I Get By With a Little Help from My Friends {Novella Lessons + Sneak Peek}

Less than a week to go before the Love at First Laugh collection releases, and it's getting real, y'all. I've learned so much in this process, like:

• Just because a novella is smaller doesn't mean it's easier to write. 
• When you've spent seven years marketing books full-time as your job and three getting to market your favorite author friends, it's strange and exciting being on the other end of it and promoting your own books.
• Getting the first positive feedback from someone who isn't your critique partner or family member is an indescribable experience. (I'm not crying. You're crying!)
• Things rarely ever go as planned in creative projects.
• It's okay to put your work out there even if you're afraid it's not perfect. Because it will never be perfect.
• Only in the writing community -- in the inspirational writing community, to be exact -- are other authors not seen as competition, but as co-workers in the holy responsibility to point readers to Christ. 

Can I make a confession right now? As much as it agonized my reformed-people-pleaser-heart, I almost dropped out of the collection. Twice. I know -- so unlike me! But my first draft was rushed and flat and uninspired due to an unexpected death in the family and The Tomlinson Household Quarantine of 2016. I spent the time designated in my detailed, color-coded plan for professional edits on rewriting the entire thing. I didn't want to publish it because I knew that it wouldn't be absolutely perfect.

And then, suddenly, my rewrite plunged from a long, dark tunnel to daylight. My characters had dimension! Chemistry, even, which is kind of important for a romance! I was chatting with my friend Jessica Patch about a scene in which my characters break down on the side of the road and accidentally stumble upon a high school Revolutionary War dance, of all things. As we went back and forth, she illuminated a sequence of events that would be more dynamic in real-time instead of glossed over in the narrative as I'd done. 

Moral of the story: Things don't always turn out the way you plan in story world, but many times, it ends up better -- especially with a little help from your friends. Trusted members of your writing community can help you see your story in a new light and learn valuable information about your characters. (Like maybe your baseball playing hero was also an academic bowl nerd. *Swoon*) And author-friends remind you that God doesn't need a flawless manuscript to whisper messages through your words. 

Here's a tiny snippet from the scene I mentioned above:

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“Are you a history buff yourself?”

Nick grinned. “I wasn’t captain of the Westmoore High quiz bowl for nothing.”

Shirley clasped her hands. “Oh, you should join us if the truck’s going to be a while.” She bent and started digging through a trunk. “There are also some British sea service pistols and Charleville muskets floating around here.”

“Oh, that’s all right.” Nick searched for an excuse. “Really, we wouldn’t want to—”

Shirley held up a ruffled, pink-gray gown as the door opened, and he looked from the dress to Chelsea. From Chelsea to the dress. With the hint of a smile on her face, she looked so relieved. So unsuspecting.  

“You know what?” He stifled a laugh. “On second thought, I think we can stay for a while.” Chelsea in that dress would make the blown water pump worth its weight in gunpowder and chests of Boston Harbor tea.

She reached them, her smile shifting to confusion at Nick’s face and disappearing completely when she saw the dress. “What’s this?”

“How we’re going to pass the next thirty minutes.”

Shirley handed him a white, curly wig.

“Nick.”

“C’mon, Scotty.” He pulled the wig on.

“Absolutely not.” 

Two minutes later, the smell of mothballs and baby powder assaulted him from the top of his head, and he could barely move his arms in a blue militia jacket. Yet somehow he suspected Chelsea had it worse based on the thumps coming from behind the wall.

“Were you able to reach my dad?”

Nick turned to face the helpful colonial nurse, who was now bookended by friends with grins full of braces. “Yes. Thank you so much.” He gave her the phone and pulled on the hem of his jacket. “You guys are seriously awesome.”

And to top it all off, they’d let him keep his own pants.

“Would you like us to teach you the Cornwallis Country Dance until your lady comes back?”

Her friend on the left snickered. “Or perhaps the Congress Minuet? That will really impress her.”

The sound of wood cracking on wood saved him from answering.

