3 Easy Goals U Can Meet to Make your Writing Dreams Come True

At the beginning of the year you made a recommitment to your dusty manuscript. I'm going to clean it up. I'm going to finally write my novel. But now you've hit your normal life slump--that place around mid February where you tuck away your new year's resolutions, well wishes and big dreams. Real life has moved back into your house to remind you of how hectic your life is. Well, today make room for a permanent member of your mental household. Her names is B.E.A. and she's going to stay with you until the writing is done.

3 Easy Goals U Can Meet to Make your Writing Dreams Come True

Believe in yourself.
God made you, so of course, he believes in you. But why don't you? You know your daily schedule, commitments and limits. You also know what you are capable of doing.

For me. I'm an at home mom. Most of my day is spent managing my disability, helping Selah with school, reading and writing. Most of my down time is reading. What if I switch that around to most of my down time is writing? What could I possibly do? I believe I could write more.

Encourage yourself.
One of my favorite songs of last year was Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers 's "Encourage Yourself." An excerpt from the lyrics...

Sometimes you have to speak the word over yourself, the pressure is all around, but God is present help. The enemy created walls, but remember giants, they do fall; speak over yourself, encourage yourself in the Lord.

Write your favorite bible verse or author quote and stick it on your computer, put it by your bedside and inside your wallet and every where you visit the most in your home. Let those words encourage you to meet your mark every day.

My favorite quote: "Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere... You don't have to dress up, for instance, and you can't hear them boo you right away. " Anne Lamont

Allow yourself playtime
As children we played more than observed. We hated to sit on the bench. Now I am an adult and I'm beating other authors to sit on the bench. I'll read your book. I''l review your book. I'll line edit your book. I'll research more. Everything, but I'll write the book. This week let's switch that around. Let's play more. Write more. You know what you can do.

This week's goal: Let's have fun writing.

Share with me all week your writing goals and what did you do to meet it. The Christian Fiction Network is looking for critique partners. Sign up.

Christian Fiction News: Christian Graphic Novels

Thomas Nelson commits to Christian graphics
Nelson will publish roughly 20 graphic novels over the next two years, with the adaptations of Dekker's bestsellers the centerpiece. In 2007, Nelson released the Circle Trilogy, three fantasy graphic novels taken from Dekker's 10-volume Books of History Chronicles. The house will adapt at least four more YA novels (called the Lost Novels) from Dekker's prose series, two in 2008 and two more in 2009.
-Publisher's Weekly

Tyndale signs fantasy author to book deal

Tyndale House Publishers has signed best-selling children's fantasy author G.P. Taylor to a multiple book deal to publish "The Dopple Ganger Chronicles," a new series of "illustronovellas" featuring manga-style graphics...A former policeman and Anglican priest, Taylor-who lives in Scarborough, England-has written Shadowmancer (Charisma House/Penguin Putnam), which reached No. 1 on the New York Times Children's Chapter best-seller list in 2004 and has been translated into 48 languages. His other novels include Wormwood and Tersias the Oracle (both Penguin Putnam), and The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse of Salamander Street (Realms/Penguin Putnam).

-Christian Retailing

Book Marketing: The Hezekiah Effect for Writers

By Sherryle Kiser Jackson, Guestblogger

Someone estimated that everybody gets about 15 minutes of fame. It would suggest that the recognition we receive as writers for our works will ultimately subside to make way for someone else’s time.

When does that 15 minutes begin? Is it when you have crystallized a theme or idea in your mind and proudly announce to friends and loved ones, “I am writing a book?” Is it the minute you learn to juggle the creative and business side of writing, shopping your completed manuscript and securing a publishing deal? Or does it happen much later when you see your finished product properly bound with your name prominently on the packaging?
As writers, we are all somewhere in that process. Even though we may not have submitted our offerings for recognition and fame, we ultimately want someone to read it, right? I mean, we did have something to say. Somehow we are lead to believe that our book’s release date is the starting time and like a Domino Pizza delivery guy we are hell bent to deliver in 30 minutes or less.

