or not, should present a business-like image in public. That doesn't mean we have to wear "monkey suits" -- dry, dull standard-issue business apparel. We are, after all, artists as much as we are business men and women. We're expected to be a little "different" (which is just as well).

This week think of ways you can present your particular brand (image based on the product you offer) through your clothing. How do you, as an author, want editors, agents and readers to perceive you? With that in mind, go through your wardrobe. You might need to edit out some things and list other items for purchase. That's all right. You don't have to buy everything you need all at once. Just note the direction you intend to go, and then schedule, as you can, both money and time to develop your business wardrobe.

How about you? Do you have any thoughts on presenting your particular brand through how you put yourself forward through wardrobe?

Journey to Another World

Laurie Alice Eakes

“The call” seems to focus the minds of authors. People want to hear stories about when others received “the call”. Talk goes around and around that so-and-so got “the call”. Two simple words that prove illogical to others and the whole world to a writer.

I got “the call” on July 18, 2005. At last, all the years I’d spent writing, learning, and submitting had paid off. My career was on its way.

Not.

Yes, I sold that first book. It won a major writing award. I even sold a couple of essays and articles and another book.

Then the cruising limousine of my career stalled. For months, then a year, then a year and a half, I believed it had crashed and burned. No one wanted anything I wrote in the CBA or the ABA. I began to look at alternatives to being a writer.

Except none of those doors opened either. Jobs for which I was qualified didn’t happen. School was out of the question, as my husband’s job was taking us across country in another few months. Call me despairing.

Until I simply accepted my situation—God wanted me to have what I did to be a part of the writing community and encourage others, teach others, help them to success. Did that ever hurt, and if it was the plan God had for me, He knew what he was doing—keeping me humble if anything else. A weird kind of peace settled on me.

And then I got “the call” again. Three books to Heartsong Presents? Write them in a year? No problem. Then Avalon Books wanted my four-book series about career women in the 1890s. Then Baker/Revell wanted my first midwife book, then my Regency series, then two more midwife books…

Thirteen months, a cross-country move, and four books written later, I’d sold thirteen books. Then one of my earlier books got reprinted in large print, too.

Recently, my husband and I were talking about the significance of death in order to live. The Bible tells us we must be born again. That means we must die to self. Even more so, though, we have to let some things in our lives die. I had to let my will to be a published author, a full-time author, die in order for God to give me rebirth as a woman willing to submit to His timing, His will, as well as have the story, the experience to encourage others, as they, too, seek God’s will for their careers in the writing world. Or perhaps just seek God’s will.

Daily, as I sit down at my desk, God reminds me that it is His will and not mine at work. This abundance of work keeps me on my knees, head down, mouth shut to listen to Him. I know daily that I can’t succeed without him. My faith has moved to a new level.

For being a writer involves far more than getting “the call”. Besides writing the book, one has to execute line edits and read galleys for books coming out, while writing the next novel. Once books start coming out, one has to market them, network with people, fill out a gazillion forms. Losing sight of the purpose behind the writing is too easy. Setting priorities has proven important to me. My husband and four-legged children still must come first. At the same time, this is my job and treating it as such is important. Most of all, I must never lose focus on the one who brought me here

http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com/

Laurie Alice Eakes, Author of THE GLASSBLOWER, The HEIRESS, and THE NEWCOMER from Barbour Publishing, 2010; WHEN THE SNOW FLIES from Avalon Books, 2010; LADY OF THE MIST, Revell Books, 2011.
 

Award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes does not remember a time when books did not play a part in her life; thus, no one was surprised when she decided to be a writer. Her first hardcover was an October, 2006 Regency historical from Avalon Books and won the National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency, as well as being a finalist for Best First Book. After selling her first book in the inspirational market, she also wrote articles and essays for Christian publications. A brief hiatus in publishing climaxed with her selling thirteen books in thirteen months, to publishers such as Barbour, Avalon, and Baker/Revell.

