FaithWriters Blog

Strong Verbs Equal Strong Writing

Joanne — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:00:24 +0000

Strong Verbs Equal Strong Writing

By Jennifer Slattery

There’s a common held misconception among new writers, and that is the idea that writing should come easily. Initially, I believe it does, until you begin to learn the nuts and bolts of the craft. Over time, as you analyze your writing in view of in-depth critiques, you’ll soon learn the importance of intentionality–in everything. Every detail, every introspection offered, every word choice, must advance the story. Otherwise it occupies needless space and threatens glossy-eyed syndrome.

Replacing weak verbs, like “was going,” “were thinking,” and “walked” with strong verbs turns a drab sentence into a vibrant, emotive, powerful one.

Here are some quick, easy ways to add strength to your story:

1) Show no mercy: annihilate helping verbs and replace them with action verbs.

Linking verbs like be, am, is, are, was, were, been, and being, provide limited information. They’re colorless and weak.

Most often, these can be eliminated by changing the “ing” form of the verb to its past tense form.

Ex: “She was walking to the store” becomes, “She walked to the store.”

Or, “I am sitting” becomes, “I sat.”

2) Replace ordinary action verbs with descriptive verbs.

Let’s look back on “walked” or “sat” in our previous example. Envision someone walking. What do you see? Not much. What if this person shuffled? Sauntered? Strolled? Strode? Each of these verbs provide a different image, adding emotion to the action.

The same applies to sat. We all sit, whether we’re angry, sad, happy, or scared. But when do you plop in a chair? Or slump, or perch? See? Suddenly your dreary, lifeless sentence conveys emotion.

Let’s look at an example:

Sarah walked to the store. Janice approached wearing a blue dress with many flowers. She was tall and had her hair tied in bows. When they met, Janice said, ”Hi.” Sarah smiled. They talked for a moment, then Janice left and Sarah continued walking.

What if we visited our thesaurus and replaced some of those ordinary verbs with stronger ones? (A rather rushed example, but it should help you visualize my point.)

Sarah skipped to the store. Janice strolled toward her, donning a blue dress dotted with flowers. Standing at 6 feet tall, with her hair secured in bows, she blocked the mid-afternoon sun. Merging into the center of the sidewalk, Janice chirped hello. Sarah’s face stretched into a smile. They chatted for a moment, then Janice waved goodbye and Sarah resumed her trek.

Now your turn. How many different ways can you rewrite the example paragraph? Feel free to embellish with details.

Jennifer Slattery lives with her husband and their teenage daughter. In 2009 she won the HACWN writing contest in the book category, and placed second in the 2010 Dixie Kane writing contest in the inspirational category. She placed fourth in the 2010 Golden Pen and third in the 2010 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest.

She writes for Christ to the World Ministries, The ACFW Journal, The Christian Pulse, Internet Cafe Devotions, and Jewels of Encouragement. Working under Tiffany Colter, the Writing Career Coach, Jennifer enjoys helping other writers strengthen their manuscripts through critiques and beta-reads. She also co-hosts Living by Grace, a modern-day “meet at the well” Facebook community. Visit her online at http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com.

FaithWriters Conference Workshops

Joanne — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:54 +0000

In just over five weeks, Christian writers from across the country and world will be gathering in Portland, Oregon for what promises to be a wonderful time of learning, fellowship, and fun.

Yup – it’s nearly time for the FaithWriters Conference! Are you registered?

First – here are the basic details:

WHAT: 2013 FaithWriters Writing Conference: Nurturing the Whole Writer

WHERE: Radisson Hotel Portland (OR) Airport

WHEN: Friday, June 28, 2013 at 6pm through Saturday, June 29, 2013 at 8:30pm

COST: FW Platinum members $85, others $95

Price includes Saturday morning breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack, all workshops and options. Price does NOT include transportation or room charges.

We’ve got a great lineup for you at the conference this year – including several extras (check out this post for details or look at the information on the conference page) included in the conference cost.

But today, I’m going to talk a bit about the workshops available, and the instructors who will be teaching them. They include the following:

Timmy Boyle, upstanding comedian, in addition to his comedy show, will be teaching a workshop on finding humor in life for use in your writing.

Lisa DeSpain, ebook publishing specialist, will present a workshop on the how-tos of her specialty.

