Still Time to Nominate The Write Conversation!

Please remember to nominate The Write Conversation for Writer's Digest Top 101 Sites for Writers!

This year it's easy, just send an email. They're also asking for suggestions for categories. Here's a link to the entire Writer's Digest article: Call for the Best 101 Websites for Writers Nominations.

If you don't have time to read the article, here's the short version of how to nominate us:

Send your nominations to Writer's Digest at:

wdsubmissions@aimmedia.com 

with the subject line: 

101 Best Websites Nomination.

Whether we make the list or not, I want to thank you for being the BEST writing community on the web!

Blessings, 
Edie

TWEETABLE
Help us spread the word! Nominate The Write Conversation for the Writer's Digest top 101 Sites for Writers - @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Intentional Consistency—A Writer's Best Plan for the New Year

By Edie Melson @EdieMelson

The title of this post may seem too obvious to merit mention, but I would beg you to stick with me. Life these days is incredibly busy. We’re subdividing our time into smaller and smaller portions, leaving us with just more details to keep track of.

TL;DR—Too Long; Didn't Read

by Cathy Fyock @CathyFyock

Too long; didn’t read, or TL;DR has become shorthand for writing which is overly verbose. Congruent with Strunk and White’s admonition to “omit needless words” and with Einstein’s statement, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler,” TLDR (or “Teal Deer”) has a long history of use on the Internet as shorthand for the need to summarize and abbreviate.

Whether You’re Walking or Writing, the Journey’s the Same

by Lori Hatcher @LoriHatcher2

When you walk in endless circles on an indoor track, there isn’t much too look at, so you study people. Record cold forced my husband and me to abandon our morning walks in the neighborhood and retreat to the shelter of a nearby recreation center. Within three days, I’d identified the regulars and learned their names. Watching them, I realized that a writers’ life lesson was playing itself out in front of me.

When God Changes Our Plans

by Henry McLaughlin @RiverBendSagas

Several years ago, I had a plan and I was living it out. My plan was to work my second career for a Christian ministry until I retired and then enjoy a life of leisure. I was also writing as a side gig. Even I knew better than to quit my day job.

But God had other ideas. And I didn’t particularly agree with them. 

Merry Christmas!

Dipping the Quill Deeper: Extolling Humility

by Eva Marie Everson @EvaMarieEverson

A few years back I had the pleasure and honor of working on a project with Reverend Eric Eichinger who had been contracted by Tyndale Publishers to write a biography about Reverend Eric Liddell (1902 – 1945).

Thirty-one years after his death, Liddell had been made famous (again) by the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire, which told the story of his determination not to run on a Sunday, which he was slated for. Eichinger and I were to be a part of making him famous yet again with our book The Final Race (Tyndale, 2018).

Publishing vs. Encouraging

by Ane Mulligan @AneMulligan

According to a song lyric by Linda Rondeau: 

Home, home in the industry

Where the writers and publishers play

Where seldom is heard 

An encouraging word

And the skies are so cloudy all day 

Thanks, Linda for letting me borrow the lyric. Yes, I've experienced discouragement in my writing journey. Maybe it was a rejection, or comments from a contest judge, but they threw ice cubes on my dreams.  

Unselfish Love—the Beat Goes On

by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea

Now that all my children are adults, I can tell you that raising the five of them was very often like a game of full-contact musical chairs. Without the chairs.

            

It wasn’t so much about the wrestling—though believe me, there was plenty of that. But it was more about the music. Always even more of that. All three of my sons are in music ministries now and the two daughters are musical too. 

Would You Nominate The Write Conversation?

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Well it's that time of year again, and I'm asking for a special holiday gift from all of my loyal readers. Would you help us get The Write Conversation recognized as on of the Writer's Digest Top 101 Websites for Writers? It only takes a quick email. 

This year it's easy, just send an email. They're also asking for suggestions for categories. Here's a link to the entire Writer's Digest article: Call for the Best 101 Websites for Writers Nominations.

If you don't have time to read the article, here's the short version of how to nominate us:

Send your nominations to Writer's Digest at:

wdsubmissions@aimmedia.com 

with the subject line: 

101 Best Websites Nomination.

Whether we win or not, I want to thank you for being the BEST writing community on the web!

Blessings,
Edie

TWEETABLE

Help us spread the word! Nominate The Write Conversation for the Writer's Digest top 101 Sites for Writers - @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Recovery from a Book Launch Disaster

Edie here. Today I'm so excited to present a publishing industry giant. Terry has an incredible amount of knowledge and since he's just published a new book—10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed—I convinced him to come on and share some of it with us. I know you will be blessed. Give him a big TWC welcome!

Recovery from a Book Launch Disaster
by Terry Whalin @TerryWhalin

How do you recover from a book launch disaster? Over 4,500 new books are published every day.  As someone who has been in publishing for years, I understand without the author's active role, little happens. 

Healthy Writer Habits

by Susan U. Neal RN, MBA, MHS @SusanNealYoga

To be effective as writers we need to take care of our physical and spiritual health. Studies prove physical activity improves one’s well-being. Unfortunately, writing is sedentary. The following seven tips will ensure you maintain balance in these areas.

An Epic Story Only God Could Write

by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28

If we were going to write an epic novel that appealed to countless generations of readers, what characters would we create? Would they be dashing or timid? Successful or defeated? A good novelist knows that a protagonist must be an enticing mixture of courage and hesitation, splendid qualities and identifiable weak points. He or she has to be true to life.

Tips to Help Writers Fight & Win the Comparison Battle

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel

• “Why did she get a book contract before me when I’ve been writing longer than she has?”
• “I sent the retreat committee my topics and video clips, but they chose a much younger speaker with almost no experience.”
• “Our books were published the same month, yet his already has 300 Amazon reviews and I haven’t even hit fifty yet.”
• “I don’t understand why I wasn’t asked to return as faculty when John serves at the conference every year.”
• “I love rooming with my friend Jane at writers’ conferences, but it’s hard when she tells me every night about the editors and publishers who are interested in her projects.”
• “We have the same publisher, but they spent a fortune on her marketing and I was pretty much left to fend for myself.”

Tips to Become a Television Guest

by Karen Whiting @KarenHWhiting

Hosting a television show on puppetry fell into my lap when the original host backed out. Then I discovered I needed to reapply for the grant and produce the next season of shows. I did this until I moved away. My experience made it fairly easy to get booked as a guest. Since I’ve experienced both sides of talk shows, let me share tips on becoming a guest on television.

My One Word

by Tammy Karasek @TickledPinkTam

When I go to bed I’m exhausted until my head hits the pillow. Then my eyes pop open as I think of a new scene or two for my fiction project. I grab my cell phone, turn down the brightness so I don’t wake up my husband and begin to one-finger type away the scenes.

Choosing to Breathe During the Holidaze

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt

Sometimes I refer to the Christmas season as the “holidaze.” 

Yes, I’m familiar with the lyrics proclaiming this “the most wonderful time of the year.” But we also know it’s the busiest time of the year, too, with days overflowing with competing time demands. 

Writing with the Fire of a Yule Log

by Joshua J. Masters @JoshuaJMasters

“Am I writing with the fire of a yule log?” That’s a question every Christian author should ask themselves during the Christmas season and continue asking throughout the year.

No season affects the heart of man like Christmas. If only for a short time, the holiday allows people to see the world through a different lens, and isn’t that what we’d like our writing to do?

Share Good News with the Gift of Writing

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

I didn’t bring a gift to the birthday celebration. In fact, the gentleman celebrating his special day was the one who distributed gifts. Ninety gifts to be exact. 

Joseph Montgomery, from a small town in south-Georgia, celebrated his 90^th birthday in a rather unusual way: he gave away ninety one-dollar bills to perfect strangers. 

Make Your Writing Research Take You Further With These 7 Tips

by Linda Gilden @LindaGilden

Has it ever occurred to you to use your article research to write different types of articles once your original article is published? For most researched articles, there is always a file of information you have to cut in order to stay within your word count. Save it and turn it into assorted types of articles.

There are several basic article types popular with magazines and that lend themselves well to repurposing the material. Here is a quick look at the types of articles you can use.

1. Personal Experience article—This is your story. Not all of it in one place (that would be a book!) but a snippet of one experience that you can share with readers that will make an impact on their lives.

2. Profile article—Similar to the personal experience but it isn’t your experience. You are writing about the experience of someone else. For this you must interview your subject and learn all you can about him or her.

3. Round Up article—This one is really just what it sounds like. You “round up” information on one subject from several sources and cohesively present it to your readers.

