Business Cards for Writers—13 Things You Need to Know

by Vonda Skelton 
@VondaSkelton

In this digital world of technology-over-paper, business cards remain strong. After all, those tiny little cards are often the only things agents, editors, and event planners have to trigger their memory of you.

Do I Really Need a Literary Agent?

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

When I teach at writers conferences, I often get the question, "Do I really need an agent?" Well, you'll be happy to know I can confidently and unequivocally answer that question in three simple words: Yes, no, and maybe.

When I wrote my first book, I knew I didn't want an agent. I mean, why would I want to give a whopping 15 percent of my earnings to a total stranger when I could do it myself and keep all that money?

Scriptwriting: Biblical Truth From the Stage

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

I love drama. I love how it visually projects truth in a non-confrontational way. I love how it can have us laughing one moment and contemplating the complex issues of life the next.

Jesus loved drama, too. His parables are truth presented in a visual, non-confrontational way. They have us laughing one moment (I mean, a camel going through the eye of a needle? Someone carrying around a log in his eye?) and contemplating the weight of sin the next.

10 Tips for a Great Speaker Demo Reel

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

I've come to learn—and I'm sure you have, too—that this speaking and writing stuff consists of so much more than speaking and writing. 

When I first felt called to such a ministry, I dreamed of sitting at my desk, writing life-changing books, messages, and devotions, and then sharing those written words from the stage. I never envisioned the hours and energy I would spend getting those words out to those who needed to hear.

I never envisioned marketing.

Basic Errors That Could Keep Your Writing From Being Published

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

A few years ago my 12-year-old granddaughter and I were behind a van with this slogan painted on the back window: 

"Customer Service at It's Best." 

Being the good grandmother that I am, I pointed out the mistake and proceeded to explain why the slogan was incorrect. She didn't want to hear my wise counsel...until I said that little apostrophe could be the difference between getting a job and not getting one, whether she wanted to be a writer, a teacher, or a CEO.

She didn't believe me, but it's true...especially in writing.

Create Once, Sell Twice

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

Years ago I was listening to a National Speakers Association (NSA) training CD when Tom Searcy said something like, "Never create something once that you can't sell twice." 

Although it would most likely be considered wise counsel in the general market, I must admit that as a Christian writer and speaker, my first response was to cringe. 

Sell? And not only once, but twice? Does everything in the world have to go back to money? 

Letting Life Experiences Flow Through Our Writing

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

A few years ago my husband and I took our two youngest grandchildren to Cherokee NC to learn more about our Cherokee heritage. But on our way home that day, I realized I did more than simply learn dates and historical events. I began to write about it, at least in my mind.

Isn't that the way we are as writers? We go on a simple vacation or go shopping or read a current event and before we know it, we're contemplating characters, mapping out plots, scouting locations, capturing events, and creating a world inside our heads.

7 Punctuation Pitfalls for Writers to Avoid

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

First of all, here's my disclaimer: I am NOT an expert in English. I don't have a degree in English and wouldn't dream of trying to tell you how to create perfectly-punctuated pieces. 

That said, I do a fair amount of critiquing and do feel fairly confident in offering some general hints to finding the most frequent errors I see. And yes, I've seen variations of each of these examples in manuscripts I’ve critiqued. 

These 7 punctuation pitfalls could mean the difference between an acceptance and a rejection in your writing life.

Quick Tips for Writing a Synopsis

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

You've just completed the Great American Novel. You've done everything you've been told to do. You've created compelling characters and plopped them right smack in the middle of emotional/physical conflict. You've engaged the reader with your perfectly executed plot and subplots. You've edited and proofed and allowed your baby to be critiqued by your writer's group.

Now it's time to share the pictures and see if anyone wants to hold her. So you register for a writer's conference where editors, agents, critiquers, and contest judges may ask for a synopsis.

Write Smart: Don't Dumb Down Your Writing & Insult Your Readers

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

Readers are smart. They’re smart because they read. And if there’s one thing smart readers hate, it’s when writers treat them like they’re dumb.

One way writers dumb down their readers is by info-dumping. Check out these examples:

“When are things going to get back to the way they were before? Can you believe it’s been ten years since daddy left us?” 

Marsha turned from her sister and wiped a tear. “We had to move into public housing and go on food stamps. Then our brother died and Daddy never even knew. And then you had to ago into rehab. It’s all his fault.”

Let’s be honest here, would we ever have a conversation like that with our siblings? I doubt it. After all, it’s simply a retelling of facts we would both already know. It’s dumping info on to the page for the perceived benefit of the reader. But our readers won’t appreciate the so-called benefit. They can see through our ruse. They know that we’re taking the easy way out.

The Speaker One-Sheet is NOT Dead!

