So Many Beginnings by Steph Beth Nickel

Photo Credit: Steph Beth Nickel

When considering today's topic, the verses that immediately came to mind were Lamentations 3:22-23, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (ESV).


Aren't you glad these verses are true? But how do they apply to new beginnings?

We all need His mercy each and every day. It enables us to begin projects . . . and begin them again as needed.

Perhaps you're like me and want to begin one or more of the following endeavours (or begin them again):

Prepare Manuscripts to Self-Publish

I have countless ideas for books I would like to indie publish: from picture books to devotionals, from YA spec fiction to women's fiction.

This month I intend to make significant headway with my devotional on the Gospel of John and my YA spec fiction manuscripts, working on each 2-3 times per week.

Move It, Move It

I have been walking more with my hubby, but I want to add resistance training to my schedule.

I really do enjoy exercising once I get started, but it's the starting that I find a challenge.

Eat More Healthfully

I enjoy eating healthy foods. I simply have to keep more fruits and veggies in the house and look up new recipes so I don't fall into the same old-same old "rut" when it comes to meal planning.

Decluttering / Prepare for Our Move

Again, it's a matter of doing a little almost every day. By doing so, it will also make space for the home renos we want to do before putting the house on the market.

This month, we plan to hold a yard sale and get rid of several items. And those that don't sell will be carted off to a local thrift store.

Prepare for My Homegoing

For some of us, this may sound morbid, something we want to avoid. But considering all the email and social media accounts and all the recurring online subscriptions I have, it's important that I make sure those I leave behind have ready access.

Thankfully, the decluttering will address the issue of my "stuff."

***

These are only five of the things I want to begin again this season. In order to succeed, I must do more than add them to my daily To-Do list. I must break them down into small, achievable tasks and keep moving forward.

And when I fail to achieve all I want to?

I must, once again, depend on God's daily mercies and begin yet again.

I'd love to know what you're beginning or beginning again this month. Feel free to leave a comment below or email me at stephbethnickel@gmail.com

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in 2026. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

Reflecting on God's Goodness by Steph Beth Nickel

As writers, we may look back over the year and reflect on what we've accomplished or what we've failed to accomplish.

Either way, there are benefits to reflecting on our writing and writing-related goals through the lens of God's goodness.

When we made our plans w-a-y back at the end of 2021, we didn't know what the following 12 months would bring. And for some of us, that's an understatement to say the least.

Every year, I make plans and set goals. (This is one of my favourite things to do.) Throughout the year, I update those goals. 

I, unlike many people, don't mind dreaming big on paper (or the computer screen) and then bumping things to the next week, month, or even, the next year.

For several years, I've dreamed of indie publishing two or more books annually. Could I? Quite possibly, but it hasn't happened yet. And that's okay.

The good news! I've gotten back to writing the YA spec fiction I started two or three years ago during NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. A number of individuals have encouraged me, although they only recently found out about the project. Never underestimate what a kind word to a fellow writer might mean to them.

What will happen with this book, what I hope is the first in a series? Only God knows. But I need to push past "the murky middle," where my enthusiasm for a project typically dies out, and persevere. Those encouraging comments by a couple of individuals went a long way to motivating and energizing me. God used them to spur me on.

As I mentioned, I'm great at dreaming big. However, I also put the "pro" in PROcrastination.

I'll do better tomorrow—or next week. This thought runs through my mind a lot.

Sometimes, I fail to achieve my goals because I put too many things on my To-Do List. Sometimes, it's because I've become an expert at procrastinating.

Still, as I reflect on the goals I achieved—and those I didn't—it's important that I do so prayerfully. As I set my goals for the coming year, I intend to let my imagination soar. But I also intend to ask the Lord for wisdom, so I can know what projects He wants me to focus on in 2023. 

While I began working on my coauthor, Paralympian Deb Willows, on the follow-up to her first memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, an embarrassingly long time ago, we have made strides forward this year. We have begun to meet online every 1-2 weeks, and I did have the opportunity to spend the best parts of a week with her, working on the book and enjoying our friendship. 

God caused our paths to cross, and Deb has been an inspiration and an encouragement to me over the years. She has had an especially rough go of it over the last few years. Because of it, the book, tentatively titled Keep Looking Up, will be much different than we originally intended. On the positive side, it has the potential of impacting readers in a powerful way. 

So, even though I didn't work on this project as diligently as I would have liked to, I see God's hand in it all. Learning to balance my understanding of God's sovereignty and my responsibility to accomplish the tasks before me is an ongoing endeavour.

Although I haven't achieved anywhere near what I had hoped to this year, I have seen God's goodness at work in my life. How about you?

What is one writing goal you've made steps toward accomplishing this year?

What is one unfinished project you would like to complete in 2023?

What is one specific priority you believe God has for your writing life?

Whether 2022 has been incredibly productive or filled with unexpected challenges that have kept us from accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves, let's ask ourselves how we can see God's goodness through it all.

Reflecting on Resources by Glynis M Belec

I love my dictionary, the big black book

It's always been my friend.

