Five Ways to Keep Your Writing Engine Running

Ever come across the perfect encouragement exactly when you need it? Well, that's exactly what happened this week when I was in a bit of a writing rut.

So with no further adieu, check out Five Ways to Keep Your Writing Engine Running because there's such good stuff, particularly #2 about setting smaller goals and #5 where is encourages you to "meet your monsters."

Yeah, I've met a few of those along the way, that's for sure! :)

Conference Update

I'm back!

And I have one word:

WHEW.

I'm still recovering from the bliss of having Starbucks available every day. ;) Not to mention reeling from all the info I soaked in! I wanted to give you guys an update though before I dive back into reality.

Here are some highlights of the weekend: (in no set order)

1. Learning new elements of craft, especially on Deep POV (point of view) by Kristen Heitzmann
2. Stalking Kristen Heitzmann (a fav author) and getting to hang out and visit. LOVE her!!
3. Stalking Julie Klassen and doing the same!! :)
4. Sitting in on the advanced author continuing education session (have to have 2 books or more published to attend) and learning a ridiculous amount of helpful marketing/insider industry info from Allen Arnold, Publisher at Thomas Nelson, \Julie Guinn, editor and B&H marketing guru, and Jim Rubart, author of "Rooms" and all around great guy.
5. Dressing up for the awards night and rocking my new dress which I hope to wear again soon (was actually comfortable!)
6. Laughing when my roommate accidentally stole her napkin (and found it later in her purse) because of being so nervous during a lunch-time pitch to an editor
7. The Barbour author dinner cruise on the river
8. Happening to see a live proposal under the Arch in St. Louis walking back from the cruise (seriously, was just walking and suddenly saw a man on one knee with ring box posed! Was so romantic! And she apparently said yes! hehe)
9. Hugging Susan May Warren who I only get to see once a year
10. Squealing and greeting old and new friends
11. Forming a new connection with a sweet girl in the prayer room
12. Getting to officially meet my new agent Steve Laube (I'm still represented by Tamela Hancock Murray, but she merged with the Steve Laube Agency so now I'm a part of their joint team)
13. Laughing at Susan Warren and Rachel Hauck making elephant trunks with their arms during the awards banquet
14. Laughing at Susan Warren for not realizing why she had thunder playing during her award win (long story. lol)
15. The amazing food.
16. Joining in the general shock that we had greenbeans at every meal
17. Watching my book FIREMAN DAD sell out of the conference bookstore
18. Coming home with 17 books. Yes, 17.
19. Giggling with my roommates
20. Making new connections in the industry
21. The amazing worship time
22. Receiving a very distinct message from God about my ministry
23. A ton of mochas...mmm...
24. Jamming in the lobby to live music late Friday night with other authors
25. Seeing my sweet agent in person again
26. Taking a ridiculous amount of pictures
27. Comfy hotel pilllows
28. Candy corn in bed
29. Getting excited about new marketing ideas
30. Buying Little Miss three presents
31. Hearing Little Miss tell me on the phone that she earned her AWANA's vest (had to memorize and recite several Bible verses! She worked so hard!)
32. Finally getting to wear boots
33. Listening to Tracie Peterson be keynote speaker
34. Watching dear friends win awards for their novels
35. Anticipating next year in Dallas!

There's more. But I'm still tired. So that's all I can think of now :)

And here is a link to all my conference pics via Facebook! (just a few HA!)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150298805466701.333634.513656700&l=c9e414a36f&type=1

The Blues

You pour your heart and soul into a story. You spend hours upon days upon weeks upon months writing this book. You think about it when you're going to bed and it's one of the first things you think about waking up. Plot lines come to you in the middle of the night, character details are fleshed out in the shower.

The book is your baby.

So, you take a deep breath and take it to a conference. You meet an agent who amazingly enough wants to represent you. And then he/she begins to send it to publishers.

And then they come.

By the singles, then the doubles, then sometimes by the dozens.

Rejection letters.

If you are really wanting to pursue writing, you're going to HAVE to develop a thick skin. People are going to say mean things about your work - whether it's an editor turning down your book or a reader who didn't like it - you will never make everyone a fan of your writing.

It stinks.

Sometimes, I have to make myself not look on Amazon because I can really get into a mini-depression when I read some of the reviews on my books. I start thinking that no one likes them, why should I bother, it's not worth it, etc., etc. It's so easy to fly right past the great reviews to the ones that are awful.

Not everyone is going to like what you have to say. Not everyone is going to read your book and laugh or smile or feel like they know God better.

But one person might.

Maybe that one person will even come to know Him for the first time.

Would that make it worth the heartache? Worth the sinking feeling deep in your stomach when someone harshly criticizes something you poured yourself into?

Yes.

So keep at it! Write what you feel the need to write. When all is said and done, the only review that matters is the one that God gives. And if you're writing to glorify Him, then I guarantee that you'll get five stars. :)

Do You Suffer From Writing Commitment-Phobia?

