Thursday, February 25, 2016

Why Blog?

by Edie Melson

For several years, blogging has been touted as the end all way of reaching an audience—especially for writers of all types. Now, enough time has passed that it’s possible to get a good statistical foundation of whether or not blogging really is a good use of a writer’s time.

And the answer is . . .
it depends.

I know, I can hear the groans from here, and I feel your pain. Everyone was promised, “Blog and they will come.” Well, that is only partly true and here’s the nitty gritty of blogging.

Blogging works for writers under these circumstances -
  • The blog/blogger has a clear purpose to blogging.
  • The audience is clearly defined. (For example, a novelist is writing for readers—not other writers)
  • The blog fits the picture of who the writer is. Or, in other words, it enhances—not contradicts—the author’s brand.
  • The rest of your branding makes sense with your blog.
Blogging DOES NOT work for writers under these circumstances -
  • The point of the blog is vague and undefined.
  • The audience isn’t clearly defined.
  • The blog leads readers to a different picture of the writer—not a deeper picture—but totally different.
Over the next few weeks I will address each point and show you how to make your blog work for you, instead of being a time waster for you and your reader. But for now, I’d like to know where you are with blogging.
  • Do you have a blog?
  • Is your audience for it growing?
  • Does it deliver results?
Chime in with your comments and questions.

And . . . Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains ChristianWriters Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for SouthernWriters Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Don't miss her new book from Worthy Inspired, WHILE MY SOLDIER SERVES.

Friday, February 19, 2016

To Conference or not to Conference?

by Elva Cobb Martin


Yours truly with an agent at BRMCWC May 2015

Many writing conferences are coming up, and all of them look good! See a partial list below. Conferences are one of the best ways to get your writing in front of prospective agents and publishers, and network with other writers and publishing experts. Attending and directing writing conferences has greatly helped me along the path to publication. I feel every conference I've directed or attended has been worth the effort, time and money.

And I do believe in "praying in the finances." God can and will provide as you pray. I look on money spent for conferences as an investment in my writing career. I also pray for divine connections to the right editors, agents and new friends.

But how can you decide which conference is best for you?

Here are some neat questions and to ask yourself presented by our sister North Georgia ACFW Chapter. Ask yourself these questions about any conference you are considering. If you don't answer "yes" a lot, you need to do a bit more praying over it.

- Can I afford the conference (including tuition, hotel, travel and food)?
- Will it help me take the next step in my career?
- Are the publishers/agents I'm targeting for my genre going to be there?
- Do the workshops look helpful for where I am in my career?
- Am I up for an award? (Don't forget to enter contests so this can happen!)

If you do decide to attend a conference, knowing how to pitch, organize, and present your book is vital. We cover these things in many of our chapter meetings and will share more on the next blog.

Good conferences include small classes where you can interact and ask questions of experts.
Award-winning author and instructor Yvonne Lehman leads a class in Anderson.
Here's a list of some conferences we have posted on the calendar page of this blog.

March 11-12 Carolina Christian Writers Conf., Spartanburg First Baptist  www.fbs.org/writers  Tuition early bird  $125, then $145

May 22-26, Blue Ridge Mtns. Christian Wrtrs Conf., Ridgecrest, N.C  http://altongansky.typepad.com/writersconferences/.  Tuition $325  or call 1-800-588-7222 to register. (our VP Edie Melson is co-director of this great conference!)

August 25-28, ACFW National Conf. Nashville, TN  Huge Premier Christian Fiction Conf. www.acfw.com/conference  See the web site for full information.

Oct. 16-10  Blue Ridge Autumn in the Mountains Novelist Retreat w/Yvonne Lehman and others!   at Ridgecrest, N.C. Tuition $350 but check the early bird discounts! Call 1 800 588-7222 to register. Or go to  http://www.ridgecrestconferencecenter.org/event/novelist#.VqVAm5XSlS

What part of pitching, or preparing for a conference, is hardest for you? Do you have a tip for other writers? Leave a comment or question below and please do share this blog on your social media.

Blessings on your writing!
Elva Cobb Martin




Elva Cobb Martin is president of the South Carolina Chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a former school teacher and a graduate of Anderson University and Erskine College. Decision, Charisma, and Home Life have published her articles. She has published a  Bible study, Power Over Satan, available on Amazon.com. She has recently signed a book contract with Prism Book Group for her first inspirational romance, Summer of Deception. She has also completed a second novel, first book of an historical series, In a Pirate’s Debt. Elva is represented by Jim Hart of Hartline Literary. A mother and grandmother, Elva lives with her husband Dwayne and a mini-dachshund writing helper, Lucy, in Anderson, South Carolina. She also leads an internet prayer task force praying for a Great Awakening. Connect with her on her web site www.elvamartin.com, her blog http://carolinaromancewithelvamartin.blogspot.com on Twitter www.twitter.com/Elvacobbmartin, on Facebook and Pinterest

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Planning My Novels, Part II - by Misty M. Beller


By Misty M Beller @MistyMBeller



Hi Friends!

On the SC Writers ACFW chapter blog last week, I shared the first step of my planning for a new novel: The Brainstorming Document. If you missed it, you can find that post here. 

This week, I'll share step two, the Chapter Outline. As I mentioned before, I'm a plotter, but not to the extreme. When I hear some seat-of-the-pants writers talk about a bare-bones rough draft, I often think my chapter outline must be similar to that first draft. Regardless, this helps me plan out my story and get a feel for the way the motivations and character arcs (from the Brainstorming document) will play out in the plot. 

