Courage

Brave

For all my writing friends -

You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
And they settle ‘neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

Everybody’s been there, everybody’s been stared down
By the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don’t run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

Innocence, your history of silence
Won’t do you any good
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don’t you tell them the truth?

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you

Motivation

 

I want to hear from you. What do you do to keep yourself motivated when things get tough? 

Guest Post - The Importance of a Great Critique Partner

I'm excited to host guest blogger and friend Sharon Srock.  

She lives with her husband, Larry, and two dogs in Rural Oklahoma. She is a mother, grandmother, and Sunday School teacher. Sharon has one and three-quarters jobs and writes in her spare time. Her favorite hobby is traveling with her grandchildren. She is a member of the ACFW and currently serves as treasurer for her local chapter. Sharon’s writing credits include numerous poems and short stories published in science fiction fanzines.

 Callie, Sharon's first novel in her "Women of Valley View" series, was recently released. You can learn more about her wonderful book after the post.  
Also, be sure to check out Sharon's free ebook that introduces her Women of Valley View characters.
 

Here's what Sharon has to say about working with a great critique partner:

One of the most important tools a writer can have is a great critique partner. The one I work with is the only one I’ve ever had so I can’t say if our relationship is “normal”, but I can say that I’m glad God didn’t give her to anyone else.

By the very nature of the job description critique partners should have a level of trust in, and comfort with, each other. It’s much easier to take criticism from someone who loves you, someone who knows how you think. This goes back to that “normal” thing.

My critique partner and I decided to work together the very first day we met. Two newbies, sitting in a writers group, thrown together by the whispered admission that we wrote women’s fiction, and the suggestion, by the group leader, that we should try working together.

Oh sure, why not?

I remember coming home after that meeting, so thrilled at the prospect of another writer reading my stuff. I sat at the computer, wrote a quick note, and fired off that first manuscript. I don’t know if she felt the same, but I got a quick response and a copy of her story.

Thus began the dance.

Tentative messages back and forth. “It works for me, but… Maybe you should tweak… Am I annoying you yet? (After she marked the same rookie error for the sixth time).” We LOVED each other’s work and we were being just as honest as we knew how to be, or maybe just as honest as two strangers were comfortable being.

Then it happened. I got a particularly ugly rejection note from an agent. “The beginning is too slow…too much back story…not nearly ready…” How did this happen? It’s been read, reviewed, and revised. My critique partner loves it. Surely this man must be crazy.

Tearful note to critique partner. “Can you believe he said these things?”

Critique partners response, “I’ve wondered about some of the same things.”

What???

I’ll never forget the phone call that followed. Me, trying to control tears that only the rejected can really understand. Her, apologizing for not raising red flags over things that bugged her, surprised to hear from me because I must surely hate her now. I think that’s the moment our real partnership began. That was the day we stopped dancing around each other and learned that truthful critiquing didn’t equal mean. We really did love each other’s style, voice, and stories, but there were issues in both works that needed to be addressed.

Even though we’re opposites in many ways, she’s raising her family, I have an empty nest. She has a college degree, I don’t. I work two jobs, she’s blessed to be a stay at home mom. I grew up in church, she never had that privilege, a solid friendship is evolving out of that partnership

Despite our differences we complement each other. I love her grasp of grammar and all the little things she finds when she reads my stories. I’m not sure what she considers to be my strong point, but I do know the partnership is working. We both sold our first books this year. I can’t speak for her, but I know I could not have accomplished that milestone without her help, honesty, and support.

So my advice to any aspiring writer is to find a great critique partner. But don’t come looking for mine, I saw her first.

Let's talk critique partners! Do you have one? How did you find your CP? What do you think is the most important quality in a CP? 

Here's an excerpt from Sharon's new release, The Women of Valley View: Callie:

Callie Stillman dabbed raindrops from her face with a linen napkin as Benton dodged a server with a loaded tray and took his place across from her. She smiled into her husband’s blue eyes and reached across to wipe water from his beard. “We’ll both have pneumonia if we don’t dry off soon.”

Benton took the napkin and finished the job. “I’ve been told the food is very good. A few sniffles should be worth it.”

Callie’s gaze roamed the room. “It’s…” Recognition slammed into her chest, forcing the air from her lungs. The man crossing the room behind her husband nodded and continued to his table. Was that the bailiff? Do you swear to tell the truth… She gulped for breath and fought the familiar darkness that crowded the edges of her vision.

Callie ran a finger around her collar, tugging the neck of the blouse away from skin suddenly dewed with a fine film of sweat. Too hot. She took a sip of water, dismayed at the tremor in her hand as she lifted the glass to her lips. Not here, not tonight. Callie closed her eyes and practiced the breathing techniques she’d learned over the last six months. In through her nose, hold for a few seconds, and out through her mouth. Concentrate only on the current step in the process, the next breath. The tightness in her chest began to fade away. Thank you, Jesus. She raised her water again and held the cold glass to her flushed cheek. 

Available through B&N, Amazon, and Pelican Book Group.

