Edie Melson's Blog, page 182

What’s on your table for a Thanksgiving launch?

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites
The month of November is a great time to celebrate the launch or recent launch of a book, because November encourages hearts and minds to be grateful for every small blessing and all those monumental ones, too. And what could be more monumental than launching a much-awaited book? Here are my nine offerings for a Thanksgiving launch buffet that I hope can also remind you to keep a spirit of gratefulness in your heart as you launch or prepare to launch a manuscript! 
Launch Menu!
1) A heaping serving of LOVE
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7.
Dear God, thank you that you love me big! Thank you that you love me so much that you’ve allowed me to use my words – your words – for your kingdom purposes.
2) A large helping of JOY
May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Thank you, God, for the joy that comes from the launch of a manuscript or publication. Help me put my trust in you, so that my words overflow onto the page that others might know the joy and peace that only you can provide.
3) A healthy dollop of PEACE 
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Thank you, Lord, for peace amidst the chaos of a book launch, peace that surpasses all understanding. Guard my heart and mind during the challenges of a launch such that my focus remains on Christ Jesus, not numbers, success, nor acclaim. 
4) A lengthy dash of PATIENCE
…and be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 
God, it takes a village to launch a book. Thank you for my village, my tribe, my friend-group, my people. I’m so appreciative of them all! Give me the patience that I need “with everyone” to ensure the best possible outcome of my book, so that you will be glorified and honored.
5) A hearty sprinkle of KINDNESS 
Be kind and compassionate to one another … Ephesians 4:32
Thank you, Father, for the kindness that fellow writers and mentors have shown me throughout my journey to publication. Remind me often to show the same kindness to others in the industry. 
6) A gracious touch of GOODNESS
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:10 
God, thank you for the opportunities that you give me to do good to everyone. Let me never miss one of those opportunities, in my written words, spoken words, or physical actions. 
7) A hefty portion of FAITHFULNESS
Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2
Dear God, thank you for your faithfulness, for it is indeed great. Thank you for giving me the words that now reside on the pages of my book, and help me to be a good steward of those words and prove myself faithful to you. 
8) A plentiful pinch of GENTLENESS
Let your gentleness be evident to all. Philippians 4:5
Dearest Heavenly Father, thank you for the gentleness of those who have patiently encouraged, supported, and assisted me with my manuscript, from concept to completion. Sometimes, it’s not easy being gentle “to all,” but your words instruct me to do so. Help me honor those words and let my gentleness be apparent to those around me.
9) A spilling-over scoop of SELF-CONTROL 
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7
God, thank you for your spirit that resides in me, giving me power and love and self-control. With everything I do for my book launch, let me be guided with power and love and self-control, so that all praise and glory points to you. 
A buffet of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control is most certainly a recipe for a great book launch! 
Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Whether your launch is taking place now or in the days or years ahead, may you have a launch that’s bubbling over with thanksgiving and gratitude to the One who made that launch possible! 
(If you’re in the middle of a book launch, would you share your title below? I’d be honored and grateful to pray for you!)
TWEETABLEWhat’s on your table for a Thanksgiving launch? - @JLavenderWrites on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Julie Lavender is so grateful that God chose her to write 365 Ways To Love Your Child: Turning Little Moments Into Lasting Memories, published by Revell, and she’s especially thankful for the love and support that others have shown to her during her recent book launch. She’d love to pray for your writing and connect with you on social media!

