Thursday, August 1, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
More Great Writing Tips from Jerry Jenkins
Don’t ever apologize for…
…wanting to be published. You’d be amazed at how often I hear from would-be writers who say they just want to write for the sake of writing. “I don’t care if it gets published.” Then why not just talk?
Get your work out there. Sure, a certain amount of ego is at play. Who doesn’t want to be known, to be successful, to see her name in print? You simply need to remember that publishing has to be a byproduct of your writing, not the end goal.
If you set out to glamorize yourself, write a bestseller, score, whatever you call it, you might enjoy a short-lived celebrity, but you won’t have a career. As Dean Koontz has taught, the purpose of writing is communication, and if what we write is not read, that purpose is not fulfilled.
The most attractive quality in a person is humility. Sometimes money and fame will come whether or not you expect or seek them. But if you become enamored with the trappings of success, they become your passion. You need to return to your first love.
Why are you a writer?
Are you an inspirational writer?
The answers to those questions should have nothing to do with yourself. If God and others are not the reasons you write, you might as well write solely for the general market.
That doesn’t mean everything you write has to be a sermon or packed with scripture, but your unique worldview should come through.
As working writers, we should be always sending
out proposals – or coming up with new proposals to pitch. Never write to Dear
Sir or To Whom It May Concern. Find and write directly to the appropriate
person by name. Then, here are my top tips for query letters and proposals.
1. Avoid mannerisms and multiple fonts in your emails to editors. This is akin to the old snail mail taboo of using colored paper as stationery. Editors seem to universally see this as a sign of an amateur.
2. Do not use bold or LARGER-THAN-NORMAL type anywhere in an email, proposal, query, or manuscript.
3. Your title must be positive. Not "Don't Let Depression Defeat You," but rather: "Winning Over Depression."
4. A manuscript, even transmitted electronically, must should be double-spaced (not single- or triple-spaced, or spaced at the 1.5 setting). Fix the default Word setting that calls for extra space between paragraphs. Indent paragraphs and remember, unlike how we learned to type business letters, only one space between sentences.
5. If the publisher asks for hard copy (rare these days), your manuscript should never be bound, stapled, clipped, or in a notebook. Editors want the pages in a stack, loose, with each page numbered and carrying the author's name.
6. The word "by" rarely appears on the cover of a book unless it is self-published, and even then it is the sign of an amateur.
7. The misspelling of the word "acknowledgments" (as "acknowledgements", a British variation) or "foreword" (as "forward") is another clue that you're an amateur. "Foreword" means "before the text"; it consists of "fore" and "word", and has nothing to do with direction.
8. Your manuscript should not have justified right margins. Use ragged right margins, the kind that makes your manuscript appear to have been typed rather than computer generated. Justified margins cause inconsistent spacing between words, which make for difficult reading for overworked editors and will also require tedious reformatting.
9. A common cliché in inspirational books is to include prayers in prefatory material. Even paraphrasing those to say, "My prayer is that God would…" is better than, "Lord, I pray…", but avoid either in the dedication or acknowledgments ("Lord, thank you for my wonderful editor…" Blech!).
10. You've heard the slogan "Just do it." Now learn to "Just say it." Imagine telling your story to a friend over coffee or writing a letter. Good writing is not about loads of adjectives and adverbs. It consists of powerful nouns and verbs. So many beginners fall into an overwrought style editors call "writtenese." Your relatives may love your flowery language, and perhaps your unpublished creative writing teacher does too, but read what sells. Usually you'll find it simple and straightforward.
1. Avoid mannerisms and multiple fonts in your emails to editors. This is akin to the old snail mail taboo of using colored paper as stationery. Editors seem to universally see this as a sign of an amateur.