Wow. Nick swallowed hard as Chelsea appeared in the doorway, her yoga tights and tunic replaced with the ruffled gown, which pulled in tightly at the waist, accentuating every curve. Its champagne color set off her milky skin and coppery hair. Her eyes met his, utterly unimpressed, and he smiled. Suddenly that Congress Minuet didn’t sound so bad.

“Well, look at you.” Nick nudged a petal-pink ruffle on her shoulder. “Scotty in a dress.”

“A tiny dress.” She pulled at it, lips parting at the popping noise that resulted. “I definitely don’t have the body of a fifteen-year-old girl.”

For the love of all that is good in this world, thank you, Jesus.




From That's When I Knew, part of the Love at First Laugh inspirational romance collection. Get all 8 novellas (including fabulous new work from Pepper and Krista) for 99 cents on Kindle for a limited time!

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Laurie Tomlinson is an award-winning contemporary romance author and cheerleader for creatives. She believes that God's love is unfailing, anything can be accomplished with a good to-do list, and that life should be celebrated with cupcakes and extra sprinkles. 

Previously a full-time book publicist, Laurie now serves as a virtual assistant and runs a freelance editing and PR consulting business called 1624 Communications. 

She lives with her husband and two small children in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they are eagerly awaiting the release of her debut contemporary romance novel in May 2017 from Harlequin Heartwarming.

You can connect with Laurie on her website, Facebook page, and Twitter. 

Fun Friday: Alley Pal Hangout!

Hi All!

Author Crystal Walton

Angie here. Thank GOODNESS it's Friday! Phew! I've been busy on rewrites, and WIP crafting, and basketball and baseball, oh my! Youth sports and novels...fun fun!

Crazy week, but so glad to be on the Alley today.

We have had a great kick off to 2017. Lots of good posts on the Alley! This week, Laurie hosted author of Begin Again, Crystal Walton who gave a beautiful reminder about where we get our worth as writers, even in the face of a difficult review. I'm bookmarking the post for my own future sanity!

Check it out HERE.

We have GIVEAWAY news!

The winner of Tina Radcliffe's book giveaway, Rocky Mountain Cowboy by Tina Radcliffe and Classified Christmas Mission by Lynette Eason is....WINNIE THOMAS!

Congratulations, Winnie! (Please email Mary at maryveewriter@gmail.com with your address.)

***

So, what else is going on? Around the Alley, January is always that time when we start dreaming about ACFW, get-togethers, and Skype chats. When we are trapped inside avoiding cold blustery days (well, maybe not Ashley and Karen), there is nothing better than day-dreaming about hanging out with friends!

 So...

Today, we want to have a virtual HANG OUT with you! Please answer some or all of the questions below, and share with us! We love learning about Alley Pals!

Hope to hear from you. Have a great weekend!

7 Ways to find Writing Friends

Just this week I was talking to a good writing friend. She is successful. Her books are brilliant and award-winning. Yet she feels very alone in her journey.

As I was chatting with her, I knew she was not alone. So many writers are naturally introverted. As such, they can attend meetings and feel disconnected. They join the right groups and still feel alone. That makes me so sad. Yet I know it can be hard -- especially when you feel like you have reached out and that didn't go the way you had hoped or expected.

Tweet: Long 4 writing friends? @cara_putman gives 5 ways + 2 bonus. #amwriting http://ctt.ec/8P3AU+

There is a vibrant writing community. I've found it through places like the Writers Alley. But I don't want you to struggle and feel isolated and alone. Here are a few suggestions to try if you feel like everyone else has a writing community, and you just can't quite crack the code.

1) Pray. Seriously. There have been several periods in my writing journey when I felt isolated. The first when I was a brand spanking newbie. Then there was the I've graduated to published, but sure don't feel published me. Then there was the I'm multi-published and still feel like an outsider. Each time I asked God if I could have a community. People who get me. He has answered that prayer. Many times. In each season. More on that below.

2) Reach out to others. My friend is doing this. Just about everyone I was going to connect her with, she's already in relationship with. As you are willing to reach out to others, you may find that they hunger for more than surface social media friendship, too. The way our lives go right now, it is all too easy to do everything online. It can be good - I love staying in touch with people from across the country and world, but it can be terribly superficial, too. So when you can build on face-to-face opportunities. Use social media to stay in contact, but cherish those in person moments.