Tips for the Shy Author-Marketer

by Linda Gilden @LindaGilden
Many writers feel that once they put the last period on their manuscripts their jobs are finished. All they have to do is email it to the publisher. 
But that is not quite the case. If you have written a book lately, you know that one of the sections on your proposal included how you were going to help market your book. Market your book? Isn’t that part of what the publisher does?Publishers need your help on this one. Many publishers do not have publicists on staff. And even if they do, they have so many authors to take care of there are really not enough hours to go around. That leaves a huge gap in your book marketing.
So how can you help? 
For those writers who are extroverts, marketing their books is an invitation to plan a party, talk to their friends, and make themselves the center of attention. They can talk and talk and talk about their books to all their friends and even to people they don’t know. When a publisher signs an author who is an extrovert, he had a double blessing. They not only write the book but as soon as they turn it in, they get release teams activated and work hard to let their friends know it’s time to buy their personal copies of the book.
But what if you are an introvert? 
How can you possibly help sell your book? You may not be inclined to join the speaking circuit, schedule big book signings, or call your friends. But there are plenty of things an introvert, the shy marketer, can do to help spread the word about his or her new book.
Tips for the Shy Author-MarketerSet up a book signing at a place that is familiar to you. Your church may be a good choice or a local book store. Spread the word on social media and send personal invitations to those within driving distance. Having your first event among friends will give you experience and build your confidence.Create a blog tour. Search for blogs on the subject of your book. Look for the ones that have the most readers. Send them a quick email and ask if they accept guest bloggers. Let them know you’d like to be a guest blogger and send a list of blogs you have written or could write that would appeal to their readership and have some tie-in to their blog.Send a press release to local newspapers and magazines. Make sure you give your contact information so they can get in touch with you.Write an article that has a connection to your book. Your bio may be the only place that you mention your book. But if you have an issue, a health situation, or a family dilemma that you have solved in your book, write an article about that and pitch it to a health magazine.If you know someone who writes book reviews, ask them to review your book. You can return the favor when their next book comes out. This not only gets the word out about your book but also gives that person a writing credit.Since virtual meetings are key these days, offer to talk about your book to a writers group. You can “visit” groups all over the country. Offer to talk about your book for 30 minutes then answer questions about the book writing process.Whatever your approach, remember that you are important not only as an author, but also as a publicist for your book. Even if you are a shy marketer, you can give a friendly smile and say a few words about your passion for writing and your latest book.
TWEETABLETips for the Shy Author-Marketer - @LindaGilden on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Linda Gilden is an award-winning writer, speaker, editor, certified writing and speaking coach, and personality consultant. Linda is the author of 19 books and over 1000 magazine articles. She enjoys every meeting with editors and knowing we are all part of the same team. Linda’s favorite activity (other than eating folded potato chips) is floating in a pool with a good book surrounded by splashing grandchildren—a great source of writing material! www.lindagilden.com

How a Writer Overcomes Discouragement

by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted
There’s not an author around who hasn’t experienced it. Not one. From the most prolific writer to the newest beginner. Every single one has fought discouragement on some level—be it a critique partner/group, a paid critiquer, or a bad article/book review. None of us are immune.It is important to remember that your outlook on any situation will help you overcome the rough spots, then remember most of the discouragement writers face is not directed personally at you. Many times we end up in the right place at the wrong time and that places us in the line of fire.
Writing is not an easy profession. Like professional acting, there is a great amount of desire to grab the few slots available that will sail us into publication. This is why it is so important your head and your heart are on the same page.
I wish I could tell you there is a reason why someone—even an industry professional, would choose to rake an author over the coals for a work in progress. Especially, when most of the time, their job is to be kind, encourage, and direct an author’s writing. Still, there are horror stories of folks just being mean.
My friend and I were asked to proctor a “First Page” class where two industry publishers would read the first page of their work and critique it in front of the class. My friend chuckled and said, “This is a disaster waiting to happen.” And he was right. Several folks volunteered their first page to be reviewed in the class and what should have been a polite learning session became a free-for-all against the poor authors who were brave enough to share. It was so bad, that at the end of the session, my friend politely thanked the participants and the class and then remarked, “There are counselors at the back of the room for those of you who have been traumatized.” It was terrible. We spent some time afterward reassuring these folks their writing was not that bad. It wasn’t! There simply wasn’t a good excuse for why these publishers felt it necessary to turn a learning session into a massacre. 
Those folks were disappointed, even broken after they’d stepped forward to volunteer their work. I’d dare not say, some walked away from writing completely. 
This is why I love the Christian market. Editors, authors, and publishers spend an immense amount of time with authors at conferences and each one has the attitude, “There is room for us all.” They desire to gently guide, direct, and teach new and seasoned writers to what the industry is looking for so they can reach their goals of publication.
Still, your attitude toward your work is vital. Take these steps to heart as you write so that you are prepared for the things that could happen. 
These tools will help toughen your skin and soften your heart.
It’s not personal: It’s like the cranky coworker that jumps you at the office leaving you standing in a puddle of tears. You truly don’t know what happened to them before they came to work that day. It could be family issues, finances, fear. You just don’t know. But give grace, even when it hurts. Galatians 5 reminds us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Don’t carry your feelings on your shoulder, but strengthen your stance with the confidence that God has gifted you with the desire to write. Remember, He will not send you out without preparing you. Consider the harshness the prod that spurs you to better your work, then shake it off and move ahead. Love those cranky folks, anyway.
Continue to learn the craft: Spend time reading and studying the craft of writing. Attend conferences. Listen to writers podcasts, purchase conference MP3s or CDs. LEARN. The more you read, the more you study, the better equipped you are to write at a higher level. 
Consider rejections rungs on the ladder: Never look at rejection as a bad thing, instead, look at it as a rung on the ladder to success. You made it to the first rung and learned. To the second rung, and learned. On and on, until your work reaches the level that publishers are searching for. Rejections are never bad. They are simply tools to help us learn and better ourselves.
Don’t mope: Give yourself a ten-minute pity party and then buck up and move ahead. Success does not happen sitting in the mud puddle. It happens when you stand up, wipe the mud off your face, and stomp right on through. Besides, stomping in mud puddles is fun. Surely you remember this as a child? Sometimes, we fail to remember the childlike attributes that encourage us to drive ahead. 
Remember: God continually asked the Israelites to REMEMBER. Wear the word on their foreheads, on their door mantles. He wanted them to remember all he’d done for them so they were encouraged to know He would never leave them. When the time comes for you to stand in the position to critique others, then remember. Recount the times others shared great words of encouragement to help you move ahead, and remember the times others tried to stomp out your light because this will direct you to be kinder and gentler to those you critique. Critique with love and kindness, with teaching and direction. Don’t be the one who unleashes discouragement on others. 
This year of Covid has wreaked havoc on so many. It has filled us with fear and discouragement. Do not fear. Do not fall into the grasp of discouragement. Turn the tables and be the light that shines in the darkness. Besides, you are girded with the armor of God. Wear it all. The. Time!
TWEETABLEHow a Writer Overcomes Discouragement - insight from @cindydevoted on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. She is the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries and the executive editor for christiandevotions.us and inspireafire.com. Cindy is the lead managing editor for SonRise Devotionals and also Straight Street Books, both imprints of LPC/Iron Stream Media Publications. She is a mentor with Write Right and the director of the Asheville Chrisitan Writers Conference held each February at the Billy Graham Training Center, the Cove, Asheville, NC. Cindy is a best selling, award winning novelist. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com.

