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Savvy Submission Strategy by Debby Giusti

"Finish the book before you submit," editors say over and over again.

When I started out on my writing journey, I thought the same rule applied to contest submissions. I'd complete the manuscript before I submitted to contests only to find the story didn't work -- saggy middle, unrealistic premise, limp conflict -- according to the feedback from the judges. Of course, I'd wasted time trying to perfect something that had started out flawed.

Then I had a Eureka Moment! I heard a multi-published author say she grew weary of writing complete manuscripts and having them rejected by the editors. Being a daringly adventurous person, she decided to write three chapters and a synopsis and submit the partial to publishing houses, hoping she could complete the manuscript in a timely manner if she received a request. Her strategy paid off and got me thinking. Why not use the same approach with contests?

From then on while I was completing one manuscript, I'd pull together the beginning chapters and synopsis for a new story and send it out on the contest circuit. In a relatively short time, I'd have feedback from knowledgeable judges, which helped me gauge whether the beginning hook drew the reader into the story, whether the plot was well-defined and could sustain a full-length manuscript and whether the characters were compelling. Using the judges' comments and suggestions, I eventually shaped the story into a polished manuscript.

Eventually, I submitted to contests where the final round judge was an editor in a house where I felt my story could find a home. I had always written suspense, but when Steeple Hill senior editor Krista Stroever came to my Georgia Romance Writers chapter and talked about expanding the Love Inspired Suspense line, I decided to weave an inspirational thread through a manuscript I had originally targeted for Harlequin Intrigue. Almost immediately after including a faith element, I knew I'd found my niche. But I still had to catch the editor's eye.

Using my Savvy Submission Strategy, I entered three contests judged by three different Steeple Hill editors, including Krista Stroever and executive editor Joan Marlow Golan. I won the contests and received requests from the judges. Not long after that, Krista called to tell me Steeple Hill wanted to publish one of the winning manuscripts. My debut novel, NOWHERE TO HIDE, was released in May 2007, and the other winning story, SCARED TO DEATH, came out in August.

Did contests help me along the road to publication? You bet! The feedback from judges allowed me to identify problems and their suggestions often provided solutions that turned weaknesses into strengths. For me, the road to publication was paved with contests.

I hope my Savvy Submission Strategy helps you on your writing journey!

Wishing you abundant blessings!


Debby Giusti

This post first appeared in Seekerville October 25, 2007.

Debby Giusti is a medical technologist who loves working with test tubes and petri dishes almost as much as she loves to write. Growing up as an Army Brat, Debby met and married her husband--then a captain in the Army--at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Together they traveled the world, raised three Army Brats of their own and have now settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where Debby spins tales of suspense that touch the heart and soul.

Debby’s work has won numerous awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award for Inspirational Suspense, the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Golden Quill, the Beacon, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Write Touch. In addition to full-length fiction, Debby has written magazine articles for Southern Lady, Woman’s World, Our Sunday Visitor, Army and Family, and served for over twelve years on the editorial advisory board of ADVANCE for Administrators of the Laboratory. Visit Debby online at www.DebbyGiusti.com and email her at debby@debbygiusti.com.



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Holy Hot Heroes, Batman!!!! by Ruth Logan Herne

Hear this and hear it well: I do not crawl through my office digging for anything for anyone, ever. The one exception might be to find a Bic pen should a small child need an emergency tracheotomy, but even that is stretching it and depends solely on the worth of the child. If you had an aerial view of my office floor you would understand this better, and ignore last fall’s dead bees (oops, wasps, sorry Deb!) I’ll get them swept up soon. Promise.

But I did just that because the essence of heat in a hero has little to do with actual looks. I mean, even with a detailed description, there are only so many square-jawed, well-muscled, six-foot-plus guys on the planet with piercing eyes.

Puuuuhhhhhlease. Watch any of the morning news shows with live shots of Manhattan in the backdrop windows and count how many guys meet that description. Uh, huh. EXACTLY MY POINT. So we fantasize a little. A little taller. A little leaner. A little broader. And great eyes and teeth are a must, despite Shrek’s popularity. But what is the essence of a hot hero? What draws us in, makes us dreamy-eyed?

Silas shut that yapping mouth right up with his lips. He swung the door shut and broke off the kiss just enough to speak. “Did I mention that I want more childen with you than you’ve given to the other husbands?” He made sure to kiss her so deeply she couldn’t respond to that. (The Husband Tree, Barbour Publishing, Mary Connealy, author)

Silas. Strong. Decisive. A touch embittered. Cautious. Courageous. Careful. Dedicated. Humorous. If you asked me to describe Silas, I have no response. I don’t have a clue how Mary described him physically. What jumped off the page was his devoted virility, his take-charge attitude, the perfect way he complemented Belle’s tough and sassy image.

LaVyrle Spencer created a wonderful beta hero (Small Town Girl) in Kenny Kronek, the easy-going, helpful nerd-of-a-neighbor who wins the heart of Tess McPhail, the hottest “Reba-type” country singer in the land, home to help her sick mother, and she did it by making his gentle class act behavior outrageously desirable to a woman who is always surrounded by false love and idolatry in the entertainment business. His uniqueness balanced Tess because it was so different from what she experienced in her daily life. A man of honor, of simple devotion, a church-goer who stayed true to his faith, his time, his home, and then her.

And what about our tortured heroes? Matt Damon as Jason Bourne… Oh Mylanta, the mix of choir-boy Irish good looks, gentle eyes, a killer’s aim, and tricked into being something he’s not, a created killing commodity, pushed into vigilantism by the powers that be. A sympathetic assassin. Now that’s a trick!

He gave her a half-lidded look that made her mouth go dry, then leaned in and nestled his lips along her throat. The blood pumped in her veins. She felt the shadow of his late-day beard, and the realization of what was happening prompted a chuckle of joy from her throat. She shivered. ” I love you, Mitch Dennehy, so much that even prayer couldn’t get you out of my heart. Sweet saints above, I can’t wait to marry you!” her gaze narrowed. “You are asking, aren’t you?”

