Novel Craft Workshop ~ Basics: Where to Find Ideas

It's one thing to decide to write a book. It's another to determine which book to write. You might have a folder bursting with ideas that, considered in the light of a new day, no longer hold you in their thrall. Or perhaps, like me, you jotted a quick note only to gaze at it in puzzlement six months later. What does "walk with the clowns" mean, anyway? Or, you may have the idea for an amazing book you know will become a best-seller -- except it just came out with someone else's name on the cover. And let's not forget the writer with a burning story idea about red-headed penguins only to discover top industry professionals predict the demise of the entire red-headed penguin genre.

What's a writer to do? All of the above is enough to stymie anyone's artistic sensibilities. If you didn't sometimes pull up a blank word processing software screen and long for something to write, you might just take up bird watching or tap dancing or archery instead.

Wait a minute. What if you did stop trying? What if, instead, you rode that bike around a lake, took up hang gliding, studied butterflies or read every book ever written by that author who inspires you most? As writers, we're wired to observe life; but we should never mistake observing for living. New experiences can trigger new ideas. As a bonus, rediscovered passion for life infuses freshness into writing.

You may soon face a new delimma: which of your exciting ideas should you develop? I recommend prayer. Listen to that small, still voice within.

You should examine your ideas for marketability. (More on this in a later session.) I say this with tongue firmly in cheek, since I wrote my novel, DawnSinger, first in the Tales of Faeraven trilogy, despite the many who assured me that fantasy is a "hard sell" in Christian publishing today. I don't recommend this course of action, but sometimes we have to step out in faith. If you're very sure that's true of you also, don't look to the left or the right. Just follow the road ahead.

Action Step

Make a wish list of new experiences you've put off, possibly for years. Most people tell themselves what they can't have. If that's your mindset, turn it around right now. This week, do one new thing or revive an old interest. Step out in new ways from now on. Guard against the mind-numbing apathy the daily grind can bring. Do this, not just for your writing, but for you.

Next week we'll begin to develop a story idea. Draw inspiration for your novel from your wish list. Look to the types of fiction you most enjoy reading.  Chances are, you'll enjoy writing such stories, too. Spend time in prayer this week and don't forget to daydream. What if...

Our Wonderful and Crazy Emotions

Emotions are that crazy but wonderful part of us that allow us to experience life to the fullest - from the deepest of joy, wonder and awe to the depth of despair, anger and fear. Within the wonderful world of emotions we begin to understand ourselves and our world and from its palette of colors, we paint our world grey and depressing or glorious and challenging.

I believe it is important for Christians to understand what their emotions are telling them. When we uncover and identify the attached irrational beliefs that keep us locked in fear, anxiety and depression, we can challenge and replace them with more constructive beliefs that are in alignment with God, His promises and His dictates. While we are not our emotions, our emotions affect every part of our lives.

I love the Old Testament. If ever a counselor and student of psychology wanted to study the panorama of human nature they would find every aspect of it within those stories: from the jealousy that drove one brother to kill another in Genesis; to brothers selling a younger brother off into slaverey; to God's annointed King David lusting after a married woman and committing murder in order to keep her. After all, wasn't he entitled? He was the king. What does that say about our beliefs of entitlement? Yet, it was the same David who wrote many of the Psalms that stir our hearts to praise God.

When God appeared to Moses and told him to bring His people out of Egypt, Moses was terrified. Did he have a legitimate reason to be afraid? Oh yes, big time. There was a warrant out for his arrest. And kings back then had no difficulty lopping off anybody's head that opposed them. Going back to Egypt meant Moses had to face his past. Instead, he started making excuses. But God in His infinite patience and great love met each excuse with a way through it.

Life has a way of putting us in situations where we are faced with our past and all the emotions connected to it. We can deny, run away or make excuses for our actions. But each time we do, we lose an opportunity to grow into more genuine and honest individuals. It may require facing our fears of danger, or having no worth or admitting our sins and bad choices. It may be where we affirm our strengths while acknowledging our weaknesses. It may be where we finally accept, let go, and allow forgiveness to heal our wounds.

As writers and speakers, I believe God wants us to be leaders in the community. But to be a leader requires facing our past and knowing one's self. To be a leader requires we submit to our God as He gives us strength and courage to be the leaders He designed us to be.

"I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestor. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. . . Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take." Joshua 1 - The Message.