2. Do not use bold or LARGER-THAN-NORMAL type anywhere in an email, proposal, query, or manuscript.
3. Your title must be positive. Not "Don't Let Depression Defeat You," but rather: "Winning Over Depression."
4. A manuscript, even transmitted electronically, must should be double-spaced (not single- or triple-spaced, or spaced at the 1.5 setting). Fix the default Word setting that calls for extra space between paragraphs. Indent paragraphs and remember, unlike how we learned to type business letters, only one space between sentences.
5. If the publisher asks for hard copy (rare these days), your manuscript should never be bound, stapled, clipped, or in a notebook. Editors want the pages in a stack, loose, with each page numbered and carrying the author's name.
6. The word "by" rarely appears on the cover of a book unless it is self-published, and even then it is the sign of an amateur.
7. The misspelling of the word "acknowledgments" (as "acknowledgements", a British variation) or "foreword" (as "forward") is another clue that you're an amateur. "Foreword" means "before the text"; it consists of "fore" and "word", and has nothing to do with direction.
8. Your manuscript should not have justified right margins. Use ragged right margins, the kind that makes your manuscript appear to have been typed rather than computer generated. Justified margins cause inconsistent spacing between words, which make for difficult reading for overworked editors and will also require tedious reformatting.
9. A common cliché in inspirational books is to include prayers in prefatory material. Even paraphrasing those to say, "My prayer is that God would…" is better than, "Lord, I pray…", but avoid either in the dedication or acknowledgments ("Lord, thank you for my wonderful editor…" Blech!).
10. You've heard the slogan "Just do it." Now learn to "Just say it." Imagine telling your story to a friend over coffee or writing a letter. Good writing is not about loads of adjectives and adverbs. It consists of powerful nouns and verbs. So many beginners fall into an overwrought style editors call "writtenese." Your relatives may love your flowery language, and perhaps your unpublished creative writing teacher does too, but read what sells. Usually you'll find it simple and straightforward.
***
Author of more than 180 books with sales of more than 70 million copies, including the best-selling Left Behind series, Jerry B. Jenkins is former vice president for publishing and currently chairman of the board of trustees for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.
Jerry's writing has appeared in Time, Reader's Digest, Parade, Guideposts, and dozens of Christian periodicals. Twenty of his books have reached The New York Times best-seller list (seven debuting number one). The Breakthrough, the final book in Jerry's Precinct 11 trilogy, released from Tyndale House Publishers in September 2012.
Jerry owns Jenkins Entertainment, a filmmaking company in Chicago, and the Christian Writers Guild, which aims to train tomorrow's professional Christian writers. Each student is personally mentored by a seasoned professional.
In January 2013, Jerry launched Christian Writers Guild Publishing (CWGP). Students take a six-month mentored course to guide them in writing their manuscripts, then CWGP publishes their books.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Avoid these Common Errors in Writing
Common Errors in Writing
As an editor for the past several years, I see a lot of things in writing that needs to be fixed. That's what you hire an editor for. Everyone needs an editor--especially the editor. One of my own most common mistakes is skipping a word when I write. My brain fills it in for me, and no matter how many times I "proofread" I will never catch it just by skimming over my work, sometimes even when I read it back aloud.
You can help yourself and your editor by watching for and avoiding these most common errors.
Pronoun Agreement
English has pirated the best words from Latin and Greek, Indo-European, and Aboriginal languages; however, we are crippled by lack of pronouns. We have only male, female, gender-neutral plural, gender-neutral singular, which generally refers to inanimate objects. Singular and plural in the same sentence or paragraph must agree.
He/him
She/her
They/them
Direct address: You; modified only with a contraction/verb (you'd, you'll, you're), never pluralized occasionally, "one" is used as a gender neutral address, but it is awkward at best
It
Words like Everyone, Everybody, need to be followed up with singular pronouns, since “body” and “one” are singular usages, not plural. You can use “We all” or “All of them” to match plural pronouns they/them.
Everyone made it on time to his or her appointment.
They all made it on time to their appointments.
Possessives/Plurals/Contractions
To show possession, EXCEPT WITH GENDER NEUTRAL IT OR YEARS, use an apostrophe.
