Edie Melson's Blog, page 216

Would You Nominate The Write Conversation?

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Well it's that time of year again, and I'm asking for a special holiday gift from all of my loyal readers. Would you help us get The Write Conversation recognized as on of the Writer's Digest Top 101 Websites for Writers? It only takes a quick email. 

This year it's easy, just send an email. They're also asking for suggestions for categories. Here's a link to the entire Writer's Digest article: Call for the Best 101 Websites for Writers Nominations.

If you don't have time to read the article, here's the short version of how to nominate us:

Send your nominations to Writer's Digest at:

wdsubmissions@aimmedia.com 
with the subject line: 
101 Best Websites Nomination.
Whether we win or not, I want to thank you for being the BEST writing community on the web!

Blessings,
Edie
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Recovery from a Book Launch Disaster

Edie here. Today I'm so excited to present a publishing industry giant. Terry has an incredible amount of knowledge and since he's just published a new book— 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed —I convinced him to come on and share some of it with us. I know you will be blessed. Give him a big TWC welcome!


Recovery from a Book Launch Disaster
by Terry Whalin @TerryWhalin

How do you recover from a book launch disaster? Over 4,500 new books are published every day.  As someone who has been in publishing for years, I understand without the author's active role, little happens. In recent years, I've watched authors launch books and participate in their launch teams. I've gotten advance reading copies of the book, read it then posted my reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble. I've taken online courses on launching books. As an acquisitions editor for a New York publisher, Morgan James Publishing, I've watched many other authors launch their books. Like many things in publishing, I've found not everything will go according to your plans.
While I've written more than 60 books, I haven't published a new book in several years. My new book,  10 Publishing Myths  released to the bookstores on December 17th. Earlier this year, I asked New York Timesbestselling author, Jerry B. Jenkins to write my foreword. Also I gathered 18 endorsements from other bestselling authors, publishers, editors, literary agents and publicity experts. 
When editor and writing coach Alice Crider sent her endorsement, she told me I was missing the 11th publishing myth: “If I send my book to Oprah, she will book me on her show.” I laughed then I decided to write this chapter and have it designed exactly like the rest of the book. You can get it immediately at this link. 
Plans were moving forward. The cover was designed and went to the sales team. Often they never respond but for my book, they suggested some changes to my cover. Simultaneously I worked with a former Hollywood screenwriter to create a one-minute book trailer and printed business cards (with my first book cover).  
Months ago,  I had Advanced Reader Copies. took them to a couple of writers' conferences and sold a few books. A reader emailed asking if I wanted feedback. I said of course. This reader turned out to be a proofreader and sent a detailed email with over 50 typos, missing words, wrong words and other errors. I fixed everything—thankfully before the print or ebooks were released in the bookstores.
My book launch didn't happen as planned. Maybe your published book isn't selling as you expected. I've got good news: it is never too late to promote your book. Here's some things you can do for your book—no matter when it releases:
1. Do what you can  every day  to tell more people about your book. It doesn't have to be a lot but be consistent in your efforts.
2. Gather your own resources and use them. They can be simple like use your email list, write a  blog, write a guest blog posts, or ask friends to read and review your book.

3. Make your own promotion page. For  10 Publishing Myths , I created a page to help others promote my book. Look at the diversity and see if you can do something similar. 
4. Make an excellent and short book trailer. People need to hear about your book over and over before they buy it. A good good trailer helps in this effort. Follow this link to see my one-minute trailer.
Your passion for your topic and book will carry beyond a launch date.  You can continue no matter what happens—part of being a writer is to have such persistence and perseverance. In spite of any glitches along the way, you can keep going. 

TWEETABLE
How do you recover from a Launch Disaster? Get ideas and resources from a prolific author and editor, @terrywhalin. (ClickToTweet)

10 Publishing Myths
Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed
by Terry Whalin

Because of the common misconceptions and conflicting information about publishing, many authors are left confused when it is time to publish their book. These authors often focus only on the content of their book, but either ignore or do not fully understand the business side of publishing. While there is nothing wrong with ambitious authors having big dreams for their books, they also need to be realistic and well-informed about the publishing industry they are entering. 10 Publishing Myths explains everything authors need to know about publishing so they can make their dreams a reality.
10 Publishing Myths is designed to give authors a full, realistic picture of the book publishing process and the market that their book is entering. Author and editor W. Terry Whalin addresses not only the misconceptions about publishing, but also the specific steps that authors can take to ensure their book’s success. By following the advice in this detailed guide, authors gain the advantage they need when entering the publishing industry. Through helpful insight based upon real-world experience, 10 Publishing Myths gives authors the best possible chance for success.

