GRADUATION DAY! Four Steps to Publication

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Christian author, Randy Ingermanson likens fiction writing to high school. He talks about freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior writers and then there’s graduation day–becoming a published author!

How does a writer reach that elusive  graduation day? It takes time and hard work whether we’re talking about high school or publishing!  But it’s a journey to be enjoyed. For many people high school memories are some of their best memories. (That may not be true for some of us bookworms!)

Just as writing a story is a process, becoming a writer is a process. A process that CAN be rushed, but shouldn’t be. If you rush the process, you’re going to miss out on some of the journey. And the journey is as important as graduation day.

There are things to be learned during the journey. Don’t want to deal with rejections? But they make you stronger when you get those bad reviews. Got writer’s block? That’s OK, because you’ve learned to trust the process. The journey will make you a stronger, better writer.

For me, it was a long journey to graduation day—too long. I admit I made the journey longer than it had to be, but I learned a lot along the way. Here are a few things I’ve learned that may make your journey shorter.

  1. Learn the craft. I present a workshop where I talk about the ABCs of Being a Writer. A is for Art. B is for Business. C is for Craft.  All three are important ingredients for a successful career as a writer.
  2. Be teachable.  For me, I think this is the number one rule of being a writer. If you aren’t      willing to learn from others, it’s going to take a long time to graduate.
  3. Be a part of a critique group. As you learn to recognize weak writing in others, it will strengthen your own writing.
  4. Don’t get stuck on a manuscript. Many unpublished writers write their first story and refuse to move on to the next story. Instead they write and rewrite and rewrite the same story. But one book does not a career make. Your writing will get better with each finished manuscript.

My first story had so many No-Nos that made it (almost) unredeemable—started with a dream—lots of back story—lots of flashbacks—head hopping—not to mention the always popular amnesia!

As with all things, quality takes time.

In this new electronic age, it’s very easy to publish a book, but I would caution you to reflect on your writing skills. Be honest about what grade you’re in and make a commitment to finish the journey. So that when graduation day comes, no matter what route you take, you can hold your head up and know you earned that diploma…I mean book with your name on it!

Your turn–what’s the best advice you have for a prepublished writer?

 

WRITER OF THE DAY: Elizabeth Maddrey

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Through the wonders of the Internet, I “know” lots of writers. I’ll be letting you know about them and their books as time permits. There’s so many good books out there.  Today’s writer of the day is Elizabeth Maddrey.

Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. You can find her online at http://www.ElizabethMaddrey.com or on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey)

Her debut novel, WISDOM TO KNOW was released a few weeks ago. WAY TO GO, Elizabeth! The first one is always a thrill! Here’s the first page of WISDOM TO KNOW:

“You look like a prostitute.”

Lydia frowned at her best friend. “Brad likes my legs.”

Kevin admired the long, shapely legs in front of him from where he was sprawled on her living room couch. “Won’t you be cold if you show so much of them?”

“It’s September, not the middle of January. It’s still warm out.” Aggrieved she patted her hem. “Besides, the skirt reaches the end of my fingertips.”

“Your elbows are bent.”

“That rule shouldn’t apply to me, I have long fingers.”

Kevin cocked a brow. “You wouldn’t wear that to church.”

“We’re not going to church.” Lydia shot him an impish grin. “Besides, there are a couple of guys there who wouldn’t usually give me the time of day…maybe if I wore this, I’d get their attention.”

What do you think?  I’m thinking Lydia is quite the woman!

WTKCoverWISDOMWISDOM TO KNOW : Is there sin that love can’t cover?

Lydia Brown has taken just about every wrong turn she could find. When an abortion leaves her overwhelmed by guilt, she turns to drugs to escape her pain. After a single car accident lands her in the hospital facing DUI charges, Lydia is forced to reevaluate her choices.

Kevin McGregor has been biding his time since high school when he heard God tell him that Lydia Brown was the woman he would marry. In the aftermath of Lydia’s accident, Kevin must come to grips with the truth about her secret life.

While Kevin works to convince himself and God that loving Lydia is a mistake, Lydia struggles to accept the feelings she has for Kevin, though she fears her sin may be too much for anyone to forgive.

Hardcopy: http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Know-Elizabeth-Maddrey/dp/1938708008/

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Know-Grant-Grace-ebook/dp/B00AYQKATG/

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wisdom-to-know-elizabeth-maddrey/1112557259?ean=2940016078458&isbn=2940016078458

Thanks for being my guest, Elizabeth. May all your dreams come true as you continue on your writing adventure.

God Bless and Good Reading (and writing!)

