|
Spaces home  Welcome to David's PlacePhotosProfileFriends |  Tools   |
|
April 01 Book Proposals Finally PostedFinally. I took the plunge today.
I posted two of my book proposals for review by publishers:
Now, it's truly in God's hands. I have done all I can do.
But don't you just hate the waiting? That quiet nothing as others decide what fits their needs.
I wrote books that I would like to read. So it's only a matter of time and of the right chemistry.
You need to know about this site. It will save you and the Publishers time and money.
Hope this is helpful to you. March 15 My Recent ReadingBooks continue to be popular for a reason. They can profoundly affect our thinking, our character, our lives.
When I was young I really disliked books. I perhaps read one or two a year. And seldom read one that I didn't HAVE TO read for school.
Amazing how we change as we mature. Now I can say that books have transformed my life. I've included several lists and a photo gallery of some of my favorite authors. But I'd like to share my recent reading with you. I've included that Bible because I am ALWAYS reading its great literature. The library known as the Holy Bible is constantly in my recent reading and heads the list of "My Most Important Books."
Over the past few weeks though, I have been reading the following:
So . . . this is what my recent reading consists of. Just thought I'd share it with those of you who have asked and keep in touch.
Possibly My Great-great GrandfatherMarch 13 AMAZING!! OneNote 2007. A Great Tool!First of all . . . . I can't believe that I haven't written since November . . . WOW!!
Well . . . my book proposal is almost complete and ready to be posted for editors and publishers to read (more on this later). I've been helped by a new program with which I am becoming familiar. I recently purchased Office 2007. With it came OneNote 2007. This is the program that helped me get my work, writing, and studies ALL IN ONE PLACE on my computer.
Microsoft developed OneNote to track with the way we've been taught to think as students through all our years of school. OneNote is a database set up as a library of Notebooks. Each Notebook is a subject or area which you define. You can assign sections/dividers in your notebook--just like in a real-world notebook. Then you can add pages to the sections. You can have as many different notebooks, sections, and pages as you wish. What's amazing is that when you're online and find a good piece of research or a quote or demographic, merely click the OneNote button on your Explorer and whatever you highlighted is placed in a notebook for you to later move to wherever you need it. That way you just continue your research or reading with no interruption.
The notebooks I have are: WRITING JOURNALS STUDY PERSONAL LIBRARIES
Within each of those Notebooks, I have my sections set up. Let's take JOURNALS as an example: JOURNALS Spiritual Journal Travel Journal Writing Journal Art Journal Reading Journal Study Journal
The pages within my JOURNAL section follow the same format: JOURNALS Spiritual Journal 1st Quarter March 2007--on the March page are all my March entries (I began using OneNote in March so my previous months are not in OneNote. Instead, another helpful feature allowed me to place a link to my previous Journal (a Word Doc). I can click the link on my 1st Quarter page and it immediately opens that Word doc on my mini-drive. 2nd Quarter April 2007 May 2007 June2007 Travel Journal--same layout under each of the following journal sections Writing Journal Art Journal Reading Journal Study Journal
If I were you, I'd simply go to Microsoft's OneNote website and download the demo and mess with it. Then check back here and a lot of what I'll be saying will make sense. I will share a couple of its features that work great specifically for a writer in my next entry--which I promise to do as soon as I get a little chunk of time.