W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. His work contact information is on the bottom of the second page (follow this link).  One of his books for writers is  Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets to Skyrocket Your Success . One of Terry's most popular free ebooks is Straight Talk From the Editor, 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission. He lives in Colorado and has over 205,000 twitter followers. 

Healthy Writer Habits

by Susan U. Neal RN, MBA, MHS @SusanNealYoga


To be effective as writers we need to take care of our physical and spiritual health. Studies prove physical activity improves one’s well-being. Unfortunately, writing is sedentary. The following seven tips will ensure you maintain balance in these areas.Do morning devotions—it is essential to spend time in God’s word. A morning devotion helps you connect with the Lord and puts him first. We shouldn’t get too busy serving him that we neglect our one-on-one time relating with him.Workout in morning—before you get settled into your writing chair, perform a fifteen-minute workout. Stretch, take a walk, or lift some free weights. It doesn’t matter what you do, but move your body before becoming sedentary.Buy an ergonomical writing chair—if you are a writer, you spend an excessive amount of time sitting in a chair. Is your chair comfortable? Is your computer at a level that is appropriate for you? If you answered no, invest in an ergonomically correct writing chair. I purchased one with a movable computer table attached to the side. I can move the small tabletop over my lap at an appropriate level to type on my computer. Look outside—after you begin working, it is beneficial to look out the window, a couple of times an hour. Change your focus from your screen to nature. Take a moment to pause, reflect, and pray—ask God to help you with your writing.Change positions—a couple of times a day get out of your chair and work in a different location. When you are reading a document on your computer, place your laptop on a tabletop surface the height of a bar and lift free weights while you’re reading. In between your repetitions, you can move the screen to the next page. Read in the sun—if you have printed reading material, go outside and sit in the sun for twenty to thirty minutes to absorb some natural vitamin D. Or you could lay on the couch and read.Go for a walk—around three or four o’clock, when your mind becomes clouded, go for a short walk. A simple fifteen to twenty-minute walk will improve your energy and restore your clarity of mind.
The writing life can be extremely inactive. We have to incorporate movement and time with God into our daily routine. Simple habits such as these will help you to be more productive, physically active, and put God first.
TWEETABLEHealthy Writer Habits - @SusanNealYoga on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Susan U. Neal, RN, MBA, MHSSusan’s mission is to improve the health of the body of Christ. She has her RN and MBA degrees, as well as a master’s in health science. She is a CERTIFIED HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACH with the American Association of Christian Counselors. She published five books, the Selah award winner  7 STEPS TO GET OFF SUGAR AND CARBOHYDRATES ,  CHRISTIAN STUDY GUIDE FOR 7 STEPS TO GET OFF SUGAR AND CARBOHYDRATES , HEALTHY LIVING JOURNAL, SCRIPTURE YOGA a #1 Amazon best-selling yoga book, and  YOGA FOR BEGINNERS  which ranked #3. She published two sets of Christian Yoga Card Decks and two Christian Yoga DVDs that are available at CHRISTINAYOGA.COM. Her digital product  HOW TO PREVENT, IMPROVE, AND REVERSE ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA  is a great resource. To learn more about Susan visit her website SUSANUNEAL.COM You can also connect with Susan on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and INSTAGRAM.

