Lisa Worthey Smith, author, writing and speaking coach/consultant
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Three tips to help readers love reading your book
Thursday, June 2, 2022
Two things to remember if you are doing your best and still don't win an award.
While being genuinely thrilled to hear of fellow writers achieving their goals and being recognized within the industry with awards, writers can still be disappointed about their lack of one. Other writers' walls fill with plaques and certificates but yours lacks that one elusive award or perhaps your latest work has yet to earn any recognition. It is so common in the industry we call it the "imposter syndrome."
It is natural to want your work to be noticed, even praised. You worked hard on it and expected it to make an impact on the world. When it doesn't happen in the form of winning a contest, we can feel as if we aren't really doing what we should be doing. We doubt if we should even call ourselves "writers."
First, remember your calling to write. God gave you the mind, the words, and the desire to write. You are writing to honor Him. Your obedience to obey His calling is what He desires. He will provide the fruit from your labors in His time.
You may never know this side of heaven of the impact of a simple comment, an article, devotion, or novel made in one person's heart. Those words you prayed over and wrangled into place hit home with someone. It could have changed their response to a situation from a volatile response to a more measured one. Your words might have prompted someone to open their Bible one more time, read and pray. The story you wrote might have touched their heart into action for a ministry or service. It could have been the one thing that God used to prick their heart into a deeper faith.
1) You are working for God, not the praise of men. He will reward you.
Whatever you do, do your work heartily (from the soul), as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:23,24 (NASB95)
2) If you are writing/working to please men, it is not likely you will be writing for the Christian market. Christian writers rarely have comparable income or praise as secular writers.
You aren't writing to impress. You're writing to bless.
For am I now seeking the favor or men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10
Dear Writer,
Please remember your audience is the Lord God. He will use your words in ways you might never realize this side of eternity. But, oh, in heaven, how great will be your reward!
Keep writing for Him, precious writer! I'm cheering for you! Encourage another writer today. They need the boost as much as you do. Your encouragement might inspire them to write a little more.
Blessings,
Lisa
Father in heaven,
Encourage the writer reading this today. Remind them of the calling You have for them. Strengthen them when they feel discouraged and empower them with the message You want them to share.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Friday, May 27, 2022
Three things writers need to remember
Keep it simple. Stumbling over difficult words distracts from the story and becomes frustrating and mentally exhausting. If you want your readers to stay with the story, keep it simple so they will enjoy it. Try to use one or two-syllable words with the same meaning that are easily understood.
Your goal isn't to impress the reader with your fancy words but to bless them with the story. Take the time to edit out any stumbling block words.
Stay with the theme. If your book is an adventure, don't let the action lull. If it is a devotion, make every sentence point to the main thought. Even if it's a memoir, not every detail needs to be included. Choose the important elements that hone in on the major theme of the book.
If the sentence or scene doesn't move the story along consider deleting it. Put enough interest, adventure, or excitement into the storyline rather than adding unnecessary details that distract from the overall theme. Think of moving forward on a journey, not stopping at every roadsign along the way.
Consider having the main theme in front of you while you write to keep you on track. You could put it on a sticky note on your monitor or write it in the header of each page.
Stay within the expectations of your genre.
Evoke emotion. People read for education, escape, and entertainment, but they usually aren't looking for a list of information or a statistics chart. They want an experience. An ordinary book will provide information, but an extraordinary book will evoke an emotion in the process.
Let the reader identify with the main character and feel what they feel. Let them experience the joy or pain of the characters. Put them inside the action rather than describe it from a distance.
People will remember how they felt more than what you say. To give them something they will remember, it will need to touch their heart and leave them changed.
Dear Father in heaven,
I pray we as writers will consider our words carefully and use them to bring blessings. I pray You will shine through our words and be glorified. May we be obedient to Your calling with all we do.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Dear writer,
Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep editing.
As He prunes and shapes us, we can prune and shape our words to have the best impact and bear fruit. There will always be room for improvement but keep striving to make your words the best you can for Him.
Let His light shine through you!
Lisa
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
I want to write but I feel stuck
It's not uncommon for every writer to go through a slump. Writing can be a roller coaster of highs and lows. Some books and stories can be well received, others seem to never gain momentum and take flight.
