A Writer's Best Friend by Bob Jones

Reputations are funny things. What do people know you for? The world’s best baked beans and bacon? Crafts? Creativity? Inspiring writing? Most people know me for one thing.

 

It’s not hard to imagine how that reputation came about. Eighteen years ago, our church was the subject of conversation from coast to coast and for all the wrong reasons. We set off in an unpopular direction, fraught with failure. It was painful at times. But we made it through a six-year quest to a remarkable new beginning. Invitations to tell my story came from across Canada. Seems as though the two things church leaders have in common are pain and a need for hope. “Tell me it’s going to be OK.”

 

PASSION

Requests come my way to write for magazines or speak to groups and there is usually one subject requested. But that’s OK. It’s nice to be asked. Not surprisingly, while crafting this post, an invitation came to speak at a Christian camp this summer. The organizers are looking for someone to speak on the topic “How Not to Give Up.” Some people have a reputation for passion or perseverance; mine is a passion for perseverance.  

Stamina is my forte. An International Marathon medal reminds me that I am a finisher. So is my wife. Give us a task, point us in the right direction and we'll make it to the finish line. Our maxim is, "It's always too soon to quit."

 

WHAT'S YOUR GENIUS?

This week, our staff took Patrick Lencioni’s, Working Genius assessment. Lencioni says everyone has two of six working geniuses. The six are summarized in an acrostic - WIDGET. The “T” stands for Tenacity. Yes, you guessed my working genius.

Tenacity gets me through writing books. Do you ever get sick of your books as you write them? Multiple times in the writing process,  the finish line disappears from sight. Grit gets me there. By the first edit all my head wants is to be done. Will puts me in front of the keypad. Finish.

Writing is not all inspiration. In fact, if you wait for inspiration, you’ll do a lot of waiting and little writing. Writing is a long devotion in the same direction. Writing is more perspiration than inspiration. Writers have to do the work. And do it most everyday. 

My granddaughter and I collaborated on a book two summers ago. Quinn was seven years old. She provided the story and illustrations. I edited. Last summer we added a bit more. This is summer number three and she is losing interest. I hear myself say,"We always finish what we start." By September, the story will have an ending. All it takes is one rainy afternoon.

GRIT

Angela Duckworth is spot on in her book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Talent isn't the only indicator of success. Tenacity ranks right up at the top. Consistent and persistent effort, following through on your commitments, and dedicated practice are every writer's best friend. 

An interest in writing will get you to the start line. Tenacity will get you to the finish line.

Tenacity is one of the characteristics that can tip the scales for you. Cultivating tenacity will help you add one more chapter, write just 500 more words, or pitch just one more magazine before your work is done. Growing and developing tenacity is an active undertaking. But the return value is worth it.

Write on!

My running partner and wife, Jocelyn.

I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.

Please follow my writing at REVwords.com

I would love to hear from you.

 

Write (and love) Like An Athlete - Tracy Krauss

I must admit, I am not really into sports. I was the kid who got chosen last for most team sports. It was a painful experience and a practice that I vowed I would NEVER do as a teacher. But the damage inflicted on my childhood psyche is not the object of this post!

When I say I'm not into sports, perhaps I need to rephrase that. I actually enjoy watching lots of sports. My father was a huge sports fan so I grew up with Hockey Night in Canada, Blue Jays baseball, and of course, the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Yup, my blood really does run green during football season - no matter what the win/loss column says.

Which is a nice segue into my next point, actually. Currently, my Riders pretty much suck. But Rider fans like me never give up. We keep watching and cheering (and maybe even wear a watermelon hat on occasion for good luck...) Why do we inflict this kind of pain on ourselves?

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME.

Athletes have to train hard. They have to put in the time. They have to persevere through the pain of injuries. (Ask my niece who continued with her competitive figure skating with a broken toe!) This takes determination. As well, athletes often rely on a host of trainers and psychologists and coaches. Even those in individual sports have a 'team' behind them. I could make dozens of comparisons between being an athlete and the writing life. As we've read already this month, Paul even uses sports analogies.

But all of that training, time, and tenacity doesn't amount to much if you don't love the game! 

My husband (in black) handing out medals.

The town of Tumbler Ridge where I live hosts an event each summer called 'The Emperor's Challenge'. (Check out the cool video/website here.) It's a half-marathon up the side of a mountain and about a 1000 people come from all over the place to put themselves through this gruelling race. As a non-sportsy type, I don't get it, but I have a friend who loves this sort of thing. She trains hard-core and travels around the province all summer going to iron-woman competitions and running marathons. Why? It's a common thread among the 'running' set: She LOVES to run.

Some of you may know that I recently lost all of my data, including six new works in progress plus hundreds of other important files. It was a writers worst nightmare come true. After the initial shock (and about five minutes when I thought I might just give up altogether), I realized that just isn't an option for me. Why?

For the love of this game we call writing.


_______________________

Tracy Krauss continues to pump finger weights to keep her fingers strong for clacking away at the keyboard. She lives with her husband of 34 years in Tumbler Ridge, BC.  tracykrauss.com

And she will never cheer for the BC Lions... 

One Step At A Time - by Tracy Krauss

This month's prompt has caused me quite a bit of reflection. "What 'small step' in your writing life turned out to be a giant leap?" I suppose I could tell about the time I sent my very first query. Or I could talk about the time, years later, when I sent out 120 queries, determined to get some kind of result. Or I could go even farther back to the very first time I actually let someone read something I'd written. That was a huge breakthrough for me.

As I reflect on my more than thirty years of writing, I see a definite progression, but most of the time it has been a methodical plodding rather than a giant leap. It has been a matter of just putting one foot in front of the other, no matter what. 

Not very glamorous, I'll admit. But perhaps the tenacity that kept me writing for more than sixteen years without sharing, served me when it came to the next season of rejection. I won't retell the story, since I've shared it here before, but I put that same philosophy into practice for another seven plus years as I continued to write, submit, and get rejected. 

Just keep putting one foot in front of the other...

In fact, I've had to remind myself of this motto post-publication as well. I had no idea that the demands of marketing and promoting one's own work would be so rigorous. I had no idea how I was going to fit this new dimension into an already busy life. I'll admit there have been times when I've overestimated my own stamina. (a.k.a I've bitten off more than I can chew...) 

But even then, continuing to just move forward, however slowly or awkwardly, has gotten me through each challenge. I know a whole lot more about formatting and social networking and website building and... you name it, than I ever would have dreamt when I started on this journey.

I had to remind myself of this just the other day as I was struggling with some new software. (I am in the process of rebuilding my author website.) I couldn't get it to work properly and I couldn't seem to figure out why and I was getting really frustrated because the whole point is to make my website look PROFESSIONAL... 

And then I stopped and gave myself a little talking to. As I look back over the last five, ten, or even thirty years, I didn't learn everything overnight. Learning and growing takes time. Rather than getting overwhelmed, I need to remember that and just keep moving forward.

One.Step.At.A.Time.  

(By the way, I figured out the glitch. It took me two entire days, but once I did, it was SO SIMPLE! Go figure!)

___________

Tracy Krauss writes from her home in Tumbler Ridge, BC. Visit her brand new, although still under construction, website for more details. tracykrauss.com