This post was written by Jeff Goins, author of You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One).

In this world of copycats and remakes, true creativity is hard to find. The world of publishing is no different. We see someone like John Locke sell a million eBooks on Amazon or drool over the success of The Hunger Games and we wonder: “What am I doing wrong?”

The truth is you’re doing a LOT wrong. That is, if you’re looking at other writers to measure your success.

A writer’s message begins to matter when she stops worrying about what others are doing and finally submits to the work she’s been given to do. In other words, you have to get out of the box.

If you feel stuck and stymied and not sure how to get your message in front of people, here are three simple steps worth following:

Step 1: Embrace your inner weirdness

Writers have always been weird. Mark Twain. Emily Dickinson. Jack Kerouac. Jane Austen. Truman Capote. All very weird. Full of quirks and idiosyncrasies, they found a way to express their art — one that didn’t minimize or apologize for their oddities, but instead celebrated them.

Writers have always been misfits, bucking the status quo. At certain time, their books have been burned and they have faced death for how they chose to express themselves.

If you’re going to find your voice and succeed with your words, you will have to test boundaries and push limits. You will have to be brave.

Step 2: Thank your critics

Face it: If you are going to create anything that matters, you will have enemies. People who criticize and malign you. Some will do it out of a genuine desire to help you improve. But others will do it just to hate on you.

But through all of the criticism, you need to “consider it pure joy…” Because this means you’re in the game, that people are noticing your work. That you stand for something worth criticizing. Haters aren’t an indication you’re doing something wrong. They’re actually a sign you’re on the right track.

Step 3: Keep taking risks

From the day we entered society, we have all faced the same pressure: to conform. To succumb to the numbing mediocrity that surrounds us. To be what others expect instead of what we are called to be.

At times when you feel discouraged or misunderstood, here is your reminder to continue being weird: You only have so many words. You can spend them trying to sound like someone else or you can use them to be yourself. We already have a Mary Shelley and a James Joyce. What we’re missing now is you.

So in other words, don’t try to be unique; try to be you. In so doing, you’ll probably be weirder than you realize. Which is a beautiful thing.

What’s one way in which you need to get out of the box with your writing?

Jeff Goins is a writer who lives in Nashville. He just released an eBook called, You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One).

About a year ago I read this book by John Eldredge and it blew my boat right out of the water. I like reading, but I just love it when a book can come along, grab your hand and take you on whirlwind journey of discovery. More about my journey later.

In Desire, formerly titled The Journey of Desire, John Eldredge from Ransomed Heart Ministries, describes the journey that we all need to take to find the desire of our heart. Desire has been given to all of us by God and it is set deep within our heart. This desire is often overlooked or mistaken for something else or even ignored. Everyone knows that they have this desire. U2 wrote about in their epic song, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

“Contrary to what you may have heard in church, desire is the key to the Christian life,” says John Eldredge. “When we lose desire, we lose passion for God and everything else.” In this amazing book, Eldredge invites us to acknowledge the significance of desire, abandon resignation, and embark on an adventure he calls “our heart’s most important journey.”

This book really spoke to me, actually it screamed. I recognized the truth of Psalm 20:4 that God has given us desires and placed them deep in our hearts. The book encouraged me to seek God about the desire he had placed in my heart – what it was and how I could access it.

So what did this mean for me? Well here’s my journey of desire.

When I finished reading this book I prayed and asked God to help me seek the desire he placed in my heart. I had no immediate answer but as I kept praying over the next few weeks I felt God saying I should start writing poetry. “Poetry Lord? HAHAHA!! – that’s a good one!”

I wrestled with the poetry idea for a while but felt it was important to be obedient. I discussed this with God and we brokered a deal. “You give me the words and I’ll hold the pen, and I may even put it into a blog, but there is no way I’m putting my name to it!” “After all it should be about you God and not about me.” God agreed, or so I thought.

So the journey of discovery started. God convinced me to get over myself and put my name to it. So with a giant step of faith I created Poetry in Motion and a Facebook Page.