Writers with Christian elements and themes in their books face the same ups and downs. Life circumstances change our writing habits. A negative review makes us hesitant to put our work out there. The plague of "imposter syndrome" is rampant in writing communities, often settling in when we compare our success with that of another author.
What can we do when we're in the low part of the ride? Below are four "whos" for the Christian writer to remember when it's hard to write.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
I want to write the story about my life. Is that a memoir?
- Memoirs are written in first person, from the point of view of the author. Dialogue is a frequent choice to help the reader understand the setting and emotions within the story.
- More than just dates and events, a memoir will share their feelings and emotions about their experiences. When done well, the reader will likely both laugh and cry with empathy for the author.
- Often, memoirs will reveal a change or growth of the person during the course of the book, inspiring readers.
- Memoirs are not a detailed list of events. Rather, they include major life events with the purpose of entertaining, educating, or inspiring the reader.
- Memoirs are non-fiction that include the emotions, realism, and inspiration elements readers appreciate from fiction.
- Preserving their family history, with personal stories. Many include recipes and photographs.
- Spiritual growth while working through a traumatic event with insights into how they managed to survive and come out spiritually stronger.
- A widely-known public figure, often a political, sports, or television personality, shares about their life. Often, they share about before they became famous along with insights into their life as a celebrity.
- An astounding adventure that few have experienced. Often in dangerous or extreme circumstances. Perhaps a survival experience.
- A collection of episodes in a person's life that held importance and spiritual growth. These are usually connected by a common theme and include Scripture references with a devotion style.
- Transformational memoirs usually include how their life looked before they made a change and information about how someone else can make a similar change. These include leadership, emotional and physical self-help from personal experience.
Monday, March 28, 2022
Types of Editing
First, understand that your editor(s) wants to help your book be its very best. It might feel like they are tearing your work apart, but their end goal is to make it shine. Having a "teachable spirit" and willingness to accept their constructive critique is essential to becoming a good author.
Editorial Assessment When an author doesn't know if they’re ready for developmental editing--of if their budget is a major concern--they might need and want an editorial assessment. An assessment is a fairly broad evaluation of issues like characterization, plot, structure, and style. After an editorial assessment, the author usually receives an letter with detailed feedback and suggestions for revision.
Developmental editing. Developmental editing is the first phase of editing. Sometimes called, structural or substantive editing, developmental editing looks at the larger structures of your book including; plot, characters, themes, and tone. They will notice story plot holes, determine if the character development is appropriate, and make sure the tense and point of view are consistent.
They will critique the plot, story arc, organization and structural elements, characters, and dialogue, and then make recommendations to improve the manuscript. Don't be surprised if you need to have major rewrites during this phase. (A great reason to have your developmental editing done before copy editing.)
Good developmental editing will consider your target audience and assess your work in relation to industry standards and expectations for that genre. This takes place before your manuscript is ready for a copy edit and proofreading, as major rewrites may need to take place to polish your manuscript to be its best. A developmental editor will help you make sure these wider story elements are strong before your manuscript moves onto the line by line details of copy editing. Cost of developmental editing ranges about $.05 per word or $12-$15 per double-spaced page to $2.00 per word.
Copy editing. A professional copy editor will thoroughly work through your text, and make changes that polish your manuscript. They will look for clarity, syntax, and flow of the manuscript while also checking for inconsistencies, inaccuracies, and errors in the grammar, punctuation, tenses, spelling and typos. Copy editors eliminate unnecessary words and phrases and find redundancies in your text. They will substitute weak words, phrases, and sentences with powerful alternatives. When needed, they will restructure sentences to improve the impact.
After a thorough copy edit, your manuscript will be more efficient, accurate, and focused on your voice. In fact, your manuscript will be in such good shape that it will be ready to be reviewed by a proofreader.
Proofreading. The proofreader provides the last line of defense against spelling, punctuation, grammar, and text errors before publication. Think of proofreading as the quality control check, ensuring that only the most professional product will be going to press.
Again, keep in mind the editors want your book to be a success and their edits will likely make your book better for your readers.
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Traditional publisher or self-publishing? How do I know which path to choose?
- Thomas Nelson
- Zondervan
- Baker Books
- Revell
- Bethany House
- Kregel
- Moody Publishers
- take your time.
- Pray first and often.
- Seek godly counsel.
- Ask other writers who have information about each option and then
- pray again.