Here's the link for OneNote: MS OneNote Homepage
November 23 ONE MISSION--The Ultimate Christmas Shopping Experience![This is a revision and reprint of a blog I did last Christmas season. It is printed again here by popular demand.] Prepare yourself for the BEST CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE EVER HAD!! My friend Ken has forever solved the Christmas shopping dilemma for me. Here’s how it works. 1. Make sure that you understand the strategy: One Day, One Purpose, ALL ALONE. That’s the ONE MISSION. 2. Set a full day, morning till evening—one full day—for you to spend alone at the stores. Plan on being out from 9am to 10pm. Make sure your spouse and family know that you won’t be home for any meals that day. 3. Remember, ONE PURPOSE—You can’t have anything scheduled that day that would cause you to have to rush or hurry. 4. Next, several days prior to the target-day, equip yourself with a music listening device and make sure that you select holiday music that you love to listen to that quiets your busy spirit. This is an essential ingredient. If you say that you’ll do without the music, then Ken (and I) cannot guarantee the results of your experience. 5. Dress comfortably. Layers are best. You can always shed or take on by going to the car. Don’t bundle up—you’ll be too hot. Don’t wear to little—you’ll be too cold. You get the point. 6. You take your meals out, beginning with a good breakfast. Today you want a Farmer’s breakfast. The strategy here: breakfast is the least expensive meal of the day. Eat a big one. Less spent later on lunch and dinner. I can already see your wheels turning: (well, I’ll eat breakfast at home, pack a lunch and save money that way). Nice try!! The problem here? You just RUINED the reward system that is built into this day where you not only get all your shopping done in ONE DAY, but . . . you also get rewarded with a memorable experience (and a little well-deserved break from fixing your own meals). So don’t cheat at this point. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner while out shopping are a must if you’re going to be a purist of the ONE MISSION this Christmas season. 7. Now, beginning with your list, TAKE YOUR TIME in the stores. You’re in NO HURRY. You have no place other than the present to be. You’re listening to nice music. You can smile at people. Be nice to the store clerks. So what if someone cuts ahead of you in line. Smile, and enjoy your music and think about that steak you’re going to have for dinner later. A steak that you don’t have to cook. Someone else is going to cook and serve you tonight. You're just working down your Christmas list. 8. Make sure that you take extra money along for gift-wrapping. No matter what you have to do, make SURE that the gift-wrapping people at the mall wrap your gifts for you. Not only does this save you an extra day, but . . . they do a nice job, your gifts will look nicer, the ladies who serve you will get a little extra for their trouble (tip them, it’s nice), and you’ll be able to arrive at home without the stress of wondering where to hide your newly purchased gifts. You won’t have to struggle with finding an extra day to set aside for wrapping. Oh . . and who has to go to buy wrapping paper, scotch tape, pens, labels, sharpen scissors . . . get the point [no pun intended]?? 9. This is not Ken’s, but my own added little tip: Make sure you get a Café Vanilla Frapaccino at Starbucks (size is immaterial, although on a day like this, I prefer Venti, with an extra shot of espresso, no whip—not that I need the caffeine, but I love that coffee flavor with the Vanilla). I normally arrive at Starbuck's at about 3pm, when I hit that afternoon slump for about an hour. 10. Essential—keep the negative self-talk to an ABSOLUTE MINIMUM. No self-deprecating stuff: “Well who’s going to want that?” “Why would you ever pick that color?” “No one’s going to buy you anything this nice.” “All that money you spent today could have housed and fed the poor of Detroit” “If you weren’t so chunky, you wouldn’t be whining about carrying these packages.” Just say, “Quiet!! Wrong Address. I’m not listening to you . . . “ Oh yeah, and if you work a job where you get tips, set your day as close to Christmas as possible (more time to accrue more tips). And . . . enjoy yourself!! REMEMBER: ONE DAY, ONE PURPOSE, ALL ALONE = ONE MISSION November 05 Writer in ResidenceSince last week, I've been the first writer in residence at a Christian Conference Center on the East Coast.
I'll be here for another week and a half. The writing is coming, because my outline is solid and the topic is engaging. I love what I'm writing about. I'm not sharing an info about title or theme until I've talked to a couple of publishers. The book will be somewhat controversial and out on the edge for evangelical publishers, but it's biblical and helpful. I am including some of the end matter I wrote for it:
This book can have tremendous potential in your life. What can reading this book do for you? Nothing. Except make you better informed about your high calling. But . . . what if you both read AND put what you read into practice? Change your mindset? If you really get into your life, the principles shared in this book, the Scriptures say that you will:
I uploaded some photos for friends and family to check out. You'll notice I"M working with two monitors. I find this really helpful. On the left, laptop monitor is my Logos Scholar's Library. On the right is MS Word and Notescraps. What a work environment. It's much better for my eyes as well. Especially toward the end of a four hour writing marathon.
Well . . . there you have it.
Catch you soon. Organize Your FlowI’ve been writing for many years. As a published author, I sometimes have to write for several venues at once. At any one time, I can have a couple of articles, a book, a blog entry, a Sunday message (I’m on a pastoral staff at our church), my journals and novel all going at once. Such a writing schedule would be impossible for me if I did not organize my work and my energy. These two make up my “flow” as a writer. In this entry, I’ll deal with organizing my work first.