Tamera Dever, book designer, will present a workshop on the importance of book design – in addition to her book design evaluation appointments

Leslie Gould, award-winning multipublished author, will present a keynote on believing your story, as well as a workshop on connecting your story arcs. She will also participate in a publishing panel with several other writers. (See below)

*The publishing panel will focus on the pros and cons of the variety of ways to being published. Panelists will include Leslie Gould, Deb Porter, Amy Wiley, and Rick Higginson.

Rick Higginson, longtime FaithWriter, will teach a workshop on writing “outside the box” and will participate in the publishing panel.

David Ian, longtime FaithWriters member and founder of Unchained Productions, will teach a course on scriptwriting.

Deb Porter, FaithWriters Queen (wink), will participate in the publishing panel, teach workshops on critiquing and devotional/inspirational articles, plus her speed critiquing and one-hour appointments.

Corrine Smelker, longtime FWer and busy freelance writer, will share a workshop on the freelancing business, as well as participating in speed critiquing appointments.

Sally Stuart, writer, marketing expert, and founder of the Christian Writers Market Guide, will present a keynote on marketing trends and teach two workshops: one on basics for the beginning writer and another on identifying the right market for your written work.

Amy Michelle Wiley, longtime FWer and freelance editor, writer, and mentor, will participate in the publishing panel and teach a workshop on showing and not telling in your writing.

What a great lineup! Be sure to stop by the FaithWriters Conference Page and register!

Finding it on the Map

Joanne — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:04 +0000

World Map from the first modern atlas
Abraham Ortelius [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

These days, paper maps, atlases, and compasses are perhaps more likely to be found in museums – or at least stored away – than spread out on the modern kitchen table when planning a trip or trying to locate somewhere. In modern times, we’re much more likely to use our GPS, plot our course through MapQuest, or use some newfangled gadget I’ve never heard of .

But, of course, it wasn’t always that way. For hundreds of years, paper maps were our only real way of figuring out how to get somewhere. And even THEY had to start somewhere.

Maps have been around for a VERY long time but atlases – a collection of bound maps - not as long. In fact the first modern atlas was published on this day in 1570, by Abraham Ortelius in Antwerp, Belgium. Called Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World), it included seventy different maps in its first edition. By its thirty-first in 1612, 167 maps were included.

Maps have come a long way from cave drawings. Sometimes we forget that. Appreciate how easy it is to figure out where you’re going these days – but don’t forget to use the APPROPRIATE navigation tools in your stories – especially if they aren’t set in modern times!

How do you navigate these days? How about ten years ago? Twenty?

Writing Season

Joanne — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:53 +0000

I don’t know about where YOU live, but it’s warming up here in Michigan. And when it warms up, my computer time often decreases.

It’s too beautiful to sit inside and plug away on my laptop. My kids will be out of school in less than a month – so I’m losing some of that kidless time for a few months. While I CAN write with youngsters underfoot, it’s certainly easier without.

For me anyway, cooler weather is more conducive to writing productivity. I seem to get more writing done in the winter, when I’m likely to stay inside anyway(with the exception, of course, of Christmastime!). Fall and spring, in general, are relatively productive – other than around those holidays that seem to pull my attention away.

And then there’s summer – when distractions abound. Kids. Sunshine. Vacations. Day trips. You name it.

But still, I try to make time to write then too – perhaps during the hottest part of the day, when I don’t want to be outside anyway. Cuz it’s what I do. What God is asking me to do.

How about you? When are you most productive writing-wise?

Book Titles

Joanne — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:39 +0000

Book Titles

By Megan DiMaria

So, you’ve finished writing your masterpiece. What are you going to title it?

Titles are tricky. You’ve got to choose one that encapsulates your plot and theme. Also, it’s best to title your manuscript before submitting it to an agent or an editor. That way the project feels more complete.

Some ideas to keep in mind while choosing a title for your book are:
• Keep it short and sweet. With titles, less is more. Here are some examples from one of my favorite authors, Maeve Binchy: Evening Class, Tara Road, The Glass Lake.
• Make the titles descriptive. Evoke the sense of your theme or plot. This is especially true in fiction titles, which are more creative than non-fiction titles. Again, some titles from Ms. Binchy:Circle of Friends, Light a Penny Candle.
• Make use of your thesaurus. Find a key word for your book and look for synonyms. Sometimes one word will lead you to another idea.
• Don’t be married to you title. Many (most!) times, publishers scrap your title for a new one. Don’t be dismayed. They have more experience selecting titles than you do anyway.