She is an active member of RWA and ACFW, and started the Avalon Authors group blog. A graduate of the Seton Hill University Master of Arts Degree in Writing Popular Fiction, And a Bachelor of Arts graduate in English and French from Asbury College, she is an experienced speaker, and has made presentations at local and national RWA conferences, as well as local universities and libraries.

Until recently, she lived in Northern Virginia, then her husband’s law career took them and their dogs and cats, to southern Texas, where she writes full-time and enjoys the beach whenever possible.

"Hello, my name is . . . . ."

"Hello, my name is. . . It's so nice to meet you. I've heard so many wonderful things about you. . . ."

And so begins early conversation. As we gradually get past the niceties of the day and current events we begin to get a sense of the other person. Are they shy and guarded; open and expressive; do they identify themselves with the work they do, the career they have chosen or the role they find themselves in. Do I feel intimidated or exicted about sharing more about myself?

Conversation begins with testing the water, learning enough to know whether we want to get to know the other person better. However, it takes more than a casual evening of social discussion, and learning of facts and interesting information to really get to know a person. We have all honed our social facades; social faces that temper what we say or the amount of information we share with another. As friendship and safety develops, we share more about our struggles, goals and dreams.

When I meet the people within the books I read, a similar progression begins. Just as in real life, the characters an author develops stir similar feelings within me as they are revealed throughout the chapters of the book.

Let's say, however, you are one of the people in your book and we were going to get to know you better. If you were asked what you do, what would you say? How would you define who you are beyond your role in life (I am a mother, father, etc.) your career (I am an author, teacher, etc.) similar interests (oh, you like sailing too?) similar shared struggles (boy, I had trouble with my writing this week) or similar beliefs (Yes, I am a believer). As we know ourselves better, accepting both the good and not so good sides of ourselves, the easier it is to express the personalities of the people we write about. When we can be truthful and able to express the good, bad and the ugly of ourselves, and our vulnerabilities, the more balanced our characters will be.

So, for the following week, let's go on a field trip and see what treasures we discover about ourselves.

• What do you like to do? What are you passionate about? When did you discover this? Was this an exciting discovery or filled with apprehension?


• How would you define who you are outside your role, work, social or church activity, religious or political beliefs?


• What is your greatest fear? As an adult - a teen - a child? Have any of your earlier fears changed over the years? If, for example, you were to answer the question, "I am afraid of public speaking (or another situation) because.....", what thoughts would be associated with that feeling?

Emotions are the windows into our subconscious beliefs and glimpses into our souls. Attached to the shame, fears, anxieties, joys, anger, jealousy, passions, etc. are the reasons why we feel the way we do. All emotions serve a purpose. What emotions do you believe are okay and which are not okay? When you feel emotions that you believe are not okay, what do you do with them?

More next week.....

Marlene Anderson, MA, LMHC, NCC

copyright 2010

Platform Building 300 - Author Makeover

Feel like you're swamped with information nowadays? Need a life preserver to stay afloat in the great Internet sea? Know what you need to do to build a platform but the whole idea overwhelms you on many levels? You're not alone.

I'm about to make life a whole lot easier for you. Each week, in this application series, I will give you one task or focus toward building your platform. Think of me as your online platform-building buddy. As always, I'll learn right alongside you, and I'll never ask you to do something I haven't done myself.

You can track with me here whether or not you've followed my previous platform-building 100 and 200 series. For this application series, I'm going to assume you have a handle on your personal mission or platform. If that's not the case, go through at least the first part of the platform-building 100 series. If you type "platform" in the search box in the right column, you should find them.

To gain maximum benefits, I suggest you sign up for delivery of this blog in your email inbox (also in the right column). That way you won't overlook an assignment. Each week's post will be brief with just enough information to get you started. As a bonus, you will also receive excellent posts by my co-bloggers several times a week. If that's too many emails for you, you can subscribe to the feed and perhaps set a reminder to check my posts on Tuesdays.

Okay, here's the application for this week: Let's start with physical image. Take a look at the following area:

• Hairstyle: What if you were the keynote speaker at a conference? Would your present hairstyle work for or against you? If its time for a different style, look at images of authors online or think back to those you've met in person. Is there a hairstyle you might emulate? How should someone who writes in your genre(s) or on your subject(s) look? Schedule the appropriate appointment to make this happen for you.

