Pay Yourself First

“Pay yourself first,” was the solid advice I was given with business book keeping: and face it, writing is a business, even if you work at it recreationally. If the IRS wants a share, it’s not necessarily a carefree hobby any longer…

It is not the size of my royalty cheques that keep me writing. Please, hold my hand while I tell you the story of banking my very first ever royalty cheque from the almighty Amazon. A Hallmark, Kodak, landmark moment! (Not quite…)

I was tired. I had another headache. I had my husband double-check the numbers on the stub to ensure Amazon got it right before I banked it. Then I had a frustrating twenty minute wait while a very young customer service representative with chipped nail polish, unkept hair and no sense of organisation, danced around to the tune on the piped music and ran from desk to desk, attempting to work out what to do with an international cheque. (Yes, professionalism is dead.)

The grand prize for this? 70% culled off my takings as I am in Australia, not the States; plus another 5% taken off by the United States Internal Revenue Service (though it was worth the four month fight with Amazon, or that would have been 30%); $7 lost in the exchange rate and the standard $15 international cheque lodgement fee. (I just checked my account and the National Australia Bank just slapped me with an additional fee for spending that time on their “very fine” premises rather than netbanking a physical cheque!) I looked at the receipt and saw how little of the amount I got to keep and wanted to cry. I make more money selling a handful of writing course CD-Roms, than I did from pushing 1500 books. I went to text my long-suffering husband for comfort… to find my phone battery had run out!

Made by Madame Purl, a great blog for craft lovers! http://madamepurl.com/2008/01/20/bunny-slippers/

Pay yourself first. Pay myself with what? If I made 5c an hour for all the work I had put into writing, editing, formatting and promoting those books, I’d still be solidly in the red. I know that the amount adds up over time and makes it worthwhile… but on a first cheque, which I should have been exited about, it stunk!

So how do you pay yourself first when the money isn’t there? You do it by placing value on what you do and how it makes you feel about yourself. This is one instance when looking for outside approval is not going to do anything to encourage you. You pay yourself in personal satisfaction. I wrote those books, which I thought I’d never have the time to do. Other work and lack of courage had always gotten in the way of becoming a published author. In overcoming those hurdles, I have achieved a dream.

When I look back, it has never been money or recognition that has motivated me to write. I started writing when I was all of nine and my sister bought me a diary. I have been hooked on getting my thoughts down ever since. These days, I just share it with other people. One day I will probably say “enough” to business and will exchange my keyboard for my bunny slippers and Star Trek re-runs. Even then, I will always find the time to write.

Writing has to be for me first. It has to be what I want to do. It has to be its own reward. Chasing financial success works for a very few, but being true to yourself works for all.

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This article / blog post is Copyright Cate Russell-Cole 2013. All rights are reserved Internationally. You may not reproduce it in any form, in part of whole, without Cate’s prior written permission. That includes usage in forms such as print, audio and digital imaging including pdf, jpg, png etc. A fee may be requested for re-using her work if it is for a commercial venture. Link sharing and Pinterest pins are most welcome as long as Cate is the attributed Author.

The Oy Vey keyboard image is Copyright Cate Russell-Cole 2013. The bunny slippers come from the stated blog owner. No images on this blog may be copied, captured, or altered for your own purpose without the consent of the originating owner.

Creating Multi-Dimensional Characters #2---Everybody Lies

Reblogged from Kristen Lamb's Blog:

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Monday, we started talking about ways to create multi-dimensional characters. It's tempting for us to create "perfect" protagonists and "pure evil" antagonists, but that's the stuff of cartoons, not great fiction. Every strength has an array of corresponding weaknesses, and when we understand these soft spots, generating conflict becomes easier. Understanding character arc becomes simpler. Plotting will fall into place with far less effort.

Read more… 1,366 more words

Part two of Kristen's excellent series.

Ways to Create Multi-Dimensional Characters--Tip #1

Reblogged from Kristen Lamb's Blog:

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To give characters depth, we have to be people-watchers. Study people. Know thyself. I strongly recommend reading books on psychology as part of research. For instance, I read a lot of FBI books on profiling.

As writers, characters need some amount of consistency without being predictable. If there is some deviation from the profile, there must be a good reason WHY, other than we need a character to act a certain way to move our story forward.

Read more… 1,249 more words

Another awesome post from writing coach Kristen Lamb. This is a must read!

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As regular readers know, this blog passes on great resources for writers. Often I will reblog the very best content, as doing so gives the originating author and their blog more exposure. Their blog also receives the hits from my posts. Reblogs of CommuniCATE posts are always welcome (unless stated), as long as my Copyright remains in tact. Copyright of any reblogs strictly belongs to the originating author. Please, don't rip off their work!

You are welcome to use this reblog logo on your own blog to encourage sharing of your work.

Coping with a Cynical Critique, by Sandra Nikolai

Like any writer who wants to succeed, I spent years learning about the profession and refining my skills. I attended writers’ conferences, studied how-to books on writing and publishing, and read piles of novels in a variety of genres.

Armed with a draft of my first mystery novel, I took the next step in the process: I found a mentor through a writers’ group I’d joined. My mentor offered to review the first and last thirty pages of my novel and email her comments to me after a month’s time.

At the end of the session, her email arrived and I was eager to read it. As my eyes flew over the words, disbelief stifled enthusiasm. Her remarks were sarcastic and stung as much on screen as if she’d read them out loud in a room full of people. She proposed drastic changes to the characters, settings, and plot. She even advised me to re-write the entire story in the third person. (I’d written it in the first person.) In closing, she defended her position as a “tough editor” and hoped her comments would help me write a better book.

You’ve got to be kidding!

My next reaction was to send “Miss Sarcastic” a nasty email but I decided against it. It wasn’t worth the time or energy to respond to someone who was inconsiderate and rude. I’d just file a complaint against her on the evaluation form I had to complete and send it off to the writers’ group headquarters. And yet…

Available from Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Impressions-Michael-Elliott-mystery-ebook/dp/B0086WMMZ0/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1338295012&sr=1-6

I read Miss Sarcastic’s comments again. Her mocking attitude had dealt a serious blow to my ego, but what if she was right and my story did need a revamp? After all, she had a handful of published mystery novels under her belt and had mentored other writers. I was…well…green. Surely she must know what she’s talking about. And so I conceded, knowing that the revisions to my manuscript would entail a major upheaval. In fact, the task proved a lot more difficult than writing the book in the first place and took months out of my life. After I’d finished, I put it aside. When I read it a week later, I was disheartened. It was no longer my story. The changes I’d made had sucked the life right out of it. I hated it.

Not one to accept defeat, I reviewed Miss Sarcastic’s comments again—this time from an unbiased perspective. I dug out my original manuscript and integrated the changes that I felt would benefit the story and ignored the rest. After I finished, I had to admit it was a stronger novel.

I recently heard that my mentor has abandoned her writing career. Her book sales weren’t doing well, so she accepted a job with a media firm. If anything, I owe her a modicum of gratitude. The experience inspired me to set up guidelines that I’ve since followed when reviewing critiques of my work. I’d like to share them with other writers in the hope they might find them useful too:

1. Take the time to review a critique. Let it ferment. You might interpret it differently later on.

2. Try not to take a negative critique as a personal insult but consider it with an open mind.

3. A negative critique gives you a choice: either fix the problem or ignore it. Consider how any change will affect your story. Will it strengthen or weaken it?

4. No one knows your characters or plot as well as you do. If a suggestion for a change doesn’t fit— no matter how good it might sound, don’t force it into the story.

5. Growing as a writer means heeding your inner voice or gut feelings. Trust your writer’s instincts more often. If you believe that a change will improve the story, do it. If not, move on.

Happy writing!

