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)

Variety is the Spice of (the Writing) Life by Steph Beth Nickel

 

I am eclectically interested and eclectically involved. This variety adds spice to my life . . . and to my writing. I have plans to write several things: picture books, YA spec fiction, devotionals, memoir, and more.

Although some writers are focused primarily on one genre, variety adds spice to their life as well.

How?

There is so much more to writing than putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

For example . . .

Researching

The word "research" may bring to mind hours of Googling, seeking the information we want to include in our writing, and that may very well be part of your writing process. However, if we keep our eyes and ears open to the inspiration that is all around us every day, that can be considered research as well. From snippets of conversation to a building or ruins that spark our imagination to the beauty of a sunset . . . So much of our day-to-day life can find its way into our writing.

Outlining

We all outline to differing degrees, but creating a plan (whether extremely detailed or bare bones) for our blog post or full-length manuscript is part of the writing process. 

Writing

And now we get to what the majority of writers likely enjoys most, what we want to get back to when we're doing something else, actually getting words on the page.

Revising

We rarely share the first draft of our writing with anyone. In fact we may revise, revise, and revise again before allowing anyone else to see our work. We are often told not to revise while we're still in the process of writing our first draft. However, depending on how we work best, we may want to tweak as we go. Each of us must discover the most effective way of getting our projects completed. But whether we revise as we go or complete the first draft without looking back, further revision will be needed. 

Seeking Input

Beta readers can do for us what we can't do for ourselves. We know what we mean by our words and can't tell how those words will come across to others without seeking their input. Tiffany Yates Martin states that editing our own writing is like performing brain surgery on oneself, and no one is going to attempt that, not even the world's most skilled brain surgeon. Finding those who will read our work and give us honest feedback is priceless. 

Revising Again

While we need not incorporate every suggestion our beta readers (and even our editors) suggest, if we hear the same thing from multiple sources, it bears considering. After we receive input, it's time for another round of revisions. (I, for one, wish I could write a brilliant first draft, hit Publish, and get onto the next project, but that's not how the Writing Recipe works.)

Hiring an Editor

If we plan to hire a developmental editor, obviously this step will be happen earlier in the process. However, now is the time to consider content and line editing, as well as proofreading. In fact, we may want to book with our editor as soon as we have a "completion" date in mind. Depending on how busy our editor is, we'll want to get on their schedule as soon as is realistic. (And, yes, even editors need to have their writing edited.)

Finding an Agent or Publisher

When we have a polished manuscript in hand (or the required portion of a manuscript), it's time to look for an agent or publisher if we're seeking to be traditionally published. We must be sure to carefully follow their guidelines. More people than ever are seeking to get a publishing deal, and we don't want to be disregarded immediately because of an avoidable mistake, such as addressing our inquiry to "Whom It May Concern."

Self-Publishing

If we intend to self-publish your work, there is a plethora of things to learn. One great resource for doing so is Orna Ross's book Creative Self-Publishing: ALLi’s Guide to Independent Publishing for Authors and Poets.

Marketing / Promotion

And whether we go the trad or indie route to publishing our work, much of the responsibility will fall squarely on our shoulders to market and promote our writing. 

The following three "spices" may not seem to apply to the writing life, but their benefits will affect every area of our lives . . . including our writing.

Eating Well

When we nourish our bodies with healthy food, there are many benefits, including the ability to think more clearly. 

Drinking Water

Many writers live on coffee. While I enjoy my lattes and cappuccinos, I know it's important to consume enough water during the day. (This is something I have to work on.)

Getting Exercise

I can almost hear the collective groan. The best way to stick with an exercise routine is to find something we enjoy. Walking. Hiking. Biking. Joining a recreational sports team. Getting (and using) a gym membership. One of the many benefits of getting regular exercise is that our subconscious continues to work on those writing "blocks" when we're focused on something else. Bonus!

Just as we prefer one spice over another, as writers, we prefer some of the above "spices" more than others. Still, the variety of responsibilities adds interest and dimension to our lives.

