Nancy I. Sanders's Blog, page 23

Faith Building Fridays: The Door

Then Jesus said to them again, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.”

As writers, God opens doors for us or closes them. How comforting it is to be reassured that Jesus, Himself, IS the door for us as His scribes. Do you feel like you’re stuck in the sheep pen because of all the rejections you receive? Learn to hand over your manuscript that has just been rejected and work on the next manuscript He is calling you to write. He calls us to write and keep on writing whether or not the manuscripts are rejected. He is the door. He will take our manuscript where it is supposed to be on its journey through eternity. We’re just called to be His sheep…and as His scribes this calling means we continue to write no matter what the current market trends are or today’s publishing world does.

Dear God, Thank You for helping me keep my writing in perspective. Please encourage me to continue writing for Your glory even while I am inside the sheep pen. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Faith Building Fridays: Enjoy

My elect shall long enjoy

the work of their hands.

They shall not labor in vain.

-Isaiah 65:22-23

This is a mighty promise God declares to us as His scribes. We do not labor in vain! God promises that we shall find joy in the journey–so why not choose to enjoy our pathway today? Let’s determine to enjoy the work that is before us right now, regardless of any lack of affirmation we might feel. Come on, beloved scribe! Let’s do what we can to make our long enjoyment even longer and rejoice today in our labors.

Dear God, thank You for this great and mighty promise. What an anchor of hope this is to me to cling to! Thank You for encouraging me and reminding me that my labor is not in vain. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Oldie But Goodie: Submission

Here’s an Oldie But Goodie post from several years back that shows you an inside look about the submission process…maybe this can help you in your own journey!

Today I submitted a nonfiction picture book manuscript that had been hidden away in my cupboard for several years.

Why was it hidden away?

That’s my strategy. You see, I know that in the business of publishing, if you want to get serious about earning money and getting manuscripts published, you have to land the contract BEFORE you write the book.

But sometimes, I just want to write a book. I mean, I HAVE to write a book. The story is just burning inside me, ready to burst forth. It won’t wait for the time it takes to try to land a contract first.

So I write the book.

Then I have a strategy. I make a list of potential publishers who might be interested in the book. I try to study their websites to make sure it fits each of their lists. When I have about 10 -20 targeted publishers on my list, I send out as many submissions as I can for about $20. Yep. That’s it. That’s all I can afford since there’s no guarantee of a sale.

But for $20, I can usually contact all the publishers on my list. Some accept e-mail submissions. That’s free. Some accept queries. That’s only the price of one stamp. Others accept only snail mail manuscript submissions. Those are the ones I don’t target a lot unless they fit into my $20 budget.

After I send my new book out to as many publishers on my list that fit into my budget, then I move onto other projects, get back to the business of trying to land contracts BEFORE I write the book, and wait.

It usually takes 3-6 months to hear back. Or not hear back according to the new method of simply not responding if a publisher rejects the manuscript. After that, I figure I did my part in trying to land a publisher for my manuscript.

That’s when I tuck it away in a file folder in my cupboards I have in the garage.

But it’s not forgotten. No manuscript is forgotten. You see, I’m an optimist. I’ve heard of too many stories where a writer’s manuscript or artist’s painting was “discovered” years or even generations after it was created.

So this month when I read in my issue of Children’s Book Insider that a certain publisher was looking for a certain type of nonfiction manuscript that described MY manuscript, my heart skipped a beat. Bingo!

I went out to my cupboard, found the book manuscript that had been waiting, and prepared it for submission. I sent it on its merry way, and then got back to work on a children’s book deadline I’m currently writing under contract.

That’s how I maintain my writing career. I spend most of my time writing manuscripts that are under contract. I occasionally write manuscripts for myself that I just gotta write…and occasionally send them out to specifically targeted publishers. So far, I’ve landed over 75 books contracts before I wrote the book. I’ve landed zero book contracts for the manuscripts I wrote and THEN tried to find a publisher.

But hey–I’m an optimist! That’s why I sent out my nonfiction picture book submission today. But I’m also a realist. That’s why I got back to work on my book deadline after it was gone.

What’s your strategy?

Filed under: Tips and Strategies

Oldie But Goodie: Pssst! Wanna Hear a Secret?

Hi. I’m Humphrey. I’m a cat. I’m also a writer. You didn’t know that, did you? Another thing you don’t know is how old I am. That’s because I’ve discovered some great secrets to use in my writing to never let an editor know my age. These secrets are better than anti-aging cream!

You may wonder why I want to keep my age a secret. It’s the editors. They’re young. They’re fresh faces! They don’t wanna get manuscripts from an old cat like me. Hey, at my age, I may be over-the-hill in cat years—but not my writing! My writing’s energetic. My stories are hip! My prose is purrfect! Here are three of the strategies I use to make sure I don’t give my age away.