An Epic Story Only God Could Write

by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28

If we were going to write an epic novel that appealed to countless generations of readers, what characters would we create? Would they be dashing or timid? Successful or defeated? A good novelist knows that a protagonist must be an enticing mixture of courage and hesitation, splendid qualities and identifiable weak points. He or she has to be true to life.And the plot with its hero? What one plot with hundreds of subplots would make the book an adventurous, enjoyable, harrowing read? Who will defeat the evil that plagues the whole world? How will the protagonist and his crew overcome obstacle after obstacle? What will he have to give up in order to achieve victory?
God happens to be a brilliant writer. His story is not one with fictional characters, for His story has played out through history. And it continues today. 
God’s “characters”? One man of faith, Abraham, who was willing to leave behind everything he knew and take his family to a land that only God could tell him how to find. A nation, bruised and battered by an oppressive force, then released by the mighty hand of God Himself. A nation once grateful for deliverance but who chose rebellion in the wilderness. 
And then, at the climatic point in God’s story, a young virgin engaged to a carpenter. An angel of God speaking priceless words after four hundred years of silence. A groom willing to take God’s word to heart and keep his true love instead of quietly cutting her loose. 
God’s list of unusual characters doesn’t end there. Raggedy but grateful shepherds. Foreign but wise, wise men. Uneducated but believing disciples. 
And the plot with its Hero? A race of human beings without hope and doomed to eternal destruction, needing a Savior. Someone like them but not quite. Someone human as they are, but without that one weak point that drives each soul past God’s boundaries and over the cliff into hopelessness—sin. A Protagonist whose soul agonized at the cost of victory but willingly gave His life to achieve it. 
Act One brought the world into existence. Act Two brought the Savior into the world. Act Three will be God’s final destruction of all evil and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. We, in this generation, are living the chapters that precede Act Three. What are we doing to tell the world about the Author of salvation and the free gift He offers to every person who believes in His Son?
And what a gift! To be a part of God’s grand redemption plan. To know the Author Himself. To allow Him to direct our story, so we have the most joy, peace, and victory. So we become “characters” in the grand narrative that help achieve God’s purpose for mankind. 
This Christmas as you decorate your house with a Nativity set, think about the characters and the part they played in the plot. Then think about your place in God’s story. Let’s allow an appreciation for God’s master story to stir within us a celebration of His Son and a passion to do our part in His kingdom. Too many haven’t heard the story, or they don’t know how it applies to them. So keep writing and keep living, fellow “character.” The story isn’t over yet. 
What part of God’s “story” do you love? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and join the conversation!
TWEETABLEAn Epic Story Only God Could Write - @KatyKauffman28 on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Katy Kauffman is an award-winning author, an editor of  Refresh Bible Study Magazine , and a co-founder of Lighthouse Bible Studies. She loves connecting with writers and working alongside them in compilations, such as Heart Renovation: A Construction Guide to Godly Character, which was a 2019 Selah Awards finalist and Director’s Choice finalist. Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.com, thoughts-about-God.com, the Arise Daily blog, and two blogs on writing. She loves spending time with family and friends, making jewelry, and hunting for the best pumpkin spice lattes. Connect with her at her blog,  The Scrapbooked Bible Study , and on Facebook and Twitter. 

Tips to Help Writers Fight & Win the Comparison Battle

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel
“Why did she get a book contract before me when I’ve been writing longer than she has?”“I sent the retreat committee my topics and video clips, but they chose a much younger speaker with almost no experience.”“Our books were published the same month, yet his already has 300 Amazon reviews and I haven’t even hit fifty yet.”“I don’t understand why I wasn’t asked to return as faculty when John serves at the conference every year.”“I love rooming with my friend Jane at writers’ conferences, but it’s hard when she tells me every night about the editors and publishers who are interested in her projects.”“We have the same publisher, but they spent a fortune on her marketing and I was pretty much left to fend for myself.”
Compare.
Because it is simply a dead end.
Personally. Professionally. Spiritually.
God has called you to follow Him, glorify Him and further His kingdom through the unique story you are living and sharing.
And you have this promise: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

“So, Cindy, if we already have ‘everything we need’ then why do we not see the fruit of our labors—the speaking engagements, the numerous blog followers, and the published books?”

I don’t know. But God knows why. And He also knows how and when He will use you to touch people with your message. Can you trust Him for that?

Because it will be your message, not hers. 

A chance to live out the grace you received as a free gift. Paul challenged us with “What do you have that you did not receive?” “Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point in all this comparing and competing – you already have all you need.” (1 Corinthians 4.7 MSG)

Grace-filled writers and speakers know this hard lesson. We were created, redeemed, and sustained in order to live our unique story – yes, with all the mess, mistakes, meanderings, miracles and even mundane magnificence.

Those who need to hear/read it will be put in our path by a sovereign God.

Her success does not mean my failure.

There’s enough ministry to go ‘round. Some of it will be very public and some will be virtually unseen. But it’s all worthy, when done in the name of Jesus Christ.