Meet Sandra Nikolai

Sandra was raised in Montreal, Québec, and graduated from McGill University. As a young girl, she loved reading the Nancy Drew mystery series and was determined to write her own stories one day. Her career choices didn’t exactly lead her along the “yellow brick road” to writing mystery novels—though working in a bank and experiencing a string of armed robberies did ingrain terrifying memories worthy of a story!

In 2002, Sandra won an Honorable Mention in Canadian Writer’s Journal short fiction competition. She has since published a dozen short stories online and in print. False Impressions is her first mystery novel in a series featuring ghostwriter Megan Scott and investigative reporter Michael Elliott. She is currently working on Fatal Whispers, book two in the series.

Sandra is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Capital Crime Writers.

You can catch up with Sandra at her beautiful website and blog:

• http://sandranikolai.com/
• http://sandranikolai.com/blog/
• Buy False Impressions from Amazon Kindle

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This blog post is Copyright Sandra Nikolai 2013. All rights are reserved Internationally. You may not reproduce it in any form, in part of whole, without the author’s prior written permission. That includes usage in forms such as print, audio and digital imaging including pdf, jpg, png etc. A fee may be requested for re-use if it is for a commercial venture.

Make The Iron Hot By Striking: Writing Every Day

In the whirlwind of writing advice, one can always find opposing viewpoints.  There are many writers who counsel writing every day, and just as many who find such strictures confining and harmful to creativity. I am one who needs to write every day; even if what I write does nothing to advance the work, it keeps me limber and creative.

When I was young, I thought I had to have the perfect conditions in order to write; my desk had to be clear; my paper and pens just so; all the research done and documented; and a minimum of four hours blocked out. Once everything had fermented in my brain, I was ready. It took me eight months to get ready, but I wrote my master’s thesis in 72 hours.

Then my life changed.  My days of reading and studying for hours were over. I found gainful employment; I had children.  My desk was littered with crackers and crayons, my paper creased and grimy, and my precious fountain pens locked safely away.  The day job offered me respite from disorganization, but filled my day with meetings and paperwork. My writing stuttered, and stopped.  I convinced myself that I had writer’s block.

I found ways to work around my writer’s block, and in so doing realized that I did not have writer’s block but unreasonable expectations. Still I yearned for time, space, and order. It took me a while, but I realized that I did have time to write, tucked away in the corners of my day job, during the early morning hours when everyone but the dogs were asleep. I did not need hours of time to write a work in a single sitting, but could draft, improve, refine, and tweak, in small pieces of time and space.  I did not have to write in linear fashion, but could choose a part of the work that called to me; I could delve into a character’s thoughts and history in a way that might not add words to the page but added depth to the character; I could explore a personal injury in order to find the words to express a character’s pain, grief, loss, or fear; I could write to vent, complain, whine, protest, or endeavor to understand.

“Not only strike while the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.”
Oliver Cromwell

I have known the adage of striking while the iron is hot all my life.  When I saw the above quotation two weeks ago, I was overwhelmed by how right the second part sounded to me. The platitudes of “practice makes perfect,” “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” and numerous others are founded on the notion that one must strike in order to heat the iron. It may not pertain to blacksmithing, but it explains how I write with pinpoint precision. I have used the metaphor of a mosaic to explain the way I write, and knitting as the metaphor for how I tie everything together. My need to touch the work every day, to keep it fresh and alive is expressed in the need to strike the iron. Everything extraneous to the work burns to ash and flies away in the heat of the smithy.

Each person must find what constitutes striking the iron, as it will be different for each writer. Each bit of advice must be weighed in terms of one’s own personality, personal situation, and proclivities. The only universal advice I can offer is to find what works for you, and make it a habit.  Also, realize that what works may change given differing circumstances, and make assessing how it is working a habit as well.  A new day job, a new relationship, even a new workspace, will have an impact.  Assess and adjust, then make it your own.

