Helping to Change the World…Word by Word
The Steve Laube Agency
Helping to Change the World Word by Word
Lord God Adonai,
I am about to write.
I have nothing to say,
nothing to offer.
I am a poor writer,
and an even poorer Christian.
And yet I must try
to find words
that will bring into being
something that has never been before.
Help me, Lord.
Inspire me.
Empower me.
Flow through me.
Grant that I may write
better than I can write,
and thus know that
all the honor and glory and thanks
belong to you,
in Jesus’ name, amen.
Some foods are better to eat than others when you’re writing. Right? It goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) that Cheetos are not the most keyboard-friendly food to snack on while you’re writing your next article, blog post, or book. And tacos get all over your keyboard, research, and outlines, right? So, I asked some Steve Laube Agency clients, “What IS the food you most …
Anyone who has read my “Who and What I’m Looking For” post on this site may be aware that poetry is not a genre I represent. I know, I know. Your poetry is different, and it would force me to make an exception. I hear you. But the likelihood of selling a book of poems is somewhere between nil and nada, even for you. I love you, but it’s true. (See how that rhymed?) Having said that, though, I …
Maybe you’ve heard of C. S. Lewis. Some people consider him to have been a fairly smart man. A literary superhero, even, who once wrote, “An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only. . . . We do not enjoy a story fully at the first reading. Not till the curiosity, the sheer narrative lust, has been given its sop and laid asleep, are we at leisure to savour the real beauties. …
I recently posted on social media about my (possibly unhealthy) love for em dashes—that is, the dashes that are the width of the letter m, often used to set off examples, explanations, or descriptions, as I did in this sentence. (See how beautiful it is?) An editor friend named Linda commented, “This is so me. I love the em-dash. Nothing aggravates me more when editing than when a writer …
If you’ve been writing (or hanging around with writers) for a while, you’ve probably seen or heard the abbreviation POV. It’s short for “point of view.” And WIP (“work in progress”), MC (“main character”), and perhaps even NaNoWriMo (“National Novel Writing Month,” which rolls around every November). But those, like many terms we writers use and abuse, have been around for a while. They’re kinda …
I’ve read thousands of books in my lifetime. I’ve written on this blog about why I read and about my annual reading plan. I’ve posted about how to read more. So, yeah, I read a lot. Wanna make something of it? Where was I? Oh yeah. Over the course of my decades of reading, I’ve even kept a record of the books I’ve read. So, not only can I tell you (if not by memory at least by a quick …
It’s a common question I hear among writers, especially among those who are starting out in the long journey toward publication: “Will someone steal my book?” Or “my idea?” Or “my plot?” And so on. Some writers are loath to show their work to a critique group or submit to an agent or editor, for fear that someone will take their title or idea or writing and pass it off as their own. Believe it or …
Writers have a lot to do. Maybe you’ve discovered that. Wherever you may be in your writing journey, you’ve probably encountered the many tasks a writer has to accomplish (especially during tax season, can I get a witness?): write, rewrite, edit, proofread, get critique, rewrite again, research, review, submit, record submissions, follow up submissions, book travel, register for conferences, pack …
Don’t be afraid of macros. They can be your friend. A macro is a shortcut you can make in, say, Word (or virtually any program) to automate or accelerate certain tasks. If you’ve never done it before, rather than explain it here, let me suggest that you search the web for “how to create a macro in Word” or on your specific computer. (For example, in a Mac, you can go to your …
