Book Review: Writers on Writing by Kimberley Payne - (review by Allison Lynn)

This review was originally posted at www.AllisonLynn.blogspot.com 

Last year, I joined Inscribe Christian Writers' Fellowship to be part of a national writing community. In addition to finding lots of writing opportunities and inspiration, it's also been a great way to discover new books! 

When Kimberley Payne started talking about her new book, I knew I wanted to read and review it.

Writers On Writing - Interviews With Writers of Faith is a collection of writer profiles compiled from the Koinonia community. This Medium-based publication features "stories by Christian writers to encourage, entertain, and empower you in your faith, food, fitness, family, friendship, and fun." The editors have been hosting interviews with their 350+ contributors to provide a "snapshot into the lives of writers of faith." This collection features 35 interviews from this series.

The writers represent a wide spectrum of ages, backgrounds, nationalities, and experience levels. Their common ground is a love of both writing and the Gospel.

Each writer was asked such questions as: 

- What inspires you? 

- What do you like most/least about writing?

- How do you balance professional time with personal time?

- What makes you unique?

- How is your faith reflected in your writing?

Owing to the original online format, many of the answers to these questions are quite short. This isn't a collection of long-form essays on writing. It is, however, a wonderful collection of writer profiles, emphasizing the diversity and passion of Christian writers. The answers are straightforward and honest. You can easily read the whole book in a day, or read an interview a day for a month's worth of inspiration. Some will connect with you more than others (as is the case in any collection), but every interview has some gem that you'll want to underline and bookmark for further reflection.

I think this would be an especially fantastic book for the newer writer of faith - either for the writer to buy, or for a supportive friend to offer as a gift! 

You can learn more about Kimberley Payne at https://www.kimberleypayne.com

You can follow the Koinonia community at https://medium.com/koinonia 

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Allison Lynn has the heart of a storyteller. Whether in her early work as an actor, or in her current role as singer, songwriter, worship leader, blogger, and band manager, Allison is drawn to the power of story to grow hearts and communities. Allison and her husband, Gerald Flemming, form the award-winning duo, Infinitely More.

This prolific duo is currently recording their 9th studio album. Infinitely More has been nominated for 15 national awards, including winning two Covenant Awards from GMA Canada. Their nationally touring ministry travels over 40,000 KM annually, serving churches of all denominations. Allison’s true story - “Aunt Pauline and The Little Easter” - was published in Inscribe’s 2021 anthology Easter: Stories & More.  www.InfinitelyMore.ca 

My Favourite Writing Resources - Kimberley Payne

About a year ago, my family packed up our home and moved an hour north. In the process, I had to say goodbye to my built-in bookshelves and reduce my personal library from seven full shelves to only three. As a writer getting rid of books felt like giving away a piece of myself. But it had to be done. I had to evaluate each book individually to determine if it would make the cut.

The most valuable books I kept included those written by authors I personally know including Ray Wiseman’s Write Better! A Writing Tip for Every Month of the Year and Marcia Laycock’s Abundant Rain – Inspiring Words for Writers of Faith. Of course, the benefit of ebooks is that I was able to keep Donna Fawcett’s Duke the Chihuahua Writes! A Tutorial for Beginning Writers, Melanie Fisher’s Ya…But How – Online Platform Building for the Very, Very Beginner! and Ruth Snyder’s books Learn Twitter. I’ve got a number of anthologies including As the Ink Flows – Devotions to Inspire Christian Writers and Speakers and 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers (in which I have two pieces).

Books I’ve referenced a number of times include Stephen King’s On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft, and How to Take the Fog out of Writing by Robert Gunning and Douglas Mueller. Although I’m a non-fiction writer, I’ve returned time and again to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King.

Besides books, there are resources like blogs, podcasts, and webinars that are invaluable to writers. I’ve bookmarked websites from D’vorah Lansky (Book Marketing Made Easy) http://www.bookmarketingmadeeasy.com/, Karon Thackson (Marketing Words) https://www.marketingwords.com/ and Sandra Beckwith (Build Book Buzz) https://buildbookbuzz.com/.

I love to listen to podcasts as I putter around the house. The bonus is that they are free and can be listened to repeatedly. Podcasts I recommend include The Art of Work Conversations with Jeff Goins, This is Your Life with Michael Hyatt, The Creative Penn Podcast by Joanna Penn, and Author Audience: Helping you reach more people with your message with Shelley Hitz.

Although Facebook can be a time thief, there are worthwhile groups to join including Canadian Writers who are Christian and White Rose Writing – Spread God’s Word through Your Writing. I host a Facebook group called, Writer Helps, and post current information about upcoming writer’s contests, conferences, and books. If you’re on Facebook you’re invited to join and keep informed.

I also host a blog called Author Resources for Success at http://www.authorresources.wordpress.com. I’ve created specific tabs to cover such topics of interest as Amazon, articles, book tours, book covers, copywriting, fiction, marketing, podcasts, publishing, reviews, and more. 

