Christmas according to kids. This is a fun re-enactment of what happened on that day, through the words of children. Very fun!
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Evaluating the Contest Win
Contests take time and money to enter. Are they worth it? For the Unpublished Author: A contest win shows that a set of judges believes this author possesses talent. When the unpublished author is seeking an agent or publisher, a contest win adds to the author’s credibility. Not only does it show potential, but the fact that the author is entering contests shows commitment to the profession. …
You Are Not Your Words
Writers love words. That’s a good thing. But when we become attached to our own words, that’s a bad thing. I see it often in meeting with writers and offering critiques at writers’ conferences. The writer will hand me a piece of his or her work, “to see what you think.” I’ll look it over, and identify several things to compliment about the piece. And then I’ll make a suggestion for improvement. I …
Author Platform and The Laws of Attraction
Whenever someone communicates anything in any form, the message will either attract or repel readers, listeners or viewers. All communication is like a magnet, with north and south poles. What you do in social media or blog for your author platform will either cost or earn readers. No matter what you do, the best you can hope for is a net positive, with more people friending, following and …
The Steve Laube Agency Acquires the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency
(Phoenix, AZ) Steve Laube, president of The Steve Laube Agency, has announced the acquisition of the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency. Les Stobbe has been a part of the Christian publishing industry for 62 years, starting as an editor and book buyer, then publisher, book coach, ghostwriter, and the last 25 as a literary agent. Les has been awarded five Lifetime Achievement Awards by writers’ …
Fun Friday’s – December 1, 2017
December 1st. The first day you can officially open your advent calendar! Enjoy this video from the UK!
Read It Twice!
I read Gone with the Wind for the first time in the seventh grade. Then I reread it in the eighth grade. Daddy fussed at me for this. “Why are you reading the same book again? You should read something else.” I know he had a point, but I consumed it a second time, all the way to the ambiguous, 1,200-page end. Because. I. Wanted. To. By the way, the unsettling ending is probably one reason why I …
Fix Your Worst Writing Pitfalls
Writers should know how to write. Right? But that is easier said than done. “Monsters. . . lie in ambush for the writer trying to put together a clean English sentence,” says William Zinsser in On Writing Well. Numerous dangers line the road to becoming an accomplished and published (and much-published) writer. As a writer, editor, and agent, I see the same mistakes over and over and over (such as …
Unnecessary Worry
In the third and final installment of my “unnecessary” series of blog posts, today we will explore the issue of unnecessary worry. (Yes, I am going for the “w” theme with the posts, starting with words, then work. I am a sucker for intentionality and the obvious.) For followers of Jesus, you cannot venture very far into the issue of worry without bumping into Scripture, as worry is addressed …
A Writer’s Hope Springs Eternal
Writers can be quietly optimistic amidst their seasons of doubt. It is that hope of success that helps make the daily slog a little easier. I reflected on hope by finding a few inspirational quotes: Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. ― Desmond Tutu Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops …