Elizabeth's Writing Journey

Prayer: The Most Important Writing Tool

2006-05-10T00:42:00.000-07:00

My writing, like my life, is dependent upon prayer. I almost always pray before I begin writing. I also pray for my writing during my regular prayer times (or in my case, my irregular prayer times, I'm not one for keeping a strict schedule and don't feel the need to make an appointment-I just speak with the King any time and all the time.)

A few months ago, a special friend asked me to keep her posted on my writing life and let her know how to pray for me. I frequently call her with updates and she watches this blog to see what I am up to. (Please pray for my sidebar issue, friend!) I appreciate the prayers on my behalf so much, that I have asked several others to pray regularly for me and my writing projects. Most of these prayer warriors are also writers and I pray for them, too.

Among my current writing-related prayers are:

That I might manage my time well and wisely.
That God would provide the finances for a trip to Denver in July to pitch my books to acquisitions editors at the Classervices Publishing Connections Conference.
That my book proposal would come together and be an excellent tool to sell my book. And that it would be ready by July, along with at least two others.
That www.Writers-Block.info would be a useful tool for Christian writers and that through the efforts of many, God would be glorified.
That www.Writers-Block.info would become self-supportive, even profitable.
That the Holy Spirit would guide and direct me, inspiring the devotions I write for the grief devotional and laying the foundation for the other books I have in my head.

Please feel free to add my writing needs to your prayers. I would be happy to pray for your writing needs as well.

Clinging to The Vine,

Elizabeth

Still Learning About Book Proposals

2006-05-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, who knew that there was so much to know about putting together a book proposal? I have busied myself reading my two books on proposals and soaking in an exhorbitant amount of information. (Books: Book Proposals That Sell by W. Terry Whalin and Write the Perfect Book Proposal by Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman) They are both excellent books so far, with different focuses, which round out my learning experience.

So far, W. Terry Whalin's book has confirmed what I have learned from the conferences I have attended: unpublished authors need to get in front of an acquisitions editor or an agent. Unsolicited manuscripts are hard to sell, especially for an unpublished author.

I am hatching a plan to attend the Classervices Publishing Connections Conference July 9-11 in Denver. I expressed this plan to my husband who in turn expressed his desire to live within our budget. I promised him after last year's trip to Glorieta (Wow! Worth every penny!) that I would earn enough capital selling articles to pay my way next time, so I would not have to use our family budget to pay to advance my writing career. At some point, it should pay for itself and even produce an income. I am getting there. I sold four articles in the last year, which is a start. Unfortunately, I have not saved those dollars. They went towards a transcribing machine and paying website fees. I do however, have several articles in the pipeline. If they all sell, I can go. If not, I will have to host a garage sale or something. I really want to go.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Publishing Connections Conference, go to www.classervices.com . It looks like with airfare, hotel and conference fees, it will cost about $650. That's no small change, but it should be attainable. Right?

I am continuing to research books related to grief for comparison in my book proposal. I read two grief books last week and found them both helpful and quite different from my book. There is really only one book left that I want to read on the topic. I will be securing a copy this week.

I realized as I was reading about the proposal process that having solid endorsements helps. A few months ago, I would have been disheartened by that information. But through Writer's Block, I have made many connections and developed relationships with authors and others in the industry who might be willing to endorse my material. I can ask.

I expect to finish reading both proposal books by the weekend so I can focus more purposefully on writing my proposal. Meanwhile, I have five other book ideas that will need proposals. I would like to take at least three different proposals with me to Denver!

I have begun to write the content portion of my proposal, beginning with the book's premise and unique selling proposition. Next I will begin writing an overview of my book. As I have researched other grief books, I have found it easy to differentiate my own book. That, I believe is one of the keys to selling it to a traditional publisher.

I would love to hear from you. Are you writing a book proposal? How is it going? Let me know.

