The Ultimate Comparison

Since we started a discussion yesterday about comparisons among writers, we can't forget the ultimate comparison test: the writing contest.

So far this year I've entered two writing contests for unpublished authors: the Genesis Contest (sponsored through ACFW), and the Touched By Love Contest (sponsored by Faith, Hope & Love of RWA). By the way, the Genesis entry deadline is today, March 31.

For the Genesis, I entered two historical romances, the first 15 pages; the cost was $30 per entry. For the TBL, I entered only one historical romance, consisting of the first 30 pages; the cost was $25.

Now why did I pay all that money (a total of $85) to enter these contests? Was it because I crave the enlightening feedback on my story from the judges? Yes. Was it because I want to see what areas in my writing craft I need to work on? Yes, again.

Ultimately, however, I entered the contests because I want to compare myself with other writers. I'm eager to find out where my writing fits on the scale: am below average, in the middle, or above average? My finishing scores in these contests might give me a better idea of how much further I have to go, before I finally start coming out on top.

What about you? Have you ever entered a writing contest? Why did you enter and what was your experience? And if you haven't entered one, why not?

Climbing to the Top

Accountability time!

So, how'd you do? Did you meet your weekend writing goals? You knew I would ask first thing, didn't you?

Jessica, did you write 1,000 words a day? T. Anne did you write 1,000 words a day, even with your cold? Terri, did you finish line edits for one book? Lady Glamis, did you polish the ending of your newly completed novel? Jeannie, did you write 3500-4000 words and complete a chapter? Krista, did you edit 3 chapters, in spite of your hectic weekend?

For those of you who didn't leave comments, did you meet your writing goals for the weekend? And for the lucky few who can cram all their writing into Monday-Friday, tell us what your goal for the week is! We'd love to keep you accountable too.

Just to tell you, this accountability thing kept my fingers on the keyboard this past weekend until I finished my word count of 1500! Even though I am satified with the goal, it's hard not to compare my small goal with some of your larger ones.

Uh-oh, I said the C word. Compare.

Let's be honest. We writers tend to do a lot of comparing, don't we? We scope out other books, other blogs, other writing goals, and we look at how we measure up to everyone else.

The nature of the market for new writers compels us to excel above the crowd, to climb to the top, and to get our name noticed (especially with editors and agents). Then after we're published, we will have to struggle to get our books noticed and make them stand out above other books.

The comparison game never ends. We're caught in a system driven by demand. Therefore in order to succeed (in terms of sales), we have to do better and be better than everyone else. Or so it seems.

How do we keep the comparison game in perspective? Competition can sharpen us. But at the same time, it can chip away the pleasure we find in writing. Confession time: in what ways do you compare yourself with other writers?

The Friday Flame

Time to light a flame under each other!

Last Friday we all shared our weekend writing goals. When I posted my goal for all of you to see, I was really motivated all weekend to meet my word count! Knowing I had to report my progress to everyone, kept me going when normally I might have quit.

So, if you want us to keep you accountable for your weekend writing goals, post your goals in the comments. Then on Monday, we'll check with you to see how you did. (Update: For those who take the weekend off, let us know your writing goal for next week. Then next Friday we'll ask you how you did.)

This might encourage you to come up with a tangible goal for yourself: write a certain number of words, edit a chapter, write a short story, get a contest entry in. Set a realistic goal and let us know what it is so that we can help hold you to it!

My goal again for this weekend is to write 1500 words on my WIP.

Since I'm in the middle of my WIP, I'll leave you with a weekend writing tip for MIDDLES:

Think of the middle as a series of increasingly intense battles. Worrying the reader is the primary goal of the middle and we can do this by stretching the tension and raising the stakes. If the situation can be made worse, then so much the better. (From James Scott Bell's Plot and Structure.)

P.S. Eileen, did you meet your writing goal of 5ooo words this week? (Update: Eileen wrote 1500 words today and met her week's goal! Great job!)

Into An Arboretum

We've been talking this week about obstacles we face as writers and the need to persevere through them. But is there ever a time when God calls us to take a break or to get off the writing path altogether?

There was a long period in my life when God took me off the path. I had already been writing seriously for several years, had studied the craft, sent out manuscripts, garnered rejections, and was steadily improving enough to finally get a call from an editor at Steeple Hill. (You probably remember from an earlier post that I did not sell my book, but it was still exciting to have someone interested!)

About this time in my writing career as things were starting to look promising, my personal life measured off the charts with stress. My husband had recently graduated from Denver Seminary and taken a counseling job across the country. We had packed up and moved, were in the midst of settling in, trying to find a church, and trying to make new friends.

And I was 30 weeks pregnant with twins.

I slowed down too little, too late. At 31 weeks, I gave birth to premature, 3lb., tiny baby girls. I had to do one of the hardest things a mother ever has to do: go home from delivery empty-handed. Because of the delicate nature of their survival, my daughters had to stay in the NICU for an entire month. The NICU was a 30 minute drive from my new home. This wouldn't have been a problem if my two year old son hadn't needed me also.

All this to say, God wrenched me off the writing path and led me to an arboretum. In hindsight I can see his wisdom at work in taking me off. During the nine year hiatus, I learned so much about life, about relationships, and about hardships. God refreshed me and filled my writing reservoir so that now it is richer and deeper than ever before.

Only you can know for sure where God is leading you. But sometimes when the obstacles in our lives become insurmountable, perhaps we need to ask God if he wants us to step into an arboretum and rest.

What's your experience? Has God ever led you off the writing path?

P.S. Today, my twin daughters are beautiful nine year olds. God protected them and has brought them (and me) a long way!

Hiking Forward

Thank you for your honest sharing yesterday about the obstacles you've encountered on the writing path. I think I can safely summarize all the comments by saying: our lives are FULL of tiredness, sickness, depression, distractions, interruptions, and the unexpected.

To those facing an especially rocky path right now, our prayers are with you.

As writers how do we make any progress forward with so many obstacles tripping us up and slowing us down?

As always, I must refer back to Pilgrim's Progress (the inspiration for one of my novels). The main character, a man named Christian, came upon Worldy Wiseman who offered him age old advice: avoid all wearisomeness, painfulness, hunger and perils; instead seek the way of ease.

Modern culture often gives us the same message: avoid pain, search for the life of comfort and luxury, work the minimum, play the maximum, choose whatever feels good to you.

We're tempted (dare I say somewhat brainwashed?) by the world around us to search for the easy path to success. But the Biblical principle still holds true: our hardships develop perseverance, and that perseverance eventually leads to real joy (I wish I could add that it leads to publication!).

So back to the question. How do we traverse the obstacles? What do you do to keep writing in spite of life's difficulties?

Here's my thought: Keep hiking forward toward the goal, perhaps very slowly (100 words a day is still moving). When we keep our momentum going, we're less likely to stall and get stuck in one spot. And remember we're not alone in the journey. We have each other. And most importantly we have the strength of our ultimate Guide.

When the obstacles become insurmountable, could God be telling us to take a break or to get off the writing path altogether for a while? More on that next time. . .

Obstacles

Wouldn't we always like to have a smooth and even writing path, so that we could skip happily along, singing zippity-do-dah, zippity-day?

The reality, however, is that we hardly ever have a completely level path. Usually we stumble forward, tripping over one rock or another. We pick ourselves up and plod ahead some more. Sometimes we even hit a boulder and are forced to stop for a time.

Let's face it. The writer's path is full of obstacles, both large and small. Here are a few:

Internal obstacles are the things within us that slow us down:

• Tiredness (from sleep deprivation, exhausting days, overload of work)


• Sickness (short term illness, injury, or long term chronic issue)


• Depression or moodiness (PMS, situational, pyschological)


• Other emotional issues (anxiety, grief, guilt)

External obstacles are the things from without that impede our progress:

• Distractions (blogs, emails, kids, cats, the list is endless. . .)


• Interruptions (noise, company, phone, vacation, the list is endless. . .)


• The Unexpected (death of a family member, loss of paying job, divorce)


• Busy Life (activities, demands and needs of others)

What obstacles have you faced on the writing path? What has slowed you down? Has anything stopped you for a time?

We all have traveled a rocky road at some point. In the next post we'll talk more about how we can get past our obstacles. But for now let me leave you with this encouragement:

There is One who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Jude 1:24

P.S. The votes for the Playlist were half and half! But almost unanimously everyone said I should do what makes me happy. You all are so sweet!

More Inspiration

Yes, you really are hearing music!

I love going to fellow writer Donna Kohlstrom's blog and hearing her snappy Playlist tunes. I thought I'd copy her and give it a try.

I added a few of the songs I listen to on Pandora, the ones that give me inspiration when I write.

But I want to take a vote. Do you give it a thumbs up or thumbs down? Does it drive you nuts to click onto my blog and hear music or do you like the special touch? Is it inspiration or irritation? Please leave your vote in the comments.

Since I'm not sure yet if I'm going to arrange a marriage for my Playlist and my blog, your vote could sway me!

O.K. Now down to business. Did you meet your weekend writing goals?

Donna did you revise your chapters and complete one short story? Jessica did you write 2000 words? Angie did you edit 3 poems, edit your friend's weekly column, and get 3 chapters revised? Susan did you getting your blogging done? Sherrinda did you write 800 words? Lady Glamis did you finish your chapter? Eileen you're off the hook until Friday!

What about the rest of you who didn't leave comments? Did you meet your goals?

I'm happy to say I met mine. I wrote 1500 words. Knowing I had to report back to everyone kept me going. Sometimes a little accountability is all it takes. So thanks!

As writers struggling along the path, accountability is a wonderful gift we can give one another.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

Climbing Higher

Yesterday we talked about building our publishing history. Ultimately, what we're trying to do is advance our writing career, especially so that when we write a query we look professional. A growing publishing history is just one aspect of that.

What are other ways to climb higher, so that when we send our queries we don't look like amateur writers?

Here's what we're encouraged to do: join writing organizations (ACFW, RWA, etc.); belong to critique groups; attend writing conferences; start a blog and/or website; build a reader base; enter writing contests. (Did I miss anything?)

We strive to accomplish all of these things and more in order to advance ourselves, to be able list them on our queries, to prove to agents and editors that we take our writing career seriously. But. . .

In the end, the sell will come down to one thing. . .the STORY. In the modern publishing industry, a newbie author has to craft an incredible story to get noticed. It doesn't really matter how many conferences we've attended or how many writing groups we belong to. If our story falls flat, we will too.

Let's work to advance our careers in whatever way we can. But, first and foremost let's get busy writing an excellent story, a story that will stand out from the rest, a story that will push us higher than we've ever been before.

Let's start now! What is your writing goal for the weekend? Tell us in the comments, and then on Monday let us know how you did; we'll all check back to make sure you followed through!

My weekend goal is this: to complete 1500 words on my WIP

A Step Up

I wish I could avoid writing the publishing history part of a query letter. The experts tell us that in a query non-fiction writers should give their platforms and fiction writers their publishing history.

Those of us fiction writers who haven't made it to the City of Publication are in a bit of a bind. Do we mention that writing contest we won when we were in 7th grade or the really nice poem Grandma framed?

When I started querying, I realized I didn't want to look like a total amateur (even though I am!). So I decided I needed to find a way to have some kind of publishing history. I needed to move my writing career up a step.

That meant I had to take away novel writing time (already scarce) in order to work on other "smaller" writing projects. To my surprise, however, when I started crafting short stories and devotions I realized I enjoyed having another outlet for my creativity.

I still struggle to find time for all of my writing projects. But slowly I'm building a publishing history, one step at a time.

How have you built your publishing history? How do you balance all of your writing projects? I would love a few tips.

P.S. Today's Keys for Kids (March 19) is written by yours truly. Check it out here: http://www.cbhministries.org/kfk/home.php

12 and a half More Things

Today's things have to do with writing and the picture is of my "office" (a.k.a. the dining room table):

12 and a half. I'm over half done with my WIP (check side bar to keep me accountable).

13. I won two short story writing contests in my youthful days to a magazine no longer in print.

14. I started "serious" writing after hearing a radio interview with Lori Wick about her journey into writing.

15. I wrote and sent out at least five category inspirational romances (in the early days of my writing).

16. I garnered more rejections than I remember!

17. I finally got a real live call from Patience Smith of Steeple Hill (long ago!); she liked my book but couldn't sell it to her editor.

18. God took me off the writing path for an extended rest, education, and growing time.

19. I'm back on the path, but now writing historical fiction.

20. I've completed one novel and am half done with a second.

21. I recently submitted two historical romance entries to the Genesis Contest through ACFW.

22. I was in a critique group through ACFW for only one week before backing out of it.

23. I also love writing children's stories and devotions.

24. Keys for Kids has published several of my stories.

25. I hope to bring honor to my Lord Jesus and serve Him through all my writing.

Thanks for letting me introduce myself. Now who's next? :)

12 and a half Things

I was inspired by my writing friends' blogs to post 25 things about myself. But since I'm in a bit of a Slough today, I can only think of half that amount.

1. My one year old Golden Retriever eats socks and gloves like they're candy.

2. I tore off a piece of the Berlin Wall on a mission trip to Germany right after the fall of communism.

3. I've been married for 18 years to a Christian counselor and I get free counseling whenever I want (or don't want!).

4. I love Michigan winters (yes, I'm one of those weird people who likes winter).

5. I'm passionate about teaching and training my children in the ways of the Lord.

6. I lived in Denver for three years when my husband went to Denver Seminary but I never went skiing.

7. I have two boys, three girls, 1 dog, 2 cats, and two hamsters. Some days I live in a zoo.

8. My garden only gets sunlight for half the summer (I still don't know why I bother).

9. I love to take family bike rides on the Rail Trail.

10. I grew up a PK (pastor's kid).

11. My husband's mother was a twin, my father was a twin, and we had twin daughters (go figure).

12. I tent camped at Yellowstone in six inches of snow (in June).

12 and a half. Some days I operate with only half a night's sleep!

Aren't you glad you know all this about me? I'll try to think of 12 and half more for tomorrow. . . I know you'll just be dying to hear more!

Which Way?

After my Friday post about agents, I realized I have a question for you, my fellow Christian writers.

Do you query only Christian agents with your inspirational writing or do you query anyone who handles your genre?

If we're looking at agents as an Evangelist (see 3/13 post), then it would make sense that we would want someone who shares our values and who can guide us along the path where God wants us to go. A Christian agent would (hopefully) provide us the godly wisdom we need.

The dilemma for most Christian writers is the scarcity of Christian agents. When I started querying my first book, I wrote down a list of different agencies I thought were the most obvious in working with Christian writers, the ones who claimed to represent Inspirational authors on their home pages.

Here's what I came up with:

• MacGregor Literary http://chipmacgregor.com/


• Word Serve Literary http://www.wordserveliterary.com/


• Books and Such Literary Agency http://booksandsuch.biz/index.html


• Steve Laube Agency http://www.stevelaube.com/index.html


• Hartline Literary Agency http://www.hartlineliterary.com/


• 3 Seas Literary Agency http://www.threeseaslit.com/


• Natasha Kern Literary Agency http://www.natashakern.com/


• Alive Communications, Inc. Literary Agency http://www.alivecommunications.com/


• Browne & Miller Liteary Associates http://www.browneandmiller.com/


• Seymour Agency http://www.theseymouragency.com/contact.html


• Mortimer Literary Agency http://www.mortimerliterary.com/


• Eames Literary Services http://www.eamesliterary.com/


• The Knight Agency http://www.knightagency.net/


• Benrey Literary http://www.benreyliterary.com/


• Van Diest Literary Agency http://christianliteraryagency.com/

Many of the these literary agencies do not take unsolicited queries unless referred by a present client. The others that let newbies submit queries are so overworked they can hardly keep up with their emails.

So back to my original quandry. As Pilgrims who long to write for the glory of the King, how do we wisely chose an agent? In this tough industry, do we take whomever we can get or do we hold out for a Christian agent?

Which way should we go?

P.S. If I've missed any agents who might fit this list, let me know. I'd love to add them.

Waiting for an Evangelist

In Pilgrim's Progress Christian met an Evangelist who gave him instructions and guided him along his journey. If not for Evangelist's words of wisdom and his directions, Christian may never have reached the Celestial City.

An Agent is the writer's Evangelist. Without an Agent, most writers will likely never reach the City of Publication. A few seem to make their way without one, but the vast majority of us need an Evangelist to guide us to our destination, through the world of publishers and editors.

I'm waiting for my Evangelist.

I'm over half done with my current historical romance. I have another sitting in Rachelle Gardner's slush pile. It's been in her slush pile for a long, long while. My thin thread of hope lies in her few but powerful words: she said she really liked my query and sample pages and she asked to the see the Full MS.

After my most recent follow-up with her, she indicated she may be able to look at it in April. So what are my chances she'll have time to read it? And if she does read it, will she like it enough to work with me? Will she have the capability to take on another client?

Or will she decide I'm not far enough in the journey to qualify for her help? Will she tell me I'm too new, too inexperienced on this path, that I need to travel the road a little (or lot!) longer before I'm ready for an Evangelist?

What are your agent stories? Have you had to wait to hear back from one? Any advice to make the waiting easier?

P.S. One of my novels centers around John Bunyan. . .so, this blog is an extension of my infatuation with him!

Releasing Guilt (Part 3)

Has your burden fallen to the foot of the Cross yet? Not only did Christian's fall off, it rolled down the hill and disappeared.

As aspiring writers I doubt our guilt will totally disappear. Maybe someday when we've made it to the Celestial City of Publication and we're multi-published, we'll finally feel less guilty about devoting so much of our waking time to writing or thinking about it.

In the meantime, what can we do to find more writing time without feeling guilt?

Here are my last few suggestions:

• Guard Writing Time: Set aside certain blocks of time and don't let anything interfere with that time. I faithfully set aside Saturday afternoons as extended, uninterrupted writing time. I've had to miss fun activities in order to keep my committment. My husband makes dinner on Saturday night so I don't have to stop for that. I lock the bedroom door (and put on headphones!) so that I'm completely alone. I'm amazed at how many words I can write during this extended time.

• Lower Expectations: Stop expecting so much from yourself and those around you. I've had to be satisfied with only cleaning half my house one week, and the other half the next. The house is never totally clean (and only my Grandma would care). I can't finish my scrapbook, or exercise the way I want to, or bake as much as I'd like. I've had to lower my expectations about what I can do at this point in my life.

• Keep God First: No matter what the time constraints, find time to spend with the Giver of all good gifts. My ways of meeting with God have changed over the years. What worked years ago, doesn't work now. Currently I have to satisfy myself with shorter online daily devotions and an extended time of prayer on the weekend. The important thing is to find the time and make it a priority.

I've come to the end of my list. I'll move on to something else tomorrow, I promise!

But for today, one last question: have you found ways to carve out more writing time or do you simply have to be productive with the time you have?

Releasing Guilt (Part 2)

As writers we're in a juggling act that often overwhelms us with feelings of guilt.

Here are a few more ways we can be diligent with our time and release our guilt at the Cross:

• Multi-task: Double up on activities. I blog-hop during TV or movie time. We listen to books on tape while we eat. I usually plan my next writing assignment or scene of my book while I'm fixing dinner, greasy notebook and pen always on the counter.

• Simplify: Find ways to reduce daily tasks or make them easier. I cook and freeze the ground beef and chopped chicken I need for the month all at one time which reduces meal prep time on a daily basis. Sometimes I double meals and freeze one for the next month. I've pared down the kids' clothes closets and toy bins which makes less to keep track of and put away.

• Delegate: Let others have the chance to learn new tasks or take on new responsibilities. My husband has turned into a grocery shopper extraordinaire. My nine year old is learning to cook and loves being in the kitchen. My son is fully responsible for all aspects of the care of our dog. When I hand the baton to them, they take it and run.

Slowly but surely I've been able to block out more writing time and not feel guilty about it. What are your tips? I'd love to hear.

Guilt-free, part-three tomorrow. . .

Releasing Guilt (Part 1)

Guilt is one of the biggest burdens aspiring writers carry on their backs.

Most pre-published writers can't quit their day jobs (whether at home or outside the home). Instead we have to squeeze our writing time into an already full schedule.

We have to make sacrifices in order to carve out more writing time. Hence, guilt.

In Pilgrim's Progress, Christian started his journey with a heavy burden on his back. For a long time he ran with the pack slowing him down. But then he came to a Cross, where the burden loosened from his shoulders and fell from his back.

As Pilgrims on the path to publication, we can also can stop at the foot of the Cross and let go of our burdens of guilt:

Here are a few ways I've cut loose the straps of guilt at the Cross:

• Plan Family Time: Schedule weekly time to do something together as a family and with individual family members. We have Family Night every Sunday evening which consists of a game or movie, and a Bible study together. I also have a weekly Tea Time with my daughters where we sit down together, talk about girl issues, read a discipling book, and then work on crafts. When we get busy, we know we have our special time to look forward to.
  

• Limit Outside Activities: Pick what's really important and don't add more no matter how tempting. We've had to learn how to set boundaries and say no to really good activities, even though they look fun (even church activities). We try to stick with extracurriculars that the majority can do together. Then we can maximize the time we're running out and leave more time to be at home.

• Share Responsibilities: Everyone who lives in a house should share in the household responsibilities. 2 Thes. has the principle that whoever doesn't work, doesn't eat. We try to make most household work a group effort, especially cleaning up meals and Saturday morning cleaning. The work goes much faster and then everyone has more free time.

Carving out writing time is incredibly difficult, but if we're diligent we can find more time without feeling guilty about it.

More guilt-freeing ideas tomorrow.

P.S. Make sure you stop by Rachelle Gardner's blog today http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/. She has an excellent post about the LONG journey to publication.

Burdens

When Christian started his journey to the Celestial City he carried an enormous burden on his back.

As Pilgrim writers we too carry burdens. One of the biggest is GUILT:

· Guilt for not spending time with family in order to have writing time. (Plotting my next chapter when my family is outside playing on a beautiful spring evening).

· Guilt for wanting to stay in the world of imagination instead of having to face reality. (Not wanting to wake up the kids for school because I’m in the middle of a scene that’s flowing).

· Guilt for rushing through other responsibilities or leaving them undone to squeeze in a little more writing. (Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches again because I forgot to leave enough time to make something more interesting).

To avoid the guilt from all of the above, I’ve found myself staying up later or getting up earlier. But then I’m tired and grumpy with everyone the next day, which makes me feel guilty all over again!

What guilt burdens do you carry?

How do we cut the heavy weight of guilt off our backs? Can we find a way to travel the path without such burdens slowing us down?

Come back tomorrow to find out.

Difficult Climb Ahead

I just finished sending in my second Genesis Contest entry. What a great feeling to have the work done before the deadline.

After several weeks of focusing on my entries, polishing and revising and polishing again, I feel a little lost. I've parted ways with two important pieces of my life.

However, my WIP (work in progress) sits before me, neglected these past couple of weeks. It stares at me with lonely eyes, wondering when I'll give it the attention it craves.

I'd like to turn away from it because I know I will need to put forth a great amount of energy and effort to get back into the story. Suddenly all of my other writing projects look easier.

In Pilgrim's Progress, Christian came to the bottom of a hill called Difficulty. He was tempted to take the easy way around the hill. But he went to the spring, drank to refresh himself, then began to go up saying:

The hill, though high, I covet to ascend,

The difficulty will not me offend;

For I perceive the way to life lies here.

Come, pluck up heart, let's neither faint nor fear,

Better, now difficult, the right way to go,

Then wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.

Sometimes the best way to get something done is to put your head down, grit your teeth, and put one foot in front of the other.

Today I'll choose the difficult, but right way to go. I'll begin work again on my WIP.

What about you? Do you have a difficult climb too?

A Map (Part 2)

Some maps give the big picture. Other maps are full of tiny details, showing everything from street names to house numbers.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King is one of those Maps full of tiny, practical details. In a previous post I shared a few of their suggestions. Here are a few more tips:

· Beats: Don’t interrupt a scene with too many beats (bits of action); when using beats make sure they are fresh and unique instead of pointless, repetitive, or cliched.

· Rhythm: Break up large paragraphs into smaller ones; white space on a page is inviting to a reader and shorter paragraphs/sentences can add tension to a scene.

· Repetition: Keep on the lookout for unintentional word repeats; pare down interior monologue that has turned into a rambling of the character’s mood or feelings.

· Proportion: Don’t spend too much time describing every precise detail of character action; leave some things to the readers’ imagination.

· Stylistic Tricks: Cut out as many –ing and as phrases as you can; use –ing sparingly within a subordinate clause; try not to use an –ing participle construction at the beginning of a sentence.

I hope these tips point your writing in the right direction!

Across the Bridge. . .

I finally finished all of the revisions for my first Genesis Contest entry. Whew!

I filled out the Genesis application form online, which was very, very simple. (Great job, ACFW contest coordinators!) Uploading the file was painless (just remember if you have Word 2007 you will need to "Save As" Word 97-2003 before sending it).

As my fingers hovered above the ENTER button, my heart hammered in my chest. Was my entry really ready? Should I read it over for the 500th time just to make sure?

If I hit ENTER, then I would have to cross the bridge. I wouldn't be able to return to the other side. My entry and I would part ways.

With one big breath, I made the leap. I pushed the button.

I crossed my first bridge. . .

A Map (Part 1)

In the days before GPS and Trip Maker, everyone needed to study a map before starting a journey. Without a map (or in some cases several), a person might end up wandering around and get nowhere near the destination.

I just finished reading Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King. I’ve read a ton of writing books (six in the last six months alone). And this one is a Map.

Easy to read and practical, this book provides a wealth of editing concepts. Here are a few:

· R.U.E. (Resist the Urge to Explain): Instead of telling your character’s emotion, cut the explanation; if needed, rewrite to show it.

· P.O.V. (Point of View): Describe only what your “head” character can see or hear; establish POV right away in the first paragraph, preferably the first sentence.

· Dialogue Mechanics: If you must use a speaker attribution, use the character’s name first, then “said” second (Jody said instead of said Jody).

· Realistic Dialogue: You don’t often “hear” stiffness in dialogue when you silently read your work; read it aloud to help find naturalness and rhythm.

· Interior Monologue: When giving readers and idea of what’s going on in our characters heads, use interior monologue sparingly, interspersed lightly in a dialogue scene.

On this writing journey, we’ll be better prepared if we study our maps—those good writing books that guide us and keep us on the path to publication.

What map has guided you?

Scaling the Cliff

The climb just got steeper—much steeper. In fact the past few days I feel like I’ve been scaling a cliff.

I’ve been making revisions to my Genesis contest entry. Need I say anymore?

I’ve inched my way through the suggestions Tiffany Colter of Writing Career Coach gave me:

· Show with more intensity.
· Engage more sensory details.
· Cut the -ing verb endings.
· Heighten tension.
· Make the reader experience the inner debate.
· Turn clichés into original sentences.

I have labored over every comment (56 of them in 15 pages!).

This process of revision has pushed my writing muscles to the extreme, forced me to dig deeper, to think harder than I have in a long time. Revising is hard, hard work.

But do you know what I’ve discovered? I absolutely love it!

The adrenaline rush of scaling this particular cliff has pumped me with renewed determination. I’m ready for another.

Do you have any revision tips?