1. I put one space between each sentence, not two. You see, the fastest way to let an editor know you’re reaching retirement is to put two spaces in between each sentence. An editor reads the first sentence of your manuscript, sees those two spaces after it, and a red light flashes in her brain. “Warning! Beware! Get ready to be bored! This writer’s too old to know what the new rules are. This writer’s too old to care. This writer’s too old to accept change!”

You see, if you’re like me, when I was in Feline High, I learned to type two spaces after each sentence. On the typewriter. (Okay, now the cat’s out of the bag. I was around when the invention of the electric typewriter was all the rage!) The problem is, with the age of computers, that’s not how it’s done any more. Now you’re only supposed to type one space after each sentence. That’s what the young whippersnappers learn to do.

So, I did it! I’m not gonna let some young, wet-behind-the-ears editor reject my manuscript just because she thinks I’m an old geezer. I trained myself to just hit one space between each sentence. It took about two weeks of concentrating—and that’s typing with paws! But I did it. Now it’s easy.

2. Another strategy I use to hide my age is that I choose names for the characters in my stories that are mod. I avoid the temptation to use my favorite names. Sure, I want to name them Lucy, after my favorite old poochie pal. But I don’t unless I’m writing a historical novel. I want to name them Pitterpat or Chuck or Sandman after my favorite aunt or uncle. But I don’t.

Instead, I look for current names. Now names. Names that sound like the cat’s meow. Names I might not necessarily like but are popular today. I borrowed my niece’s year book. She’s in first grade at Furry Fun Elementary. I photocopied a bunch of kitten names and keep ‘em handy. I bought a book of baby names. 35,000+ Baby Names by Bruce Lanksy is the best! It even tells what cultural background each name is from so I can include a multi-ethnic cast of characters in my stories. That’s another strategy that keeps my manuscripts up to date.

3. Another way I keep my age a secret is to take Mama and Papa cat out of the story. I don’t let them hover in the background like they did in MY favorite books that I liked to read when I was small enough to hide under the couch and climb to the top of the curtains. I let the kittens in my stories come up with their own ideas, make their own decisions, and solve their own problems. Sure, their parents are there when it counts. But they don’t do anything to directly influence the outcome of the plot. I leave that up to the kittens.

So there you have it: My super strategies to keep my age a secret. No editor’s gonna paws or reject my manuscript because it looks or sounds out of touch with this generation. No way!

For more of my “catchy” tips, CLICK HERE to visit the site of my buddies and me.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Faith Building Fridays: Rise Up!

Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

-Song of Songs 2:10-12, NKJV

Much to our surprise, a pair of new birds arrived in our backyard one spring. We looked them up in our bird book, but the book didn’t have them. So we looked them up in a different bird book, and it said that Ringed Turtledoves from Asia have escaped from a pet store in Los Angeles and may be found nearby. We live in a suburb of LA!

It was such a joy to watch them! They built a nest and every day the male sat on the top of our chimney coo-cooing all day long while the female sat nearby in the nest.

The sound of the turtledove was heard all throughout our house as the beautiful and peaceful melody carried down our chimney like a microphone and was heard singing all throughout our house.

God is reminding us to rise up! The time of singing has come! The time to look ahead to a future as his scribe is here. He has new things planned for us, articles and stories and books He’s planned about since the beginning of creation.

Dear God, thank You for hope and newness of life. Please help me write with a new joy in my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Oldie But Goodie: Dialog

Here’s an Oldie But Goodie post on dialog!

Everything I Need to Know about Middle Grade Novels I Learned from Jurassic Park

At one point in Jurrasic Park 1, the main characters are all sitting together and they’re asked their opinion on the idea of an amusement park for dinosaurs. Each one gives a very revealing answer about their characterization. We can see clearly that each main character has his or her own unique voice or way of talking.

Math guy: Everything is chaos.

Grandpa: I spared no expense!

Dinosaur Guy: You’re talking about creatures I’ve researched who aren’t capable scientifically of living with people.

I have been having a difficult time creating a unique voice for each of my characters for my middle grade novel. This is a second book under contract in a series and I remember I had the same difficulties when I was writing the first book. This book has an all-new cast of characters, however, so I’m not limited to the voices I created for the first book.

So I decided to try an experiment. In my mind, I sat all my main characters down together and asked them a question that was important to the plot in my book—just like what actually happened in the scene in Jurassic Park.

To my discovery, only one of my main characters had anything unique to say. The rest were just me talking through them. Bo-o-oring. I realized I needed to develop each of their voices and give each main character distinctive dialogue that reflects the 3-D characterizations I’m developing for them.