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

I heard someone say recently that the speaker one-sheet was dead. Well, just as Mark Twain said reports of his death were greatly exaggerated, reports of the death of one-sheets is exaggerated as well. 

The truth is, one-sheets have simply taken on a new medium—the download.

I know I'm showing my age here, but when I first began speaking, event planners wanted a printed one-sheet and the ability to listen to cassette tapes of a full presentation. 

Could Anthologies Be Your Ticket to Publication?

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

Not long after my first children’s book, Bitsy and the Mystery at Tybee Island, came out, I had the opportunity to submit to a compilation, Mystery Readers Journal: Religious Mysteries. (And just so you know, the words “Religious” and “Christian” are not synonymous!)

I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was they were looking for writers of “religious” mysteries to share something of interest with mystery readers. Surely I had something of interest to say! 

7 Lessons for Creatives from the Life of J.R.R. Tolkien, Part 1

Vonda here: I’m pleased to share Part 1 of a post from Trevor McMaken, pastor and artist at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, IL. 

He has a passion for pastoring artists in the church and equipping them to grow in their gifts and in their relationship with the Lord, and releasing them to serve the church and the world with their creativity. 

Follow the McMakens’ writing and music at TheMcMackens.com.

7 Lessons for Creatives from the Life of J.R.R. Tolkien, Part 1 

by Trevor McMaken

Like many in my generation, I have spent countless hours following diminutive folks with hairy feet around the magical, yet familiar world of Middle Earth. As an artist, I’ve often wondered how anyone could create a world so immersive—complete with millennia of histories and language lexicons—and still so personal and spiritual. In the face of such genius, I often feel insecure in my own meager artistic endeavors. How could I ever create something of such lasting depth and beauty? But after reading J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter, I came away refreshed and recommitted to my own art.

Here are seven ways in which reading about Tolkien’s creative life has inspired mine.

Taking the Question Out of Query Letters, Part 2

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

A few weeks ago, I shared the first of two posts on query letters. I’ve heard from several who admitted that they, too, hated writing the dreaded query letter. After all, we’re called creative for a reason, right?

Well, as one who received 63 rejections before ever having anything published, I can tell you, I got tired of sending out those creativity-stifling letters. But I didn’t quit. And one day the answer was finally a yes! If you’re serious about writing, you won’t quit, either. I often think: What if I had never sent out that 64^th query? Wow. I don’t even want to think about all I would have missed.

So, if you hate queries and rejections and the whole submission process, I have four words for you: Get used to it. It’s simply part of the process.

Taking the Question Out of Query Letters, Part 1

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

Query letters. I hate them. You hate them. Everybody hates them. But the ability to write a good query letter can mean the difference between publication and rejection. 

Over the next two posts, I'll be sharing a five-step formula for writing query letters that will create interest and increase the chances of seeing your name in print. 

I’ll present a query letter study for a proposed article, but the basic concepts would work for a manuscript cover letter, too.

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. 

10 Superstitions Debunked for Writers

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

Today is Friday the 13^th, a perfect day to look at 10 superstitions from a writer’s point of view.

1. Superstition: A black cat crossing your path will bring bad luck.

Writer’s Truth: Any frivolous thing you allow to distract you from your writing path will bring bad results.

2. Superstition: It’s bad luck to walk under a ladder.

Writer’s Truth: You can’t climb the ladder of success by walking underneath it. You have to get on the ladder and do the work to move up.

Life Lessons for Writers—Releasing Ourselves from the Writing Comparison Trap

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

No matter where we are on this writing
journey, we tend to compare.

Beginning in 2003 and continuing through 2011, Edie and I led yearly NCompass Writing Retreats. The goal of each retreat was to offer a time of refreshing, refueling, and of course, writing and rewriting. But in our last year of retreats, we realized that year’s focus was on another re: releasing.

Let’s face it, no matter where we are on this writing journey, we tend to compare. We compare our words to other writers and determine our worth. We compare their publications to our rejections. We long for their successes and see ourselves as failures.

Failure: Your First Step to a Writing and Speaking Ministry

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

Okay, I admit it. I’ve failed. Many times. But the good news is, God can take my messes and use them for His glory . . . if I let Him.

It all depends on what I do with my failures.

As writers and speakers, we can either work really hard to hide our frailties and present the illusion of perfection, or we can admit our struggles and present the answer to our need. Yes, our success as sharers of the Gospel can depend on what we do with our failures.

Thoughts for Speakers & Writers—Would Jesus Network?

by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton

Okay, let's be honest here. How many times have you cringed at the word, networking? When I first started writing and speaking, I struggled with the whole concept of promotion and marketing and...yes, networking.

After all, this writing/ministry thing was supposed to be all about Him, not me. I just wanted to write and speak words that would ultimately point others to the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ. I didn't want to talk about me.