I’M RETIRED–NOT EXPIRED!

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CHOICES.

We don’t always get the choice of what happens to us–in fact, sometimes, it feels like we rarely get that choice. But we ALWAYS have the choice of how to react to circumstances, the people, places and things in our life.

This past year I’ve had….a husband who had open heart surgery…then I developed Bell’s Palsy…then I was diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors (benign)…then I had treatment…then due to budget cuts I lost the job I loved….then I had complications from the treatment…then I had complications from the meds they put me on for the complications….. well you get the point.

NONE of that was my choice.

By far the biggest impact on me personally was losing my job–a forced retirement you might say. I’d been working in the field for way over thirty years but had some sort of paying job for almost 40 years! That is a long time!

Then, poof–no job!

I admit I’ve been fighting retirement since August when school started. I checked about jobs obsessively–even got a substitute  job as a speech pathologist and found a private client. It helped but I stll felt like I was floundering in the water.

I describe it as being in a tunnel. One life was over but couldn’t get through the tunnel to see what was waiting on the other side.

But LIFE IS ABOUT CHOICES!

And I’m ready to embrace my new retired life as a full-time writer! I’m still not sure how life is going to look but I am NOT willing  to sit on the sidelines and wait to see what happens. I’m going to start making the CHOICES!

My first choice is:  I’m might be retired but tha doesn’t mean I’m FINISHED nor EXPIRED!

I’m making 2013 a year of GROWTH for me, personally, physically, spiritually, and in my new career as a full-time writer. To that end, I’m reading several non-fiction books to get me moving down that path.

John Maxwell’s:  15 INVALUABLE LAWS OF GROWTH.

Joel Osteen: I DECLARE!

Heather Hart: A YEAR OF BOOK MARKETING

From time to time, I’ll share some of the nuggets of wisdom from these books and other books and resources that I discover.

TODAY’S QUOTE comes from 15 INVALUABLE LAWS : “The law of diminishing Intent says, the longer you wait to do something you should do now the greater the odds that you will never actually do it.”

Life might happen to us, but we can change our lives by the choices we make in the bad times and in the good.  Having a pity party is a choice that won’t help anything. Baking cookies to give to a friend is a choice that will make someone else happy and maybe yourself as well.

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT THE CHOICES.

How about you? What’s your plans for the year? Do you have some big plans or some small simple steps for making some changes? I tend to be a small steps kind of person. Are you going to sit on the sidelines or are you going to start making choices that will move you forward? What are you waiting for?

What other MUST READ books are out there to help me grow this year? Got a recommendation?

PS.  Don’t forget to check out my BLOG CRAZY CONTEST–winners get Amazon Gift Cards. Details at www.lillianduncan.net

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BLOG CRAZY CONTEST!!

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I’ve gone BLOG CRAZY! Somehow I’ve ended up with THREE different blogs! And now I want you to go blog crazy and follow my blogs.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?  Good question? How about a $20 Amazon gift card as the grand prize, but wait…that’s not all…

One more lucky winner will receive a $10 Amazon gift card, but wait…that’s not all….FIVE lucky winners will receive a $5 Amazon gift card as well, but wait that’s not all…THREE more lucky winners will receive a $5 Amazon gift card.  That’s right… TEN winners in all!  GO HIT THOSE FOLLOW BUTTONS!

AND IT’S SO EASY TO ENTER. For every blog of mine you sign up for your name goes in the contest. I have 3 blogs that means 3 entries if you sign up to follow my  all my blogs my email. And don’t worry–I only post on each of them once or twice every week (if that) so you email inbox will NOT be overflowing. I promise!

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN RANDOMLY ON FEBRUARY 1-so don’t delay–sign up now!

Here’s my blogs and their links:

TIARAS & TENNIS SHOES is a blog about my life as a writer and a woman. Personal musings and perhaps a bit of wisdom with a little humor thrown in. Not to mention free book announcements and book giveaways from my writer friends!  www.tiarasNtennisshoes.wordpress.com

POWER UP WITH GOD: Secrets of a Better Life is my devotional blog. Devotions written by myself and guest writers. www.PowerUpWithGod.com

IN HIS IMAGE: celebrating GOD creatively is my newest blog and I’m so excited about this one. It’s all about celebrating God and the gift of creativity! You never know what you’ll see on this one. One day it my be a skit; another day a music video; another day a poem,. And I’m sure there will be free book announcements and book giveaways on this one as well!    www.celebratingGODcreatively.wordpress.com

Now it’s your turn to go BLOG CRAZY and follow my blogs! GO HIT THOSE FOLLOW BUTTONS!