If your hair already passes muster, congratulate yourself and tune in next week for the next application.

Do you have any hair tips that might help other writers?

© 2010 Janalyn Voigt

She Sold 13 Books in a Year.

Laurie Alice Eakes

After a string of rejections, she almost gave up her writing career. Next Monday, in a special guest post for Author Haven, Laurie Alice Eakes explains how she sold 13 novels in one year, and just how it changed her.
Don't miss the post. Sign up for the Author Haven feed or to receive blog posts by email and you'll automatically be entered in our giveaway to thank our subscribers. Click here to read the details.

Embracing Your Circumstances

Numbers 11:1a, “Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused.”

How do you look upon the circumstances of your life? The people of Israel saw their circumstances as negative and hard. They were in the desert; they had manna to eat and nothing else; they were facing powerful enemies. How did God view their circumstances? He delivered them from slavery; He provided food daily without any effort on Israel’s part; His mighty hand defended them.

Most Christians are not much different than the people of Israel. Everyone tends to view their circumstances as negative and hard, without ever looking from God’s point of view. When you complain, you are telling God that He is wrong. Rather than embrace your circumstances as opportunities to trust God do you grumble against God for giving you such hardships? Consider just one area of difficulty or struggle in your life. How do you look upon it? Do you see this experience from a worldly or heavenly point of view? Have you ever grumbled against God about your situation? If you have, you are still looking upon life from a worldly point of view.

Philippians 4:12b, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”

The apostle Paul learned that all circumstances were under Divine direction. He found great peace from the fact that God, who is rich in mercy, saw fit to allow these circumstances. To look at Paul’s life from a worldly point of view, Paul suffered disaster upon disaster (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). From God’s point of view, however, Paul was given the chance to become rich in faith and one of the most influential figures in the Church—writing half of the New Testament.

You place yourself in a position to be mightily used of God when you embrace your circumstances as opportunities rather than difficulties. What situations does the Lord have you in that He is trying to teach you to be content? The phrase “learned the secret” implies being “initiated into.” God is trying to initiate you into a life of contentment and faith in Him and not in circumstances.

2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

When you open your eyes to the reality of God and begin to see circumstances from a divine rather than worldly perspective, you will find your life being transformed into the very image of His Son (2 Corinthians 3:18). You will begin to embrace the circumstances of your life as God’s opportunities—His invitation to be involved in His activities. Fix your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and you will discover that you can not only endure but thrive in all circumstances.

God has His grip upon the handle of circumstances and He uses the scalpel of His word to surgically remove all worldliness and waywardness, all selfishness and self-importance to bring you into a life that is a reflection of His Son. God is achieving His perfection in you as you submit to the work of the Great Physician.

Let God have His way in your life and you will discover that all your troubles are “light and momentary.” God is using your circumstances to shape you, making you a valued and powerful vessel to display His glory.

©2010
Rev. Michael Duncan

Conquer the Fears

“I think that I fear success.”

The words poured out from the IM that my friend sent and I immediately felt her pain. There are few things that can stop action as quickly as fear. Fear paralyzes the imagination and stunts motivation. The safer route lies in the known and the comfortable. Trying something new or different will just lead to trouble.

Fear keeps people trapped so that venturing out into a space that is unknown becomes too much to bear, although some fear can be healthy and provide necessary protection from physical harm in some situations. Fear is not real. It is just False Evidence Appearing Real. It is time to take on the fear that is crippling choices and defeat it once and for all.

1. Test the spirit – I will confess that I have had a fear of alligators that goes back to Jaws and takes a weird twist in Mobile, Alabama – but that is a fear that God is leading me beyond. Several years ago, that fear was alive and well. We live in the north east region of Alabama out in the woods – away from any large body of water. One evening around dusk I was walking with my nephew down to where my husband was clearing out some trees in a field. We came around the corner and my nephew said “alligator.” My instinct told me to flee and fast but I checked myself. If the alligator was real then there would be reason to flee, but I listed in my mind the reasons it was not real and eventually my eyes were able to see beyond the fear. For those few seconds that log appeared to be a real alligator. Sometimes the reality is only an illusion and it takes time to adjust to the truth.