A Different Kind of Birthday Month

by Yvonne Ortega @YvonneOrtega1
My Plans for 2020
A year ago, I planned my birthday month for 2020. My birthday was October 30. I would fly to Myrtle Beach and attend Shari Braendel’s Fashion Meets Faith Beauty Camp October 15-16. My plans at the camp included appointments to get my hair styled and eyebrows shaped. I would also go to the mall and find a new outfit. After the event, I would rent a car and take several days to visit friends in the Charleston area, sign books, and celebrate life. Then the pandemic changed more than my birthday plans for 2020. 
The Pandemic Crashed Head on with My Allergies.
I’m flexible, but the requirements for masks, social distancing, and constant wiping or spraying with Lysol Disinfectant made the trip impossible. Wearing a mask for hours and the smell of the spray and wipes on the plane, much less for days at a time would make my allergies flare. My doctors advised me not to travel. 
How did I celebrate my birthday month? What did I remember?
First, I remembered that others also change their plans. 
One of my cousins has the same allergies I do and cannot tolerate the masks or disinfectant cleaners. She looks forward to the day she can visit her two sisters on the West Coast. However, the fires and heavy smoke prevented her from doing so this year. The pandemic policies of masks and disinfectants do the same. Therefore, she calls, texts, and emails them. 
A prayer warrior friend in North Carolina also suffers from allergies. Heavy metals and toxins have compromised her immune system. The pandemic closed the borders to Europe and ended the dream of a trip with her husband because of the quarantine for two weeks at either end of the trip. 
Because of her age and injuries after a fall, a friend changed her plans. I wasn’t the only one who had to change my travel plans.
Second, I remembered that bad things also happen to good people
My enclosed sunroom air conditioner malfunctioned, and that brand had been discontinued. The new A-C unit wouldn’t arrive for a week. 
To complicate matters, a certified mold expert found mold in the sunroom, which serves as my office. Initially, I needed to move out of the home during the remediation and restoration of the sunroom for three or four days. Later, it turned into a week with additional work in the rest of the house. 
Before I left, I packed the car with clothing, food, and projects to work on. I settled into a nearby hotel on the top floor for those with severe allergies. This all happened in October, my birthday month. During the week, the hotel was practically empty, which helped with the social distancing.
However, many people checked in for the weekend. That meant social distancing on the elevator or taking the stairs all five flights up and down. I definitely completed my exercise goals each day.
Scripture backs up this lesson I remembered. “He [The Father] causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45 NIV).
Third, I remembered that spring-cleaning makes weekly cleaning easier.
I thought I had eliminated piles of books, clothes, and other items I didn’t use. The remediation & restoration project showed me otherwise. Before my departure for the hotel, I had tossed five or six bags of junk and had also donated that many bags of items to the thrift store. 
The elimination of junk makes weekly cleaning easier and faster. And those donations bless others who can’t afford to pay full price. 
When I returned home, I bagged another six bags for the thrift store. I also shredded or tossed at least six more bags of unwanted items. I repeated this Bible verse to help me do it with a positive attitude: “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23 NASB). 
My godly friend hadn’t done any spring cleaning and didn’t have a chance to sort through bags or boxes when her attic leaked. She and her husband had to pack and leave immediately. She said, “When we move back home, I’ll have to unpack countless boxes of unwanted, moldy, or musty items.”
And my birthday? My friend and I ate lunch at a local restaurant.
In conclusion, here are the lessons I remembered:Others also change their travel plans.Bad things happen to good people too.Spring-cleaning makes weekly cleaning easier.Ask God which of these lessons he would have you work on this week. 
TWEETABLEA Different Kid of Birthday Month - @YvonneOrtega1 on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Yvonne’s background as a licensed professional counselor brings a unique perspective into the heart of women. She’s a speaking and writing coach and the owner of Moving from Broken to Beautiful®, LLC. She belongs to the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, the Christian Authors Network, the National Speakers Association, and Toastmasters International.
She celebrates life at the beach, where she walks, builds sand castles, blows bubbles, and dances.