He grinned. “Oh, I’m asking all right. And you won’t have to wait. I don’t intend to.” (A Passion Denied, Revell Publishing, Julie Lessman, author)

So far Mitch Dennehy is my favorite Lessman hero. I like his maturity, his stance, his devotion, his hard-won respect. In Mitch Julie Lessman has created an every-woman’s hero, but one particularly well-suited to Charity O’Connor, who is not one of my favorite heroines. Shoot, I kept shouting at Mitch to dump her and find someone more worthy, but being a man in love with a hot babe, he didn’t listen. And knowing Charity like we do, he’s probably come out on the good end of the trade. After all, it takes more than good fried chicken to keep a man smiling year in, year out.

In Sweet Home Alabama we have two heroes. Two great guys. We have the before and after hero, because in the midst of the timeline we’re examining, the heroine has undergone a transformation. Great plot twist that allows deeper conflict, both external and internal. And while my boys were not big fans of Reese Witherspoon’s character during the first half of the movie, we women understood her urge to move beyond who she was to who she could be, and then losing a bit of herself in the making.

So: what a quandary…

Seriously.
Josh Lucas????

Or Patrick Dempsey????

Stop wracking your brains, there is no wrong answer to that question. I mean, come on…. Talk about a win/win. ;)

Developing the hero to match and complement your heroine becomes the crux of the matter. His salt to her pepper. His calm to her heat.

Mr. Darcy examples every possible reason to not love a hero, yet we do. Why? Despite his arrogance, he stands by his convictions. He is true to family and friends. To a fault, we discover, but we appreciate the scarceness of such a trait. He’s kind to his help. He takes care of his home and understands familial pride. And he’s willing to own his mistakes and try hard to rectify them, coaxing Elizabeth’s feelings to meet his. And she does, just before he decides to pack it in, give it up. He fights the good fight and humbles himself to win the girl. Once again it matters not what he looks like, but the attitude he bears. Although Colin Firth is no slouch in the looks department. I think we'd all join hands and agree on that, but it isn't the looks that draw us in, that captivate, it's the manner or the reformation, the journey he must travel to get the girl.

“You’re no kind of man I’ve run into before.”

Ben's right arm snaked out and around her waist and he pulled her up against him. She had a sense of him, the shape of him and his smells, and then he kissed her. His mouth was warm, soft, and then hard. A short, jarring kiss. He let her go and she heard herself gasp.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.”

Hannah adjusted her headscarf. “You said you had no interest in me.” Trying for dignified, and sounding instead like a girl in a snit.

He glanced at her, surprised. “I never said that.”

“You did. On the stairs.”

"I said I knew you had no interest in me. I’m hoping maybe you’ve changed your mind.”

“And if I haven’t?”

Cool appraisal, calculating, knowing. Hannah looked away. When she looked back again, he was smiling.

(Queen of Swords, Bantam Books, Sara Donati, author)

Donati's historical heroes go beyond the ken of mere mortal men. She's not afraid to give them quiet wisdom (Nathaniel Bonner, Jean-Benoit Savard "Ben")an inner core of strength that lines a rough-looking exterior, yet the hearts of the men beat true in all things, making them trustworthy husbands in difficult times. They kill as needed and love completely.

Wow. ;)

We all love Gibbs from NCIS, and Mark Harmon's current character is a far cry from his St. Elsewhere character from way back. Then he was a playboy doctor. Now he's a tortured soul, a man who's loved and loved well but can't move beyond the guilt at what he's lost. We all want to FIX HIM... Help him. Be THE WOMAN that sets his heart stirring again. The hope. The promise. Will God ever send him someone to fulfil that longing, that destiny? And will Gibbs forgive himself in time to see things clearly?


“We?"

“I’m your landlord, remember?” Sparks of ivory lightened his gray eyes, crinkled in amusement.


“You won’t let me forget.”

“Ever.”

She laughed and poked him in the chest. “That means when the heat’s off or the electric blows a circuit breaker, I call you.”

“Please do.”

Her heart chugged to a stop, watching him, hearing those words, feeling their depth, their meaning. He studied her, his expression warm, caring, a hint of humor softening the craggy planes of a chiseled face.

She moved a half-step forward without meaning to. “I will.”

The kiss was unexpected and totally wonderful, the gentle press of Brooks’ mouth on hers, the solidity of him, his breadth, his warmth, the sheer strength of him swirling around her, engulfing her in what-if’s.

Sweet. So sweet.

When he paused the kiss she stayed right there, not moving, eyes closed, smiling just a little, knowing she couldn’t and shouldn’t do this, but old enough and experienced enough to know she thoroughly enjoyed that kiss.

And the kisser.

And when he kissed her again, she liked that one just as much. (Made to Order Family, Steeple Hill Books, Ruth Logan Herne, author)

Heating up a hero has little to do with girding his loins and everything to do with evoking the reader's invested emotion. If the reader roots for your hero and heroine, they're more likely to be pre-ordering on Amazon when your next book is announced. And while I agree with the idea of writing for an audience of ONE, simple business says you've got to engage the buying public as well to help ensure the next contract. Publishers are in business to make money. Our job is to help them achieve that end with characters that paint a picture of happily ever after in readers' heads long after they've set down the book.

Grab some coffee... Some ham,egg and cheese croissants... Fresh cheese kuchen to the left, as well! Dig in and let's chat about how to make your heroes stronger. More alluring. Feel free to post a segment and we can talk about it 'on air'!

This post first appeared in Seekerville on April 8, 2010.

Love Inspired author Ruth Logan Herne lives a life of mild-to-moderate insanity in upstate New York. She's raised children, romped with dogs, medicated pigs and milked cows while holding a wide variety of name-tag and hairnet jobs. She loves God, chocolate and coffee, thinks Keurigs are marvelous machines and all grandchildren should look like her. Or be named for her. The third "4-Star " release of her Men of Allegany County series is available in stores and online now. Romantic Times called Mended Hearts "an utterly compelling read." Ruthy, of course, agrees. ;)

You can visit Ruthy at her website http://ruthloganherne.com where you'll find her books and delicious Ruthy-recipes, or stop by her blog http://www.ruthysplace.com where she shamelessly exploits puppies and small children to sell books. And feel free to swing by and meet the cute guys of her current series at www.menofalleganycounty.com

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As a special treat, today Ruthy is also giving away a copy of Mended Hearts!