My books’ titles were changed after I submitted them to the publisher. Searching for Spice was originally Searching for Spice Mountain. The reason for the change is that the original title sounded too literary. Out of Her Hands was originally called All Shook Up, but that had too much of an Elvis sound to it.

Some notable titles that were changed are:
• At This Point, changed to All the President’s Men
• Private Fleming, His Various Battles, changed to The Red Badge of Courage
• Before the Anger, changed to Roots
• First Impressions, changed to Pride and Prejudice

Karen Ball, author, literary agent, and owner of Karen Ball Publishing Services advises authors to concentrate on the tone and genre of their books when selecting a title.

Karen also says to keep your characters in mind when choosing a title. Think about your character’s personality, personal struggle, conflicts, lessons learned, flaws, physical characteristics, and occupation or calling, among other facets.

My family always speaks in complete sentences when we communicate. But for the several days when we were brainstorming titles for Out of Her Hands, we fell into a bizarre pattern.

Daughter to me as we passed on the stairs, “Coming Unhinged.”

My response, “Hold on, Honey.”

And one night when my dear husband kissed me goodnight, he said, “Which Way is Up?”

Ahhh. Brainstorming titles is something else.

Megan DiMaria has been a freelance writer for 20 years and is the author of two women’s fiction novels, Searching for Spice and Out of Her Hands, both of which are set in the Denver area. She is a member of several writers’ groups and enjoys encouraging other writers in their pursuits. Visit Megan online at http://www.megandimaria.com/index.html or at her blog at http://www.megandimaria.blogspot.com/

Sharing Your Testimony

Joanne — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:00:39 +0000

Every Christian has a testimony – many more than one. And these testimonies – whether they are about how you got saved or how the Lord was with you through difficulties – are powerful examples of God’s work. They are inspirational to many, whether believers or not. And as a writer, your written testimony has the power to change lives.

And FaithWriters is giving you the opportunity to possibly share your testimony, get it published, and receive royalties on sales!

Testimony Contest, sponsored by FaithWriters and bestselling Christian author J. J. Hebert, is now accepting entries. Share a first-person version of your own salvation testimony, or how you kept the faith during a trial. Or, share the testimony of someone close to you. Entries must be 1,200 words or less, and the submission deadline is July 20, 2013 at 11am ET. Gold members can enter once in the contest: Platinum can enter twice.

The top 40 entries will be included in this book, which is projected to be published in late 2013, and the authors will receive royalties from sales.

Sound like a great opportunity? Check out the details at the Testimony page on the FaithWriters site, and get writing!

Re-Purposed

Joanne — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:29 +0000

In honor of Mother’s Day in the States on Sunday

Re-Purposed
By Karen Wilber

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

We were in the beginning weeks of a church-wide study of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. As we progressed from “What on Earth am I Here For?” to “You Were Formed for God’s Family,” my anticipation grew.

God has a purpose for me.

I wondered what kind of ministry God had planned. I’d been a part-time seminary student for a couple of years. I had been working on my Biblical storytelling skills and drama ministry at church. Now I was leading a small group study consisting of church members and my unchurched neighbors. Clearly, something big was about to happen.

But not what I thought.

I had been feeling a little “funny” the past few days. Not sick. Just tingly. One morning it dawned on me–check the calendar. Could I be pregnant? We’d put off starting a family for years. Months ago we decided to put the matter in God’s hands. I wasn’t expecting to be–well–expecting so soon. On the way home from work that evening I selected a home pregnancy test kit from the variety of boxes lining the drugstore shelves. Each one promised me easy, clear, accurate results.

Just to be sure, I took two.

God has different methods of calling people to serve him. Moses had his burning bush. Gideon met an angel at the winepress. I held a five-inch long, white test strip which practically screamed “You’re going to be a mom!”

I’m going to be a mom.

If I ranked the top five joyful moments of my life, this would be one of them. I kept quiet for two days, planning to surprise my husband on his birthday with a baby toy. I began praying for the new life inside of me. I was never one of those women who grew dewy-eyed at the sight of a baby. After four years of teaching sixth graders, I wasn’t even sure I ever wanted to have kids. God changed all that.

Now I have two.

God repurposed my life. I was content with my plans, not knowing that God had greater plans. Over the past few years, I’ve felt Him repackage and recycle me, pulling out the bits and pieces of my life and abilities that He placed there for a reason in order to create a new mommy. He’s called me to be the mother to two active little boys and I pray for His guidance. After all, this was His idea.

