Best of the Archives: "Happy for No Reason"

By Missy Tippens
Posted Originally on August 13, 2008

I recently saw an interview with Marci Shimoff, author of “Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out.” And she said something really interesting. We all have a happiness set point. And it means that no matter what happens to us in life, we tend to settle around the same happiness level unless we do something consciously to change it.

She said that our set point is 50% genetic (we’re born with it), 10% circumstances, and the other 40% is due to our habits of thoughts and behavior. That 40% is the part we can change. She said we have 60,000 thoughts per day, and for the average person 80% of those are negative. Sooooo…

We’ve got to stop the negative thoughts! And we’ve got to replace them with positive thoughts.

The road to publication and the business of writing can be difficult. None of us is immune to rejection. And then there’s the negative feedback (those painful contests score sheets and tepid or even bad reviews). Even when things are going great, we worry about what’s ahead. We wonder if we can keep producing good manuscripts or if we'll ever sell again. But we have to plow ahead, to keep our chins up and tell ourselves that we’re strong, we’re good at what we do, and we’re going to be successful.

Okay, so maybe you’re thinking I’m a wannabe therapist. It seems with every post I’m trying to force you to do self-reflection. But actually, I think I'm more of a wannabe cheerleader. (Yeah, you guessed it. I was in band in high school.) So here I go once again with a self-help assignment. So sorry! But you have to do it anyway (yes, I can be as mean as Ruthy). :)

Come up with two or three affirmations you’re going to tell yourself this week (and maybe post them on sticky notes on your bathroom mirror). I’d love to hear if changing your self-talk worked for you! I'd also love for you to share what you've come up with.

Gosh, I guess I’ll go first… I’m organized. I’m competent…

I’m skinny.

What? That one doesn’t count? (Don’t you wish we could “self-talk” the pounds away?!) Okay, a third affirmation: I’m creative.

I will succeed! And so will you. Now your turn...

Rah Rah!
Missy :)

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, Holt Medallion, 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. Visit Missy at www.missytippens.com, https://twitter.com/MissyTippens and http://www.facebook.com/missy.tippens.readers.

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Comments have been turned off today so you can focus on writing and practicing your positive self-talk. :)

No Such Thing as a Fairy Godmouse...

Isn’t that supposed to be fairy godMOTHER, you know, as in Cinderella and her magical mentor who turned mice into prancing horses, a pumpkin into a golden carriage, and rags and bare feet into a beautiful gown with glass slippers?
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Well, yeah…but please bear with me for a moment, okay? I have a collection of framed greeting cards that I periodically switch out above my desk for inspiration—and a kick in the seat of the pants. You can see one of them above…little Cindermouse astonished by the arrival of her very own fairy godmouse who will transform the world as she knows it.
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This particular illustration is near and dear to my heart. Years ago, in my early days as an aspiring writer, I’d written on the back of it: “There ain’t no such thing as a fairy godmouse.”
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And what did that uncompromising statement and the charming image that inspired it mean to me?
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The winged and wand-waving rodent was a humorous “reality check” that, as much as I hoped for, longed for, and dreamed of reaching readers as a published writer, no fairytale creature was going to step in and magically do it for me while I watched from the sidelines. No fairy godmouse would type my book as I slept. She wouldn’t polish my prose, transform the sagging story middle or cover other flaws of craftsmanship with fairy dust while I attended to other things.
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The essence of the familiar Cinderella story—a good-hearted, mistreated lady (or lad!) magically being granted success—is one rooted in cultures throughout the world for thousands of years. It’s certainly well-established in our modern-day collective psyches, often to our detriment when it encourages us to lethargically await a magical, effortless intervention requiring little or no commitment or exertion on our own part.
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Bible teacher Joyce Meyer says “God actually chooses people on purpose who absolutely cannot do what He is asking them to do unless they allow Him to do it through them.”
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But she doesn’t mean He does everything FOR us while we’re off having our nails done or getting a massage. Instead, He chooses to do things WITH us. He is the power source but we are His instrument if we willingly make ourselves available.
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From the very beginning of my writing journey, I knew I didn’t want to be published if it wasn’t God’s best plan for me. I also knew early on that while God might plant story ideas in my head and frequently pick me up and dust me off when I despaired of ever attaining publication, he expected ME to sit down at the keyboard and hammer out the thousands of necessary words. He’d grant me the courage to enter a contest, but he wouldn’t send off the entry. He’d give me insights into the feedback received from judges, but He himself wouldn’t incorporate those lessons into my manuscript while I was taking a nap. He’d point the way to open doors of opportunity, but he wouldn’t force me to walk through them. Even if I did everything “right,” the effort came with no guarantees of publication or remaining published. I had (have) to be “good” with that.
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It’s a partnership if we choose to sign on.
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Few things in life that are worth doing come easy if you want to excel at them. God won’t wave a wand over my writing dreams. He wants me to build spiritual muscle in order to be healthy and strong, to have endurance for the long haul, to grow in deeper relationship with Him. He’s using the writing dream to develop those things in me. But it takes a time and effort commitment on my part. Self-discipline. Setting and meeting goals. Dismissing negative self-talk. Trusting God. While I may still sometimes wonder why it took so long to get published and wonder why it can still be so hard to write a contracted book, I know God’s developing my “core” self. Building layer upon layer of “muscle” in the most central part of who I am and who He wants me to be. In His eyes, pursuing the writing dream is more than the attainment of publication. Much more.
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For me, it’s been an ongoing lesson in perseverance, patience, self-discipline and overcoming fear. It’s been growth in time management and craftsmanship, in coming to better understand the power of Story. It’s seeking God’s support and guidance and continuously being willing to conform to—and trust in—His will even when I’d rather take a shortcut or throw in the towel.
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So what do you think would have happened to our beleaguered Cindermouse if that winged and be-wanded fairy creature hadn’t made a timely arrival? Would she still be sitting in the ashes, feeling sorry for herself because she can’t complete a book? Making excuses because she’d rather watch TV or cruise the internet than “pump iron” at the keyboard? Whining because the road to publication (and staying published) is often harder than she’d ever imagined? Or would she seek God’s guidance and solider on?

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At this very moment I’m under a pressing deadline for a book that’s due at the end of June. Several other Seekers are currently in a similar boat. We believe the books we’re writing are a God-pleasing endeavor, but we also know that no one is going to complete our manuscript for us. No one else is going to expend the creative energy, make the required sacrifices or carve out time to sit in front of our computer—except us.
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That’s reality.There’s no such thing as a fairy godmouse.
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Many of you who visit Seekerville are among those who’ve stopped waiting for the appearance of wand-waving fairytale creature. You prayerfully determined this is a direction God would like you to explore. There are no guarantees that you’ll ever be published or remain published, but there’s a promise that God will use your efforts to make you an instrument fit for His purpose—whatever that may be. You made a decision to step out and commit to do your part. You’re writing regularly, you’re taking on-line writing courses, attending conferences, joining critique groups, submitting entries to contests and queries to agents and editors. Some of you have even become published authors since we first met you on the sunny beaches of our Unpubbed Seeker Island!
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So please share with us today what the turning point was for you—when you went from merely daydreaming to pursuing the dream in tangible, measurable ways. How do you keep going when attaining the dream doesn’t happen overnight, when you desperately long to get your hands on a magic wand? What evidence do you see that God is building your “spiritual muscle” through this ongoing endeavor?
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If you’re an Unpubbed Seeker Islander who’s not yet taking concrete steps toward pursuing your writing dream, what are you waiting for?
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And please don’t tell me a fairy godmouse!!
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Glynna
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If you’d like to be entered in a drawing for a winner’s choice of one of my books, please mention it in the comments section, then check our Weekend Edition for the winner announcement!

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Glynna Kaye’s debut book “Dreaming of Home” was a finalist in the ACFW Carol and Maggie awards, as well as a first place winner of the “Booksellers Best” and “Beacon” awards. Her 4 1/2 star “At Home In His Heart” was chosen as a Reviewers Choice finalist by national magazine RT Book Reviews. “A Canyon Springs Courtship,” her sixth Love Inspired book (and the fifth set in the mountain country of Arizona), releases in September 2013--with two more contracted for 2014!

Spring Is Sprung

Spring is sprung

The grass is riz

I wonder where

The fun-time is?

It’s March, anyone else have spring fever? Audra here, and let me tell you, I've got a case of spring fever -- BIG TIME!

Spring fever is kinda hard to realize when northern gales are blowing, sub-zero temps blanket the land and there’s even a snow watch in San Francisco. How weird is this winter?

Well, weird or not, I can’t deny I’m looking forward to longer, warmer days and the smell of rich, freshly turned earth waiting for the seeds of summer to be planted. Usually, I’m not a huge fan of the warmer seasons. Give me a foot of snow on the ground and hot chocolate in a mug, and I’m a way happy camper. But this winter was different. I don’t know if it’s the cold that’s settled in along the Front Range of Colorado or the persistent cloud cover we’ve had, but I’m ready for sunshine, spring breezes and the sweet smells of spring to surround me.



Spring fever.

I sit at my desk at work and find my attention wandering across the room so I can peek out the window at the dormant garden beyond the glass. In the summer, the bushes and plants are groomed by the Master Gardeners to showcase the native plants growing in the area. At home, rabbits are chasing each other around all over our back acreage…you know what THAT means, LOL! In the evenings, I walk the dog for exercise (both of us need it) through the neighborhood down the street and see hints of green in flower beds where spring bulbs are beginning to push through the mulch and dirt.



All of these signs hold the promise of warmer days to come. But at the moment??



It’s distracting as all get out.



How in the world am I supposed to get any writing work done when all I want to do sit out on the deck and drink a diet Pepsi?? I have revisions to finish, contest entries to judge and research for my next proposal to snoop out. I even have decadence supreme at my disposal in the form of a desk top computer, a laptop, and a netbook – all available with all my book materials on all of them so I can grab the computer of choice and go with the muse when she hits me.

Lately, my muse is the prime culprit in my focus demise. If SHE wants to read a book at the patio table, who am I to argue? Computers? Ms. Muse deceitfully whispers it’s time to check email or justifies the time to finish my latest Mahjong game.



Thankfully, I have been able to concentrate long enough to finish our tax prep and take care of the applications needed to support college kids and their hunt for ever elusive scholarships and financial aid.



I’ll tell you though, those were some painful hours spent trying to find receipts and bank statements.



What does all this have to do with writing, you ask? Lots.

What writer hasn’t been distracted by seasons, events and holidays? Christmas may be a big distraction when deadlines loom, but I’m talking about not being able to string two coherent sentences together in my revisions, reading and rereading contest entries for content and, really, is it that hard to find appropriate keywords so Google will lead me to the information on bull riders I’m looking for?? Frankly, I’m rather worthless right now and hoping confession is not only good for the soul, but concentration cleansing too.



I don’t fight it. I do take longer walks, daydream a bit more, and long for the pile of chores scattered across my desk to just take care of itself. Yes, I indulge in the promise of spring, but GUILT keeps me from getting too carried away.



And HOPE holds the carrot of fun and relaxation AFTER I finish all my chores.



Funny how your mother’s voice never seems to fade away : )

Anyone else having this problem??



Spring fever. What does it mean to you?



Leave a comment and a lucky springtime daydreamer will receive a $10 Amazon gift card to help chase away the winter blues and make way for spring time smiles.

Walking the Dark Side of the Moon

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 said on Tuesday, when he referred 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.