Elizabeth is a librarian by day, and a non-fiction and historical fiction writer by night. She has trained as a Medievalist. You can visit her web site, Facebook page and Twitter feed.

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This blog post is Copyright Elizabeth Anne Mitchell 2013. All rights are reserved Internationally. You may not reproduce it in any form, in part of whole, without the author’s prior written permission. That includes usage in forms such as print, audio and digital imaging including pdf, jpg, png etc. A fee may be requested for re-use if it is for a commercial venture. The image is owned by the State Library of Australia. http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an24166489 (Fitzpatrick, Jim, 1916- Portrait of Ernest Edwards, blacksmith of Drouin, Victoria, 1944/1945)

Sir Salman Rushdie On Storytelling

I’m sure you have heard of Salman, but perhaps in a negative light? There is far more to his name and talent than one highly controversial book! For more information on him, please visit: http://literature.britishcouncil.org/salman-rushdie

Literature plays an important role in providing insight into society.

On Novel Writing: What Does Truth Mean in Fiction

Essential Story Writing Tips from Kurt Vonnegut

Source: http://www.vonnegut.com “Most readers interested in the fantastic in literature are familiar with Kurt Vonnegut, particularly for his uses of science fiction. Many of his early short stories were wholly in the science fiction mode, and while its degree has varied, science fiction has never lost its place in his novels. 

Vonnegut has typically used science fiction to characterize the world and the nature of existence as he experiences them. His chaotic fictional universe abounds in wonder, coincidence, randomness and irrationality. Science fiction helps lend form to the presentation of this world view without imposing a falsifying causality upon it. In his vision, the fantastic offers perception into the quotidian, rather than escape from it. Science fiction is also technically useful, he has said, in providing a distance perspective, “moving the camera out into space,” as it were. And unusually for this form, Vonnegut’s science fiction is frequently comic, not just in the “black humor” mode with which he has been tagged so often, but in being simply funny.”

Confessions of a Memoir Writer by Kathy Pooler

For the past three years, I have been writing my memoir. It’s actually been more like going to graduate school – learning the craft, practicing, toughening my skin for critique and rejection. Not all a walk in the park.

So why on earth do I do it? Because I have a story only I can tell, a burning desire to tell it and, quite frankly, I can’t help myself.

So I have a few confessions to make:

Confession #1: I spend more time exploring how I present other people than how I present myself.

I angst over ways to AVOID disparaging anyone else, even though the truth may indicate otherwise while still telling the story I need to tell.

A common perception of memoir writers is that we are “narcissistic”… me, me, me. But the truth is, I spend inordinate amounts of time writing, rewriting, analyzing and fretting over how my words will impact another.

Yes, my memoir is about ME but it’s more about the mistakes I’ve made, the lessons I’ve learned over time and the time I lived in. It’s an invitation into my world that hopefully will help you connect with your own world. A story with a message.

Confession #2: When I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing.

You might think I’m not working when I’m staring out the window but that’s when my creative juices are cranking up. That’s why you’ll see me scribbling on napkins in a restaurant or digging through my purse to retrieve a piece to paper to write down my thoughts. So when I take a walk in the garden, I’m actually “on the clock.”

Confession #3: I can’t help myself. I have to write every day.

If I don’t write every day, I’m up half the night with thoughts, ideas, words swirling in my head, it will not stop until I get up out of bed and put them in their rightful place on the page.

Confession #4: My left brain is as busy as my right brain.

I enjoy mixing it up with outlines, storyboards on one end or freewriting in a journal, and drawing a mandela while listening to soothing music on the other end.

I enjoy learning the rules and knowing what the standard of practice is, but I also enjoy breaking them in my own unique way.

Confession #5: I see stories everywhere. 

The most mundane circumstances can be rich with story. Just stand in line at a grocery store and observe the dynamics of the people. On a recent vacation to Missouri to visit friends, I ended up doing a blog post about my trip because, everywhere I looked, I saw a story that needed to be told. I was like a roving reporter, notebook in hand jotting down notes and taking pictures. I had a great time. Here’s my post.