Of course, conferences are invaluable to writers. I have personally attended Write Canada for the past 14 years and highly recommend it. For those living in western Canada, I’ve heard wonderful things about the Inscribe Conference. If you have opportunity to attend a one-day conference or workshop, it’s a great opportunity to learn and to meet like-minded individuals.

I’m always open to learn about new resources and I’d love to hear about your favourites.

Beyond the Book - What does it mean to be an Authorpreneur? By Kimberley Payne

I’m an author who is reinventing herself as an 'authorpreneur'. I’ve ventured into sharing my book (Fit for Faith – 7 weeks to improved spiritual and physical health) in other formats including online courses, podcasts, webinars, Youtube videos, and teleseminars. If you’re an author with a message you’d like to share beyond the book then consider creating one (or all) of the following:

1)     Online courses

I took my nonfiction book content to create three online courses called The Christian’s Pathway to Holistic Health http://www.kimberleypayne.com/e-courses/. I split the book into the three main sections: Prayer & Exercise, Bible Study & Healthy Eating, and Journal Writing & Stretching. The video tutorials are designed to watch from anywhere in the world and cater to people’s many different learning styles.

I created each of the seven videos using PowerPoint and Movie Maker – two programs that are part of the Microsoft package on my PC.

2)     Podcasts

I created a podcast called Health Matters – Healthy Body, Healthy Spirit http://www.kimberleypayne.com/podcast/ where I interview experts in the field of spiritual and physical health. I personally love to connect with other like-minded people and this podcast keeps me inspired. At the end of each interview, the guest gives one tip for each of 4 disciplines of Bible study, Exercise, Eating Healthy & Prayer – or BEEP. I’ve already interviewed over 20 guests and plan to continue the podcast as long as I can find experts to interview.

I use a free program called FreeConferenceCalling http://www.freeconferencecalling.com/ to interview my guests over the phone and then upload the podcast into a paid service called Audello https://audello.com/ which sends it to iTunes and Stitcher Radio.

Another podcast that I regularly contribute to is HopeStreamRadio http://hopestreamradio.com where I feature three -minute fit tips. Fit Tips http://hopestreamradio.com/program/fit-tips/ is a program that reports on current thinking in health and fitness to debunk the myths and promote the practices that contribute to healthy living.

If you have a message that you’d like to share through a Christian Internet Radio Station, contact HopeStreamRadio as they are always open to new contributors and provide all the training to help you get your message out to the world.

3)     Webinars

I’ve hosted a few webinars (a live meeting that takes place over the web) and made the replay available to watch from my website. I chose three topics specific to my book:  How to Stop Stress Eating, The Call to Care for our Bodies, and Getting Started with Strength Training http://www.kimberleypayne.com/webinars/ . Registration is free and people can choose from 4 daily time slots to watch the webinar.

I created these webinars using a paid program called Easywebinar http://easywebinar.com/ .

4)     YouTube videos

I created a YouTube channel, Fit4Faith, https://www.youtube.com/user/Fit4Faith  where I feature all of the above videos plus a series of 30-second Quick Tips. I’ve uploaded 10 short videos with a tip on each of the four disciplines: Bible study, Exercise, Eating Healthy and Prayer.

These were by far the simplest to create. I used my smartphone to record the short tips and then uploaded the videos to YouTube. I would recommend a selfie-stick if you want to go this route.

5)     Teleseminars

Lastly, I’ve hosted two teleseminars, otherwise called telesummits. The first telesummit featured 5 guest audio interviews. Six months later, I held my second telesummit titled, “Lose Weight & Keep it off Summit” where I featured 5 guest video interviews.

I again used FreeConferenceCalling http://www.freeconferencecalling.com/ for the first telesummit of audio interviews. I used Google+ Hangouts on Air https://plus.google.com/u/0/hangouts/onair to create the video interviews.

Now, this may all seem overwhelming and you may wonder where you could possibly find the time to create these materials. But keep in mind that I did not create them overnight. They’ve been years in the making. And I created them one at a time. Once you learn one of the technologies it becomes easier to use it in another way.

As an author you are inherently creative. Now all you need to do is pick a new way to share your message with the world!

Kimberley Payne

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Thank you, Kimberley, for this very informative guest post!

Are You a Writer? Then…You Are also a BUSINESS PERSON! By Sandi Somers

“I’m a writer, not a marketer or speaker!” Can you identify with these words? And yet the truth of the matter is that, “Writing is a business, whether we want it to be so or not,” wrote Tracy Krauss, our blog moderator. “Writers—even those working with traditional publishers—are now responsible for many ‘para’ writing activities.”

Prompt: Tell us about the joys and challenges of your “para” activities. How have you managed both writing and marketing? How is God opening doors for you? What advice would you give to those struggling with the business end of writing?

A Time to Prepare

At the current time, I don’t have much in the way of “para” activities in my writing business. But while thinking about this month’s topic, I can see how God has been graciously preparing me for these tasks.