Take a Slow Ride

by Martin Wile @LinesFrom God
Rarely did the speedometer register over twenty-five miles per hour in any old pickup he drove.
As long as I knew him, my maternal grandfather—Pappy we called him—never got in a hurry. He didn’t have to punch a time clock—he was a farmer. But he did have somewhat of a schedule. He got up at five every morning, dressed, drank a cup of Sanka instant coffee, and went to the wrap-around porch of his old farmhouse—the house he and my grandmother had once rented, but now owned. And there he sat in an old lawn chair. As he waited for the sun to top the pines that bordered his farmland, he smoked either Chesterfield or Camel non-filter cigarettes and swatted at flies that visited from two chicken houses that were nestled across the road and at the other end of a large flatland field. 
By the time the sun crested the tall, long-leaf pines, my grandmother had breakfast cooked—a breakfast that would test even the heartiest of arteries. After eating, Pappy might do a little plowing on his small red Farmall tractor, ride over to another farm he owned and check the crops, check his fence rows to make sure no hogs had rooted out, or drive two miles to town to Bert Sweat’s General Store where he and other farmers would gather for a Pepsi or a Coke and a pack of Nabs. 
Regardless of where my grandfather went, he took a slow ride in his pickup—and my cousin and I loved to ride with him. If we weren’t sitting on the edge of the truck bed, we were standing up behind the cab, letting the wind blow in our faces or throwing dead Magnolia tree blossoms at road signs. Innocent fun. But our favorite thing was sitting on the tailgate and dragging our feet on the asphalt as my grandfather puttered along. Something that was legal back in the day. 
When I think of these slow rides to town or to Pappy’s other farm, I think of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Good friends of Jesus who often had Him over for a meal or just fellowship. On this occasion, Martha busied herself preparing a meal.“But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing (Luke 10:40 NLT).
Mary, though, took a slow ride, which caused her sister to complain to Jesus. But Jesus soon set Martha straight. Mary’s slow ride benefitted her more than Martha’s fast-paced ride. 
COVID slowed us down for a while, but it only took a few months for the pace to pick back up. In our busy world, everyone wants a piece of us. Employers want countless hours. Others want our time, talents, and money. And the entertainment world wants any free time we have left over. All of this is compounded by advances in technology. Slowing down isn’t easy. In fact, it won’t happen unless we make a concerted effort.
My cousin and I could have easily found something else to busy ourselves with, but we chose the slow ride. And those lazy days around the farm have helped me understand the necessity of taking slow rides in life. Slow rides mean better physical, emotional, and—most of all—spiritual health. 
So, go ahead and take a slow ride. You won’t regret it, your family will appreciate it, and your enjoyment of life will move to a higher level.
TWEETABLETake a Slow Ride - encouragement from Martin Wiles, @LinesFromGod on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Martin Wiles is the founder of Love Lines from God (www.lovelinesfromgod.com) and serves as Managing Editor for Christian Devotions, Senior Editor for Inspire a Fire, and Proof Editor for Courier Publishing. He has authored six books and has been published in numerous publications. His most recent book, A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Busy World, released in December 2019. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, author, and pastor.