ORGANIZING MY WORK In order to be prolific and not go wacky, I’ve had to take steps to better organize my work flow. For me, inspiration and perspiration work together. Part of the perspiration is organizing. That’s because organizing does not come easy for me. Not that I’m disorganized, I simply flow better by hanging loose. Spontaneity is in my bones. So I have to work hard at organization. That’s why I say it’s part of the perspiration of writing for me. First, I organize my workspace, assuring that it is clean and orderly. I can’t work in clutter. I begin with a clean, neat space. If it gets cluttered while I work, that’s different. At least I know where everything is. Do yourself a huge favor and order Kathleen Kendall-Tackett’s excellent little book The Well-Ordered Office (it’s there at the top of my “Featured Book” section on my home page). Read this and you’ll get all kinds of organizational shortcuts and helps. Once my workspace is organized, inspiration follows close behind.
I keep a Writing Notebook. I have for many years and it has always rewarded me generously by giving me the right idea at the right time. In it I collect ideas, fragments, images, and lines. I date each entry. And I note where I am when I write in it (usually the place and state). I prefer to use my word processor so that later I can electronically search the text. After all, I have over 16,000 words on 70 pages in my most recent notebook. In my most recent journal, I have more like 34,700 on 149 pages. And these are just two of my volumes. I have over twenty volumes, spanning thirty-six plus years of writing. I could never skim through these to find that idea that came to mind last summer in Ocean City. I have to do a “find.” Then I’m there in no time. I also make it a point to record all my ideas in one place. That also helps to keep me compact and organized. Sometimes, if I’m in the middle of a project or I know that a certain idea fits with something I’m either working on now, or will be soon, I place relevant things in folders labeled with a working title. And they are neatly lined up in one of those top of the desk organizers. I only have on my desk the files of the titles I’m currently at work on.
Body of Writings and Timeline. The best organizational idea I’ve implemented though is my “Body of Writings and Timeline.” This MS Word document consists of the writing projects I intend to undertake. It is divided into two sections. The first section is the body of writings I want to look back on when my vocation as a writer is fulfilled. I’ve thought through the themes I want to address. I have an idea of what I want to communicate and feel specifically called to write. After I have listed the works. I spend several hours with my calendar and project a timeline. Which project (book, article) will I work on first? What stage do I want to be in by, say, December (Outline, first draft? Send to readers?) Once I’ve constructed my “Body of Writings and the Timeline,” I actually schedule time chunks.
Schedule time. I work best in Blocks with several ongoing projects in the hopper at once. Others, I know, swear by writing daily. I’ve tried that, but I’m too much of a people-person. I get distracted too easily. Working in bigger blocks of time mean a lot less rereading of manuscripts as well. If I’m away from the work too long, I’ve got to start reading all over again to find out where I am. Not so with a chunk of time. Right now, today, I am at a conference center 400 miles from my home and will be here for three weeks. But I’ll return home with the first draft of my first book. The final draft of my novel. And I’m finishing this blog for you.
Begin with a well-crafted Outline. This may sound like English Composition 101 or High School grammar rerun, but it’s true—a well-crafted outline will save you tons of work. It will keep you focused. It will write the book for you. For Pete’s sake . . . give your time to the outline. Don’t begrudge that time. It will pay off in the long run.
Read Writers Read. Keep current in your field. Keep current in your craft. Organize your reading. What do you need to read first? Second? Line them up to shore-up holes or weak points. Find out what other authors are doing or saying. Especially if you write in a particular field. What’s being done in that field now. Where is the cutting edge of that field. What direction is it likely to go in the next three to five years given the current trends.