3) Recognize you will different levels of relationships. Now hang with me a minute. When you're praying ask God to give you people newer in the writing journey than you, at your level, and then mentors. Each are incredibly valuable. When you're starting out you desperately need people slogging through the day to day of writing a book. Join groups like ACFW to find them. But don't stay there. As your writing matures, make sure you are looking for people who are now in those beginning stages. Be willing to pour into their learning and careers. That's how I know most of the gals from the Writers Alley. It's so exciting to watch their journeys turn into published books as they do the work. Which leads to the last category. We all need mentors. People who are further down the road. People who can encourage us and if we're willing teach us. Which leads to...

4) If you want to be mentored, be teachable. Listen to what your mentor is saying. Pray over it and apply what fits. But recognize they are sharing what they know. If they choose to share it with you, it is a gift. It means they see something in you they want to be part of developing. They want to help you succeed. It doesn't mean every piece of advice will fit perfectly. But keep a teachable spirit, or you'll find they move on to someone who is interested and teachable.

5) Don't take a "rejection" personally. Most of the time it isn't meant that way. The other person may simply be strapped for time. They may be out of margin and protecting their writing time. Maybe they have a new baby, a new job,  personal crisis. Extend grace and ask God to lead you to someone who can work. 

Two bonus suggestions:

6) Recognize there are seasons to relationships. In late 2008 (I think!) I attended a writing seminar. It was intimate, and the relationships we formed in that small group, led to a desire to continue online. For several years this group of ladies plus two were incredibly tight. We laughed together, prayed together, moaned about life together. And then our lives changed. Some left publishing. Some changed jobs. Life changed. We are still friends and can reach out together, but it is not the same flurry of emails and communication that it used to be. That's okay. We were what we were supposed to be at that time in our lives.

7) Be willing to be the one who reaches out and asks. A couple years ago I felt God very specifically tell me it was time to form another group similar to that yet different. This time I was reaching out to and asking seven other authors I really respect whether they would want to come into community with me. It was scary. I fully expected some of them to say no, because to me they were already in vibrant writing communities. Yet they all said yes, because they each had that same heart cry for community. This group is different than the first, yet it is just as rich. In fact, we're the Grove Girls. I'm in several others like that. Each with a unique purpose and mission. Each started because somebody was willing to risk. Maybe today it's your day.

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Cara Putman

An award-winning author of twenty books, Cara is a lecturer on business and employment law to graduate students at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management. Putman also practices law and is a second-generation homeschooling mom. She lives with her husband and four children in Indiana.

The Gift of a Perfect Match: 4 Keys to Finding a Compatible Critique Partner (Part UNO)

A she said-she said account—Amy and Pepper Style

Okay, so perfect might be a stretch! We all know perfection as something we strive towards but never fully achieve. I mean, let’s face it, no matter how many times we nip, tuck, and thigh-master our words, our manuscripts will never be perfect. We are extraordinarily imperfect. Our spouses aren’t perfect. (Well, yours is pretty close, Ames. Admit it.) Shoot, our kids are obviously not perfect (Except mine are pretty close, mwhahaha - NOT ;-), so how monumental is the task of trying to find a good fit for a critique or writing partner if opinions, styles, and personalities vary as wide as the Atlantic?

If you’ve been trying on crit partners like shoes on the clearance rack, perhaps you should shake up your tactic.

Totally agreed, Ames. I do think timing has a lot to do with it too. I only knew Amy for a grand total of a month before I realized this gal might be what I’d been praying for in a crit partner. It can be a long process – but, just like in baby-name choices -- you want to be picky. The right fit DOES matter – now and in the future.

Ahh, Pep… I love ya! So, having been blessed as crit partners that more than meet each others needs, we thought we’d share some key pieces to look for in that elusive ONE!

1. Writing Match: What this really means…

ALS: You might think this refers to matching genres or styles. Not necessarily. The match up doesn’t have to be that “matchy-matchy.” For example, Pepper writes, well… everything, but mainly Historical and Contemporary Romance. I write Romantic Suspense. The subject matter and personality that grace our pages are vastly different… so how it is that we are compatible? Simple. We understand each others motivations for the story. We talk openly about our intentions for the message and tone we hope to convey, and we also talk candidly about our strengths and weaknesses. This arms us with the best insight into giving the kind of feedback that will strengthen each of our unique styles.

 

Also important, since you will undoubtedly spend countless hours combing over each others work, be sure to look for a style that doesn’t irritate you. Because regardless of how well it is written, if the type of story or the author’s style doesn’t float your boat, you are in for long, tedious months of likely unpleasant and unhelpful feedback. Anyone been there? Or gotten feedback from someone who simply wasn’t even close to your target reader? Finding a writing match is critical in maintaining a long term partnership which will be a great building block for long term growth. Your thoughts, Pep?

PB: Totally agree here, Ames. One of the things that really confirmed the match for me was how much your pacing, style, and even…our shared ‘overwriting’ ;-) worked well for my reading and writing style. It was a wonderful complement. I LOVE reading your work and I think that has to be a giant consideration when determining the right CP-fit. Amy is a mom of two (almost 3) really young kids. I’m a work-outside-the-home mom of five. We have to be careful of the writing time we DO have – and critiquing something that matches our style and interest makes the time we spend worth it! SO worth it!!! (Whole-heartedly agree!) One of the reasons I think it goes smoother in this area too is because I don’t have to do a lot of ‘guessing’ about her intentions in her writing because we ‘get’ each other. My style is similar enough that I understand her intentions (most of the time) and she does mine. This helps maximize the time we spend critiquing.

2. Personality Match: You mean I have to actually like the person?

ALS: Generally, yes. This is a relationship. When we actually like the other person things tend to go more smoothly. Lines of communication are less likely to be bungled and feelings less likely to be hurt. Again, this doesn’t mean that your personalities are the same. But having similar temperaments, or working with someone who ‘gets’ you is a bit like having a boss you can actually stand. (Not that I would know what that is like. Sheesh!) But honestly, our stories are very close to our hearts, and sharing them with someone you can relate to makes even tough critiques more credible, and all the more palatable.

PB: This is REALLY important! Next to my family and colleagues, Ames has to put up with me the most. Since writing is a ‘hopeful’ life career for both of us, we’re planning on being in each others’ lives for a long time to come. We have similar traits in the fact that we’re both more ‘extroverted’, but within that we have very different personalities too. (Amy’s more direct with a sassy edge. GREAT for suspense writing). Thankfully those personalities complement each other more than annoy J J

"A faithful friend is a strong defense."

But here’s the clincher: The key ingredient to our healthy personality match, I believe, is our mutual positive regard. We care about each other, personally and professionally. We chat about dinner and kids and crazy movies. We’ll throw writing stuff in there too, but, for us, it’s more than that. It’s a real friendship.

Another important addition here – expectations!! Ames and I are SUPER busy ladies. One of the beautiful elements of this relationship is that we both ‘get’ the need for flexibility in reading, writing, and critiquing. There are times when I CAN’T get something back to her as quickly as I’d like – and vice versa. Life calls first! Writer after. We have this agreement and understanding

for flexibility around the writing. Praise God for that!!

So there are a few ideas to get you started. Writing doesn’t have to be a lonely endeavor. Spend some time in prayer about it. Strike up a conversation; be honest about what you are looking for. Who knows, your perfect match might be closer than you think.

Your turn: What are you looking for in a critique partner? Or what elements have you found work well for you? Which ones don't?

                                 


                                Merry Christmas!!!
                                  -Amy & Pepper

The Love of Writing Friends

Around this time two years ago, I was writing alone. Writing alone and timidly stepping into the blogging world by visiting Seekerville and the wild and crazy women there. That is where I met my friend Pepper Basham. She was also writing alone and not so timidly stalking the Seekerville gals.
(Pepper here: Yes, I'm a stalker...and I was LONELY)
Yes indeed, she was lonely. Or so she told me when she emailed me. I couldn't find her original email, but here is one of early emails from her....should I have been afraid?