2. Face the fear – Concerns over finances can be crippling for many people. We have been dealing with financial woes that are only increased by the fact that my father-in-law sold his home to move out here and live with us because we are his closest family (and sometimes the only people he sees for weeks at a time). “What would happen to him if we moved?” The other day it dawned on me that he has enough income to do just about anything he wants, and maybe he would if he felt he was free from helping us. Talking to him about the issue allowed me to see that there really was no issue and hopefully it helped him to understand that we love having him around but we are just as willing to see him fly. The thing we fear most of all can turn out to be surprising small when we stare it down.

3. Push through the feelings – Scary movies were a normal part of the weekend routine for me from the time I was old enough to drive to the store and rent them – until I found myself part of a scary movie. I was stalked by an ex-boyfriend for months after my husband and I were married (we ended up having to take him to court). Every time I went somewhere at night I watched for the taillights – were they following me? It was a gut wrenching pain that still tries to creep into me today over 15 years later. When the “what ifs” start trying to force my actions I just have to pray through them – sometimes I even have to call a friend to back me up in prayer – but I know I have to keep moving forward or fear will overwhelm me. The fears of the past will try to rule the moments of today.

Creating a successful life, in your writing, your ministry or any endeavor that stands before you can be a stomach churning task. Fear will try to defeat you. Fear will demand to be heard. But you do not have to listen.

No matter what you are facing, fear does not come from God. 1 John 1:18 reminds us that “perfect love casts out fear.” Grow closer in your personal relationship with God and fear will find it more difficult to weasel into the situation.

My husband quit his job without notice – never fear; God is my provision.


There is a storm headed right for my home – never fear; God will calm the storm.


The book deal takes an unexpected turn – never fear, God will make a way.

He can handle anything that I face – the truth is that He already has. The key to driving out fear is to build up faith and that only comes from growing that personal relationship with God. Dig into the Word and discover how important it is to our Father that we Fear Not! Your future depends on it.

Book Review: BOOK LIFE by Jeff Vandermeer

Confused and worn out by the battle to get up to speed with and balance your involvement with social media? Wish you had a techno-savvy publishing insider willing to advise you as you establish yourself as an author in the public eye? You're in luck. Jeff Vandermeer acts as guide and, in some ways, conscience for writers looking to make sense of the growing number of Internet landscapes in BOOKLIFE: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer.

Wiith chapters on subjects like mapping your future, time management, branding, platforms, networking, managing contacts, interfacing with editors and publicists, promotion, standing out from the crowd, and maintaining your own private "booklife," this book delivers a healthy helping of meat and potatoes.

But Vandermeer doesn't stop there. He pours on the gravy by giving readers a look into an actual PR plan for one of his books and examples of writing schedules he's followed.

Appendices written by the likes of James Crossley, Jill Roberts, Colleen Lindsay, Nathan Ballingrud, Marly Youmans, Cat Rambo, Matthew Cheney and Jeff Vandermeer himself on topics such as the changing relationships of writers to agents, editors and booksellers, marketing techniques, new media, creativity and how to write a novel in two months add a sweet finish.

This book is full of relevent, common-sense advice an author can draft from to establish a public and private writing life. Bear in mind that while the author does make an effort to include self-published writers and those published by small presses (having first attained publication himself through a small press) he draws mostly from his experiences with tradtional publishers. Despite this, there's value enough in BOOKLIFE to make it valuable for all writers.

The Key to Writing Success

Every Thursday I attend a worship service at a local Celebrate Recovery. This ministry resembles the AA program but focuses on any hurt, struggle or addiction. No matter what the “drug of choice” you face, the answer comes back to the One thing.

The same holds true for my writing success. The key to my path lies directly in the Way that God has set for my life. The closer I grow to Him then the better my writing becomes and the more opportunities I will develop for my writing and my speaking. I also develop a greater ability to recognize my path to my purpose.