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing--Ramona Heikel

My approach to the business end of writing is to try to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is writing: creating, encouraging, educating, inspiring.

I also have a priority on keeping as serene and orderly a life as possible, so I can keep my spiritual goals in focus. If I can't hear God, then what I write probably isn't going to accomplish what he wants.

I have been tempted for years to self-publish a book. But from all I've heard and researched about the time involved, I've decided I still don't have enough of it. So I am restricting myself to considering traditional publishers only, which to me is more manageable.  Harder to break into? Absolutely.  But this is where my faith has to come into play. (A littlle more on this at the end.)

This actually simplifies things quite a bit, and leaves very manageable business activities to take care of, mainly marketing and taxes.

Although I don't mind finding markets for my writing , because I love to research, I do get frustrated at having to keep an eye on this constantly moving target of changing publishers and guidelines.  And I don't like all the time that it takes to prepare a submission, especially if I have to send it snail mail.

I actually enjoy the other business activities, like the writing part of my tax return. I love any excuse to play with numbers and spreadsheets!  I share some tips in my previous post 7 Tips for Organizing your Writing Business.

As I am always hoping to make writing a bigger part of my life, I do look for practical advice for writers hoping to have a steady income, so I can balance my dreams with reality. Here are a couple of articles that I read recently that I found very helpful on the topic of being a full-time writer, and all that that entails from a business perspective: "The Business of Writing: Turn Your Income Stream Into A River", and "The Business End of Writing".

I look forward to getting all of your insights on the writing business!  And I will close with a few lines from Violet Nesdoly's inspiring article, "Of Trumpets, Platforms and Networks", which appeared in the August 2014 issue of Fellowscript. (Thank you, Violet!)

"Have you ever wondered where Jesus and his teaching...fit into the publicity work you need to do? ...Our writing either fills a need...or it doesn't.  I believe that writing that fills a need will eventually gather a platform unto itself...If ours is a message the world needs to hear, He has supernatural ways to grow our network, and get that message out at the right time. "

Posted by Ramona

www.happilywriting.com

God's Big Picture - by Marcia Janson

I’ve been writing since I was a child. My first self-publication was a folded and stapled booklet of very bad poetry that I printed and illustrated with crayons that were in dire need of sharpening. I was eight years old and my readership was comprised of two people – my parents. Many decades later, I have to admit that I still tend toward creating and publishing things on my own. I’ve co-published and edited local church magazines and also started a multi-denominational paper that we circulated in our town’s local churches, cafes and doctor’s offices.

I’ve learned a lot through these small ventures, not least of which is that God is more interested in my character than my mission. I tend to be a tad idealistic and wade into literary ventures with a vivid “big picture” in mind. Concerning the multi-denominational paper I mentioned, my heart’s goal was to help a very divided Body of Christ to develop a stronger sense of communion with one another. That sounds good, don’t you think? In one of his last recorded prayers, Jesus asked for unity among believers.

I don’t know if my two years at the helm of that little paper contributed much to unity among the local church bodies, but I did discover that there was a certain disharmony within my own heart that had so far escaped my awareness and which God wanted to address. It was in the crucible of some challenging and painful experiences during those years of working with others on that publication that God started to refine my attitude.

Until that time, I’d considered myself to be a peaceable and fairly easy-going person who was learning to love others. As an editor, I tried to be sensitive toward my largely inexperienced group of contributing writers. Some of their pieces were very rough around the edges and it was difficult to balance my desire to publish a paper full of clear, well-written articles with my equally strong wish to encourage and help up-and-coming writers. There was lots of e-mailing back and forth in addition to phone calls with people who hadn’t yet joined the computer age. I understood well that God cared about those people and that I must try to see them through His eyes, but a considerable chasm stretches between the knowing and the doing in such matters!