A touch of insanity goes a long way---that's all I'll say.
Oh, it's so good to find a similar soul. Bless God.
Not that your insane, I'll let you make that admission on your own ;-)....Pepper

Hhhhmmm, a friend who thinks I'm insane. I love her!!!!!!!!!!! 

(Pepper here: The above statement is still very true. Kindred spirits are allowed to be as crazy as they like, you know)

I love how God puts two souls together who have similar backgrounds (we are both minister's wives) and who both love to write romance (well, Pepper loves to write in ALL genres....she is very well-rounded)

(Pepper here: I'm really not going to make a comment about how physically accurate that last statement is...sigh) Ahem, Pep, we won't go there, because I prefer to say that we are just well-rounded...it sounds much better.

Anyway, we began emailing in 2009 and in March of 2010 Pepper thought it be would fun to start a group blog. So we started recruiting people we had met through the writing blogosphere and found a great group of women to join us at what we called The Writer's Alley. We started out with five awesome ladies: Pepper Basham, Casey Herringshaw, Mary Vee,  Krista Phillips, and ME. 

(Pepper here: because we're so well-rounded -except Casey, who is skinny as a rail, a country rail.:-)

Now we are ten women who love God and LOVE to write. 

For almost three years now God has developed as sense of family in this group we call  The Writer's Alley. Though some have left, God has always provided a perfect fit with a new sister to our family. Not only do we benefit from the encouragement from each other, we have the opportunity to encourage others along the way. (This was all Pepper here. Dictator!) (Literally) :) 

We have had some great things to celebrate! Krista is now a published author with her book, Sandwich, With a Side of Romance. And five of our gals are now agented!  (See the side bar for the list!) We've gotten many contest finals and semi-finals, as well as numerous rejections, but I'm sure there will more to celebrate in the coming months and years. We've got some mad talent in this group of writers, and it all started with two scheming brainstorming blog buddies!

As we come up on our third year anniversary at The Writer's Alley, we would like to hear from you! What new topics would you like to see at The Alley? What old things have we done well? Let us know your thoughts! We want to keep providing great content for YOU!

***This post is brought to you by Sherrinda Ketchersid & Pepper Basham, written on the couch at Sherrinda's home in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Sneaking Into 2012 ACFW Conference

Yeah, I'm one of three Alley Cats who did not get to attend the 2012 ACFW Conference. While we all wanted to attend, I was the lucky one to live close enough to attend the MyBookTherapy Pizza party Friday night and the Awards Gala Saturday night.

Angie taught us the Low Rider move. 

I have never...EVER...met an online friend in person. (I take that back...I did meet Angie for lunch once!) So I was a little nervous! Would my Alley Cats be like I thought they were online and through email? Would I fit in? How awkward would it be to just show up in the midst of their conference experience?

Well, I'm here to tell ya...the Alley Cats ARE amazing! They ARE so nice, so sweet, so loving, so welcoming, so...like family. I felt like I was with sisters. They included me in their circle and shared their conference experiences, letting me into their lives, getting to know them better.

 It's been interesting reading some of the post-conference posts online, as many of them have focused on the relationships formed, instead of on writing. Some focus on the spiritual aspect of the conference, listening for God, refocusing their goals, dreaming bigger dreams.

I wasn't there for the whole conference, but I do know that relationships are important. They need to be nurtured. We must work at connecting with others in a way that is meaningful and purposeful.

Our God is a God of relationships. His desire is to have a relationship with us and have us become the kind of people that radiate His love for others. We are His hands, His feet, His heart.

So reach out to one another. Encourage each other. Pray for each other. Build each other up in love. His love.

How was your conference experience? Have you been to a conference where you expected one thing and received something different?

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is wife to "Pastor John" and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

The Gift of Writing

I received a gift recently. It was small, simple, in fact it was only a card. And even though it was a store bought card, it had a timely message directed uniquely to me.

