Because I want to help people write real books, tell stories from their hearts, and overcome their fears via community and camaraderie, I’ve started 3rd Day Writers. Please see the link below and subscribe so you can join our next meeting!
Before I get to the money saving part, I would like to share with you the difference a day makes when writing queries to literary agents. I wrote a simply marvelous, utterly irresistible query yesterday, and because the internet went down, I had to obey my rule: Always wait 24 hours before submitting what you write to such luminaries as literary agents (I call them luminaries because they are readers and writers with power in my life!). And they seem to get a kick out of ridiculous/desperate query letters–I’ve noticed this when reading about how NOT to write one.
Back to my stunning query. When I approached it this morning with thoughts of a bit of tweaking (mostly just to enjoy my brilliance before sharing it) it had, in a mere 24 hours, become riddled with mush. It was confusing, disjointed, wordy–headache inducing.
I hope I fixed it. Perhaps waiting yet another twenty-four hours would have been wise.
And now for the money-saving part. This is hard to write because I’d rather not tell. But I am here to help! Last night (DON’T BUY THINGS ON THE NET AFTER MIDNIGHT) while listening to a YouTube video (DON’T WATCH YOUTUBE AFTER MIDNIGHT–also perhaps another good idea) I learned about Wal-Mart Plus–they deliver! I promptly signed up ($98 dollars with just a slight movement of a finger), made an order and then learned, well no, they don’t deliver to my house.
“Oh, sigh,” as my daughter used to say when things didn’t go according to plan. You know the rest of this sad tale: If I had heeded my own 24-hour rule, and waited until today, I would have perhaps done a little research before blithely tossing $98 down the Wal-Mart hole . . . And now I get the intense enjoyment of trying to sort this out.
So, just back off. Tell your money you’re the boss of it and it doesn’t get to go flying out of your hands whenever it wants to. Tell it you’ll talk again in 24 hours.
Tomorrow’s the day! Â At 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time join our little group via Zoom: Â
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/82224451524?pwd=NmK5aCuaiu5JHX68JMFiyeCYsnkesh.1
I am learning how to go about this, so bear with me, and we’ll figure it out. Please join in if you have any interest in writing anything!
I’ll be sharing a bit from my experience two weeks ago at the Northwest Christian Writer’s Conference (best conference EVER), and how a little child can lead you in your writing journey.
I’ll also ask you to be thinking of sharing from books that impacted you as a child–this in the June 3rd Day meeting, which will be June 19. Â We do hope you can join in!
My daughter just made homemade bread and added herbed butter and garlic, and served it to me with love. This, Dear Reader, is REAL bread. If we compare the practically spiritual experience of deeply enjoying such bread, to consuming a piece of fluorescent white stuff baked in a factory last week, we can see that making things complicated, expensive, difficult, and FAKE is not the way.
Perhaps I could liken this to writing. When we forget about the joy of simply writing a story, and attempt jumping through the publishing world’s hoops, things can get complicated. It begins to seem as though every time we try to write a bit, there are little gremlins gnawing at our ankles. They’re growling, hissing, whispering and snidely saying the likes of: What about the meaning of your story; what if it’s all a waste of time; you know you don’t know much of anything about anything you’re writing . . . Oh, and have you forgotten about the requisite social media following?
If you’re not having fun yet, consider with me the following requirements from a writer’s conference regarding pitching a novel:
First problem for me: my book doesn’t neatly fit into a genre–first ankle bite. Next is I neither know nor care how it fits into the marketplace, and have no inclination to find out. I just want to write–is that so wrong?
The size of my social media platform? Uh, well, can we just skip that for now? My Blog/Website promoting the book with size of following? First off, can anyone tell me again the difference between a blog and a website, and why that matters? My e-mail list? Well, it’s pretty long, but you should know that many of those folks listed are no longer using the e-mail address I’m using.
Ah, but my plan! I do have a plan, and I think it’s a good one. And I’m sure I can get someone super famous to be my guest, and then they’ll ask me to come and speak and everyone in the HUGE crowd will buy my book.
