Another step on the journey

The ACFW national conference begins one week from today and I find that the nearer it gets, the more I eat, dream and breathe ACFW. Thoughts, anxiety, hopes, pitch, fears, excitement, one sheet, questions, ideas, prepare, do's and dont's, pack, memorize, research, polish ... I'm sure some of my fellow newbie's can relate! And I know that the friends I talk to regularly are sick and tired of hearing about it!  Even my bed has been completely taken over by my suitcases!

I've become hyper focused on what to wear (and what to eat so they will fit), what to bring, what to pitch, and the list goes on. It just feels like this is the single most important weekend of my entire life. And if I mess it up it will be the death of a lifelong dream. (I'm not damatic at all - wink, wink)

No wonder I've been stressed! That's a lot of pressure to put on myself. And the beautiful, freeing truth is  this is not my make-it-or-break-it moment. It's only another step on the divinely charted journey God is leading me through - a journey that is far from over, no matter what happens next week.

It never ceases to amaze me how God can summon scripture from the recesses of my memories, brush the dust off of them and present them to me as if they were brand new truths, perfectly applicable to my situation. How sweet those precious words are when they are whispered to my anxious soul just when I need to hear them! How wonderfully patient my Savior is as He reminds me of the promises He delivers though His word!  

Here are some of the gentle reminders that have been popping into my head in the last few days.

Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Joshuah 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Psalm 27: 13-14 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Scripture is the balm for my soul - and it's unscented, so I can take it with me to ACFW. ;)

Generational Wisdom

This evening I was discussing ACFW and the delicate balance of hopes and fears with my mom. After pouring out all my anxiety and excitement over my first writer's conference, my mom, (Janelle Wood) shared some wonderful truths with me. These truths transfer so very well to the plight of the unpublished writer that I asked her permission to post her thoughts here. I hope it is as meaningful to all my fellow writers as it is to me, especially in light of the stress of preparing for ACFW.
 

A little background about Janelle Wood: Almost three years ago, after working at the same place for 15 years, Janelle was unexpectedly laid off. She spent almost two years searching for a job in the difficult job market. After hundreds of applications and dozens of interviews, she wrote this article to remind her of the lessons God had been teaching her thought her season of unemployment.

Lessons from the Unemployment Line…and Exodus

                Last Sunday our pastor spoke on the familiar passage from Exodus 14. After watching God’s awesome power demonstrated in the ten plagues, the Israelites were finally released from Egypt. But Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his armies in pursuit. When the Israelites came to the Red Sea, they could not go forward, and were surrounded by the enemy. The Israelites complained to Moses, saying “what have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? . . . It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (vs 11-12)

                Over the past months, there were many times when I could identify with how the Israelites must have felt—a sea of hopelessness at my back, and the enemy of self-doubt surrounding me.  I must confess that at times I have demonstrated the same lack of faith as the Israelites, even though I have seen God’s faithful provision many, many times. I have wondered if God knew what he was doing.  I’ve wondered if God brought me to the desert to die. I’ve wondered if God really did have a plan.  But even through my doubt, God’s answer has often been the same as His response to the Israelites: “The Lord with fight for you; you need only to be still.” (vs 14)

                 During this unwelcome journey through unemployment, I am learning many things—most of them things I really should have learned long ago. But, if you are among the one in ten people on the journey with me, be encouraged by these reminders. If not, thank God for your work, and rejoice in these truths. 

Lesson 1: God is my provider.  It is not my job that provides my needs, it is God. Sometimes he has provided through my job, but right now He simply wants me to trust Him alone.

Lesson 2: God is my sufficiency. I don’t need the approval or affirmation of anyone except God.  As long as my heart is right with Him, and I am walking in obedience-it is sufficient.

Lesson 3: God is my identity. I am not defined by my job or my income. I am not incomplete because I don’t have a title or a business card. I am a child of the King and complete in Him.

Lesson 4: God is my creator.  I am His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He prepared in advance for me to do. (Eph 2:10) He created me to be perfectly suited to do the things that he wants me to do. He didn’t miss a skill or aptitude, or forget about an attribute when He created me. I am exactly as He intended.  