What’s happening with me?

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So a little update on my writing career is in order today.

I had a new book come out the past November–THE CHRISTMAS STALKING. Actually, not a book but a novella which means much shorter than a book. It was the first time I’d attempted one and it was a lot of fun to write and I definitely want to write more novellas.

This one was on the short side but I’m thinking of developing a novella mystery series.

Anyway, so far everyone seems to love THE CHRISTMAS STALKING. Just because Christmas is over doesn’t mean you can’t read the story!

I’m also busy editing my upcoming release–BETRAYED. It’s the second in my Sisters BY Choice series. DECEPTION was the first. So I’m keeping busy!

More later. God Bless and Good Reading!

THE CHRISTMAS STALKING

Overzealous fan or crazed stalker?

Country music superstar Destiny appears to have it all. Beauty, money, and fame. But it’s not all glitz and glamour. Being a celebrity comes with a price—loneliness, and now threats from an unknown stalker.

With Christmas approaching, and as the danger escalates in Nashville, Destiny has no choice but to disappear. She escapes to her grandparents’ cabin in the Adirondack Mountains near the tiny Village of Serenity & Peace. It seems to be the perfect choice for a hideout. Longing for the serenity and peace she experienced there as a child, Destiny sheds her celebrity persona and resumes her long-forgotten identity as Holly Stone.

Unfortunately, fame follows her to the tiny village—along with her stalker.

Lillian Duncan writes stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem. She writes the type of books she loves to read—suspense with a touch of romance. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.

To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net.  She also has a devotional blog at: www.PowerUpWithGod.com

I’m back…..

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Well, that’s the plan anyway. I haven’t posted here in the past six months–just about the time I was diagnosed with brain tumors. I’ll talk more about that later in another post. But it’s a NEW YEAR and I’m ready to get back into the flow of life.

I’m excited–even in the midst of my physical trials, God is here with me, hugging me, encouraging me, but most of all teaching me. I’ve learned much this year and I’m hoping to share some of it with others who are struggling.

More later–God Bless and Good Reading.

 

 

 

 

 

All About me!

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I haven’t been blogging much about myself these days. I prefer to spend my time working on my devotional blog  www.PowerUpWithGod.com, but thought I’d take a minute to update everyone on my life.

Oooh–where to start–where to start?

On a personal level, I’m having soem health issues. I blogged about the Bell’s Palsy awhile back. The symptoms are still there, but they are improving. I can drink out of a cup now. YAY!! My brain tumors are still there and I will receive my first treatmen in August. I’ll do an update after that.

So, not much fun in my personal life–But God is blessing me in my career.

A lot of fun things happening with my writing. I was notified this week that a novella I wrote (A CHRISTMAS STALKING) was chosen my Pelican Book Ventures to be included in an upcoming holiday collection of Christmas stories.  So…I’m excited about that.

What’s it about, you ask?

During the Christmas holidays, a country music star hides out from a stalker at a remote cabin in upstate New York. She must abandon her career and flee if she’s to live to make music another day.

A month or so ago, I finalled in the BOOKS OF HOPE  contest at WRITE INTEGRITY PRESS. The grand prize winner gets a 3-book contract. The winner won’t be announced until November some time.  How awesome that would be!!

What’s it about, you ask?

Sometimes, life is full of strikes and sometimes, all we get is a 7-10 split, no matter how well we throw the ball. Seventeen-year-old Macy Minton inherited more than a bowling alley when her parents died. She also inherited the responsibility of caring for her two younger siblings.Now, seven years later, her life has become one big gutter ball after another.

I have a few other projects that may or may not happen. I’ll let you know when I know.

So, that’s what’s happening with me. I pray each of you are having a wonderful and blessed summer.

GOODBYE, WORLD!!

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The blogging world that is. I haven’t been blogging long (less than a year.) I only started blogging because John Locke and all the other writing experts said a writer MUST—MUST—MUST have a blog.

Well, I’m a writer so I started a blog.

The problem is I’m just not that into it. And to have a successful blog, you need to put love, time, and energy into it. I prefer to put my love, time, and energy into the books I write.

I agree a writer needs a platform, but shouldn’t good books be the platform? I’ve been a guest on many, many blogs to promote my books. If you type in my name, you will see blog after blog about me and my books. That’s a platform, right?

A writer’s time is precious. After all, most of us don’t make a living from our writing so our writing time is limited. A published writer has many demands on their time, such as guest blogs, promotional events, speaking engagements, being part of a critique group or several groups, creating an online presence, being a part of the social media world to name a few.

