The Push We Need to Move Forward with Our Writing

by Mary Denman @MaryDenman

It's hard to release our writing to the world.

It can be hard to release our writing to the world.

Recently, I released my baby to an agent. Not one of my children, mind you. But my other baby.

My first novel.

The one crafted several years ago.

The one that was put on hold while homeschooling my five kids.

The one that was keeping me from moving forward.

The one I knew needed work, but wasn’t quite sure where to go with it.

Once I realized I couldn’t do other projects until I knew whether to dig in or walk away, I understood I needed feedback. I truly wanted honest feedback. Someone who knew nothing of my story needed to read it. To tell me where the strengths and weaknesses were.

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

I’ve been nominated for the Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award by a writing friend, Elizabeth Van Tassel. 

Elizabeth and I met at ACFW last year and hang out on a lot of the same blogs. I was pleasantly surprised to find an email in my inbox yesterday saying she had nominated me.

I love the way Elizabeth shares life with her readers by bringing spiritual insight to every day experiences. You should check out her blog at Elizabeth Van Tassel 

There are some rules with this nomination. 

Thursday Review—Revision & Self-Editing

Revision & Self-Editing

by James Scott Bell

This week the Thursday Review is done by fellow writer, Mary Denman.

No author today has published a novel without an editing. Behind every great story is a great editor. But how do you get your manuscript in front of a busy editor to polish it if it has problems in tension, or dialogue or story line? Well, you have to become your own editor. How, you might ask? By reading James Scott Bell’s book, Revision and Self-Editing.

An accomplished novelist in his own right, Jim distills the lessons he’s learned into a fantastic book that teaches you what problems to look for in your own novel. Dialogue not right? He covers that. Struggling with POV or descriptions? Want to understand showing vs. telling? He covers that and more in the Self-Editing section. He also provides concrete examples and exercises throughout the book to teach you what he’s talking about.

But how do you revise the entire manuscript you’ve produced? Read the second half of his book. He includes the Ultimate Revision Checklist which is worth its weight in gold. He takes you step by step through the process and you’ll have a stronger novel for it.

So how do I know how great this book is? Because my copy is pink and green from highlighters. And it’s written in from cover to cover. Literally. Jim Bell inspired me to tackle the project of self-editing. And I’m glad he did.

Get Started as a Freelance Writer—Part Six, Moving from Free to Paid Assignments

First let me say a special thank you to Mary Denman, who filled in so wonderfully for me while I was traveling!

Second, thank you for all your thoughts and prayers while I was away. I have a new appreciation for how important prayer is for someone away on a mission trip. I invite all of you to stay tuned to my Weekend Worship posts for stories about my Ethiopian Mission trip. I took over 1000 pictures (yes, three zeros!) and I’ll be posting them a little at a time on my Facebook page—so if you haven’t friended me, now is the time to do so! (I’m listed as Edie Mahoney Melson on Facebook) Finally, I’m also available to speak to groups about my experiences.

Now, down to business

In the past few weeks many of you have asked questions about how to move from unpaid assignments to ones that pay. Today I’m going to break it down for you.

First, let me assure you that I still have trouble justifying getting paid to write. The reasons are almost too numerous to mention, but almost one hundred percent of them have to do with self confidence.

To succeed as a freelancer you MUST learn to ignore that voice in your head that insists 

you’re not good enough!

Also, it’s important to remember that the expertise you bring isn’t always as a writer—it’s as an expert on the subject of your article.

Here are some specific tips to making the move 

• Query jobs that pay. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but a lot of you are afraid to apply for these assignments. At the risk of using a cliché, here’s one of my rules for freelancing—Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
• Don’t differentiate between unpaid experience and paid experience. To a certain degree writing experience is writing experience—DO NOT tell people you’ve never been paid to write. Especially don’t list assignments on your CV as paid or unpaid. That’s no one’s business but yours. If it was good enough to get published, it was good enough.
• Acknowledge that your expertise in a subject is worth money. Most of you are plugged into writing groups and can get feedback on the mechanics of any article you’re writing. What those groups can’t give you is the expertise your personal experience gives you. Don’t denigrate that expertise!

Still confused—here’s an example of how to turn experience into dollars. A friend of mine has a lot experience as a crafter/artist. Because of that she read a lot of crafting blogs. She stumbled on one where the posts were less than stellar. She contacted that blog and offered to write a series of four blogs for $25 each. The blogger accepted and it was so successful she had a regular assignment. What the blogger didn’t know—this was her first regular paying assignment.

So these are the questions to ask yourself: 

• What areas do I have expertise in? Or, if you’re afraid of the word expert—what areas do I have experience in?
• What areas do I have a passion about?
• What is an area where I’d like to do in depth research?