Marlene Anderson, MA, LMHC, NCC

copyright 2010

Announcing The Novel Craft Workshops Challenge

Whenever my voice teacher introduced a new aria, she made me sing from a print-out of the score. She only played the melody line after I floundered through on my own. Why? If she let me hear the music first, I'd pick it up by ear and never develop my musicianship skills. At first I loathed those sight-singing sessions. Let's just say I wouldn't have won any awards for those performances, although they improved over time.

Some of the gifted vocalists I performed with could not be faulted for technique. Their music, delivered with antiseptic precision, failed to move audiences. By contrast, I once heard a little white-haired lady with an off-key tremolo deliver a church solo with such zeal she brought an entire congregation to tears. The difference? Passion, the life-bread of creativity. But even passion can be overdone. My voice teacher had to show me how to reign in my emotions so they wouldn't overwhelm my music. They became, rather than a gushing torrent, a well I tapped.

Writing is a lot like singing. Natural gifting will only take you so far. It can open the door of an agency or publishing house but won't necessarily land you a contract. If you develop a set of skills, you'll have a better chance of success. It's human nature to want to repeat what we do well and avoid what needs improving. In that case, raw talent becomes a crutch. It's amazing what can happen when we're willing to step out of our comfort zones.

Ready for a challenge? With Author Haven's new Novel Craft Workshops, you'll learn to develop a novel from inception to completion. Posts, complete with weekly action steps, begin next Tuesday. In the first workshop we'll explore how to find marketable ideas, hone in on a theme, identify a story problem, develop characters, decide on a setting, do preliminary research, find a tagline and write a one-sentence description of a novel. The second workshop will cover how to conduct a research plan. We'll apply plot elements to a story idea in the third workshop. The fourth workshop will cover how to determine word length, write a synopsis, set up a flexible plot guideline and gain a sense where chapters will fall. In the sixth workshop we'll cover writing style and techniques. The seventh and final workshop will examine ways to edit.   

Writing, like music, is both craft and art. Focusing on one at the cost of the other makes a writer's work unbalanced. Of course, anything out of balance may topple. I hope you will follow this series and work on writing as a craft in order to enhance it as an art.

©2010 Janalyn Voigt (all rights reserved)

How Do You Go?

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seeds to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” - Psalm 126:5-6

I’m going to be simple and brief today. There is a tremendous need for a restoration of passion in the lives of God’s people. A passion not for recognition nor for rewards, a passion for the redemption of men.

Have you sown in tears?

The heart breaks when love is rejected. When you love your writing so much that your heart breaks for rejection, but is apathetic when the Savior is rejected, something is wrong. You only have the promise to reap songs of joy when you sow in tears. Not tears for you and your writing, but tears for the Savior who has poured out His blood for all mankind.

Have you gone out weeping, carrying seeds to sow?

Going out implies that you have a purpose to go: to plant seeds that have the potential to grow into a harvest. Going out weeping shows that you are no longer half-hearted and indifferent to the purpose. The word of God is the seed that is planted and your work, your words, your very life is the means of distributing it. This is for those of you who want to return with songs of joy and carry the sheaves of harvest into the kingdom of Christ.

It doesn’t matter if you write fiction or non-fiction, fantasy, devotions, novels or newspaper articles. Become impassioned for the right thing. Your work, your words and your very life will tell the tale of who or what you truly love. You will weep when what you love is rejected. You will go out when you realize that you have the privileged responsibility to carry with you the seed of God’s word.

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” This promise, from Isaiah 55:12, comes only when God’s word is sent forth (verse 11). Let me encourage you to go through life, in writing and with everything, in such a way that even creation might echo their songs of praise.

©2010
Rev. Michael Duncan

Website Design Dilemma

“What was your name again?”

My husband and I had been sitting in front of the lady for several weeks at the new church service. She knew my husband because she had worked with him in the drama.

“Kathy to most people around here, but I also go by Kathryn.”

Her eyes lit up. “Are you the Kathryn Lang?”

I have to pause here and mention that I live in a SMALL town and write a column for a local paper. I am not yet as famous as I want to be (or as famous as my husband says I THINK I am). :D

“That would me.” I responded with a smile.

“I always read your column and went to your website. I even asked my husband where he thought that Kathryn was from. I was hoping to get her to come speak one Wednesday but did not know how to contact her.”

It was exciting to discover that she had gotten so much from the words I put to paper. I was touched that she wanted me to come speak one Wednesday. It was not so exciting to realize that my website left her with so many questions. Apparently, my website spends a lot of time sitting down on the job.

