Helping to Change the World…Word by Word
The Steve Laube Agency
Helping to Change the World Word by Word
Happy April Fools Day!
Today’s video is a vivid picture of an author trying to break into traditional publishing.
A great line at the 2:12 mark.
(If you cannot see the embedded video in your newsletter email, please click the headline and go directly to our site to view it.)
It is safe to say we all tend to learn and grow more spiritually from difficulty than from the good times. Both reveal God’s presence in our lives, but our hard heads and hearts seem to need a good bit of humbling before we “get it.” Most people write more powerfully under duress. A couple months ago, while reading a manuscript of a long-time acquaintance, the tone surprised me a bit. I wondered …
I’ve told the story at several writers conferences of the time I reached a point in my writing ministry, somewhere after the release of my twentieth book or thereabouts, when I thought I was done. Finished. Burned out and burned up as a writer. I’d been through a three-year process of revision and revulsion on one book that had left me doubting my ability and drained of all enthusiasm for writing. …
by Steve Laube
What was the favorite book you read, cover to cover, in the last year or so? Why is it your favorite? (It can be fiction or non-fiction. Faith-based or not.) Feel free to tell us in the comments about yours.
Read it Again
Now that you’ve identified the book. Read it again. As Vladimir Nabakov wrote:
“Curiously enough, one cannot read a book: one can only reread it. A …
Watch the miracle of growth in today’s video: a one-year time lapse of the growth of a mango tree. Starting with a seed. Extraordinary to watch. But even more intriguing is that it will take another 3-5 years before it will bear fruit. Think of the metaphor of the writing life. From the seed of an idea. Then writing 300 words a day for a year will create the foundation of a 100,000-word …
We’ve all heard about the stars who turned down roles that turned out to become cultural icons. For instance, at least six actors turned down the part of Neo in The Matrix. Perhaps those who turned down roles might say, “Wow, that could have been me! I missed a great opportunity!” Maybe. Or maybe not. Why? Because those films wouldn’t have been the same with the other actors. Perhaps the …
It is important for Christian writers to be bold, not worrying so much about who might be offended by the gospel or who might take biblical truth the wrong way. Despite society being fragile these days with so many people triggered by the littlest thing, this situation shouldn’t stop us from proclaiming God’s truth. We all need to be more fearless in the way we live and communicate. After all, as …
Everyone starts somewhere. Sixty years ago a seven-year-old played his cello for President John F. Kennedy (and former President Eisenhower who was also in attendance). The performance was at the National Cultural Center, which was later renamed The Kennedy Center. The young boy is introduced by Leonard Bernstein. The cellist? Yo-Yo Ma. To put more historical context to this event: Thirty days …
Say you wanted to enroll in studies at a respected educational institution—let’s call it Wisenheimer Academy for Clever Kids. You might expect to take an entrance exam to determine your degree of fitness for WACK, right? Just as you would to begin training for ministry, law enforcement, or interplanetary space travel. Oddly, though, there is no entrance exam for writers. Until now. That’s right. …
Since many publishers ask that authors have a robust online presence, I’m revisiting a topic that, sadly, hasn’t gone away since I wrote about it a few years ago. This article is worth everyone’s time if I can save even one person from being scammed. Recently, I received a private message on Facebook from a man I didn’t know, saying that he liked my profile and would like …