Ruthy

Everything is Possible

In one of my Seekerville posts awhile back I shared several writerly quotes from the newspaper’s cryptoquote puzzle section. I deciphered another one this week that seems quite apropos for us writers:

“Everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it.” -- Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps

Okay, maybe not everything is possible (for a human being, anyway). But Michael has the right idea. We don’t get anywhere in this business without a huge investment of time, work, and will power. How are you doing in each of those departments?

Time. What’s your writing schedule like? Do you even have a schedule? Even putting in 30 minutes a day is 30 minutes of writing you wouldn’t have completed otherwise. Repeat that five times in a week and you’ve tallied up two and a half hours. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Do an hour a day, and there’s five hours in a week. How many words can you churn out in an hour? They all add up.

Work. How hard are you willing to work at improving your craft? Getting words on the page is important--vital, in fact. But so is learning and study. How many books and magazine articles on writing technique have you read this year? Have you taken any online courses? Attended any conferences? Which industry blogs do you visit regularly? How many published books in your genre have you read and analyzed to see why they work (or don’t)? Have you traded critiques with a wise and honest fellow writer? Have you entered contests where you could get valuable feedback? And afterward, did you evaluate the comments and revise your manuscript accordingly?

Will power. Otherwise known as stick-to-it-iveness. And after 25 years in this business, I know a little about this subject. If you don’t want it badly enough, believe me, it’ll never happen. Unfortunately, you can also want it really badly and it still may not happen. But that’s God’s decision, not yours. To fall back on a favorite Randy Ingermanson quote, “If God has called you to write, then don’t you dare quit. Don’t you DARE!”

If you’re feeling really brave, leave a comment answering the following questions:

1. How many hours did you actually write in the past 7 days?
2. What is the most recent craft book, online class, or workshop that made an impact on your writing?
3. What changes and sacrifices have you made in order to make writing a top priority?
4. What’s the one thing that keeps you keeping on?

Remember, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NASB).

Guest Blogger Kristi Holl: The Healing Power of Fiction

Myra here. I’m so happy to welcome today’s guest blogger, Kristi Holl. I’ve known Kristi since 1983, when she was assigned as my Institute of Children’s Literature instructor. Kristi’s expert teaching, encouragement, and friendship have guided many a wannabe writer—including me!—along the path toward publishing success.

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Recently I spent time with some children grappling with a deep loss, and it reminded me of a time of loss in my own life. Years ago, when the crisis was over, I found myself in a writer’s block of monumental proportions. Friends and family had gone back about their business, and I ached at the quietness of the house. I couldn’t focus on a grocery list, much less my novel-in-progress. One day, as I faced another empty evening, I glanced at the overcrowded shelves in the hallway.

My gaze fell on treasured childhood books that dated back forty years: The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Little Women, Blue Willow, Anne of Green Gables. I held my breath. Something stirred within, some sense of recognition. By doing no more than reading the titles, a sense of peace washed over me. I wasn’t alone. My best friends were right there—waiting patiently between the covers of books—just as they had been all my life.

Take Me Away!
Many of us grew up escaping into fiction because it was a world that was safe. A book wasn’t going to hurt us. In a book, we could find a world better than the one we lived in. As I talk to writers, it continues to astound me the numbers who grew up deprived of love (and often abused). However, others from “normal” homes, who had to deal with tragedy and hardship, also learned to escape into books. Madeleine L’Engle, author of Newbery winner A Wrinkle in Time, said it this way: “I tried to heal my fear with stories, stories which gave me courage, stories which affirmed that ultimately love is stronger than hate… Story was in no way an evasion of life, but a way of living life creatively instead of fearfully.”

If you’re a writer who has experienced a deep loss and you find your emotions frozen and fingers unable to write, I suggest you rediscover the healing power of fiction. It’s free; you find it between the covers of a book instead of in a pill bottle. Think back to the stories that comforted you as a child. Chances are you still have those books in a box somewhere, a box you’ve carted from house to house for a lifetime. Get them out. Dust them off. (Or hunt down specific titles at the library or used book store.)

Healing in the Mind
What kinds of fiction are most healing? Stories of triumph and love, and loss and recovery, and family and belonging—stories with imaginary worlds that are sometimes more real than your own home. These stories give you a place to escape your pain, at least for a brief time. (Note: Not just any book will do. You need more than mere distraction, which can be had by reading a suspense thriller.) You need stories that feed you, restore you, and begin to heal your wounded spirit. Re-entering the world of best-loved childhood fiction pulls you into a setting with people you love and remember, a nurturing place. Choosing to heal begins in our thoughts, and lost in your fictional world you can absorb thoughts that once again bring you moments of joy. How can you not laugh at Jo March cutting off and selling her hair, “her one beauty”? Or Anne (with an “e”) dying her red hair green?

It’s true that when your loss is very fresh it is difficult to focus enough to read. In
that case, work into it slowly. For example, watching six hours of “Anne of Green
Gables,” taped from the public television channel, was enough to propel me into re-reading the whole series. Watching my “Little Women” video had the same affect. It is still revisiting favorite fictional friends. Then, when the grief has settled down (or settled in), try again to focus on the books. There is a richness in the printed words and details that transports you into their world for a time. These details of home and clothing and scenery may be present in the movie too, but images on a screen change quickly, and we catch no more than glimpses and impressions. Reading—and reading slowly—allows you to savor the details. And oddly enough, it’s drinking in the details where healing actually begins.

No matter who in your real life dies or abandons you, the precious friends in childhood books are always there waiting. They’re stable. In a world that never stops changing, your fictional friends remain the same. And at times of grief and loss, we desperately need people we can count on. Until that loss, I had no idea the amount of comfort you could receive from fictional people in books.

Truth? Or Fiction?
How can that be, since fiction (by definition) isn’t real? Or ... is it? I believe that some of the greatest truths I ever read were shown to me (or voiced) by characters in novels. (Do not confuse truth with “facts.”) Katherine Paterson says books “allow us to enter imaginatively into someone else’s life. And when we do that, we learn to sympathize with other people. But the real surprise is that we also learn truths about ourselves, about our own lives, that somehow we hadn’t been able to see before.”

These truths can be one way out of the dark and lonely tunnel of grief. We identify with our fictional friends—and learn from them. How did Anne and Marilla handle Matthew Cuthbert’s death? How did the March girls’ faith get them through the loss of their sister, Beth? These (and a dozen other favorite childhood books of mine) taught me how to love, to survive, to grieve—and then to heal. It was no surprise to me that these books got me through my childhood. It was a great surprise to discover they could help me heal an adult loss.

Whether you write fiction for children or adults, can you think of a greater reward than that? Don’t you want to write stories that someone might pick up someday when they need to visit a dear and treasured friend?

Kristi Holl is the author of 35 books, both fiction and nonfiction, including WRITER'S FIRST AID. Her most recent release is a four-book series published in June by Zonderkidz, the Boarding School Mysteries.

• Kristi's web site: www.KristiHoll.com
• Kristi's writers blog: www.Writers-First-Aid.blogspot.com
• Girls Connecting with God web site: www.devotions4girls.com
• What's a Girl To Do? blog: www.devotions4girls.blogspot.com
• New mystery series: www.BoardingSchoolMysteries.com

"Happy for No Reason"

I recently saw an interview with Marci Shimoff, author of “Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out.” And she said something really interesting. We all have a happiness set point. And it means that no matter what happens to us in life, we tend to settle around the same happiness level unless we do something consciously to change it.

She said that our set point is 50% genetic (we’re born with it), 10% circumstances, and the other 40% is due to our habits of thoughts and behavior. That 40% is the part we can change. She said we have 60,000 thoughts per day, and for the average person 80% of those are negative. Sooooo…

We’ve got to stop the negative thoughts! And we’ve got to replace them with positive thoughts.

