Writers are supposed to be creative individuals who spin spell-binding yarns out of nothing. After all, that is what creating means, right? Making something out of nothing? So you get your coffee, soda or water bottle, position yourself at your desk or on the floor with your laptop and your fingers dance over the keys like they are dancing with the stars. Right? Wrong, most of the time. You might be more likely to sit for several minutes staring at a blank screen, turn it off, go get a sandwich, come back, type a few lines, then hit the delete button in disgust. So, what does it take to ignite this great stuff that fathers so many excellent works? Learning a few tricks may help.

1. Always keep a pen and a little notebook handy. An idea might come to you when you least expect it. At the supermarket, on the bus, while driving (wait until you stop before you reach for the pen) and in many unexpected places. You may even awake during the night with an idea for a novel. When this happens, jot down as much of the detail as is available, then lay it aside.

2. Use your senses. Your senses can help you conjure up a story. The next time you go for a walk, look at your surroundings. What lies beyond that vacant lot? Why is that car parked in the same spot for the last two weeks? Every morning on my way to work, I pass an area with overhanging trees and under them are three old vans parked in parallel parking. That’s all I can see. The vehicles look like they’ve been there for ages. I can’t see any house behind them, just the trees hanging over. I wish I could get out of my car and investigate. I should get some material for a good story. Don’t be afraid to eavesdrop, but do it without being obvious. Other people’s conversation can make a great story.

3. Keep a journal. Similar to # 1, keeping a journal can be a way to unlock your creativity. Try to write in it first thing in the morning. Don’t worry about grammar or style or even spelling. Simply write what comes to your mind and after a month, you’ll see things emerging that you never knew you had in you. It could be the beginning of a memoir, a novel or a non-fiction book.
4. Read. I’m sure you already know that this is a surefire way to spark your creativity. My love for writing and, I daresay, my creativity grew out of my love for reading. Growing up, I read voraciously and that led me to begin writing at an early age. Reading can supply you with a lot of ideas for your own work, while at the same time teach you to recognize good writing.

So there you have it. In my next post I’ll talk about some other ways to release your creativity. Meanwhile, leave me a comment and let me know what you do to get your creative juices flowing. Until next time …

This post really belongs in the category, Guess What I Read This Week, a post that I started last week, however I couldn’t use the same title twice, so I decided to use the next best thing, which is the title above. If you’ve been following this blog, you may have read my post some time ago on famous authors who suffered rejection. You may recall that Jane Austen was one whose famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, formerly called First Impressions was rejected by the publisher and subsequently accepted after some revision.

That was centuries ago. The famous scribe was once again rejected in this century, according to an article in Writer Beware Blogs, but this time the person submitting the manuscript was not Jane Austen, but a writer named David Lassman. How did this come about? Well, it seems that Lassman, frustrated with all the rejections he was receiving for his own novel, decided to pseudonymously submit chapters of Ms. Austen’s books to several publishers. The result? Rejections galore. Why did he do it? He wanted to test whether the publishers and agents could recognize great literature. You can read more about it at this link: http://www.janeausten.co.uk/regencyworld/pdf/rejecting28.pdf.

So, what do you think? Should Lassman have played that hoax? According to WBB, submission hoaxes have been around for some time, with even the UK’s Sunday Times getting in on the act and achieving the same result as Lassman. Of the 18 publications that he submitted to, only one responded, letting him know they recognized what he’d done and warning him of the consequences of plagiarism. But hoaxes aside, what lesson can we as writers, desperate to have our works published, learn from Lassman’s folly?

I think the first one should be, never plagiarize, whether seriously or in jest. Think of how you would feel if someone plagiarized your work.

Second, always research your markets carefully before submitting. Apparently, Lassman did not. He subbed romance manuscripts to houses that do not publish romance, and to publishers who do not accept unagented submissions.

Third, be prepared to wait. And while waiting, continue to sharpen your writing skills. It will all pay off in the end.

Well, what do you know? 2012 is almost here. I hope you are looking forward to a bright and prosperous New Year, in every sense of the word, which, for us writers, means accomplishing some of the things we were not able to accomplish in 2011. I still haven’t fully recovered from the Christmas rush, but I thought I would take some time to focus on what I hope to achieve in the New Year.

Before the year is out, I vow to clean up my inbox. A messy inbox slows you down and confuses you. Then I’m going to sit down and write my goals for the New Year. Heck, I’m here, aren’t I, so why not do it now? That’s goal #1 right there. No more procrastinating! Okay, here goes:

Market Women For All Seasons : Visit bookstores, contact book clubs, women’s groups, radio stations and newspapers.

Finish writing Coming Out of Egypt: This is my romance novel that I’m revising and since it’s a revision, I’m setting a deadline date of April 30, 2012. Submit to publishing houses.

Finish In The Promised Land, sequel to Coming Out of Egypt and submit by Dec. 2012.

Query health-related and women’s magazines at least once a month.

Post to freelance writing blog 3x week; to Christian blog 1x week.

Begin affiliate marketing in earnest

Write and market a health-related ebook (if time permits).

So, what about you? Have you made any goals yet for 2012? If you haven’t, you can still do so after the ball drops or after you get back from watch night service or that party. But don’t put it off too long. The sooner you get your goals down, the sooner you can start working on them and the sooner your success will come. Let me know what your goals are. Happy New Year!!!

Today I’m starting a new weekly post on things that I saw or read during the week. Most of the content will be writing-related, but there will be other things of general interest as well. As always, I invite you to add your thoughts and any other tidbits of interest you may have picked up.

The first one is Mashups

Do you know what a mashup is? No, it’s not a car wreck nor a new mashed potato recipe. I saw this in the USA Weekend supplement of the newspaper and according to the paper, a mashup is two unrelated tales blended (or mashed) together in a tongue-in-cheek retelling. USA Weekend featured a mashup of A Christmas Carol, calling it Scrooge vs Aliens. In the story, er mashup, Scrooge is awakened by lights flashing in his room and a hand like a tentacle drawing his curtains aside. The Thing looks and speaks like an alien and Scrooge is scared out of his wits. The mashup continues along the same vein as the traditional story, but in the end Scrooge defeats the alien with the help of the paupers and Tiny Tim, son of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s employee. The story ends with Tiny Tim embracing Scrooge and saying, “God bless us, Every One.” And Scrooge nudges the alien’s body and whispers, “Even you, my friend. Even you.”

The author Ben H Winters has written two other mashup novels, Android Karenina and the best seller Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. You can read more about this mashup in usaweekend.com.

My other noteworthy read of the week is an inspirational piece that every writer can use. It has to do with the success of Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield’s Chicken Soup for the Soul books. According to the piece, these two gentlemen had a difficult time getting anybody to publish the book and an even harder time getting anybody to buy it. Sound familiar? Then one day they got a piece of advice from a teacher called Scolastico. It was this: If you would go everyday to a very large tree and take five swings at it with a very sharp axe, eventually, no matter how large the tree, it would have to come down.” Hansen and Canfield developed “the rule of five.” Every day they did five specific things that would move them closer to achieving their marketing goals, including getting even gas stations, bakeries and restaurants to sell their books. Today, Chicken Soup For The Soul has sold over 112 million copies in forty-one languages. It’s not impossible. Just start swinging!

My final read has to do with things that concern everyone, whether you are a writer or not. With Christmas on our doorsteps, cosmetics are among the most common gifts you may receive. When you are left with odds and ends of perfume, shampoo, conditioner nail polish etc., what do you do with them? Here are some tips:

Spray clean sheets and pillow cases with left-over perfume before getting into bed. Use them in your bath as well. Spritz cotton balls and use them to freshen your lingerie drawers, closets or gym bags.

Left-over shampoo makes good laundry detergent for bras and cashmere sweaters. Don’t throw out your old hair conditioner. Use it as a shaving cream.

What can you do with nail-polish? Color code your keys, luggage handles and those manila folders with your writing projects. I’m sure you can come up with other ideas.

So, that’s it. “God bless us, Every One.” Leave a comment and let me know of any interesting reads you’ve had this week.

From now until Dec. 20, I’m making copies of my book Women For All Seasons available at a reduced cost. Women For All Seasons is a Christian non-fiction book, targeted to women of all ages and stages of life. It is based on stories of women from the Bible, and I’ve featured women who are young, single, married and widowed. In other words, women who reflect the different seasons of a woman’s life.

