Are you teachable? Whether you’ve been writing for 1 month, five years, or twenty years, you need to be teachable. There is always something to learn.

I have learned and gleaned lots of valuable information from my critique group, the Wordsmiths. The ladies who make up our happy octave could collectively compile a wealth of knowledge that would fill many volumes of teaching aids. I have learned everything from recognizing author intrusion to writing great cliff hangers.

But I had to be willing to put their suggestions into practice. Just because they offered their advice and priceless tips, I still had to be the one to perfect and fine tune so the ideas could be functional on the printed page.

If you want your writing to work, you must be teachable. Take a class, go to a conference, and/or join a critique group. Whatever you do, never stop learning!

Filed under: 5584 | Leave a comment »

Do you have a Creative Cache? Actually, that’s just a fancy name for an Idea Box. I think every writer should have one. This is where you store all those little (or big, if you have the room) items that will inspire your upcoming stories.

You don’t need a super fancy container. A shoe box will do. The choice is yours. I found a little unfinished wood treasure chest at Michael’s art supplies. I have placed it on my work desk so I can be reminded that there are potential tales stored inside.

And what do I keep inside my Creative Cache? I have a piece of coral, a weird shaped rock, and a fragment of old glass. The coral came from a friend who vacationed on a tropical island. The other items were from vacations in the Southwest. They are my story starters. They are little sparks of an idea that will bring a mystery or an adventure to life.

When friends and family go on trips, I encourage them to find me little out of the ordinary things that I can use for inspiration. And I will keep them inside my Creative Cache. Then, when I have time to write a new story, I can open my little treasure chest and pull out what could be the start of a grand adventure.

If you don’t have your own Creative Cache or Idea Box, you may want to start one. It’s a fun way to ignite your imagination.

Filed under: 5584 | Leave a comment »

For some reason people have a view of writers sitting in their isolated mountain cabins or island bungalows, typing up their grand opus with only the bears or birds as company. Writers do need quiet times to work (although in my household, that is a rare commodity), but writers cannot stay isolated. They need to be able to make contacts and connections in order to find and promote their work.

The creative process is a major component of writing, but once you have finished your piece, you must determine (if you haven’t done so already) where it’s going to go. If you are trying to publish your work, you will need contacts.

Contacts can come from a variety of areas. Many of my contacts have come from friends in writers’ groups who have shared information and have even put in a good word for me with an editor or publisher. One contact came from answering a newspaper ad. Others have come from meeting people at a book fair. Even commenting on blogs and joining Yahoo! Groups can lead to an increase in connections.

Writing calls for an audience because a work is meant (in most cases) to be read by others. But if you never reach out to make contacts, your writing efforts will be wasted. I’m shy by nature, but my desire to share good quality stories and inspire others can only come if I put aside my shyness and make efforts to meet new people in order to share what I have to say.

Don’t be isolated. It’s a writer’s worse enemy.

Filed under: 5584 | 1 Comment »

Do you write for income, outcome, or both? Are they even compatible with one another? I try to write for outcome, and when I get income out of it, I feel extra blessed. But income and outcome can go hand in hand. If you write a good product, your opportunities for income increase. If you aren’t concerned about outcome, then your chances become poor for any type of payment since editors will not pay for inferior work.

My primary purpose in writing is not about how much money I can make. When God called me to write a few years back, He didn’t promise a steady income or any remuneration at all. But, in my obedience to Him, I have been blessed with some payment along the way.

Do I make money for everything I write? No, and I’m glad I don’t. I want my goal to be getting a good message out, whether it’s inspirational, like many of the articles I write for my church’s newsletter, or encouraging for kids, like the early readers for a school’s reading program.

It’s no secret in the writing community that most writers don’t make tons of money. The old cliché says, “Don’t quit your day job.” Since I’m a stay-at-home mom, the money is not a huge aspect for me; but the few dollars I do make goes “right back into the business” so my writing expenses are not a burden on the family budget.

On the other hand, I am aware of many children’s writers who need their income to live on. They will take on work-for-hire projects since those are better sources of immediate income than royalty contracts. It’s icing on the cake if they can get both, since the royalty checks only come twice a year, and work-for-hire usually pays when the work is done.

Some Christians have a conflict when it comes to their reason for writing, especially since they know their gift comes from God. They feel they should be concentrating solely on inspirational instead of on secular projects. I used to have some issues with this, but then I realized that by using the gifts God gave me in all areas of my life I am blessing Him with my commitment to doing my best. I am getting out stories that give a positive Christian worldview (even if I never mention God in the story), and I am sharing God’s love through my attitude and professionalism. I now feel freer to write a good outcome in all areas that could bring in some income as well.

Income or outcome doesn’t have to be an issue for a writer. Try always do your best to get out a good product, and if a check comes with it, consider it an extra blessing.

Filed under: 5584 | 1 Comment »

As a writer I feel it’s a necessity to have a blog. Our business is about words, and what better way to practice your calling than with your very own blog!

With this unique tool of cyberspace you can be as creative as you want. You can write in poetry or prose. You can create your own format. You could include stories for your audience of choice. You can write short short stories or include a chapter of your masterpiece every week. You can give writing tips or conduct surveys. There are no limits to how innovative you can be.

Blogs are a great marketing tool, too. I’m currently thinking of ways to utilize mine more effectively as my upcoming book gets closer to publication. Some of my friends have done blog tours and even blog interviews to get the word out about their latest opus.

What’s keeping you from creating your own blog? Give it a try. It’s easy and it’s fun!

Filed under: 5584 | 2 Comments »

Well, my office organization has come to a temporary halt. I ordered my corner desk and waited with eager anticipation for its arrival. It came last Friday, but a busy morning schedule kept me from opening it up right away. When I finally did and pulled out all the pieces, I discovered that I was missing all the hardware! There was no way I could put it together.

Of course I was very disappointed. I had been looking forward to getting my new work corner set up. I already bought and assembled a small cabinet that I have used to clean up my desk area and a lot of the files that had managed to accumulate on the floor. Now I have to wait a full week before the furniture company can send me the parts from back East.

Setbacks are common in all areas of life, including writing. Maybe I won’t finish in my original timeframe, but I will get it done. At least I’m stepping in the right direction!

Filed under: 5584 | Leave a comment »

I am really enjoying my laptop. I can take it anywhere: outside, the kitchen table, my room, the library, a restaurant, etc. It’s my alternate when the kids want to use my main computer (which seems to be occurring more often this summer), and it’s great when I’m not feeling my best and can still work with fluffed up pillows instead of my stiff computer chair.

It allows me to feel less constrained in my writing since I feel very comfortable tapping out my thoughts, reflections, ideas, and stories wherever I please. What also helps is my wireless connection to the internet. I don’t have to download my blog posts to a disk and run it over to my main computer in order to put it onto my blogs. I can sit, compose, and post all from my laptop. Of course, I’m only as good as the life of my battery, but that’s where the ac adapter comes in.

Yes, I’m really enjoying my laptop. It has become a very valuable tool in my writing pursuits.

Filed under: 5584 | 1 Comment »

Writers are usually pictured in two different ways: very messy because they’re more interested in the creative process than keeping their work area clean; or, extremely neat and tidy where everything is organized and in its place.

I fall somewhere in the middle, leaning a little to the messy side. I prefer the neat and orderly, but with the little work space I have, and the increasing amounts of paperwork I go through and the research materials I accumulate, I find it difficult to keep myself as organized as I’d like. This summer, though, I need to make it a priority to GET ORGANIZED.

Here’s is the list of what I intend to do:

1) Go through, sort, and file paperwork at least twice a week. In fact, I need to mark it on my calendar so it gets locked into my schedule.

2) Make backup files of all my projects. I have followed the example of one of my writer friends to send a file copy of that particular project to another e-mail address. In case of a computer breakdown on my end, my data will be stored in another system. I need to be more consistent on doing this, particularly as I work on rewrites.

3) Buy a new desk. I have my eyes on a corner desk that I’ve been wanting to purchase that will keep my area (hopefully) a bit more organized. It comes with some storage space that will eliminate a few of my files. My old desk will go into the boys’ room to use for their computer.

4) Reorganize my bedroom. My “office”, which is really a very small corner of my living room, can’t handle a whole lot without making the rest of the room look messy; so my bedroom has become an overflow room for my research materials. I need to revamp that area, seriously go through books and get rid of the ones I don’t need (a sad affair as a book lover, but necessary), and figure out the best filing system for the items I will need to reuse for various projects.

5) Don’t procrastinate. Make time, even if its thirty minutes a day, to reorganize.

Will I become the super neat and organized writer with everything in its place? I doubt it, but most importantly I will feel better about how things look. Now where did I put that story idea I wanted to work on…?

Filed under: 5584 | 3 Comments »

Take note of someone you see today, someone you don’t know. Create a character based on that person: give him/her a name, an occupation, a place to live. Does she/he have a pet? Is she/he married?

Now give this person a conflict: a lost driver’s license; a flat tire; a need to meet a sibling at the hospital, but your character has car trouble.

Write a 2 page story based on your character, his conflict, and the ultimate resolution.

Filed under: 5584 | Leave a comment »

A writer friend of mine likes to give herself rewards when she finishes long writing projects. I had never considered that myself since I thought just being able to finish a project and send it off to the editor or publisher was reward enough. But as I thought about it, I started liking the idea.

I’ve bought myself address labels and new business cards and other writing related treats. This time I decided to splurge a bit and buy the newest Nancy Drew computer game.

I’m in my mid-forties, the mother of four, so why am I buying essentially a teenager’s game (well, technically, for 10 year olds and older)? Because I love mysteries. I love trying to solve strategic puzzles and searching for elusive clues. I especially love how this game challenges my mind and keeps me digging in the depths of my imagination for ways to figure out the answers.

I always work on the Senior Detective level since it’s more difficult than the Junior Detective level. I get less helps this way, forcing me to think and rethink the situations. What a fun way to keep my mind active!

It’s good to reward ourselves now and again for hard work and successful efforts. It can be something small like a colorful set of sticky notes, or something bigger like a computer game or even a laptop. The point is to acknowledge that our dedication to and our completion of projects are important and need to be validated, if even only to ourselves.

I’m working on a big book proposal right now. I wonder what I should do to reward myself this time?

Filed under: 5584 | Leave a comment »