Golden Writing

Read more at Brainy Quotes

If you know me at all (or have visited my blog), you will know that my latest works of writing are touched by 16th century England. The pictured quote is by one of my favorite heroines, Queen Elizabeth I... a patron of Shakespeare, and a woman of strength and perseverance.

"Brass shines as fair to the ignorant as gold to the goldsmiths."

Even though she inspires me to write historical AND contemporary fiction these days, this quote of hers fits perfectly in what I wanted to share on the Alley today.

When I was fresh out of college, I assumed I was going to rock the world of Landscape Architecture. I mean, I had so much to offer a firm out there. They were going to continually have their "socks knocked off" by my brilliant ideas and hard work ethic. I poopoo'd everything I saw that was a non-Angie Dicken and was sure that I had all the answers and the perfect design. I was the gold that they needed to shine.

Needless to say, I was pretty full of myself back then, and it took a-a-a lot of miserable work days to realize that I might have had in mind a better design or a great idea (which I most likely only had a bunch of brass), and yet...NOBODY CARED TO HEAR IT...ACTUALLY, I WASN'T EVEN ASKED!

WHA'?!?!?!

What I WAS asked, was "fix this mistake on so and so's drawing", "add dimensions to this other person's design", "count the shrubs in this suburban neighborhood entrance"...etc.

Busy work, boring work, tiddly widdly stuff that needed to be done and I had spent five whole years in college to do it.

Pfft. I was just polishing someone else's gold.

Fast forward a little more than a decade...Now, I look back on these past ten years as an aspiring author and I *think* I might have entered the passion with them same mind set as my conceited college educated rookie to the workforce (wince). I expected the quick and easy road to the sought- after publication. I mean, I had a vanity press offering to print my first ever manuscript...THANK GOD I was too poor to take them up on it. It was NOT worth even editing! Talk about brass.

"Brass shines as fair to the ignorant as gold to the goldsmiths."

But I thought I was something. I just assumed that my bright idea needed to be read by everyone out there and that everyone would want to side with me to get the story into reader's hands.

Wow. I can't believe the evolution my writing has taken. I would never ask a publisher to look at something I wrote five years ago, let alone ten. That's just ridiculous. There is a reason that a rookie needs to prove themselves, isn't there? The learning curve is huge and beautifully refining.

Brass is no longer fair to me. I've seen the gold flecks as the refining fire continues to strengthen my writing.

I only lasted two years as a Landscape Architect-in-training. I just couldn't see the point of spending endless hours doing busy work for designs I wasn't passionate about. BUT, if I had been as passionate about the craft of design as I am about the craft of storytelling, then today I'd probably be sending off my own blueprints for amazing urban projects or beautiful city parks.

If I had that passion and didn't settle for brass.

As a writer, I have learned that there is so much too learn, and I can't quit because I am not published or acclaimed. The cool thing is, during the process, I've had the chance to come up along side some pretty fantastic authors and be a small part in their journey. And it's okay that I am not there yet. My passion is deep enough to not quit it altogether.

Someone might settle for brass. It's tempting, believe me. But when it comes to my writing, I want gold. I want it to shine and not come up short. Elizabeth I's reign is considered England's Golden Age. It was a time of flourish and growing knowledge.

Perfect inspiration for my perfectly "me" passion.

Brass is for the ignorant, no need for a goldsmith. I am willing to continue and learn, and become a skilled smith of golden writing.

How about you?

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Angie Dicken is a full-time mom and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she has written six historical novels and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Angie also spends her time designing one-sheets and drinking good coffee with great friends. Check her personal blog at angiedicken.blogspot.com and connect at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dicken.angie, 

Twitter: @angiedicken

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/agdicken/

Building a Dream Team Part 1

Marketing your book should never be something you do completely on your own. And your spot in publishing should not feel like a remote island in the middle of an ocean. Is it time that you build a solid list of influencers and dream team members? How do you go about finding the "good" ones? Do you expect them to do all the work of promoting your book on their own and what all should you expect from them--does it stop at a simple book review on Amazon? Over the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing on how to empower your sphere of readers to send them out to promote (and sell) your books.

So let’s start with the basics:

What exactly is a dream team?

A Dream Team (also known as a street team) promotes your book with unabashed enthusiasm and support. These are the people that are always going to say a good word about your book. Are always going to be willing to promote and put your name and book out there.

They are your biggest fans. Always willing to share a tweet, Facebook message or recommendation, these are people who have probably read your books previously, or have critiqued for you or been with you through thick and thin to see you published.

A team that always, always puts a positive word for you out on the internet and face to face. There is no compromise to this fact. The saying that if can’t say something nice, say nothing at all? That applies to the max here and should be taken seriously by your Dream Team.

So how do you find these people?

The core people on your team should be readers who are absolutely devoted to your success.

How do you find them? These people most commonly are:

Close friends.

Readers of your books and have been avidly promoting on their own.

Industry comrades.

People from a variety of backgrounds and social media experience.

Let’s break down what it looks like to find those people.

Here are a few questions to ask of your close friends:

Have they been reading your books and liking them?

Are they unafraid of promotion and approaching strangers on the street to buy your book?

Are they active on at least two social medias, posting frequently (at least a couple times a month?)

Do they like you and would do anything for you?

Now let’s define the kind of readers you want on your team:

These are the people who have emailed you saying how GREAT your book is.

Now go read some of their reviews—are they coherent and ring with praise as highly as they say? Sometimes what someone says in an email or a Facebook message isn’t really what they say in their review.

See what they say of other books…are they tactful about reviewing a book they don’t like? This is important in case they ever not like your book—are they spiteful and mean, lacking tact in their review? Hopefully they would never write a review for your book if they don’t like it, but it’s good to know this going in.

Are they simply out for a free book?

What social medias are they active on? Don’t be too hard on this point. Some of the best people I’ve worked with have only been active on one media.

Are they part of other street or dream teams?

Give them a chance. No dream or street team has to keep the same members year to year, though it’s best if you can.

I would encourage you to have industry peers in your group. Here’s a couple reasons why:

No one else truly understands how important word of mouth is to the success of a book.

Writers are readers first and foremost.

They understand the industry and probably have a wide reach into a pool of writers through their social media connections

Above ALL else have variety:

Your close friends vs industry peers are going to have a different audience—the best Dream Team to have is one that has members all with a different reach in audience so the same people don’t keep getting reached over and over again.

By spreading out your resources, you have the potential of reaching more people. Otherwise you promote your book to the same audience who quickly become tired of hearing from you.

Next time we’ll talk about how to best work with your Dream Team, but this is just a quick (or not so quick) overview of how to build your Dream Team.

Question: do you work with a Dream Team or are you part of any Dream Teams? 

Click to Tweet: 

Build a team of #readers who are devoted to your success to help you SELL your books! http://bit.ly/1VDwj3a @C_Herringshaw #marketing

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Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in colorful Colorado where she gets to live her dream stalking--er--visiting with her favorite CO authors. 

It's all about Love, Love, Love, Love LOVE!

We all come into the New Year, usually, with something stirring in our brain.


Maybe it is a few resolutions (that statistics show we will renege on fairly quickly) or one word or just some goals you'd like to achieve this year. Maybe it's a special trip you'll go on this year for the first time (last year, we were looking forward to our FIRST trip to Disney!) or a milestone you'll look forward to.

Last year, I decided on the word HOPE. My book, A Side of Hope, was releasing that spring, and I just had a LOT to look forward too. New releases, ALLEYCAT new releases, trip to Disney, trip to SEE my alleycats, and my youngest who had been on a feeding tube since birth was---hopefully--- going to get her feeding tube taken out.

All of that happened, too!!!

But this year, I was contemplating the year and just really had no clue. I had no big plans (aside from book releases) and have a few really big writing decisions to make that I was (read: am) stressing over a little.

"Indecision" seemed to be the right word, but BOOOOOOOO on making THAT the word of the year.

Then it hit me.

Last year, A Side of Hope was releasing, and HOPE was my word. And while the correlation hadn't hit me until after the word felt spoken to my heart, it was like confirmation that it was supposed to be my word.

So this year, my next book to release will be A Side of Love, planned for February.

So could Love be my word?

The more I thought about it, the more right it felt.

It encompasses everything I really want to strive for this year.

I want to WRITE about the Love of God and the beautiful dance that is romantic love.
I want to LOVE OTHERS more, getting outside of my own comfort zone and desires.
I want to LOVE GOD more, maybe not MORE, but better, but putting him in priority over my life, instead of letting things of the world crowd in.
I want to LOVE MYSELF more, by taking care of my body, not eating so much junk.
I want to LOVE MY FAMILY more, be on my phone less and present more, to help make our home a cheerful place more where they feel loved and cherished (while still having important rules and boundaries.)

Maybe this doesn't seem super writing related. I'm sorry if not. But love is wrapped up SO much in my writing, and the theme is going to be a HUGE part of my books releasing this year.

So what about you? Do you have any themes of your year God is impressing on you for your writing this year?

This is When You Can Break the Writing Rules. It's True!

While the spunky side of me loves this saying, "Rules are made to be broken," the realistic side of me says "Rules are made for a reason."

My spunky side is also a fan of "You CAN have your cake and eat it, too." Yes, yes, I know the saying was slightly different, (probably had a line in there about eating vegetables), but my spunky side is writing today's post.

I am a number two child. I am difficult. I challenge everything and get along well with others as long as they play by my rules. Spunk. My dad called it stubborn.

Ready for some fun?

Remember when Mom said: Don't touch the burner!

(she probably shouted if you were the rascal I was) 






If I took that statement at face value, I wouldn't have to cook or clean the stove. What she meant was don't touch the burner when it is hot. Except sometimes the burner doesn't look hot when it really is. Do I still get out of cooking and cleaning the stove? Nope.

Don't is a powerful rule word that requires a genuine understanding of individual circumstances. Newbies-like a five-year-old helping in the kitchen-need to see the don'ts as hard and fast. Unbreakable. Not pliable. No exceptions.

Because--

A newbie, in any field, has many other basics to learn at the same time.

It is so easy to see broken rules in books written by seasoned authors. I must admit I was jealous. Why do they get to break the rules, and I can't? 

Rules like:

*Write Tight
*No adverbs-use a stronger noun
*No prepositions at the end of a sentence
*Don't use fancy vocabulary
*Don't repeat words
and many more.


1. Write Tight - I felt like if I cut every word judges and critiquers said to cut I wouldn't have any left on the page! Yes. When first learning this rule, writers can feel this way. The best way to know how to trim text is to read the words out loud. If you put yourself to sleep, there are words desperately needing to be trimmed. If the section seems chatty. If there are obvious details (No, readers don't want to know that the character took a leak or read every word from a conversation). Rabbit trails (this is not referring to red herrings). Yep. This is what we need to cut. 

2. No Adverbs-use stronger nouns -  Adverbs are great for clarifying. Dictionary.com states adverbs clarify time, manner, circumstance, degree, or cause. These are great reasons to use an adverb. But, we first need to ask, does this noun really need clarifying? Can I maybe find a stronger noun? Now go back to rule one. If the adverb is not needed, write tight by cutting the word.

3. No prepositions at the end of a sentence - A hot burner scenario. Can I use one at the end of a sentence or not? Typically sentences sound inferior, clunky, or unpolished when ending with a preposition in the American language, hence the rule. But, we CAN end sentences with a preposition when we do it correctly. If you would like to know when you CAN end a sentence with a preposition Click Here for Oxford Dictionary's take.

4. Don't use fancy vocabulary - This is true. Mainly because at the end of the day, when reader's brains are fried, they don't want to pick up a book that requires them to have a dictionary by their side. Readers want to be entertained. BUT are teachable. Slipping in a higher lever vocabulary word here or there is NOT a crime. To use a beautiful word like onomatopoeia, surround the word with context clues. This WAS the trick used in your first grade reader! It works for every age. When you do, the reader will be buzzing, babbling, splashing, and hopefully not zzzzing over beautiful words like onomatopoeia.

5. Don't repeat words - Generally our typos or editing errors create repeated words. Sometimes being engaged in a paragraph we forget we used the same word twice in the previous paragraph. Usually this isn't so bad, but repetition is a characteristic of lack of creativity. We have tons of words in our language. Let's not locked in on a chosen few.

On the other hand, repeating words is a fantastic tool for emphasis or dramatic intent. I just read a YA story about a girl standing out on a ledge. A friend rushed to her, trying to convince her to come inside. After a while, "she threw her boots, thump thump." I stopped reading right there and thought, had I written the same sentence I might have said, thump. Only one--to convey the sound. The author instead not only conveyed the sound, but revealed both boots landed inside, a confirmation the girl would respond to the friend's instructions.

There are many other DON'TS that truly are breakable. 

The key is, we all need the strong don'ts until we learn 

when, why, where, who, and how to do the Do's.

Is this the year for you to break free from some Don'ts? We here on the Alley are excited for your writing this year. If you have any questions, let us know. We're here for you.

What one area of writing would you like to hone this year?

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

Photo Courtesy-Man on bridge
Photo courtesy-Hot stove

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If you found any typos in today's post...sorry about that. 

Mary writes young adult mystery/suspense Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids. She has finaled in several writing contests.

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

All subscribers to Mary's newsletter will receive her new short story an intriguing suspense/mystery. Based on real events in Denmark. Come, read a good story. To get your free gift, sign up for the newsletter at Mary's website or:

Subscribe to Mary Vee's Never Give Up Stories

Tackle Your 2016 Goals Like a Boss

Happy 2016! I know it's been 5 days, but I'm really excited about another new beginning. Today I'm posting some of my favorite apps and tools that might help you stay on track with your resolutions! 

There's an app/tool for that if your resolution is to...

...accomplish a longterm goal despite your busy schedule

Our very own Karen has created the amazing Dreams by Design Planner, available on her website. There's a video that explains this in more detail, but it includes so many ways to break down your goals, track your tasks, and get work done! You know how much I love planners, and I'm totally geeking out right now!

...write all the words

My friend Christen posted about this website called myWriteClub the other day, and I clicked over immediately. I think it's in beta, but the features sound amazing! You can track your word count, set goals, and make your progress a social thing for accountability. I plan to try it out when I start my next book, but I'm also a big fan of the tracking feature on Scrivener and creating spreadsheets I can access from anywhere.

...save money and stick within a budget

There are so many apps and budgeting softwares available, but this is the one I'm going to try -- Dave Ramsey's app. Since I have my own business, it's important to be cognizant of how our money is spent! If I don't like this one, Mint is next up.

...be more intentional about devotional time

I've fallen in love with the Bible app and She Reads Truth, two excellent resources for devotional time. But the selling point on this Proverbs 31 Ministries-sponsored app, First 5, is the alarm clock feature. I can set it every morning or certain time of day, and it will open the app to prompt me to do my daily reading. Love that!

...get a better handle on each day

I am obsessed with this Daily Notepad from Kristin Schmucker. It's gorgeous and definitely helps me stay centered throughout my day, though most of the time, one sheet will last me a few days. There are sections for Verse of the Day, Prayer Requests, Gratitude, various Notes, and a huge space for your to-do list. It definitely makes even the busiest days feel more doable.

...have less stress in your life

Part stress relief, part resource for more Bible meditation, spending time with Live Loved, Margaret Feinberg's coloring book for grown-ups is probably a better way to unwind and take some time for yourself than, say, an eleven-hour Netflix binge. (Not judging those, either, but you know!)

{I'm giving away a copy of the bottom two (Daily Notepad + coloring book) and assorted goodies to one of my newsletter subscribers this month. Enter your email address below if you want to win!} 

Subscribe here:

What are you most looking forward to in 2016? What are the tools you swear by to reach your goals?

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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 called 1624 Communications. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a two-time Genesis Award winner, and the runner-up in the 2015 Lone Star Contest's Inspirational category. 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

One Word: Joy

It’s pretty easy to take New Year’s Resolutions too far.

Most of the time that’s not my problem. I don’t take them far enough. But sometimes the reason behind most New Year’s Resolutions is that we’re not satisfied. There’s something we need (or want) to change and we make a resolution to do it.

Why do we wait until Jan 1? It looks cooler, I guess.
Inspired by my youngest daughter, (and a year of grumpiness), I've found my One Word.

How did my youngest daughter inspire my choice?
Here's the gist:

Every day, at some point in the day, my youngest daughter used to say this phrase “I love this day”.

Every day. For almost an entire year.
I was reminded of this sweet response as I was going through my journal for 2012. 2012 was a great year for our family and my youngest daughter oozed sweetness and light to us (she still does).
I'd been praying for my "One Word" for 2016, but as I read over this 'memory' my heart felt a 'deeper' call. …This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Rejoice.
Find your Joy.

My 'now' 15 year old. This is a personality picture :-)

Many times we allow everything else expect the Lord to rule our hearts and direct our emotions. Instead of having a thankful heart, we find  ways to be discontent.

So my One Word for 2015 is JOY- Intentional Joy. The kind that is determined to focus on truth rather than circumstances. The kind that looks upward instead of all around me for answers. The kind that focuses on who God is and what He has done, instead of what I do not have.

Joy can be found in every day, and it is the byproduct of most of the stories we read and write. We write stories of hope...and hope produces JOY!

It doesn’t mean trials, pain, and difficulties will not come. Those are a given in this world. But it does mean that my attitude should reflect the hope of Christ. My vision should be from heaven-shaded glasses instead of darkened by my grumblings.

My choices should reflect someone who rejoices in the Lord and knows who holds her.

And when I fail to ‘love the day’ (as most of us fail at our resolutions at one point or other), I can be grateful in the knowledge that I cannot ‘rejoice in the day’ without God’s help (and his constant reminder).

There is so much to find hope and joy in when you are loved with so GREAT a love as God’s love.

What is your One Word for 2016? How do you hope it will help direct your heart and mind toward the Maker of this New Year?
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Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of 5 great kids, speech-pathologist to about fifty more, lover of chocolate, jazz, and Jesus, and proud AlleyCat over at a group writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. Her debut historical romance novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015, with the second arriving in February 2016. Her first contemporary romance debuts in April 2016. 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

New Year, Clean Slate!

Today dawns the first day of the new year! And more than empty resolutions and a betterment campaign, I keep thinking of new mercies. Not because today is technically different than any other day, but because of the newness that it stands for. So today of this first frigid day of 2016 enjoy your family, spend the day in gratitude for all you have and all you hope to accomplish this year. And then think on the beauty of this.... And know that you are starting your year, your day, with a clean slate!

 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. 

From all of us here on the Alley, we hope you had a very blessed Christmas and we are looking forward to sharing the new year with you!!!

-your Alley Cats