As I tucked my now four-year-old son into bed the other night I whispered, “God has a plan for you.” His eyes grew wide. “What is it?”

Something wonderful. Wait and see.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITER

Mothers – do you remember THIS part of your purpose?

Happy Mother’s Day

Writing Advice You Should ALWAYS Follow

Joanne — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:00:52 +0000

Writing Advice You Should ALWAYS Follow

By Edie Melson

Now, like ninety-nine percent of publishing rules, take these with a grain of salt. Writing is rarely a one-size-fits-all proposition.

1. Keep a regular schedule. Notice a said REGULAR schedule, not normal (and I didn’t say write every day). Your schedule may be writing on the bus everyday to work, or from midnight to 2 a.m. or even only on the weekend. Whatever works best for you, stick with it. Small bites are the best way to devour a huge task.

2. Don’t stop learning. Even if this weren’t an industry that’s ever changing, you’d still need to keep honing your skills. I don’t care who you are, or how long you’ve been writing, you never arrive.

3. Plug into a supportive team. You’ve often heard that writing is a solitary pursuit. Yes…and no. The act of putting words on paper is rarely a team sport. But producing publishable work is not. It takes a good support system to help you cover all the bases.

4. Build your platform BEFORE you get published. Yep, you read that right. So many writers put off building their social media networks until they sign with an agent or a publisher. I’m telling you that’s too late. Start building now and you’ll find yourself more attractive to editors and agents.

5. Don’t let the voices in your head derail your progress. As a whole, we writers are an insecure bunch. And most of our insecurity starts in our minds. We convince ourselves to fail before we even get started good. Who am I fooling, I can’t write. That editor/agent didn’t mean it when he said to send him a proposal. I don’t know why I bother, none of this is any good. Any of these sound familiar?

6. Learn the rules so you know how to break them effectively. Part of developing as a writer is knowing when to break the rules. It’s hard to do if you don’t know them to begin with. For example, you’ll hear the advice to get rid of repeated words. In most cases that’ good advice, but there are instances when you’ll want to repeat a word for emphasis.

7. Don’t EVER talk bad about anyone in the industry. Publishing is a small family, and people move around a lot. An agent at this company today, may be at a different company next year. The person sitting next to you at a conference, could be your editor. You get the idea.

8. Take critique, but don’t let it silence your voice. It’s important to develop a tough skin in this business. That means learning from tough critiques. BUT and this is vital, remember that a critique is just someone’s opinion. If you incorporate every critique into your WIP you’ll lose that distinctive thing called voice. This means sometimes throwing out advice from people you trust, and breaking some rules.

9. Write what you love. It’s tempting to try to follow what’s popular, but it rarely works out well. Life’s short, spend it doing something you love.

10. Don’t quit. I’ve been around this business a long time. I’ve learned that while talent is good, perseverance will get you a whole lot farther. You’re going to have bad days, bad weeks, even bad months, but that’s still no reason to quit.

I’ve given you my best advice. Now I’d like to hear from you. What is the best writing advice you’ve ever gotten?

Edie Melson is the author of four books, as well as a freelance editor with years of experience in the publishing industry. Her popular blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands of writers each month, and she’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Her bestselling ebook on social media has just been updated and re-released as Connections: Social Media & Networking Techniques for Writers. She’s the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy and the social media columnist for Southern Writers Magazine. You can connect with Edie through Twitter and Facebook.

What Is a Christian Writer?

Joanne — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:00:35 +0000

What Is a Christian Writer?
By Bob Valleau

I’ve included four important questions, in this article interview format, to convey what it means to be a Christian writer. Even though they are not from an actual interview, I have addressed each of these questions, at some point, in the past. I pray my answers give some insight into the exciting — and extremely satisfying — field of Christian writing.

Why are you a Christian writer?

I’m asked this question a lot, and I always reply: I can’t be anything else but a Christian writer. However, there’s more to my answer. Being a Christian writer is a calling by God with a commitment. One day, when I was young, He called me to write, and I knew beyond all doubt it was something I was supposed to do. And ever since I committed to writing for Him, I’ve grown in the confidence of His calling.

What does it take to be a Christian writer?