Try it yourself. Whether you’re writing a picture book, a chapter book, a middle grade novel, a young adult novel, or any manuscript that uses dialog to create a scene, ask all of your main characters the same question. Be sure the question is about something that is important in the story. Listen to how they answer. If each of them doesn’t respond in a unique, different way, work on developing their voices until they do!

Filed under: Middle Grade Novels, Oldie But Goodie, Uncategorized

Oldie But Goodie: Plot

Here’s another Oldie But Goodie post I found several years ago that I wrote here on my blog. It is based on watching Jurassic Park, too.

Everything I Need to Know about Middle Grade Novels I Learned from Jurassic Park

As I watched the three Jurassic Park movies, I also learned great tips about creating a plot and subplots for my middle grade novel.

Jurassic Park had three strong plots and a large number of subplots. The three main plots were:

1. Get approval for island: This plot was carried all the way through the movie, referred to often, and was important at the end.

2. Steal DNA. Again, this plot was carried all the way through the movie, referred to often, and was important at the end.

3. Get off the island.

Jurassic Park 2 (Lost World) did not really have a single plot that carried the entire way through the movie.

1. Get on the island and find girlfriend: Since he found her right away, it was the end of this plot.

2. Wealthy guy’s safari: This lasted until they got off the island. Then they were in the city and it was a different kind of plot.

3. Get off the island: This only lasted until they got off the island. Then a new plot started.

Jurassic Park 3 also did not really have a single important plot that carried the entire way through the movie.

1. Find kid: They found him in the middle of the movie. End of plot.

2. Get off the island: By the third movie, this was the same plot as the others so it got kind of old. It wasn’t important any more, it was predictable.

Here’s what I learned about plotting a middle grade novel by watching all three movies of Jurassic Park:

1. Create at least three main plots to develop, refer to often throughout the book, and still be important at the end.

2. Create numerous, character-driven subplots that are developed throughout the book and are resolved by the end.

 

Filed under: Middle Grade Novels, Oldie But Goodie, Plots, Uncategorized

Faith Building Fridays: Finish

I suggest that you finish what you started a year ago, for you were the first to propose this idea, and you were the first to begin doing something about it. Now you should carry this project through to completion just as enthusiastically as you began it.

-2 Corinthians 8:10-11, NLT

What a great reminder this is for us as writers! Let’s pull out that manuscript we started, sit down and work on it with commitment, and finish the first draft from beginning to end. After all, what can God do with a manuscript we haven’t yet finished?

Dear Father, thank you for this challenge today. Please anoint me with enthusiasm and joy to do the work you have called me to do and write the manuscript you want me to write. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Oldie But Goodie: Middle Grade Musings

Here’s the final post I found in this Oldie But Goodie series on Middle Grade Novels that I posted several years ago:

Everything I Need to Know about Middle Grade Novels I Learned from Jurassic Park

Part 6

Here’s an overview of what I learned about characterization from watching all three Jurassic Park movies:

Main Characters:

1. Make each main character 3-D by giving them each three distinct, over-the-top and unique personality traits. Either make them likeable or make the reader like to dislike them—don’t just give them random traits—make them appealing to the reader in some way.

2. Develop each of the main character’s characterization throughout the entire novel including the beginning, middle, and the end.

3. Have each main character change or not change by the end of the book in a dramatic way with purpose.

4. Use the unique characterization of each main character to either save the day or bring about ruin by either moving the plot forward or throwing obstacles in the way.

5. Create character-driven plots to add tension and emotion to the story and keep the reader hooked.

Minor Characters:

1. Create a cast of minor characters each with one distinct and unique personality trait.

2. Develop each of the minor characters throughout the entire novel including the beginning, the middle, and the end.

3. Use the minor characters to move the plot forward or throw obstacles in the way and add tension.

I am planning to use this list as a check-off list for the characters I’m developing in my middle grade historical novel. I really think this will take my book to a newer level of interest and excitement for the reader—I know it’s already working to hook me in as the author.

 

Filed under: Middle Grade Novels, Oldie But Goodie, Uncategorized

Faith Building Fridays: Listen

I listen carefully to what God,

the Lord, is saying,

for he speaks peace to his faithful people.

-Psalm 85:8

Before a writer can write, we must listen. Every day. Mary discovered the treasure of listening. And Jesus said it would not be taken away from her. Let’s spend time listening carefully to God’s heart today. Then let’s sit down at our computers and write. The words that flow through us will be used to speak peace to the world.

Dear God, help me carve time out of my hectic day to come sit at your feet and listen to your words of peace. Please help me be like Mary, not busy, distracted, or worried about many things like Martha. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized