MANY VOICES, ONE VOICE

"And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters." (Revelation 1:15, KJV)

A few years ago, when I read John's description of the risen Christ from the isle of Patmos, the description of Jesus' voice as "many waters" struck me. So that's why there are so many different writers and denominations. It takes every single one of us to show the world who Jesus is.

(Caveat: I'm not saying that is the only or the best interpretation of the verse.)

Our pastor's sermon on Easter Sunday touched on the same theme. One body, the church, with many different parts. He mentioned that so often Christians equate unity with conformity and we're not always comfortable with our differences.

This year I am again judging books for the "Carol" awards for published books. One of the books I've read isn't my kind of story at all. I have to work hard to set aside my personal prejudices to judge the book fairly. My critique partner (Susan Page Davis) and I frequently praise God for our differences. Wouldn't it be boring if we all wanted to write the same thing?

Today I'm not discussing the discovery or development of our unique writing voices. I am simply celebrating their existence. Consider what the following taglines reveal about the authors:

History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope - Carolyn Scheidies
Seatbelt Suspense - Brandilyn Collins
Southern-fried Fiction - Ane Mulligan
Spiritual Truth...With a Giggle - Kathy Kovach
Words of hope to strengthen your Biblical worldview - Casey Heringshaw
Writing at the Crossroads of Love and Grace - me!

Who are the some of the voices in Christian fiction who have revealed Christ to you in new ways? Share your favorite authors--and why they speak to you.

The Agony of Defeat

With spring and it’s accompanying tidal wave of writing conferences comes the inevitable invitation to enter contests—and finally—the announcement of the winners. For me, this is when the crash comes. For every contest I do well in there are ten where I do poorly. Which ones do I remember—agonize over—the ones I lost, of course.

So how do we weather the storms of contest season? Here are a few tips that I find help me keep my perspective and actually come away wiser and not too discouraged.

• Give Yourself Time to Grieve. It’s normal to feel let down or even angry when we door poorly in a contest. Let those feelings out, find a sympathetic friend, talk about how ignorant the judges are (even when you know they were right!) and cry a few tears
• Put Away the Comments for a Few Days. Give yourself permission for a little breathing room. After you've read through the comments, put the file away and don’t open it again for at least a week. By then the edge will dull and you’ll be able to see what you need without feeling like a total failure.
• Understand that the Writing Business is Subjective. One of the reasons this business is so hard on the emotions is because there is rarely a definitive answer. What one editor loves, another rejects as unusable. The same is true with judging. One judge may praise a clever turn of phrase while another claims it’s outdated and clunky.
• Don’t EVER Measure Your Worth by How you do in Contests. There are lots of ways to measure your progress as a writer—contests are NOT one of them!

Entering a contest is a good way to stretch yourself as a writer and to help build protective calluses. Just know, the crash can come, no matter how well written the manuscript. Keep your perspective and don’t be afraid to take a chance.

Now it’s your turn—how do you cope with disappointing results?

*Special Note: Congratulations to all the 2011 Genesis Semi-Finalists!

8 REASONS TO JOIN ACFW

The Oklahoma City Christian Fiction Writers (OCFW) chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) has been in existence for three years. We've had four Genesis contest finalists/semifinalists, three Carol award finalists, and one multiple-Rita finalist. Two of our authors have received first-time contracts. I think that's pretty amazing for a baby organization.

If you write Christian fiction, you might wonder why you should join ACFW. I put it off for several years myself. I'd been writing for a long time, long before ACFW or even RCFW ever existed. ACFW began to make noise shortly before I received my first contract (late 2003). I figured, why bother? I had already "made" it, so to speak.

If the success of Oklahoma City's small slice of ACFW isn't enough to inspire you, here are a few reasons to join:

1. Learn the craft. In addition to the annual conference, there are classes, magazines, a loop where questions about the writing craft are discussed on a daily basis. Today's writer gets a speed course in what took me a decade to learn.


2. Fellowship. Support each other through prayer. My daughter's death three years ago echoed through ACFW. I have never felt so much love and support.


3. Find critique partners. Whether you take part in the structured critique groups or connect with one or two individuals, you can find that person who will cheer you on to success.


4. Find special interest groups. Join a group for everything from international suspense to speculative to 19th century romance.


5. Network nationally. Rub elbows with some of the best in the business, both writers and editors.


6. Market more effectively. Learn about current trends, opportunities, and the all-important "how to."


7. Gain exposure. Whether as author of the week, book of the month for the book club, fiction finders on the website, or only by posting to the loop, become known within the Christian writing community.


8. Be a part of your professional organization. ACFW is "the" organization recognized nationwide with Christian writing circles.

If you are a member of ACFW, tell me what you like about it. If you're not--is there something holding you back? (We're always open to improvement.)

The Secret to Writing a Compelling Scene: Less is More—More or Less

Writing a powerful scene is a precise balance between what you say and what you don’t. The author has to provide enough detail to transport readers into the story, but not so much it clogs the flow of the story.

Let me give you an example using a movie I’m certain almost everyone’s familiar with—Jaws. Jaws was one of Steven Spielberg’s early movies and a lot hinged on its success. It was filmed in a time before CGI (computer generated images) so everything had to be filmed in real life.

Originally Mr. Spielberg planned to use a gigantic mechanical shark. He envisioned it providing the realism he thought the movie needed—slicing through the water, devouring swimmers and creating havoc. But one thing stood in the way, they film crew couldn't make the shark work.

The further they got into filming the worse things got, and the further behind schedule they lagged. Finally, the soon-to-be-great Steven Spielberg had to admit defeat—and come up with another way to make the movie—without the shark. He struggled, trying to determine how to add fear and terror without showing the audience the shark. It was then he hit on the answer, concentrate on the character’s reactions—physical and psychological—and let the shark be implied.

Well you and I both know the rest of the story, and it was arguably this movie that started his meteoric rise to success. Even today I can call to mind that iconic music and the terrifying opening scene. So what can we learn from this movie classic? Here are some things to remember when crafting a scene.

• Don’t name emotions – give your characters believable reactions and your readers will get it.
• Amp up the conflict – with powerful conflict comes heightened stakes. Your readers will get drawn deeper into the scene when they care about what happens.
• Don’t tell every detail – describe enough to let your reader feel they know where the characters are, but don’t be afraid to let your reader fill in some of the blanks. When the reader gets personally involved it becomes more real.

Paying attention to these three tips will help any scene get started on the right track.  

MUSINGS ON THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Is anyone else out there a fan of Celebrity Apprentice?

A few weeks ago, the teams had to write a children's book. The criteria? Was it age appropriate (did they understand their audience)? Was it unique? How was the writing?

Sound familiar? If we compose a well written, unique story suited for a publisher's audience, we have a decent chance of selling our book. On the show, the men's team nailed it.

But what I have the most fun with is seeing how the creative celebrities handle the competition. The same complaint has been leveled against actor Gary Busey and musician Bret Michaels: they lack focus. They have great ideas, but their project managers have to rein them in. They're also both brilliant, and Bret went on to win his season.

Creativity--a writer's lifeblood. According to some, that which stamps humanity as made in the image of God. When I consider my strengths, creativity ranks high on the list.

When I consider my weaknesses, the same problems that plague Busey and Michaels plague me. I have trouble staying on task. I'm not focused. I tend to live in my imaginary world while the real world falls apart about me.

Not all creative types are the same. In this season alone you also have musicians Dionne Warwick and John Rich and actress Marlee Matlin. So if you are blessed to be both creative and organized. . .hurray!


Watching how these highly successful artists operate shines a spotlight on my own creative process. . .I feel less alone and yet more unique at the same time. The creative mind is truly a different animal.

And I love it.

It's NOT Just Twittering Your Time Away Part Two

Stay with me—this is doable!

Last Monday I gave you the basic course in TWITTER. To be totally honest this probably left most of you still in the dark, but willing to at least explore the possibilities. Now that we’re all on the same page, I want to share some of the benefits to becoming a regular Twitter user.

A Marketing Dream

Think of TWITTER like a short commercial spot during the Super Bowl—the place with the most viewers at one time. (See where I’m going here!) During those spots, some people are in the kitchen refilling their plate, others are chatting about the game, but a few are watching. Something in that particular commercial caught their attention. Those few spread the word and POOF a few become millions.

Twitter has this ability because it comes to us in short, 140 character bursts. These bursts are easy to share and reproduce. Remember our definition of RETWEET last week? Retweeting can cause a viral reaction—and that’s a good thing. Having a tweet that goes viral means your message is being seen by millions.

There are certain things that we can do to help others find our valuable TWEETS. Let’s go back to the Super Bowl analogy for a moment. During the game, some of us take watching these commercials a step further—we’re watching for certain ads—think of it as looking for keywords that pertain to our wants or needs. TWITTER is set up to accomplish the same thing, through the use of HASHTAGS # and the use of @.