Mea Culpa. I am writing a memoir. I can’t help myself. It’s just the way it is. My penance is I’ll just have to learn to live with myself until my memoir is completed and I start on the next one.
Memoir writers, can you relate?

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Kathleen Pooler’s Bio:
Kathleen Pooler is a writer and a retired Family Nurse Practitioner who is working on a memoir about how the power of hope through her faith in God has helped her to transform, heal and transcend life’s obstacles and disappointments: divorce, single parenting, loving and letting go of an alcoholic son, cancer and heart failure to live a life of joy and contentment. She believes that hope matters and that we are all strengthened and enlightened when we share our stories.

She blogs weekly at her Memoir Writer’s Journey blog: http://krpooler.com and can be found on Twitter @kathypooler and on LinkedIn, Google+, Goodreads and Facebook: Kathleen Pooler

One of her stories “ The Stone on the Shore” is published in the anthology: “The Woman I’ve Become: 37 Women Share Their Journeys From Toxic Relationships to Self-Empowerment” by Pat LaPointe.

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This blog post is Copyright Kathleen Pooler 2013. All rights are reserved Internationally. You may not reproduce it in any form, in part of whole, without the author’s prior written permission. That includes usage in forms such as print, audio and digital imaging including pdf, jpg, png etc. A fee may be requested for re-use if it is for a commercial venture.

Support for Writers With Demanding Lives

Whether you write memoir, fiction, are a blogger, poet or feature article writer, join us for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It is starting today!

I started ROW80 last year and it’s the most helpful group I have had the joy to join. I helps me set goals, stay on track… and keeps me honest if I am too tempted to slack off! I have gotten a great deal of benefit and enjoyment from the company of the incredibly supportive ROW80 writers.

ROW80 has four rounds which will take you right through 2013. It is the writing challenge for people who do have a life! It is for every genre; friendly; inspiring and allows you to set your own, flexible goals which give you space to breathe!

If you can’t start this Round, you are welcome to begin late in the Round, or you can commence in April, July, or October. There is a two week break between rounds, no fees, no obligatory sign-up and no spam!

The ROW80 page is here: http://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com I will look forward to seeing you.

Missed Something?

This year has galloped by with a speed which has left me wondering what happened! So I am on a well-deserved holiday in which time, this blog will be quieter. I will be back on January 2nd. In the meantime, all blog comments are off so that the spam overlords get a holiday too. It’s the least I can do…

Over the course of the year, I’ve tried to provide as many resources for writers as I could. I’m putting the links to the very best of them in this post, just in case you may have missed something helpful. Just click on the title to go to the post. Cheers and a safe and Merry Christmas to you all.

Cate

Resources by Popularity

• App Heaven for Writers: iPhone, iPad and Android
• App Heaven for Writers Part 2: Writer’s Block Smashers!
• Blog Promotion Directory
• Editing Checklists and Resources for Writers
• Story and Character Tracking Forms to Make Life Easier
• Aiming for Success: Tasks for Writers
• Hatching a Killer Plan!

“Best Selling Author” Videos

• An Essential Reminder: John Cleese on Creativity
• Terry Pratchett “The Importance of Being Amazed about Absolutely Everything”
• Amy Tan, Author of Joy Luck Club, On Writing’s Meaning
• How Ray Bradbury Became a Writer and Stayed One
• Elizabeth Gilbert, Writer of Eat, Pray, Love; on Coping With Creativity
• Alan Furst: Master of Historical Spy Novels
• Chris Abani: The Critical Value of Our Stories

The Highest Rating Posts

• The Transformative Power of Memoir, Guest Post by Kathy Pooler
• How to Fuel Conflicts and Misunderstandings in Plots
• Um, Yes, I Belong in that Box: Character Types for Writers
• Writing from Inside Multiple Heads
• Doing A “Depp” and Avoiding the Juicer
• Escaping Mental Quicksand : Growing Towards Your Time of Readiness

For Twitter Users:

If you love Twitter, I keep several lists of Tweeters who are active on various topics such as publishing, e-book reviewers, writer’s festivals and great writing bloggers. Those lists can be found here: http://twitter.com/cateartios/lists Just look for my books and teacup avatar.