Is the clock ticking on our book’s relevance? Does the amount of time our books sit on the shelves before being noticed and appreciated by the masses diminish its poignancy? Don’t we all wish that we have written a classic and definitive novel in our particular genre that will receive steady sales that leave our publishers with no other choice but to go into a second, third or fourth reprinting?
New authors, especially those not use to running into that phone booth as a mere citizen of the creative world and emerging as a book marketing expert, are particularly concerned about their book’s shelf life. They may still be on hold with the publicity department trying to figure out what their publisher is going to do to help market their book for them or in the line at Kinko’s printing out a thousand homemade flyers. What is a press release?
In Biblical times, Hezekiah, the King of Judah faced the end of his life. The prophet, Isaiah was sent to tell him, “set your affairs in order, for you are going to die.” A premature death was prescribed to Hezekiah. How does a man face his last and final days?

Hezekiah had a mild breakdown, similar to the one many authors have when they think of the thousands of books in the bookstore, or worse, in their living room, that they have no idea how to move. Hezekiah didn’t accept the timeline given to him. It is written that on his sick bed, he turned his faith to the wall and prayed to the Lord, reminding Him at the same time of how faithful he had been.

“Father, remember the countless hours I have spent, writing, researching, editing and re-writing this novel. I got up every morning and completed my morning papers like Julia Cameron suggested in The Artist Way. I cut my ties to the literal and tried my best to show-not-tell as outlined in the Elements of Style, by Shrunk and White. Not to mention the money I spent in conferences, writer’s workshops and retreats. I understand its all part of the deal. The books are not going to sale themselves. Please don’t let them send my book back to the publisher. Please, Lord, I’ve got to make back my advance.”

The Lord heard Hezekiah’s plea and agreed he was indeed faithful to his craft. God promised he would heal him and added fifteen more years on to his life. Another fifteen. What could we do with another fifteen minutes of fame. Maybe we could truly make a coast to coast book tour. That might be just enough time for the producers at Oprah to unearth your book from the slush pile of perspective Oprah Book Club picks. Heck, you need that extra time just to explore the infinite possibilities of on-line marketing-the real new frontier.

So we can learn a thing or two from Hezekiah: don’t let critics mark the time of death for your book, stay faithful to your craft, and take a kneel beside your laptop or PC, stare at that that wall cluttered with pin ups of character sketches, outlines and literary contacts and pray for mercy.

Sherryle Kiser Jackson is a fresh new voice in Christian Fiction. Her style is an honest commentary on her life with Christ. Soon and Very Soon is her debut novel from Urban Christian. Experience her christian chronicles that are Biblically based and out-the-Christian-box at the same time.

Happy Valentine's Day! I have decided to choose my daughter, Selah and my mom, DJ as my Valentines this year. My ex's will duke it out this weekend. Pray for them. :) So I got Selah some goodies today and we will go eat somewhere kids can eat free tonight. If you go to Target stores today all the Valentine things on the $1 aisle are 25 cents. I loaded up everything. At Dollar tree I got her a green dinosaur valentine balloon with a matching snow globe, then found a card at Target on the same clearance aisle that matched that. Found a white poodle at Dollar General for $3 for my mom. I need to stop being a cheapskate and get a digital camera, so I can show you this poodle.

My gifts to myself: Dove chocolate bar, John Legend's Live from Philadelphia CD, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married DVD, two dresses my ex's would loose their eyes if they saw me wearing them and an ex-hubby I can carry in my purse. It's a stress reliever doll. If I get angry I can squeeze it. Got that at the Dollar Tree, too.

My parting favorite quote for today...

You have bewitched me body and soul and i love...i love...i love you. (Mr. Darcy.)

The Best Couples are a Hot Mess

My Soul to Keep author, Melanie Wells stopped by Christian Fiction Blog to participate in our 1Question Author Interview Series-The Valentine Edition. 2 Questions/Couple. Cute. The questions:

Who are your favorite fictional couple?

I hate to be a cliche' but I'd have to say Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'Hara. They're a charming, cantankerous relational disaster. You just want to smack 'em both.


And what have you learned about them that helps you build the romance arc of your own stories?

