Peter Lopez Jr.'s Blog: Xulon Press Blog , page 42

Christian fiction is a strong creative writing format

Christian fiction is a strong creative writing format to portray Christian-based ideas, stimulating topics and reach audiences. You, as the writer, are creatively inputting biblical content, such as interpretations of Bible verses, coupled in dramatic tales with suspenseful plot twists. Your characters may have dark secrets, or have to face emotional dilemmas with complex narratives in adventurous settings, with a healthy dose of conflict. It’s very convenient to use direct, matter-of-fact writing styles, to portray all of the above, to tell readers what God may want in your Christian fiction books, but showing them may create a deeper resonance in readers’ hearts. Showing and telling are ways to express ideas, which both impact the reader in different ways.

Showing in fiction paints a picture with your words, and adds dimension to your storyline. Telling can come across as preachy, and can turn the reader off. Take the example of a mother who learns her son has been convicted of a crime. As the writer, you may want to express the disappointment the mother feels as she internalizes her son’s identity as a criminal; you may also choose to focus on the mother’s anxiety. If you’re ‘showing’, give the reader visuals (i.e. “her eyes, downcast, brow furrowed as she thought about her son’s future in prison. She turns her head upward, reaching out for God for relief ”). Telling can abruptly interfere with building a mood or emotion in your reading, as it contains less visuals, more direction and less details to build a mood or scene (i. e. “She turned to her son and expressed her sadness”).

By using metaphors and descriptions, you paint a mental image for readers, connection readers into the narrative. Using imaginative dialogue and inner monologue additionally express what the characters are feeling, and can show the depth of emotions rather than telling the reader what the characters felt. In producing Christian fiction, you are acknowledging God’s works in your story. Characters can, for example, evolve based on faith-filled actions, as you show them through metaphors, sensory images and detailed visuals to emphasize a moral or resolve a spiritually troubling conflict.

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Establishing Rapport and Credibility

One of the things I find myself telling authors–especially those who have written nonfiction books with Xulon—is that they must establish rapport and credibility with their readers before anyone begins reading their book. This is vital for a number of reasons, but perhaps the most important reason is that as an author, you want any potential, on-the-fence readers to keep reading. You want them to recommend your book to others. You want your words to be out there for everyone to read, and for them to finish your book feeling satisfied.

So, you’re probably thinking, how this is done? Well, when we take away the actual content of the book and we focus solely on what is in the beginning of the book—before it even starts—there are two opportunities for you as the author to establish your credibility and build rapport with your readers.

First, you have a chance to show your credibility in your introduction. This is your chance to do just that—introduce yourself to your readers. This doesn’t need to be a resume, showcasing your work experience, talents, and education; however, it should be a place where you tell readers your background on the subject at hand. If you’re writing a book about anxiety, readers are going to want to read a book by a psychologist, psychiatrist, medical doctor, or counselor. If you’re writing a book on how to renovate a home (an actual book we have published here at Xulon), readers are going to want to see the author is a contractor, builder, or even specialized construction worker. Tell us your experience in the subject, but don’t overdo it or brag too much about your accomplishments. This could make you come off as arrogant and that could turn away many potential readers. Keep it short but informative. And remember to answer the question many readers will have: “Why should I read what this person has to say?”

The second place to establish your credibility with readers is through the foreword. The foreword is a place where someone other than the author can essentially “vouch” for the author’s expertise, knowledge, and validity of the book because they’ve read it and want to recommend it. Again, remember: authors do not write their own foreword. Someone who is respected in the community, for instance, is a great person to ask to read your book and write your foreword. Someone such as a pastor, professor, or another expert in the subject at hand should speak on behalf of your book and give it praise. If there’s one thing that will cause readers to think you and your book are awesome, it’s having someone else who’s highly respected vouch for it by putting their name on it.

Remember: readers will want to know two things: “Why should I read what this person has to say?” and, “What makes this person qualified to write a book about this particular topic?” The introduction is your chance to shine before the book begins, and the foreword is a place for someone else to show readers how great you are.

