On Dieting and Writing

With the assistance of my doctor (aka The Nazi), I’ve been on a health kick recently. Natural foods. Whole grains. High protein. Basically – if it tastes like dirt I’m allowed to eat it.

It all started out okay with some natural trail mix – no preservatives. I though it tasted pretty good until my boy read the ingredients– raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds... “Hey,” he said. “You bought a squirrel’s paradise”.

Appropriate since I was feeling a little nutty. (There’s something about nibbling on the close cousin of a pine cone that makes me want to cave. That, and the fact that I can see the Krispy Kreme “Hot Now” sign from my apartment window.)

But I’m staying at it. Why? I want to be healthy, and right now this is what it takes. I don’t do it for me. I do it for my family. I do it for health. I do it for longevity.

OK, I do it for my rapidly expanding waistline.

You see where I’m going with this.

Writing isn’t always fun. There will be days when you want to throw down the keyboard and walk away. Days when you feel a little nutty. Days when one more moment tediously editing sounds about as appealing as eating a pine cone.

When those days happen, try to push through. Do it for the people you want to reach. Do it for their hearts. Do it for yours.

Now where did I put that phone number for Papa John?

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B.J. Hamrick is a journalist, humorist, and Real Teen Faith Editorest.

Five Things To Look For in A Writers Conference

As much fun as staring at your computer all day is, I hope you're making plans this new year to go to a writer's conference and meet real, live people! There is no better place to make friends, meet editors and agents and learn SO much information on writing and the publishing industry that you feel like your brain might start leaking all over your stack of handouts and free books. :)

Writer's conferences are expensive, and so to help you find the best fit for you, be sure to do your homework before plopping down the nonrefundable fee!

Here's a few questions to ask yourself before signing up:

1) What do you write? If you write fiction, be sure to check on the website what workshops will be for fiction authors and who is teaching them. You write adventure-based Indiana Jones style novels? You may not want to sink $600 into a conference that has all of its fiction classes being taught by bestselling romance authors. Are you a nonfiction junkie? Be sure to double check those workshops as well.

2) Are you going to meet publishers? If you are going with the goal of getting your manuscript into the hands of publishers, DOUBLE CHECK that the conference is going to have times available to meet with publishers and agents. One of the conferences that I absolutely love has sign-ups available to talk with editors and agents as well as opportunities to sit with them at lunches and dinners. Find the list of editors and agents who will be represented there. Research the publishing house and their needs (Sally Stuart has a fabulous book called The Christian Writer Market Guide that has updated lists every year of what each publishing house is looking for and currently publishing).

A writer's conference is an excellent way to get face-to-face time with editors and agents who would not otherwise interact with an unsolicited manuscript. Take the time to ask questions. What can you improve in your proposal? What are the editor/agent's advice for unpublished authors?

3) What are specific areas you want to grow in? If you are hoping to learn more about how to write great dialogue, find a conference that is featuring a workshop on the subject. Or, how about you want to just meet some people in the hopes of starting an online support group? Search conference schedules and be sure to find one with ample free time or after dinner socializing time.

Finding a conference with scheduled free time is one of the best things you can do! Yes, when you are paying the deposit, it will seem like paying for nothing, but you will need that break more than almost anything at that moment. Bring your laptop and plan on writing down your thoughts. Writer's conferences do more than give you opportunities and tire you out - they also inspire you!

4) Do I have the ability to travel for this? There seems to be at least one writer's conference in every area of this country, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is the best fit for you. Take the time to research conferences outside of your geographical area. You might find that with a good price on plane tickets, you'll be able to travel a little farther.

Distance can also be a good thing just for clearing your mind of all of the things at home. Even if the conference is in your hometown, plan on staying at the hotel where the conference is booked. You won't regret having the space to really get your creative juices flowing (and the breakfasts are usually worth it!).

5) Does this conference come recommended? You can only research so much on the internet before you can't find anything else out. Listen to other writers' recommendations. Join a Christian writers network like ACFW and ask around. Or, email one of us Scribble Chicks - we'll be happy to tell you what our favorite conferences have been!


My all-time favorite thing about a writer's conference? How they always seem to come every year when I need that extra "you can do it!" push. If you've never been to a conference, prepare yourself for an encouraging experience! I've never been to a conference without coming home full of ideas and stoked to get back to work.

They are well worth the investment! So go on...make 2010 the year that publishing dreams come true!

Image used from jacketflap.com

You Know You're a Writer When...

Ok, confession time: Like a mother in frantic "nesting" mode, I've got this weird obsession with getting everything in my apartment clean and organized once it's January 1st.

I mean I'm practically begging my hubby to get rid of the tree and can't wait to take anything down that has anything to do with Christmas. For the record, that doesn't make me some sort of Grinch, I just can't wait to start organizing, well, everything.

Not only does that mean dusting and wiping down everything even potentially dirty, but I love to get rid of stuff I don't need, including any unnecessary e-mails carefully tucked away in various folders.