Two winner potential here, folks!! Critique and a book!

The Best of Seekerville from the Archives and First Five Pages Critique

Getting the Block Out of Writer's Block by Tina Radcliffe

Writer's block is another one of those dirty little writer secrets that we aren't supposed to talk about. Like those other nasty writer issues---self-sabotage, contest mood disorder, rejection and depression, they only happen to other writers.

Anyone who says they have never had a moment of being blocked is either fibbing, in denial or they have already developed techniques to move past the block and have skillfully incorporated those techniques into their writing lifestyles. Bravo for the latter.

The reason the term writer's block is spoken in hush-hush tones is because many mistakenly think it means the well has dried up. The creative flow is no more.

Not necessarily true. Writer's block manifests in many forms.

Author and Writing Coach Jerry Mundis categorizes the 6 types of writer's block:

• Paralysis
  

• Avoidance behavior


• Last minute crisis writing


• Inability to finish


• Inability to select among projects


• Block specific (project specific)

Any of those sound familiar to you?

While we lovingly quote Nora Roberts and her thoughts on the writing muse around here...

“If you need to believe in the muse, let’s say, fine and dandy. Whatever works for you. But don’t tell me you can’t work today because the muse has left you. Go track down that fickle slut, drag her back, chain her to your keyboard, and GET TO WORK.”and"I don't believe in waiting for inspiration. It's my job to sit down and figure out what to write. I think if you wait for 'the muse' you may wait a very long time."

"I don't believe in waiting for inspiration. It's my job to sit down and figure out what to write. I think if you wait for 'the muse' you may wait a very long time."


...the reality is we are all unique and sometimes it isn't a matter of the chasing down the muse.

Because we are all unique there isn't a quick fix for writer's block.

Sometimes you simply have to get up and walk away.

Cultivate a new exercise program.

Discover the joy of antique stores, flea markets or garage sales.

Go to a movie all by yourself.

Check out your local museums and galleries.

Get lost in your local independent bookstore.

Enjoy a massage or a spa day.

Sit in on a free lecture.

Get a guide book and be a tourist in your own city.

Do anything that involves you getting you away from the computer screen and back into L-I-F-E. Do not write. At least for a day or two. Get yourself to the point where you are anxious and excited to get back to your writing.

Finding the root for writer's block might just unlock the problem. There can be many reasons for writer's block including:

• Fear of Failure
• Fear of Success
  
• Anxiety
• Being Overwhelmed
• Guilt
• Perfectionism
• Editor on the Shoulder Complex
• Stress
• Illness
  

One of the most destructive of these is stress. When family pressures, financial concerns, personal problems have taken over your body and mind they suck the creativity right out of us. If possible-- a solution is to take your mind, and maybe your body too, out of the the stressful situation. Utilize sensory/ emotional triggers for short periods of time, building your creative reserve back up. Take yourself on a writing retreat, even if it's only to the local java hut.


In Midnight Disease, Alice Weaver Flaherty, considers the problem to be neurological and more closely related to a mood disorder.

Susan O'Doherty's Getting Unstuck, Without Coming Unglued, addresses the problems specific to women and the creative process. Some of these include the roles women play and how they encourage us to put aside our dreams and creativity. She also discusses the isolation of creative women, because they see the world differently than their peers.

Several of the books listed in the resources below are exercise driven, providing writing prompts to release creativity.

Others provide prompts along with a good dose of humor like Jenna Glatzer's, Outwitting Writer's Block, which has a chapter called, Self-Doubt and Other Stupid Garbage.

She tells a funny personal anecdote: '...a family member...formerly liked who announces her revelation around the Thanksgiving dinner table: "Hey, Jenna, my kids are reading the Harry Potter series. Why don't you write something like that? You could sell a lot of books." Oh. Why didn't I think of that? Of course, all I have to do is is break into J. K. Rowling's computer, steal all her notes, and I'll be rolling in it.'

The most important thing is to stop doing what isn't working.

Albert Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

If you continue to sit down to write and continue to meet with writer's block, day after day, then you feed into negative thoughts, doubts and self images. You are perpetuating the cycle, and creating an negative association with your writing time.

Instead--find a solution.

Breaking down the task or deconstructing it into bite size measurable goals can be the best way to move on. Take that big boulder and chip away at it until you have small manageable pieces.

Writer's Block Bookshelf:

Write. 10 Days To Overcome Writer's Block. Period. by Karen E. Peterson, Ph.D.

Outwitting Writer's Block and other Problems of the Pen by Jenna Glatzer

The Midnight Disease. The Drive to Write, Writers Block, and the Creative Brain by Alice W. Flaherty

Writer's Block Buster by Velina Hasu Houston

Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued. A Woman's Guide to Unblocking Creativity by Susan O'Doherty, Ph.D.

This post first appeared in Seekerville May 8, 2009.

By day, Tina Radcliffe is a mild mannered pharmacy data entry clerk, by night well, she's asleep. However in her dreams she is a New York Times best selling author. Her second release from Love Inspired, Oklahoma Reunion is available for preorder now and releases late September.

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Watering Camels by Glynna Kaye


Admit it. You’re wondering WHAT ON EARTH can that title possibly have to do with writing?

Well, let me jog your memory. Some of you may remember the story from the Old Testament (Genesis 24 to be exact) about Abraham’s quest for a bride for his beloved son Isaac. Unfortunately for his chief servant, who has been entrusted with finding just the right daughter-in-law for his master, the responsibility entails a journey to distant Mesopotamia (a little more effort than mouse-clicking on eHarmony).

When at long last one evening the chief servant and his ten camels arrive at Abraham’s old family homestead, he’s one tired camper. Has the running-on-empty camels kneel down near the spring-fed well outside town. But now what? How is he going to get these road-weary beasts refreshed? The New International Version of the Bible notes that “chief servant” can also be translated as “oldest” servant. So this guy very likely isn’t a buff twenty- or-thirty-something. The prospect of such a physically gargantuan effort as hauling mega-gallons of water may not even be an option.