Every time we compare our writing and speaking with someone else, we are in danger of believing the lies of rejection—that our own life and message is not important. I assure you, this is a universal dilemma. Author Lysa Terkeurst’s new book “Uninvited” has spent the past four weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list as a testimony to the hunger for healing in this area.

You are not alone.

My friend Jennifer Dukes Lee assures us that everyone suffers from comparison. “The person you’re measuring your life up against? She is measuring her life against someone else’s. And someone is comparing herself to you! It’s a whole cycle of comparison that doesn’t end until someone says enough is enough.”

Okay, I’ll say it, “Enough is enough!”

Here’s how I fight the comparison battle:
Truly believe that I am loved and chosen by God. Obey what He is calling me to do and be. Write and speak my own passion and message. Encourage, promote, and lift up that other sister or brother in Christ who is seeking to live their message. I go first. I pray to be a generous and grace-filled person. You were not created to be her.

Isn’t that a relief? Now, go forth friend, and seek to become the very best version of yourself, by God’s grace. He has already given you “everything you need.”
TWEETABLETips to Help Writers Fight & Win the Comparison Battle - @LucindaSMcDowel on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Lucinda Secrest McDowell, M.T.S., is a storyteller and seasoned mentor who engages both heart and mind while  “Helping you Choose a Life of Serenity & Strength.”  A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Furman University, McDowell is the author of 15 books and contributing author to 30+ books. Her award-winning books include  LIFE-GIVING CHOICES ,  SOUL STRONG  (2020),  DWELLING PLACES  (2017 Christian Retailing BEST Award for Devotional),  ORDINARY GRACES   (2018 Selah Finalist),  LIVE THESE WORDS , and  Refresh!  Lucinda, a member of the REDBUD WRITERS GUILD, received Mt. Hermon “Writer of the Year” award and guest blogs for The Write Conversation, Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference Blog and (in)courage. Whether co-directing   “RENEW ~ RETREAT FOR NEW ENGLAND WRITING,”   pouring into young mamas, or leading a restorative day of prayer, she is energized by investing in people of all ages. Lucinda’s favorites include tea parties, good books, laughing friends, ancient prayers, country music, cozy quilts, musical theatre, and especially her family scattered around the world doing amazing things.  Known for her ability to convey deep truth in practical and winsome ways, she writes from “Sunnyside” cottage in New England and blogs weekly at  https://lucindasecrestmcdowell.com/  Follow Lucinda on Twitter: @LUCINDASMCDOWEL

