Congratulations, Kathleen!

I am elated to celebrate and congratulate Kathleen Maher on her Genesis win last night at the ACFW Awards.

The Genesis contest is a contest for unpublished writers and the awards are broken down into several categories.

Kathleen's story, Closer Than a Brother, was the winner of the Historical Fiction category.

Kathleen, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

And congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the Genesis contest.  Your hard work has paid off.

Writing is no easy task.  Sticking with it through all the ups and downs is even harder.  So this marks a great accomplishment for each and every one.  God bless you.

The Flustered Writer

First, a celebration!

I finished the first draft of my novel on Saturday, March 31st.  Fifteen months and nearly 120,000 words later, the first draft is DONE! YEEHAW!

I'm taking a day off from work later this week to celebrate (and begin brainstorming the follow up novel which I'll start next month).

But I haven't had much time for celebration.  No matter what I do I just can't seem to find enough hours in the day to fit everything in.  Work, teaching youth, writing, fitness, chores...we all know the endless list.

At the moment, I'm particularly flustered by social media.  One of the great benefits to being a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, otherwise known as ACFW (http://www.acfw.com) is that each month a free online course is offered to members.

This month, the course is social media--one of my greatest areas of weakness.  I'm completely flummoxed by Facebook.  And my introduction to Facebook has been so terrifying I haven't even been brave enough to touch Twitter.

But I have vowed that this month, buoyed by the accomplishment of finishing my second novel's first draft, I'm going to use that momentum and learn social media.  There is no doubt that an aspiring author these days needs to participate in social media, but finding which outlets are right and how much time to invest in them is the difficulty.  I hope to have a much better idea of my own direction for social media by the end of the month.

Do you have any Facebook trials or triumphs to share from your experience?

ANNOUNCING: Phoenix Rattler Contest

Christian Writers of the West (CWOW)

Arizona’s ACFW chapter - Announces:

The Phoenix Rattler 2011-2012 writing contest - “Does your story have bite?”

*  Contest open to all unpublished novelists
*  Send the first scene, up to 10 pages, double spaced
*  Deadline Oct 29th 2011, winner announced Feb 11th 2012, fee $25
*  Category winners receive $25 prize - All Finalists receive an award certificate
*  Grand Prize (worth $515) paid registration to 2012 ACFW Conference (minimum 150 entries)

CATEGORIES & FINAL-ROUND JUDGES:

Contemporary Fiction:
Don Pape, Publisher, David C Cook
Bill Jensen, Owner, William K Jensen Literary Agency

Historical Fiction:
Karen Schurrer, Acquisitions Editor, Adult Fiction, Bethany House
Joyce Hart, Agent, Hartline Literary Agency

Suspense/Thriller/Mystery:
Sue Brower, Executive Editor for Fiction, Zondervan
Elizabeth Mazer, Assistant Editor, Love Inspired Suspense

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Allegory:
Jeff Gerke, Owner, Marcher Lord Press, Author, Jefferson Scott
Amanda Luedeke, Agent, MacGregor Literary

Young Adult:
Becky Monds, Associate Editor, Fiction, Thomas Nelson
Rachel Kent, Agent, Books & Such LiteraryAgency
Joanna MacKenzie, Browne & Miller Literary Associates

Women’s Fiction:
Ami McConnell, Sr Acquisitions Editor, Fiction, Thomas Nelson
Sandra Bishop, Agent, MacGregor Literary
Judy Mikalonis, Senior Agent, Andrea Hurst & Associates

Romance included in all categories

Watch website for details and entry form: http://www.christianwritersofthewest.weebly.com/

Contest Coordinator: DL Shipley – Rattler (at) dlshipley (dot) com

It's a great contest with a great prize.  Happy writing!

Accountability Partner For Your Word Count

I thought I was being a sissy-baby for signing up for NovelTrack this month. "You idiot," I said to myself. "You are a grown woman. You do not need to sign up on a website to ensure you get down words on the page every week. You're not a baby, you know! Just write."

But I signed up for NovelTrack anyway. And I'm glad I did.

ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) is a professional organization aimed at developing writers who intend to publish in the CBA (Christian Booksellers Assoc). There are tremendous benefits to being a member, including the networking with other writers, learning the biz, classes offered as part of membership, and the annual conference that assembles the best line up of editors and agents for Christian fiction each year. And if you understand anything at all about breaking in as a writer, you know how important those conferences are.

But one of the other benefits they offer that might not seem like such a big deal is what they call "NovelTrack" which is similar in idea to NaNoWriMo.

In essence, four times a year, ACFW members can log onto NovelTrack, select a word count goal for that month, and post their daily word counts to encourage themselves and others on to meeting their goals.