So he prays that God will grant him success on his search for a bride---and get the camels watered, too. “See I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’ – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

Before he’s even finished praying, here comes the beautiful Rebekah with a jar on her shoulder. Hmm. Surely this pretty little thing can’t be the one to tackle such a task as he needs done. But she goes down to the spring, fills her jar, and when Abraham’s servant asks for a drink, she gives him one. And then—you guessed it—she says: “I’ll draw water for your camels, too.”

Whoa. Now I don’t know the dimensions on a camel’s “water tank,” but I imagine filling up ten beasts of burden isn’t an easy feat for any young woman. But Genesis says she fills the trough again and again, drawing enough water for all of them.

To make a long story short, the chief servant pulls out a couple of bracelets and a gold nose ring, hoping that Rebekah’s kinsmen will let her “Say Yes to the Dress.” Which they do--and off goes Rebekah to her one true love.

Ahhh, happily ever after.

But I imagine there’s more to this story.

Behind-the-scenes stuff, you know?

Like I bet that night wasn’t the first time Rebekah went out to the well. Think about it. You don’t just skip out to the spring one evening and draw enough water to fill ten thirsty camels unless you’ve built up some major muscle. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year.

And I bet it wasn’t the first time Rebekah offered to help a total stranger. The man didn’t tell her he was the chief servant of one of her relatives until she’d already made good on her promise. No, Rebekah’s character had developed to the point where keeping faithful to the daily routine, serving where God asked her to (even in the seemingly insignificant things), had become ingrained in her.

God’s hand was in the bringing together of Isaac and Rebekah—but Rebekah had to do her part, too. She had to cooperate, be faithful to the routine, in order to be in the right place at the right time.

Maybe at the beginning, when the experience was fresh and new, she found herself excitedly trotting out to the well with all the other women. It seemed fun, an adventure, so full of expectation that her Prince Charming would soon put in an appearance. But as the days and months and years passed, had the routine lost its charm? Had there been days when the effort seemed without purpose? Same old path. Same old jar. Same old familiar faces at the well. Same backbreaking work to water those big ugly animals?

Who knows, perhaps that very night--the one that would turn her life upside down--she’d even been tempted to hide out in the tent. Do her nails. Surf the net. Catch the season finale of CSI. After all, wasn’t tonight just another camel-watering night like all the rest?

But she made a choice. Threw off her lethargy and stuck to the routine. Grabbed the jar. And off she went to the well once more. And to her destiny.

I think writing with a dream of publication often has a lot in common with Rebekah’s watering of the camels. You’re filled with promise and expectation when you first feel that tug in your spirit that says “write a book.” The fulfillment of your dream seems just around the corner. So close you can almost touch it.

But oftentimes it turns out to be an unexpectedly BIG “around the corner.” Time passes. The excitement, the inspiration, the immediacy of it fades. The dream becomes worn around the edges. A little tattered, for much about writing a book is routine. Day in and day out. Maybe an occasional contest win. A word of praise from a judge. But those can be few and far between. Most days you’re planting yourself down in front of the computer with no more sense of anticipation than you might have for throwing in another load of laundry. Vacuuming the living room. Cleaning the bathtub.

I know for myself I came THIS CLOSE (thumb and index finger pinched tightly together) to scrapping the routine. I’d been writing for years. Faithfully reading books, taking on-line workshops, and listening to tapes on the craft of writing. Faithfully logging in my word counts. Entering contests. Getting feedback.

But I was becoming weary, from the shores of Unpubbed Island, of scanning the horizon for ships’ sails. Finding time to write in the midst of a demanding day job was no easy task. Other worthy visions beckoned. I was no longer even certain that I wanted to keep trying to get off the island! I mean a comfy hammock strung between shady palm trees, gentle waves lapping on the sandy beach, and all those yummy coconut treats … Life was good, wasn’t it? Faithfully watering island camels seemed less and less appealing as the handwriting on the wall loomed large: MAYBE THIS DREAM IS NOT FOR YOU.

But last year I prayerfully made a decision. A choice. And with the encouragement of my family, my faithful Seekers, and renewed strength and determination provided by my Heavenly Father, I set out once more to water the camels. One more time. And that was the manuscript for which I got the long-awaited “Call.”

If I’d hidden out in the tent, ditched the water jar, refused to be true to the routine, my very first published book wouldn’t be released this month.

So don’t give up. Like Rebekah, make a decision. Keep watering those camels.

Glynna

This post first appeared in Seekerville October 28th, 2009.

Glynna Kaye’s first published book, “Dreaming of Home,” was a finalist in the 2010 ACFW “Carol Award” as well as first place winner of the 2010 “Booksellers Best” and “Beacon” awards. Then came "Second Chance Courtship” (February 2011) and “At Home In His Heart” (August 2011). "High Country Hearts," a fourth story set in the mountain country of Canyon Springs, Arizona, debuts in March 2012. www.glynnakaye.com

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Knowing When You're Ready by Myra Johnson


Hi, it’s Myra here. While I was browsing my Seekerville buds’ earlier posts trying to decide what to blog about today, I happened upon a comment: “How does a relative newbie know when she's ready to submit? . . . At some point, don't you have to just get out there?”

We’ve all been there, wondering if our work is ready for editorial scrutiny (and hopefully a sale). I remember when I first decided to get serious about writing . . . and learned how much I didn’t know!

Brief history here: That was back in 1983, after I’d enrolled in the Writing for Children and Teenagers course at The Institute of Children’s Literature. I sent in my first lesson feeling super-confident. My story was great! My instructor was about to discover the next Judy Blume!

Then I got the assignment back and found out I’d done just about everything wrong. The biggest mistake? Multiple POV, with the mother as the main character (this was supposed to be a children’s story). Then there was the clichéd plot: new kid in town trying to fit in at her new school. The list went on and on.

But then I applied those lessons. I learned. I practiced. I improved. Pretty soon I realized my instructor was editing my stories with a lot more blue ink (which she used to mark the good stuff) than red ink (for the weak areas). And before the end of the course I had sold not one but two of my course assignments.

The short answer, for anyone grappling with this question, is that I don’t think we are the best judges of when our work is ready for prime time. Have you taken any writing courses? Do you have a critique group? Have you entered any contests yet? If so, what kinds of responses are you getting?