So without further ado, let's talk details about:  

*** The Chapter Outline ***


    This is a scene by scene document, written in third-person, present tense. I include dates, and tentative POVs for each scene. Here’s an example from my book, The Lady and the Mountain Doctor. (Please don't judge the story from this behind-the-scenes snippet. :) The creative process takes strange forms!)

Chapter One - Oct 28, 1876, Miriam’s POV: Miriam is bleeding a deer when she's attacked by a mountain lion. She fights the cougar, and then loses consciousness from blood loss.
Alex’s POV: He's grinding Echinacea root when Gideon comes crashing in saying his sister Miriam is hurt badly. Alex helps him carry her to the exam room, then sends Gideon to find his brother to help with surgery. By the time Bryan arrives, Alex has examined her and given the prognosis. The lateral collateral ligament has a second degree tear, but the worst seems to be a large tear in the patellar tendon. Bryan tells him to take the lead on the surgery.

I usually use this document to keep up with my timeline, except there was one novel where I had to resort to an actual calendar (because I needed to track Pony Express runs that changed every week).

Even though I call this a chapter outline, it’s really a scene outline. When I’m writing the first draft of the story, I usually tweak the planned chapter starting places based on word count and what feels right for the story (making sure I end each chapter with a good hook).

This entire Chapter Outline is very fluid and usually does change some when I’m writing the manuscript (MS), but it gives me a good skeleton to start from. I copy and paste the next section from my Chapter Outline into the end of the MS so I can always see what’s coming next.  Not to say I don’t veer if the story needs it, but this saves me a lot of time getting myself back in the story when I sit down to write each day.


I allow myself at least two to three weeks to write the Chapter Outline, working on it an hour or two daily. I find that the more I put into this document, the quicker my writing goes when I’m working on the manuscript. 


As we said before, everyone must find their own process for inspiration and creativity, but we discover it by trying methods from other successful writers. When you find something that works for you, make it your own!



Misty M. Beller writes Christian historical romance, and is author of the bestselling Mountain Dreams Series and the Texas Rancher Trilogy. Her upcoming book, The Lady and the Mountain Call, will release April 5th, 2016.

Misty was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. About eleven years ago, she made a career change from farm life into the business world, where she worked as a Senior Manager and Director of Process & Training. She's now loving the life of a writer, wife, and mother.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Planning My Novels, Part I - by Misty M. Beller

By Misty M Beller @MistyMBeller



Hi Friends!

On the SC Writers ACFW chapter blog this week, we're continuing our series on how published authors plan their novels. In case you missed it, MaryLu Tyndall shared her method last week. 

I'm a firm believer that everyone must find their own process for inspiration and creativity, but we discover it by trying methods from other successful writers. When you find something that works for you, make it your own!

I'm a plotter, but not to an extreme. I've used the method I'll outline below to write my last nine books, fine-tuning it as I go. I'm able to write a 55K - 60K story in about three months, spending 2-3 hours a day doing heads-down writing. Some days I spend less time, depending on how the muse strikes and focused I am. 

Before I begin writing the actual manuscript, I always spend 2-3 weeks (or more) creating two different documents. The first document, I call:  

*** Brainstorming ***

To begin, I spend several days (or sometimes weeks) detailing my characters and developing a rough synopsis. I’m typically more character-driven, so I start with the characters, and use them to develop the plot synopsis, but you could do it either way. 

This Brainstorming document usually has three parts:

1.      Characters: This is for my protagonists (hero and heroine since I write romance), not necessarily minor characters. I develop my character motivations in detail, including free-writing their backstory. 

    For motivations, I make sure I have these things worked through for both the hero & heroine:

Backstory:
Physical Characteristics:
External Motivation: 
Internal Motivation: 
Conflicting goals:
Spiritual arc:
Black moment and lie:
Tension that separates from heroine/hero:
Happy moment and want (dream):

2.      Plot synopsis: This is for my eyes only, and hits the high points of the plot. It usually takes 1-2 pages, and I make sure I identify all of the major plot points:

Act 1:
1st Doorway:
Act 2:
Midpoint:
2nd Doorway:
Act 3:

I’m a big fan of James Scott Bell, and for a while I would re-read Plot and Structure before starting every new novel. It’s a fantastic book, whether you’re a plotter or a pantster. Now, I read sections of it (at least) for inspiration before starting a new story. His book, Write Your Novel from the Middle, is also very good.

Depending on the story and how comfortable I’m feeling with the plot, I may also do a one-sentence plot and identify the pinch-points. Generally, if it feels like something’s missing or the plot is not strong enough, I keep pushing until I find the missing piece. 


3.      Research: This Brainstorming document is also where I keep track of my research and websites I use. Since I write Historical Romance, research usually plays a huge part in developing my plot, so every time I find a new website to help with part of the story, I go ahead and copy/paste that link into the research section. 


Those are the main parts of the Brainstorming document, although I often add in other tidbits: Possibilities for a title, Possible opening lines, and anything that I might need to pull from later. 

Next week, I'll be back to talk about the next step in my process: the Chapter Outline. Until then, I'd love to hear your comments! Do you create a brainstorming file for each novel? Is there anything in it I haven't mentioned here? 


Misty M. Beller writes Christian historical romance, and is author of the bestselling Mountain Dreams Series and the Texas Rancher Trilogy. Her upcoming book, The Lady and the Mountain Call, will release April 5th, 2016.

Misty was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. About eleven years ago, she made a career change from farm life into the business world, where she worked as a Senior Manager and Director of Process & Training. She's now loving the life of a writer, wife, and mother.