Some people select really large goals, say 50,000 words. NovelTrack recommends you select a minimum of 10,000 words, which is what I opted for. If I write every day but Sunday, that means cranking out 385 words a day, which even for a slow writer like me is very doable.

I'm so glad I did. At a time when the day job is literally ten kinds of hell, I can go to, as Jack O'Neill said in Stargate "my happy place" and in 15-20 minutes, jot down my 385 words for the day. I don't even have this novel plotted out or researched. But that's ok. Writing 385 words a day, I can brainstorm in freeflow about my characters and situations, plus I am rebuilding the habit of writing daily.

There is much discussion in the writing community about whether it's truly necessary to write on a regular basis. Ask 10 different writers, you'll get 10 different answers. For me, I believe its important to write a little each day. It keeps the momentum going.

It's sort of like driving a car---you get in your car and drive down the freeway. While you're doing that, the oil is moving through your engine, lubricating all the parts and making it function smoothly. That's what writing daily does for our creative minds.

I'm especially proud of myself for setting a low word count goal, as I tend to want too big a slice of the pie in my goal setting. This pace is very comfortable for me, and makes allowance for all the chaos presently in my life.

But you don't have to be a member of ACFW to have accountability. Set up a spreadsheet for yourself--note your monthly goal at the top and track your daily progress. Then email your daily progress to a trusted friend. That's all there is to it.

But if you want to be a writer, you have to write.

Congratulations To All 2010 Genesis Contest Entrants and Finalists

On Thursday, May 13th, the finalists for the Genesis Contest were announced. This is a contest for unpublished Christian Fiction writers. The contest received a whopping 458 entries (boggles my mind!). Here are the categories and finalists:

2010 ACFW GENESIS FINALISTS

CONTEMPORARY FICTION: (total entries: 47)
Cindy Hays
Lynnette P. Horner
Chris Kraft
Mark Lundgren
Christina S. Nelson

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE: (total entries: 63)
Jeannie Campbell
Sarah Forgrave
Janice LaQuiere
Rebecca Syme
Linda Yezak

HISTORICAL FICTION: (total entries: 35)
Lori Benton
Brenda Jackson
Robert Kaku
Lisa Karon Richardson
Katie-Marie Stout

HISTORICAL ROMANCE: (total entries: 65)
Susanne Dietze
Anne Greene
Pam Hillman
Lisa Karon Richardson
Ruth Trippy

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER: (total entries: 45)
Rich Bullock
Barbara Early (double finalist with two entries)
Lynda Schab
Chawna Schroeder

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE (there was a two-way tie for the fifth finalist slot): (total entries: 50)
Valerie Goree
Mindy Obenhaus
Leslie Pfeil
Dianna Shuford
Teri Dawn Smith
Terri Weldon

SPECULATIVE FICTION: (total entries: 49)
Ben Erlichman
Suzanne Krein
Shelley Ledfors
Andra Marquardt
Holly Smit

WOMEN'S FICTION (there was a three-way tie for the fifth finalist slot): (total entries: 76)
Lisa Buffaloe
Jennifer Fromke
Terri Haynes
Fay Lamb
Christina S. Nelson
Melissa Tagg
Michelle Ule

YOUNG ADULT: (total entries: 56)
Angela Bell
Lin Harris
Kasey Heinly
LoraLee Kodzo
Stefanie Morris

I'm very honored to be selected as a Historical Fiction finalist. When I received the email that said "Dear Finalist..." I thought I was seeing things. It had been extremely hectic at work and I thought I was just seeing what I wanted to see. So I signed out of email and went back to work.

A while later I went back and signed in again and this time, there was an announcement to the ACFW loop about the finalists. I scrolled down to Historical Fiction and found my name. Still not satisfied, I clicked out of it and back in again and re-checked. But yes, still, there was my name listed. Then I knew it was true. 8-)

When I got home from work that night, it was officially confirmed as there was a phone message of congratulations on my answering machine.

I wish I could explain the depths of what it means to place as a finalist and actually only a small portion of that meaning is wrapped up in the actual writing itself. Getting that "Dear Finalist..." email was like finding a directional sign on a dark, empty back road. It's a feeling of relief to know I'm heading in the right direction after all.

Everyone who enters contests like the Genesis pour thousands of hours into the story of their heart. And my hope is that, whether entrants finaled or not, the feedback they receive from their entries will be a signpost for them too---a way of looking forward to all that is to come in their writing journey.

And contest or no contest, there is but one thing for all of us to do now that the results are out--get back to writing! 8-)

Recommended Craft Book: Save The Cat

I love it when a craft book immediately sets my mind to whirring on one of my WIPs and starts me to thinking about new angles and new possibilities. Save The Cat did that for me this weekend.