Websites often act at the calling card or business card for many writers and speakers. It may be the only contact potential clients, publishers or agents ever experience. I put up a website that would get me by and discovered that instead it is allowing opportunities to pass me by.

How do I create a website with impact?

There are two paths I can take to developing a website that will offer impact for my platform. The first path to a website lies in the hands of others. I can find a designer that can translate my vision into a reality. The good part of having another do my website is that I can find a person with the expertise that will make my website fabulous. The bad part is that there will be no guarantees that my vision will ever be completely understood by the other.

The second path requires more energy and time, but less money. I can invest in learning how to make a great website on my own. The good part of doing it myself is that I LOVE a good DIY project. I can also make changes and adjustments as I see fit without additional costs. The bad part of the DIY website is that I have no expertise in the area.

So, I am stuck at the moment. I want to create something that will allow visitors to experience my writing and speaking in a way that will put me at the top of their list. I just have no idea how to get there from here.

Any suggestions? What tips, software or designers do you recommend that will make visitors take a second look at a website?

CD #12 - Terror in the Night

"No, No!" I bolted up in bed covered in a cold sweat, my heart pounding so loudly it reverberated through the stillness in a house still asleep. I glanced at the clock. 3:30 A.M. I lay back on my pillows as my fears gathered momentum. I closed my eyes. Maybe I could go back to sleep.

Too late - my brain was already in full gear. My worst fear had come true! My life now depended on following through with what I knew I had to do. And yet - there must be another way, my brain frantically kept repeating. I just wouldn't be able to survive. As the final cobwebs of the night's sleep were swept away, my brain frantically searched for alternatives. But I had already been over and over this the night before.

As daylight began to soften the night shadows, I gave up trying to go back to sleep, got up, dashed cold water on my face and returned to my office. I had left the computer on. I sat down and with final resignation, began filling out the forms. I realized I had no choice. I would have to tweet!"

Fun and games aside, I have finally made the decision to set up a new website and become an active participant in the internet social media. Auughhhhh!!! (Who knows - I may like it! After all, life is a marvelous adventure)

Marlene Anderson, MA, LMHC, NCC

copyright 2010

Special Guest Post ~ Jim Rubart on Overcoming Fear In Spite of Yourself

You're scared? Fear is holding you back? Not to be harsh, but get over it. I'm serious. You have to; you know and I know it. If we're not able to face our fear(s) and step through them, we'll be driving with the parking brake on the rest of our lives.

To give our dreams any chance of success, we have to jump off the cliff of fear, and try to fly.

Please check the situation below that applies to you:

• I'm scared to submit my manuscript
• I'm scared to give my manuscript to my critique partners
• I'm scared to approach that agent, editor, or best-selling author and strike up a conversation
• I'm scared to submit to that contest
• I'm scared to send this to my editor
• I'm scared to post on Facebook 'cause no one will comment
• I'm scared to Twitter
• I’m scared to blog 'cause Lame Entries 'R Us called and said I was their poster child
• I'm scared to ___________________.

(True confession time: Over the past four years I've checked all of the above. More than once.)

In other words, you're not alone. We're all scared. I'm not just talking about pre-published writers or newly published writers. I'm talking ALL of us .

I chatted with an author friend the other day about this issue. I have great admiration for one of my author friends for the way they carry themselves, put themselves out there, take risks, acts with confidence … except this author is not confident, and often scared of taking action.

Another author friend who is multi-multi-published (I'm talking NYT bestseller published) gets scared every time they pick up their laptop to start another book.

Does it help to know we all face fears? Does it make you realize there are friends, acquaintances, and strangers all around you that would nod their head and say "Me too", if you admitted, "I'm scared to ___________ with my writing."? (The people with the biggest swagger are the most insecure of all.)

One more thing before we go. There is no failure in the Kingdom of God. Remember the parable of the three talents. One guy gets 10, the other 5, the final guy gets 1? The guy who gets the one buries it and does nothing. Not a good plan. What do you think the master would have said if the guy with one had TRIED but failed? I think the master would have said, "Well done."

This life is short, and what we do in it here more than echoes in eternity. I think God asks us to obey, and risk. And he doesn't look at success the way the world does. For Him I don't think it's about getting published or not getting published.

It's about obeying. And risking.

That thing you've been putting off? The thing you know you need to do? Do it. Send that e-mail. Submit to that contest. Post on your blog the thing you REALLY think.