The bottom line: make sure your book contains either an introduction or a foreword, or both, but please establish your credibility, especially nonfiction writers.

Learn more about our editorial services.

 

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Our 2015 April Writing Contest Has Launched!

2015 April Writing Contest: Only 12 days to enter and win. Take The Challenge!

We are now accepting original entries of up to 4,000 characters (including spaces – approximately 700 to 750 words) from all writers for the 2015 April Christian Writers Awards.

We welcome entries from both amateur and professional writers, so whether you have been published or not, you are welcome to submit your work in this exclusive contest!

Xulon Press judges will evaluate each entry as it is received based on the following criteria:

Is the submission well-written and readable?
Does the submission engage the reader?
Is the subject matter consistent with the contest’s theme?
Does the author effectively use mood to convey the overall theme?
Is the author’s personal style distinctive?

The Grand Prize Winner receives a FREE Elite Publishing Package (valued at $9,229) and comes one step closer to becoming a published author. Not bad for a mere $39 investment. But time is limited, the door slams shut on Sunday, April 12th at midnight. That’s right, this writing challenge lasts for only 12 days. In addition to the prestige gained from winning such a contest, the contest winner will also receive a press release announcing their win to the media.

The Xulon Press-issued press release will be distributed to 35,000 journalist and 250,000 subscribers through Google, Yahoo! News, Topix, eMediaWire, and on RSS feed. The second place winner will receive a Premium Publishing Package and the third place winner will receive a Basic Publishing Package.

So what are you waiting for? Register today!

Official Rules • FAQ • Past Winners

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Smuggling Bibles into Russia: Xulon Author Kathy Vobora tells her story to Focus Today on the Dove network Oregon.

Kathy Vobora accepted Christ as personal Savior at the age of eight. Bible school followed at age eighteen. By age twenty two she had joined a team of young people in San Francisco, California serving in short term missions. During her stay in San Francisco, she clearly heard the Lord directing her to Europe and the greatest adventure that she had ever known.

 

Journey Into Darkness: Days of Tears, Triumphs, Fear and Faith behind the iron curtain

“Open the rear door of your van!” barked the next guard. Without a word or a smile, our driver opened the rear door.

“Open that suitcase!” he barked again. The rigid guard ran his hands through the suitcase, feeling for anything unusual. Next, standing at the front passenger door, he peered inside the car but seeing nothing suspicious, he left. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

Think that was enough of an intimidating and overall frightening experience? Imagine if this type of harsh treatment was an ongoing occurrence in your life as you smuggled illegal Bibles and Christian books into Communist controlled countries.

This was what Christian author Kathy Vobora underwent for two years as part of an evangelizing underground ministry in the mid 1970’s. Her harrowing but life changing experience is captured in her new book, Journey into Darkness.

A young American woman dreaming of living out her faith in the world, Kathy accepted the offer from a pastor to join the Mission in Austria. The mission – to smuggle contraband Bibles and Christian literature where Communism was strong, but not as strong as the love of Jesus.

“Do you ever want to escape these things? Do you ever want God to take you out of the fire?” I asked.

“No,” the husband said in a somber tone. “We pray that we remain faithful to God in the fire.”

How could I hear such words and not feel the tears moisten my eyes. I heard no complaining. I heard only a prayer for strength.

We all have a story to tell—Publish Yours! Get started by downloading your FREE Publishing Guide.

The post Smuggling Bibles into Russia: Xulon Author Kathy Vobora tells her story to Focus Today on the Dove network Oregon. appeared first on Xulon Press, Christian Self Publishing.

Seven Stages That Most Books are Stuck In

Our publishing team talks to people every day about the book they dream of writing. The desire is there, but it seems that it’s stuck in one stage or another. There are seven stages that most books are stuck in. 

1. The Dream Stage.

You have a dream of writing and becoming an author, but you just don’t know where to begin.