This juggling act, though difficult, was going pretty well until a challenge came along that was just a bit too large for my heart to accommodate. I’d asked a friend to help me edit the paper and we had a disagreement about something that, looking back, seems rather unimportant. At the time, I felt that the ideals underpinning the paper’s “mission” would be compromised if I allowed her to include a certain item in the paper. We ended up dissolving the partnership and she moved on to other activities. The friendship faded too.

Has that ever happened to you? Perhaps, like me, your ideals or pet viewpoints have trumped God’s call to love and exercise peaceful unity with other believers. These things tend to rise to the surface and show themselves when our passions are involved. If writing is your passion, then it’s likely this will happen at some point. Maybe an editor wants to cut precious material from your book or a fellow writer suggests improvements to an article. Bloggers have the unique opportunity to hear immediate, unsolicited criticism of their writing and/or ideas in the comments section.

The only advice I will offer is this: consider the crucible opportunity and go from there. God be with you!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beginasyouare/2302816052/

The tale of a tale - Violet Nesdoly

2012 will see me doing one of the most challenging and exciting things I've done since setting out on my writing journey. You see, in November of 2011 I signed a contract with Word Alive Press to publish a novel. And so this year I'll be entering the self-published writer's strategizing-networking-publicizing-marketing fray—a place I promised myself I'd never be in.


That my first book (not counting poetry) would be fiction is another surprise. I have never thought of myself as a fiction writer. I don't daydream in stories. I never invented imaginary friends. I didn't entertain my school buddies with stories of Jim and Ann, like my best friend did, or invent imaginary animal tales to tell my kids.


And yet over the years certain characters have come to life for me. It seems to happen most often with historical figures. When I researched the life of John Bunyan, for example, I was charmed by his shy but plucky wife Elizabeth. Similarly I have written short stories about biblical characters like the little girl who was Naaman's maid, Rahab, Achan, and the shepherds that visited baby Jesus.


Another Bible character who has fascinated me for years is Bezalel, that craftsman of whom Moses said, "See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel ... and He has filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze..." (Exodus 35:30-34).  Bezalel ended up being in charge of constructing the tabernacle and its furniture.


Who was this young man whom God filled with His Spirit for the arts, I wondered? What was his youth like? Did he train under Pharaoh's craftsmen? Did he have any sense that he was special? I'd like to write about him and find out, I often thought, as his back-story began to form in my imagination. Only, I knew that his tale would be more than a few thousand words.


Over the years when I would come to the end of a project and pray, God, what next? I would often think about that story. I knew I wanted to write it, should write it. Yet the project seemed too big, the research too overwhelming. And so I kept shoving it aside. Until November of 2009.


That year, I decided to take the plunge and make the writing of Bezalel's story my NaNoWriMo project. With the help of  Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method, I did some pre-planning. Once the month began the writing flowed and I reached the end of my narrative (and passed my 50,000-word goal) several days before the end of November.


Then—nothing. The manuscript mouldered in my files for the next year or so, even though my prayers for other writing assignments repeatedly brought me face to face with this one, still unfinished. Early last year I finally realized I would have no peace until I completed it.


The Word Alive Publishing Contest deadline of June 30, 2011 gave me a concrete date to work toward. And so most weekdays of March to May last year I set my timer for 99 minutes, 59 seconds (the max it would register) and worked at the sucker.


I declared it finished two weeks before the contest deadline and on June 15th gleefully drove my stack of papers to the neighborhood UPS depot (we were in the middle of a mail strike right then), and sent my baby into the world.


No one was more surprised than I to find, in late September, that Destiny's Hands had made the list of contest finalists. Thanks to the support and encouragement of the people at Word Alive Press I am now in the process of tweaking it one more time before sending it off to them for more editing and all the other things they will do to make it into a book.


If there is anything about this lengthy process that gives me courage for the daunting job ahead, it is the sense that God has been with me this whole time, helping me put this story together, keeping me interested, bugging me to finish it. I just hope my efforts won't have let Him down.


© 2011 by Violet Nesdoly

Website: www.violetnesdoly.com

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