I'm Back

I didn't realize it had been this long since I had written my blog. Please forgive me. We have had a lot of changes at our house. 

My husband has gone to part-time work. He only works three nights a week now. I love it, but it has taken me a while to adjust. We have also been working on our basement. Our plans are to have our offices set up there and also have a family room. One we can all gather in when the family comes home. Believe me, it is a big basement.

My novel is coming along very well. It is in an edit right now. My editor and I are hoping it will be a final edit. I sent her six chapters last week and I am waiting for her to send them back to me. I have one character named Susannah and my biggest mistake is to call her Savannah, my granddaughter's name. It is so easy to type Savannah. We are both watching it now.

I hope to enter a contest with American Christian Fiction Writers. It is called the Genesis contest and is opened to unpublished writers. I have to send in the first fifteen pages for judging. Last year when I entered it, my scores were not really bad considering my length of writing and not the most knowledge around. We do go into some things blindly and that is what I did. I was excited with my scores, but I did not place in the top five. This year I hope to do better. That is one reason why my novel is being polished so much.

I'm trying to get back on track with writing, including my blog. I'm doing a self-edit right now and it does take time. I had to cut over five thousand words out before I sent it to be edited. That hurt and it takes time to get the words back in. 

Everyone have a good day. We are getting much needed rain. A good day for writing.

Missed Yesterday

Sorry, I missed writing yesterday. I have diverticulitis and I had a bad attack over the week-end. Yesterday was not the best day either. I am feeling better today, but I don't think I will be eating anymore nuts.

I did read a book while I was sick. Some time ago, I had bought Coffee Rings by Yvonne Lehman. I've always enjoyed Yvonne's books and this one was no exception. There was suspense in it and that does help you to turn to the next page. 

Yvonne writes modern day fiction. Her books are usually about North or South Carolina. I've read so many of them. She was the first author who I enjoyed thoroughly. I have expanded my scope of authors, but I still like Yvonne's writings.

In a way this was a sad book. It is about a woman with cancer and three young women who had witnessed a tragedy. They all intertwine. Eunice, the lady with cancer, had a daughter that died at eighteen. The three women were with her when she drowned. 

Since I had lost a child, I wanted to see what she would write about the death of a child. She did a pretty good job. There was a lot of emotion shown. There is also a fine line between acceptance and healing. That's the way it is in real life. It takes years to accept the death of a child and to heal your mind. 

Husbands seem to do better than mothers. I have often wondered if that is because we carried the child for nine months. The child was with us longer than with the husband. I felt it was part of me that died also. It is always tragic, but we can work ourselves through it.

During the time of grief, I don't think we could have made it without our dear friends and church members. I had to have God in my life. Without Him, I could not have been able to face each day. It was hard on our whole family. Our children had to face something that not many children face at ten and eight years old. Something was gone from their family. It was never the same. 

I don't want to get everyone depressed, but there are lessons to be learned. Hold your children closer at times. Let them know you love them. Appreciate each kindness and each kiss. Let God shine in your lives.

More About Agents

You can probably tell this is something I am very concerned about at this time in my writing career. It is time for me to think seriously about whether I want an agent or not.

Chip MacGregor, who is an agent, has a good newsletter. The last two have been about agents and I am sure there are more. I know he will be answering more questions in his next issue. He tells you where to go to find out more about agents. Go to www.chipmacgregor.com and sign up for his newsletter.

I am looking for an honest agent. That is high on my priority list. I also want someone who will give me honest advice and not sugar coat it. If they are not trying to sell my book, let me know. I have heard Chip say before if you and he do not get along, go to someone else you like better and he won't hold you to him. That impresses me about any agent. I don't think I could work with someone I could not get along with.

The best way to meet agents is to go to conferences. Yes, it is expensive, but, honey, you don't get anything for free. These agents won't hear about your book on the grapevine and come to you, you have to find them. 

Those television commercials that tell you they made $5000 dollars a month working part-time, the key word is "work." They worked to get it, it was not handed to them. Writing is the same way. If you want to be recognized, you have to work. Go to conferences, meet people, network with authors, learn about publishing houses, enter contests and get to know agents. It is hard work and it costs money, but start saving and do it. You will not regret it. 

I'm a planner. I plan my day either the night before or the minute I get out of bed. I know what I need to do and I try to do it. I know when I want to have my novel polished and ready for an agent or publisher. I am trying to work as hard as I can to accomplish my desires. I'm not dreaming, I am working.

Talking Aboout Agents

There is a lot of talk about agents and whether to have one or not. Some of my author friends are doing fine without an agent and some want an agent. My husband and I have discussed this several times. We both see the advantages of an agent, a good agent.

Yes, you do have to give them a percentage of what you make on a contract and your royalties. On the other hand, they advise you and can get into the door of a publisher better than a writer can, especially a first time writer. There are many pros and cons and I would like to discuss some of them.

First of all you want an agent that will help you grow your business. Not only will they get your manuscript to the right people, but they should help you with other areas of your business. 

You want an agent who is respected in the industry. I have heard a lot of horror stories about agents and on the other hand I have heard wonderful stories about them. Some about the same agent. We all have different personalities and can work with different people better. I would suggest everyone get to know several agents at conferences. One will stand out in your mind and you will be drawn to that person. If you read the ACFW loops, you will get an idea about which agents are better than others.

Is the agent friendly or only talks to certain people? I've seen that happen that some agents have certain groups that they want to talk to. To me, I want an agent that is outgoing with everyone. They are friendly and willing to take a moment to listen to you. I had one agent that seemed enthralled with what I was telling them about my book. That agent had good listening skills. I want an agent like that.

Can the agent offer you anything other than selling your book? Can they help you with good advice about further books? Do they encourage you to go out of your box with promotions? Are they really interested in your book selling or do they just want a paycheck themselves? I want someone who can help me. As a first time writer, I need help. I have found it in other authors and writers, but when it gets down to an agent, I want someone who believes in me and can take my interests at heart.

Do they read your proposal? A good agent will read it, I believe. I may be wrong, but I hope and pray that they do. Can they make suggestions? I live on suggestions and comments from other people. Some people can say one word that will make a difference in your journey. 

When it comes time for that contract, will the agent explain the contract to you. Will they see that there is no mumbo-jumbo in the contract and that everything is legal? I want someone to explain what I don't understand.

Does the agent list their clients on their web site? I like to see who this person represents. I want to know who is associated with that person. I may want to ask them a question. 

As I draw nearer to the agent game, I am thinking more about these questions. I want an agent that will work with me and do the best for me. I want one who is concerned about me as a person. I want someone I can talk to and they will listen.

Another Day of Editing

This is a wonderful day here, but not for some people in other parts of the country. My son and his family are one of those stuck in the ice with no electricity or phone service. I'm doing a  lot of praying as any mother would. I did talk to him last night and they are warm so far, but the temperature dropped to 22 degrees this morning. I've been watching the Weather Chanel to get the latest updates on Paducah, Kentucky. I also have relatives in southern Indiana and they are iced in as well. 

It is raining here and was 58 degrees. That is such a difference from other areas. We will get the cold later today. I have food and a warm house, so I'm not worried.

Today I will be working on more of my novel. I find editing very slow work. Just like everything else, it has to be done. It is so amazing how you can change words to make the thoughts better. When I see the finished product, or finished so far, I am pleased and excited that I have come this far.

I have a wedding to put in the last of the book and I know in that era the bride did not wear white. She most likely dressed as she would going to church. I've found some dresses they would have worn and I have a good idea what my bride will wear. In the frontier, it is completely different. The wedding would have been much more simpler than in a city or town. When you are several miles from civilization, you learn to make do. Food would have been turkey, venison or pheasant. That sounds rich for us today, but there was and still is an abundance of those animals and birds in the area. 

I like the idea of a chivalry. The wedding guests would have followed the couple home and then amused themselves outside their house with songs, beating on wash pans, and a lot of loud noises. When the newly weds brought food out to them, they would eat and leave them alone. From what my father told me, it was more fun for the guests than the couple inside of the house. 

I'm getting ahead of myself by talking about that, but it was a part of the frontier. It is interesting to read about things they did to amuse themselves.

Another Good Day to Write

It's raining and we do need it. Rainy days are good days for me to write or read. Since I am re-writing my edit, I need to write. It is slow going. 

Yesterday I rewrote the ending of my first chapter. I didn't like it all along, but no one had ever pointed it out to me except the person that is editing my novel. I think I made it stronger and more mature. It's the first time the heroine sees her true love. That should be special shouldn't it? That is what I tried to make it be. 

Can you imagine seeing your true love for the first time and you had been on the trail for six weeks? From what I have read, they did stop and take baths and wash clothes during their trek to the frontier. If they didn't they would be a smelly mess. I can't imagine what it would have been like if the first time I saw my husband I had not had a bath in weeks. Learning about how they lived has made me appreciate my warm shower in the mornings and my washing machine.

We are a pampered bunch. We whine about things now that we should be thankful we have. I appreciate my top of the line stove. I can cook fast with a stove top that cools down quickly. I also have a convection oven that I love, plus a warming oven. You can't beat that. I don't think I could cook very long in a fireplace. My food would probably be burned or half cooked.

Soon after I married, we stayed with my husband's grandfather while his parents took a little trip. My mother-in-law cooked on a wood stove and I had never been around one, so it was an experience. I remember Granddaddy Bob saying, "I always did like my biscuits white on top." That was good because they never did brown. My first and last time cooking on a wood stove.

Well, I need to start chapter two and get it finished today. I hope there are not so many red comments, but I'm afraid there probably are. I am improving so much with my writing. It is a wonderful experience and I love it.

Writers Groups

For several years, I have been a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. It is an organization that encourages and supports Christian authors and writers. I don't think I could write and not be a part of this group. Their support and information cannot be explained in mere words. They are our support group, our information channel, our shoulder to cry on and anything you can think about.

Soon after I joined this group, I started looking for groups in my area. There were no Christian groups and since my mind does not know the words that secular writers use, I didn't think I wanted to be exposed to those words. I am much happier in a Christian setting. I don't want my mind cluttered with language I can't use at church and in front of my family.

Since there was no one in my area, I put out the word on one of our loops to see if there was anyone in this area. There was and we started our own group. So far most of our members are members of the ACFW, but since we are in the planning stage, we are not that picky.

We had a very interesting meeting Saturday, and we are making plans for more meetings to come. It is exciting to be a part of something where we all have the same goals, to write clean, decent literature. These ladies are an encouragement to me. They are young and full of energy. They have a glow in their eyes when they talk about what they are writing. It's almost like them telling about their first love. To watch them is very exciting and rejuvenating. It was a very exciting day.