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Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

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Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » The Writing Life » Page 83

The Writing Life

Enjoying the Journey of Publishing

By Dan Balowon April 12, 2016
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The issue of competition requires regular reminders to everyone who is currently working or desires to be part of the book industry, so I am walking in the same footsteps of previous posts.

An element of competition is involved in every aspect of publishing, down to the smallest detail.

One need not be obsessed or discouraged by the competitive environment, rather the opposite, with eyes wide open, strengthen your resolve, work harder, learn more, continually improve, never give up and be laser-focused.

Competition in general teaches competitors how to handle adversity, how to handle success and the importance of teamwork. In addition, the outcome of whatever endeavor is secondary to the lasting effect of the lessons learned in the process leading up to the competition.

The journey teaches more than the goal.  How you handle the journey says more about you than anything.

A number of professional athletes and performers have said in effect, “They pay me to practice. I play for free.”

Few authors truly understand their book is swimming in a virtual sea of other books.  Until you expose your work to the wider world, you never really understand how competitive it is.

I wonder how many high school choirs have been encouraged to go professional because they did such a good job performing High School Musical for the spring production? The parents and grandparents were so proud.

However, if you had ever seen a real Broadway production, you would never make the suggestion. They are spectacular. The best of the best performing with the best.

What is great in your hometown school or church, probably would not compete well in the intense and often ruthless competitive world of the professionals. This is true for authors, musicians, churches (yes, churches), business and the most commonly discussed competitive environment, sports.

The worst week of any high school sport season is the first round of the state playoffs, when the undefeated, conference championship team gets to play outside of its area against another undefeated, conference champion and they lose in a lopsided manner, discovering they aren’t as good as their all-school assembly thought. Dreams are dashed by halftime.

I heard a story recently about a highly touted basketball player going to his first practice for a college team and in the first minutes of practice, the star player on the team dunked over him as if to say, “Are you ready for this?”

The new player quit after the first practice.

I’ve traveled to many cities and countries, visited churches and heard pastors in many settings. I have the highest regard for people in church ministry. I’m related to some of them.

But not every pastor of every church should be writing books. They should stick to their main thing…shepherding their flock.

In fact, often it is pastors or leaders of large local ministries who feel the greatest sting when they believe because five hundred people love their teaching, maybe 500,000 will buy their book. They are deeply disappointed when it doesn’t happen.

The aspiring author, getting rave reviews from relatives and friends steps out of that comfort zone and sends their work to an agent or publisher to start a competitive process. Few truly understand how competitive.

While many authors have put in the time to train, develop, practice and hone their skill, many do not. To some, writing is a hobby or maybe a way to pick up a little spending money. They are in for a rude awakening.

Writing is not easy and it does not come naturally. You better be ready for the rejection and criticism. Relatives and friends are terrible judges of your ability.

Developing a “thick skin” is an under-appreciated aspect of competing well, no matter what the competition might be. In a sense, you will be dunked over and asked, “Are you ready for this?”

Best-selling author Jerry Jenkins has this to say about discouragement and rejection.
http://www.jerryjenkins.com/how-to-survive-when-discouragement-slaps-you-in-the-face/

Yes, once in a while an author seems to “hit the jackpot” on the first try at writing a book. But the vast majority of books are written by those who labored in relative obscurity for a lengthy time, put forth the effort, honed their skills and then, got a chance to see what they could do to a larger audience.

Jerry Jenkins wrote dozens and dozens of books before he wrote Left Behind with Tim LaHaye in the mid-90’s. He wrote books for other people, with other people, on his own, fiction, non-fiction, and kids books, whatever he needed to write. Certainly God blessed the epic series with Dr. LaHaye in a unique manner, but for Jerry, it was part of a long writing-road with turns, detours, construction zones and potholes that made an eventual international bestseller all the sweeter.

While you get paid when someone agrees to publish your book, in reality the payment should be applied to the journey that led up to publication.

Attitudes toward the journey would be much different if it was viewed as an important and necessary process, rather than a necessary evil.

Of course, you pay for your training, not a publisher, but maybe authors everywhere would lower their blood pressure a bit adopting the attitude, “The money I received for the book paid me for the hours working alone, to attend writers’ conferences and critique sessions. I wrote the book for free.”