Now it’s your turn. What questions do you still have about moving on to paid assignments? If you’ve already moved on, what experience can you share about how you did it?

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Thursday Review - Revision and Self Editing

Revision & Self-Editing
by James Scott Bell

This week the Thursday Review is done by fellow writer, Mary Denman.

No author today has published a novel without an editing. Behind every great story is a great editor. But how do you get your manuscript in front of a busy editor to polish it if it has problems in tension, or dialogue or story line? Well, you have to become your own editor. How, you might ask? By reading James Scott Bell’s book, Revision and Self-Editing.

An accomplished novelist in his own right, Jim distills the lessons he’s learned into a fantastic book that teaches you what problems to look for in your own novel. Dialogue not right? He covers that. Struggling with POV or descriptions? Want to understand showing vs. telling? He covers that and more in the Self-Editing section. He also provides concrete examples and exercises throughout the book to teach you what he’s talking about.

But how do you revise the entire manuscript you’ve produced? Read the second half of his book. He includes the Ultimate Revision Checklist which is worth its weight in gold. He takes you step by step through the process and you’ll have a stronger novel for it.

So how do I know how great this book is? Because my copy is pink and green from highlighters. And it’s written in from cover to cover. Literally. Jim Bell inspired me to tackle the project of self-editing. And I’m glad he did.

Thursday Reviews - The Elements of Style

I'm proud to turn this week's review over to Mary Denman. She's a fellow writer and dear friend and always knows the best writing books! Thanks, Mary.

How useful could a writing book published in 1913 be? Especially one that’s only 85 pages long and could fit in your back pocket or purse. In the case of The Elements of Style, the answer is incredibly useful.

William Strunk originally wrote and published the book for English classes he taught. He proudly called it “the little book.” Why? Because he had distilled the rules of the English language down to a manageable size.

Millions of copies later, we can still learn from the master. He first covers elementary rules of usage—which we all need to review. Remember gerunds? Maybe not, but you still use them. Strunk shows you how to use them properly.

Then come the principles of composition. He teaches about active vs. passive voice, when negatives are stronger than positives, and how to make your words stronger.

Included is a section on misused words and expressions. This section alone will keep you from making mistakes that catch an editor’s eye. Need to learn about developing your own style? An approach to style is the section for you.

Still not sold on the value? The book is loaded with concise examples that demonstrate what he means. You could pay hundreds of dollars for a professional to edit your manuscript. Why not buy this book first? It’s an interesting read and the benefits to your writing will immediate and tangible.

The difference between good writing and great writing is in the details. While this book doesn’t cover plotting a novel, it will help you polish your manuscript or article, eliminating both subtle and glaring mistakes. And that makes this book a gold mine, where you can expect to glean nuggets of style from the first time you pick up this little book.

Mary Denman, a home-schooling mom with 5 kids, has been married to her college sweetheart Todd for 22 years. She began writing professionally a few years ago and has published articles in several magazine, including Focus on Your Child, by Focus on the Family. She’s also a published freelance photographer. She has finished her first novel for young adults and is well into the second book of the series.

Thursday Reviews

Today, I'm pleased to announce a guest reveiwer, freelance writer and photographer, Mary Denman. Mary is one of my critique partners and I'm excited to bring you her review of Stein on Writing, by Sol Stein.

Are you thinking about writing a book one day? Maybe you already have a manuscript well under way. Then Sol Stein’s book, Stein on Writing is one you need to get your hands on quickly. A veteran editor of the publishing world, Stein takes his vast knowledge of the industry and offers you a chance to learn from one of the best.

What can you learn? Everything from creating fascinating characters to understanding plotting. He explains showing, not telling and how to create tension. Need to liposuction the flab from your writing? He covers that too. Throughout this book, Stein empowers you to go through your own work, whether you write fiction or nonfiction and edit it successfully.

His editor’s heart comes through in the teaching style found in the book. Not only does he explain what you need to know and look for to improve your writing, but he also gives examples from published authors to illustrate his point. And, to make sure you’re engaged and getting the most you can from the book, he has exercises in every chapter for you to put into practice what he just taught. This book will take you from the start of your manuscript to your final revisions.

When I talk to someone who’s just starting to write, this is one of the first books I recommend. It’s one of the foundational books for helping writers understand the many components and nuances of writing. The cover on my copy is starting to curl from use. Every time I pick up this book to reread it, I learn something new. And that makes it a valuable tool in a writer’s arsenal.

Mary Denman, a home-schooling mom with 5 kids, has been married to her college sweetheart Todd for 22 years. She began writing professionally a few years ago and has published articles in several magazine, including Focus on Your Child, by Focus on the Family. She’s also a published freelance photographer. She has finished her first novel for young adults and is well into the second book of the series.