5 Tips For Writing In A Crowded House

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth
“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” Virginia Woolf
I think that for most writers, having a room to themselves where they can work is a dream. I have a book on my shelf with pictures and descriptions of the different places writers work. Some have beautiful views overlooking the ocean or something off a post card. Others work in a room without a window, so they won’t be distracted. Some have impeccably organized desks while others work from piles.Over on writersunboxed.com, Kim Bullock wrote a lovely post (here’s the link https://www.thepassivevoice.com/do-writers-need-a-room-of-their-own/) on the virtues of having your own writing space. 
But, this is 2020, the year of COVID. Many of our kids are doing school online at home. Many of the activities we sent them to in the past are cancelled or limited.
And some of our spouses are now staying home and working virtually. It’s great they don’t have the long commute twice every day. But it makes the house a lot smaller.
This year, even for a lot of empty nesters, our dreams of having our own writing space went up in smoke. Or hand sanitizer. You may be lucky to be able to sit at a table.
Thank the Lord for laptops.
Let me give some tips for writing in a crowded house.
1. Accept chaos. Nobody has been through this before. In most homes, you need to have structure. That’s why we have parents. But there will be mistakes, raw nerves, and unmet needs or wants. There will be schedules that overlap or someone forgets an appointment. Have grace. With others and with yourself. 
2. Forget writing in long chunks of time. It is great to be able to lose yourself in your writing. Ahh, a writer’s nirvana. Ain’t going to happen in a crowded house. Someone is going to want wifi, help with a math problem, or a cookie. It’s just going to happen. So, instead of trying to set aside three hours, write in the minutes when it’s quiet.
3. Go outside. Don’t spend all day inside, especially now that the days are shorter. (Grrr) Take your writing outside. You may need to take a blanket. Of course, I just saw where Denver went from snow to 70 degrees inside a week. And at least once, send the kiddos outside.
4. Look at the long term. As we see in Ecclesiastes, this is just for a season. Maybe a rocky season, but it will pass. And the kids will be gone. I know you are in the chaos now, but, occasionally, remember to look around and enjoy the blessings God has given you. Even if you do want to strangle them. Which brings us to the last tip.
5. Laugh at the craziness of it all. This is a weird year. All of our routines, habits, and schedules have been tossed into the air. Nobody could plan for this or see what the ramifications would be when we first heard of the virus in March.
Our leaders, our families, and our friends are just trying to get through this the best we can. It’s one thing to have to hunt through three states to find toilet paper, it’s another when you are looking at cancelling Thanksgiving and Christmas. (No. Christmas will never be cancelled. Just some of the parties.)
This year is crazy. It is stressful. And scary. And it hasn’t stopped. For any of us. Laugh when you can. Cry when you need to. Seek a virtual shoulder when it becomes too much. And be a virtual shoulder whenever you can.
As much as no one could foresee a year like this, 2020 did not sneak up and surprise God. He knows what you and I are going through. He’s here with us. He has already placed the Lifesavers in line for when we need them. I can’t wait until all this mess is over and we can see where God stepped into our lives for each of us.
TWEETABLE5 Tips for #Writing in a Crowded House - @TimSuddeth on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Tim Suddeth is a stay-at-home dad and butler for his wonderful, adult son with autism. He has written numerous blogs posts, short stories, and three novels waiting for publication. He is a frequent attendee at writers’ conferences, including the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and a member of Word Weavers and ACFW. He lives near Greenville, SC where he shares a house with a bossy Shorky and three too-curious Persians. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, or at timingreenville.com.