 P.S. Dear lista de emails, if they are reading this, do you realise the penalty for spam in the U.S. is $20,000 per email or blog post? Have a think about that. My husband shut down one major spammer with that gem earlier this year. All it takes is someone to trace you and report. The IT people know how to do it. So do the FBI and the privacy authorities. In the meantime, Akismet picks you up every time.

NaNoWriMo Next Steps: Bringing Books to Life

It is very easy to feel unloved, unwanted and downright unwelcome when the publishing houses dump piles of rejection letters on you. You probably wouldn’t be all that surprised if they set a hungry doberman on you sometimes. Yet, many editors and publishers love their work as they love you: the authors. This video is filmed from Random House. I know those of you who may feel burnt will call it a “gloss over,” but perhaps not all is as bad as it seems. I hope you find encouragement in it.

Conquering the Stresses of the Writer’s Life

In early October, I set myself six weeks to complete two books as a NaNoWriMo Rebel (which were nearly completed: thanks to everyone who thought I was Wonder Woman, but alas, I am not…) and with great relief, have just completed the last one. Phoenix Rising: Conquering the Stresses of the Writer’s Life, has just been launched on Amazon Kindle.

I’ve worked with writers both as an autobiography teacher and as a mentor. In 2011 I began this blog project to equip, encourage and share resources with writers of all genres. By necessity, it’s expanded to address the challenges and frustrations of writers in the digital age. I wanted to compile the best of these articles which have helped **CommuniCATE readers, so other writers could benefit. Phoenix Rising has been written for all genres of writers and all forms of publication.

The book is available from Amazon in Kindle format; priced at $2.99 U.S.

Chapters Include:

• Measuring the Value of Your Work in a Digital Age
• Healing Creative Injuries
• Creative Dark Matter: Clear Out What’s Holding You Down
• Bomb Proofing Your Writer’s Ego
• Handling Criticism
• Moving Ahead in Small Steps: Why Revolutions Rarely Work
• Fat Free, Guilt Free Blogging Goals
• Escaping Mental Quicksand: Your “Time of Readiness”
• Is Your Writing Life Stuck Under Your Mouse?
• Balancing the Blogging Load
• Writers and Depression: Debunking the Stereotypes
• Writers Should Be Bathed in Blue: Boosting Your Productivity
• Which Wins? Creative Pleasure or Word Count?
• Petwrification: A Health Warning for All Writers

I chose the image and title of the phoenix rising from the ashes in response to the battles writers face. I personally relate to the need to choose to rise upwards: away from the fire and into a clear sky to start again. If your creative energy is low, your word count flagging or the downsides of being a writer are taking away your joy, I hope this book will give you new strength and hope with which to spread your wings and find new freedom.

**Please note, many of the chapters above have been on this blog previously, but are now removed.

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This article / blog post and the e-book contents and outline are Copyright Cate Russell-Cole 2012. All rights are reserved Internationally. You may not reproduce it in any form, in part of whole, without Cate’s prior written permission. That includes usage in forms such as print, audio and digital imaging including pdf, jpg, png etc. Link sharing and Pinterest pins are most welcome as long as Cate is the attributed Author.

No images on this blog may be copied, captured, or altered for your own purpose without the consent of the originating owner. Where images are marked as being iStockphoto.com images, they are paid for and licenced to Cate for use on this blog. If you take them, iStockphoto.com has the right to take legal action against you for Copyright Infringement.

Spiritually Inclined? Christian Writer’s Directory

Image Copyright Sam Mugraby, Photos8.com

I had never done an extensive search for Christian writing groups and resources before. I was surprised at how many I have never heard of. There are also many local writer’s groups which you can search for.