• HASHTAGS or # denote a subject. People can search TWITTER for certain subjects, like writing or publishers. So if I want a certain TWEET to reach other writers who don’t yet follow me I can insert #write somewhere within my TWEET. I started using HASHTAGS in my TWEETS and within TWO HOURS added 26 new followers.

A word of caution, don’t overuse the HASHTAG. If you use it too often within one post it will seem like a hard sell and you still only have 140 characters to get your message out.

As a TWITTER user, I search for these subjects and have them arranged in LISTS (more about LISTS in a moment). When I find one that’s interesting I can click on it to investigate further and then FOLLOW that person.

• @ designates a person or a company. Just like I can search for a subject, I can search for a specific entity. I follow one geeky, technical blog called MASHABLE. I love their posts because I can understand them and apply them. Their TWEETS are even better, so I created a list that follows every mention of MASHABLE.

LISTS are a way of arranging information into usable knowledge. So how do you organize those lists? If you’ve spent some time on TWITTER you know your specific TWITTER page is just one long confusing column. I have the answer to that as well—TWEETDECK. TWEETDECK, like TWITTER, is free.

TWEETDECK is an ancillary program that organizes your TWITTER feeds into manageable groups through the use of columns. AND—get ready for it—it also interfaces with Facebook and other social media outlets! So I have ONE (count it, one!) window open in the background, giving me real time tweets and wall posts. I can chime in (post or TWEET) anytime I please.

I hope this has continued to whet your appetite for all things TWITTER. Next week we’ll continue on with managing lists and customizing your TWITTER page.

Now it’s your turn. Have you gotten your feet wet with TWITTER? Let me know your concerns, questions and triumphs.

It's NOT Just Twittering Your Time Away

First there was blogging, then Facebook and now Twitter has been touted as the newest must-do for writers. And as much as none of us needs something else to do online, I have to admit, I do love Twitter. The 140 character bursts are like carefully crafted hooks - each one designed to entice a new reader. What novelist can resist the challenge?

Even though I loved the concept - I did find Twitter intimidating at first. So for those of you who are just dipping a toe into the Twitter pond, this series of posts are for you!

Twitter 101

Twitter is easy to join. Just visit the Twitter homepage and click on Get Started—Join. Set up your user name and password. Click I Accept then Create My Account.

At this point Twitter will ask you if you want to find friends. Come back to this option later. Instead, I suggest the order I've outlined below.

Settings are VERY important on Twitter!

Click on the Settings Tab to ensure everything is ready for visitors.

• Enter your full name—only spammers and newbies hide their identities. You’re on Twitter to be found
• Make sure the Time Zone field is set correctly.
• Enter your location—again, you’re here to be found.
• Do NOT check Protect My Updates—this negates the whole point of Tweeting.

Say Cheese!

That’s right—it’s time to upload a photo. Photos are important, spammers are known for having no photo. Personally, if you don’t have a picture and I don’t know you well, I won’t follow you. (This is a common problem for those new to Twitter and can keep you from gaining followers)

• First click on the picture tab.
• Browse your files and select a photo.

At this point you can click on the Design tab and do a little customization. We’ll get into advanced custom backgrounds in a later post. But there are several attractive options on Twitter.

Now that you’ve got your homepage set up it’s time to find some people to follow. You can import contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc. But I choose not to. I dislike invitations to follow someone and prefer to choose whom I follow.

I recommend you take your time here. Instead of inviting everyone you know, search for some close friends/associates that you’d like to follow. Start with about 20 to get used to the feeds.

A note on etiquette here—if someone follows you, it’s considered common courtesy to follow them back. This etiquette isn’t set in stone. If you’re really not interested, don’t bother. But unless there’s a good reason NOT to follow them you should.

Common Terms

I'll leave you with an introduction to Twitter Terminology.

• When you post something it’s called Updating Your Status or Tweeting. Michael Hyatt has the best explanation of the Twitter community I’ve ever read. He likens it to sitting in a roomful of people. Updating your status tells everyone in the room something.
• Replying to an update answers a specific person, but everyone can hear (all your followers can see your update). You do this with the @followed by the person’s name. Example @EdieMelson. This is actually a clickable link so others can click on @EdieMelson to get to her feed.
• A Direct Message is like whispering in someone’s ear. The message goes to them only.
• One other term that’s important to know is Retweet. This is when you repost something someone else has tweeted.

This should be more than enough info to get you started. Next week we’ll go more in depth with how to develop communities and follow conversations. There are lots of neat and easy applications that make Twitter a valuable tool for writers.

I invite you to visit my Twitter Homepage—I’d love to become one of your followers!