The road to publication and the business of writing can be difficult. None of us is immune to rejection. And then there’s the negative feedback (those painful contests score sheets and tepid or even bad reviews). Even when things are going great, we worry about what’s ahead. We wonder if we can keep producing good manuscripts or if we'll ever sell again. But we have to plow ahead, to keep our chins up and tell ourselves that we’re strong, we’re good at what we do, and we’re going to be successful.

Okay, so maybe you’re thinking I’m a wannabe therapist. It seems with every post I’m trying to force you to do self-reflection. But actually, I think I'm more of a wannabe cheerleader. (Yeah, you guessed it. I was in band in high school.) So here I go once again with a self-help assignment. So sorry! But you have to do it anyway (yes, I can be as mean as Ruthy). :)

Come up with two or three affirmations you’re going to tell yourself this week (and maybe post them on sticky notes on your bathroom mirror). I’d love to hear if changing your self-talk worked for you! I'd also love for you to share what you've come up with.

Gosh, I guess I’ll go first… I’m organized. I’m competent…

I’m skinny.

What? That one doesn’t count? (Don’t you wish we could “self-talk” the pounds away?!) Okay, a third affirmation: I’m creative.

I will succeed! And so will you. Now your turn...

Rah Rah!
Missy :)

Time for a Little Contest Post-Mortem

It's time!

Time to confess.

Time to get it off your chest.

Then time to bury it.

My confession: The last three contests I entered I didn't final in. Nope. Not even close. Never mentioned it in public. Humiliated.

Truth is when you've had significant positive results in contests you get a bit cocky and expect to final every time. That is so NOT pc to admit.

But I'm admitting it.

The really ugly truth is this is a competitive business. You know all those great suggestions you gave newbie authors when you judged a contest? Well the smart ones, the savvy ones...they took your advice, my advice. And they are running right behind us.

So if you want to keep on top of your game, published or unpublished...you have to continue to grow as a writer. You have to go to conferences, take online workshops, read, and generally live life.

We've had a lot of Genesis post-mortem around here. Wait til the non finaling Golden Heart results come back. OUCH!!

Contests are a 'crap-shoot' in that at any given time, you can have any given judge, who has any given set of pre existing conditions from: PMS to an aversion to the time period your book was set in or a mortal enemy named Jessica...btw the name of your heroine...

But, as we all know, contests are a huge training ground most of the time. They provide a cold read when we need it, a kick in the pants when we need it and a challenge to take our writing to the next level.

So it's Friday. As we gear up for another week of courting our dreams, lets lay our contest

frustrations on the ground, and bury them.

Be honest.

What's twisting your boxers?

Get it off your chest and we'll move on.

Oh, yeah, one more thing for me to lay on the ground before I move on.

Pissy thank you notes. Come on. If you are going to judge bash, have the smarts not to mail the note.

Happy Friday!

Surviving on Unpubbed Island

There’s a little corner of Seekerville known as Unpubbed Island, and a few of us have been stuck here a wee bit too long. We try to keep stiff upper lips, and we wave and cheer like crazy when one of our sisters gets picked up by a luxury liner headed toward Contract City. But each of us is secretly hoping we won’t be the last woman left husking coconuts.

Still, we’re survivors. We know how to crack open contest critiques and boil out the meaty parts. We’re expert plot menders. We’ve tossed out endless manuscripts-in-a-bottle hoping to be rescued by an editor or agent. We can shinny up the tallest palm tree and spot every new publisher on the horizon.

It takes faith and persistence to stick it out on Unpubbed Island. Some days I dream about building a raft and escaping. Life has got to be easier in Volunteer Village or Church Committee Condos. I could learn to garden, spend more time cleaning house, cook a meal that takes longer than ten minutes to prepare.

Or, like several of my Seeker Sisters (both pubbed and unpubbed), I could keep the sharks at bay with a job that actually offers a return for the hours invested. Necessity or not, a “real job” means sacrificing time and creative energy for our writing.