In addition to these, there are quite a number of excellent Christian bloggers online who write about… oddly enough, Christian writing! Plus a wealth of Christian writing conferences held around the world.

While I have been a part of Faithwriters for a number of years, I haven’t had any contact with many of the sites. So please use at your own discretion.

Please let me know if any of these links don’t work. They are the blue text in the description.

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• FaithWriters.com: The home for the Christian writer!

http://www.faithwriters.com/ Helping the Christian writer and the freelance writer manage their writing career or start an online ministry.

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• Christian Writers Guild: What’s Your Story?

http://www.christianwritersguild.com/ The Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild will help you grow as a writer. We offer online courses for adults, children, and teens.

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• Christian Writers

http://www.christianwriters.com/

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• Christian Writers’ Market Guide

http://www.stuartmarket.com/ Market guide targeted to Christian writers, including periodical, book, greeting card, poetry, and specialty markets. Also links to conferences contests etc.

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• Association of Christian Writers

http://www.christianwriters.org.uk/ This is the official website of Association of Christian Writers.

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• Christian Writers Downunder 

This is a blog that supports Australian Christian writers. It has some great posts on it. http://www.christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com/

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• Write His Answer

http://www.writehisanswer.com/

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• InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship

http://www.inscribe.org/ Canadian organization of Christians who write, encouraging excellence, hosts conferences and workshops, publishes newsletter, etc.

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• American Christian Writers: “locating, educating and motivating!”

http://www.acwriters.com/ American Christian Writers can help you get into print.

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• Bartlett Christian Writers

http://www.bartlettchristianwriters.webs.com/ Bartlett Christian Writers is a chapter of (ACW) American Christian Writers.

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• Heart of America Christian Writers Network

http://www.hacwn.org/ Heart of America Christian Writers’ Network could be the organization for you! HACWN is designed to help beginning, intermediate and advanced writers grow.

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• Inspire Christian Writers: Equipping Writers to Inspire the World

http://www.inspirewriters.com/

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• Christian Writers Group International, Inc.

http://www.christianwritersgroup.org/

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• Fellowship of Christian Writers

http://www.fellowshipofchristianwriters.org/

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• Ready Writer Mag, For Christians Who Write

http://www.readywritermag.com/ Welcome to Ready Writer Mag (RWM), the online magazine for Christians who write.

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• Irish Christian Writers’ Fellowship

http://www.irishchristianwriters.org/ The Irish Christian Writers’ Fellowship seeks to encourage and stimulate Christian writing throughout Ireland, through fellowship with one another.

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• Godly Writers: The Beginner’s Guide For Christian Writers

http://www.godlywriters.com/

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• Christian Writers Submission Information

http://www.christwriters.info/ This site features current writing opportunities for authors of all genres, with a preference for Christian publications.

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• ChristianWriterHelp.com

https://www.christianwriterhelp.com/

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• The Word Guild

http://www.thewordguild.com/

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• Poetry Markets for Christians : Utmost Christian Writers

http://www.utmostchristianwriters.com/markets/poetry-markets.php Christian writers poetry markets, poetry guidelines and poetry markets for Christian poets.

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• Christian Writers from Christian.org

http://www.christian.org/writers Christian.org exists to help you grow spiritually with other Christians. Follow Christian writers and topics, learn the Bible with daily devotionals, Bible study and more.

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This is a very old looking page, but it may be helpful. Terry Burns has an extensive list of Christian Writing sites which includes many categories I haven’t covered here. http://www.terryburns.net/Christian_writing_sites.htm

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This blog post by Cate Russell-Cole is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. You are free to share and adapt it.

Motivation Lagging? Get a Theme Song, No Seriously!

Is this a nutty flashback to Ally McBeal, or is there gain to be had by using a piece of music to get motivated? If you’ve ever felt like taking on the world after listening to inspirational lyrics, then you know, it’s the latter… plus it’s biology!