Now anyone who knows me well knows how I loathe the very sight of e-mail forwards. I hate reading how I'm going to have bad luck if I don't forward something to 10 of my closest friends. Worse yet are the ones with the cheesy, Hallmark card sentimentality and pictures of fuzzy little newborn chicks or lab puppies.

But when I saw this one filed away in my "friends and family folder," a forward titled "You Know You're a Writer When..." I couldn't help but chuckle because, well, so many of these apply to me.

You Know You're a Writer When...(forwarded from KayDicus.com)

• You would rather talk to the voices in your head than the person sitting next to you.

• You know the research librarian’s office, cell and home phone numbers but can’t remember your own.

• Some of the letters on your keyboard are completely worn off.

• You would rather write than go out.

• Your/you’re and their/there/they’re errors send you into an apoplectic fit.

• You get cranky if you don’t get to write.

• You’ve ever said, “The voices are getting louder; I must go write.”

• When talking with others, you mentally edit their dialogue and compose tags and beats.

• You’ve heard/seen something and thought, I need to write that down.

• You’ve ever written a scene, outline, synopsis or character sketch on a restaurant napkin . . . and it wasn’t a paper napkin.

• You wake up in the middle of the night and scramble for the pen and paper you keep next to your bed to write down a scene to make the voices be quiet so you can get some sleep.

• You end an argument with your spouse by saying, “Oh, wait, I have to write this down–this is the perfect conflict for my characters! Now, repeat what you just yelled.”

• Getting the scene finished is more important than food, coffee or the bathroom.

• You have a momentary reality lapse and mention your characters’ situation as a prayer request in Sunday school.

• A blank wall becomes the screen where the scene you’re writing takes place right in front of your eyes.

• The easiest way for you to deal with conflict is to go home and write it into your story.

• You have filed and cross-referenced every issue of The Writer and Writer’s Digest you’ve ever received.

• You purposely eavesdrop when out in public.

• At parties, your method of making conversation is to discover people in the room with interesting occupations (preferably your hero’s or heroine’s) so you can conduct research.

• You listen to the writer’s commentary on every DVD so that you can analyze his/her writing process.

• You have a favorite line from every movie you’ve seen.

• You can’t write because you’re mad at one of your characters.

• You argue with said character.

• You have a folder on your computer labeled “Ideas.” Some of the files within this folder have only one or two words or sentences and while they made perfect sense fifteen years ago, between the software changes in that period of time garbling half the words and your own faulty memory, you have no idea what it means or where you were going with it. But you keep it anyway because you never know, you might remember it eventually.

• You drive three hours to a city where you don’t know anyone, spend another three hours driving around the city, then drive three hours home and decide NOT to set your story there.
  

So be honest, how many of the following apply to you? I know that I'm guilty of at least 20...maybe more.

Which shoe are you?

Earlier this week, Erynn shared the difficulty of writing a novel's ending, and yesterday BJ talked about where we glean material for our stories.

Today, let's discuss shoes.

Hang on. This is writing related. I promise. lol

As women (or men!) we wear many different hats, right? But since I'm a shoe addict, I prefer to say shoes instead. The front page of my website (http://www.betsystamant.com/) says this: This is my site, and this is my story, about a young woman with many hats–no, wait, make that shoes–to wear, but one who loves Jesus no matter where her feet are planted. From a wife in lacy pumps to a new mother in running sneakers, to an ex-career-woman in tottering high heels, to a barefoot author, I’m just me…walking, jogging, sometimes stumbling, down the road God has placed me on.

It's true, isn't it? Some of us writers are married, some have children, some work outside the home, some work part time jobs, some struggle to keep up other hobbies they enjoy or help out at their church. No matter our age or status, all of us wear a variety of shoes - sister, friend, student, homemaker, employee, volunteer. We all have lives outside of our writing.

And this is a good thing. We don't want to be the creepy, unwashed, hermit author whose house is the target of scared neighborhood children at Halloween. It's good to have friends, relationships, jobs, hobbies, etc.

But its also difficult, because it means we have to...GASP...prioritize.

Dum dum dummmm.

How do you handle keeping up with all your shoes? I have to admit, when I worked full time for an Oil & Gas company the past several years, it was hard to be a successful wife, successful mom, successful author...some days, it seemed downright impossible. Until I realized that I needed to redesign my defintion of successful. And FYI, successful does NOT mean perfect. Please learn that faster than I did!

Then this past summer I got to quit my day job, (thanks to my generous Hubby and gracious God) and it was in some ways, harder. I had more time, technically, but in a way, I had less. Because its pretty much impossible to write while my darling toddler is staring at me with those big blue eyes, crowned with the impossibly long lashes she got from my husband (yes I'm jealous!) and NOT play. Or NOT fix her a snack. Or NOT take her for a much coveted wagon ride.

