10 Things Writers Need to Hear - Missy Tippens

Kate Conner and Missy Tippens

10 Things Writers Need to Hear

Missy Tippens

Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers out there! My daughter and I attended an Anchor Club mother-daughter banquet last week—an annual event that hit close to Mother’s Day this year. Very fun!

At the dinner, my daughter’s friend’s mother introduced me to her pastor’s wife’s daughter-in-law (did you catch all that? :) ) who was our speaker for the event, and is also a writer. Kate Conner was an amazing speaker, and has quite an amazing story!

Late one night, Kate wrote a blog post geared toward teen girls she’d worked with in youth ministry. She titled it “Ten Things I Want to Tell Teenage Girls.” She poured out her heart, and you can read the post by clicking here. (But be sure to come back.) The post apparently hit a nerve, because it went viral. Two million hits in two weeks! And, long story short, she ended up getting an agent and a 3-book contract with Broadman & Holman. So, so exciting!

Book to be released in August 2014

I told Kate it took me over 12 years to sell my first book, so my journey was much different. :) She was sweet and gracious, saying she knows that her story is certainly not the way it usually happens. It was so fun to see her excitement. I’m excited for her!

I was inspired by Kate’s talk to the girls at the banquet (she spoke about #2 and #10 on her list). And I decided I wanted to write 10 Things Writers Need to Hear. I based it loosely on Kate’s 10 points. These are things I would like to say to those who want to make a career of writing, especially new writers. They’re also things I wish someone had said to me. Some of these are things I still have to tell myself daily.

1. Write what you need to write or feel led to write. And do your very best work. Don’t chase the market, and don’t compromise your values just to make a sale. Don’t write something you wouldn’t want published and read by your grandma!

2. Don’t try to be something you’re not. I could never write romantic comedy about cowboys. As much as I wish I were, I am not hilariously funny like Mary Connealy. And I don’t live on a ranch like Mary. I am not Mary, with her life experiences.

Mary and one of her baby cows

But I am Missy Tippens…born and raised in Kentucky, grew up in a college town. Moved to Georgia for graduate school, married a man in seminary who would become a pastor, and have lived all around the Atlanta area in different sized towns while raising three amazing kids. I love small towns, love church folks and church activities, love the laughter of teens hanging around our house, love music and singing, love my pets (be sure to see Myra’s post tomorrow!), and love cooking (be sure to visit The Yankee-Belle Café blog). So I write about those things—and then enjoy reading Mary’s books and enjoy her daily doses of laughter from emails and the blog. And yes, I still sometimes envy the funny things she says. (I’m the type who thinks of funny things to say hours later!)

But what I want you to hear is this: You’re special just the way you are and have a lot to offer the world with your own personality and your own experiences. Bless us with YOUR stories. The ones only you can tell.

3. Don’t vent or over-share online. I mentioned this in a previous post (click here) so I won’t say more here. Just remember those words are out there forever. FOREVER.

4. Don’t get sucked into the hype of feeling like you have to be doing such and such promo or such and such social media, or that you have to do the exact same marketing plan as XYZ author. Sure, publishers may ask you to do something to help promote your book. But try to figure out where you feel comfortable. Then...write the books. And above all, don’t compare yourself to others, which is always a losing battle. Jealousy in this business can eat us up if we let it. We need to be rooting for each other and boosting each other up.

So find your own niche. Of course, this may involve some trial and error. But you’ll eventually find your comfort zone. This writing career is about balance. Just remember writing good books comes first and is the best marketing we can do.

Photo credit: Crestock/aerial6

5. Sure, many of us have started or written what we call the book of our heart. But unless you want to be a one-book wonder, you need to get that book on paper and out of your system, then move on. If it doesn’t sell, don’t re-work it for a decade (unless you’re writing new stories as well). One of my regrets is that I didn’t move on quicker in the beginning. I spent three or more years on my first book (it never sold, and I just kept revising it over and over). I wish I’d had more to offer my editor after she bought my first book.

And one more thing. I’ve decided that each and every book can and should be the book of our heart. Our readers deserve that.