Thesaurus is the second one, on which I do depend. 

Rhyme-zone, Inscribe, Fellowscript 

Are handy things to read.

Websites, blogs and courses, too, all help me to succeed. 

But most of all when I feel lost

And my brain goes on a break,

Prayer is on my resource list, with that there's no mistake! 

God whispers words that make me smile

He tells me to be still

And then He pours the words right in as I try to do His will. 

A few of my favourites on my shelf!

I have to agree with many of the other writers who have preceded me. So many good resources out there these days. I love to read how other people 'write' and also I love picking up quick tips, so I use YouTube for inspiration and direction, especially if I need hands on help with my programs or the like. I am such a visual learner so this works so well for me. 

Here's four great books I love having in my arsenal of resources. 

#1. My CHILDREN'S WRITER'S WORD BOOK is one of my favourite resources for when I am writing for children. It helps a children's writer choose exactly the right word for a particular age group or grade level. This is the new, 2nd edition and it is really a great resource that I use often.






#2. This next book - THE NAME BOOK - is such a great resource for me. It's a book from the 80s but to me, it never gets old. It gives all sorts of ideas for character naming including the definition of names, meanings, spiritual connotations and supporting scripture. Love that.

#3.The INDIE AUTHOR GUIDE is described as a 'roadmap to success'. I can think of another Book that fits that description better, but this is a very good book for the indie author who needs direction with all sorts of information from organization to publishing to building an author platform and SO much more. 

#4. I like WRITING PICTURE BOOKS because it totally respects children's writers of all levels. There's plenty of instruction on creating characters, plotting, working out beginnings, middles and endings, hands on revision exercises, tips on researching markets, and plenty more.


  And then there is the Greatest Resource ever!

A few wise words for contemplation ... 

Proverbs 1:5

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

Proverbs 18:15 

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Proverbs 9:9

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

Proverbs 1:7      

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Glynis lives, loves, laughs and does an awful lot of reading, writing, publishing and praying in her home office. 

        How thrilled Glynis is to be part of CHRISTMAS WITH HOT APPLE CIDER - an anthology filled with a wonderful assortment of Christmas short stories, memories, drama and poetry. 

                     www.glynismbelec.com 

Stepping into the Indie Publishing World - Ruth L. Snyder

I took a small step in 2009 into the world of social media, by learning how to use Twitter.  Using technology is something that comes easily to me. When I shared my excitement about the possibilities Twitter opened to me, many people started asking me to teach them what I was learning. I presented my first workshop on Twitter to a group of InScribe members at our fall conference in 2011. Shortly after that, I co-presented a workshop on Twitter to a group of school board trustees at the Alberta School Boards Association Spring Assembly.

These opportunities led to more people asking me to write step-by-step instructions on how to open an account, become familiar with Twitter, and use it as a networking tool. When I thought about how best to share my ideas, I decided an e-book format would work best because I could include screen shots and links to helpful articles, blog posts, and books. I wrote my first draft and sent it out to several beta readers. Their feedback was very helpful and direct: I needed to write more than one book - one for people who had no knowledge of Twitter to introduce them to the basics, and one for people who already had an account but really didn't understand what to do with it.

After several edits and more feedback, I published Learn Twitter: 10 Beginning Steps on Kindle. (In order to do this, I learned how to format a book for Kindle, how to link images in my book to images on my website, and how to design book covers.) A few months later, I published Learn Twitter: 10 Intermediate Steps, also on Kindle. People provided positive feedback, and I enjoyed learning more about marketing. Although readers appreciated the e-book format, many people requested a printed version of the material.

During this time, the InScribe executive decided to publish 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers. I volunteered to oversee the project and learned from other team members who were more experienced at some of the pieces of the publishing process. I learned how to apply for ISBN numbers, and how to submit a file to CreateSpace. The team worked diligently and launched both a Kindle version and paperback edition in 2015.

Using the knowledge I gained, along with helpful information from our 2015 InScribe Fall Conference and from my membership with Author Audience Academy, I was able to put together a combined, updated print version of my Twitter books, called Twitter Decoded: Tips & Tools for Authors. Part of this process included starting my own publishing company, Creativity Press.
 (I am currently putting together a launch team. If you're interested in receiving a free pdf or e-book copy to review and/or are willing to help me promote my book, please e-mail me and put "launch team" in the subject. Thanks!)

I still have many things to learn in the Indie Publishing World. Currently I'm working on increasing my e-mail list and being more consistent with blogging and newsletters. (You can sign up at http://eepurl.com/Z9m7T.) I still want to explore how to publish on Kobo, Nook, iBooks, Draft2Digital, and Smashwords. Getting my books into libraries is also one of my goals. I'm exploring business concepts, including offering webinars, courses, coaching, and done-for-you content. Now I just need to figure out how to add more hours to my day. Not really! I'm thankful for fellow Indie authors like Tracy Krauss, Janice L. Dick, Janis Cox, Janet Sketchley, Shelley Hitz, and Valerie Comer who exchange information with me, cheer me on, and share their expertise.

What have you learned in the last year? What challenges are you facing?