Above ALL Keep the first thing FIRST. Above all, writers WRITE!! Keep on writing, but write smart by organizing first. Do the hard work of organizing your work and your energy and say “goodbye” to writer’s block and hello to your positive flow. And be the writer that you know you can be. Subscribe or Check back here for part two: ORGANIZING MY ENERGY
June 25 World MagazineIf you are a Christian writer and are not yet familiar with WORLD Magazine, then I need to point you to it. It is the news as it should be--objective, truthful, and from a Christian perspective. I don't agree with their overemphasis on engagement in politics as the solution for our troubles, but I appreciate and respect their stand. I believe that political solutions are temporary. God is the only one who can solve the issues of our day. We need to obey and submit to his authority rather than establish our own. Being a good steward of our citizenship is an important value. We simply disagree as to HOW one does that. World will present the issues and give you the information that you need to respond rightly as you are led by the God's Holy Spirit. May 07 mediabistro.com / New and Helpful WebsiteI'm a latecommer. But if, like me, you hadn't yet found mediabistro.com, then PLEASE check it out and add it to your important links for freelace writers, agents, authors, editors and publishers. You will benefit from all the helpful modules this site has to offer its readers. Industry news, and pitch strategies offered there will make your work easier. You just got a new administrative assistant who knows publishing markets. You might also want to pick up Get a Freelance Life by Margit Ragland (see My Current Reading list).
January 26 8 Helpful Websites for Christian WritersThe following are 8 helpful websites for Christian writers. Though they may also serve other species of writer, I have chosen them specifically to assist my brothers and sisters whose vocations issue from a calling by the Lord to write. I have ordered the annotated list in a loose chronology of the writing process (i.e. first you query or propose, then you write, then you record, you network and sharpen your craft and marketing abilities: 1. Great Place to Start: Every writer should have a website. http://www.fictionfactor.com/website.html - see also 2. http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/wordcount.html I include this link from the same site so that you have some sense of the industry standards for the length of your works. 3. http://terrywhalin.blogspot.com/2005/10/marketing-plan-for-every-book.html Terry Whalin’s site is a must, chock full of good stuff for us from the vantage point of a veteran editor for various Christian publishers. His insight into the proposal process is invaluable. His book, Book Proposals that $ell (see my “Featured Books” list on the right), is worth its weight in gold—a great buy at any price. Someday it’s going to help you land a contract!! 4. If you like his blog, you might want to try his website for writers: http://www.right-writing.com/index.html 5. This is a reference site of books online. I use it to find quotes, to recall anecdotes or just to take a break from my writing: http://www.bartleby.com/ 6. If you’re like me, it’s hard not to quote C. S. Lewis. Here’s your gold mine: http://www.quotedb.com/authors/cs-lewis 7. Here are several guilds or writers fellowships worth checking out and participating in. The Christian Writer’s Guild is headed by Jerry Jenkins. I recommend his book in my blog entry, “10 Books Every Christian Writer Should Own.” The Christian Writer’s Guild sponsors an annual Conference for networking with other writers, editors, and publishers. I think I’ll go for the first time Feb. 15-18, 2007. 8. At some point you will need to know something about how the laws and copyrights affect you: http://www.literarylawguide.com/resources.htm#top Hope you find these helpful. I’ll post more as I discover them. Let us know if you find others.
December 27 The Scarlet and the BlackWatched “The Scarlet and the Black” recently. Gregory Peck stars in this WWII intrigue, as a Catholic monsignor assigned to the Vatican. While there, he helps the resistance to ferry escaped allied soldiers out of the country. He does this at considerable risk to himself and the neutrality of Vatican City. I found the movie to be a metaphor of the struggle between light and darkness. The best part of the movie came toward the end where the Nazi Colonel & the Monsignor face off. The clash of kingdoms and authority is remarkable and unforgettable. See what you think and let us know your take.Comment below. All serious comments are welcomed. 10 Books Every Christian Writer Should OwnThough no two people may agree upon the 10 Books that Every Christian writer should own and have assimilated, I offer these as my 10—The ones I have read and found invaluable. I also recommend others for other reasons, but these are a good start and should make up the foundation of any small library of any serious Christian writer. The Bible is not found in this list simply because I have already assumed that any writer who is a believer has several excellent translations in his library already. The order I have chosen lays a foundation in its class (esthetics, craft of writing, publishing, enrichment, etc.) and builds upon it. Some of the books have been mentioned already in my “14 Helpful Websites for Christian Writers.” A second mention merely underscores a particular book’s importance. Each book is available in my “Featured Books” List to the right (for as long as this blog is on my front page, thereafter check my “Essential Books for Believing Writers”). Simply click on the book’s title and you can purchase the book either new or used. So . . here you have it: Help in Forming A Christian Aesthetic:
The Craft
Publishing and Marketing
Bonus Book
Hope you find these helpful. Have a blessed holiday season!