By His Grace,

Elizabeth

Leaving Instructions is Most Helpful

2006-04-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

When a person dies suddenly, the family and friends are shocked and in considerable pain, maybe even denial. In the midst of emotional turmoil, those closest to the deceased are faced with making final arrangements and trying to sort out final wishes, financial issues and myriad details. I have learned that it is never too soon to put your affairs in order. Many young people don't think about or talk about their wishes. Nor do they create a financial plan, should they die unexpectedly.

I came accross a list of preparation that would be helpful to your loved ones if something should happen to you. I am including the information in hopes that those of you who read it will spend a little time preparing for "what if..."

"Instructions to My Family at My Death

Name of my personal representative
Name and phone number of attorney to contact
Name and phone number of funeral home to contact
Details of service if one is desired:
Location of service
Funeral home/ church
Type of service
Open or closed casket/ memorial service or funeral
Theme of service
Comfort and hope for survivors/celebration and homegoing/ evangelistic
Music requests
Solos/ congregational hymns
Readings
Favorite Scriptures/poetry
Personnel desired
Minister/soloists/organist/pallbearers
List of vital statistics needed for funeral home:
Date of birth
Father's name and birthplace
Mother's maiden name and birthplace
Length of residence in the state
Social Security number
Location of, and deed to, cemetery plot
How to apply for Social Security death benefits
Location of health information (including vision and dental)
Location of personal papers:
Will
Birth certificate
Diplomas
Marriage certificate
Location of information for all assets:
Life Insurance policies
Social Security
Pension
Bank accounts (savings, checking, cancelled checks, bank books)
Investments
Information about the house:
Insurance
Deed
Location of information about the car:
Registration
Insurance
Title
Maintenance records
Tire warranties
Income tax information:
Location of previous and current year's records
Tax preparer's name and phone number
Credit card information
Update all information annually!"

This list was taken from Ruth Sissom's book, Instantly a Widow.

My husband and I are creating a thin binder with all the information listed above. It would be a good idea for you to do the same. We will also include information about the care of our small children. We have a living trust that spells out our long-term plans for them, but we want to make sure their needs are met in the initial time of our passing.

I know this is all difficult to think about, but a little discomfort now can save a lot of discomfort later for our loved ones.

On this side of eternity,

Elizabeth

Back on Task

2006-04-25T23:51:00.001-07:00

Grief is hard work and writing about grief is hard work, too!

Over the past week, I wrote two articles about helping children through grief. One focuses on the grief of losing a pet and how parents can help. The other deals with the grieving the death of a loved one. I plan to rewrite them both this week and submit them for publication. I have another article I am working on that deals with helping a peer through grief. It will take a little longer to complete as it is a more in-depth piece. I have an editor who wants me to send her this article when it is complete, so it is moving quickly to the top of my priority list. ( I met the editor at Glorieta Christian Writer's Conference in New Mexico last October.)

My book proposal has been at a brief standstill as I spent the majority of my time updating the website: www.Writers-Block.info. What an education I am receiving as a result of my work on that site! I am learning to meet deadlines (which means I am learning to build margin into my schedule so I am not totally derailed when something significant comes up, like a death in the family). I am learning to rewrite and rewrite until I just can't stand to look at an article one more time. I am learning to take honest, constructive criticism with grace and a humble heart. I am learning not to ask my husband for his opinion. I am learning that I need other good writers to help out, I cannot tackle something this big all alone! God is providing writers who share the vision for Writer's Block and I am extremely grateful.

Back to the book proposal, I did manage to spend a couple of hours in our local Berean Christian book store, to complete my competitive research. It held few surprises. There were only two books not already on my list of competition. I purchased them both so I could read them and use them in my proposal to differentiate my book from them and the others currently available. I read one of the books already and am making my way through the second.

I also created my title page and started the Proposal Overview. If you read my previous posts, you know that I am using the format outlined by Michael S. Hyatt here: See Comments for Link
I have started to think about which publishers I will submit my proposal to, upon its completion, and found a great piece of information I want to share with you. It is a list of the publishers and editors that participated in the Mount Hermon Christian Writer's Conference this month and what they are looking for. You can find it here: See Comments for Link

That document lists 14 publishers who are looking for non-fiction books written for adults. I will start with these 14 as possible homes for my book. First I will look at their upcoming and existing books on the subject of grief, specifically devotionals. I will build a spreadsheet to help me further analyze them and narrow my focus. I want to be sure that I am not sending my book proposal to a publisher who would not be interested in it or has several similar books coming out soon.