Be encouraged. Step into the fear regardless. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the resolve to step forward even in the face of fear.

Get your wings ready. I'll see you in the sky.

Author James L. Rubart lives in the Pacific Northwest and describes himself as a water skier, guitar player, dirt biker, cliff jumper, husband to his amazing wife for almost 24 years, and dad to two awesome sons, 17 and 14. His day job is helping authors and businesses market themselves through his company Barefoot Marketing. His bestselling debut novel, ROOMS, released with B&H Publishers in April. His second novel, BOOK OF DAYS, will release with B&H Publishers in January 2011. Click for more information on Jim's books.

                    Website: http://www.jimrubart.com/

Barefoot Marketing: http://www.barefootmarketing.com/Home/
              Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/James-L-Rubart/1175389879
                   Twitter: http://twitter.com/jimrubart
                     Email: jim@jimrubart.com

 

Something is About to Break

My high school geometry teacher taught me more than advanced math. The life lessons I gained in his room have helped me continue my journey into life. Today I was reminded of the time he taught me to draw a straight line.

He put one dot at the end of my paper and another dot at the other end. He then told me to draw a straight line between the two dots. I concentrated hard, but my line was NOT straight.

He took out a clean sheet of paper and repeated the process. “This time, place your pencil on one dot and then focus your eyes on the other. Take your pencil to the place you have focused.” The result was a straight line.

It can be easy to get so caught up in where I am right now that the end does not even fit into the picture.

The other day I read an interview with Phil Vischer in In Touch magazine. My curiosity was ignited so I had to know more. I found the full story over at Phil Vischer’s website. He had a big plan that led him to lose focus of that other dot and concentrate on the right now which left him with a crooked line.

My walk as a writer has to be about more than the paycheck at the end of the article or I end up with a crooked line myself. I have to choose to understand the end game, focus on that, and let my focus direct my path. That is the ideal way to write and to live.

I am not of this world, but I still live in it. I struggle often with the walk of faith and the need to fix things myself. I struggle with the need to be more so that I can do more. I struggle with what others think I should be doing and trying to meet their expectations.

The struggle gets less the more I find inspirational stories like the one around Big Idea. I find that hearing I am not alone helps me to refocus and allow the Holy Spirit to be my guide. Today I had a breakthrough. During a storm, even a momentary look at the sun will be welcomed. It is a reminder that things do get better and that the end has already been settled.

Do you see the dot? Or are you too caught up in the right now to see beyond the moment?

Special Guest Post ~ James Rubart on Overcoming Fear as a Writer

Does fear hold you back? Are you afraid to write, submit or promote yourself as a writer? James Rubart will help you find freedom to succeed despite your fears. Don't miss his upcoming post. Sign up to receive Author Haven posts in your feed reader or email inbox. You'll find sign-up forms in the right sidebar.

Author James L. Rubart lives in the Pacific Northwest and describes himself as a water skier, guitar player, dirt biker, cliff jumper, husband to his amazing wife for almost 24 years, and dad to two awesome sons, 17 and 14. His day job is helping authors and businesses market themselves through his company Barefoot Marketing. His bestselling debut novel, ROOMS, released with B&H Publishers in April. His second novel, BOOK OF DAYS, will release with B&H Publishers in January 2011.

CD#11 - Fear and Our Worth

All day she listened as the capable leaders of the weekend retreat talked about the importance of knowing who you are, and how that awareness affects your responses to everyone and everything in life. At the end of the day, she returned to her retreat lodging room, realizing for the first time in her life she had no idea who she was; she was a good wife, mother and someone's daughter - but who was Marlene Anderson? She didn't know. All her life she had been intent on doing the right things, being the "good little girl" so her Dad would give her the recognition, approval and acknowledgment a child needs to hear. She wept as though her life had ended while her bewildered but supportive husband sat beside her, not quite sure what he was supposed to do, but listening as she tried to tell him what she was feeling. She struggled to find the words to explain what she had just discovered - that she had no personal identity.

So began a journey early in my adult life which has expanded throughout the years. I was that "good little girl" who grew up next to the youngest in a large family on a large farm. There was a misguided cultural and religious belief that said if you gave praise or recognition to your children's accomplishments, they would grow up with a "swelled" head - in other words they would be corrupted by pride.