Thankfully, I'm good with discipline, and I've taught myself to take advantage of the time I have, which is basically a two-hour naptime stretch in the early afternoon. That's it, my one shot at making my deadlines, creating new proposals, plotting outlines, editing my crit partner's work, scheduling blogs and new release promotions, etc. - unless I want to stay up late past my baby's bedtime. And trust me, toddlers don't sleep in because Mommy stayed up late the night before. It, like all things, is a sacrifice. You have to choose.

So it all goes back to priorities. My daughter is more important than my writing, hands down. Every time. But my writing is more important than catching up on the recorded TV show I'd like to watch or catching a few quick Z's myself during her nap.

Time management is difficult, but doable. No matter your circumstances, find what works best for you, and remember discipline is key. Those days, put on your most practical (but stylish) pumps and get to work.

But also remember that its okay to have off days, days where you cry into the carpet and ask God how its possible any of this will ever work out, days where you'd rather crawl under the covers than return to the revisions on your laptop, days when your fuzzy, ratty bunny slippers are a must. Pray for the discernment to know when to push through and be disciplined, and when to cry in your Father's lap and rest in His presence. He'll help you change shoes accordingly.

Let God define your definition of success. Because without His guidance and help, our writing is truly all in vain anyway.

And that's like wearing flipflops with chipped nail polish. =P

Finding a Writing Topic

I believe it was Erma Bombeck who said she learned early in her writing career that there were two people she could safely make fun of: herself, and Hitler.

I can relate. There are a lot of funny things I could tell you about people I know, but I've found that writing about my friends tends to alienate them from me.

For instance, I would love to tell you about the time my sister almost ran over me with her car.

Or I would love to tell you about the time my dad's pants split while he was preaching a sermon.

Or I would love to tell you about the time my friend's pants fell spontaneously around his ankles while he was standing at a zoo exhibit.

Or I would love to tell you about the time my friend Anna spurted coffee out of her nose all over the celebrity she was interviewing for the newspaper.

Yes, I would love to tell you about all of these things-- but as you can imagine, it would alienate me from my friends.

(So... as you can see, fodder for good stories is everywhere. As long as you get permission, or change the details of the main character and story enough that your friends don't recognize themselves.)

If you could, what would you love to write about? Here's some practice at that mostly-fiction...

B.J.

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B.J. Hamrick is a journalist, humorist, and Real Teen Faith Editorest.

The Home Stretch

Here's the thing I've discovered:

When a novel starts very easily, it tends to end very easily. BUT - when I have trouble starting a novel, I usually have trouble ending it.

It's frustrating.

We've talked a lot on here about starting a novel, book or short story, but how do you end it? I'm facing a February 1st deadline and while I know exactly how this book is going to end, I'm just not too sure how to get there in a timely manner and without adding 10,000 more words to my final word count.

I've heard publishers aren't too fond of that.

So, I keep plodding away. I'm a write-as-I-go kind of a person, so there is very little planning involved in my novels (which might be why I face my current issue).

And here's the other problem - I am SO excited to finish this book, but I'm kind of sad too. It's the last in a series and that means I get to say goodbye to another group of characters who I have had a lot of fun writing about.

So maybe that's the reason for my stalling.

And my curiosity - how do you finish your WIPs? With shouts of joy? With DFPs (double fist pumps)? With the Miss Match series I finished each book with an ice cream sundae. Do you have any rituals you do?

Any I'm off to keep working. And maybe there's another ice cream sundae in the very near future.

Happy writing!

Make 2010 A Year of Big Dreams!

Someone recently asked me to share my advice to teens who aspire to write. I'd like to share the 4 tips I gave as my response here. Because now that 2010 is upon us, we need to keep on dreaming big. God's got great plans for you this year!

#1: You’re never too young for God to use you.
He often puts desires and dreams in our hearts when we’re young to guide us into our callings. Are you passionate about reading, books, and writing? Are you happiest when creating? Allow yourself to pursue those dreams. Chances are God’s given them to you for a purpose.

#2: Follow your heart
It’s easy to talk ourselves out of our dreams. But don’t let yourself, or your friends, or anyone. You have the desire for a reason. God’s got great plans for you!

#3: Bloom where you’re planted
There are always steps we can take right now. Don’t wait until you’re older to begin following your dream. You don’t have to go to college or take a million courses (though some choose that route). I personally learned best by reading other novels and books on the craft.

#4: Be flexible
If we had our way, our dreams would come true right now. But you know that Scripture in Jeremiah 29:11 that talks about God’s ways being higher than our ways? It’s so true. It took 14 very long years before my book was published, and I had to learn to trust God, even when I didn’t feel like it.

I’m glad now that I didn’t get published right away. If my dreams had come true the way I envisioned, it would’ve been a lot harder journey. Commit your life, and your writing to God, and he’ll make sure you get where you need to be at just the right time.

Never give up. It doesn’t matter if you’re seventeen or seventy. I know of many writers who didn’t see success in the publishing arena until they were over fifty. It’s never too late, and it’s always worth pursuing your dreams. Never stop learning.

I look forward to seeing what God brings about in this new year!