Last year I accepted the role of co-editor for our InScribe anthology, 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers. In the next the months as I worked with our anthology committee, I learned what is involved in the business of publishing a book. Our committee and volunteers, headed by Ruth Snyder and Kimberley Payne, decided on the seven categories and invited InScribe members to choose a front cover and enter a contest to write the back page. We decided on the size of book, font, and other details. the After the submissions were selected, our editing team worked with the authors to hone the articles, and then team members proofread to check for little errors we might have missed. From there our book was formatted for both print and e-book.

Our work was not finished, however. Again proofreaders reviewed the galley proofs. Ruth sent several articles and poems to prominent authors to get their endorsements. We obtained a Canadian ISBN (learning how to do it in the process) and selected a local printer. When the technical side was finished, we began marketing—advertising on InScribe and social media.

Along the way He taught me other principles, some of which I share with you.

God gives us encouragement to begin the tasks. When I was considering whether to become involved with the 7 Essential Habits anthology—I knew it would be a big job—I felt like Gideon; I needed proof. While visiting a church, I opened one of their guest Bibles. Out dropped a business-sized card. “For Mark, our Mark,” it read. A Bible verse followed, written, I presumed, in the trembling handwriting of Mark’s Grandma:  “Be strong and very courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the Lord God, my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you” (adapted, 1 Chronicles 28:20 NLT). It was as if God was saying—no, shouting—“Yes! Do it.”

God prepares us as we intentionally investigate the business side of writing. “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premises of progress,” wrote Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN. I’ve taken online courses and webinars; I follow writing coaches online and learn so much from InScribers and other writers. All this information is giving me a clearer picture of what I will need up ahead.

At the right time, God will open doors for us if we’ve been walking steadily along the path He has designed for us. I’m reminded of His promise: “I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight (Isaiah 45:2 AKJV).When we pray His promise, we know that we have the requests we have asked of Him.

God will also give us wisdom in balancing time; sometimes marketing and public speaking can overtake the writing process, and so we need God’s discernment as to what speaking engagements to accept and how to manage marketing (and this can include delegating some tasks to those with expertise).

Today, God has gifted us with living in a time when publication and marketing are moving targets, often going “madly off in all directions,” to quote Stephen Leacock. Each of us has our own experiences in some of these directions. Now it’s your turn to tell us your story.

PS I appreciate so much all the various perspectives that you, our InScribe authors, bring to the topics each month. Sharing your stories adds to our wealth of experience and enriches us as writers. God bless you.

Night Stories, A Review by Brenda Leyland

Night Stories, A Collection of Devotional Writing
Author:  Kimberley Payne
E-book:  3,372 words
Published:  SmashWords, 2012
ISBN: 9781476482309


I enjoyed reading Night Stories because I have experienced my own 'God' dreams. I appreciated the opportunity to learn about Kimberley's personal dream stories and what she felt God told her through them.

Night Stories is a collection of eight devotionals. These dreams, shared so simply they can be read in a sitting, are actually gems packed with hopeful messages of instruction, insight and encouragement. Since first getting the book some months ago, I've read it several times, and in truth, there is more to each dream's message than first supposed.

I am glad that Kimberley sensed their worth and published this small collection, not only to show that God still speaks to his people through dreams today, but to bless many others as they glean inspiration for their own lives.

I'm thinking this book would make good bedtime reading, as it could set the stage for slipping off into your own God-directed dreams.

InScribers Review: Trees of the Book, Learning from God's Creation

Reviewed by Bruce Atcheson

 

Trees of the Book: Learning from God's Creation

Author: Kimberley Payne
Paperback: 28 pages
Publisher: Bydesign Media (Feb 13 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1896213731
ISBN-13: 978-1896213736


Believe it or not, some children don't know what a palm, sycamore, broom, cedar, mustard, oak, or a fig tree looks like. They hear these types of trees mentioned in Bible stories but they can't relate to them well.

This was the way it was for me when I was young. Fortunately, author Kimberley Payne has just published Trees of the Book: Learning from God's Creation. This colourfully-illustrated activity book not only lets children have fun but they learn about the various types of trees and how they fit into Bible history. As an added bonus, the trees describe themselves and their place in biblical history.

Payne has also included scientific facts, complete with metric and imperial measures, to further enhance the learning experience. At the end of each chapter is an activity that tests children's comprehension of the things they learned but in a challenging way. At the end of the book is a colour-by-numbers picture.

Trees of the Book was written for children ages 7 to 9. It can be used by grade two and three teachers as a supplemental text when they teach about plants.

Trees of the Book began as a bulletin insert in Payne's church. She gathered up the seven lessons, added scientific facts, and had help with the pictures from Esther Haug. She began the project in 2008 and conducted intense research on the seven types of trees for five years. Though there are more kinds of trees mentioned in the pages of Scripture, Payne concentrated on seven for this book.

Payne plans on writing more books about life sciences in a series she calls Science and Faith matters. They will also target grade two and three students. Topics in this series will include animals of the Bible, the five senses, and other areas of the life sciences.

Payne's book is ideal for teachers, home schoolers, and grandparents. The full-colour illustrations and interactive nature of the text will make for great story times at school or home.

Trees of the Book can be purchased from Amazon, Chapters.indigo.ca, Barnes & Noble, and through local bookstores.