But lack of nurturing can cripple us, keeping us from developing the unique potentials God gave to each one of us. Add to that, careless and damaging messages many children hear which attack their self worth, and children grow up with a belief they are flawed or broken and can never be fixed. This is a shame that is not just a feeling; it has become a core belief of who you are, as John Bradshaw so eloquently writes in his book, "Healing the Shame that Binds You."

When you have been labeled "worthless", a belief is created that says no matter what you do, it will never be good enough. This internalized, powerful belief activates an inner critic that repeats over and over again the same message - you are worthless. Even when we hear and believe God's good news of grace and salvation, this old core belief can still convict us as being "worthless." This goes beyond the recognition of being a sinner.

I have witnessed in my work with people over the years the damaging results of low self esteem. It keeps us from becoming all that God intends us to be. God calls us by name (Jeremiah 1); He continually tells us how much He loves us. "I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! Give it everything you have, heart and soul. . . don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God your God is with you every step you take." (Joshua 1). God doesn't beat us up - we continue to beat ourselves up.

Be strong and courageous and joyfully celebrate being a child of God. Challenge those skewed and damaging core beliefs and replace them with all the love that God gives us so we can be leaders for Him.

Marlene Anderson, MA, LMHC, NCC

© 2010

Nick Harrison on Selling Your Fiction in a Tough Economy

All Christian writers should watch this video at least once. Harvest House editor Nick Harrison hands out tips and advice to help you succeed.

Create Fans Out of Thin Air

I promised a special thank-you treat to followers of my platform building series (catch these posts in the archive by typing "platform" in this blog's search box). Even if you didn't follow my platform-building series, you're welcome to watch Laura Roeder's Creating Fans Out of Thin Air video. Remember to come back same time, same station, for my new series on the craft of writing. Click here to watch the video.

The Transformed Writer

“Follow me,” said Jesus, “and I will make you fishers of men.” This call, spoken to Peter and the other fishermen, drew those men into a new reality. For years they spent their days fishing, working, living and making their way as best as possible. They were skilled fishermen. They had knowledge and perhaps were even gifted in some respect to understand the trends of the fish. But they remained only fishermen—living and looking out for self.

Jesus said that a greater catch, a better opportunity and a higher purpose existed outside of their narrow view of the world. They had to leave behind what they knew to be their only reality and follow a man who, as far as they knew, was a carpenter—not a fisherman. They took a step of faith, left behind their nets and embraced the call of Jesus. It was the only way their lives could be transformed, and it was the only way their lives would have purpose beyond the limited scope of time offered to men.

I know I want my writing to have an impact on the world. I’ve listened to all the other “fishermen”, those “experts” who espouse the virtues that make a successful writer. I’ve taken courses and searched a wealth of textbooks to learn the craft. The one thing needed, however, is the one thing often neglected—faith to follow Jesus.

Jesus said, “Follow me.” That is the one thing—the only thing—that puts you in the way that will lead to a transformed life. When you take that step of faith to follow Jesus, even when all the experts say that you’ll have no chance at success, you step into the promise that will transform you into the person who can catch men. And, isn’t that what we’re writing for?

I’ve been told that fantasy writing will never be accepted by a Christian publisher. I’ve been told that my circumstances in the past will keep me from achieving success. I don’t care. Fishermen don’t normally follow carpenters to become evangelists—but they did. All the wisdom of this world will never measure up to the purpose of God. I will stay faithful though all the world scoffs at and maligns me. I will follow Jesus because I know that His promise to transform my life, to make me a fisher of men, still holds true.

©2010
Rev. Michael Duncan

25 Quotes of Creativity and Inspiration

Some days I need all the help I can get just to make words come together. Here are some of the quotes that get the juices flowing for me.

1. "Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work." - Rita Mae Brown

2. "Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility." - Rosabeth Moss Kanter

3. "The chief enemy of creativity is good sense." - Pablo Picasso

4. "Problems cannot be solved by thinking within the framework in which the problems were created." - Albert Einstein

5. "If you can dream it, you can do it." - Walt Disney

6. "Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world!" - Joel Barker

7. "Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead." - Louisa May Alcott

8. "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." - Les Brown

9. "Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, find opportunity." - Albert Einstein

10. "The creative spirit demands persistence." - Shaun McNiff

11. "How does one become a butterfly?" she asked. "You must want to fly so much that you are wiling to give up being a caterpillar." - Tina Paulus

12. "But it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then." - Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

13. "Always dream and shoot higher than you know how to. Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." - William Faulkner

14. "A writer's brain is like a magician's hat. If you're going to get anything out of it, you have to put something in it first." - Louis L'Amour

15. "Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." - Dale Carnegie

16. "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." - Joseph Chilton Pearce

17. "The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

18. "Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will." - George Bernard Shaw

19. "Sometimes you have to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything or whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you are free, your true creativity, your true self, comes out." - Tina Turner

20. "There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost." - Martha Graham

21. "The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

22. "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create." - Albert Einstein

23. "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we create the world." – Buddha

24. "Another word for creativity is courage." - George Prince

25. "Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you can't, you are absolutely right." - Henry Ford

What are your favorite inspirational or creative quotes?

