Call to Christian Writers to Burn It Up on This Forum

[David Poellot]

Thank you, Deb.

[DMac]

Sorry Deb, all of my 2X4 are now tooth picks through use. Not that it has helped a lot at this point. Half way through a MAJOR rewrite of my first book then I get to try to finish the second book. Never again will I make fun of a writer or say how easy it must be to make a living doing this. So for all in need back to the grind stone! (me2)

Originally Posted by Deb Kinnard

I'm still revising -- I need to give myself a kick in the behind to get restarted on that grind. Anyone have a two by four?

[Deb Kinnard]

Poked by toothpicks might work -- never tried it.

And as far as making a living ...

[K. Victoria Chase]

About 30 days late...Happy New Year!!!!

Now back to my revision.

[Deb Kinnard]

Aha! KVic has crawled into the revision pit! Welcome, sweet sister. It's a pitsy place but at least there's company.

[Robin Bayne]

*waving*

[David Poellot]

Hi, Inspiewriter!

Yeah, there's been nothing but crickets chirping in this thread for a while. We need to get back to the purpose of this thread and burn it up again.

For me, I've been in a writing funk for quite a while now. On last year's project, I've sent out several queries, but no interest. I question the query letter, but it went through several revisions in QLH and got the blessing of Jim Clarke-Duncan, so I thought it was ready to go. Then I worry that the word count of 66,500 is causing agents to turn up their nose. I'd just like to get one non-form rejection, so I will know if something is wrong with the query letter and/or the writing samples. I guess I could always send the query letter through QLH again.

The current project, while not Christian fiction, but written by a Christian writer is just sitting there. I have plenty of ideas for scenes and dialogue and such, but when I finally get to the computer at the end of the day, I'm too exhausted to write. I need to follow someone's advice I read somewhere and just write ten words. I know that if I started writing just ten words, it would blossom quickly. There's stress at work with many eliminations and not knowing if you're next, or if you're not next, then all the additional work you'll have to take on. Then there's stress with dealing with teenagers, who you have to push and push to get them ready for college, but they just want to be lazy.

I know I need to look past all that and get back to writing.

I have been much better about prayer lately. I used to pray when I went to bed, but I would fall asleep quickly after, "Dear Lord..." The last two weeks, after I drop my youngest off at daycare, I turn off the radio and pray in the car for the twenty minute drive to work. That has worked very well, but then I am still not praying on the weekends, except in church.

If anyone has the secret for more hours in the day, I'm all ears.

[Deb Kinnard]

Oh, be encouraged, David! I've been where you're sitting (mentally drained at day's end) and it's not a fun place to be. All I could ever do was wait till the work kerfuffle eased a bit so that my mind wanted to play with stories again.

Here's hoping (and praying, which I, too, do not enough of) that the Lord will ease your other burdens so you can write some more.

As far as more hours in the day, this soccer-mom-day-job-housewife-promoter-author is still waiting. Let me know, everybody, if you spot any!

[K. Victoria Chase]

Revisions for LIS ms were completed and sent to the requesting editor early this month. Still trying to get an agent for it, but I've read several blog posts recently about not submitting an ms to both agents and editors at the same time. The Seymour Agency said "no" for just that reason--that it was already in front of an editor.

Working on a new project for Desert Breeze due in July.

Book launch for DBP on March 1st. Reading loads of stuff on marketing.

That's what I've been up too!

I hear you, David, about work stress. I wish I could just write!

[K. Victoria Chase]

Looks like Grand Central Publishing's romance ebook imprint, Forever Romance, is accepting inspirational novels. No agent required. I'll be submitting!

http://www.facebook.com/ForeverRoman...90322544333196

[Deb Kinnard]

Yay! Go for it, KVic. May your work find favor.

My agent suggested I might want to try a novella, I suppose for Barbour, since they're about the only novella pub left in our market. I'm not terribly chuffed about trying to "write short" because I AM short already. Well, that's not the reason, but you get the drift...

Anyway, I got to wondering what story to tell, and the thing came to me in no time flat, plus the research site I needed (38 pages of data where I needed a fact or two!). I sat down and the character popped up, so I wrote what came. Summer - a steamship heading from Liverpool to New York - a young Welsh woman and her cabin-mate, an Italian girl - 1905.

Since I know nothing about the favored time period for Barbour (you can bet they don't want medievals!), I'll have to do more research, but I've got my start...

...then my agent drops me another note: "Oh, by the way, it has to be a Christmas themed story."

I must sign off now to go pound my head on something hard.

[callalily61]

*slips a pillow between Deb's head and the "something hard"*

[K. Victoria Chase]

Aww, Deb! It sounds like you have a good start though. The girls can meet a couple of Irish boxers (taller than Tom Cruise, of course), or one of them has a rich American aunt. Oh, wait, I have to work on another ms.

You can do this, Deb!

[David Poellot]

Originally Posted by K. Victoria Chase

I hear you, David, about work stress. I wish I could just write!

That's the dream! Now, how do I make it happen?

My buddy, Charity, pointed out to me that I really messed up Jim Clark-Dawe's name in my post above. I must've been thinking of Green Mile or something to give him that name. Just further proof of my stress level.

[WordCount]

I love the home-like, nice atmosphere of this thread. I'll be sticking around.

Could someone pray for me while I write this novel? It's a toughie.

[David Poellot]

Welcome, WordCount!

You are offically included in my prayers. If you get on a writing spree, hopefully it will be contagious.

[writingismypassion]

Hi, WordCount! Prayers sent your way.

And here's to hoping for some productive writing for everyone else!

[K. Victoria Chase]

You can do it, WordCount!

[ronbwrriting]

Newbie here but been reading posts in here most of the day. I write Christian NF and just finished sweating blood preparing my first proposal for an agent this week. I am hoping the motivation to write comes back, but at the moment my brain seems fried. It's a long journey from idea to published book.....and every step of the way is work. All this is done with the knowledge that along the way, everything will be revised, edited, tossed out, or just outright rejected. Kinda fun, huh?

[callalily61]

ron, welcome!

This is a leisurely room, so don't worry if responses to your posts are slow. We're here, promise!

[Deb Kinnard]

Welcome, Ron, and sending encouragement your way and WordCount's.

Calla, thanks for the pillow. The headbang feels so good when I stop.

I feel for your FBS (Fried Brain Syndrome), Ron. All of us, even us fic writers, have experienced it, I think. No help for it in my case but to go and read something awesome in a genre in which I don't write. Fills my creative well most times. Now that you've released your proposal (and may it find favor!), best thing is to go 180 degrees and let that part of your FBS rest.

To quote Tom Hanks' character in "A League of Their Own" -- It's supposed to be hard! If it was easy, everyone would do it.

Happy Saturday, gang, and may your area be free of storms.

[K. Victoria Chase]

Hi Ron!

Veggin' out in front of the tube always helps to de-fry my brain.

[ronbwrriting]

Hey KVC,
Thanks for the welcome. Everyone here is so nice. Looking forward to hanging around a bit while awaiting word from my agent. Nail-biting time, and probably should be working on some of the other book ideas, just to pass the time. Pretty weather in Texas so I may just go fishing. LOL

[writingismypassion]

Hi, ron! Catch some fish for me. I haven't been fishing in a long time.

[ronbwrriting]

Fishing wasn't good. The wind was blowing. Thanks for the hello. Nice to meet you.