What I Learned When I Failed NaNoWriMo

by A.C. Williams @Free2BFearless
I tried NaNoWriMo for the first time last year. For those of you who aren’t familiar with NaNoWriMo, it refers to National Novel Writing Month. It’s a massive writing event that happens every year in November (https://nanowrimo.org/) and supports authors around the world in a goal to write a novel in a month.I had always wanted to try it. November is usually such a busy time of year for me, though, but last year I determined to give it a go. I had a new novel to write. I had everything ready to go. I made a plan on how many words I needed to write every day in order to make the goal of 50,000 words.
I had no doubt that I would succeed.
I write really fast. Word count has never been a problem for me. I could crank out 10,000 words a day easy peasy. It was actually common for me to write more than that. With a NaNoWriMo goal of 50K, I figured I was set. I could do that in a few weekends. 
So, at the end of November last year, once NaNoWriMo was over … how did I end up with less than 30K? I failed NaNoWriMo by more than 20,000 words. Sure, writing 30K in a month is a big deal, but not for me. That’s a good weekend of writing for me. 
At least, it used to be.
I know what all my slower word-count writer friends say: “You wrote 30K in a month! That’s amazing!” And my grumbling response was that I’d one written 34K in a single day. So since I had obviously failed NaNoWriMo so horribly, there must be something wrong with me. Or maybe I wasn’t as good a writer as I thought I was. Or maybe this whole writing thing had just been a pipe dream that wasn’t actually achievable, and I’ve been fooling myself for 30 years believing that I could do this.
Yes, can you hear sad violins playing?
In case any of you are participating in NaNoWriMo this year, or if any of you plan to in future years, let me offer you some encouragement gleaned from my experience when I failed NaNoWriMo.
First off, you don’t tell stories in a vacuum. Even if writing is the only thing you do for a living, life has its own challenges and special circumstances and stressors. Life is distracting, y’all. Sure, you can learn to overcome distractions, but when your life is cram-packed full of family drama, ministry work, holiday preparations, it’s really difficult to prioritize your word count. 
What I didn’t take into account in starting NaNo last year was that I had just moved across the country to a new living situation in October. Also, in October, I help direct a gigantic outreach program my church does. Both of those are enormous drains on mental and emotional fortitude, and as much as I’d like to claim that my emotional health doesn’t affect my writing, I can’t. If my emotions are out of whack, I can’t write.
Secondly, I hadn’t written fiction regularly in a long time. Sure, I’d throw some words together in fits and spurts whenever I could cram it in, but to sit down and just write every day? Yeah, that wasn’t happening. I was too busy, and I hadn’t prioritized it. So leaping into NaNoWriMo without practicing was like trying to run a marathon when you’ve done nothing but lay on the couch and eat chocolate for the last year.
Creativity is a muscle, and if you don’t exercise it, it atrophies.  
Thirdly, and most importantly, I had become a better writer. Back in the days when I could crank out 20K in a day, I wasn’t a bad writer, but my focus was certainly more quantity over quality. As I’ve grown in my craft, my writing has gotten deeper, more vibrant, more professional. I produce really clean drafts now, whereas when I was a young writer in my 20s I just slapped words on the page and moved forward.
I had to accept (and embrace) the fact that I couldn’t write 10K high quality words in a single day and still be able to write at the same level the next day. It was a huge turning point for me to understand that just because I wrote less meant I was actually accomplishing more.
So if you are participating in NaNoWriMo this year, let me offer you this advice: Give yourself some grace. 
This year has been nightmarish on so many levels. The emotional drain is real. Don’t push yourself to the breaking point as you write and create. Consider the other things happening in your life and take them into account when you work on your daily word count. 
Even if you fail NaNoWriMo like I did, you can still learn from it. I’m not officially doing NaNoWriMo this year, but I am writing a little bit every day on my fiction novel. And if I calculations are right, I’ll have 40K and a new finished book by the time November 30 gets here. AND I’ll have the brainpower to wake up the morning and write some more. I’ll take that.
TWEETABLEWhat I Learned When I Failed #NaNoWriMo - A.C. Williams, @Free2BFearless on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
A.C. Williams is a coffee-drinking, sushi-eating, story-telling nerd who loves cats, country living, and all things Japanese. She’d rather be barefoot, and if isn’t, her socks will never match. She likes her road trips with rock music, her superheroes with snark, and her blankets extra fuzzy, but her first love is stories and the authors who are passionate about telling them. Learn more about her book coaching services and follow her adventures on social media @free2bfearless.