2. The Idea Stage.

You actually have a really good idea–and other people tell you it is–but you’re not sure how to develop it.

3. The Sermon/Message Stage.

You just taught an incredible message and you can’t help but think, “This would make a great book, but how do I develop this message into a book?”

4. The Journal/Notes Stage.

For years you’ve written in a notebook or journal. You have pages and pages of great writing, but how do you trim it down to a single book?

5. The Unfinished Stage.

You’ve started your book, but somewhere along the way you quit or gave up. How do you restart the dream and finish it?

6. The Unedited Stage.

You have a finished manuscript, but you know it needs to be edited.

7. The Payment Stage.

You are finished writing and the only thing you lack is a way to pay for your dream to become reality.

Which one is yours? There is a way to break free if your future book is stuck in one of these seven stages. I want you to know that we are praying for each of you to have a breakthrough this year. Sometimes your greatest breakthrough begins with one small step of faith. If your one small step of faith is in the area of getting your book published, know that you have a partner in Xulon Press. We will not only believe with you, we will also help you as you take that first step.

Make the decision to write and get started by downloading your FREE Publishing Guide.

The post Seven Stages That Most Books are Stuck In appeared first on Xulon Press, Christian Self Publishing.

Seven Stages that most books are stuck in

Our publishing team talks to people every day about the book they dream of writing. The desire is there, but it seems that it’s stuck in one stage or another. There are seven stages that most books are stuck in. 

1. The Dream Stage.

You have a dream of writing and becoming an author, but you just don’t know where to begin.

2. The Idea Stage.

You actually have a really good idea–and other people tell you it is–but you’re not sure how to develop it.

3. The Sermon/Message Stage.

You just taught an incredible message and you can’t help but think, “This would make a great book, but how do I develop this message into a book?”

4. The Journal/Notes Stage.

For years you’ve written in a notebook or journal. You have pages and pages of great writing, but how do you trim it down to a single book?

5. The Unfinished Stage.

You’ve started your book, but somewhere along the way you quit or gave up. How do you restart the dream and finish it?

6. The Unedited Stage.

You have a finished manuscript, but you know it needs to be edited.

7. The Payment Stage.

You are finished writing and the only thing you lack is a way to pay for your dream to become reality.

Which one is yours? There is a way to break free if your future book is stuck in one of these seven stages. I want you to know that we are praying for each of you to have a breakthrough this year. Sometimes your greatest breakthrough begins with one small step of faith. If your one small step of faith is in the area of getting your book published, know that you have a partner in Xulon Press. We will not only believe with you, we will also help you as you take that first step.

Make the decision to write and get started by downloading your FREE Publishing Guide.

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Photos Worth Words

Writing can come with its obstacles and challenges, such as writer’s block, but when writing nonfiction books, especially those of personal testimony, it can be even more difficult to write.

We want our nonfiction stories to be inspirations to people and encourage them to see the light at the end of the tunnel as they go through life.

Sometimes looking at photographs or pictures can trigger the right words to flow from your mind to the page, allowing a story to make its presence known to others.

For this writing prompt, consider looking through old photographs of yourself, your family/friends and/or other acquaintances, and recall the memories that were experienced in the photographs, the etchings of time in the mind.

To help with this prompt, some example photographs have been included to ignite certain thoughts and emotions that might motivate you to create ideas and/or supporting material for your nonfiction book.

Take a look at the first photograph, a young girl on a swing with a big smile on her face. What do you think of when you view this photograph? Does it remind you of memories from your own childhood, whether happy or difficult? Does the child remind you of your child, and your parental sense coming out to bestow helpful advice to her?

What about this photograph, of a picturesque forest with a bridge over a moving current of water? Do your feelings towards this photograph epitomize your feelings towards your relationship with God, your love of nature, or does it fill you with thoughts of seeking to find that place that brings you peace and comfort, and helping others find their places as well?