Are you a young woman, wondering what is your purpose in life or whether you should trust God and risk losing everything you cherish, maybe even your life? Read about Mary and Esther. Are you a married woman struggling with issues such as parenting, or step-parenting, and keeping your marriage going? Read Rachel and Hannah. Are you an older woman who thinks that maybe your useful days are over and you should take a back seat in your church or community? Read Naomi and Sarah. Are you a young woman in search of Mr. Right? Read Ruth. Are you a woman who has been ridiculed and ostracized as a result of your past? Read Mary Magdalene.

These are just some of the issues you will encounter in this book, but I guarantee you that every woman will see herself in the pages of this book. My goal in writing it is to first of all encourage you to read the Bible and to make it easier for you to digest its content. I have used a light and engaging style, like you would find in a novel or magazine and each story is written from the point of view of the main character, making her seem like a true flesh and blood person. The selection of Bible stories in the book demonstrates the importance of trusting God when we go through the seasons of life. Women For All Seasons will make a wonderful addition to your library, or if you belong to a women’s Bible study group you may find this book helpful.

So, take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to get a copy of this book in time for Christmas by clicking on the link below.

If you have ever read any of my posts, you would know that I’m always harping about the need for writers to carefully proofread their work before putting it before the public. Recently I came across a discussion on what are some of the best ways to proofread one’s work. Most of the writers who contributed admitted that they sometimes made errors on work they had submitted to a client or to an editor. Some of these errors had to do with giving erroneous information (a no-no), others had to do with confusing dates and times and a few mentioned typos.

Many helpful suggestions were given, some of which you may have heard before, but the following are the ones I find work best for me: (more…)

When I wrote a blog entry a couple months ago about writing contests, I’d given little thought to winning an award. As it turned out, I won an honorable mention in the Writer’s Digest 80th annual competition for my story For God So Loved. I knew I’d poured my heart and soul into that story, but with a magazine like Writer’s Digest that receives thousands of entries, chances of winning anything are very slim. So, this award has brought me some satisfaction as well as encouragement. It showed me that as a writer I can achieve anything if I work at it hard enough. (more…)

Ready to start a freelance writing business but you don’t know how?

Have you been looking online for someone or something that will help you?

Then find out more about the Working Writer’s Club in this interview with the club’s founder and president, Suzanne Lieurance, the Working Writer’s Coach.

The Working Writer’s Club might be just what you’re searching for!
Q: Suzanne, as the founder and director of the Working Writer’s Club what is the first thing you would like people to know when visiting www.workingwritersc lub.com?

A: I’d like visitors to know that our club is all about helping freelance writers learn to write better, make more money, and live the writer’s life they’ve always dreamed of living.

Q: Having created your own successful freelance writing career you know what it takes to build momentum. What is one of the most critical steps a writer needs to take consistently to develop their own freelance writing career?

A: The most critical step is to develop your goals – you have to KNOW what you want before you can figure out HOW to get there. Yet, this is the one thing that so many new writers don’t take the time to do – or at least they don’t take enough time to do it well. They may think that “write a novel this year” is a goal. But actually, I think of a goal as something even BIGGER than that. Writing a novel is an action step toward a goal rather than a goal itself. To get to the goal, consider WHY do you want to write a novel? What do you want this novel to do for you or your career? Your answer to that question is closer to your goal (or at least one of your major goals).

Q: What advice would you give to a newbie in freelance writing? And the intermediate freelance writer that has seen some success, but seems to be in a holding pattern at the moment?

A: Whether you’re a newbie or an intermediate freelance writer – or even a very experienced, successful writer – continue to learn from other successful writers.

Join our club or another organization for writers. Then take an active part in whatever group you join. Next, develop a focus for your writing and create no more than 3 major writing/career goals for yourself that you hope to attain within the next 12 months.

Also, constantly evaluate what you’re doing to see if it’s getting you closer to your goals. If it isn’t, then change what you’re doing.

Q: By becoming a member of the Working Writer’s Club what can a freelancer expect?

A: Well, for one thing, you can expect us to help you create a focus for your writing career or your writing business. And, we can help you create no more than 3 major goals – so you’ll get really, really clear about WHAT you want, WHERE you’re wanting to go, and then we’ll help you stay focused so you take the steps to attain your goals and build your writing career and/or your writing business.

Q: With the wealth of freelance writing information available on the Internet what makes the Working Writer’s Club unique?