Tips to Become a Television Guest

by Karen Whiting @KarenHWhiting

Hosting a television show on puppetry fell into my lap when the original host backed out. Then I discovered I needed to reapply for the grant and produce the next season of shows. I did this until I moved away. My experience made it fairly easy to get booked as a guest. Since I’ve experienced both sides of talk shows, let me share tips on becoming a guest on television.Video and Interview ExperienceTV hosts need content and that means guests. They dread guests who might clam up, talk too much, or don’t engage the audience. They prefer guests with experience. It doesn’t need to be TV experience. A few radio interviews, great video clips, FB live, and experience as a speaker showcases ability. 
Build a list of credits that include FB live, guest blog posts, podcast, and radio interviews plus speaking engagements. Add endorsements from audiences and meeting planners.
Create Talking PointsList topics related to your book that can be discussed in a few sentences or minutes. Consider various audiences (mons, older women, unbelievers, evangelists, business commuters) and think topics of interest to each group. 
For each point, think of solutions that touch different audiences, such as the parent who travels or deploys, grandparents, and ministry leaders. Think of what they most want related to your topic and add those as talking points.
Create a Press KitGather photos, endorsements, links to video clips, and published profiles. Write a description of the book or grab one your publisher wrote. Write your bio in about three forms and a few different lengths. Have a short one and a longer one. Write ones for your target reading audience, writers, career men and women, and a more general audience or secondary audience.
Put it all together for the target audience. Paste a short bio at the top plus your photo. Add the book description followed with suggested questions. Pull questions come from your talking points. Create about ten questions that lead into the talking points. 
Follow the above material with links to interviews or video clips. Alter the kit for specific audiences by changing the bio, questions, and links.
Post the main press kit information on a press kit area of your web site. Below the press kit info, add buttons for additional bios and talking points for various audiences.
Check the Station Website Look over a station’s website and note local programming that includes guests. Note when they air, length guests are on (these are segments), colors of the set (so you can wear appropriate colors that won’t clash) and learn the names and talking styles of hosts. Listen to the introductions, questions, and how the host responds to answers. Do they dig deeper or move on to another talking point? All that information helps you know how to pitch and how to react when you are a guest.
Check the website for guest applications. Many have a form for you to fill out. If so, that’s the way they prefer to have you pitch your appearance. Fill it out with your best pitch (talking pints) that match their audience.
Pitch YourselfConsider what most interests the station’s audience and what hot topics of discussion. Use those to create a pitch. Avoid pitching the book. Instead, share ideas that show you’ll engage in a conversation of interest to the audience. Trust that if viewers are interested, they will check the station’s website and google your name to find your website, books, and more.
For my newest book 52 Weekly Devotions for Families Called to Serve I have a number of possibilities. I can approach the idea of developing a servant heart in our family members and that’s needed in a me-first world. I can pitch to places with high military audiences the concept of helping our children when a parent serves in their community or nation. I can also consider the political climate of anger where law enforcement and others are disrespected. Each of those needs a different pitch. For each slant, I can include one suggested question in my general press kit that alerts a host or producer to the fact that I can address those areas. One of those may connect more with the host who knows the audience well.
Follow up a pitch you email a few weeks later with a follow up email or possibly a call to the station manager. If you are very new in writing and interviews, consider hiring a publicist. All your work will make it easy for that professional to start and consider that you are ready to be a guest. The publicist will tweak your press kit and make suggestions.
Bookings and PreparationsBe available for interviews when the book releases. Send out the press kits a month ahead of the release. Ask if they would like a review copy and send the names and addresses to your publisher or publicist. You want to respond yes whenever an interview is requested. If you are already booked, reply with enthusiasm and suggested alternate dates.
Television is a wonderful way to connect with your audience in their homes. Focus on sharing from your heart to bring them hope.

TWEETABLE
Tips to Become a Television Guest - @KarenHWhiting on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Karen Whiting (www.karenwhiting.com) is an international speaker, former television host of Puppets on Parade, certified writing and marketing coach, and award-winning author of twenty-six books for women, children, and families. Her newest book, 52 Weekly Devotions for Families Called to Serve, uses stories, activities, and chat prompts to help families develop servant hearts and foster strong bonds in families who have members serving the community, nation, or world.
She has a heart to grow tomorrow’s wholesome families today. She has written more than seven hundred articles for more than sixty publications and loves to let creativity splash over the pages of what she writes. She writes for Leading Hearts and Crosswalk.com. Connect with Karen on Twitter @KarenHWhiting, Pinterest KarenWhiting, and FB KarenHWhiting