6. Use your emotions on the page. Don’t hold back. Nothing’s worse to me than a perfectly written contest entry that makes me feel NOTHING. Writing is catharsis. Let 'er rip while you’re writing! I love when I bawl like a baby while writing the end of a book (or while reading it back when it’s time for line edits). The opposite is true as well. If you’re falling asleep while writing (ummm…guilty—and yes, I went back and fixed it), then chances are the reader might feel the same way.

As scary as it sounds, we need to open ourselves on the page. It makes us vulnerable. And sometimes it feels kind of like those nightmares where you show up at school in your pajamas. But good writing requires honesty. If your stories touch hearts, you’ll have devoted readers who’ll wait expectantly for each new book.

Photo Credit: iStockPhoto.com/yenwen

7. Take care of your health. Sitting on our rear ends so much of the time can take a toll. That and the munching on junk as deadlines approach (please tell me some of you do this as well!). I’ll admit here, that with each of my first two books, I gained 5 pounds as the deadlines approached. Thankfully, I haven’t continued that trend! But exercise is a struggle.

My husband just told me he read an article about how walking helps with creativity. We need to keep moving. And take good care of our bodies.

8. Think about your reputation in the industry. I know we’ve all heard it said before: the writing community is small, don’t burn bridges. And I agree. But take that a step or two or three further. Keep your word. Meet deadlines. Turn in blog posts you’ve promised to do. Judge contest entries you’ve committed to judge. Don’t talk behind people’s backs. Be kind. Be generous. Be respectful. Be honest. And when you mess up, which we all do, then apologize. And do so sincerely.

When I was a kid, it about killed me to apologize, especially to my sister. My mom would tell me to do it, and I would barely mumble, “Sorry.” Oh, the pain of it! To admit I was wrong (heaven forbid I be wrong!). Nowadays, I’m much better at doing apologies (I can actually say TWO word apologies: I’m sorry), probably because I mess up so often and have lots of practice. The flip side of this is, if you mess up and apologize, then move on. Don’t get hung up on your mistakes.

9. Be strong and courageous. Take responsibility for your actions. When you have failures (which we all will), don’t play the victim or try to blame others. Share your gift, your stories, with the world, and then learn to deal like an adult, like a pro, when you get nasty reader letters or bad reviews. On the other hand, learn to deal maturely and wisely (humbly) with praise and success as well.

Nothing’s more humbling than a rejection letter or disappointing royalty check. But oh, how quickly we forget those humbling moments when we win an award or get a really nice royalty check. Either way, we must remember the glory, ALL the glory, goes to God. Without Him, we would be nothing.

My well-worn necklace from I AM MARYANN

10. I loved Kate’s #10 for teen girls. It really resonated with me because this is something I have always dealt with. In fact, a couple of years ago, I bought a necklace that had the words I Am Enough engraved on charms to remind me. My kids were surprised when I explained it. My son even said, “Why didn’t you get one that said I am more than enough?”  :) I shared with them that if I could have afforded another gold charm, I would have had customized a third one that added Through Christ. You know, I think maybe it’s time for me to go order that last charm.

I am enough through Christ.

Yes, we are.

You are unique, and God can use your experiences, your personality, your hurts, your joys…your voice…to touch readers. To change their lives. To change YOUR life. So don’t give up when the writing gets tough. Don’t quit when rejections pile up or sales are dismal. God has something to say through you. Let Him use you and your words.

What words would you share with writers today? Please stay a while and chat to let us know!

GIVEAWAY! I'd like to give away a pre-order copy of one of Kate Conner's books to one lucky commenter! (I'll order it now, and it'll be delivered to you once it releases in August.) Please LET ME KNOW if you'd like to be entered.

******

Missy Tippens, a pastor’s wife and mom of three from near Atlanta, Georgia, made her first sale to Harlequin Love Inspired in 2007. Her books have since been nominated for the Booksellers Best, ACFW Carol Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Maggie Award, Beacon Contest and a 2013 RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. A House Full of Hope was a Romance Writers of America 2013 RITA^® Nominee. Her most recent from Love Inspired, Georgia Sweethearts was an April 2013 release. Coming in October: The Guy Next Door. Visit Missy at www.missytippens.com, @MissyTippens on Twitter and

http://www.facebook.com/missy.tippens.readers .