From the first time I read Judy Blume's hilarious Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing back in third grade, I knew that if Judy actually got paid to make up stories for a living, that's exactly what I wanted to do.

But as much as I dreamed about writing novels, I didn't make any serious progress until 2006. Sure, I had plenty of "valid" excuses (I'm a journalist, so I already write all day long, I'd rather hang out with my friends than glue myself to my computer all weekend, et. al.) not to make any real progress. But when January 1 inevitably rolled around once again, I still was majorly disappointed that I wasn't really any closer to my goal. So I set yet another goal and hoped for change in the new year.

What I eventually realized, however, was that I was rather commitment-phobic about the whole process. The reason that I wasn't making any progress is because I'd failed to get in the proper mindset. See, actually committing to one novel idea (and seeing it through) can be a scary proposition. In fact, you find yourself (or at least, I did) asking the following progress-hindering questions:

*What if I really get going with this idea and end up not liking it 37,563 words down the road?
*What if the market really changes in the midst of writing and my once-phenomenal idea seems dated?
*What if NO ONE on Planet Earth thinks my book is the proverbial best thing since sliced bread?

What if? What if? What if? I guess what I eventually figured out that not putting pen to paper and giving it a real shot would be much, much worse. There will always be a million reasons to convince yourself not to write what's been on your heart, but making a bold attempt to do so will at least give you an opportunity to say "I gave it my best shot."

And for me, my best shot led to the publication of two novels I still adore to pieces. :)

Need further inspiration on how to overcome your writing commitment-phobia? Check out this fantastic article from Huffington Post writer Arielle Ford, and trust me, you'll be inspired.

Leaaaaavin', in a Malibu....

I'm leaving today for the 2011 ACFW Conference in St. Louis (with a local author and her hubby) so I will be out of pocket the rest of the week. (three cheers for NOT flying! YAY!!!)

I hope you guys have a great week and I'd love some extra prayers while I'm gone! Especially for travel safety, health, networking opportunities, and for my family that I will leave behind for 5 days. And I'm really hoping God uses this trip in a way that will let me be a blessing to someone in need, in a way that others have blessed me before.

And guess what?

When I get back, I plan on sharing a BUNCH of the new fabulous writing tips I learned while I was gone! :)

Stay tuned, it'll be great!

Now. Who has a mocha? ::yawn::

Work It On Out

BJ is undoubtedly staring at her GORGEOUS baby girl right now, so I'm going to fill in for her today. ;) So, stretch those writing muscles and get ready for a few exercises!

Stuck in a story? Here's a few prompts to get the creative juices flowing!

1. Write in a journal or a blog. Sometimes, just writing something totally different can inspire me to keep going!

2. Imagine you were a food or drink. What would you be? Why? What would the members of your family be?

3. Finish the following sentence: "I knew it was bad when I saw Henry stuck inside a..."

4. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Try to describe something in ten words instead - but not just any ten words. All ten words have to begin with the same letter. Example: Teapot. Tiny. Tin...

5. Finally, try to write a short story using only common cliches. Like, "Not to beat around the bush, but Laura was not your average, run-of-the-mill girl."

Have fun! And please, feel free to share your creativity with the rest of us!! :)

When the Tough Get Going

Yes, I realize that today's post title sounds like a deodorant ad. Or maybe a product for athlete's foot. Or maybe something that works for anything involving the fight against not-so-pleasant smells.

ANYWAY.

I have gotten many, many, many emails over the last few years asking me some form of this:

I always start a story and everything is going great and then suddenly I run out of ideas / hit a roadblock / lose interest / get bored with my story - how do I actually finish a book???

There's a few different tricks you can try!

Sometimes, you need to just put the book aside for a couple of days. Go see a movie, take a walk, go the gym, do something creative that isn't writing - like drawing or crafting or painting (if those are things you enjoy). Most of the time, I find that this works the best for me. I'll close my laptop and go do something different. Sometimes, even a change of scenery can help. If I was writing inside, I move outside. If I was writing on the couch, I move to my desk. Anything to change my mood and morale a little bit.

If that doesn't work, read back through your story with a pair of scissors. Cut anything and everything that doesn't move the story forward. Does it add to the story? No? Clip it. Paste it in another Word document and keep going. Sometimes "purging" your story can give you the motivation to keep going - and it can remind you of ideas or plot lines that you might have forgotten along the way.

And if both of those fail, and you aren't on a deadline, put the story away. Maybe for just a few weeks, maybe forever. This is the final straw option, but I have pulled the final straw MANY times in my life. I have countless stories that will never ever see completion, much less the light of day. Casualties will always litter the floor of a writing room. ;)

But sometimes, even those stories can be revived. Almost three years ago, I came up with the idea for a girl who loves to draw and ends up accidentally sketching a Most Wanted criminal. I worked on it for a couple of weeks, changed my mind and put it away for awhile. Then, I kept thinking about it. Pulled it out again. Starting chopping and working. And last month, Sketchy Behavior was released in bookstores.

You never know what God will do with your stories! So keep at it!