If not, investigate opportunities to get feedback on your work. Join professional organizations. ACFW. RWA. Connect with a strong critique partner. Enter a few contests--not necessarily with the expectation of winning or placing, but of getting two or three in-depth critiques from published or nearly published authors. Yes, judges’ opinions vary (often widely!), but wherever you see consistency, you can feel fairly confident the critiques are on target. And if even one judge’s opinion confirms a nagging suspicion you just didn’t want to admit to yourself, take it seriously.

Next, tear apart those critiques. Make charts of the strengths and weaknesses your judges noted. See what stands out. Then study books on craft that address your weaknesses, while you continue to practice and build on your strengths.

Eventually those critiques will start coming back with more “blue” than “red.” Your strengths will clearly outweigh the weak areas. But don’t expect to ever feel 100% ready, because a real writer never stops learning and growing. No matter how many times I rewrite and revise, I can always find something I can improve upon.

Still . . . with time, and practice, and perseverance . . . you’ll know. You’ll sense deep inside yourself when it’s time to kiss that “baby” goodbye and send it on its way to a (hopefully receptive) editor’s or agent’s desk.

And then start waiting and wondering all over again!

This post first appeared in Seekerville November 13, 2007.

Myra Johnson’s roots go deep into Texas soil, but after surviving five Oklahoma winters, she now enjoys the milder climate of North Carolina and living ten minutes away from three of her six grandchildren. Empty-nesters, Myra and her husband share their home with two lovable dogs and a snobby parakeet. Myra has written for Abingdon Press and Heartsong Presents. Her contemporary romance Autumn Rains won the 2005 RWA Golden Heart for Best Inspirational Romance Manuscript and was a 2010 ACFW Carol Award finalist.

A Horseman's Heart is an August 2011 Heartsong Presents release:

North Carolina’s a long, long way from Texas, but horse trainer Kip Lorimer needs to get out of town fast, because the woman who long ago destroyed his last remnants of trust has just caught up with him—again. Special-ed teacher Sheridan Cross has trust issues of her own, so when Kip shows up with a horse to donate to the family’s equine therapy program, she can’t help but be suspicious. A cowboy a thousand miles from home and living out of a horse trailer? What’s wrong with this picture? When Sheridan’s mother offers Kip a job as barn manager, Sheridan decides she’d better stick close enough to keep an eye on things, never expecting she’ll soon have eyes only for the handsome cowboy. Can they trust their hearts and find true love, or will their troubled pasts come crashing down on their dreams?

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Stop and Smell the Roses by Pam Hillman

Take a deep breath.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Relax.

Smell the roses….

Ahhhh….

Don’t you feel better now?

While preparing for today’s blog post, my brain started whirring trying to think of an appropriate topic. I was under the gun, which is a usual occurrence for me lately. Changing policies at work, family emergencies, school starting, ACFW business, ACFW conference (Yay!), son’s graduation from basic training (hooahh!), seemed to escalate at once.

And then when I decided on a topic, my fingers started flying, thoughts began to jockey for position in my brain, my eyes darted back and forth across the page, while I made notes about the graphics I wanted to display… Sheesh! I can’t even put together a blog post without feeling like I’m on a roller-coaster.

Enough already!

Stop the presses!

Smell the roses!


Enjoy life!

Honestly, I’m beginning to think writers are the most spastic group of people on earth. Most of my writer friends talk of being so busy, so caught up the busy-ness of writing. They’re juggling promoting the book that just came out, editing the book coming out in six months, writing the book that comes out next year, AND plotting the one after that.

Pile on top of all that the fact that many authors (aspiring and established) have a day job as well, and it’s mind-boggling that we don’t go slightly insane. (I heard that, Ruthy!)

The only people I know who are busier than writers are editors.

So, I’m making a deliberate effort to s.l.o.w. d.o.w.n.

I don’t know exactly how I’m going to accomplish this, but I’m going to. I really am. I will take time to smell the roses, enjoy life, enjoy my family, and enjoy my writing.

I’ll start by…

…organizing my time better.

…not trying to fix everything for everybody.

…giving someone else an opportunity to volunteer.

…spending time with my husband.

…talking to my kids more.

…going out to lunch with my mother.

And I’ll end by …

…making this post SHORT so you can go and do likewise!

Enjoy your day and stop and smell the roses.

This post first appeared in Seekerville August 4, 2009.

Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman

(Tyndale House Publishers)

When Livy O'Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-Fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she's helping to run an orphanage. Now she'll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself.

Sheriff's deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy—literally—while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town—as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off—Jake doesn't have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can't seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better...but Livy isn't willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.





Enter Pam's Stealing Jake Kindle Giveaway Contest. Click on the poster above. Giveaway includes A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman and Courting Miss Adelaide by Janet Dean. Who knows what books might jump on the bandwagon between now and September 30th!





Award-winning author Pam Hillman writes inspirational fiction set in the turbulent times of the American West and the Gilded Age. Her debut book, Stealing Jake, won the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Genesis contest and was a finalist in Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart contest. She lives in Mississippi with her husband and family. www.pamhillman.com





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What's Going On in Her Head? by Mary Connealy
One of my standard pieces of advice for aspiring writers is:

There are two parts of being a writer

1) The ability to sit, alone, for long periods of time, behind a computer, makin' stuff up.
2) The craft. All the skills you need to write a good book.
Now the SECOND part is huge and at Seekerville we’ve been writing blog posts in large part about that for almost three years now, THAT’S HOW HUGE IT IS.

But the thing is, you can LEARN the second part. The FIRST part though, that’s different. I think you’re either born with that or you’re not.

My mom is a really talented pianist. She’s the organist in our church. And she tried so HARD to get all of her eight children to play the piano. NO LUCK. The thing I’ve noticed about my mom is, she LOVES playing the piano. She loves it. I think people with a gift for something almost always, also have a love for it. My mom talks about how she loved to practice the piano when she was a kid.

I hated it. Poor mom.

But I love writing.

I’m so delighted that someone is willing to pay me to do it because I can’t seem to stop. I think, if all my writing contracts dried up, I’d probably still write for the rest of my life.

When people are frustrated and heartbroken and crazed because they can’t get a book published I tell them if it hurts that bad then QUIT. Just quit. Why put yourself through it? The bottom line is: Quit if you can.

