Looking for a Writer's Conference? Come to ACFW

In less than 40 days, one of my favorite times of the year happens. The ACFW conference! I'll never forget my first time at conference in 2005.

I went with a fellow writer from Indiana -- a gal I'd met once or twice -- yet, we became fast friends in the six hour drive to Nashville. I met Tracie Peterson for the first time looking like a drowned cat -- boy, would I like a photo of that first impression! That first conference launched my writing career...introducing me to editors, agents and other writers. Finding out that I wasn't crazy for thinking a bit differently from others and believing the dream that I could actually write a book and maybe -- just maybe -- I would see it in print.

This year, the conference will be in Dallas at the Hyatt Regency DFW. It's literally at the airport...a short walk or shuttle ride from baggage. It will be a great location for us with lots of room for workshops, meals and more.

I'm excited that this year's keynote speaker is Bill Myer. This man has written so many and varied books, that I'm eager to know what God has given him to share with us. Plus Bill Mayer is teaching the early bird and a post session as well. Then there are all the editors, agents, media experts, mentors and more who are there to help YOU progress on your writing journey.

There are so many reasons to come if you are a Christian fiction writer. I've attended each one since 2005. Why?

• Because it's the one time a year, I get to spend time with many of my dearest writing friends. It really is like a giant (we're expecting 700+ this year) family reunion.
• I learn so much from the workshops and speakers.
• I get to give back a fraction of what has been given to me. I love running the first time orientation program for those who have never been part of our family before. You'll see me all over the conference giving hugs, praying with people, and doing a lot of squealing as I run into so many dear friends. 
• I get to celebrate with friends as the Carol and Genesis Awards are handed out at the Gala.

But why do I invest two months in the first time orientation program? Because I remember what it was like to step into the conference hotel. To have spent hours traveling from my home to a destination that held so many of my dreams. To know that even as an extrovert, I was scared and out of my comfort zone. I want to remove as many of those concerns and replace them with information, friendships, and the certainty that if God has prepared a way to attend, then He has a plan for your time at ACFW. So come expecting and excited to see what He will do.

One thing I know with certainty. God always shows up and works in amazing ways at ACFW. If you're an aspiring writer, I hope you will join us!

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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.

Have We Really Come a Long Way, Baby?: Ethnic Diversity & Christian Fiction

I enjoy targeting the trends for Library Journal's annual Christian fiction preview each fall. Closures of fiction publishers, house mergers, and debut authors are all on my radar.

We've come a long way from the covered wagon driven fiction. Even Amish fiction is beginning to broaden in its scope to include more unusual settings and contemporary issues.

Domestic violence, the vaccine debate, sex trafficking, misconduct in the pastorate. All of these issues have been tackled in Christian fiction in recent years.

And while I think Christian fiction needs to deal with these issues in a different way than the world does, showing a biblical lens, I'm excited to see each of these dealt with in literature.

Though Christian fiction has grown in many ways, as I began to look at minorities and their representation in the market I see that there is much growth still to come.

I live in a very diverse city where our church pastorate is a mixed ethnic population. Authors such as Jennifer Erin Valent have written books about segregation and there are a few well-known African American authors. Lori Benton and Laura Frantz include memorable Native American heroes.

Yet as I was asked to explore this issue my eyes were opened to the lack being larger than I perceived.

I love reading books about different regions of the world, such as South America or Eastern Asia. Because it is not a part of my worldview I am even more excited to know more about what they are like. I would love to read a book set in 1980s China or 1950s Communist Russia for instance, but I can't seem to find these books.

Mike Duran has an interesting post from a few years ago about this very lack of diversity in CF (among other things) entitled What the Christian Fiction Industry Can Learn from the 2012 Election.

To be honest I live in the American South, but my church is very ethnically mixed and solidly biblical. Why does Christian fiction not reflect this?

I'm not talking about some magical formula where so much percent of the market needs to be saturated with forced books about minority groups. But I do think we need to broaden our horizon and worldview.

Kaye Dacus' blog contains an interesting article by Patricia Woodside about writing the multi-ethnic romance.

There is such rich depth for historical novels that is not being tapped into. As Christians we are called to go out into all the world, and I think our fiction doesn't reflect this. It would be great to see more fiction with vocational missionaries as main characters, or some of our heroic medical teams traveling into places with HIV and Ebola running rampant.

To see these stories we must write them.

Further, we must believe they are important. 

We must stop worrying so much about how our book fits into the market in some cases and write a book that will transcend barriers. 

When we do write about other cultures, we need to write true. Not stereotyped portraits. It might call us to move out of our safe Christian circles. 

We are called to go out into all the world and preach the gospel. To all peoples, in all nations.

Our fiction could be a powerful way to do this, if we can harness it and be willing to diversify our writing.

I'll Be Your Mississippi: Guest Post, Patricia Beal

Hi All! This is Angie. I am pleased to introduce my new writer friend, Patricia Beal. We found each other on Twitter...my newest social media! Wahoo for trying new things, and finding new authors! Enjoy Patricia's guest post.

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Hundreds of writers are preparing for the 2015 American Christian Fiction Writers Conference next month. This will be my second ACFW and the highlight of my writing year.

But already things are not going as planned. 

I want to share a story with you that I hope you’ll tuck away and use in case of emergency. I want you to know that it doesn’t matter how badly your plan falls apart, God’s plan will still stand.

Did you guys watch “Annapolis”? It’s an underdog-makes-good movie about a young man from the wrong side of the tracks, Jake Huard, who gets into the U.S. Naval Academy but soon begins to wonder if he can measure up. 

His classmates sense his weakness and before long he’s down to one roommate, a sweet kid from Arkansas who’s addicted to Twinkies and can’t complete the obstacle course. His nickname is Twins.

Twins: You want to know why I stay in this room? 

Jake Huard: Yeah. 

Twins: Cause Jake, you're my Mississippi. 

Jake Huard: I'm your what? 

Twins: People who live in Arkansas, you know what their favorite state is? 

Jake Huard: No. 

Twins: Mississippi. Cause Mississippi's the only thing that keeps Arkansas from being the worst state in the whole country. 

Jake Huard: I'm Mississippi? 

Twins: Well you sure as hell ain't California. Listen, Cole and Whitaker are so busy tryin' to run you out they forgot about me. As a matter of fact, they've forgotten about every other plebe in this whole company. That's why I stay in this room Jake. Cause if Mississippi quits, then all of a sudden Arkansas is the worst state in the whole country. 

Disclaimer: I don’t have anything against Arkansas or Mississippi. If you’re from one of these states, please feel free to share something lovely about it.

But you get the gist.

Come along and let me encourage you. I’m your Mississippi, and here’s why.

Last year while I attended my second Spotlight On session on the very first day of my first ACFW, my grandmother, all the way in Brazil, took her final breath.

Back home people get buried fast, so a trip there wasn’t an option. The following day, I watched the funeral and cremation ceremony from my room.

I can safely say my plan for the conference I’d prayed about for more than 1 year went out the window.

But God orchestrated meetings that comforted me and that moved me closer to His will, and His plan stood. 

On Saturday I met Les Stobbe, and two weeks later he became my agent.

So if your plan for ACFW 2015 falls apart, don’t be discouraged. God’s plan will stand.

My ACFW 2015 plan already fell apart. It fell apart last month when I realized my new manuscript wouldn’t be polished in time. I’ll have to pitch my first manuscript in Dallas.

Some editors have already seen that first manuscript and either don’t need it or don’t like it. My options are limited, the enemy says. 

But are they? How about living by faith, not by sight?

The truth is that there are editors who haven’t seen it, and it takes only one “yes.” A lot has changed since the last rejection: opening, word count, comp titles, bio, endorsement, contest nod, and platform numbers.

I feel like God is already taking over ACFW 2015 and that’s really, really exciting.

It reminds me of a devotion I read last month. I ripped it out of the book and stuck it to my kitchen wall, where all the important stuff goes. 

Pastor Barry Farnsworth wrote that fathers teach kids how to shoot a bow by kneeling next to them and placing their left hand on the kid’s left hand and placing the right hand on the kid’s right hand. 

From a distance it looks like the child is shooting the bow, but in reality, the father is doing all the work.

By DIVIDSHUB on Flickr

Jacob, while blessing Joseph in Genesis 49:22-26, uses this very image: “But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.”

God’s hands on the bow prospered Joseph, Noah, Abraham, Moses and every servant of the Lord since time began. Why would it be any different for us? And how cool and comforting is that?

I want to show up in Dallas representing well the gift that God gave me, but without the stress—just humble, teachable, ready to be a blessing to others, and expectant. What’s God got up His sleeve this time? How’s He going to work the bow?

In addition to knowing that God’s plan will prevail, there’s one more thing you should do to de-stress and be strong out there. Ask yourself the question we all loathe: What if I never get published?