Write down your initial thoughts/feelings when viewing each photograph and look over your list to see what idea prompted the most emotion from you. Then zero in on these strong ideas and write supporting reasons for why this idea elicited this powerful emotion. From there, you may start to see a direction uncovered on what book might be on your mind to write, or what further supporting material for your current book may have been emerged.

Don’t discredit your ambitions to write because you feel like you don’t have something worth writing about. There is an audience for every book, so use these ideas to write the book that will impact others who need it most.

Remember, Xulon Press exists to help make your book as strong as it can be. Make the decision to write and get started by downloading your FREE Publishing Guide.

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Why We Write: Writing As Your Catharsis

Writing has always been a highly functional tool of self-expression for people, and writing as a way to express what’s on your heart and spirit has been found to have healing benefits. When you write about an isolated traumatic incident, which has changed you for better or for worse, it allows you to do something tangible. Turning writing into a form of therapy that is a powerful tool for healing, as you recall memories and pains you may have suppressed over time.You are the master of your own story, as you create something magical with that experience.

In writing what burdens your heart, you create new revelations to things unsettled in your spirit, exhaling any repressed emotions; you are then giving your pain, shame, doubt, hurt a tangible presence. If you are writing textbooks, you are sharing knowledge to inspire readers’ intellect, while expressing the intelligence of your wisdom. You can write to reflect on the death of a loved one, for example. Are there any songs, sights, discussions, or places you hold dear to your heart, which remind you of that person? Dedicating a written piece to that person is a beautiful way to commemorate his or her legacy.

Writing is especially cathartic after you have overcome trying circumstances that God has given you to bring you closer to Him. What emotions did you experience? What wisdom have you gained? Disclosing these bits of your experiences helps you heal, and also creates a community in the readership. Readers, having been through similar experiences can connect with you, as they bear witness to ways you have healed, as you purge yourself through these thoughts, ideas and sentiments. You can also write to express your unique talents, while giving glory to God in the process, and be a influence to many who have stories to tell, but are too reticent to know where to begin.

Prompt: A great place to begin writing can be from old journals you’ve created. Is there a significant story waiting to be told? Do you have any artwork you can translate into words, songs, and/or poems, which can help trigger a story or book? This is a great place to start. Explore methods and reasons for writing, as you complete your next book of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction.

Remember you can lean on Xulon Press to help make your book as strong as it can be. Make the decision to write and get started by downloading your FREE Publishing Guide.

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Why We Write: To Share Our Passion

At a recent editorial meeting, each of us editors threw around ideas, possibilities, and topics for the Xulon Press Blog. While the other editors had their own ideas, I had a blog topic in mind that I didn’t think exactly answered the question at hand: why do we write? However, once I explained what I wanted to do on the blog, our editorial manager responded with, “we write in order to share our passions.” Then I realized — what I had just shared was exactly that: my passion.

Prior to the end of 2014, I registered for my second Be the Match Walk and Run race in Tampa, Florida. I made my own personal donation page and shared my personal story and connection to Be the Match. Then, during a conversation with Xulon’s marketing manager, I was told that my story and connection would make a great blog post. So, there was my idea: post about my connection to Be the Match before my race to raise awareness for this cause.

I am frequently asked what Be the Match is, most often when I’m wearing one of my t-shirts, which is pretty often. “Be the Match” is the name of the National Marrow Donor Program, which has become a real passion and love so deeply rooted within my heart.

It all started in the summer of 2013 when my family got the devastating news that our close friend of more than a decade (a long time for a military family like mine) had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia. The disease was so aggressive and terrible that he was given a zero percent chance of survival — unless he had a bone marrow transplant.