Lesson 5: God is Faithful. I do not need to be afraid, He will never leave me nor forsake me.

Lesson 6: God is my destiny.  My professional future is not in my hands, or the hands of my interviewers or evaluators. It is in God’s hands and His alone. This does not excuse me from doing my due diligence, but it frees me from the bondage of perceived failure.

The Red Sea has not parted for me yet, but it is no longer the sea of hopelessness.  It is becoming the sea of opportunity—opportunity for God to show himself strong and faithful—to work a miracle in my life.  The enemy of self-doubt is still poised, but the angel of God and the pillar of cloud (vs 19-20), in the form of some lessons re-learned, have come between me and this destructive enemy just as they did for the Israelites.

Shortly after writing out these thoughts, a door was opened and Janelle has now been happily employed for almost a year.
Thanks Mom for sharing these thoughts!

Tag Line

As the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) national conference nears I'm frantically trying to finish up all the little projects that I thought I had all the time in the world to do. Today's panic project is ordering business cards. I've designed several but haven't decided yet which one I should send to print, and time is quickly running out! (Thank goodness for three day shipping!) I've asked around and read blog posts and emails from people who are much more experienced about what to include. Recurrently, these advisers have suggested that I include my tag line. Problem is, I don't have one ... yet. So I need your help.

A tag line is like a writers motto. It should explain the writers style and genera or intended audience. Examples: Camy Tang (romantic suspense) Romance with a kick of wasabi, Kaye Dacus (Romantic comedy) Humor, Hope and Happily Ever Afters, Trish Perry (Romantic Comedy) True Love. Real Laughs. Pure Fiction., Lauralee Bliss (Historical Romance) Love the way it should be. These are just a few examples. Look up your favorite authors web site. Authors usually list their tag line right under their name on their site heading.

I've come up with a few ideas, but nothing I love.
Cord of Three Strands Romance,  Redeeming Romance, Lost and Found Love Stories, Chosen One Romance, Faith, Hope and Love Stories ...
I think I like Redeeming Romance best so far. Is it too overused? Please feel free to vote for your favorite or give a suggestion in the comments. Thanks!

The Floppy Disk Box and the New York Times

Each summer each of my daughters spend a week of quality one-on-one Grandma time with my Mother-In-Law. She always plans great activities and day trips. My kids LOVE their Grandma week.
This year my middle daughter, Faith, spent part of her week with Grandma searching for treasures at a Flee Market. Faith brought home several trinkets and presents for her sisters, Daddy and me. One of the treasure she purchased for me was this:

This small wooden box was designed to organize floppy disks. It even has a little floppy disk emblem attached to the front of the box. (My 8-year-old had never heard of a floppy disk) After this box had floated around my house for a few weeks without finding a good home, I was ready to sneak it into a bag of goodwill donations. After all, what was I going to do with a floppy disk box?
I decided I had better not throw it out without at least asking her what she thought I needed it for. I didn't want to hurt her easily bruised feelings. Her answer melted my heart.
"Mommy, I got you the box because after your books get published, you're going to need somewhere to keep all your fan letters."
Needless to say, I'm keeping the floppy disk box. Even if Faith's notes are the only fan letter it ever holds, it will forever remind me of my daughter's faith in me.

Faith, Trinity and Me

Last winter, my oldest daughter, Trinity, made my day when she asked if I would get her a subscription to the New York Times for her birthday. I thought it an odd request. I told her I thought there were other things she would probably enjoy more. "But Mom, I want to be the first one to know when you're books make the best sellers list."
If ever I feel discouraged, my little home-grown fan club is quick to boost my spirits and give me a reason to persevere. Thanks Girls. You never cease to make me smile!

Contesting

This year, as I have been working toward getting my writing ready for submission, I decided to enter writing contests. The benefit of entering contests is, of course, the chance of winning the title of "award-winning novelist", but perhaps more practical and necessary is the volume of feedback for the minimal entry fee. Feedback from people in the publishing world is crucial for an industry newbie like me. If I were to pay individually for critiques, it would cost me hundreds, but for the $25-$35 entry fee for a contest, I receive comments, suggestions, criticism, and detailed scores from at least three judges, more if I advance into semi-final or final rounds.