Like Rhett and Scarlett (at this point, any southerner knows to add "bless their hearts" -which is required if you're insulting someone) my characters are extremely flawed. My books tend to be populated with broken - or at least bent - people. But they're so likeable, you're rooting for them anyway. Dylan Foster (bless her heart) just can't quite seem to get it right, which keeps the tension running all the way through the story. You WANT it to work out between her and David-who-owns-a-funeral-home-in-Hillsboro, but you're also sitting there thinking, Dylan, you need to go to time out, and David, for crying out loud, get a SPINE and stand up to this woman. They're a mess. That's what makes the story work. Happiness is sort of boring, if you think about it.

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Reconciliation, Rumor and My Two Cents

February, 2008 - In response to an article on www.articlesofinfo.com, Juanita Bynum would like to make it very clear that she is not in counseling with Bishop Thomas Weeks III, nor are there any talks of reconciliation as stated in the false article written by Doug Campbell.

As Dr. Bynum has stated in the past, she feels that reconciliation with her estranged husband could be a tremendous testimony to the body of Christ; however that is not the case at this time.
- From Bynum's Publicist

Whatever...I am thankful that the reconciliation story is rumor, but from reading the entire press release Bynum is digging a whole for herself by agreeing to continue in a relationship with Week's family for business matters.

See. This is a problem many domestic violence survivors can smell from a mile away. You leave yor abuser. His family and him ask for the chance to support your other endeavors. You accept. What you're saying is. I was hurt, but my basic needs instead of allowing God to supply them I am going to accept your proposal, because it is a safe, comfortable and familiar place.

I am struggling with this same issue right now. My ex wants to reconcile. He knows my situation, because he help put me here. We have a child together and he knows my position on Christian parenting. So it's Valentine's Week, a week after my birthday. I'm feeling nostalgic. Just watched Perry's Why Did I Get MArried and Fool's GOld all in one week. I'm in a forgetful, romantic, pressed for money mood. But if I allow his family to babysit our daughter, what I am saying to my daughter is that I will risk putting her in harm's way, because I want to be the good girl. I want my fantasy romance with this man to be storybook real. Bologna.

You want to talk about ministering to women who have suffered abuse, then you dig in and experience the discomfort, the separation, the heartbreak and the longing until God moves it. I'm not talking to Bynum, I'm talking to sisters like me who are struggling with whether I should give this man another chance, because I miss the roses more than the look in his eyes when darkness disconnects from you.

Serenading Tyler Perry: My Interview with Chandra Currelley

While you're out picking up Tyler Perry's latest DVD offerings( Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? (Full Screen Edition) and What's Done in the Dark...) also pick up a copy of Wow Magazine's February Issue. It features my coverstory article/interview with acclaimed stage and screen Christian siren, Chandra Currelley. A snippet from the article:

Chandra Currelley
On Serenading Tyler Perry and her 3 WOW Moments

Chandra Currelley crooned her way into the hearts and souls of Tyler Perry fans when she starred as the fictional jazz club owner of her namesake in his hit debut film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005.) Her performance was so well loved that fans scoured Atlanta locales and the internet in search of the romantic restaurant and the sultry songbird. What they found was short of staggering.

Chandra has worked with some of the most influential people in the entertainment industry today including: Kenny Leon, Debbie Allen and Roy Ayers. In 1986 she replaced Mary Davis as lead singer for the S.O.S. band, a Billboard chart-topping R& B Band. Later she returned to the stage to perform off Broadway in musicals like “The Amen Corner” and “Sophisticated Ladies.” So it was no surprise that Tyler Perry recognized her talent and cast Chandra in three of his plays: “I Know I Been Changed”, “Madea’s Class Reunion” and “What’s Done In the Dark.”

He’s so enthused with Chandra’s sound that he wants the entire world to embrace her. This February when his last year’s hit stage play, “What’s Done in the Dark[which she stars in]” hits the DVD stores shelves a promotional insert has been included in ever DVD. The insert introduces Chandra’s new CD, “The Real Me.”

In January WOW! Magazine chatted with Ms. Currelley about the CD, her personal WOW moments and how she serenaded Tyler Perry’s soul.

Christian author, Kendra Noman-Bellamy also has a short story, Love on a Sunday. Read more by subscribing to WOW!