From P!NK’s Raise Your Glass Video

According to Mark Fenske, an associate professor in Neuroscience at the University of Guelp, music is such a driving motivator, that at times, athletes have been banned from using it, as it can maximise their endurance and performance. So you don’t see competing runners not wearing iPods because cords are a tripping hazard! Music reacts with our nervous system, accelerating heart rate, affecting our muscular coordination and getting us ready to go!

There is a great article from the Globe and Mail which goes into the science in more depth. It’s no surprise to me. Some of the greatest anthems I have loved over time include “All Fired Up” from Pat Benatar; “Living On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi, “A Question of Honour” by Sarah Brightman and “Undefeated” by Def Leppard. I could go on and on about all the songs that have significant memories and lyrics for me. I can’t do without music in my life.

So please tell me, what would be your choice of writing theme song. I am very curious to know.

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This blog post by Cate Russell-Cole is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. You are free to share and adapt it.

Take A Little Love, Give A Little Love… Spicing Up Check-Ins

Image source unknown, it’s been on my computer for ages! If it’s yours, please let me know so I can attribute it properly.

The very last Round of ROW80 for 2012 started yesterday. I had the pleasure of being a sponsor, and a participant, for the last round and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. ROW80 was quite an education for me on how to write update posts which are readable. After writing my own second progress post, I realised I was boring myself silly! It was so dull! “I did this, this and this.” *yawn* So today I am sharing a few suggestions on spicing up posts, which I hope to use myself.

I’ve also listed misdemeanours which became my pet peeves as a sponsor and that may also turn your blog readers off! I am hoping these ideas will make checking in more enjoyable as a writer and reader. (The lessons I learnt could also apply to NaNoWriMo and whatever other writing initiative you’ve joined.)

Things I Love to See:

1. I love reading about writers rewarding themselves! If you hit your goal for the week, or as close to it as the havoc of life has let you, give yourself a reward. Then please, tell me about it. It makes me smile and leave your post feeling good.
2. Quickly share a lesson, blog post link or a quote that has inspired you in your writing that week. As well as the sponsors, I know there are other participants who like to visit others’ progress reports and leave some love. It would be great to give them back something small for their visit.
3. I love catchy titles that interest me, not just, “October 16 check-in.” They will attract readers scanning through the Linky list.
4. Throw in a picture, if you have one. Humour, quotes, anything to make your post more readable and lively.
5. If you read a great book worth sharing, write a very brief review so we can all get enthusiastic about reading it too. (Don’t take much time over it, just say why you liked it.) Just mentioning the title gives it no relevance.
6. If you’ve had a bad week, don’t go into massive guilt-trip overload. It is totally unnecessary and bad for your mental health and motivation! I was delighted to see Kait Nolan address this subject as the first post for this round. http://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/failing-small-and-state-your-round-4-goals/ I don’t mind people venting frustration, but remember, distractions or needing time-out aren’t criminal acts. So be kind to yourself! As long as you’re planning and writing something, you are on the move!
7. I love it when people share plot and character issues they are trying to work through. They make me really think and get me enthused about the whole business of writing! In that situation, what would I do?
8. If twice a week posting is too much for you, then, post once a week and declare that in your goals. Don’t let your involvement become another heavy have-to.
9. Don’t stress yourself by trying to adopt my ideas! These are just my views. Each to their own!

Things to Resist!

1. Don’t leave comments on participants posts purely to ensure that your blog gets promoted, particularly if you are not a participant! Readers know what you’re not there to genuinely support them, when you leave your latest post link in the actual comment itself. When you leave a blog comments, the systems allow you to leave a URL with your name and email address. It enables the blog owner to find and follow you.
2. Don’t put up a progress post which is just a regular blog post and fails to mention your goals, or any writing goals at all. It can be seen as inappropriate self promotion.

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This blog post by Cate Russell-Cole is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. You are free to share and adapt it.