Carl’s dog has lived with him at the Reader’s house since 1995.
That old dog, born in the 1990s, has lived with the Readers. It’s had all its required shots.
Plural possession will have the comma after the “s.” In my parents’ house, the dog is kept out of the kitchen.
Plural: Simple plurals never need an apostrophe
Carl once had three dogs at the same time. The Readers did not like that.
In Contractions (it is=it’s, they are=they’re, he will=he’ll) an apostrophe replaces a letter. If you cannot divide the word back to its original two words, do not use an apostrophe.
It has had all of its shots.
Commas & Dialog marks
Commas should and always are meant to ease reading, according to the Chicago Manual of Style. There are some rules, but personal style and judgment can be considered; it’s becoming common to use fewer, as long as usage is consistent.
In general, commas are used to introduce something, such as the subject of the sentence (Therefore, / On the other hand, ), or dialogue (Grandma said, “I remember…); or to set off a parenthetical phrase (something you would be able to put in parentheses like this one); to separate items in a list, often but not always to identify an appositive (my brother, Rico, said… Although My brother Rico said... is equally correct--as long as there's no confusion about whom you're referring to); to set off restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses—and that’s one you can use your best judgment on and let the editor figure it out.
American English uses a double quote to set off dialogue; periods, commas, question marks and exclamation points will 99% of the time be inside the quotation marks. Queen’s and other European styles do the opposite. Where is your book going to be marketed and sold the most? Use that version.
Using the wrong word
Spell-check on your word processing program is good for a quick check, but must never be relied upon, as it finds and fixes general spelling errors, but cannot always judge whether you’ve used the correct word.
From/form
There/their/they’re
Consistency
Words like toward/towards.
They’re both correct, but authors need to choose one version and use it consistently throughout the manuscript. Use a global search for this word to see all instances of the word in the manuscript and make sure they’re all the same. Spell out the name of a place and make sure it’s the same, such as Mount/ Mt., or an abbreviation for a title, such as Doctor/ Dr.
Reading your work out loud--no cheating-- is your best initial defense.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Fearless Friday with Rose Chandler Johnson!
Meet Rose Chandler Johnson
Twitter: @rechanjo
Blog: Write Moments with God
Rose Chandler Johnson, a Southern girl from a tiny Georgia town,
is the author of the popular devotional blog, Write Moments with God. In spite of years of disappointments and
overwhelming obstacles, she has grown in her relationship with the Lord and
learned how to find Him in the midst of everyday moments. A devoted Christian
and mother of six, she has been a French and English teacher over the last
twenty years. She likes to take walks, garden, read, and bake.
Published by
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
ISBN
978-1-938499-86-9
Rose Johnson’s devotional offers the reader sweet balm and
encouragement through wise and thoughtful reflections on God’s grace and
provision in the midst of all life can throw at us. Use it as a wonderful way
to start the day off right with God’s Word and friendly counsel from a woman
whose soul knows. ~ Elizabeth Musser, award winning Christian writer and author
of The Swan House
Through honesty and compassion, Rose lets us see into her life and
heart so that we can also examine our own heart. As I read these devotions I was
sometimes comforted and other times challenged, but always I thought about the
person God sees when He sees me. This devotional is simple enough for the
newest believer or even someone not sure about God but deep enough to make a
life-long Christian feel challenged to go higher. This is a wonderful book and
I am thrilled to encourage others to read it and share a copy with friends. ~
Tiffany Colter, author, writer, speaker, writing coach, and mom.
Available from
Amazon
Available in print from
your local bookstore, online, or from the publisher at: www.lighthousepublishingofthecarolinas.com
Your unique talent: Je parle
francais! I speak French.
Rose, share something not many people know about you: Once I was mugged in Paris, but I held onto my
money. A little French lady
intervened. I got through it with only a
bruise on my hip and a broken fingernail.
