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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Guest Post

Guest Post

The Happy Writer

By Guest Bloggeron December 2, 2021
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Today’s guest post is by Courtney Ellis, author of the recently released Happy Now: Let Playfulness Lift Your Load and Renew Your Spirit.

Courtney is one of Bob Hostetler’s clients and lives with her husband and three children in southern California. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

____________________________

There’s no cliché for a cheerful writer. We all know the unhappy writer tropes—the moody misanthrope, the coffee-addicted insomniac, the introverted naval-gazer. Steinbeck sharpened dozens of pencils before he began his work each day. Emily Dickinson rarely left her home. Hemingway drank heavily. (This is not recommended.)

For the Christian writer there is the tension between the hard work of craft—writing isn’t just inspiration, after all, it is also sweat and toil and ruthless editing—and the scriptural call to “Rejoice always!” (Phil. 4:4). Can we truly do both?

My latest book explores God’s gift of playfulness as a vital source of fuel for our joy, connection, and creativity. It is nearly impossible to stay sad while engaging in play! The universal lessons contained in Happy Now: Let Playfulness Lift Your Load and Renew Your Spirit apply to the writerly life too.

First, we are invited to rest well. The importance of the call and command to practice Sabbath rest is as important for authors as it is for anyone. A frazzled, exhausted writer will struggle to find happiness. As we engage in “praying and playing,” as Eugene Peterson once put it, God renews us for the work ahead through the joy of the Sabbath. Write with all your heart, then rest, relax, recreate. Read widely and not only (or even mainly!) in your genre.

Secondly, we are given permission to do useless things. Perhaps you love jigsaw puzzles or baking French macarons or racing BMX bikes, but you rarely allow yourself the opportunity because there is work to do. What if I told you that engaging in a bit of play—just for the pure fun of it—could help refill your tank for the work ahead? Play provides a wonderful source of energy.

When all our writing is driven toward a goal—that hoped-for book deal, perhaps, or a blog we keep faithfully, or maybe a publication we pitch to faithfully year after year—we can begin to forget what first drew us into the world of words in the first place. Sometimes, write only for fun. Create a whimsical Christmas card, write and illustrate your own children’s book with a Sharpie and a handful of crayons, or give a few minutes to that passion project that no one else will ever see.

There are eight more writerly invitations into play contained within the pages of Happy Now. I could share them all with you here, but … where’s the fun in that?

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Category: Guest Post, The Writing Life

Your Words Can Be More Powerful Than Technology

By Guest Bloggeron April 15, 2021
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Today’s guest post is by Laura L. Smith. She is a best-selling author and speaker who lives in the picturesque college town of Oxford, Ohio, where you’ll find her running the wooded trails, strolling the brick streets, teaching Bible study at her local church, shopping at the Saturday morning farmer’s market, or going on a sunset walk with her husband and four kids. Her latest title, How …

Read moreYour Words Can Be More Powerful Than Technology
Category: Craft, Guest Post, Writing Craft

Coming Full Circle

By Guest Bloggeron February 17, 2021
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by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Today's guest blog is from Kim Vogel Sawyer a best-selling author whose books have topped the sales charts and won awards since 2005, when she left her elementary school teaching job to write full time. Her books have won the Carol Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Her stories are designed to offer hope and …

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Category: Career, Get Published, Guest Post, Inspiration, TamelaTag: Career, Get Published, Inspiration

The Power of the Short Story

By Guest Bloggeron January 14, 2021
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Today’s guest writer is Deborah Clack, who is a native Texan and nonrecovering chocolate addict. A high-school AP history teacher for 10 years, Deborah earned a master’s degree in education and was awarded Teacher of the Year for Arts in Education. Now she creates award-winning stories of her own with endearing characters and a hard-fought romance. She asks her heroines, as well as her …

Read moreThe Power of the Short Story
Category: Career, Guest Post, The Writing LifeTag: short story

Give Thanks to God

By Guest Bloggeron November 23, 2020
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There is a verse in scripture which sets out in bold relief the great besetting problem of the human race. It is Romans 1:21: ‘for even though we knew God…we did not give thanks.’ Astonishing! How can we actually know God and not give thanks? Scarcely a day passes in which we are not deluged by at least a hundred instances of God’s goodness to us. Thanksgiving ought to be the most natural of human …

Read moreGive Thanks to God
Category: Guest Post, TheologyTag: thanksgiving

Real vs. Fictitious Settings

By Guest Bloggeron May 23, 2019
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Today’s guest post is from our client Mindy Obenhaus. She is a three-time Carol Award nominee who writes contemporary romance. Mindy is passionate about touching readers with biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren at her Texas ranch. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com. …

Read moreReal vs. Fictitious Settings
Category: Craft, Guest Post, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

What is Inspirational Romance?

By Guest Bloggeron May 24, 2018
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Our guest blogger today is Angela Breidenbach. She is a Montana author & Christian Authors Network president, is the host of Lit Up! on Toginet Radio and Apple Podcasts. Angela went back to college for genealogical studies w/specialties in English & Scottish Records. She’ll graduate in 2019 as a professional genealogist. Find her at: AngelaBreidenbach.com …

Read moreWhat is Inspirational Romance?
Category: Branding, Genre, Guest Post, Marketing, Romance, Romantic SuspenseTag: Christian, Genre, Romance

How to Balance a Busy Writing Schedule and a Busy Life

By Guest Bloggeron February 1, 2017
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One of the things many writers struggle with is time management. I’ve heard so many writers cry out, frustrated that they just can’t find the focus or time to write like they want. I knew if there was one person who could share wisdom and tips on this topic, it was the author of today’s guest blog, Tricia Goyer. This woman is amazing! I’ve known her since her children were little, and it’s been a …

Read moreHow to Balance a Busy Writing Schedule and a Busy Life
Category: Guest Post, The Writing LifeTag: The Writing Life

An Author’s Journey

By Dan Balowon October 25, 2016
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I wanted our agency client Scott Douglas LaCounte to guest-blog today because of the anniversary it represents (see below) and how God worked through the publishing process and journey to encourage a writer and his family.  Scott is quite modest. He is the head librarian for the Southern California Institute of Technology. Years ago, he was a regular contributor to the popular Christian humor …

Read moreAn Author’s Journey
Category: Agents, Creativity, Guest Post, PlatformTag: Agents, Creativity, Platform

6 Excuses (That Don’t Work) for Not Attending a Writers Conference

By Guest Bloggeron July 18, 2016
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Our guest today is Linda Taylor, an author, an editor, a writer, a college writing instructor, and a constant learner. She teaches in the Professional Writing department at Taylor University and continues to do freelance editing and proofreading. She blogs about the joys of editing and grammar at www.lindaktaylor.com ___________ In our extremely virtual world, we have gotten used to our …

Read more6 Excuses (That Don’t Work) for Not Attending a Writers Conference
Category: Conferences, Get Published, Guest PostTag: Get Published, writers conferences
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