I Write, Therefore I Am - Shirley S. Tye

That’s a saying on a plastic mug. That places a great deal of importance on writing and ties an individual’s character and very being to a task. I enjoy writing but it doesn’t define me. However, at times my imagination tends to rule as it runs into high gear distracting me with mini movies that flash across my mind’s eye. Some of them are funny and I laugh out loud – a little embarrassing in public. Wish I could write fast enough to record them.

I’ve learned a lot through various venues: reading novels and books about writing and editing, taking writing courses, attending workshops, and “listening” to tidbits of information exchanged on writing groups’ listservs. There are many talented people willing to share their knowledge. Some courses have been in actual classroom settings and one was a correspondence course with the Institute of Children’s Literature. Two were via email: a devotional writing course taught by Marcia Laycock and a course about promoting one’s writing by speaking taught by Randy Ingermanson.

Am I a good writer? Well, I think so. But not all readers and editors agree. Writing is an art and each writer has his/her own unique style of expression, readers have their preferences, and editors have the ability to spot weak areas and the knowledge to determine whether a manuscript is saleable or not. Because I enjoy writing, I’ll keep learning and I’ll keep practicing.

The art of writing can be addictive; seeing words transforming into a mental video; the feel of a well balanced pen; the aroma of a recently sharpened pencil; the clicking of a key board; the magical appearance of words on the computer screen…excuse me, gotta run! Another pen is calling me.

Great Resources for Writing – Ramona Heikel

I am astounded by the amount of helpful information that generous writers are giving away free, and I’d like to pass along some of my favorite resources to you.

With the publishing industry seeming like a moving target, I trust the information on the internet to be the most current, and most of my resources are there. And since I am usually writing for children, much of what I list relates to that area. I hope you find something useful…

• Here’s a great book that I just finished reading, the ebook Time Management for Creative People by Mark McGuinness, free at http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/03/time-management-for-creative-people-free-e-book/

• Writer’s Digest’s Robert Lee Brewer writes a blog that covers just about everything on writing. Here’s an awesome post: http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.ca/2012/02/best-blogs-for-writers-to-read-in-2012.html?et_mid=538100&rid=189868766
   
• I go to ”Verla Kay’s Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Chat Board” to post questions and find answers about anything related to children’s writing. http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php
   
• Even before I took the Institute for Children’s Literature course (which I highly recommend), I learned a lot from their helpful articles. Here is an example, an article entitled “Turning Ideas Into Stories” with Susan Uhlig http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/tr01/susanuhlig2010.shtml
   
• I also subscribe to two newsletters, one print http://www.childrenswriter.com/ , and one online (free) http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/ws01/webnews.shtml . These alert me to market news and highlights of a fantastic blog, Writer’s First Aid, written by a children’s writer but relevant to all writers. http://institutechildrenslit.net/Writers-First-Aid-blog/
   
• Evelyn Christenson provides an ezine of up-to-date markets for children’s magazines, especially educational material. http://evelynchristensen.com/mags.html
   
• Freebie articles at the online library of Cricket Magazine help me to see samples of excellent fiction and non-fiction from all their magazines. Here’s an example: http://www.cricketmag.com/ProductImages/articles/make-it-snow.pdf
   
• The Ebsco Masterfile Premier search at Calgary Public Library’s elibrary shows me what has recently been published at the major magazines such as Highlights for Children, and shows stories and articles from every year since 1993. http://www.calgarypubliclibrary.com/books-more/e-library
   
• When I want to find children’s books of a certain grade level or from a certain publisher, I go to Renaissance Learning’s Quiz Store www.renlearn.com and use the advanced search.

Now I must confess to a quirk that I have. I love how-to-write books written especially for children. Their fun, goofy, imaginative ideas for stories inspire me. For these writing prompts, I usually have to write down the whole story in one sitting, which forces me to plan the conflict and endings, which I have always found challenging. Here are a few of the ones I’ve collected:
      

I hope that as time goes on and I learn more, I will be the one that offers tons of helpful information for free!


Posted by Ramona
www.happilywriting.com

How do I Develop Necessary Skills in a Writers' World? - Janis Cox

Bell clipart
from Clker.com

"School is never out for the pro!" Those were the words that Brenda used to motivate us this month for our posting.

She is right. I think I have learned more in the past 10 years than I did in my first 50. Yes it has been an uphill climb but very exhilarating at each of the peaks. Of course, the slides down are not too much fun. But God knows that we have our ups and downs.

Brenda asked:

"How are you developing and growing your skills as a writer?"

Well right now I am trying to grow my skills as a marketer – or promoter. Or somehow find an audience.

My Learning:

• Write! Canada – Thomas Umstaddt’s course. Opened my eyes to social networking. So I have been busy learning more about blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. That’s enough for me at the moment. But there is Pinterest, Digg, Google, and on and on.

• Using Google as Search Engine - Every time I have hit a wall and think I can’t go any further – I Google for the answer. I always seem to find something that works. Thomas said to Google 50 times a day. Well I don’t think I have hit that number but some days I am close.

• Set up a self-hosted Word Press Blog. This was a big learning curve. Setting up the blog wasn’t too hard. But finding the right pluggins – that is harder.  

• Publishing and Marketing a book - And the other learning curve is working on edits and preparation for final publishing of my book. When I self-published a few copies it took lots of time. But now when I am working with a real publisher I have to work with others – it seems to be taking longer. I say, “patience, Jan, patience.”

Some Interesting Resources:

Twitter Ideas by Ruth Snyder

What is a Platform? by Chip MacGregor

How to Create a Twitter List in 4 Easy Steps - by Author Media

How to Launch a Self-Hosted Wordpress Blog in 20 Minutes or Less - by Michael Hyatt

Janis Cox

Janis, a former school teacher and small business owner, found a new passion in writing in her retirement.

She has published a couple of devotionals and a number of articles. Her Bible study is available in PDF.

As owner of Under the Cover of Prayer and A Better Way, she writes often.

Her children's book, Tadeo Turtle, is scheduled for release in September. Email her at Janis or visit her at www. janiscox.com.

Stepping Stones - M. Laycock

A friend posted a cute photo on Facebook a while ago. It's a picture of a baby's foot about to step down onto a round piece of salt dough. The recipe was included and the suggestion that one should be done each year and made into a path of stepping stones. A great idea for new moms.

It's also a great idea for writers, to do this metaphorically. I had occasion to follow a trail of stepping stones a while ago as I pulled out an old manuscript. I had a few versions of the piece so I could see the progress clearly, just like a series of stepping stones made of a child's footprints. It was humbling to see all the mistakes I had made in the beginning, but encouraging to see how much I had grown over the years.

It's a worthwhile exercise to look back at the work begun when we were baby writers. And it's a worthwhile exercise to look back at our lives to see what stepping stones we have made as believers in Christ. The Old Testament is full of places where God told His people to look back and remember. He often told them to mark a significant spot with stones or an altar built to glorify Him.

As writers of faith, we can do that by writing the testimonies, the stories, the articles and poems that glorify the God who has led us from the moment of our conception. Then we can look forward to all that He will continue to do in our lives and in our work, trusting that He will work in and through us as He has in the past.

"and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight to serve as a sign among you." Joshua 4:3-6

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Abundant Rain, Marcia's devotional ebook for authors is now available at Amazon.com

Visit her website for more of her writing and speaking ministry