A: I think the one thing that makes the Working Writer’s Club unique is that we’re not out to get you into our club so we can sell you a bunch of other high priced programs or products. We just want people who love to write and want to build a business or a career around writing to join our club and make use of all the resources, information, training, networking and support they’ll receive for just $9.99 per month. I think another unique thing about the Working Writer’s Club is that we all genuinely have fun helping each other be more successful.
Visit the Working Writer’s Club www.workingwritersclub.com today and explore all they have to offer.
Thank you for your time. We look forward to your visit.

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com

It’s been a while since I posted anything to this blog and I apologize for that. It’s not that I couldn’t think of anything to write. Far from it. It’s just that my day job has been keeping me super busy and other personal things have been happening and in times like these, sad to say, my blogging is sacrificed. However, thanks to my critique group, Sharpened Pencils, I have been critiquing some posts and have been working on revising my novel, Coming Out of Egypt. Will tell you more about that another time.

So, today I thought I would pass on a few pointers about how we can keep up with our writing when we don’t have enough hours in our day.

1. Prioritize. This is important so you don’t get sidetracked. What is it that you must do today? Write down the three most important things you must do from the night before. They might be as simple as a) Go to work, b) Write blog post, c) Attend parent-teacher meeting. If you work everyday, you might leave off the first one and just write the next two most important ones. Somehow, when you write things down they become concrete and are more likely to materialize.

2. Schedule. Make up a schedule of what works best for you. Again, if you have a day job, you may want to schedule at least fifteen minutes writing time first thing in the morning, or last thing at night, whichever works best. But if you write 200 words in those fifteen minutes every day, by the end of that first week you would have written 1400 words. In a year you would have 72, 800 words, enough for an average length novel. You can finish even faster on the days when you have more time.

3. Be consistent. It doesn’t matter whether the words flow or not, whether your coffee was too strong or too weak or your room too hot or too cold. Michael Lewis, non-fiction author and financial journalist, says ” I’ve written in awful enough situations that I know that the quality of the prose doesn’t depend on the circumstance in which it is composed. I don’t believe the muse visits you. I believe that you visit the muse. If you wait for that “perfect moment” you’re not going to be very productive.” – Robert Boynton, The New New Journalism.

So there you have it. The three best ways to keep on writing even when you think you don’t have the time, or you don’t feel like it. What are some of the ways you remain productive? Share it in your comments below.

Entering a writing contest can be a good way of getting recognized as a writer. Winning a contest is not always easy, but the practice you get writing on a topic or theme, meeting a deadline, adhering to guidelines will benefit you in the long run. Some contests offer attractive prizes, including cash, trips to meet with editors and in some cases even a book deal.

On the flip side, you have to be watchful for scams. Most contests charge an entry fee which may range from $2 to $5 for poetry to $10 to $25 for short stories and chapbooks. These fees are necessary to meet administrative and other costs. Those contests that do not require a reading fee may sound like a viable option, especially to the beginner, but in many instances these are the scam artists who would state (in fine print) that the author will be giving up all rights in exchange for having her work published in their anthology, which you pay for.

Before entering a contest, you should research the organizers of the contest if they are unfamiliar to you. A few places to check are http://www.writers-editors.com/Writers/Contests/contests.htm; Preditors and Editors and Writer Beware Blogs.

Here are some writing contests you may be interested in:
Real Simple Life Lessons Essay Contest
A prize of $3,000 and publication in Real Simple is given annually for a personal essay on a theme. This year’s theme is, “When did you first understand the meaning of love?” Deadline September 15, 2011. No entry fee.
Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival 2012 Fiction Contest. Award: $1500. Deadline November 15. Entry fee $25. http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/contests
2012 William Van Dyke Short Story Prize. Maximum 7,000 words. Awards: $1000 to the winner. Deadline: midnight October 1, 2011. Info: www.ruminatemagazine.org/contests/short-story.html
A Woman’s Write fiction contest by women about women. $40 entrance fee includes critique. http://www.awomanswrite.com/rules.html. Deadline November 30.

My first short story was published in a college magazine as a result of a contest. The following year I won an honorable mention in a nationwide contest. So now I’m off to get started on one of these. If this article has been helpful to you, or you know of any more contests or have ever been successful in any, please leave a comment below. I love hearing from you.