To Encourage You

Of late I have had serious conversa- tions with close friends.

Over the Internet, the telephone and across the table from one another, we have reminisced over days gone by, our personal goals, the economy, family, retirement and of course our new president.

Two within my inner circle are the happiest homemakers you could ever meet. One, for the first time since her children left home, has entered the workforce. Another has moved from being a hands-on professional into the realm of academia. Me, I’m juggling a day job, family, ministry and my passion for the arts.

The commonality of the varied conversations rested in the fact that each of us have dared to step out to make at least one of our dreams, reality.

In my quiet time I began to reflect on what took me so long to reach for the stars. Why was I such a late bloomer? Was it a lack of education, time, finances or opportunity? To be completely honest it was a bit of all of the aforementioned.

I love writing, but without the foundation of an English or journalism degree I believed I could never be a writer. Busyness, rather than effective use of time was a convenient excuse for not admitting to my lack of discipline. Finances was something I had, but did not consider to be enough for meeting my business need. Opportunity must be recognized and coupled with preparedness in order to be seized for success.

Until I understood that the only thing holding me back was me, I stumbled around with a severe case of the ‘woulda, coulda, shoulda’s’. We all have dreams. Some of us even have visions of grandeur. The point is that dreams remain dreams unless acted upon. If I wanted to become a writer I had to do more than think about it, I had to learn how to write. Beyond this I had to learn to manage my time in order to study. With the goal of someday publishing, I began to realistically look at my budget in order to determine how this endeavor would be financed. When the opportunity came to present my manuscript to an editor, I was as prepared as I could be. That preparedness combined with the chance meeting led to the success of publishing my first novel.

Beyond the publishing, my teacher gene kicked into overdrive. My passion for helping others is as strong as my love for the written word. As strong as my passions were and are, there have been serious challenges to the dream. There will always be challenges to achieving your dreams and it will cost you something. What you will have to determine is if you are willing to pay the cost for achieving your dream and in the process, lend a hand to help another?

1 Timothy 2-4

1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

CELEBRATING THE DREAMER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI_tQ5DdFAk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n53GuVt0tlY&feature=related

Are you just dreaming or are you seeking to be part of the solution?

THANK YOU

We are humbled by this honor and take this opportunity to thank each of you who have given support through participation, words of encouragement and extension of suggestions for the future.

BWChristialit is the sibling site of the online Christian writing group with the same name. Our primary purpose is to be of assistance to the aspiring, novice and seasoned writer.

You are encouraged to come often as we endeavor to give more to the literary community in 2009.

Think on These Things

Virtually every newscast speaks to the downward spiral of the nation’s economy. The close of 2008 saw our nation in an economic decline many equate with the Great Depression.

The end of the year, in the eyes of many brings the opportunity to refresh. In many cases the results of our national condition has placed the necessity before us. Do not dispair, that forced choice, refreshing, may be the blessing we did not know we needed.

As authors we may be concerned about the possible decline in contract offers, grim forecasts for future sales, offers for and/or extension of invitations for public and private events. The list of concerns can become extensive.

Today’s post comes to encourage you.

I am reminded of the story of Abram and Lot. God told Abram to leave his home; to separate from that he was familiar with. But, Abram took Lot, his nephew. Although Abram was blessed, he also had to deal with controversy. One such challenge was having too much property and having to decide to separate from Lot in order to maintain without strife between them. Given the choice, Lot, seeking self-preservation, chose the most fertile land, leaving Abram, the Uncle who provided his wealth, with the lesser of the land.

Often we believe that the situation we’re in is our source and apart from it we cannot survive. Lot believed that by selecting the preferable land he would have all he needed to continue to maintain the lifestyle he had grown accustomed to. In his haste, he neglected to understand that often, less is more.

After the separation, God spoke to Abram (Genesis 13:14-15) “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”

By today’s standards Abram would be considered a fool. That view comes from not understanding that, sometimes, in order to grow, to be further blessed, you may have to let go of what has become familiar; what you thought was the maximum blessing.

The unfamiliar brings with it a measure of uncertainty and for some, a bit of fear. Fear of the unknown is not uncommon. What is far too common is allowing it to stunt your growth.

Some of us may lose contracts, opportunities to speak, friendships we thought had been forged in the fire and maybe even that job that allowed us to support our writing career. The fear of this is natural, but we cannot allow it to cause us to spend more time lamenting about it than taking advantage of the time, the blessing, that may be placed in your hand.