My One Word

by Tammy Karasek @TickledPinkTam

When I go to bed I’m exhausted until my head hits the pillow. Then my eyes pop open as I think of a new scene or two for my fiction project. I grab my cell phone, turn down the brightness so I don’t wake up my husband and begin to one-finger type away the scenes.Another scene idea pops up. No, this is familiar. I realize that’s not a scene after all, but a memory from long ago and I should write it down in my notes so I don’t forget to add it to my nonfiction book I’m also writing. 
Speaking of books, I need to remember to finish reading the Launch Team books I’m committed to so I can finish the Team projects. Did I write them on my list so I don’t forget to do them?
Thinking about projects, I have some unfinished sewing and quilting projects I’d like to finish to clean out the to-do bin. And that ever-growing mending pile is growing out of the basket and up the wall like a vine, and not one with good fruit. I need to get to that basket and clear it out. 
While on the topic of areas that need to be cleared out, my office looks like a grenade went off in there. I realize I’ve been in there everyday in November doing NaNoWriMo, but it looks like a scene from the show Hoarders. Not just the room itself, but the desk in particular. How can one person collect so many pieces of paper in just one month?Now that I’m fully awake, it occurs to me I may have found my My One Word for 2020. (For more info on this, check out: http://myoneword.org) If you’re not familiar with this concept, basically each January you choose a word that you would like to concentrate on or to improve in your life. Some I’ve had were trust, believe, content and complete. It is suggested to think about a word in November/December until the word to focus on, well comes into focus.
God may be nudging me this year with the word that is in front of my face as in piles in several rooms of my house and also squashing the focus in my brain. That word is Declutter.  Throughout 2019, the word came to me, but it came full-force during the NaNo November of writing everyday for thirty days. Each day striving to hit the word count of 1667, clutter was growing like mold on that orange in the back of the veggie drawer. The clutter spread into my mind. Often this kept me from the ability to focus on my writing. I would try to write and the stack of stuff needing my attention continued to grow like the words in my Scrivener project. But often, those piles grew faster because they muddled my story with their nag to come pay attention to them.
Alas my nightly ritual of losing sleep over the things not put away or given attention to needs to end. When I go to bed, it’s as if I a have a Pavlov’s bell that rings just as my head hits the pillow. My brain kicks into hyper-drive and reminds me of what I didn’t get done today—the guilt for that. And that is mind clutter. Having a home and mind that are uncluttered will give me, as a writer, the clarity to have laser focus on my writing projects.
This year it’s time to change that. I will use the word Declutter as My One Word. I have my planner out and have already added projects to specific days to attack the clutter keeping me from my best productive writing time. I keep it near my desk when I’m writing. If something comes to mind I need to do, I pause and write it in the planner to be assigned when to take care of it. My planner helps keep me focused and my mind less cluttered to stay in the writing mode. 
I am already putting this to the test in December. Last month was the crazy writing schedule for the NaNo project, but December has brought it’s own kind of rush. Looks like it might be a monthly thing, this busyness. What better way to learn a new way to stay on track of my writing schedule than to keep myself uncluttered both in my mind and my home?
For 2020, My One Word is Declutter.
What about you, do you choose a My One Word each year? If so, what is your word for 2020?
TWEETABLEMy One Word - @TickledPinkTam on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
You’ll find Tammy seeing humor and causing laughter in every aspect of life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, is the driving force of her passion to always encourage others and give them The Reason to smile. She’s been married to her college sweetheart, Larry, for 37 years, a mom to their grown daughter, Kristen, and wrapped around the paw of a little dog named Hattie. Born and raised in Ohio, her family now resides in South Carolina. She is the President of Word Weavers Upstate SC, member of ACFW and My Book Therapy/Novel Academy. She’s the Blog Editor for Word Weavers International. A Conference Assistant for Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. A monthly contributor for The Write Conversation. A contributor in the 2018 Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments. Also a regular contributor to several other blogs. 

Connect with Tammy: Blog: http://www.tammykarasek.com  Email: tickledpinktammy@gmail.com

Choosing to Breathe During the Holidaze

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt

Sometimes I refer to the Christmas season as the “holidaze.” 
Yes, I’m familiar with the lyrics proclaiming this “the most wonderful time of the year.” But we also know it’s the busiest time of the year, too, with days overflowing with competing time demands. We make lists and check them twice so we remember to:Attend our kiddos’ school holiday performancesShop for our last-minute gifts Write our annual Christmas letter Mail packages to our out-of-town family and friends 
But as November wound down and December moved closer, I kept running into one word again and again.
Breathe.
Not busyness.
Breathe.
And then I heard the song “Breath of Heaven” by Amy Grant over and over in my mind. The whispered words reminded me that the genesis of Christmas is the breath of God.
What a good prompt for me – for all of us – to breathe as we transition from the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020.
As writers, we understand the importance of both strong beginnings and endings in our stories. The need for transitions – the chance to breathe – as we move from one scene to the next.
But too often during the real-life rush of the holidaze, we forget to breathe. Stress takes over and dominates our emotions.
Celebration, which should be fueled by joy, is affected by too many expectations and overwhelmed by frustration. 
We’re not breathing … we’re seething.
In the midst of all the coming and going, the baking and wrapping, the feasting and frivolity, the expected and unexpected moments of the season – may we be intentional about the moments where we breathe. 
May we stop and savor the laughter of children. The warmth of a hug. The sounds of voices singing “Silent Night” in a church aglow in candlelight. The joy of giving and receiving.
May we leave room for breathing … and may we make room for ourselves, for others, and for the Truth of the season in the coming days.

TWEETABLE
Choosing to Breathe During the Holidaze - @BethKVogt on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Award-winning author Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Having authored nine contemporary romance novels and novellas, Beth's first women's fiction novel with Tyndale House Publishers, Things I Never Told You, released May 2018. Moments We Forget, book two in the Thatcher Sisters Series, releases May 2019. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Novel Rocket and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. Visit Beth at bethvogt.com.