Experts tell me how to get where they are, but I have to always remember that there was only one burning bush, one star, one rainbow and one talking donkey. God wants me to rely on Him and not a system or pattern devised by man.

Finding YOUR Key to Writing Success

1. Start by spending time in the Word – regularly and consistently. The more you know the Writer then the more you will begin to understand your own journey.

2. Find mentors that will encourage you in your own path. Your way to writing success will not be the same as mine. We are unique individuals on similar, but still different, journeys. I can encourage you, but I cannot (and should not) try to direct you.

3. Understand your own passion. The thing that drives you, that was woven in you from the very beginning, will help to determine the direction your path will take.

4. Be flexible in your vision. Being locked into one direction can cause you to sit idle at a dead end. Learn to listen and follow the leadings of God to help in your individual journey to writing success.

5. Make choices that count towards your writing success. It can be easily justified to sit around on the weekend and just relax. The harder you work during the week – either in a traditional job or at home – then the more you deserve a break today! The right choice will not always be the easy path, but the results will always be worth it.

My key to writing success belongs to me. Although I can give you some tips to help you begin to discover your own key, the journey must still be taken by you alone. The key to YOUR writing success can be discovered if you are willing to invest some time and energy, to make choices towards that success and to be flexible in turning from your vision to His vision.

Are you ready to unlock your writing success?

What's your name again?

I love meeting new people and getting to know them. Over the years I have met rich people and poor people, prestigious people and those struggling and aspiring to meet their goals and dreams. Even though I have forgotten many names, I have not forgotten the people themselves for they have left an indelible footprint in my life.

When I read a book, I want to meet the people who walk the pages of that book. While I am interested in the plot and setting, it is the people you write about who leave me with something important to remember. However, much too often I am disappointed and never finish a book with good potential because the characters who participate in your script are just - well - flat. They are boring and shallow - they lack depth and believability.

So how well do you know the people you write about? What makes them interesting enough for me to spend hours reading their story? What sets them apart for others and why? Just like you and I, the people in your books have complex personalities that somehow need to be revealed to the reader within the plot. I want to connect with them on an emotional level. I want to feel their pain or fear, experience and identify with their struggle in making the right choices, feel their shame when they fail and jump up and down and yell out loud "yes" when they succeed.

Is your "bad" guy so bad he does not exhibit some of the basic human qualities we might find within each of us, i.e., the need to be accepted and loved in some way? Unless they truly are monsters born without the ability to have a conscience, they became "bad" for a reason.

Are your heroes so squeaky clean and sterile they become unreal? Within the most dedicated followers of God you find killers, alcoholics, porn seekers, lust, adultery and envy. They have anger problems, terrible parenting skills, are quick to judge and condemn; in short, under their facades, they are no different than the people we place in the "bad" category. If you don't believe me, check out David, Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Samuel, Samson, Paul and a host of other people who walk through the pages of our bibles.

We experience life through our senses. We experience people through the emotional responses they elicit within us. I don't enjoy meeting "perfect" people. They are boring, phony and unreal. While I am interested in the roles the characters in your book play and their accomplishments, I want to experience the unfolding of them as an individual I could meet in real life; that includes their doubts and fears and uncertainties. I want to identify with them even if I don't like them. I want to have the opportunity to dislike them even if they wear the cape or collar of priest and pastor, or come dressed in the guise of sweet Aunt Sue. Are they authentic? Are they real?

In the upcoming weeks, I will be writing about people - both within books I read and real life. What makes they believable and real and what makes them phony, and ways you as the author can get to know the people you write about, so that they can leave an indelible footprint in the lives of your readers.

Marlene Anderson, MA, LMHC, NCC

copyright 2010

An Anniversary Thank You to Our Readers

In honor of Author Haven's six-month anniversary, we've decided to offer a giveaway to four readers of our blog. Either become a follower of this blog or sign up to receive posts by email to be automatically entered in the random drawing, which will occur on Sunday, May 30th and will be announced on Monday, May 31st. The first person who's name is drawn gets first choice of the four of giveaway items. The second person who's name is drawn can choose between the three remaining items, and so on.