Most writers can’t.

I’ve been thinking (always dangerous) about what exactly goes on in the head of a writer.
The Seekers and those who hang around here, we are all different from each other.

Some have jobs outside the home. We have city and country, metropolis and small town. Young and old. (well not THAT old, c’mon!) We have different churches, little kids, grown children, grandchildren, different number of children. Some of us have nice houses, some live in a mold-riddled, rodent infested, drafty, 90-year-old ranch house from which there is no escape (no, I’m not bitter!)
But there’s a common thread.

Writing.

So what makes a writer different than a . . . let’s go ahead and say the word shall we?...NORMAL person?

Since the denizens of Seekerville are for the most part writers, I want to spend today asking, "What makes a writer a writer?"

I really consider myself an almost completely (and boringly) normal person. I mean a REGULAR person. By that I mean, no great trauma in my childhood. Nice parents. I’m from a huge family, true there were eight brothers and sisters, but that’s pretty typical really for a baby boom era family. I’ve never had a life threatening accident or illness. Good health. I’ve got four really lovely children. A nice husband—(well maybe not during the busy season, but that’s another post altogether). Only ONE husband. We’re neither rich nor poor. I’ve never come close to starving to death (refer to my alarmingly OVAL shape as proof).
But I like to sit behind a computer and make up stories.

I don’t just like it. I LOVE it. It’s really fun. Honestly, think about it. Almost all the PAIN of writing comes from the PUBLISHING end of it. The writing is fun, it's getting published, pitching to editors, attending conferences WAY outside your comfort zone. The dreaded public speaking. The editor directed revisions, deadlines, marketing, obsessing over sales, will I get another contract.

All of that is fraught with pain.

But the WRITING, that's just fun.

I did it for ten years before I got my first book published. I was typing away before we had internet at the house. Before I discovered writer’s organizations or writer's contests or critique groups. Before the Seekers.

Those years when I labored along in mole-like anonymity, what made me do that? I mean I can sort of remember what caused me to start writing, what made me type, “It was a dark and stormy night. . .” for the first time. But why did I stick with it?



I think there is only one reason. I love it.


I like my own company (Why not? I have plenty of imaginary friends).
I am a day dreamer.
I am, despite the way I act online, extremely shy. I have it under control. I recognize it and overrule my knee jerk withdraw reflex, but it’s there. I’m just perfectly content behind my computer. ALONE!

I think that’s NOT normal. Is it? Someone please answer.
But it feels normal to me.
A lot of writers talk about ‘people watching’. Sitting and watching the world go by and getting character ideas from that.

Not me.

I’m tuned out most of the time. I'm living inside my head.

I think it might be at least somewhat a learning disability and I ’m not kidding about that. I have some strange glitch in my short term memory.

I can be asked to do something, for example, by my husband, “Can you turn the water off in the cattle tank in about an hour?”

“Sure.”

Husband:“You’re not going to remember.”

“True.”

He writes it down, on the bathroom mirror. When next I am in there, OOPS. Cattle waterer.
It's completely gone until then. But when I see the note I remember he asked.

That's not right.

Glitch.

It’s just how I am. Things bounce off my memory and I can actually almost PHYSICALLY feel things when they click over into my long term memory at which point I'm going to remember to go somewhere, do something, mail something, buy something, without making a note of it and sticking that note somewhere I will be sure to see it. (I totally get Sarah Palin writing things on her hand btw. To me it's a survival skill)
Is the learning disability a factor? Maybe my mind is uncluttered with useless information like

YOU HAVE A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT!


Shyness--short term memory hard-wiring failure--daydreamer?

What is the common denominator between us?

What makes a writer a writer?



Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is a Christy Award Finalist, a Carol Award Finalist and an IRCC Award finalist. She is also a 2011 RITA finalist.

This post first appeared in Seekerville September 6, 2010.


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Walking The Dark Side of the Moon by Ruth Logan Herne

You’ve all been there. Not literally, of course, because it’s inaccessible. You’ve heard Pink Floyd sing about it on their magnum opus album of the same name. Books bear the title. Video games do too. Songwriters refer to it and even Sherrilyn Kenyon used it as the title of a recent novel.

You’ve wondered if the dark side’s a mere reflection of the moon face we see regularly, or something different. Unique. Special. Maybe sinister. It is the DARK side, is it not? Didn’t George Lucas make a bazillion dollars turning the concept of ‘the dark side’ into unforgettable conflict?

We mere mortals tend to see things in shades of light/dark, good/bad, strong/weak, etc. We label and classify in a process that offers us more control.

We like control.

Maybe that’s why criticism hurts so much. It knives that control, it pierces our resolve, it threatens our equanimity because we don’t measure up to someone, somewhere. Myra blogged the other day about how criticism dogs us long after compliments leave us. We perseverate on it. Dwell on it. Let it eat at us, nipping the heels of our enthusiasm and talent.

Whaaaaaa! Whaaaaaaaaa! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!

Let’s go one step further. Let’s suppose God granted us two hands, ten fingers, two eyes and a brain to take that criticism and turn it into a better song, a more resourceful child, a deeper spirituality and yes, a stronger manuscript or book.

Yup, you’ve got it. I’m telling you to use the gifts God gave you to be the parent you can be, the Christian you ought to be and the writer you should be, all by using what you’ve already been given.

It’s easy to complain. So easy. And I’m ridiculously guilty of that weakness, but not proud of it because quite often there’s a glimmer or more of hard truth in criticism.

And what do we do?

Jump to the defensive. Rally the troops. Become enraged. Doubt the critic’s or judge’s or editor/agent’s intelligence and wonder if they might be the unclaimed child of an African primate that swings from trees.

What is the matter with us? Why do we raise our hackles instantly when someone takes a jab, well meaning or otherwise? Are we that insecure? That uncertain? Or is it that we’re too certain, ready to assume that if someone disagrees with our work, our stand, our opinion, they’re wrong?

As authors and Christians we tend to forget the big “H”. Humility. Oh we talk about it, but few of us practice it, despite Biblical teachings and Christ’s examples. We become obsessed with the quality we see in ourselves or our family or our work or our home, and resist examining things through the eyes of others, refusing to recognize the acuity of their vantage point.