Then, after only six months at writing poetry, an incredible series of events began to happen: my poetry has been published in the March edition of Rooted Living and I’m now writing for them; I’ve connected with a terrific group of writers and creative artists in the US via StepUP Writing and Speaking ; my first poetry book is well underway and is due out the middle of this year; and a good friend and I have set up Brand New Heart Ministries, a work in progress to minister to brand new Christians (and old ones) about what it means to have a brand new heart for God. I’m sure there’s much more to follow.

What’s far more important though is that after being a Christian for 27 years, I feel so much closer to God and my relationship with him has grown to a whole new level. A level I can’t even begin to write about– it’s indescribable. Thankfully it’s all about God and not about me. So enough about me, what about you?

• What’s the desire of your heart?
• Have you asked God?
• Are you prepared for the answer?
• Will you be obedient?

Start by reading Desire, it may just lead you into a whole new world and a richer and deeper relationship with the God.
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

~ Psalm 20:4

David Andrews runs his own educational consulting company, while at the same time working in the corporate world of strategic planning and audit. He is currently writing his first book of poetry which is due to be published in July 2011. David is married with three sons and lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

Two years later, and not many sales to speak of, I continued to write articles for online Christian websites, kept blogging, and kept working diligently on my “first love,” the ministry God had given me before all this writing stuff began: ScriptureNow.com. Too often, I didn’t want to continue the journey. It all felt empty. Nothing seemed to be happening and I felt like a failure for not having a book “traditionally” published. I had kids to raise (homeschool) and I couldn’t make the time to travel to conferences and do speaking engagements etc. I had my computer, the internet, and God.

During those two years, I questioned my journey. I wondered if I’d really heard God’s heart right. I thought God was finished with me and it saddened me deeply. Yet, instead of giving up, I pressed through . . . and during those two years, I just remained in Him. I studied His Word and developed greater faith. I trusted Him even when there was no evidence that I should. And then, something happened.

The Spirit “quickened” me. I began studying all the aspects of how to put together a “professionally” published book. Although we’re told that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the truth is, we all do . . . so I began to really work at creating great covers. In the meantime, I also looked into making my books ebooks. I thought someone was going to have to drag me kicking and screaming out of the traditional paperback world, but I was willing to try anything. So, I published my books through the Kindle Direct Publishing platform. The rest of the story takes and unusual turn.

I started thinking through marketing strategies I could use with Amazon and began implementing them. For one, I publish exclusively through Amazon—there’s a reason. If all your sales are happening in ONE place, guess what happens to your rankings? Exactly . . . they go up! If your books are all over the place, the volume is spread too thin. Amazon is the largest bookseller in the world . . . who wouldn’t want to be on their bestseller list!?!

Next, I was able to take control of my pricing and could change it hourly! I mastered the Amazon marketing system and one of my books made it to #1 in Bestsellers for the entire Christian Living category. I still can’t believe it. All my books have continued to remain in the top 100 Bestsellers for Christian Living, as a result of my marketing strategies. And after four months, I have sold over 20,000 copies! In addition to that, I have now taken on clients, in order to teach them the ropes of Amazon, as I design titles, covers, and do all the formatting for them. God had a plan all along, I just couldn’t see it. (Rarely can we, He wants us to learn to trust . . . to walk by faith.)

Never before has publishing a book and being a “successful” author been more possible. Amazon has opened the gates and the possibilities are endless. In the words of Jeff Bezos, “I am emphasizing the self-service nature of these platforms because it’s important for a reason I think is somewhat non-obvious: even well-meaning gatekeepers slow innovation . . . when a platform is self service, even the improbable ideas can get tried, because there’s no expert gatekeeper ready to say ‘that will never work!’ And guess what—many of those improbable ideas do work, and society is the beneficiary of that diversity.”

I read the reviews of my books and it brings me to tears. If it were not for Amazon, my writings would have never touched those lives. Know this: When God has a plan, He makes a path. He made a path for me and He’ll make one for you too.