Are you a “pet person” or prefer no pets? Once, I had my own
little dog, which I adored, and I’d ride around with her in my bicycle
basket. Then I had twins, followed by
four more children. Even though we’ve
had a half dozen pets over the years, I’d prefer none.
Would you rather travel or stay at home? Honestly, I’m a
stay at home gal. When I do travel, I
love it, but most of the time I’m content to be home.
Do you read more or write more? I’m still reading more than writing. It seems I’m always reading at least three
books at once, and I have a stack waiting, but I do write some everyday.
Prefer cake or pie?
Pound cake.
Would, or do, ride a motorcycle or prefer to ride/drive a
car? Just let me drive a car please. Although, I’ve ridden a motorcycle many times
in my younger days, I don’t think you could get me on one now.
Bus or taxi or walk?
Walk if I can; taxi if it’s from the airport; bus if it’s a daytrip to Chartre
or Giverny J
Are you part of a big church congregation or a small
church? Small church
Do you like to telephone people or prefer to use e-mail? Prefer email
Are you happy or joyful? Joyful
Do you eat at home or eat out? Eat at home most of
the time; I’m a good cook. I enjoy
eating out occasionally as well.
Listen to music or prefer quiet? Prefer quiet most of the time
Prefer sunrises or sunsets? Love sunrises, trees, flowers, and all God’s beautiful
creation.
Thanks so much for stopping in, Rose, and blessings upon all your work.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
What Are Some Good Paid Advertising Sites on the Web
Here are some paid advertising sites that I have checked out or used. I always encourage authors to use wisdom when deciding where to advertise.
For more helpful tips and links, check out my Power Point Presentation at: http://lorilynroberts.com/name.html
e)Lorilyn Roberts is a Christian author who writes children's picture books, adult nonfiction, memoirs, and a young adult Christian fantasy series, Seventh Dimension.
Lorilyn graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama, which included international study in Israel and England. She received her Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Perelandra College and is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature.
Lorilyn is the founder of the John 316 Marketing Network, a network of Christian authors who are passionate about promoting books with a Christian worldview.
To learn more about Lorilyn, please visit her website at http://lorilynroberts.com or blog at http://lorilynroberts.blogspot.com . You can follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/lorilynroberts.
Monday, July 1, 2013
13 Online Marketing Blogs You Really Should Consider
By Sabrina C Anderson
Online
marketing doesn’t have to be an author’s worst nightmare when it comes to
selling books. Over the last year and a half, I’ve been trolling the web trying
to grapple with what it means to market myself, my book and my blog. If you have a small budget like me, then you
might understand how much hard work and persistence it can take.
Thankfully,
there are many blogs, books, and experts willing to assist with applying some very
basic strategies that produce great results depending on your goals. Just like writing a book takes time, so does
success with online marketing. Whether
your goal is to build a thriving business online, become a top blogger or
simply establish an audience as an author, here are thirteen blogs worth
checking out to help you get the results you dream of.
Online Marketing for Amateurs,
Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs
Firepole Marketing
Conversion Optimization/Sales
Peter Sandeen
Blog Training/Business Coaching
Marie Forleo
HeartCore Women
Online Visibility
Denise Wakeman
Solopreneurs
The Savvy Solopreneur
Time
Management/Blogging
Blogging with Amy
Introverts and Online Marketing
Writing Happiness
Writing Happiness
Generating Traffic, Making Money
Online
Copy Blogger
Pro Blogger
Dukeo
Passive Panda
2 Create a Website
As you can see, each
blog offers many tips and resources to navigating the world of online
marketing. Though it may seem overwhelming, just assess your needs and stick to
what works for you. If you have the budget to pay for coaching, go for it. If
not, many of these blogs offer free resources that can help you achieve your
goals.
Do you have a
favorite go to blog for all of your online marketing needs? Share it in the
comments below. Be blessed!