Sometimes outsiders see us more clearly than we see ourselves because they view without emotional baggage or self-interest. This clarity should be viewed as a gift, an offering, and yet we often fail to seize that opportunity to improve ourselves or our writing because we feel wronged.

I love what Richard Mabry, when referring to a past rejection. The agent apologized and said Richard’s work wasn’t up to his standards, and how Richard later realized the original work wasn’t up to his standards, either. It takes guts to admit that and true courage to redouble your efforts and improve your situation.

Excuses are easy. Everybody has stress, time constraints, pressure, sick kids, aging parents, car repairs, leaky roofs, running toilets, and too many bills. Are ya’ kiddin’ me?

Despite that, it’s our job to be rodeo writers. Grab the criticism bull by the horns and rassle him to the ground. Take charge. Rope it in. Way too often that criticism isn’t someone having a bad day (a common excuse we use to make us feel better about ourselves), but a glimmer of something we know we could improve on. We just don’t like that someone saw fit to call us on it.

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said “Carpe Diem is a stupid concept.”

Right, Einstein.

Refusing to seize the day, the opportunities, the moments God offers to improve ourselves… Now that’s a stupid concept.



An award-winning Love Inspired author, Ruthy graduated from the college of hard knocks with a plethora of hairnet and nametag-type jobs. Living in a sweet upstate New York town known for cows and apples, Ruthy weaves stories that may or may not be based on real people, some of whom may or may not be related to her. She likes dogs, chocolate and cheap stylin' coffee drinks from her Keurig and dislikes snakes in the house. She's pretty sure her grandchildren are geniuses and most of her children like her, depending on day and time. She's been married to her husband Dave for a VERY LONG TIME and thinks he's still the cutest guy around. Except, maybe, Jeter

This post first appeared in Seekerville May 13, 2009.



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Word Pictures by Mary Connealy

This is the cover of Deep Trouble, my May release.


Find out more here.

The cover has nothing to do with this days blog it is just pasted in here as part of a totally shameless plug for my May release. Did I mention it's titled Deep Trouble?

I've been playing around with this as an exercise in writing. See what you can do with it.

Take the first sentence (or the last) and shine it up. It actually can take a surprisingly long time, this revision thing, but it is absolutely WORTH IT.

In an action scene, to really make things MOVE it needs to be polished and mangled and reworded, cut, add, cut again.

Comedy may actually take MORE work than action.

This line below, the first one, could go funny, it could go furious, I picked my own way and it kind of surprised me the way I picked.

So go for it, if you've got the time.

1) It's my birthday," he said. "You should have brought me a card!

2)The boy was angry at the mailman. He said, It's my birthday. You should have brought me a card!

3) The ten-year-old boy shook his fist at the disappearing mailman. It's my birthday. You should have brought me a card.

4) It's my birthday! The ten year old boy saw the empty mail box. Disappointed, he covered his sadness with anger and turned toward the disappearing pickup. Shaking his fist, he yelled at the mailman, You should have brought me a card!

5) Excited as he raced down his sloping front lawn, Jeffrey's white blonde hair blew across his eyes in the cold fall breeze. He left behind the mouth watering scent of the chocolate birthday cake his mom always baked for him. Leaves scattered and crunched under his ragged white Nike's.

He got to the road only seconds after Mr. Sampson had driven away with the spitting sound of wheels on gravel. Jimmy slapped the front of his new blue jeans and red Cornhusker sweatshirt, now coated with dust. He'd put on his best play clothes because of the special day.

With a sharp creak of its rusty hinges, he pulled open the cold metal door of the mail box that was shaped like a green tractor and peeked in at nothing empty. Dad had forgotten again.
He turned toward the disappearing black pickup. Tears bit at his eyes but he told himself it was the blowing dirt. His big brother would never let him forget it if he cried. Instead he narrowed his eyes and shook his fist at that nice old man.

It's my birthday! His voice faded to a whisper as he walked toward the house, his shoulders slumped, his feet dragging. You should have brought me a card.

Describe using the five senses:

Seeing

Hearing

Smelling

Touching

Tasting

Feeling words in body language not in words. 'He was angry' is boring to a reader. Instead, his teeth clamped together and he glared.

Set the scene:

What's his lawn look like?

His mail box?

What time of year is it?

Is he inside or outside?

Alone or with someone?

How does he feel? If you do it right, the reader will not only KNOW how he feels, they'll feel it too. They won't just know he's sad, they'll BE sad



Mary Connealy writes fun and lively romantic comedy with cowboys for the inspirational market. She is the author of the successful Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie's Daughters series. She is a Rita Award and Christy Award finalist and a two time Carol Award winner. She lives on a ranch in Nebraska with her husband and has four grown daughters and two spectacular grandchildren (pictures available upon request).



My Blog
My Website
Petticoats & Pistols

This post first appeared in Seekerville October 7, 2008.

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K.I.S.S by Audra Harders


I’ll bet you thought Julie Lessman was writing the blog today, didn’t you? LOL!!

Nope, it’s me, Audra. Julie practically begins her books with a kiss. Me? I have a hard time figuring out where to place them – but that’s a blog for another day : )

Now, back to KISS…

Isn’t it funny how the oddest memories stick in your mind?

When I think about books and writing, my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Cessna will always take center stage. Back in the olden days when I was in elementary school, you were assigned a homeroom and you stayed there for all your classes. Teachers will always be my heros, but when I think back to one teacher being responsible for all our subjects, except PE, I shudder to think of the genius.

At Douglas Elementary, sixth grade, Mrs. Cessna was the teacher everyone wanted.

She was legend not because she was the coolest or easiest teacher. Everyone wanted Mrs. Cessna because she read to her class. I don’t mean story time in the pillow circle or once a week if our desks and room were neat – she read to us ALL THE TIME! If we were working on art projects, science projects, English lessons, sometimes even math, she’d stand in the front of the class and use her calm, yet animated, voice and read from whatever book she’d chosen. The effect she had on her classes totally blows the theory of *you can’t do homework and watch TV/listen to music/have any noise in the background* out the window. Not only did we learn our lessons, on a whole, our class hardly ever had take home work and we excelled in standardized tests.