—

Cherie Hill is the founder of ScriptureNow.com. She has a BA in Psychology and is trained in Biblical Counseling through the AACC.

She is an Amazon.com Bestselling Christian Living author. Her published works are: Waiting on God, Hope Being Gone, Be Still: Let Jesus Calm Your Storms, Beginning at The End: Finding God When Your World Falls Apart, and The Ways of God: Finding Purpose Through Your Pain. Cherie writes the Christian Women’s column, “FAITHLIFT” for CWAHM.com and is a contributor for FAITHVILLAGE.com, as well as several other online Christian Magazines.

Cherie also enjoys the privilege of being the #1 Book Reviewer for Thomas Nelson, as well as an avid reviewer for Zondervan, Amazon, Bethany House, Tyndale, Waterbrook/Multanomah and Revell Books. She dedicates her time to serving God through her church, several non-profit organizations, and her local animal shelter. She prays that the fullness of God will pour out through her life into the lives of others.

One thing I’ve learned from my editor: my first idea isn’t always the best, most creative idea, whether it be for a character, a story, or a scene.

One thing I’ve learned on my own: sometimes my second, third, fourth, fifteenth, and thirty-fifth ideas aren’t always the best, most creative ones, either.

So what’s a writer to do when she gets stuck on a plot point or a character or even in a scene and none of her ideas seem right?

The answer? Brainstorm with others!

I used to avoid brainstorming my story with other writers. It felt like cheating. If I couldn’t come up with an idea on my own, I didn’t deserve to be a writer, right? (I’m weird like that. I used to think using a thesaurus was cheating, too. Now I can’t live without my Synonym Finder!) But that was a misunderstanding on my part. I thought brainstorming my story with other people meant something very different than what it turned out to be.

Brainstorming your story with other people allows their ideas to lead yours down paths you’d never consider on your own—not because you aren’t creative or intelligent, but simply because those ideas would never had occurred to the unique bent of your mind.

Think of it this way: when you consider your story, you have a tendency to focus on whatever idea has grabbed your attention. It is as if you are taking a picture with a zoom lens. All you can see is that one tiny spot in front of you. Brainstorming on your own, you might be able to pull back to a more normal view, but what if you could see the vista as a panoramic picture? Widen it to include things on the periphery that you didn’t notice when you zoomed in? That’s the value of brainstorming your story with others. Other people will latch on to something outside your scope, and while you might not use that very thing in your final work, their suggestions expand your vision to see a greater landscape of possibilities. Suddenly you have a whole new world of ideas from which to choose, not the exact ones that were suggested to you by others, but those that have mixed and mingled with your own to form something new. Chances are good that somewhere in that enlarged playground of your mind, you’ll hit on just the right thing, that blend of creativity and reality that will make your story come alive.

Next time you find yourself stuck in a story or a scene, call or email or have lunch with a friend and give brainstorming a try. You might gain a fresh new twist of character or story, while the only thing you stand to lose are your uninspired, bordering-on-cliche ideas. I find myself more and more willing to take that gamble. What about you?

1. Develop a thick skin. Realize you will receive a lot of criticism over the span of your career. Know the truth that criticism is much more useful BEFORE you turn something in than when it sits on a bookshelf. Learn to welcome criticism like trials, as welcomed friends to hone your words.
2. Read it out loud. You’ll catch a lot of mistakes.
3. Join a critique group, one that meets regularly, chock full of serious, publication-pursuing writers who aren’t afraid to tell the truth.
4. Lose the love affair you have with high-falutin’ language. Just tell the story, say the idea, explain the concept. Flowery words convolute good sentences. Love your reader enough to be willing to disappear. You’re not loving your reader if your prose stops them, if he stumbles over your verbiage. A reader should forget about the author and be absorbed instead into the book.
5. Don’t settle. If you know your ms isn’t ready, don’t just throw it out to editors hoping something will stick. Tough it out. Wrangle with your paragraphs. Make that puppy sing.
6. Lean toward telling stories rather than preaching.
7. Write so much your fingers hurt. The more you write, the more polished you’ll become. The key to good writing is discipline.
8. Experience life in the midst of it all. Engage. Love. Cry. Laugh. Be with people. The more you experience others, the more authentic your prose.