Giveaways

Janalyn Voigt will give a free one-time critique of the first 10 pages of a manuscript, which can be a book of fiction or nonfiction, an article or a short story.

Janalyn is the author of "DawnSinger," book one of "Tales of Faeraven," which will release with Port Yonder Press.

Janalyn identified her call to write at the age of 12 and grew up teaching herself classic story structures, basic conflicts and the craft of writing long before she received formal training as an alumni of Christian Writers Guild. Janalyn’s publication credits include Brio (Focus on the Family), Powerline Papers (Scripture Press) and Pentecostal Evangel. She is affiliated with ACFW and NCWA.

Website: http://janalynvoigt.com/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/JanalynVoigt
Blogs: http://waysinger.blogspot.com/ and http://bookreaderscentral.blogspot.com/

Marlene Anderson will give either a free copy of her book, "A Love So Great, A Grief so Deep" or one of her relaxation CD's.

Marlene is a licensed counselor, author, speaker, and retreat and workshop leader. She has worked in both clinical and educational settings as a college teacher, therapist and facilitator of psycho-educational classes. Visit her website, http://www.MarleneAnderson-Focus.com, for more about Marlene. Her blogs: http://www.focuswithmarlene.blogspot.com http: http://www.healingheartsandmind.blogspot.com/

Kathryn Lang will give away a free copy of her ebook, "Problems to Proverbs: 8 Traits of the Proverbs Life and Steps to Reach Each One."

Kathryn Lang creates original content for websites, produces articles and posts for blogs and writes a variety of other materials, including original Bible studies and programs. She is an inspirational and motivational speaker. Kathryn's passion is helping others discover their own passions. Visit her website: http://kathrynlang.com/ and blogs: http://successfulfreelancewriter.com/ and http://proverbs31life.com/.Michael Duncan will give a free one-time critique of the first 10 pages of a manuscript, which can be a book of fiction or nonfiction, an article or a short story.

Pastor Michael Duncan has spent over twenty years preaching and teaching God’s word. He has spoken in churches across the U.S. and in two different countries. Rev. Duncan has served on staff in four churches and currently is the pastor of Mountain View Baptist Church in Darrington , WA . He is an alumni with the Christian Writer’s Guild, an occasional contributor to the MBBA section of the Northwest Baptist Witness and the author of the blog, From the Mountain. His first book, "Starting Out: A Study Guide for New Believers," is scheduled to release in January, 2011. Visit his blog: http://www.mountainviewministry.blogspot.com/.

Platform Building 213: Promoting a Book Through Goodreads

Do you daydream about a massive virtual library where lovers of books rub shoulders and authors receive free privileges and promotional opportunities? Well, dream no more. Such a site exists. Surprisingly enough, many writers are unaware of Goodreads.


A basic membership will afford even unpublished authors the opportunity to include a photo and profile information, make friends with readers and other writers, share book recommendations and reviews, create your own virtual bookshelves and join groups and forums (including groups of readers who love books in your genre).

Published authors can add the following privileges:

Author Page

It’s likely you will find your book by title in the site’s database. If you don’t find it, it’s not too difficult to add it using the “Find Books” tab. Once you locate your book, you will find a link that asks whether you’re the writer of the book. Click that and follow instructions to set up your Author Page.

Bio

On your author page, you can include a biography and list your book(s), link to your website and blog(s), indicate your genre and upload a picture. Take pains with this information, since visitors to your page will notice it before they scroll down to read anything else.

Blog

You can blog right in Goodreads or automatically feed updates from external blogs to your page and into the newsfeeds of your friends and fans. The whole post won’t appear, but just the first few paragraphs with a link back to your blog site. This is one way to lead readers back to your website or blog and expose them to purchase information for your book.

Events

You can list events like your release date, blog tour stops or book signing schedule to keep your friends and fans informed.

Videos

Set book videos, author interviews, book readings or other promotional videos from YouTube or another online video service to display right on your Author Page.

Writing Samples

You can include samples of your writing and reviews of your book(s) for others to read.