She chose books that appealed to boys and girls alike, titles I never would have chosen for myself. Little Britches, A Long Way To Go, Brighty of the Grand Canyon stand out in my mind. Not until years later did I realize what all the books had in common – simplicity. These books held 32 sixth graders enthralled because they embraced the basic elements of writing: a good plot, colorful characters, straight-forward language.

It’s that straight-forward language that often throws writers for a loop.

I once read that most fiction is written at a fourth grade level. This isn’t to talk down to anyone, it’s to offer enjoyment and entertainment. Leave the long-winded, analytical papers and 10+ syllable word tombs to those who profess their passion for the scholarly classics. In today’s hurry up and stressed out world, most common folks want a book to sweep them away for a few hours, not make them reach for Webster’s Collegiate Edition every other page.

Writing simple could also be the key to writing fast. Get the story out and embellish later…but not too much. Just enough to perk up your setting and ignite your senses. Rumor has it that C.S. Lewis wrote The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in only three months. Wow! Talk about being taken away…tossing the dictionary…enthralling his audience.

Originally published in C.S. Lewis’ Letters To Children (1956), his 5 Tips for Writers is still valid today:

1. Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn’t mean anything else.

2. Always prefer the clean direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t implement promises, but keep them.

3. Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean “more people died” don’t say “mortality rose.”

4. In writing, don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us the thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please, will you do my job for me?”

5. Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

Are you starting a new manuscript? Have that outline all done and ready to flesh it out? Dust off the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Susie) and let your mind wander. No way can anyone tell me writing Naria wasn’t an adventure!! Put the fun back in writing!!

Blessings to all!!





Audra Harders writes Christian romance down at the ranch. Rocky Mountain Hero is her January 2011 release from Love Inspired. You can visit Audra at www.audraharders.com

This post first appeared in Seekerville May 7, 2009.

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Contest Judge Comments by Camy Tang


Camy here, your friendly neighborhood Genesis contest coordinator, talking about contest judge comments.

Now, I have to confess, I peek. I look at the comments of the judges as they return their entries to me.

In addition to being head coordinator, I’m category coordinating the Women’s Fiction category of the Genesis contest, so obviously I’m not looking at ALL the judged entries for ALL the categories, just my three categories.

But I’m not judging any entries in this contest (conflict of interest), so I figure it doesn’t hurt to look at the comments. And it helps me to evaluate if a judge tends to score high or low, or if they give lots of comments or only a few.

Here’s the facts—most judges in a contest are not habitually low or high scoring judges. Judge #A might happen to score Entry #1 lower than the other two judges who got that entry, but Judge #A will NOT typically score ALL her entries low—just that one entry will happen to be a low score.

In fact, the majority of judges are very temperate in their scoring. The maximum number of points is 100, with 60 being all 3s—average. Most judges might score one entry in the 90s and one entry in the 40s and the rest will range in between.

Before you gasp, think about it—it’s a bell curve. Only a few will have high scores and go on to the finals. Only a few are bare beginning writers. The rest fall in the largest area of the bell curve.

Granted, once in a while you’ll get that one judge who scores everything a 20, but also remember that once in a while you’ll get that one judge who scores everything 90 or higher and it might help propel you into the finals. And I’m certainly not going to complain about a high scoring judge when it benefits me. :)

Anyway, I was going to talk about judge comments.

Some judges have obviously taken at least an hour or more to score that 15-page entry, because they’ve got Track Changes comments and suggestions all over the place.

Some judges have a bare handful of comments.

As a coordinator, I kind of wish judges would write more comments, or longer comments, but as a writer, I also have realized that my own editors don’t wax poetic on a point.

They say something once, like “The heroine is not likable in the opening chapter.” And they expect me to fix it. They don’t tend to give me long paragraphs about WHY my heroine isn’t likable.

Here’s one thing all the Genesis judges have done (or should have done)—they filled out the Summary sheet on the scoresheet that lists five different areas of writing craft (Professional Impact, Story, Characterization, Conflict, Dialogue) and an overall Strengths/Weaknesses section. The judge comments in that Summary sheet are all typically rather useful.

What you have to do is realize that some judges say a LOT in very FEW WORDS.

It’ll be up to you, the entrant, to read carefully and figure out how to fix things.

“The story confused me in chapter two.” (Maybe too much going on, or too many characters, or inadequately explained motivations and actions)

“The dialogue was stilted.” (Maybe the entrant needs to have people read her dialogue so she can hear them herself.)

“I don’t know who the main character(s) are.” (Point of view might be muddled, or the main characters simply aren’t even in the first chapters, which could be a problem since most editors want to know who the book is about fairly quickly. There was the First Three Pages column in the March 2011 RWR that illustrated that point.)

“There’s no romance in the entry.” (The entrant entered the manuscript in the wrong category, or if the book really is a romance, they need to put some of that in the first 15 pages—this is typically a requirement of the romance genre.)

“Character was not sympathetic.” (This usually means there are several things in the first pages that make the reader not like the character—actions, or thoughts, or attitude, or inaccurately explained motivations. Here’s where crit partners instructed to look for where the character is unsympathetic can point out nuances.)

These comments are similar to what my editors have told me in their revision letters. When you enter a contest and get your entry back, realize that the comments can be very useful even if they’re not profuse.

Sometimes, you see the same comment on the same entry given by two different judges. That’s usually something to pay attention to. If Judge #A says she didn’t like your heroine, and Judge #B says he couldn’t relate to the heroine, that’s saying the same thing—make your heroine more sympathetic.

Some judges say completely disparate things—“great dialogue” and “stilted dialogue.” Well, it could be just personal preference—one liked your dialogue and one didn’t.

However, if another judge agrees and says you have “stilted dialogue,” then maybe it’s something to address.

Or if another judge says you have “great dialogue,” then just don’t stress about the “stilted dialogue” comment and just work on constantly improving your dialogue skills.

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Out now is her romantic suspense, Formula for Danger. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, is a staff worker for her church youth group, and leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she ponders frivolous things like knitting, running, dogs, and Asiana. Visit her website to sign up for her quarterly newsletter.

This post first appeared in Seekerville March 20, 2008.

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