For ten years I wrote in blissful ignorance. Not ignorance of the craft. I learned that as I went along. Not ignorance of the industry. I picked up that information, too. No, the blissful ignorance I’m talking about is the not knowing what others in my genre were writing.

Let me explain.

For years and years and years I devoured historical fiction. When I started writing, historicals weren’t so in vogue anymore and all my story ideas were contemporary. So that’s what I read. In my critique groups, both the big, monthly one and the small, weekly one, no one wrote historical fiction. So even when I switched to writing the historical fiction I loved, I lived in blissful ignorance of most other historical writers. I just wrote the best historical I story I could write. It was enough to land a two-book contract. But something funny happened with the second two-book contract. As I sat down to write what will be my third published novel, I found myself thinking about all the wonderful historical novels I’d read over the past couple of years. The comparison paralyzed me.

I suddenly found myself conscious of my words, my characters, my story in a whole new way. And not a good way. Now I asked myself if they were good enough. Could they compare to so-and-so’s wonderful work? I’d never written with that comparison demon sitting on my shoulder before. (Other demons, yes, but not comparison!)

I wish I could say I flicked that little guy off his perch and stomped him into dust the minute he opened his mouth. But I didn’t. I wrote. Second-guessed myself. Wrote again. I even had to trash an entire first draft—mostly, I think, because I couldn’t let the story flow due to listening to that nagging little voice of comparison. The second first draft went better, but I still heard those nasty words knocking around in my head when I sit down to write. Some days I can dismiss the thoughts without incident. Other days, I invite that little demon to sit with me before I realize what I’ve done.

The thing is, these types of issues aren’t confined to my writing life, but to my character. In battling comparison in my writing life, I realize I have to fight to keep thoughts of comparison far from me in any shape or form, but especially in my writing, the work the Lord has given me to do. Because if I compare my work with what He has given someone else, then I practice not only ingratitude, but outright sin. I’m the clay asking the Potter what He thinks He’s doing instead of trusting Him to create a unique work of art in and through me.

Do you hear that voice of comparison whispering in your ear as you write? Maybe you are newly published, like me, and you miss the bliss of ignorance. Maybe you are pre-published and in a critique group where you read other offerings of the same genre and feel you can’t measure up. Or perhaps you are paralyzed by the books you’ve read that have had huge impact in your life, fearful yours will never achieve that standard. It’s not a good place to live.

Will you join me in giving to the Lord our tendency to wander into the dangerous ground of comparison? Nothing good will come of it. Nothing at all. And yet there are blessings untold when we can keep our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and trust Him for all things. Even our writing.

When I started my publication journey, I was convinced I’d be a novelist only. Whenever I proofread nonfiction writer’s proposals, I thought to myself, Wow, I’m so glad I don’t ever have to figure out how to do this! The problem with this line of reasoning was my agent’s continual pestering that I should write parenting books. I scoffed, laughing at the idea. Though admittedly the idea intrigued me, what stopped me short was the thought of writing one of those behemoth nonfiction book proposals.

Why did I balk?

I was afraid.

I knew a proposal was my first handshake with a professional in the industry. It should be pristine and reveal not only my knowledge of the book, but also an uncanny grasp of the bookselling industry. I knew pulling this off would take a lot of foundational work. Before I invested that kind of time, I had to ask myself the following questions:

What is my passion?

A good book proposal emerges from a passionate idea, one that won’t let go of you. Explore the topics you get animated about when you talk to friends and family, or even strangers. What keeps you up at night? Writing a proposal is a huge undertaking. If you don’t have the energy to carry you through the proposal writing process, how will you be able to create an entire book? At writing conferences, one of the things I hear echoed by agents and editors is this: I want a book proposal that shows me the author is absolutely passionate about his idea.

What is my book about? Once you’ve settled on your passion, it’s time to distill your book down to its essential ingredients. Ask yourself:

• What genre is my book?

• Where it would be shelved in a bookstore?

• How well do I know what the book will be about?

• Do I have access to good research, great interviews?

• How unique is my book?

• If this book were to go to committee, would a pub board find it compelling?

• What is the one-sentence summary of my book? When I share it with others, does their interest seem piqued?

Who is my immediate audience? Despite what you may think, your proposal’s first audience is actually the agent or publisher you’re querying. Find out everything you can about the agent or publisher. Ask yourself:

• Do they specialize in the genre you’re writing?

• Do they take new authors? How many?

• Have you attended a writer’s conference and spoken directly to the editor or agent?

• What kinds of books are they looking for?

Purchasing a market guide is a great first step. Analyzing books already represented or published is another great step. Once you’ve done your homework, you can then start the arduous work of determining the specific audience of your book once it’s published.

What do I know about the publishing industry?

Do you know what is selling in the industry? What has oversold? What trends are up and coming? Go to bookstores and walk the aisles, sign up for newsletters and updates from the publishing industry, go to conferences, and talk to booksellers. It’s imperative that you understand the industry before you embark on this book-publishing adventure. If your proposal reveals naivety or ignorance about the industry, you’ll be giving editors and agents an easy reason to reject you.

Do I have the guts?

Writing a proposal is the first step in a very long process. Author Jan Winebrenner says publishing a book “is like giving birth to an elephant—only more painful.” Are you ready for that? Do you have what it takes to count the cost of bringing a book to fruition? Can you take constructive criticism? Do you have the time it takes to write the book and edit it in a timely manner? How will you promote it when it releases? Do you have a critique group to support and help you through the process?

Eventually, my agent wore me down. I wrote that proposal and sold it. I’ve written four nonfiction books in the last three years, thanks to the groundwork laid when I started writing proposals. If a fiction writer can learn to write a nonfiction proposal, I’m convinced you can to. Just be sure you do your homework first.

Adapted from Nonfiction Book Proposals that Grab and Editor or an Agent by the Throat (in a good way!)

We all know writing should be a discipline. Mary’s (in)famous B.O.C., which stands for Butt on Chair, simply means we must resolve to meet our writing goals on a regular basis. Writing a novel? Maybe that means banging out 1,000 words a day, five days a week. Working on a nonfiction proposal? Set a deadline of two weeks to research, write and revise your proposal.
But what do we do when we come to that impasse, the wide divide called writer’s block? Try as we might, sitting at the keyboard in front of a blank screen, words won’t come. That blinking cursor mocks us—neener, neener, neener.
My all-time favorite way to overcome writer’s block?
See people. Yep, it’s that simple.
Sometimes the well can feel like it has run dry because we don’t have new sensory experiences or meaningful conversations. Interacting with 3-dimensional, living, breathing humans helps in several ways:

• We meet that basic need for love and human interaction, and we feel fuller emotionally. When that happens, our creative juices flow.
• Finding out about others’ lives helps take the focus off of us. Bottom line, writer’s block is selfish. It’s a self focus. I can’t write. I’m at a loss for words. I can’t think of what else to say. I, I, I! Call a friend. Meet someone for lunch. Sit in a coffee place. Go to a park. Anyplace we can see and interact with people helps move that razor focus off of us.
• People do funny, unusual, annoying, brave, kind things. Sounds like the perfect character study. Ask any successful novelist if he or she has ever based a character on someone they saw or knew. Of course they did! So getting out among folks should inspire quirky, interesting characters if you write fiction. Or it should help you with more supporting details or stories if you write nf.
• We get differing opinions. Tension, struggles, trials—these all improve our writing. Readers require conflict or challenge to stay involved. Engage your audience by writing about the contradictions and controversies you witness in the world.