Quotes

You can share favorite quotes from books you love, including your own! Give readers a taste of your writing and they may just purchase your book and keep on reading what you write.

Fans

Your Author Page includes a place where readers can sign up to be your fan. You will then appear in the “Favorite Authors” section of their profiles and they will receive updates from your Author Page.

Status Updates

Goodreads has a status update box similar to that found in Twitter, allowing you 140 characters to comment on topics of your choice. Your update will show up in the newsfeeds of your friends and fans.

Groups and Forums

Join reader groups and enter into their discussions to connect with readers within your genre. Remember though, not to push your book. Engage with readers and they may just click on your name link to go to your Author Page and find out all about you – and your book.

Giveaways

If it’s still within six-months after your book’s release date, you can set up a giveaway of your book through the“First Reads” program. This gives you the opportunity to put a brief synopsis before those who participate.

Special Strategies

The way Goodreads is set up yields special intelligence data for authors. For instance, you can find a book similar to your own, click on its title, and learn which of your friends and fans have read it. You can search a similar book and find active discussions about it in reader groups. It’s possible to follow up with those who entered your book giveaway.

Homework

If you don’t have a Goodreads account, sign up for one, upload a photo and fill out your profile information. If you are a published author, apply for your author page and schedule a little time to set it up.

I’ve touched on some of the strategies available to writers who use Goodreads. Do you have more ideas? How do you use Goodreads?

©2010 Janalyn Voigt

How Much does it Cost?

The most dangerous task ever undertaken by well meaning Christians is the one that goes “uncounted.” Ministries have collapsed and projects have fallen under the weight of their own enormity. The reality is, no project ever given by God was small enough for the individual Christian to handle without first counting the cost.

Consider the words of Christ. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish’” (Luke 14:28-30).

Have you ever counted the cost of becoming a published writer? I can honestly say, when I first started the task of writing, I had no notion of the cost. I figured, like many others, that I would simply write the things that I enjoyed, finish the project, and then send it away to some admiring publisher who would embrace the work like the next incarnation of Ernest Hemmingway. Not surprising, I was soundly rejected.

What I discovered in ministry as a pastor I did not equate to the ministry of writing—that there is a price to pay, a cost to count. I want to illuminate the cost that I’ve counted and the price that I have paid, and that I think all writers must pay, when striving in the work and ministry of writing.

First, there is the cost of preparation. After I finished my first manuscript, I figured that it was ready to go. Little did I know that my work was amateur and lacked the strength of a quality writer. I needed to prepare—to learn how to write. Even now, I count that cost and keep myself in the loop with conferences, writers’ groups, critique groups and a wealth of books and materials on the “how-to” of writing. I embraced the cost of preparation because I want to be a quality writer.

Second, there is the cost of pain. It takes a thick skin to receive rejection with grace. My skin is not quite that thick yet, but I am learning how to take the rejections as well as the compliments with a sense of God’s will and not my own. My first rejection letter came like a dagger in my soul. The latest one did not have the strength to penetrate the toughened exterior. The only way to become a published writer is to offer proposals and query letters, even at the cost of rejection. It might hurt at first, but you will toughen up.

Third, there is the cost of patience. This, perhaps, is the hardest cost to pay. I remember sending my first manuscript to an editor. I waited, and waited, and waited some more. Yes, I had a burning desperation to hear back from the publisher. A month went by and I thought that I had waited enough until I was reminded that their website said it might take up to six months to hear a reply—argh! The test of patience is almost a right of passage for any aspiring writer—one that I’ve had to pay time and time again.

Fourth, there is the cost of perseverance. The only way to achieve a worthwhile goal is to keep pressing on until the end. The cost of perseverance is seen in the work of writing, getting the entire manuscript on paper. It is seen in the work of editing, and making the text sing with excellence. It is seen in the task of trying to sell it to a publisher and continuing until a publisher buys it. It is even seen after the manuscript is accepted and published for there is a wealth of other tasks that takes place.

You must match your calling to write with a willingness to pay the price. Have you counted the cost?

©2010
Rev. Michael Duncan