4. Calendar article—This article would be related to a season or calendar event.

5. How To article—Article that teaches the reader something new.

6. Issue article—Often “piggybacks” on something in the news. Article must be balanced.

7. Devotional/Inspirational—Makes a single God-centered point that directs readers to God and/or inspires the reader to become a better person.

For example, if you have done a profile article from a celebrity interview, why not ask a few extra questions during your time together that will help create another article. If you have spent most of your time talking about his or her career, ask about a special Christmas memory. Record the details to save for a seasonal article that centers on special holiday memories of celebrities. If your celebrity has a particular hobby or skill, use what you learn as a springboard for a how-to article. Or if he or she is a political figure and has been in the news discussing a specific issue, do a little more research for a balanced issue article. This one interview could be the springboard for multiple articles.

Each article type has specific guidelines but all are easy to master. If you've never done so, try to stretch your research today by writing more than one article from your information. If you have, share with us in the comments below how you stretch your research.

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Make Your Writing Research Take You Further With These 7 Tips - @LindaGilden on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Linda Gilden is an award-winning writer, speaker, editor, certified writing and speaking coach, and personality consultant. Linda is the author of 19 books and over 1000 magazine articles. She enjoys every meeting with editors and knowing we are all part of the same team. Linda’s favorite activity (other than eating folded potato chips) is floating in a pool with a good book surrounded by splashing grandchildren—a great source of writing material! www.lindagilden.com

Being the Storyteller We Love

by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

Grandma was a wonderful storyteller. Twenty-seven years after her death, I doubt even one cousin would fail to recognize her tales after just one or two phrases. We loved sitting around her in the living room listening to her yarns and trying to decipher truth from fiction.

How to Craft the First Point of Your Presentation: Part 2

by Yvonne Ortega @YvonneOrtega1

In Part 2, you will go through the ways to use the foundational phrase in the first point of your presentation. We covered the niche and the foundational phrase in Part 1 of How to Craft the First Point of Your Presentation. 

The First Way to Use the Foundational Phrase: Anecdote or Story

One of the most popular ways to craft your first point is the use of an anecdote or story.

Is a Bible Reading Plan for You in 2020?

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

In my senior year at seminary, I had an epiphany. I was getting my Masters in Theology so that I could teach the Bible, yet I had never read it thru from cover to cover. I had grown up in church and gone to countless Bible studies so I knew most, if not all of the Bible. However, I’d never systematically read it in its entirety.

Choose Wisely

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

I didn’t win NaNo. I could have won, but I didn’t, and I’m not sorry.

In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, NaNo is short for NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month. The goal of NaNo is to write 50K in one month. I have no idea what a typical writing month looks like for writers who write full time, but for this writer, 50K is a lot. By a lot, we’re talking double what I would normally consider a very good month.

I got close. I could have done it.

But I chose not to, and I think the choosing is why I don’t feel bad about it. 

Start Writing Your Book in the Right Place

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer

What a silly question! It starts at the beginning, right? Or does it? Where exactly IS that beginning?

Believe it or not, most people (especially newbies), start in the wrong place. Do you?

Don’t Throw Away Your Writing

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

Peabody Award winner, Paul McCusker is a screenwriter (Beyond the Mask), scriptwriter, director of multiple award-winning audio dramatizations, Dove-nominated song writer, and author. If you’ve listened to Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey, now in its 30^th year, you are familiar with a quarter of a century of Paul McCusker’s excellent and prolific writing. 

Writing Holidays in Speculative Fiction

by Ralene Burke @RaleneB

We’re right smack dab in the middle of holiday season! Halloween and Thanksgiving are behind us, and Christmas and New Year’s are both less than a month away. Welcome to my favorite time of the year!

Many writers of fiction that takes place in our world don’t have to worry too much about holidays. They only need to be aware of what they are and where they fall in their story timeline. If a writer is writing a historical novel set in winter in 19^th century England, but they don’t have the character’s celebrating Christmas in some way? Well, that’s a little weird. 

I Must Not Allow My Life to Become a Discordant Distraction

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

I love listening to praise music. It can send my soul soaring as I reconnect with the healing truth that comes only from God. It also anchors that truth in my brain in a way that few other mediums can do. When I hear truth sung, I recall it quicker when a situation arises, even when I don’t feel like singing.