So, if you struggle to put words on the page, if you’re ready to pound that keyboard into oblivion, stop torturing yourself. Get up from your desk. Go outside. Find some people. And open your eyes and ears. I promise you’ll have more material than you know what to do with!

Hurdle #1 Pride

What it looks like: You can’t accept other people’s critique. You are a better writer than everyone else. You love your words so much that you can’t stand the thought of altering them.

How to hurdle: In the early stages of your career, take every single piece of advice and try it on for size, even if you feel the person giving the advice is an inferior writer. It’ll take several years for you to find your voice, and when you do, you’ll learn to discern what pieces of advice to throw and which ones to keep. Also realize that you’re not God’s gift to the literary world. You’re one of many struggling writers. And the truth is, we all have to walk through a period of apprenticeship.

Hurdle #2 Laziness

What it looks like: You desire to be published, but it’s such a long, boring bother. Why can’t things just happen? Why not take as many shortcuts as you can just to see your words in magical print? Why entangle yourself in things like critique groups? Why hire an editor? Why hone the craft? Why try marketing?

How to hurdle: Sorry, this one is almost impossible to overcome unless you really, really want to. Truth: this writing gig is hard. Only the tenacious survive. Only those who doggedly pursue perfecting their craft, learning as much as possible, will find success. Sure, these days anyone can be “published.” But what is the longevity of terrible prose? Dare to think in terms of the long view. Don’t put anything out there for public consumption that isn’t your very best at that moment in time. You need to practice patience. Remember the 10,000 hour rule: Anything of genius takes 10,000 hours. Don’t try to be published at your 25th hour. Apprentice yourself. Humble yourself. Do the hard work. Dare to.

Hurdle #3 Fame Addiction

What it looks like: You’re not particularly interested in becoming a better writer. Instead, if you’re honest, you really want to see your name on a book. You want the “fame” of an author without the sweat. The glory without the long journey.

How to hurdle: Remember, publication is a marathon, not a sprint. The fame is entirely elusive and fleeting, if it happens at all. Don’t go into it with those types of expectations or you’ll be deeply disillusioned. I love this quote by Anne Lamott: “Expectations are resentments under construction.” Instead, expect to improve in your craft, in your knowledge of the publishing industry, in your connections with other publishing professionals. Lay your need for recognition at the cross. Remember that Jesus could’ve had all the fame in the world, but He used His position in order to serve others, not be recognized by them.

Hurdle #4 Ignorance

What it looks like: You send in full articles to editors. You self publish a book, then expect it to be picked up by a traditional publisher. You don’t want to know the inner workings of the publishing world. You don’t know what a managing editor is, or what an acquisition’s editor does. You don’t understand advances, royalties, or earning out. You have never been to a writing conference. You’ve never read a book on how to write. You’re happy to be blissfully unaware of the publishing industry or the writing journey.

How to hurdle: Make a choice today to become a student of the craft and the industry. Subscribe to Publisher’s Weekly PW Daily email here. Write for the inspirational market? Try Christian Retailing’s daily email here.

Hurdle #5 Fear

What it looks like: You’re afraid you’ll fail so you don’t try. You’re afraid you’ll succeed, so you don’t try. You’re terrified of rejection, so you don’t query. You’re afraid of being exposed, so you don’t write what’s really in your heart. You’re afraid people will find you, so you forgo the internet. You’re afraid to promote, so you don’t. Fear, fear, fear. It immobilizes, makes you stuck.

How to hurdle: Put on your big (girl/boy) pants and dare to trust God for the outcomes. If you can’t, you might want to find some other writers to share your stress with, who will understand your fear, but push you beyond it. Better yet, bring together a prayer team to pray you through your fear. Another way to work through it: think of the worse thing that could happen if you dared to write for publication. It’s not as bad as you think. Can you live with it? Which is bigger, your fear or God?

I’m sure I haven’t identified every hurdle, but as I look back on my career, these were the biggies for me. How about you? What are your hurdles? What are you afraid of? What prevents you from being published?