***
Sabrina
is an author and blogger who loves online marketing and search engine
optimization. You can visit her at http://www.afabulouslifeinchrist.com/,
a blog that encourages women to live their best life in Christ.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Where's Zack?: Summer Reading Quest Deadline Nears
The quest, Where's Zack, has been running during the month of June at New Christian Books Onine Magazine, a free online pubication serving readers of Christian literature and their authors.
"It is my hope that the quest encouraged children and mystery lovers of all ages to do some reading," says the magazine publisher, Cheryl Rogers, who authored Lost in the Woods: A Bible Camp Mystery.
Everyone who enters the quest will be receiving faith-building ebooks. Scavengers at the website have a chance to win books by authors Theresa Franklin and David Moore on a first come, first serve basis. Those who correctly guess where Zack disappeared will win e-copies of Noah's Ark by Christian author Ruth O'Neil, along with the next Bible Camp Mystery slated for release later this summer and other ebooks.
The quest centers around 12 articles and short stories about Zack's summer vacation, which are posted at the magazine. Readers can enter the quest by filling out an online form here: http://www.songsfromtheword.com/NewChristianBooks/where-is-zack-form There is no fee to enter the quest.
Book Critique by Lorilyn Roberts On Writing Well by William Zinsser - The Book on Writing All Serious Writers Should Read
Book
Critique by Lorilyn Roberts
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
I
read On Writing Well by William Zinsser twice. I loved this book. On Writing Well embodies what excellent writing
should be. At first I thought the book would be a dull "how to write"
book, much like a cookbook, without a lot of creativity. Instead, On Writing Well has depth and soul. It
challenges me to ask, what can I achieve for the glory of God if I implement
these nuggets of wisdom?
On Writing Well gives me a high
standard to emulate and debunks many myths perpetrated by people I consider
more knowledgeable than myself. This book is a gift to anyone who takes writing
seriously.
I
also believe there is a spiritual battle waged in Christian writing. The evil
one does not want God's glory to be revealed in human creativity. If he can persuade
Christian writers through mediocrity and deception that publishing articles or
books is the ultimate goal without a passion for truth, beauty, and redemption,
our writing will be compromised. We will sacrifice our best–God’s
creativity—for a cheap counterfeit. As Zinsser states so well, we need role
models who exhibit good writing that we can copy to help us develop our own
style.
I
also feel “normal” now knowing I am not "crazy" with my compulsion to
rewrite things over and over as I fidget for the right construction. I take
comfort in knowing at least Zinsser does the same thing.
There
are too many good points On Writing Well to
summarize in a few short paragraphs, so I want to break them down into the four
parts of the book as Zinsser presented them.
Part
I Principles
All these principles would apply equally to
fiction and nonfiction.
1.
Good writing must exhibit humanity and warmth. A writer's product is himself,
not the subject that he is writing about.
2.
Write clearly and eliminate all clutter.
3.
Be yourself on paper as you are in person.
4.
Write the way that is most natural to you.
5.
Write to please yourself—I like to think I am writing to please God. To paraphrase
from the Bible, whatever I do, do it as if I am doing it unto the Lord, and
give Him the glory. That means the reader deserves the best I have to offer.
6.
Writing is art through imitation.
7.
Avoid journalese and cheap words—the world has enough of them already (I know
because I caption them every day). Instead, surprise the reader with the rhythm
and cadence of verbs and nouns that express vitality and beauty in unexpected
ways.
8.
Respect the English language and write correctly—it will show you care about the
reader and respect his intelligence.
Part
II Methods
All
these principles would apply equally to fiction and nonfiction.
2.
Unity ensures orderliness in terms of presentation, pronoun, tense, and mood.
3.
Enthusiasm will keep the reader engaged.
4.
Leave the reader with one new thought or idea to consider after he
finishes your story.
5.
Be flexible—let your writing take you where it wants to go. Trust your
material.
6.
Make your lead so compelling that the reader can't put your book down.