Writing with the Fire of a Yule Log

by Joshua J. Masters @JoshuaJMasters

“Am I writing with the fire of a yule log?” That’s a question every Christian author should ask themselves during the Christmas season and continue asking throughout the year.
No season affects the heart of man like Christmas. If only for a short time, the holiday allows people to see the world through a different lens, and isn’t that what we’d like our writing to do?But there was a cost for Christmas, and there’s a cost for writing works that change the hearts of others. There’s a fire in that kind of writing.
As winter approaches, I like to brew a strong cup of coffee, settle into the leather recliner in front of our fireplace, and write with a laptop nestled atop the blanket covering my legs.
While pondering whether it’s appropriate to use a semicolon in the sentence I’m composing, I watch the flames flicker from across the living room. But natural gas fuels our fireplace, and no matter how many times I look up from the keyboard, the flame never changes and the fake logs never burn. 
Sometimes our writing can be like that, giving the feel and appearance of something real without actually changing anything.
Historians debate the yule log’s secular origins, but its significance to the celebration of Christmas is clear. It represents victory over evil and the destruction of our sinful nature. In his book, Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, Ace Collins writes, “As the fire grew brighter and burned hotter, and as the [yule] log turned into ashes, it symbolized Christ's final and ultimate triumph over sin.”
Does our writing come from false flames that do nothing more than dance on an unyielding façade, or does it burn from the consuming destruction of our old nature? Is it fueled by the fire of Christ’s refining sacrifice or our own ambition?
Scripture warns those who build their life’s work on anything other than Christ that “their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work” (1 Corinthians 3:13 NIV).
If we want our writing to have the fire of a yule log, the flame must destroy something in us too. Because if we’re not being transformed by the fire of Christ’s victory, our writing will never have the integrity to carry the light of that fire to others.
While we embrace the warm nostalgia of our nativity sets, we must also remember Christ’s arrival marks the beginning of His march toward the cross. The miracle of Christmas is not in His birth alone, but in what Jesus came to destroy—the sin separating us from God, overcome by the destruction of Christ’s body and a flame that’s coming to purify a broken world.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth… Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. (John 1:14, 16 NIV)
The fullness of Jesus brings grace, not accomplishment. So as we continue to develop our writing gifts over the Christmas season, let’s move forward with a focus on what He’s rescued us from rather than what we feel entitled to achieve. 
Let’s write from the ashes of our old nature, taking on the refining flames of the Holy Spirit as He transforms us into reflections of Christ’s consuming sacrifice.
Only then will our writing take on the promise of Christmas expressed in the carol, “O Holy Night.”
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,'Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
May we never forget that the world is pining for hope, and that our souls could not feel their worth until He appeared—until a child was born to bring a refining fire to our sinful nature. 
Through Christ, your life is a new and glorious morn, the darkness of your past turned to ash. You have “become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT).
Write from that truth. For your new life is the yule log the world is watching this Christmas. 

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Joshua J. Masters is a pastor, author, and speaker. He’s been featured on CBN Television, HIS Radio, and the Light Radio Network. Josh is the author of American Psalms: Prayers for the Christian Patriot and is a contributing author for Feed Your Soul,  Refresh Bible Study Magazine, and One Christian Voice. Josh has also worked as an actor and crew member in the film industry (SAG/AFTRA) and continues to have a passion for film. He lives with his wife, Gina, and Franklin the Pup outside Greenville, South Carolina where he serves as a speaking and care pastor.
Josh would love to connect with you on his website, www.joshuajmasters.com or engage with you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Goodreads.

Share Good News with the Gift of Writing

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

I didn’t bring a gift to the birthday celebration. In fact, the gentleman celebrating his special day was the one who distributed gifts. Ninety gifts to be exact. 
Joseph Montgomery, from a small town in south-Georgia, celebrated his 90th birthday in a rather unusual way: he gave away ninety one-dollar bills to perfect strangers. “I’m celebrating my 90th birthday,” Mr. Montgomery said each time he handed over the money. “I’m doing a random act of kindness and I want you to have this one-dollar bill.”
Just a couple of months prior to the event, Mr. Montgomery didn’t know what the words ‘random acts of kindness’ meant. He’d shared with his daughter on the phone that someone in front of him had paid for his purchases at a dollar store. “She left without giving me a chance to thank her—why would she do that,” he’d asked his daughter. 
“Dad, she was doing a ‘random act of kindness,’” his daughter explained. That was new terminology to Mr. Montgomery, but not a new concept. He’d been the recipient of gifts from others and he’d been the giver before, too.
With help from his children, Mr. Montgomery knew what he wanted to do for his 90th birthday celebration. And I had the pleasure of covering the story for my newspaper as a freelance reporter. 