The three contests I found to enter were:

• The Genesis Contest through ACFW
• The Touched by Love Contest through the Faith, Hope and Love chapter of RWA
• The Fraiser Contest through My Book Therapy

For a longtime hobby writer with little prior exposure to the publishing world, the idea of exposing my hard won words to potentially brutal criticism was more than a little scary. But learning to have thick skin is another lesson I know I need to learn in order to survive in this industry.

Discovering that I was a semi-finalist in the Genesis and scored in the top 20% was a huge boost. I was so excited! Unfortunately, when the finalists were announced, my name was not among them. I didn't really go into these contests expecting to win, so, although I was disappointed, it wasn't surprising.

A few days later I found out that I had not finaled in the Touched by Love contest either. Unlike the Genesis, there is no semi-final round in the TBL, and I didn't make the top three. I must have had higher hopes for the Touched by Love than I thought I did, because I was really discouraged that I didn't final.

After not advancing in both the TBL and the Genesis, I really had no expectation for the Fraiser, so I was absolutely shocked when Susan May Warren called me personally to let me know that I am a finalist. I started shaking and I cried a little (happy tears)!

The only down side to finaling is having to wait until after the winner is announced to get my feedback. The comments and score sheets from the TBL and the Genesis were somewhat helpful, but also confusing and frustrating. Each round and contest I got at least one very high score and one that was disappointingly low. Everyone's personal opinions are so different, so many of my comments contradicted each other. It's hard to apply criticism when one judge loved the characters and another judge thought they were weak, one thinks I use too much description and another praises how my description paints such a vivid picture in their mind.

Even if I'm not sure how to use the contradictory critiques, it's still so helpful to hear how a reader perceives the story. Many comments were helpful and I was able to fix problem areas and apply the concepts to my other writing. And the feedback was not all bad. My judges were all kind and complementary.

I don't think I'm allowed to quote the judges, or I'd just post the comment, but one pro level judge gave me the highest complement I've ever received. Basically she said that I'm ready for publication and this was the best manuscript she had read in a long time. I keep going back and re-reading it, just to make sure I didn't dream it up. Encouragement like that is very motivating. It sooths the sting of the less complementary comments. 

My scores for the Genesis were (out of 100 possible points): First Round: 95, 93, 87; Semi-final round: 95, 90, 77 and the Touched By Love (out of 150 possible points): 152, 137, 115.

If I haven't gotten a publishing contract by next year, I'll enter again. In the mean time, I'll be working on applying my critiques as I am rewriting and polishing Saving Savannah.

The Fraiser winner will be announced at the ACFW conference in St. Louis in September and I'll be pitching my book to agents and editors for the first time (scary!). Wish me luck in the Fraiser finals and pray for God's guidance and direction as I seek an agent to represent my work and a publisher to print and market it!

Little Known Facts

25 facts about me in no particular order

1.       Faith in God is my foundation, the solid rock I stand on. Without God I am nothing. He is my all in all and when it comes down to it, nothing else matters. If you know me and you don’t know this about me then I have failed Him. It wouldn’t be the first time or the only way that I have failed Him, but I strive to avoid it.

2.       I walked through the catacombs under Paris, stood at the top if the Eifel Tower, toured Notre Dame, saw Leonardo Divinci’s Mona Lisa, and explored Marie Antonette’s bedchamber in Versailles. I wish I could travel more. I love going interesting places.

3.       My first kiss was on stage in the play “Into the Woods”. I played the Baker’s Wife. I was 18 years old.

4.       My husband is the only boyfriend I ever had. We will celebrate our 12^th anniversary in August. I was 19 when we got married.

5.       I went swimming with wild stingrays in the Cayman Islands.

6.       I’m a writer. I have worked as a staff reporter for two news papers.  The large majority of my published writing can be found on the pages of the Winthrop News, but my true passion is creative writing. I’ve written several novels and someday I hope to get them published. I finished my first novel when I was 15 years old.

