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Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Archives for Bob Hostetler » Page 14

Bob Hostetler

Old School Tools Rule (Sometimes)

By Bob Hostetleron August 5, 2020
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I use modern technology a lot. Some digital tools make the writing life a whole lot easier, from word processing’s track changes to email and Dropbox and voice dictation and more. But I still cling to a few old-school tools that newer technologies haven’t replaced. Here are three I have found irreplaceably beneficial.

The Bring-Up File

An analog tool that has helped me make the most of my time and efforts: a “bring-up” file (sometimes called a tickler file). It’s a simple but genius system comprised of 43 file folders I keep in my desk drawer. Twelve are labeled with the names of the months and the rest are numbered 1 through 31. So, each morning I pull out that day’s numbered folder, which contains various papers and other items that need my attention that day, such as, say, a birthday card to send, a cleaning sheet for my paper shredder, a gift card to use for date night with my wife, and a bill I need to pay and mail that day (though most of my bills are digital, some still have to be mailed). The folder also contains any paperwork remaining from the previous day, which allows me to start every day with a clean desk. At the beginning of each month, I divide the contents I’ve been filing away to remember during that month into the 31 numbered folders, and the process begins again.

Post-it Notes and Sheets

I use a lot of Post-it notes in the course of a week or month. Some mark portions of the book I’m reading that I want to copy into a journal or into my Bible Reference Index (see below). Or I might stick a note on my next flight itinerary so I don’t forget to pack an item. I might stick a note on my steering wheel so I remember a stop I wanted to make. And so on. I’ve also used the giant sticky easel pads to brainstorm and outline books and chapters, lining them up along my office wall so I could get a sense of the big picture, so to speak.

Bible Reference Index

The other old-school tool that’s been a huge help to me over my years is a box of 60-some dividers labeled with the books of the Bible. (See the above picture.) Between those dividers are 3 x 5 index cards; each card has an abbreviation of the Bible book in the upper left corner and a chapter number in the upper right corner. Over the years, as I’ve read books—both fiction and nonfiction—and come across an allusion or reference to a verse or passage in the Bible, I’ll mark it (with a Post-it) and then later record that book’s title, author, and page number on the corresponding card in my Bible Reference Index. This system helps tremendously when I’m writing an article or book chapter, as I can pull a card and see quickly what my reading over the years has said about the Bible portion on which I’m writing. On occasion it’s made me look so much smarter than I am (which isn’t a hard task, I grant you, considering my starting point).

I recommend old-school tools like these to my writing friends, as they’ve helped me to achieve and maintain some semblance of order in my writing life. (Every little bit helps, you know.)

How about you? Do you use any old-school tools in your writing life?

 

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Category: Technology, The Writing LifeTag: organization, Research

Prayers of a Literary Agent

By Bob Hostetleron July 29, 2020
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I prayed about becoming a literary agent. My friend and agent, Steve Laube, had asked me to consider it. So I told him I’d pray and think on it. Doggone it, I did; and just over three years ago I joined The Steve Laube Agency as not only a client but also an agent. That’s the last time I prayed about such things. Oh, okay, I’m only kidding. In truth, that was only the beginning of my praying about …

Read morePrayers of a Literary Agent
Category: Agents, Personal, The Publishing Life, Theology

What’s in a Name?

By Bob Hostetleron July 22, 2020
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Years ago I was reading a book by Louis L’Amour, a favorite author of mine. I don’t remember which book it was (I haven’t yet read them all, but I’ve read many of them), but I do recall being confused throughout. Why? I’m so glad you asked. Because three of the main characters had similar names, names that all started with the letter T. Something like, Taggart, Taylor, and Trevayne. I was …

Read moreWhat’s in a Name?
Category: Craft, Creativity, Genre, Writing Craft

More Favorite Blog Comments

By Bob Hostetleron July 15, 2020
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If you read this blog regularly (or, even better, subscribe to it), you already know something about the wealth of free information that appears in this space every weekday, week after week, month after month, by the agents of The Steve Laube Agency. Posts like this one—okay, like the ones by Steve and Tamela—are a major contributing factor to this site being named as one of the “101 Best Websites …

Read moreMore Favorite Blog Comments
Category: Get Published, Social Media, The Writing Life

A Writer’s Writing Space

By Bob Hostetleron July 8, 2020
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Several weeks ago, I asked my awesome clients to share a few awesome words about their awesome writing spaces. (Some of them said I overuse the word “awesome,” but they’re just being picky.) It’s a subject that fascinates me and sometimes inspires a change or two to my own writing space, so I share their responses in the hopes that they do something similar for you: _____ “My workspace is an …

Read moreA Writer’s Writing Space
Category: The Writing LifeTag: workspace

Curious About Agents and Publishers and Stuff

By Bob Hostetleron July 1, 2020
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A writer friend recently messaged me with a few questions about agents and publishers and stuff. The “and stuff” is my locution, not hers. So I thought for the benefit or outrage of all, I’d answer her in this space. See how generous I am? No? Okay, be that way. Here goes: I am curious about using literary agents vs. working with a publisher without agent representation. . . . I’ve noticed that …

Read moreCurious About Agents and Publishers and Stuff
Category: Agents, Book Business, Career, Rejection

Goal-Setting (and Revising)

By Bob Hostetleron June 24, 2020
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I’m an inveterate goal-setter. From way back. I started setting yearly goals at the age of 19, maybe before. I remember that set of goals because that was the first time I formulated a “lifetime goal” to write a book. One book. I figured, how many people manage to write a whole book in their lifetime? I thought it’d be cool, whether or not I ever published. Within a few years, I revised that goal. …

Read moreGoal-Setting (and Revising)
Category: Career

The Best Ways to Submit Your Work

By Bob Hostetleron June 17, 2020
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I started writing for publication back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The process was fairly simple then, if unpromising of success. I wrote a query, article, or book proposal, put it into an envelope along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for its return, sealed it, and mailed it. And waited. And waited. And—you get the idea. That’s not how it’s done anymore. At least, not often. …

Read moreThe Best Ways to Submit Your Work
Category: Book Proposals, Pitching

Multigenre Writing: Good or Bad Idea?

By Bob Hostetleron June 10, 2020
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One of this blog’s readers recently directed the following question to me: You’ve been a successful writer in several genres. Is that possible for someone starting out today? I could debate the accuracy of the adjective “successful,” but I’ll let that slip for now. It’s true that I have written and published books in a variety of genres (I was a writer long before becoming an agent and …

Read moreMultigenre Writing: Good or Bad Idea?
Category: Career, Creativity, The Writing Life

Shakespeare on Writing

By Bob Hostetleron June 3, 2020
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Most of those who know me know that I’m something of a Shakespeare nut. That nuttiness led me to write my award-winning book, The Bard and the Bible: A Shakespeare Devotional, which pairs quotes from his works with verses from the King James Version of the Bible, as the KJV and Shakespeare’s works were produced in the same period, nation, and city, by men who knew each other. To many, Shakespeare …

Read moreShakespeare on Writing
Category: The Writing Life
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