Recipients at the coffee shop where Mr. Montgomery’s birthday morning began were shocked and elated as he made his rounds among the coffee patrons. Humbly approaching each table, Mr. Montgomery first said, “Excuse me for bothering you,” before he began his brief monologue.


A college student stood abruptly before the elderly gentleman finished speaking and pulled him into his arms in a bear hug. A group of kids asked the birthday celebrant to pose with them for a picture. The barista couldn’t stop grinning when she received her gift. 
In fact, each person’s eyes lit up in delight and smiles spread across faces when Mr. Montgomery shared his money and kindness. 
Perhaps one of the most interesting exchanges of a random act of kindness came about when he approached one coffee-sipping patron. I was taking notes and snapping photos as quickly as possible, and I recognized the gentleman as a pastor that I’d interviewed previously. Pastor Donald Chavers was reading his Bible and going over sermon notes. 
But the best part? I knew Pastor Chavers was an amazing singer, and I asked him to gift the birthday gentleman with a song. Not only did the pastor lead the entire group of patrons in a ‘Happy Birthday’ round, but he also serenaded Montgomery with a beautiful rendition of ‘Amazing Grace.
Later, Pastor Chavers told Mr. Montgomery’s daughter how special the act was to him. “For a long time, I’ve kept dollar bills in my Bible to give out to others as the Lord leads me, as a reminder that says, ‘The Lord hasn’t forgotten you.’ 
“Mr. Montgomery’s dollar gave me a chance to feel what other people feel and … wow!”
The singing pastor said he planned to keep the birthday dollar in his Bible as a reminder that the Lord hasn’t forgotten him, either.
And just before leaving, one recipient handed Joseph Montgomery’s daughter the sleeve from her coffee cup to give to her dad. Written on the sleeve were these words: “Mr. Joseph, Happy Birthday! Today is the anniversary of my losing the most important man in my life, the man who raised me and taught me about unconditional love and joy. It is always a hard day for me. His name was Joseph. Thank you! I can’t help but feel connected through the celebration of your life. YOU were my gift today.”
Ninety small gestures—mere one dollar bills—for each year of Joseph Montgomery’s life. What priceless gifts a birthday gentleman offered that day.
And though I came to the party bearing no gifts, the words that appeared in my newspaper the next day became my humble gift to the Montgomery family. Words that I prayed over before hitting “send,” and words that I pray became a gift to readers, words that I hope encouraged them to find their own “one-dollar-bills” to give away to others in random acts of kindness. 
May God bless you, my writing friends, with good gifts—His words—to share with others this Christmas season. Happy Birthday, Jesus!
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Julie Lavender loves an excuse for a celebration, and the month of November reminds her to count blessings all the way to the Thanksgiving feast with family and friends. She is especially grateful this month for two book blessings: the recent release of Come and Behold Him, a co-authored book with Michelle Cox, prolific author who pens the When God Calls the Heart series, devotional books based on the content of the television show, “When Calls the Heart.” The devotional is available at Amazon, Target, and bookstores. And, the manuscript for her first book with Revell Books, Baker Publishing Group, is due on November 15 to editor Vicki Crumpton, whom Julie first met at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference three years ago. 

Besides writing for her local newspaper, Julie contributes to Guideposts Publications, other magazines, a couple of homeschooling blogs, Just18Summers.com, and many compilations. Combining her education degree, love of homeschooling, and joy of celebrating, Julie wrote a devotional entitled, 365 Days of Celebration and Praise, a party planning book called, Creative Sleepovers for Kids, and three teacher resource books for the religious division of Carson-Dellosa. Julie and David are enamored with their four adult children, one son-in-love, and one gorgeous grandson. Keep up with Julie on social media and at her blog at julielavender.blogspot.com.