Of course I was immediately drawn to this gift. I held it for a time in my hand, looked at the front, back, and inside then set it in a prominent place in my writing nook, the corner of the house belonging to me.

Even today, during my work break when I am writing this post, I thought of the gift carefully written in such a way to touch a heart in need.

God gave me a gift for writing. It needs a few more bows, ribbons, perhaps packaging. He has given me the supplies to finish off the gift. Each time I study the art of writing or write a work I am adding these touches to the gift. Each time someone reads my work and is touched, I have shared the gift with them and brought a smile to God's loving face.

At times I take the gift and hoard it.

I choose to waste freetime set aside for writing or learning the craft.  This is not referring to important family time or other important tasks, but true time set aside for writing. At times like this, I have set the gift God gave me in the back corner of a closet where it is dark, dusty, and ignored.

Other times I work hard to write a work then get lazy or arrogant, convinced that the first draft was great work. I become offended when crits offer little praise. I use "something shiny" as my excuse and toddle off to a different work, ignoring the one God prompted me to do at that time.

And other times I work diligently on my ms, listening to crits, judges, and friends editing and polishing the work to be pleasing to God, but then heed the words of a few who say this work is not of today, no one would read it, no publishing company would want it. I lower my head and allow sadness to fill my heart and snuff my drive. The work is set aside.

I have often heard the words: to be a writer you must be strong, have steel skin, Mt. Everest tenacity, a Fisher Price heart (unbreakable), and a wild passion.

All these are true.

Sometimes God sends a kindred spirit to rekindle these in us.

May we here at the Writer's Alley offer you the spark to start, complete, polish, and/or submit your work today so that you may offer your gift to others.

How can we pray for you today?
(if you prefer you can email us your prayer request-our email address is in the upper right corner of this page.)
*********************
Photos courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

This blog post is by Mary Vee
Mary lives in Montana with her husband and loves to hear from her three college kids. She writes Christian young adult fiction (pirate tales, missionary and Bible adventure stories).

Come Step into Someone Else's World with Mary's writing

To learn more about Mary, visit her blog http://www.mimaryvee.blogspot.com/

On Finding the "Keeper"

Idea hockey...do you ever play this game?

Check out that chicken scribble in your notebook listing ideas? Shoot them around for a while, but you can never seem to get them to the other end of the field not to mention the goal?

Go to square one. Start plotting again. Get stuck midfield, you're about ready to "pass" on this idea.

I am a computer software plotter. I invested in Dramatica Pro and it was invaluable in plotting as a first-time novel writer.

And this time around I used Dramatica Pro to toss around my ideas and was able to "see" as a result that one of my "great" ideas just wasn't plausible from start to finish.

Whatever method you use to plot, I recommend spending the extra time and perhaps plotting all those ideas you have floating around in there. I have one plotted novel for later, one for now, and one completely implausible story.

So what if you're stuck on the first stage?

Try B-R-A-I-N-S-T-O-R-M-I-N-G as per DiAnn Mills great guidelines. I LOVE this idea about studying the parables of Jesus. Do your stories give meaning and purpose for people's lives? Do they show them tackling a challenging situation?

Brainstorm with a friend. How credible are your ideas? An honest friend will tell you where your plot falls flat and may help you to get out of that place. Rachel Hauck has some great tips for how to get the most out of a brainstorming session.

Picture surfing. When I'm stuck it always helps me to look for the "right" photos to evoke my setting. I also love finding pictures of movie characters that "fit" my character physically (so helpful in writing those descriptions). News stories related to the period of history or topic of my story can have pictures that bring me into the atmosphere of my story.

Become a news junkie. Reading news stories and asking "what if" questions make up the majority of the ideas in my notebook.

Research, research, research. As I start researching new ideas crop up, new characters begin populating my novel, and plot points suddenly begin to converge.

How do you find your ideas? And how do you decide which ones are "keepers"?

Awesome Gifts For Writers

Tis the season for gift giving, but what do you get for the writer in your life. Okay, those of you reading this are probably THE writer, but you can always print this post out and slip it under you loved ones' nose as a hint! Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and actually get one of these awesome gifts some day.