How big of a deal is it to you and why? We’ve all at some point desired publication to feel special. I know I have. You probably have, too.

If you’re still feeling that way, please read The Search for Significance by Robert McGee. It freed me from dry wells and got me walking toward publication for the right reason: to be in the will of my accepting audience of One.

Once you have your motivations in check, dream big, pray big, and pursue publication with wild abandon. 

If your strategy falls apart mid-conference, don’t sweat it. Pray and worship. God’s plan will stand. 

And remember I’m your Mississippi, and Mississippi isn’t quitting. I’ll be out there with the manuscript that was once rejected on the West Coast, East Coast, and London on the same week.

How about you? Are you attending any conferences this year? Have you found success in the middle of chaos? 

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Patricia Beal is a Christian author, Army wife, and ballerina. She writes contemporary fiction and is represented by Leslie Stobbe of the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency. She’s a 2015 Genesis semi-finalist.

Patricia is from Brazil and immigrated to America in 1992. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Cincinnati in 1998 with a B.A. in English Literature.

After an internship at the Pentagon, she worked as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army for 7 years. The stories she filed from Guantanamo Bay during the early days of the detention operation there gained national attention. Two years later she received a Keith L. Ware award in print journalism for a feature on a day in the life of “Bad Luck Squad” in Iraq.

She and her husband live in El Paso, Texas, with their two children.

Patricia is very active online and would love to connect with readers.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/patricia.beal.author

Twitter - https://twitter.com/bealpat

Web – www.patriciabeal.com

Show Me--Don't Tell Me

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Hello Alley Pals! I'm traveling right now to sunny Southern California for a few days with my family, so I've cheated and pulled a post from my archives. Show vs Tell--something we can all struggle with, am I right? Chat with you on the flipside!

Don’t you just hate that phrase? There is something so abstract about the entire statement that it’s hard to wrap your brain around it. But it’s also one of those phrases that the less you think about it and try so hard to make it fit, it will actually start to make sense. One of the greatest compliments I NEVER expected to receive was from a published author who read my work on critique (and they weren’t be paid to be nice, if you know what I mean. ;-) and told me I was actually quite good at showing instead of telling.
 

Could have knocked me over with a feather!

So how do you know from a first or second glance that you are telling when you should be showing? (btw, this is also a great way to really dig into deep POV)

Are you addressing the emotion (ie: she was sad) or are you taking a walk in the character’s shoes? Ask yourself a question: how would your character respond to being sad? What physical action would she go and do? Stop and think in those terms for a minute. Not only will you dig deeper into your character and mine her for a stronger reader experience, you’ll also be showing instead of telling.

When you describe a scene in front of your character, especially a landscape scene, dig into the five senses. What metaphors can you use to describe the scent of freshly fallen leaves or the crunch of gravel under the tires? Take a moment to close your eyes and embrace all your senses. As you stand on the balcony of your hotel room, what are you hearing? What are you smelling? What are you seeing? Don’t just list these things, put them on a first name basis with the reader.

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When she stands on the railing is she remembering her wedding night gone wrong? Does the honk and bustle of traffic below remind her of the cheap hotel they stayed in and were kept awake all night because of the noise? Maybe this shows a layer of her discontent—maybe with life? Maybe with her marriage? That’s up to you to decide.

Tie the scene into your character’s emotions and their past. Where they are right now.

When you purposefully try to weave all these layers together it can seem so daunting and insurmountable. But it’s possible. Don’t think long and hard about it. Stick yourself in the character’s shoes. Make their emotions and their thoughts your own. Now superimpose those things onto the character’s surroundings.
 

The secret to showing instead of telling is…well, at least from where I’m sitting, there is no secret. It’s a matter of storytelling. Something that you learn only by doing and once you start doing it, you realize just how easy it can be.

My best advice? Stop trying. But not if you’re always searching for that “golden nugget” that will give you the promised solution. :- ) Live and breathe through your characters. Everything will fall into place and one day you’ll have a friend read your work and tell how awesome you did in showing. 

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Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She is a country girl now living in a metropolis of Denver, Colorado, employed as an administrative assistant at Wordserve Literary.

How to Brainstorm The Novel That Sells

The scenario: You just finished a manuscript, have some free time, and notice on FB several friends chatting about getting to work on the writing. This is a good idea, maybe you should be, too. "I'm in," you post. Except your mind is totally blank. 

Not a word comes to mind.

Nothing.

It's like being invited to play with all your friends on the playground only to see there aren't any swings left. 