I welcome all serious comments to this community of readers. Please leave comments which would be helpful to any Christian writer. It could have been 10 or 100 Books that every Christian writer should have read, so please add to our list if you know something with the following three qualities: relevant, readable and significant. Feel free to leave legitimate links that relate to our topic. You may also point us to your blog if it will serve the purposes of this article (Consider that you are in my home, and I am protective of my visiting readers. So I always reserve the right to delete comments or links that are not helpful to the community that visits my site). Consider also your own reputation as you comment. I would like it to continue unsullied. December 08 ONE MISSION —The Ultimate Christmas Shopping ExperiencePrepare yourself for the BEST CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE EVER HAD!! My friend Ken has forever solved the Christmas shopping dilemma for me. Here’s how it works. 1. Make sure that you understand the strategy: One Day, One Purpose, ALL ALONE. That’s the ONE MISSION. 2. Set a full day, morning till evening—one full day—for you to spend alone at the stores. Plan on being out from 9am to 10pm. Make sure your spouse and family know that you won’t be home for any meals that day. 3. Remember, ONE PURPOSE—You can’t have anything scheduled that day that would cause you to have to rush or hurry. 4. Next, several days prior to the target-day, equip yourself with a music listening device and make sure that you select holiday music that you love to listen to that quiets your busy spirit. This is an essential ingredient. If you say that you’ll do without the music, then Ken (and I) cannot guarantee the results of your experience. 5. Dress comfortably. Layers are best. You can always shed or take on by going to the car. Don’t bundle up—you’ll be too hot. Don’t wear to little—you’ll be too cold. You get the point. 6. You take your meals out, beginning with a good breakfast. Today you want a Farmer’s breakfast. The strategy here: breakfast is the least expensive meal of the day. Eat a big one. Less spent later on lunch and dinner. I can already see your wheels turning: (well, I’ll eat breakfast at home, pack a lunch and save money that way). Nice try!! The problem here? You just RUINED the reward system that is built into this day where you not only get all your shopping done in ONE DAY, but . . . you also get rewarded with a memorable experience (and a little well-deserved break from fixing your own meals). So don’t cheat at this point. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner while out shopping are a must if you’re going to be a purist of the ONE MISSION this Christmas season. 7. Now, beginning with your list, TAKE YOUR TIME in the stores. You’re in NO HURRY. You have no place other than the present to be. You’re listening to nice music. You can smile at people. Be nice to the store clerks. So what if someone cuts ahead of you in line. Smile, and enjoy your music and think about that steak you’re going to have for dinner later. A steak that you don’t have to cook. Someone else is going to cook and serve you tonight. You're just working down your Christmas list. 8. Make sure that you take extra money along for gift-wrapping. No matter what you have to do, make SURE that the gift-wrapping people at the mall wrap your gifts for you. Not only does this save you an extra day, but . . . they do a nice job, your gifts will look nicer, the ladies who serve you will get a little extra for their trouble (tip them, it’s nice), and you’ll be able to arrive at home without the stress of wondering where to hide your newly purchased gifts. You won’t have to struggle with finding an extra day to set aside for wrapping. Oh . . and who has to go to buy wrapping paper, scotch tape, pens, labels, sharpen scissors . . . get the point [no pun intended]?? 9. This is not Ken’s, but my own added little tip: Make sure you get a Café Vanilla Frapaccino at Starbucks (size is immaterial, although on a day like this, I prefer Venti, with an extra shot of espresso, no whip—not that I need the caffeine, but I love that coffee flavor with the Vanilla). I normally arrive at Starbuck's at about 3pm, when I hit that afternoon slump for about an hour. 10. Essential—keep the negative self-talk to an ABSOLUTE MINIMUM. No self-deprecating stuff: “Well who’s going to want that?” “Why would you ever pick that color?” “No one’s going to buy you anything this nice.” “All that money you spent today could have housed and fed the poor of Detroit” “If you weren’t so chunky, you wouldn’t be whining about carrying these packages.” Just say, “Quiet!! Wrong Address. I’m not listening to you . . . “ Oh yeah, and if you work a job where you get tips, set your day as close to Christmas as possible (more time to accrue more tips). And . . . enjoy yourself!! REMEMBER: ONE DAY, ONE PURPOSE, ALL ALONE = ONE MISSION
|
Print