1. A writing magazine or journal, such as The Writer's Digest, Writer's Journal, and The Writer. Full of great articles on the writing craft and the road to publication, these magazines will inspire and instruct writer's everywhere.

2. Ergonomic Pens and Pencils! The Writing Pen Store has a good selection of strange ergonomic pens for those writers who like to write by hand. They also have a new selection of fun, colorful "normal" pens to choose from.

3. Writing Journals: The Celery Street has some really cool writing journals to choose from. From artistic to handmade, you will be able to find some unique journals for your writer.

4. Jewelry: There are some sites to browse for jewelry geared toward writers. Zazzle has a huge selection of necklaces for the writer...up to 700 necklaces! I also found an AWESOME charm bracelet that I just love on Etsy. You can get cute typewriter key necklaces on Etsy too. And check out this cool ring at Modcloth.

5. Manicure: Writer's don't spend time on themselves. They are holed up with their laptops and more often than not, they have short nails due to all that typing they do. A manicure will spruce up those fingers that fly over the keyboard.

6. Massage: While we are talking about pampering, let's not forget the massage. Many hours spent hunched over the computer create knots in a writer's shoulders, shooting pain up and down the spine. A nice, indulgent massage will rejuvenate those tight muscles like nothing else!

7. Bookshelves: Oh yes, a writer is a reader, and most writers have tons of books. Check out this INVISIBLE bookshelf at B&N! You can take a peek into some very creative bookcases HERE for inspiration.

Just a few fun ideas for the writer in your life. Of course, you can foward the blog post as a hint to your loved one! What would you add to the list?

A Time for Everything at a Conference

wen

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die (A new story idea is born while you ride the airport shuttle. An old story officially dies after hearing two others pitch something way too similar during a workshop about clichés nonetheless.)

a time to plant and a time to uproot (A spine-tingling conversation is happening in the bar. You plant it. Women begin gossiping about a fellow writer. You uproot.)

a time to kill and a time to heal (You kill your darlings during an intensive editing workshop. You heal from the comments you weren’t expecting to hear from an editor while sitting with him at lunch.)

a time to tear down and a time to build (You break your plot into teeny tiny pieces to evaluate only so you can build your story back up stronger after an inspiring plot structuring workshop.)

a time to weep and a time to laugh (You cry at the joy of seeing friends. You laugh with those same friends when one receives a request for a full.)

a time to mourn and a time to dance (You take a moment in the lobby to mourn that your career path will never look like Stellar Susan’s. And then you go get your groove on in a hotel room, dancing with friends...this I really did last year.)

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them (You hand out your one-sheets and business cards. You collect business cards and words of advice before you sweat yourself into a Wicked Witch puddle pre-pitch session.)

a time to embrace and a time to refrain (You embrace those you’ve established a strong bond with. You refrain from tackling your favorite agent to the ground in the ladies restroom, while screaming out the lyrics to David Cassidy’s “I Think I Love You”.)

a time to search and a time to give up (You scan the crowd for your top picks of who you’d like to sit with at lunch and when you realize their table is entirely full, you give up and end up sitting with exactly who God wants you to.)

a time to keep and a time to throw away (A trusted mentor offers a gold nugget on your way to meet with an editor. Keep it. Your napkin from lunch when you were able to sit with desired agent…throw that away!)

a time to tear and a time to mend (That entire first chapter. You rip it up after you realize it’s corroded with back story, a puffy and unnecessary prologue, and boring details. And in the bathroom at 2 a.m. you quietly mend your herky jerky ending.)

a time to be silent and a time to speak (You’re sitting in a class when an agent offers folks to stand up and give their pitch. You stay silent knowing you’ll have your time in T minus one hour during a one on one.)

a time to love and a time to hate (You love arriving and hate leaving.)

a time for war and a time for peace (You war with your insecure thoughts all weekend only to leave at peace with how everything unraveled.)

Because after all, there’s a time for everything at a conference!

Relate to any of the above?

*from Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 with my interpretive conference-minded spin on it
**most of the above are fabricated scenarios with real potential to occur