 

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Category: Book Business, Career, Platform, The Writing LifeTag: competition, The Writing Life

Turn Envy Upside Down

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 10, 2016
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Envy is one of the seven deadly sins and not easy to conquer. Who hasn’t felt jealous over someone else’s success, especially when it doesn’t seem deserved? Seeing an outright enemy succeed is even worse. It doesn’t have to be this way. Instead, take your feelings of envy and put them to good use. That is, make those feelings work for you so you can succeed. Here’s how: When someone in your sphere …

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Category: Career, Communication, The Writing LifeTag: Career, Envy, The Writing Life

You Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted to Input

By Dan Balowon February 9, 2016
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With great fear of being sued by Robert Palmer for messing with his song lyrics: You like to think that you’re immune to the stuff…oh yeah It’s closer to the truth to say you can’t get enough You know you’re gonna have to face it You’re addicted to love INPUT. Publishing is such a subjective field of endeavor that at one point or another an author, editor or …

Read moreYou Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted to Input
Category: Career, Communication, Editing, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Career, Input, The Writing Life

Give Yourself a Break

By Karen Ballon January 20, 2016
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George Bernard Shaw said it best: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” Sometimes you just need a break from it all. A few minutes to distract your brain, or even—dare I say it?–have a bit of flat-out fun. For some that means making a beeline for some kind of snack, and that’s fine. But here are some other things you can try. (And one even lets you …

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Category: The Writing LifeTag: Break, The Writing Life

Satan Speaks to Christian Authors

By Dan Balowon January 19, 2016
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Throughout our lives, a great number of “voices” compete for our attention. Family, friends, co-workers, marketers, technology, and even your pets are vying for your undivided attention. Christians yearn to hear the voice of God in their lives and succeed because we have his words written down for all to read and hear, as well as the Holy Spirit reminding us of those words constantly. But the …

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Category: The Writing Life, TheologyTag: The Writing Life, Theology

A Writers’ Advent: Week Two

By Karen Ballon December 9, 2015
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In this second week of advent, let’s take a look at both the second and third candles: the Angel and the Shepherd candle. As I thought about these two groups, I realized they played two very specific roles in the birth of the Savior: the angels proclaimed God’s glory, and the shepherds bore witness to what God did. All through Scripture, angels bring us messages. They speak God’s truth so that we …

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Category: Faith, The Writing LifeTag: Advent, Faith, The Writing Life

A Writer’s Advent

By Karen Ballon December 2, 2015
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Last Sunday, November 29th, was the beginning of one of my favorite seasons of the year: Advent. Some of my earliest memories are of Advent, of doing devotions as a family around an Advent wreath, my two brothers and I eager to be the one to light the candle each week. I don’t know about your traditions, but for us, the four purple candles were the Advent, Angel, Shepherd, and Bethlehem candles. …

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Category: Career, Faith, The Writing LifeTag: Advent, The Writing Life

Are You Seeing Ghosts?

By Karen Ballon November 25, 2015
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I read something this morning that I don’t recall ever reading before. I mean, I’ve read the story more times than I can count, but one line caught me today: “But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!” Recognize it? It’s from Luke 24, when Jesus appears to the disciples as they’re walking along the road. He even tells them, “Peace be with you.” And what do …

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Category: Faith, Personal, The Writing LifeTag: Faith, thanksgiving, The Writing Life

Write from the Deep Places

By Karen Ballon September 16, 2015
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Far down, under the ground many of us walk on day in and day out, are roads and buildings and the remnants of long-ago lives and loves. Underground cities, they’re called. I’ve visited the one in Seattle. Peered down through the dark and dust and imagined people, horses, carriages…life. Under our feet. In the deep. I’ve been to other deep places, too, but these weren’t quick visits. Nor were they …

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Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, Craft, Creativity, Editing, Get Published, Inspiration, Marketing, Money, Platform, The Writing Life, Theology, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Encouragement, Inspiration, The Writing Life

It’s a Snoopy Kind of Day

By Karen Ballon August 5, 2015
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This is not a deep-thought day. Well, not the way you might think. It’s not a day to explore thought provoking issues, craft issues, or career insights. Today, I find that my mind is a bit too reflective of what’s happening outside, where our beautiful valley is cloaked in smoke from wildfires hours away. The mountain range I usually look at and savor is obliterated by the white haze of death. (My …

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Category: The Writing LifeTag: Snoopy, The Writing Life
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