If you find yourself in any of the aforementioned situations I encourage you to revisit your most current written vision and then think on these things:

*How do you see yourself going forth despite the stumble in the plan?
*Is there necessity to upgrade/tweak the process?
*What ideas do you have that you have wanted to develop, but haven’t had the time to do so?
*What continuing education can you now take advantage of in order to hone your writing,

oratory and/or marking skills?
*Who do you know who needs mentoring and could benefit from your generosity and expertise?
*Are you willing to mentor for free?
*Have you considered cross-promoting with others?

I encourage you to go forth looking at the half-full glass rather than the one that is half-empty. In your trying times be mindful that: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

A Very Real Writing Basic

I have been fortunate to participate in a variety of author roundtable discussions. Subject-matter has ranged from the creation of storylines to where you saw yourself in the near and distant future. One program’s table topic focused on the business side of writing. The discussion was great as were questions from callers.

There was however one caller whose queries caused concern that progressed to irritation. In a nutshell they did not want to be involved with the process beyond writing other than selling the book at personal venues. It did not take long to realize that the respect for the art was far from what they sought.

The mindset of the caller, although annoying, did cause me to revisit far too many remarks made by those in passing and in discussion. Those remembered words brought me to the realization that many an aspiring writer has no idea how involved the writing process truly is.

Each writer has their own process for writing. That process, regardless of how simplistic or involved, becomes their starting point. That starting point, basic plan, will be expanded upon in order to develop the work into a marketable product.

What many among us fail to understand is that writing basics involves far more than placing words on paper or into an electronic retrieval system. It begins with knowing the steps necessary for success.

Like any enterprise we enter into, it is imperative that you:
*Know which tools you will need
*Acquire the skills necessary
*Become well-versed in terminology of the industry
*Never stop learning

You may be asking yourself why I would go down this road. The reason is simple. I have been involved in many discussions with editing professionals whose challenge with a submission begins with the fact that the author does not have a functional grasp upon the basics of using the Word program.

The lack of how to adequately use this program can and has created problems such as:
*Improper formatting (justifications, indents, line spacing)
*Proper insertion of page numbering
*Lack of page breaks
*Inability to use tracking program for revisions
*How to attach and transmit files

This may seem elementary to most, but there are many who are not versed in the workings of this vital program. The lack of these skills is not to say that the writer is deficient. It speaks to the need to gain skills that were not previously necessary in their day-to-day function.

To that end I offer the following link: http://www.bcschools.net/staff/WordHelp.htm

This link is not offered to offend; it is offered in order to help tose in need of developing or enhancing tools necessary for the writing process. If you know someone who can benefit from the tutorials, please share. I welcome your remarks and comments.

PLANNING AHEAD

The other day I was reminded of a need to assess where I am with my 2008 goals as well as considering what I would like to accomplish for 2009.

As I studied my extensive list of planned goals for 2008 I could not conceal my amusement as well as pride. The year I planned closely resembled what actually transpired. Despite some of the detours my process took, I am pleased to say that I accomplished much. I can also say that the remaining items are not causing me to hyperventilate.

I have often said to my siblings and close friends that a woman without a plan is a woman planning to fail. In order to remain on a steady course I have spent several days reassessing the last ten and a half months, and what I plan to accomplish in the next thirteen and a half. I thought it would nice to compile a list and share with some of my favorite people – YOU!

I invite you to comment, add suggestions of your own and ask any questions you may have.

PLANNING AHEAD

Before you can move ahead you need to assess the past. Take a look at what transpired over the past year in order to determine:
Which plans/processes were effective?
Which plans/processes need adjusting in order to be effective?
Which plans/processes should be eliminated?

What remains from the previous year?
Are items remaining on list vital for the progress/enhancement of your business?
Determine how to incorporate into new year

Assessing the future
Compile a list of what you want/need to accomplish for the coming year
Make is feasible
Plan your time wisely
Be flexible

Budget/Tracking
Consider your financial needs
Set a budget
Secure the services of an accountant
Set up a tracking system for expenditures
Set up a tracking system for inventory
Update all your necessary business licenses

Upgrading
Take inventory of your business instruments and upgrade where possible
Replace batteries in electronic items
Have at least one land line for home business purposes

Continuing Education
Seek writing and business courses that will keep you competitive
Consider attending at least one writing conference
Attend online seminars
Read, read, read

On The Web
Update website in order to have the latest and most pertinent information available for visitors
Set reminders for renewing domain name and/or ISP hosting contracts
If your site is not the first to pop up on search engines, update your meta tags
Set up a blog and commit to updating at least once a month (I’m trying to get there)
Set up Google Alerts to see who is checking you out
Google yourself at least once a month to see where you appear or who’s using your name without your permission

The list above is by no means exhaustive. I do believe it will help get you started or enhance what you are already doing.