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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 » Writing Craft

Writing Craft

Write from Scars

By Bob Hostetleron September 21, 2023
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I learned recently that my agent—the man, the myth, the legend, Steve Laube—speaking at a writers conference, quoted something I’d said in a recent conference keynote. Yes, you read that right! The Great One actually quoted me! Me! And it wasn’t the usual “Can you believe anyone is that stupid?” sort of allusion. It was in a favorable context, as though I’d said something of value.

Well, slap my face and call me Red.

In my keynote, I had mentioned a Zoom meeting in which I was talking to a fellow writer and teacher of writing. She said she’d met me at a writers conference years before, in an editorial appointment (these are valuable features of many such events, providing writers the opportunity to meet with editors, agents, and accomplished authors, to receive feedback and advice—and even, every great once-in-a-while, a promise of publication). This person told me that she had handed me her manuscript; I read it; and when I finished reading, she said I asked, “Why are you angry?”

I was horrified. I said, “Nooo! I didn’t.”

She laughed and said, “Yes, you did.”

I said, “I’m so sorry.”

“No,” she said, “you were right. I was writing from a place of anger.”

I had no memory of that meeting. And I don’t think I’ve ever said something so blunt and unsympathetic to anyone else in an appointment. (Please don’t provide examples in the comments.)

But I had a point in telling that story to 500 or more writers. Because we’ve all suffered pain—in life, from family and friends, even in pursuing writing for publication.

But whatever pain haunts you and still hurts you, my advice is to give yourself the time and space to recover. Yes, writing about your pain may be cathartic; it may be therapeutic—for you. But it won’t help your reader if you’re still bleeding. It gets all over the pages. It makes a mess. It’s just not a good look.

If you’re writing something you intend for publication, don’t try to write about it while you’re still bleeding. Let it scab, let it heal, and even scar.

Write from scars, not open wounds; and you’ll be in a much better place to write something that will help others.

 

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Category: Pitching, The Writing Life, Theology, Writing Craft

Out of the Bubble

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 20, 2023
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The worst statement a celebrity can make when confronting, say, the police, is, “Do you know who I am?” Instead, they should say, “I hope you don’t know who I am.” But some celebrities think the world is their bubble and everyone knows them. I’m hardly a celebrity. My bubble is a speck. Case in point, I had just enjoyed attending a conference where I felt …

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Category: Agents, Conferences

Novel Writing Craft: And the Conflict Continues

By Lynette Easonon September 19, 2023
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In my previous post, I talked about how to lay the foundation of introducing deep conflict in a narrative. I’ve got a few additional tips to ensure that the tension remains genuine and compelling. Evolve the Conflict: Conflicts shouldn’t remain still or the same. As your story progresses, let the conflict evolve, intensify, or even transform into something entirely different. This dynamic …

Read moreNovel Writing Craft: And the Conflict Continues
Category: Writing Craft

Conflict And Characters: Mess ‘Em Up Good

By Lynette Easonon September 5, 2023
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Congratulations! You know your characters backward and forward and maybe a little sideways. It’s now time for the next step in crafting your story. Let’s talk about creating conflict for those characters. Now that you know what makes your people tick, the next question you should be asking yourself is: “How can I really mess them up?” You want to start brainstorming ideas and scenes that will keep …

Read moreConflict And Characters: Mess ‘Em Up Good
Category: Writing Craft

Characterization – Part Five

By Lynette Easonon August 23, 2023
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We’re back on the topic of characterization. I’m getting close to wrapping up this topic and moving on to plotting, but I have a few more things to say about building characters. But for the moment, let’s summarize. When starting a story, I come up with my main characters and write a short summary of what the story is about. Then I do a deep dive into who the characters are by doing character …

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Category: Writing Craft

A Is for Attribution: And, With, or Ghost?

By Steve Laubeon August 21, 2023
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Sometimes it is helpful to review publishing terms to make sure we are all talking about the same thing. The cover of a book invariably will state the author’s name. Every once in a while there are two or more names listed (i.e., Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins). The use of “and” or “with” is the code word that tells the reader what type of professional relationship is between these names on the …

Read moreA Is for Attribution: And, With, or Ghost?
Category: Book Business, Steve, The Publishing LifeTag: Collaboration, ghost writing

Conference Hacks for First-time Writers

By Megan Brownon August 17, 2023
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When I attended my first writers conference, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. In 2017, a mentor author awarded me a scholarship, purchasing my ticket to the Speak Up Conference with Carol Kent. I had never written an article, much less had any idea how to begin the process of writing a book. In my limited understanding, someone who was interested in writing a book just had to sit down in a …

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Category: Conferences

Who Owns Whom in Publishing?

By Steve Laubeon August 14, 2023
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Updated August 2023 (first created November 2011) For a comprehensive list, check out The Christian Writers Market Guide. Available in print at your favorite retailer or as an online subscription (updated frequently) at www.ChristianWritersMarketGuide.com. My emphasis in this post is the Christian publishing industry. There are many fine commercial publishers that do not publish Christian books …

Read moreWho Owns Whom in Publishing?
Category: Book Business, Defense of Traditional Publishing, Get Published, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Business, The Publishing Life, Traditional Publishing

Characterization Part 4

By Lynette Easonon August 9, 2023
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Give your characters a personality In the last post, we worked on figuring out what made our characters tick. We talked about Most Painful Life Moment, goals, motivations, and the difference between the last two. Today, I want to continue the discussion on characterization. So, by now you should know your characters pretty well when it comes to their “why”; now let’s talk about their “who.” WHO …

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Category: Craft, Writing Craft

Characterization – Part Three

By Lynette Easonon July 26, 2023
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Welcome to part 3 of crafting characters. I did warn you there might be quite a few posts on this topic, but I hope you’re enjoying the journey. In the last post, I talked about building our characters and all of the things we needed to start doing that. If you haven’t yet, visit the post and take a look at the list/template I provided. Once I have most of the template filled in, I jump right to …

Read moreCharacterization – Part Three
Category: The Writing Life, Writing Craft
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