7.       The Bible is my favorite book. It has something for everyone.

8.       I took belly dancing classes. I loved every minute of it!

9.       I’m creative. I love creating beautiful things. My many hobbies reflect this: Writing, sewing, cooking/baking, gardening, acting/directing, cake decorating, interior design, graphic design, arts/crafts …

10.   I have absolutely no natural ability in the area of organization. If I seem organized at any given moment it is either a well practiced front or the result of painstakingly concerted effort.

11.   I’m very bad at math. I can barely add. My mind shuts off at the first mention of numbers.

12.   I’m a terrible housekeeper. It drives my husband crazy. I try, but I always seem to run around in circles without getting anything finished.

13.   I met my husband on a blind date. My roommate in college set us up. He’s her cousin so now we are related.

14.   I have three wonderful, beautiful daughters. I adore them. I fear the coming years because I know I will not be able to protect them from everything. If they turn out to be just like my sister, I will be a very blessed mama.

15.   My oldest daughter and my sister are closer in age than my sister and me.

16.   I have many idiosyncrasies. I hate having anything touch between my toes. It grosses me out to be touched by pruny fingers or toes or to touch anything when my hands are pruny. When I get in the shower I have to wash my hair right away, because if I wait until my fingers get pruny I can’t stand to touch it.

17.   When I was a child the feathers from my feather pillow somehow pierced my ear. To this day, I still occasionally have fragments of the feathers work their way out of the scar on the back of my left ear.  

18.   I have moved more than 24 times in my 31 years.

19.   I acted in 16 plays and played a leading role in five of them. I also directed 5 plays and participated in drama troupes. One of my drama troupes performed puppet shows and skits in the public schools of Paris. We were the first Christian group ever allowed in the public schools in France.

20.   I have worked as a model. I hated it.

21.   I love to sing but I don’t like listening to music.

22.   Coffee. Enough said. Also, Cheesecake, chocolate and peanut butter together, chicken marsala, and spinach dip with Hawaiian sweet bread. Yum. 

23.   I hate city traffic. It freaks me out, especially when my truck driver husband is driving.

24.   I once few a small plane.

25.   I started college when I was 17 years old. I went full time Post-Secondary as a senior in High School to Crown College. Ten years, one marriage, three kids, one change of my major, and seven moves later, I graduated with my degree – a double major in Communications and Christian Studies.

Wow! This list makes my life sound more interesting that I feel like it is. :) I'll go to bed counting my blessings tonight!

I’d like to challenge my readers to come up with a few little know facts about yourselves and post them in the comments. I’d love to get to know you all a little better!

Spring Break and Exciting News

After a few crazy weeks in a row I'm looking forward to the return of relative normalcy! The last week of March I was hard at work preparing entries for the Fraiser and Touched By Love writing contests. Immediately following my submissions, we had a fun-filled spring break with a houseful of company.



Between our family of five and the seven Hutchcrafts, we had 12 people in our three bedroom apartment (8 children 10 years and under) all last week! We had a blast, but I feel genuinely sorry for the family that lives in the apartment below ours!



We celebrated my youngest daughter's sixth birthday at the local indoor water park while our friends were here.

I got to have some fun decorating her cake-one of my favorite hobbies! She insisted on a Tangled theme. She wanted Rapunzel with her feet in a pond and her hair all over the cake. (Where do they come up with this stuff?)



The oldest six kids loved rock climbing at the local YMCA. It was so great to share fun times and make memories!

The last two days since the Hutchcrafts left, we have been playing catch up with school work (I home school my three daughters) and housework (no fun). So a phone call I received yesterday was a much needed boost of encouragement.

About a month ago I entered the Genesis contest. The ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Genesis contest is a national competition for unpublished novelists. I just learned that my entry - the first 15 pages of one of my novels (contest rules say I can't reveal the title publicly) - has been advanced to the semi-final round! This means my entry scored in the top 20%! What a surprise!

These three contests are the first competitions I have ever joined, but I hear that it is a great way to get the feedback of professionals from the publishing industry. It's my goal to use the feedback to edit my book.

Praise God for small victories that confirm His direction! Thank you Lord for this encouragement!