Over the years, I have learned that being successful at what I do takes a lot of discipline, determination and a drive to pursue God’s plan for everything I write no matter the word count. It takes an ear for hearing and a mind for understanding what God wants me to write. In other words, I consider two things before I write: my audience and what the Spirit of God places within my heart to write. Through prayer, and listening to God’s Spirit, He may want me to write something encouraging or inspirational. Or, He may just want me to write something entertaining to brighten someone’s day with humor.

What are the benefits of being a Christian writer?

For me, the greatest reward of being a Christian writer is joy: joy in receiving feedback from a reader who was touched, in some way, by what I wrote; joy in knowing that the words I wrote changed someone’s thinking or behavior for good; joy in seeing how what I wrote healed, challenged, inspired or encouraged someone along life’s way. Yet, the greatest joy that I’ve had, as a Christian writer, is witnessing how my words guided someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

What do you say to others who feel called to write about the greatest message in the world?

Desire, through your writing, to be a conduit of Christ’s love. Strive to be a harbinger for the Good News of the Gospel. Pray about; wrestle with; and battle against grammar imperfections, punctuation idiosyncrasies and improper use of the English language. If you’re not careful in doing this, such inconsistencies may scar your credibility and reflect negatively upon the message you’re trying to share. But also realize your limitations. You’re human, and you will make mistakes. However, try to minimize them, and praise God for every reader who forgives your humanness and cares enough to keep on reading what you write.

It’s true. Christian writers are uniquely called to write about the greatest message in the world. However, we are just one of the many mouthpieces God uses to spread His Word. To quote award-winning author Ann Tatlock:

“We live our lives within and daily move through a world of hurt. We’re knee-deep in suffering and surrounded by voices crying out, ‘Where is God?’

As writers, we are one small part of God’s voice answering the cries, telling men and women to hold fast because there’s hope. This world doesn’t include the entire story because the ending isn’t found here. The ending lies somewhere else. And in that final place, the broken will be mended, the senseless will make sense, and we’ll know that God is with us and always has been because we ourselves will be with Him.

If you believe this, make it the reason you write. When you go to your desk, your laptop, your computer today, let it be with the purpose of telling the world about our blessed hope.”

© 2013 by Bob Valleau. Bob has over 25 years of writing experience for the Christian market. He was once named Christian Writer of the Year (San Antonio, Texas) by the American Christian Writers Association. He is the author of “Mystic Dreams and Dusty Roads.”

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITER

Conference Update – and God Speaks Contest

Joanne — Fri, 03 May 2013 09:00:53 +0000

Are you planning to attend the FaithWriters Conference next month (can you BELIEVE it’s next month??)? Are you registered yet? If not, we’ve got TWO reasons to try to convince you to sign up soon.

FIRSTLY: the early bird deadline has been extended until Tuesday, May 7. Who doesn’t like to save money? Get that registration in now!

SECONDLY: one person who registers before May 15 will get their registration fee refunded to them! All people who have registered so far, plus those who register between now and that date are eligible.

Hope you’ll join us in Portland, OR June 28 and 29 – and register soon! For more details and to register, check out the conference page.

And…the God Speaks contest continues! Have you entered yet? It’s an opportunity to hone your writing skills, help promote an exciting new study Bible (that has ALL of God’s Words – not just Jesus’s – in color), and to win paid writing assignments and $500 in Biblical library upgrades. Don’t delay – this contest is open until there are 25 entries, or the contest sponsor or FaithWriters calls the contest. Check out the contest forums on the FaithWriters boards for specific details.

FaithWriters Blog

Strong Verbs Equal Strong Writing

Strong Verbs Equal Strong Writing

By Jennifer Slattery

Now your turn. How many different ways can you rewrite the example paragraph? Feel free to embellish with details.

FaithWriters Conference Workshops

What a great lineup! Be sure to stop by the FaithWriters Conference Page and register!

Finding it on the Map

How do you navigate these days? How about ten years ago? Twenty?

Writing Season

How about you? When are you most productive writing-wise?

Book Titles

Book Titles

By Megan DiMaria

Sharing Your Testimony

Re-Purposed

Re-Purposed By Karen Wilber

Mothers – do you remember THIS part of your purpose?

Happy Mother’s Day

Writing Advice You Should ALWAYS Follow

Writing Advice You Should ALWAYS Follow

By Edie Melson

What Is a Christian Writer?

What Is a Christian Writer? By Bob Valleau

Conference Update – and God Speaks Contest

Re-Purposed
By Karen Wilber

What Is a Christian Writer?
By Bob Valleau