An idea pops in your head and for a moment, seems like a great novel to write. 

Wait--step back to when you were a child on the playground. Picture yourself playing in the wood chips or sand near the swings. It's just not good enough.

What you want is the idea that causes you to leap--for real. Get physical about it!  Get in someone else's face, and blurt out the rough ideas and say, "Isn't this an awesome idea?" The smile on your face will grow even wider as more details pop in your head. Spill a few of those words to the friend--and before you finish your sentence you'll run to your computer and start writing.

Wait for it--step back to the playground scene again and watch yourself running to the monkey bars. You giggle, and swing to the next bar. The friends on the swings look your way and say--"Wait for us!!"

Are you pumped? Ready to get started? This was our warm up for today's brainstorming session.


Although I would love to have a brainstorming partner, (you, too?) there isn't always one available. I must admit, I was jealous of Beth Vogt's FB posts about her brainstorming sessions with Cathy West. Apparently, they were able to take a vacation together and, while there, plotted out Cathy's next book. Sigh. You and I will have to book the next trip. Until we have a fabulous opportunity like that here is a plan B for you to brainstorm with yourself.

1. Start with the easy part. Your genre. Most likely you will stay with the same genre. This is what you know. You've read other books in your genre and know what has been done. BUT, a close friend of mine recently had a burning desire to dabble in a different genre. Dabbling is good. It helps renew your energy, drive, ideas, scope, perspective--and will take you on a whole new adventure. Dive in, the water's good.

2. Since the whole idea is to sell the novel you are about to write, working towards a fresh take is essential. Let's look at the three most important components that can make a story "fresh": characters, setting, and theme. 

a. Characters - Consider switching up the norm. For example-How would the Cinderella story change if she was a boy? Scarlett O'Hara was a man? The villain was the hero? The hero was the villain? Meranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada was reserved but yet still had her job? Jack Ryan from Tom Clancy's books was a chef instead of an analyst?

Perhaps some of these seem ridiculous--yet Despicable Me (villain turned hero) was a blockbuster mostly because of the fresh ideas.

b. Settings - Consider setting the time and place away from where most stories go. I have seen a lot of big city and small town. Can't say I've seen many desert, ocean, everglade, cave, etc. settings. I have heard editors say they prefer not to buy stories set in foreign lands--BUT books about characters who have started in the States and ended up in another country have been published. 

Readers enjoy books about places they dream of going. Take your characters to the bucket list places: Paris, Denali, Mt. Everest, Shanghai, Jerusalem, the Fjords, Bahamas, North Pole, the Amazon, etc and let the characters do what the readers wish they could do: bungee jumping, scaling a mountain, skydiving, fly a glider, see Santa, swim with sharks, deep sea dive, pick a cocoa bean, play in a band, etc. And the best part--don't let MC be an expert. The readers aren't either. Bungling through an experience brings humor, tension, joy, sorrow, etc.

c. Theme- Consider a really important point you would like the character to discover, learn, master. What is something you wish you could figure out? This seems to be the best choice for a current novel. By helping your character conquer and learn, so hopefully will you--and your reader. You'll have the passion to write this one.

For example: I wish I could make better use of my time. I give my potential character this problem. As a result, she misses something very important, losses a crucial piece of paper, gets lost in the wilderness, burns the meal she intended to serve the president of the company, has to pay more for her airline ticket--and she doesn't have the money--so she has to beg her worse enemy--and...

Once you have settled on these three items, the rest is going to start flowing. Yes, there will still be days when the blank screen stares at you. We'll have to dive into that form of brainstorming another time. For now, lets move up the ladder from the ground floor.

Michelle Lim from My Book Therapy has written a book on this topic, Idea Sparking (Click here to see her book)

What questions do you have?
How can we help you?

I can't wait to read your comment(s)!

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net and modified for this purpose.
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If you found any typos in today's post...sorry about that. 

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes young adult mystery/adventure Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

When Mamas Create

Have you listened to the podcast Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert? The bestselling author who's had Julia Roberts star in the movie version of her book (Eat, Pray, Love)? She's on a mission to help artists get past their fears so they can do their thing once and for all.


I've only listened to the first episode, but was inspired by what was there. Obviously I can't quite endorse it yet because I've only heard the first one, not to mention we have very different views on life and faith. But in the episode, Ms. Gilbert interviewed a woman who had the nagging desire to write. She became an English teacher instead and later had two children, shelving the dream and refining her craft in the meantime. Now that her kids are in school, she can't ignore that niggling desire anymore. And she's out of excuses, but she just can't seem to get started.  