The truth is, even our sisters already living it up in Contract City aren’t shark-proof. Unpubbed Island is a mere stone’s throw away from the Post-Contract Perils Archipelago: Lousy Reviews, Second-Book Blues, and Still Haven’t Paid Your Dues.

Here in Seekerville, though, it’s all for one and one for all. The Three Musketeers times five. The beaches of Unpubbed Island and Post-Contract Perils are strewn with care packages. Hugs. Tears. Prayers. Chocolate. When anyone makes it off the island, she tosses out buoys, life preservers, and signal flares every chance she gets.

If you’re a visitor to Seekerville, we hope you’ve connected with your own community of support. A critique partner, local writers group, online loop. Writing is a lonely business, made even more desolate when the inevitable disappointments come and we’re left to face them alone.

Whom do you look to when discouragement strikes? Who’s your lifeline on this turbulent journey toward writing success? Just remember, here in Seekerville, you’ll always find a seat in the lifeboat, a steaming thermos of cappuccino, and plenty of friends to help you navigate through the fog.

CONFESSIONS OF A CONTEST FLUNKIE-Guestblog post by Pamela James

Today we have American Christian Fiction Writer's (ACFW)Vice President, Pamela James guestblogging with us. Since she's such a good friend, I wanna tell ya this disclaimer: I don't think she's a flunkie...but the title she picked for her post was avidly cute.

So without further ado....here's Pammer James:

CONFESSIONS OF A CONTEST FLUNKIE


It is so exciting to be here.

I haven't done much contesting, but what I have learned may help you out. My father said, "There are two types of people in the world. Those who learn from the mistakes of others and the "others"."

I have to admit, I am one of the 'others'.

My advice to you is to enter contests. Enter plenty of them. Polish your work to the best shine you can get and enter it again. In 2005 I entered three contests. I had a friend who entered so many she lost track, but she shall remain nameless, right Cheryl? :)

But DO NOT enter if you just want someone to tell you how fabulous a writer you are.

All of the Fab Four entered the Genesis contest (back then it was known as the Noble Theme, it's last year being called such, in fact). Three of us made it past the first round. Camy Tang, Cheryl and myself. I just KNEW I had a good entry and since I wasn't being pitted against Cheryl or Camy I figured I had a pretty good chance of winning or at least placing in the top three, right?

Well, I didn't. Cheryl and Camy both won First Place in their categories.

As I mentioned, we all entered more than one contest. Cheryl, Camy and I didn't final in all the contests we entered.

I would like to point out the two of us three that are published. God's timing? Yes, and. . .I didn't have the right heart. I wanted to hear how wonderful my talent was. I missed the meaning and the blessings of contests.

Cheryl and Camy took those scores, read the comments, LEARNED from the judges comments (even the ones I thought were unkind), and APPLIED those suggestions (that's all they are you know from someone who knows what they're doing) to their writing. Their work got better and better.

I took those comments and grumbled. The judges didn't get me. They didn't understand my story. How on earth am I supposed to tell the whole story in one chapter? If I did, why write the rest of the novel. I even asked Cheryl to help me find some good in one judges comments (not sure what contest).

In fact, I was so upset and down about the contests, my hubby (the fixer) forbade me to enter any more contests since he didn't know how to make it better for me.

Instead of growing as a writer and a person, I spun my wheels. Worked on the same novel for three years. It was rejected twice.

Last year God softened my heart. I finally understood that critiques and judge comments were meant to help and not hurt. If I could apply what I learned from a crit or a comment I could have the joy of seeing my work improved. What a blessing to have so many people willing to show me the ropes. I have been learning from the fabulous people He has put in my life. And I think my writing has improved. It's not there yet, but it's getting there.

Learn from my hard lesson. Enter contests with the right expectations and the right heart. If you final or win, then that is a plus. I think your main goal should be to improve your writing and you will definitely get that if you allow it to help you.

Hugs!



Pamela James
Faith Based Intrigue: Visit Pamela on the Web
When danger and faith collide.