7.
Always have more material to draw from than you think you will need.
8.
Look for the story in your writing—people love stories.
9.
Know when to end (I have read my share of great books that I never finished
because I became bored in the waning chapters).
10.
Use active and precise verbs and adjectives. Avoid overuse of adverbs.
My
translation is, if it sounds like writing, it's a poor substitute. My favorite
books are those where I get lost in the story—I have been transported to
another world or another time and forget I am reading until something or
somebody disturbs me.
11.
Omit the "little qualifiers."
In
my book Children of Dreams, I did a
word search for qualifiers I tend to overuse like "very" and removed
them. I also did a search for
exclamation points—most of those came out also. The change in overall
appearance was stunning.
12.
Avoid contractions like "I'd, he'd, and we'd." I don't write these
words captioning because I don't like them (they don't exist in my captioning
dictionary), so I am glad to know I don't ever need to write them.
13.
Don't overstate. I have been turned off by writers who overstated a fact. My
translation is, don't insult the reader's intelligence.
14.
Don't compare your writing to others. Your only competition is with yourself.
15.
If something can't be fixed, take it out. In captioning parlance, when in
doubt, take it out. Better not to
caption it than to caption it wrong.
16.
Keep paragraphs short.
17.
Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.
Part III
Forms (Noted for my own edification)
1.
Dramatic nonfiction should have no inferring or fabricating, but a condensing
of time and events is acceptable to tell the story, raising the craft of
writing nonfiction to art.
2.
Seize control of style and substance when writing about people and places; take
unusual care with details.
3.
A memoir covers a short span of time and is not autobiographical. Use sound,
smell, touch and rich remembrance to allow the reader to enjoy the journey
alongside you.
4.
When writing science, write as an ordinary person, sequentially, and never
forget the human element is what will make the story come alive.
5.
Strip from business writing all the extra "lingo" and write with what
Zinsser calls the four articles of faith: Clarity, simplicity, brevity and
humanity.
6. Sports writing is rich in opportunity for
nonfiction writers—a source of material for social change and social history.
Strip away the sports jargon and write with active verbs and colorful adjectives.
(This chapter spoke to me personally as it takes months of training to become a
competent sports captioner. Because I hope to incorporate sports into my
creative writing, I'm glad to know that good sports writing eliminates the junkie
lingo that I caption every day).
7. Criticism is a serious intellectual act
undertaken by those trained in the area of inquiry. The first qualification
should be to love the type of art being critiqued.
8.
Humor is the secret ingredient to nonfiction writing that adds zest and joy to
truth and life.
Part
IV Attitudes
The
following would apply to fiction except for 6 through 10. All would apply to
nonfiction.
1.
Avoid cheap writing, clichés, and breeziness. Develop a style that the reader
with recognize as "your voice."
2.
Write with sincerity. Your best credential is yourself.
3.
Focus on process, not outcome. Zinsser
calls it, "The Tyranny of the Final Product."
4.
Quest and intention should guide us in our writing. Quest is the search for
meaning and intention is what we wish to accomplish—the soul of our writing.
5.
Writing is about making decisions, and ultimately, where you wish to take the
reader on your journey.
6. Consider the resonance of the words you
choose and its emotional impact on the reader.
7.
As a nonfiction writer, "You must get on the plane." (I think about
the adoption of my two daughters from Nepal
and Vietnam
8.
When writing memoir, choose one point of view to preserve unity; i.e., writing
from the viewpoint of the child versus the adult looking back. They are
different kinds of writing.
9.
Remember, when writing memoir, it's your story. Memoirs should have a
redemptive quality—readers won't connect with whining.
10.
Organize your memoir through a series of reductions, focusing on the small
stories tucked away in memory. The reader will connect because the stories will
resonate with universal truth.
11.
Strive to write the best you can. Give
all of yourself. The reader deserves the
best you have to offer.
Get your copy of On Writing Well here:
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