In Ms. Gilbert's advice to her were some very important points that resonated with me in my current relationship with work and art and writing:

Mothers need to be given permission to do the things that ignite their souls. 

And fear shows up as perfectionism, insecurity, guilt, procrastination, and anything else that keeps them from doing those things.

I'm going to say this up front: The number one person who needs to give a mother permission to create is herself. The mom on the podcast is one example of so many who are riddled with guilt that their desires and attentions are pointed on anything but their children. They second guess any compromise involving their kids and often err on the side of sacrifice.

But children notice things. When Mama creates, they will either see her guarding her time, protecting her art, working hard, and investing in becoming the best version of herself. Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, they will see a martyr-mother and become conditioned to letting duties delegate dreams to the back seat -- both hers and their own.

Yikes. The reality of that possibility makes me cringe.

The truth is, children of a certain age can learn to be self-sufficient during that pocket of time designated for your writing. They can learn to be creators themselves, if not in words or art, then in opportunities. Even if they're not natural creatives, per se, they'll live in a climate that encourages them to nurture their own dreams, give them feet, and pursue them unrelentingly. 

Ms. Gilbert compared the guest caller to a plane on a runway. She's spent plenty of time refining her craft, starting a blog, and building momentum, but she's reached the point where it's either run out of gas from excess taxiing, crash and burn into the neighboring field, or take off. 

This is my commission, not just for moms, but for anyone with that chance within them that's begging to be taken. It's time to stop letting fear (and its various disguises) sabotage the passion God has given us. It's time to take off, to do and create, find the healthiest balance, and discover the best version of ourselves so we can give more freely and love more deeply. 

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Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is passionate about intentional living, all things color-coded, and stories of grace in the beautiful mess. Previously a full-time book publicist, she owns a freelance copywriting, editing, and PR consulting business. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and received the Genesis Award in 2013 (Contemporary) and 2014 (Romance). 

Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie here:

Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson

Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson

Web - www.LaurieTomlinson.com

Tools for Developing Character!

There is SO much to know about creating a believable and compelling protagonist out there. Loads. So today, I'm going to try to brag about a few helpful tools and tips about character development that I've used now and in the past.

Some of the things I’m learning:

I’ve been studying different temperment types by using Keirsey’s Temperments. He lists four basic temperments and each have four subcategories. His lists are helpful in giving some detailed information and examples about each temperment. www.keirsey.com

Along with this, I’ve looked at Personality Plus by Florence Littauer. Again, there are four basic personality types listed here, with a detailed description of each and then the four types are blended into various other combinations to reveal other personalities. It’s a pretty simple and enjoyable read and gives some basics.

Laurie Schnebly Campbell’s website is very helpful and has FREE printouts :-) She employs many tips I’ve learned from other writings. Such as, interviewing your character – and she even gives a list of 20 questions to ask him/her; A History/Characteristics Sheet – or detailed description about your character (looks, past, interests, hobbies..etc).

Laurie discusses Enneagrams (Any-uh-grams) or the nine personality types, and what’s most interesting about these descriptions is that they express the ‘flaws’ within the personality. Laurie’s site is http://www.booklaurie.com/

As I’m completing the Workbook, Donald Maas is pushing me to create a three-dimensional character. One who will leave the reader thinking about them long after the last page. Knowing your character is the key, and studying personality types to develop a detailed protagonist is helpful in developing a deeper knowledge about your characters.

So…when I write a dialogue between two characters, they don’t sound like the same person.
When my protagonist does something unusual, it still fits within her realm of possibility and doesn’t make the reader want to toss down the book with, “No way, she would NEVER do that.”
When my readers are sorry to finish the book or feel like they’ve completed a wonderful journey with a friend (my protagonist), then I’ve developed a character with meaning….

And it’s tough work, or at least I think it is, but it’s SO worth it. When I read now what I wrote back then, I’m thankful my stick-figure protagonists are starting to grow some skin. Hope these tips will help you build more believable, three-dimensional characters.

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Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She’s a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mom of five, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate. She enjoys sprinkling her native Appalachian culture into her fiction whenever she can and loves annoying her wonderful friends at her writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. She is represented by Julie Gwinn and her debut novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in April 2015. Her first contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, released in December. You can connect with Pepper on her website at www.pepperdbasham.com, Facebook-  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pepper-D-Basham or Twitter at https://twitter.com/pepperbasham