Actually, I have no problem believing that last paragraph, and I actually do have a plan. But until the book is written, all these concerns are complications, aggravations, and creativity killers. They make me want more coffee, more Kombucha (golden pineapple perhaps, with lemon and lime wedges) and if all else fails I’ll get a Haagen Daas bar and eat it at the lake just up the road.
And then I’ll remind myself (and you Dear Reader) how absolutely pathetically impotent complaining makes us all (maybe I’ll have an absolutely pathetically impotent character in my book, and maybe someone with say clever and sarcastic things to him), and I’ll get on with the business at hand (it might be writing, or ice cream, or writing with bites of ice cream now and again.
But for the moment, here my video offering in case you want a bit more convincing and help about ignoring all the noise, confusion, and complication, and just doing a bit of writing:
Do you have book in your heart, or just a start of one that needs a bit of TLC? Join 3rd Day Writers!
Our kickoff meeting is Wednesday, March 20 at 3:00, and here’s the link:
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/83774356297?pwd=MSNikLLhhuMz497tw3oJbr63AqJsZP.1
There will be a few of us seated around my dining room table–with laptops, pens and paper, or even scribbling in journals. We’ll have a few encouraging and wise words, and a prayer, and then we’ll begin. Begin talking about writing, telling what we’re doing, whining about how hard it is???
Nope. We’ll begin writing. Even if we scribble the likes of, “I have no idea what to write,” that’s writing!
Join in and let’s see where this 3rd Day journey takes us!
Today’s broadcast will be for those who believe Bill Johnson’s exhortation, “When at war, create.” The first of many Wednesday broadcasts dedicated to all creative endeavorers, but especially to writers, this one will be about becoming childlike.
Also, because this is my broadcast, there will necessarily be mention of at least one helpful book–today’s authors are Fiona Ferris and yours truly!
I would like to say join me at 11:00, but with our current internet status (on/off, on/off due to efforts at installing a new system) I will just say, “Today, yay!” and pray.
Thanks,
Bev
P.S. Before you think this is probably not for you, remember all of life is an opportunity to create, to take something in your imagination and give it substance. I am speaking particularly here to homemakers, those of you imagining a perfectly lovely life at home (I wrote my first book–quite awful, but still . . . when I had four little kids at home). This video will be short and sweet, so tune in and be glad you did.
With this evening’s attitude, not much. Once I start thinking about what’s not perfect, I’m on the way to griping about it, and here it comes–the Biblical “spirit of heaviness.” And who needs more of that?
Well, no matter how many times I try sad, I never like it. It never works for me. And it’s always rooted in choosing doldrums over delight. As someone who, over 40 years ago, chose to join the revolution started 2000 years ago by a really great guy named Jesus, I simply have no business thinking it’s about me.
I know (this I’ve tried as often as I’ve tried sad) that when I start doing the selfish it’s not going to end well. Ah, but when I read the beautiful Word of Life, when I pray, when I repent of my disobedient self-absorption, the very atmosphere of my life begins to change. What a difference a moment makes.
What a difference a bit of good preaching (this evening it was Creflo Dollar talking about the “sin” of selfishness, the miserable life therein); last week it was Bill Johnson saying, “When at war, create.”
Create. I’d no sooner finished listening to Creflo, than John asked me to watch and listen to the story of a businessman turning Central Park into something marvelous for New Yorkers. Create. We’re all born for it, created for it.
Just in putting out the maple syrup and making plans for homemade waffles, scrambled eggs, brats, peaches and tea for a late breakfast tomorrow, I have begun creating something marvelous in the sight of my beloveds.
In writing my evening pages (I scribble my thoughts morning and night to see what’s in my brain) I create a list for tomorrow–assuring that it will begin as it should–first with thanks for the Author of all Beauty and Creativity, and then with the getting to it.
What can we create tomorrow? Why don’t we let it begin with smiling at ourselves in the mirror and remembering we’re created in the image of the The Creator. Who knows what we’ll get up to (I might start a book, or at least another blog post, do a YouTube thing. I might even clean the junk drawer!). Or maybe I’ll just create joy by giving smiles and good words to all.
Thanks for letting me share with you!
P.S. You can still get The Maker’s Marriage (on Amazon) before Christmas–if not for Christmas, by New Year’s Night.
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