If we are spending time writing and promoting blogs along with all the other non-writing requirements an author must do, when do we get to write?

Will I be a guest on other blogs? I hope so and as the saying goes—the more the merrier!
Will I ever have another blog? In fact, I’m not giving up the blog world entirely. I have a devotional site that I hope others will find helpful in their daily life. You can check that out at: www.poweringupwithGod.wordpress.com

And from time to time I may post to this site, if there is something I simply must say to the world! In the meantime, I’m going to be writing the stories God gives me to write. As for you wonderful bloggers out there, I say keep it up.

Until next time (whenever that may be), God Bless and Good Reading!!

Bell’s Palsy–A Blessing?

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Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve written a blog. Ive been a bit busy. I developed Bell’s Palsy on April 1 (yeah, great April Fool’s Day prank). And to make it even more funny, I’m a speech pathologist. So, I’m a speech pathologist whose mouth isn’t working at the moment!

If you don’t know what Bell’s Palsy is—it is facial paralysis. It usually occurs only on one side but it can affect both. Thankfully, in my case it only affected one side. According to my doctors and websites I’ve visited, it is usually caused by a virus attacking the 7th cranial nerve but it’s not always caused by a virus. Anyway, recovery can happen quickly or slowly, even up to six months.

So, one of my doctors insisted I have an MRI—just to be sure. I thought it was unnecessary but I did it. And turns out they found something else—of course! They found schwannomas—which are a type of tumor—on both sides of my brain.

Here’s the interesting thing, my neurosurgeon isn’t sure that the schwannomas are the cause of the Bell’s Palsy. According to him, it might be or it might not be. They are very, very tiny and the larger one is on the side not having Bell’s Palsy. On the other hand, it seems too coincidental that I have Bell’s Palsy and the schwannomas. At least he thinks so.

 Me—I don’t think it’s coincidental at all. God has His ways of getting things done. Catching the tumors in their early stages is a blessing and that means the Bell’s Palsy is a blessing!

 So, what experience have you had that seemed awful at the time but turned out to be a blessing?

A BOOK IN A MONTH??? IMPOSSIBLE

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 It sounds impossible, doesn’t it? To write a full length novel in a month..and yet K.Dawn Byrd does it on a regular basis. Let’s find out how she does it.

My journey to publication wasn’t all that long. I’d been writing for about a year when a writer friend encouraged me to submit my first novel, Killing Time, a book set in a jail to her publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing.

Other publishers weren’t interested because they were concerned about how many women would want to read a romantic suspense partially set in a jail. Desert Breeze will often buy books that don’t fit perfectly into a category. They liked it and the rest is history.
That was 2009, but by the end of this year, I’ll have 11 books available. How am I so prolific, you ask? Since I work a full-time job in addition to writing, I have to be organized and motivated. I write each of my books in 30-day marathons. Upon completion, I’ll put them away for a few weeks (sometimes longer) and then resurrect them and edit, adding flesh to the bare bones. This usually takes a 50,000 word novel to around 60,000-65,000, except for my young adult novels, which I keep at right under 50,000 words in order to keep the price down for teens.

In order to write that quickly, I must start with a solid plot. I fill out character worksheets in order to get to know my characters better. I scour magazines and the internet until I find photos of my characters, which gives me a visual. Then, I take a stack of index cards and begin plotting. A description of each scene is placed on an index card.

My characters also get index cards, which give me a quick reference if I forget something minute like eye color. I use a couple of cards for plot twists also. I place the cards in order as I write the scenes. The good thing about index cards is that I can move them around in the stack if I move the scenes around in the manuscript. Sometimes, I’ll pin them to a corkboard in order to get a better look at how the plot is flowing.

I hope I’ve helped someone with this article. Entering NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) contest several years ago taught me how to write a novel in 30-days and changed the way I write forever.
Shattered Identity:  Nineteen-year-old Lexi Branson thinks she’s found the guy of her dreams. He’s hot, wealthy, and older. She soon finds out that sometimes the perfect guy turns out to be perfectly dangerous.

Wow! I’m always so impressed with writers who can organize and plot their stories the way K.Dawn does. To learn more about her books visit:

www.kdawnbyrd.com
www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com

K. Dawn Byrd is giving away an ebook. The winner will have a choice between SHATTERED IDENTITY and MISTAKEN IDENTITY. To enter for a chance to win the book of your choice, you must leave a comment at http://www.examiner.com/christian-books-in-cleveland/lilian-dunca

 Winner will be chosen on April 23rd.

Have you ever wanted to write a book?  If so, what’s stopping you? Until next time, God Bless and Good Reading. Lillan