I can't figure it out, but somehow this book on screenwriting flew under my radar. There's a lot of things in life I have a hard time staying on top of, but I'm usually fairly well up to date about the latest writing books, seeing as how its one of my key procrastination techniques to avoid writing my own stuff. LOL! Until someone recently mentioned Blake Snyder's Save The Cat on the ACFW Loop (whoever mentioned it-THANK YOU!), I had never heard of it before--and it was published back in 2005!

I highly recommend this book--whether or not you write screenplays. I find screenplay books just as beneficial to novel writers. And what I like about Save The Cat is that it takes concepts long ago taught by Syd Field and others and IMPROVES them. The beat sheet alone is well worth picking up the book.

Granted, I haven't read all the screenplay books out there, but his approach in teaching through this book keeps you glued to the pages (though I confess my eyes began to glaze over during talk about "The Board", even though I can see it's merit.)

I know a book has been valuable when I am furiously scratching down several pages of notes and having fun doing it. I can't wait to type them up! Yep, I'm a true geek at heart.

I enjoyed the book so much I looked up the author's website tonight intending to send an email complementing him on an excellent job. I was saddened and dismayed to learn on the website that the author passed away last year so now I have no way of saying thanks.

But I highly recommend the book to screenwriters and novel writers alike. While screenplays and novels are two different animals, they each need to be plotted out (even pantsers have to plan their stories just a little!) and I think you will find tremendous value in Save the Cat.

Certainly a great way for a working author to leave a legacy. Thanks, Mr. Snyder!

Only Unusual Jobs For Female Suspense Novel Protags?

Recently, while my historical writing has been on hiatus, an undeveloped novel concept that has been in the back of my mind for some time (one of those "what if?" questions) has pushed itself to the forefront. The very early stages--I don't have a clearly defined plot, just the what-if question, so I've been brainstorming story possibilities and writing a few paragraphs here and there just to see what would pour out of the brain and onto paper.

And it wasn't historical fiction material. Hmm....

Anyway, that led me to ask my fellow ACFW compatriots a question that had always confused me--what is the difference between mystery, suspense and thriller novels?

In a nutshell, I was told that in a mystery the emphasis is on finding out who did the dirty deed. In suspense, it's more of a ticking clock/someone's in peril and it's about avoiding that perilous end, and that thriller is like suspense, only the stakes are larger (say affecting a whole city or country or other large group of people rather than just one or two).

Okey dokey. So looking at the notes I wrote, while the story concept I have in mind doesn't completely fit the mold, it seems to most closely resemble a suspense concept.

So then off I went to Fiction Finder (http://www.fictionfinder.com), which is a great resource if you're looking for Christian fiction. You can use the site to search for titles under a particular genre, or by title, etc.

I clicked on suspense and pulled up a list of titles. I wanted to know what kind of jobs the female protags of suspense fiction held. I was somewhat surprised to find that, in the 3-4 pages of titles I scrolled, not one of these female protags held an ordinary job. By ordinary I mean a job in which many females work, not the more unusual. All the female protags were FBI agents, helicopter pilots, firefighters, corporate CEO's. And that's perfectly fine.

But what I wanted to know was--where were the data entry clerks? The store cashiers? The secretaries? Where were these everyday workers, the unsung heroes in the lower income spectrum who make the world turn and, not intentionally, get taken for granted?

Not one single "ordinary" job was to be found by a protagonist in any of the titles I screened. Is it that readers are not interested in people in more common occupations? Is it too hard to formulate workable story concepts using your every-day, non-CEO, non-FBI agent?

Maybe it is too hard to use ordinary people. I don't know. I've never tried the genre. But I'm about to find out. Because I want to use an ordinary everyday working stiff as my female protag.

Ordinary people do seem to be more common in mysteries. But my concept doesn't seem to be a mystery. ARGH!

What do you all think? What is the reason only the more "exotic" jobs are used for female protags in suspense fiction? I'd love to learn more about this.

Awesome Weather Reminds Me Of 1st Year In AZ

What can I say about our weather except--WOW!!!!!

All this wet weather we are having reminds me of the very first year I moved here in 1997. The fall of '97/Winter of '98 was also an El Nino year and we had TONS of rain. It also produced the most spectacular wildflower season I've experienced to date in Arizona. I took tons of film that year.

When I got up this morning it was fairly warm--close to 60 degrees and I didn't need a jacket. I scoffed because the weather channel said the high for the day was going to be 54--which we'd already passed.

But the temperatures did indeed dive and we had plenty of rain. In fact, tonight, as the Pastor preached from Revelations, the rain was coming down fast and furious so that he had to practically shout to be heard over the sound of the rain on the roof.