Meanwhile, I will be submitting several of the devotionals for my book to my critique group for their evaluation. I have rewritten each devotional several times and they are ready for the scrutiny of others.

If you are following my journey to publishing a book, I hope you will let me know about your current projects and if anything I share is helpful to you.

In His Service,
Elizabeth

Practicing What I Preach: Helping in Times of Grief

2006-04-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

Monday, my cousin lost her husband in a sudden and unexpected way. Only 30 years old, he was lying on the couch asleep when she left for work in the morning (he worked very late the night before) and was still there when she returned at lunchtime. Only he was not breathing, could not be roused and was dead. We are awaiting a autopsy report to explain what happened.

As soon as I heard the news, I called my two sisters and we went immediately to be with DeAnna. We arrived within hours of Charlie's death. I have read dozens of books on grief and helping people deal with death. I have faced several deaths in recent years of people who's loss seemed insurmountable to me. I brought with me some level of expertise and experience that helped me know what to do and what not to do at such a time as this. When I was sitting face-to-face with someone who is very precious to me, my expertise felt very academic and somewhat useless. What could I do really?

Really, nothing. I am powerless to change what has happened or to lessen the impact it will have on DeAnna's life and the lives of her sweet children, one of whom will never know Daddy except through the stories of family and friends. I could only offer my presence, my prayers and my love. And in those first quiet hours, filled with alternating tears and numbness, that was enough.

Yesterday was the funeral, more of an unstructured visitation really. It was one of the saddest days of my life, feeling so helpless as DeAnna and the girls said their private and public good-byes. He leaves behind my beautiful cousin who is 3 months pregnant and their twin 7-year-old girls. He also left hundreds of friends to mourn his death.

It was the most unusual collection of mourners I had ever seen come together to share their memories and grief. Charlie was a well-known and very talented tattoo artist. His reputation brought clients from all over to his little shop. His deep, infectious laugh and ability to quickly turn a client into a friend, brought them back over and over again. Gathered at the funeral home were my sweet grandparents, mourning the passing of the first of their grandchildren. All of our family members were there. Charlie's parents, siblings and lifetime friends were there. Also in attendance were hundreds of clients, including many "Hell's Angels," and others who would not have come if the event were held in a church. They came in large groups and individually to pay their respects and share a story or two about someone who had touched their lives. Many shared how Charlie encouraged them through a difficult time in life. I realized that if Jesus were with us in bodily form, this is the group he would be hanging out with, "tax collectors and sinners." I felt privileged to share his love with them on such a somber occasion.

Charlie's Dad said several times, that this was the proudest day of his life. He was so moved by the many stories of his son, helping, loving, encouraging, making a difference in the lives of so many people.

I know the days and weeks and months ahead are going to be very painful for DeAnna and the girls. I intend to be a part of her healing and growth. Out of my own personal losses, I have been comforted and have received so much from Jesus and his people that I can share with others in their grief:

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

For nearly a week my projects and deadlines have been shelved. Now I am ready to write and focus again on the book proposal which is the basis of this blog. Freshly sensitized to the pain and suffering that death brings, and with even stronger conviction to reach out to others in their pain with the comfort I have been given.

Celebrating the Resurrection,

Elizabeth

Researching the Competition

2006-04-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

Writing a book proposal requires a little investigative work. So, I went under cover, posing as a normal shopper looking for grief books. My first stop was the local Bible House Book store where I looked for books that would compete with mine. It is sweet that when I approached the young bookseller to ask her to direct me to the books on grief, she was very kind and gentle to me. I felt her sympathy! That was great-I'm not actually grieving, though. And, I know the local Bible House like the back of my hand, I just wanted to see who's books she might specifically recommend. Personal recommendations were important to me, but she didn't recommend a single book. She merely pointed out the shelf where books on grief were kept.

