An Unlikely Path by Karma Pratt

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

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I read a devotional recently that said, “God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” I feel like this sums up my writing experience completely! As I have continued to move deeper into relationship with God, especially through listening prayer, I have gained more clarity in knowing what God wants for me and from me in my life. I have also deepened my trust in the Lord as I continue to walk the path He’s leading me on.

The path began with writing. Last year I felt called to give up my job and begin writing “full time”. I started a business, Red RaincoatCreations, and began offering professional writing and editing services. It’s taken time, and much molding and sculpting from the hands of the Lord, but I believe the fruits of these labours, and my willingness to trust the Lord, with all my heart, mind, strength and soul has opened doors to serve in completely unexpected ways.

For one thing, I had to let go of the notion that I knew how to best prioritize my time, launch my business, etc. I had to let go of everything I thought I knew about branding, marketing and money making. God’s path doesn’t always make sense to a human navigator, because it winds right when we were certain the map said left. Once I let go of the map I had written, and began to focus more fully on God’s will and hope for my life, things went a lot smoother (it’s definitely been a winding road!)

Entering into a writing business has meant letting go of the security found in the nine-to-five. I prayed to God to help me find creative ways to help support my family. He led me to Safeway. (Unexpected, no?) I have been able to work part time in the deli at our local Safeway, while growing my business, feeding my family and prioritizing time to write in my daily life. Much more than that, I have been able to pray into people’s lives that I would not have met otherwise. I have poured blessing into food prepared for others, felt the presence of the Holy Spirit working through me at the service counter, and have been positioned to bear witness to Christ’s awe-inspiring love. It may seem a small thing, working in the deli, but I have found it to be an incredible way to serve God and people.

My work and church life have connected as well, and have led to an opportunity to serve the less fortunate in our community. The details are still being ironed out, but God has placed a ministry opportunity in front of me through a program called the Good FoodBox. I am excited to see what God will do through this ministry as we bring it to life in Fort St. John!

Diving into writing has allowed me to make connections with people. My work allows me to use my skills to serve others. I love sitting down with a client, exploring their vision for their business, and then bringing that vision to life through the words I write. My work is collaborative in that it’s often only one small piece of the picture. I work with graphic and web designers, small businesses, local government and more to complete projects.

God is opening doors and I am excited to be his hands and feet in this world. Stepping fully into God’s giftings for my life has allowed me to encourage others, help them find connection in community, express themselves clearly and have their voice heard too! All because I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

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Karma Pratt is a faith-driven mom of twins, a communicator, a writer, and an encourager from way back. Say hello at redraincoatcreations.com or connect on Twitter, Facebook, & LinkedIn

Living the Dream! By Vickie Stam

Yes, I have been asked over and over "Have you started that book yet?" My answer has always been, "Not yet." But that's not entirely true. I have penned a number of stories/chapters of my own life's journey and I dream about writing a memoir.     

Getting published is the next step. Possibly a challenge. I have to be honest and say that I don't have a clue how to go about it. I'm not business savvy. I don't know the right people. I don't have any connections right now. There's some definite hurdles. But I can do the homework, the research. I can surf the 'google master' for answers to some of those mind boggling questions. "Where do I find a publisher? Who do I submit my manuscript to? Should I self-publish?" 

I would need to craft a query letter; something I know the publisher would view as my first sample of writing. I would have to brush up on that skill for sure. Cover letters have not been part of my writing experience so far. Having a mentor might even prove a valuable asset! There is much to think about. 

As for earning a living as a writer, the few short articles I've submitted to a magazine have netted me less than the average person would earn in a day. Still, I have entered some writing competitions that would net me something a little more substantial if I were to take home the first prize. Another dream! But I'd still be living like a pauper. The tax man can't count on me yet.

Even something like a contest demands a large amount of my time. I have to research potential sources who are accepting submissions. I have to read their guidelines and write the story. Sometimes just submitting my work is a challenge because I'm not computer savvy either. Another learning curve.

Still, I enjoy the competitions. Keeping my word count to a smaller scale helps me stay focused and on track. The conclusion comes much quicker than that of a book. When I'm finished writing, I submit my short story and let it go. Being able to let go is huge for me. Once it's gone, I can no longer edit it to death. Part of my dream has come to fruition and now all that's left to do is wait. In three to six months I'll have my answer. Win or lose success comes when I keep writing. 

I feel a freedom in writing on a smaller scale. It most certainly will not net that big paycheck -- if any at all. For me, that's okay. I'm not writing for the money. So you could say that I haven't really put much thought into the business side of writing, nor have I had to claim any income or expenses from it. 

At this point it's a simply a form of healing as well as pleasure. The fact that God breathed this wonderful gift into my life tells me He has a plan for me. There's more to come.        

Everything begins with a dream. Whether it's too win that writing competition or to write that book. I'm living the dream!  

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

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.

7 Tips for Organizing Your Writing Business – Ramona Heikel

They say we should write what we know, and what I know is how to be organized and deal with numbers. In fact, organizing seems to be one of the most common interruptions of my writing. But today I chose to turn the tables and interrupt my organizing (taxes) to write this post. I hope you’ll some of these tips useful!

1. Record Your Writing Activities in a Day Timer or Calendar

When it’s tax time, you have many other things on your mind besides remembering a year ago how much time you spent writing, researching or marketing, and when you submitted your stories or articles, and to whom. But you may need this type of information, so try to jot it down as regularly as possible.


2. Keep a Portfolio and a Log of Your Submissions

Keeping records of all your work (published and unpublished) is one way you can double-check that you have documented all income and expenses related to each piece. My Submissions Log* includes columns to record postage expenses (outgoing and SASE), and boy, did that come in handy this year. It is also a good way to prove to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that you are actually working at your writing business, if they ever inquire or do an audit.


3. File Copies of Electronic Receipts and Payments in One Place

When I receive a copy of an electronic receipt or some kind of notification via email or online, I make a pdf copy of it and save it in my computer’s Writing Expenses folder. My electronic Writing Income folder contains scans of cheques, cheque stubs and related emails or documents. (I try to have all my paper documents scanned as well, as a backup.)

By the way, if you want to be relatively paperless and don’t have Adobe Acrobat to make a pdf of a document, I recommend downloading a free alternative called CutePDF.


4. Claim Your Writing Expenses as Deductions

I do diligently keep all my receipts in one folder, and I do enter all information onto my Expense Spreadsheet* at tax time. (Using the previous year’s spreadsheet as a template for the new year makes things very easy!)

Some examples of expenses you can claim as deductions to your writing income include:

• Office supplies, postage, writing or reference books
• Memberships, subscriptions, contests
• Courses & conferences
• Magazine samples or publisher catalogues
• Webpage fees: annual domain mapping and registration

5. Claim Business Use of Home Expense

I calculate my Business Use of Home expense for my writing business, and although it isn’t a significant savings, I still claim it. Setting up the use-of-home spreadsheet* with the formulas took a while, but now it’s easy to punch in the numbers each year.


6. Check out the Canada Revenue Agency Website

I find CRA’s website useful and easy to understand. They have loads of information specifically for small businesses. Start here, at the business topics help page .


7. Report Consistently

I have been told that CRA likes to see activity documented in the tax year it occurred in order to see that the writer is consistently working at the business. So even for a year when I have little or no writing income—when it would be tempting to save the time and trouble by not filling out all those forms—I still indicate my expenses, to let the government know that I’m still working at making money writing.

April 30th is just around the corner, but I hope these tips will take the sting out of your tax time this year.

*I am happy to share my log and spreadsheet templates!



Posted by Ramona
www.happilywriting.com