To date, we've had 4" of rain this year. To put that in perspective, we usually get no more than 7" of rain annually --- and that's on a good year. And most of that 4" came in the last two and a half months.

On the writing front, I've been participating in March's writing class on characterization through ACFW, and it is really challenging my brain. I've had a great time with it this weekend. If you are an ACFW member, I encourage you to check out the course archives.

I'm just hoping that the creative juices I'm working up for the class will spill over into getting me charged up to get back into my novel. Things have been so hectic, there hasn't been much time to work on it.

Have a blessed week and may your writing goals be met!

Announcing: FictionFinder.com

Here's a great new service offered by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Please see the publicity officer's press release below:

FictionFinder.com: Finding Christian fiction the easy way
ACFW launches new free online resource to search for titles

PALM BAY, Fla. — With over 500,000 books published each year, it is harder than ever to find a new book that’s just right. A simple Amazon search in the Christian literature and fiction category yields more than 17,000 results. Consumers wading through the exhaustive, seemingly endless list of choices now have a more manageable resource to help them purchase their next book.

American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), the nation’s leading Christian fiction writers’ organization, is launching FictionFinder.com, a new free resource for retailers, readers, media and other Christian fiction fans to search for authors and books. The search engine allows users to sort by author, title, genre, topic, publication date, and target audience.

Cynthia Ruchti, president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), believes this trusted, easy-to-use resource is a significant development in the search for Christian fiction authors and new titles.

”The idea rose from a roundtable discussion between the ACFW leadership team and Christian booksellers looking for a better way to connect their customers with great Christian fiction,” says Ruchti. “ACFW responded by rolling up our sleeves and creating a comprehensive database to serve readers, booksellers, publishers, authors, book club coordinators, librarians and others on the hunt for information and inspiration.”

The site also allows readers to learn about the nature of the content of each book. Each title is rated for action, conflict, humor, mystery, romance, spirituality and suspense, in addition to more sensitive issues like language, sensuality and violence. Users can also post reviews to the site and learn more about soon-to-be-released titles.

The database is the first of its kind and is not limited to books written by ACFW members. The organization is also working with publishers to ensure Christian novels by other authors are incorporated as well.

ACFW’s presence as the voice of Christian fiction and its industry prowess has long been recognized, and its authors are a mainstay on bestseller lists. FictionFinder.com is the organization’s latest effort to make finding the best in Christian fiction as easy as possible for fans around the world.

Quick facts about fictionfinder.com:
* Book information pages include facts about the publisher, main themes, setting and the author’s other titles.
* A special “similar books” section offers other titles the user may be interested in reading.
* Users can create an account with their preferences, making it easier to find new favorites.

With nearly 2,000 members and 19 chapters in 14 states nationwide, ACFW seeks to promote Christian Fiction through developing the skills of its authors, educating them in the market, and serving as an advocate in the industry. Founded in 2000 under the banner of American Christian Romance writers, in 2004 the organization was renamed American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) to reflect its dedication to Christian fiction writers of all genres.

ACFW is headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida. Their advisory and operating boards work to give writers the tools they need to develop their craft, grow ACFW’s extensive publishing knowledge and secure relationships with industry professionals. To learn more about ACFW and their authors, please visit http://www.acfw.com/.

Writer/Speakers Pump Up Your Enthusiasm

Earlier this week I posted about the downer that the trek to publication sometimes becomes. No, I haven't even submitted in order to receive my first rejection letter, but there are a whole lot of stumbling blocks that seem to be in the way of new writers. Blocks that have nothing whatsoever to do with your actual writing.

But today was a good shot in the arm for me. As a member of ACFW (http://www.acfw.com) or American Christian Fiction Writers, we also have local chapters. And we are fortunate enough in my area to have a local chapter.

And today we had a meeting I've very much been looking forward to because Nancy Turner was our guest speaker.

I've blogged a couple of times over the last few years about Nancy Turner. If you are unfamiliar with her, she is the author of These Is My Words, Sarah's Quilt, and The Star Garden and others. I was absolutely blown away by these books, especially These Is My Words - which I have read TWICE already. Her books have the privilege of being able to turn off my internal editor - a very rare feat. For more information on Nancy Turner, visit her website at http://www.nancyeturner.net.

Anyway, she did a marvelous job as guest speaker and I felt really energized afterward. It gave me the fuel I need to keep pushing forward with my project. And it came just at the right time because it lifted me out of my writing doldrums.

WOW! How do I top an afternoon like this? I don't think I'll try. I'll just sit back and let the renewed energy wash over me and store it up for when I began my next rewrite this coming week.

Thanks to Nancy Turner and thanks to ACFW for making it possible.