At the end of her blog tour, Sharon will be giving away this great prize pack including, copy of Callie's story, certificate for Terri's story when it releases in April, 6 piece cherry blossom bath set, cosmetic bag, bath wrap, cozy pink eye mask, pair of aloe infused booties, hair turban, tennis bracelet, $25.00 Amazon gift card. To enter, just leave a comment with your email address. Sharon will draw a winner on Nov. 19. 

Tale of a Recovering Perfectionist

I've spent the last few days at the national American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. I love this conference, and the wonderful, creative, fun writers who attend it.

There is one giant downside to the conference. It tends to bring out my need to try to be perfect.

Is my agent / editor pitch perfect? Is my one-sheet perfect? Are my business cards perfect? Are my outfits perfect?

It's exhausting.

The day I arrived at the hotel, I realized I hadn't memorized my pitch, I was beginning to think everything I had prepared for conference was all wrong, and I had a big blemish on my forehead that I was sure the editors were going to be staring at when we met.

But God, in that perfect way only He has, has been moving. It turns out that my writer friends--some new and some from years past--don't seem to notice all the imperfections. My agent and editor sessions have been better than any year before because instead of reciting my perfectly planned pitch, I'm able to have real conversations with them.

In one session led by Jim Rubart and Allen Arnold, they talked about how we can't have control and freedom at the same time. Isn't that what perfectionism is? A futile attempt to control things.

God doesn't ask for me to try to be perfect while I'm here. He knows I'll just mess it up. He asks me to walk into the experience with an open heart and reliance that He's got this.

How about you? Are you a perfectionist? Are there certain things that bring out your perfectionism?

A Baby Turtle

This is what it feels like to edit my latest novel.



How's your week going?

Let nothing upset you

Comparison

Comparison is the thief of Joy. ~Theodore Roosevelt

Do you compare your writing to the work of other writers? Is it sucking the joy out of your writing?

Feeling Overwhelmed?

First drafts, research, edits – it’s easy to get overwhelmed. There are steps you can take to get through it.

• Write it down – I often make lists of everything that’s causing me stress. There is something about getting it from your mind to paper that helps keep it in perspective.

• Start with something small – I love Dave Ramsey’s snowball method for paying off debt. He recommends you start with the smallest debt. Once you pay that off, you work on the next smallest debt. Why? It builds momentum. If you’re working on a large project, start with something easy to get your momentum going.

• Don’t get caught up in the details – Have you read every craft book on Amazon? Have you done so much research on your topic you could fill a library with the information? You don’t have to know everything you think you could possibly need to know before you begin a project. Sit down, and do it.

• Make it fun – Is there a scene you’re really excited to write? Write it or use it to push you through the tough scenes. Introduce a new character. Add something silly. Do something to kick start your creativity. If it doesn’t work, you can always cut it out later.

What helps you complete overwhelming projects?

ABCs of the Content Edit

Every step of my journey to publication has been a huge learning experience for me. The revision letter was no different. The content edits for Canyon Walls were pretty extensive. At first, I was disappointed, but now, I realize that it is just another step in making me a better writer. Here are a few of the things I learned from my content edit.

A - Avoid emotional whiplash - In an effort to create more tension in scenes, I was unintentionally making my heroine an emotional mess. When an editor labeled this “Emotional Whiplash” a light bulb went on in my brain. What a great way to explain this problem! When you’re adding conflict and emotion in a scene, be careful not to jar your reader.

B - Be Decisive – The editor (at least in my case) lets you know what needs to be changed, but doesn’t tell you how to change it. After I read through the revision letter, I had to make some big decisions about what I would do to correct the problems in my story. No one knows your story better than you do. Learn to follow your instincts, make a decision, and make it work.

C - Consider subplots carefully – Just because you love a secondary plot in your novel, doesn't mean it belongs there. What does it add to your main story? If you removed it, how would it change your story? If it doesn’t add anything to your plot, cut it.

D - Details are important – Content editors are experts at picking up on those little inconsistencies. Before you send your book to an editor or agent, do a read through looking at the details. Come up with a system or a spreadsheet to track these easy-to-miss, but incredibly important, details.

E - Enjoy the process – A big set of revisions can be stressful and cause a lot of self doubt. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Trust me, I know! Every now and then, I had to step back and remember that I’m getting the chance to do what I love to do. What could be better than that?

Feeling Discouraged?

I'm taking a quick break from revisions to say that this business of chasing after our dreams is tough. I've noticed that many of you are facing discouragement right now, whether it’s with writing or other areas of life.

If that’s you, no matter where you are in your journey, I want to tell you that you are so brave to continue to put your faith and hope in God’s plan for you. Don’t let anything keep you from continually seeking God’s will for your life. God asks us to walk in obedience – steadily heading down His path and keeping our eyes on Him.

Do you remember the scene in Runaway Bride when Julia Roberts is walking down the aisle and Richard Gere knows that the only way to keep her from running away from the altar again is for her eyes to stay locked with his?

Lock your eyes on Jesus Christ – not on the contract, not on your dream agent, not on approval from people around you.

Keep your eyes locked on Him. His plan for your life is so much better than you could ever imagine.