Thoughts on Writerly Gratitude

by Lynn Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn
November is the time of year in the U.S. when it’s become common practice to focus on what we’re grateful for. People will share gratitude posts on social media every day. Children will write down things they are thankful for on leaves that will be attached to tiny trees or made into decorative garlands that will adorn tables at Thanksgiving. There’s nothing wrong with any of it, but I think because it’s so common, it’s easy to forget how important it is. But writerly gratitude is vital to a writer's well-being.Perhaps more this year than ever before. Because 2020 has been tough.
I know I’m not alone in this, but I don’t like change. I don’t like upheaval, discontent, or strife. I’m a peacemaker, and when I’m engulfed in turmoil that I cannot fix, it weighs on me and impacts everything I do. 
All of which has made 2020 mentally, emotionally, and creatively exhausting. It’s hard to create when you’re distracted and dealing with omnipresent low-level frustration about the state of the world. 
And this is where gratitude comes in. I can’t change the state of the world, but I can focus my thoughts in a different direction. I can make the effort to remember all the things that are awesome and wonderful about my life. And thankful hearts are less anxious and more at peace.
So I decided it was time to ground myself in gratitude. To do this, I made a list of things I have found myself appreciating more than ever this year. 
Here are the writerly items that made the list:
1. Technology. Y’all, can you even imagine what 2020 would have been like without it? I’m thankful for Zoom, for virtual brainstorming sessions, for on-line classes, for email, for texting, and for the way all of these things have kept me from feeling completely isolated and alone. 
2. Well-written stories. I’ve read a lot in 2020. Probably too much. But I’ve never been so thankful for the gift of story, for the way a story, well told, can give me a much-needed diversion from painful reality, and it can also uplift, encourage, and strengthen me to face reality with grace and fresh hope. 
3. Frixion pens. Have y’all used these? They come in lots of colors and they are erasable. I am in love with the navy to the point that I have them stashed everywhere. Given the number of times my plans have changed in 2020, erasable pens have become an indispensable tool.
4. My bullet journal. I’ve been using a bullet journal for years and wow, has 2020 really made it shine. When every day feels like a choose-your-own adventure story, having a flexible and personalized planner is crucial. My love for my bullet journal was already strong, but it has been cemented this year.
5. Scrivener. I could have put this in the technology category, but it really deserves its own mention. I write everything in Scrivener, but when my creativity has been scattered and disjointed the way it has been in 2020, Scrivener’s innate ability to organize my writing has been a blessing. 
6. Food delivery. 2020 has brought restaurant and grocery delivery into the mainstream like never before. I’ve been a fan of grocery delivery for a while, especially when I’m on a deadline. But I can’t say I’d really jumped on the restaurant delivery bandwagon. Then Chick-fil-A offered me free delivery, and not having to leave home and having my Chick-fil-A sandwich, waffle fries, and tea brought to my door was a game changer! 
7. Airpods. I’m a homeschooling mom, so I’m used to having my kids at home during the school year. But even I wasn’t used to having my kids home as much as they’ve been in 2020! Enter AirPods. When I need to tune out the latest episode of American Ninja Warrior or whatever craziness they are watching on YouTube, I can pop those babies in, crank up some film scores, and get some words on the page. 
8. Chocolate and coffee. True story: These two items have made frequent appearances in my personal gratitude journal for years, so this is nothing new. But I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to tackle 2020 without them.
9. The writing community. We’re an odd bunch, we writers. There’s no way around that. We get excited about story structure and world building. We talk about characters like they are real people, and some of us even talk TO them like they are real people . . . and they ANSWER us. Non-writers do not get that, and it’s always been important to have people in my life who do understand. So while I’ve always been thankful for my writing friends, I’ve never been more thankful than in 2020. I’m an introvert and you might think the pandemic would work for me, but even introverts need community and connection. And my extroverted writer friends have needed it desperately. And it’s happened. Writers have embraced technology and have made it work for us. And I think when this is over, the writing community will be stronger than ever. 
So how about you? What writerly things are you thankful for? What has kept you going over the past few months? Is there something you appreciate now that you didn’t before? 
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Grace and peace,



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Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she's a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she's sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas! 
Lynn’s titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award. Her newest series kicks off in March 2021 with Unknown Threat, Book 1 in the Defend and Protect series. 
She is a frequent conference speaker and has taught Scrivener to writers all over the country. Lynn lives in South Carolina with her true love and their three children. You can follow her real life happily ever after at LynnHBlackburn.com and @LynnHBlackburn on Bookbub, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Four Ways for a Writer to Think Like a Reader

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer
Why does a reader buy a book? What is it that attracts them? Of course, that's the $64,000 question that we all ask. But maybe we need to think like a reader instead of a writer. If we can create a "need" in the reader, they will be much more likely to pick up that book and lay down their money. Readers have expectations of what a book is, usually based on the cover, the title and the back-of-the-book blurb. So we use our pitch to hook the reader by accentuating the work’s POINT OF DIFFERENCE. How is our story different than all the rest of the millions of stories out there?1. Think about what you want to know about a book before you buy it. Because readers are looking for very specific things. Some will only read a particular genre, while others are more eclectic. But all of them have favorites. For instance, I'll read almost anything except horror, not because they're not well done but because they keep me up at night, listening to every tiny sound my house makes. Not good! Other people will read every inspirational romance they can find, but won't pick up a fantasy adventure. So we writers have to understand exactly WHO we're writing for. This doesn’t mean that we change our own tastes, but we have to understand our brand. A multi-published friend of mine wrote a fiction story about weddings where her two main protagonists threw cake at each other. Her first reviews were terrible because the people who like to read about weddings didn't know this one was not only a wedding, but a war. She changed her branding of the book and now it is selling very well – to the "right" people who enjoy that type of thing.
2. A cover needs to "tell your story" in a single glance. I stood in a book store several years ago when two boys came in to buy their mother a book for Mother's Day. They stood in front of the romance section for several minutes, and I watched the consternation on their faces as they realized that all the covers "looked the same." They finally chose one. The cover was not a clinch between two lovers, it was a single rose. They left, happy that they had found something different. What does your cover convey to a potential buyer? Is it clear and uncluttered? Is the title and your name prominently displayed, and on target? Or will the buyer go on to the next one?
3. The back of the book is where you "tease" the reader with what the book is about. 
If it's fiction, you'll introduce at least one character with his or her compelling need, present the external situation which causes the main characters and their agendas to clash, and hint at the major conflict they face in order to mesh, settle their inter-personal tensions, complete their own internal journeys, and resolve the external plot. 
In non-fiction, you tell the reader what you're going to tell them, so you can tell them in the book itself. 
Give specific, compelling details in both fiction and non-fiction and then be sure to follow up in the book with what you've promised.
4. But all of these things go to zilch if you don't write an enthralling story, full of all those things that we readers love. My best suggestion is to determine your "perfect" reader and imagine you're writing to him or her. In a "how-to" book, we might pick a reader who is smart and clever but just doesn't understand something that is completely simple to us. How would you explain to them how that gizmo works? Maybe it's an inspirational study guide. What would you say to someone in crisis over coffee or who just needs someone to listen? A fiction book, no matter what the genre, needs to allow me to wrap myself in another world, and make me laugh and cry and shout with joy when a character wins. 
Once you make the decision of who you're writing for, and why, writing becomes exponentially easier, because the path is laid out in front of you. 
Who is your "perfect" reader? Why?
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Sarah (Sally) Hamer is a lover of books, a teacher of writers, and a believer in a good story. Most of all, she is eternally fascinated by people and how they 'tick'. She’s passionate about helping people tell their own stories, whether through fiction or through memoir. Writing in many genres - mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, medieval history, non-fiction – she has won awards at both local and national levels, including two Golden Heart finals.
A teacher of memoir, beginning and advanced creative fiction writing, and screenwriting at Louisiana State University in Shreveport for almost twenty years, she also teaches online for Margie Lawson at www.margielawson.com. Sally is a free-lance editor and book coach at Touch Not the Cat Books, with many of her students and clients becoming successful, award-winning authors. 
You can find her at hamerse@bellsouth.net or www.sallyhamer.blogspot.com
From Sally: I wish to express gratitude to the giants whose shoulders I stand on and who taught me so much about the writing craft. I would list every one, if it were only possible.

In Notes a Wise Writer Trusts

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

My first interview as a reporter, I arrived armed with a recording device and a cub’s notebook containing strategically prepared questions.
The subject of my feature story was gracious and generous with his time and information. Back at my desk, I set about writing the profile, only to discover that the recorder had fritzed. Not a single word from the hour-long conversation had been preserved.Thankfully, I had taken notes beside my list of questions in the notebook, partially out of habit and mostly to steady (camouflage) my nervousness. Those quotes were gems for the article.
A few years later, I landed a phone interview with another high profile person. Kind, genuine, and humble, she quickly put me at ease and made my job effortless. During our conversation, she provided excellent material, taught me a lot, and in the process somehow made me feel like I was the important one on the call.
Because of schedules, this phone interview occurred late evening. Following the call, my notes were moved to the side of the desk and I went to bed. Fast forward a couple weeks while completing other chapters in the book project before I revisited those vital notes. Of course my quickly scribbled notetaking was in my own brand of shorthand and after the passage of time it took twice as long to expand the phrases and put them in order. 
The lesson I learned is, whether my notes are handwritten or typed into my laptop, I either write the rough draft while everything is fresh or take that vital 20 minutes following the interview to fill in the details and embellish shorthand into complete thoughts and quotes that will be clear for the final writing. 
Even if I record an interview, I take notes. Several times my recording didn’t turn out, or the quality was inconsistent often due to movement and interruptions during the interview. Each time I’ve been able to transform the trusty notes into a fine article.
And that interview that made me feel like I was the important one on the call? She’s become a treasured friend and coauthor. Every encounter, I learn something valuable from her and she still treats me like I’m the most important person in our conversations. Some folks are class acts and a privilege to interview.
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Tropical island votary and history buff, PeggySue Wells parasails, skydives, snorkels, scuba dives, and has taken (but not passed) pilot training. Writing from the 100-Acre wood in Indiana, Wells is the bestselling author of twenty-eight books including The Slave Across the Street, Slavery in the Land of the Free, Bonding With Your Child Through Boundaries, Homeless for the Holidays, and Chasing Sunrise. Optimistic dream-driver, PeggySue is named for the Buddy Holly song with the great drumbeat. At school author visits, she teaches students the secrets to writing, and speaks at events and conferences. Connect with her at www.PeggySueWells.com, on Facebook at PeggySue Wells, and Twitter @PeggySueWells.