For those of you who don’t know the logistics of bone marrow transplants–it’s a complicated matching procedure that is based mostly on your heredity and DNA. Typically, for someone in need of a transplant, the most “likely” donor is a full sibling since full siblings share the same DNA/heredity. If the patient doesn’t have any full siblings, or perhaps their siblings aren’t a match for them (or their siblings can’t donate, for instance), that’s when they scan the Be the Match registry and compare the mapped DNA in hopes to get a match for a transplant. The problem with our friend was that he did not have any full siblings, only half siblings. From a medical standpoint, you or I have the same chance of matching to him than one of his half siblings, so it all came down the registry for him to receive a transplant.

I can’t describe what happened to me when I found out he needed a donor, other than it were as if God was standing behind me and pushing on my back with two hands forcefully. “Join the registry, Taylor. Go. Do it. Now,” I heard. It took me about twelve hours to say, “Yes, I am going on the National Bone Marrow Donor registry in hopes to be a match for our friend, but also, to potentially match a complete stranger who may need it just as much as he does.”

The way I see it is this–what is a few hours, ultimately, of a little physical “pain” on my part to save a family from a lifetime of emotional pain because they lost their loved one who couldn’t find a donor? It’s nothing. And yes, it is a common misconception that donating bone marrow is painful. Sure, it’s a medical procedure using a hair-thin needle that will cause some pain (similar to donating blood), but physical pain will eventually heal. Your body will replenish the donated marrow within six weeks. So what’s it to me? Nothing. But what’s amazing about it is that through my willingness, I get to save a life in the process.

So, I joined the registry, swabbed the inside of my cheeks with a q-tip mailed to me in a kit by Be the Match, and off it all went to the lab to be mapped and placed on the registry within six weeks. While I wasn’t a match for our friend, as badly as I wanted to be, luckily a 30-year-old male somewhere in the United States (who had just joined the registry) was a match for him and was able to donate his stem cells to save our friend’s life and put him in remission… for a few months.

Then the leukemia came back more aggressively than it had been before. We prayed and asked God why this would happen to him, we had all believed and had faith that he was going to be fine, he had a successful transplant, and then — the Lord called him home.

One of the last things I said to him during our final conversation was how it is truly my absolute pleasure to be a part of Be the Match and to share my story–his story–with others, all because my prayer is that the registry will grow even bigger with potential donors. I cannot think of a better cause, a better passion, or an organization whose mission I am truly honored to be a part of for the rest of my life.

This is why I write: to share my passion, to share my love for bone marrow donation, and to inform people of the need that exists for leukemia patients just like my dear friend.

Be the Match and be the one to save a life. All you have to do is be willing.

For more information on Be the Match, please visit bethematch.org.

To view my personal race page for my upcoming March 14 race and to make a donation, please visit http://www.bethematchfoundation.org/goto/taylorandryangraham.

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6 tips to make your book a page turner

Have you ever read a book you just couldn’t put down? Have you ever stayed up way past your bedtime because you just couldn’t stop reading? Can you imagine your book capturing a reader like that?

Here are six tips that can make your book a page turner.

1. Write about something you are passionate about. Prayer, evangelism, your story or testimony — whatever has the most meaning to you. Passion is always the key ingredient to great writing and is very contagious.

2. Develop a compelling theme overflowing with meaning. Pick a solid message or strong story for your book and let that guide your writing. A book that stays on point keeps the reader involved.

3. Make an impact with your first sentence. Start with an opening that sparks curiosity or makes the reader ask questions. Referred to many writers as a hook, your book should begin with elements that pull the reader right into the middle of your story or teaching.

4. Use the power of story. Nothing draws people into a theme like a story does. Don’t just “tell” the reader what you want them to know. Wherever possible, provide stories that illustrate what you mean.

5. Leave out the parts people skip. A book that goes on and on to make a point is one people will skim over or even put down. Concentrate on your reader and think about what they want to read. Sometimes it means leaving things out.

6. Hire a good editor to polish your book. Behind every best seller stands an editor who helped develop the book’s flow. Don’t skip this important step to making sure your book reads well.

Remember you can lean on Xulon Press to help make your book as strong as it can be. Make the decision to write and get started by downloading your FREE Publishing Guide.

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