I found the devotionals on grief rather quickly. There were six. None of them were exactly like mine. Two were written by big name authors. These authors could write about underwater basket-weaving and people would buy the books. I don't have name recognition on my side, so I have to focus on having incredible content (not that big name authors don't have great content, they do, that's how they came to have big names).

One of the books looked like it was printed on a home computer. I opened it up and discovered that it was written locally. I thumbed through the pages and found it was self-published. How did I know this? Well, the abundance of typos gave it away. Too bad, that one went back on the shelf without further perusal. It may have some really good content, but I never got past "hello" with it.

I made notes on the books that I thought would compete with mine and I headed home. I may take a trip to a larger Christian bookstore in the area later in the week.

Once home, I did a search of grief devotionals at www.christianbook.com. I found 16. I quickly eliminated two that were specific to the loss of a child. My book will not be that specific. I eliminated two more I had spotted at the Bible House. Now I had a total of 17.

My next step was to research each devotional book and compare/contrast it with my book for the proposal. I cut and pasted the book descriptions into a Word document and printed it. I then researched each title online for the following information:

Who is the target audience?
How many devotionals are included?
Is it a compilation written by many authors or written by only one author?
Is it written by an expert in the field?
What are the author's credentials?
Does the book have a website?
Does the author speak or teach on the topic of grief?

It may be overkill, but aside from needing to differentiate my book in the prospective editor's mind, I have a big curiosity about what is out there, how it is being marketed and whether or not it is helpful to the griever. Book reviews on www.Amazon.com offered some insights in answering the helpfulness question.

So I have collected all the data on current books. I will likely ask to see the publishers' catalogs when I visit the larger Christian bookseller to see what titles are coming out that I need to note in my proposal.

Another step (of Faith) I took was to purchase the domain name for my book title. I realize publishers often change the title, but I really like my title and I am willing to risk the small investment.

I created rough drafts of four devotionals so far. I would like to have 6-12 completed to submit in my proposal. I listed over a hundred scriptures that I plan to use for devotionals. I have not decided how many devotionals to include in my book. I will save that decision for another day.

Thanks for taking this journey with me,

In the Shelter of the Most High,

Elizabeth

A New Jouney Has Begun

2006-04-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my very first blog post ever. I thought it would be fun to chronicle my journey as a writer/editor and share my experiences as I prepare my first book proposal, write the sample chapters and find the publisher who will produce it. I believe aspiring authors will enjoy tagging along and learning from my mistakes, my victories and the choices I make.

My writing so far consists of articles for www.Writers-Block.info, including author profiles, writing tips and book reviews. I have also written articles for Focus on the Family's Citizen magazine, Focus on Your Child, the Sacramento Bee, and Today's Christian. My piece, "Dear God, It's Me, Nathaniel" can be found in the book, Caution: Children Praying, True Stories Inspiring Childlike Faith, compiled by Wayne Holmes.

The tools I am using to prepare my book proposal include:

Write the Perfect Book Proposal by Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman
Book Proposals That Sell by W. Terry Whalin
Writing a Book Proposal: See Comments for Link
I am also relying on information provided by Bucky Rosenbaum at the Glorieta Christian Writers Conference last October. I would highly recommend purchasing a CD set of his workshop. I learned so much about the publishing industry and the process of publishing a book from idea to completion. Bucky emphasized the importance of writing an exceptional book proposal, how to write one and how the proposal is used in every step of the publishing process.

You can order the CD from www.Classervices.com.

I have my idea firmly planted in my mind and my tools assembled. Now comes the hard part! Sitting down and writing it. My challenge this week will be time management. I have deadlines looming as the next eNewsletter for www.writers-block.info will go out on April 15. I am writing 2 articles and 2 book reviews for that edition.

Thanks for joining me on this journey,

In His Grace,
Elizabeth