CD#10 - What Fear can Teach Us

"S0 much of the time, her life was frozen in fear. If life had taught her anything, it was not to trust her judgment.. It seemed everything she did ended up in disaster of some kind. She hated her job, but was too afraid to explore any other possiblities; because she couldn't afford to start over again. Someone asked her what she liked to do. She couldn't even go there. If she did, it might raise her hopes again to try something else and she already knew it would fail. Maybe other people had that luxury to explore options - she had learned the hard way not to trust life or herself. When she was asked to make a list of all the things she had done well or was successful at, all she could think of was all the times she had failed."

You can be the most intelligent person on earth, but if you have no faith in your abilities to do things or to keep trying when things go wrong, we can get stuck in a tiny little "comfort zone" that feels safe but gradually shrinks over time. Life can be harsh and cruel. When over and over again life seems to hand us tough breaks and we attribute those results to our own inadequacies and failing, we learn to give up because we can no longer trust ourselves and/or our judgments. Fear has now taught us to stay in a little box of safety immobilized.

Years ago, a young researcher by the name of Martin Seligman, and his colleagues conducted some experiments with dogs. Placed in a cage, a dog was given random mild electric shocks. Unable to predict when they would come and where he could go to escape, after a very short period of time the dog passively gave up. When given the ability to escape into an adjoining cage the following day, the dog never attempted to cross through that open door but lay cowering in a corner. Within a 24 hour period of time the dog had learned helplessness. There is a lot of evidence that humans also learn helplessness and when life seems to teach us that no matter what we do we will fail, we give up.

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them; for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you..." (Deut. 31:6) and "I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! Give it everything you have, heart and souls... don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God your God is with you every step you take." (Joshua 1)

God gives us hope through His promises. But when we have learned not to trust our abilities, when we feel we are flawed, those promises no longer register because at some deep level we have already attributed all bad things that have happend to us as our fault. While we believe we have salvation, we do not believe we can do anything of value here on earth. I don't believe that is ever in God's plan for any of us. If we can learn helplessness, we can also learn optimism.

Fear can teach us many things: to be cautious, to listen to your gut feeling about physical danger, and to learn how to make better choices as we learn about ourselves. Fear should never teach us to give up.

Marlene Anderson

copyright 2010

Platform Building 310: Develop Your Reader Base

A writer needs a reader base before landing a book contract, but a reader base only comes after you have a book published. Right?

Yes and no. It's possible to develop a fan base without a published book. Possible. Not necessarily easy. But hey, if you want easy try a different career. While I go and wash my mouth out with soap, consider the following:

• Post short stories or chapters of your WIP online at sites like Harper Collins'  http://authonomy.com/. (Caution: read the terms of use with care when posting stories online.)
• Draw a crowd of potential readers by speaking on topics related to your book. Even with fiction, you can usually extract topics of interest from your WIP. This takes a little thinking, but even I can do it for my fantasy novels. Don't forget to make available an email list sign-up form.
• Design an ebook and offer it free in exchange for newsletter sign-up. Warning: don't flood people who sign up with emails. Occasional but consistant contact is better.
•  Blog on subjects related to your book to capture the interest of potential readers.
• Do keyword searches on your favorite search engine and find out where readers of your type of book might congregate in forums. Go to them. Note: your audience may not self-identify as readers. You may have to get creative in your searches to find them.

Homework

Embrace the awful truth that you need to develop a reader base sooner than later. Research and brainstorm ideas for ways you will do this.

Note: This post represents the last in my platform-building series. If you missed any of my posts on platform, you can find them by typing "platform" in this blog's search box (in the sidebar). Come back next week for a special treat for participants in this series. The following week, we'll start a series to help us develop the craft of writing.

© 2010 by Janalyn Voigt

If you have any ideas you're willing to share with others on how to develop a reader base, please comment below.