Writing Craft

6 Chances to Meet Me in 2020

By Bob Hostetleron February 19, 2020

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

The 2020 Christian writers conference season is at the starting line. And this year, it presents writers with six distinct and geographically diverse opportunities to meet me! And pitch to me in person. What could be better? I ask you (and I’m still waiting for an appropriately enthusiastic response. Still waiting).

But seriously, folks, there’s so much to know about writing for publication—not just how to write but also information about submitting your work; mistakes to avoid; working with agents, editors, and publishers (and meeting them!); and more—that those who’ve never attended a writers conference just can’t imagine. The experience will blow your mind and maybe set you on a course toward publication, which is why it is one of the most frequent pieces of advice I give to developing writers.

And even if you’ve already attended a writers conference sometime, somewhere, it’s my suggestion that you consider not a one-and-done strategy but regular frequenting of writers conferences as a part of your plan for writing and publishing development and success.

So here are six opportunities to cross paths with me (in person, no less!) in 2020:

February 21-23, 2020 Asheville Christian Writers’ Conference (Asheville, NC)

February 28-29, 2020 West Coast Christian Writers Conference (Livermore, CA)

March 25-28, 2020 Blue Lake Christian Writers’ Retreat (Andalusia, AL)

June 18-20, 2020 Kentucky Christian Writers’ Conference (Elizabethtown, KY)

June 24-28, 2020 St. Davids Christian Writers’ Conference (Grove City, PA)

October 20-25, 2020 Florida Christian Writers’ Conference (Leesburg, FL)

Those are all fine conferences (and this blog post I wrote last year offers a little more descriptive detail on some of them). They’re not the only ones, of course, as others I regularly recommend include Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers’ Conference, Mt. Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference, Write-to-Publish Conference, Colorado Christian Writers’ Conference, and others. (A much more comprehensive listing is available in The Christian Writers Market Guide.)

Hope to see you soon!

Letting Go of Your Babies

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 13, 2020

One of the worst mistakes writers can make is being too possessive of their words. They fight for each adjective, adverb, and conversation tag.

My early writing suffered from too many words. I once wrote an artist didn’t “really” understand the difficulties of making a living in his profession. The editor kindly cut all instances of “really,” “just,” “so,” “very,” and other weak words …

Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Get Published, Writing Craft

Where Is My Money?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 10, 2020

Before I became a literary agent I had no idea how much energy this profession spent being a “collections agent.” Recently someone asked us the following questions (use the green button to the right to ask your question!):
What do you do, as an agent, when a publisher does not pay advances on royalties on time as per their legal contract?
What if a publisher is consistently late (months) saying …

Category: Agency, Book Business, Contracts, MoneyTag: Agents, Money, Returns

First Lines Are Kinda Important

By Bob Hostetleron January 29, 2020

“It was a cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.” That arresting line begins one of the most famous novels of the twentieth century: George Orwell’s 1984. The first sentence of any article or book is kinda important, even if it’s borrowed, like the first line of this blog post. Your first sentence should be well-written and striking, intriguing, promising, and/or inviting. It …

Category: Book Proposals, Writing Craft

The Editorial Process

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 27, 2020

It is important to understand the process through which a book takes under the umbrella called “The Edit.” I meet many first timers who think it is just a one-time pass over their words and that is all that will ever happen. And many who self-publish think that hiring a high school English teacher to check for grammar is enough of an edit.

There are four major stages to the Editorial Process. …

Category: Editing, Get Published, Publishing A-Z, Self-Publishing, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Editors, Grammar, Proposals, Writing Craft

Floating … Floating … Gone …

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 23, 2020

Writers conferences and blogs talk about this topic often so I don't pretend to be breaking new ground with this post. Yet I still see some floating body parts and cliches creep into otherwise great stories. No, I don't mean murder mysteries depicting a stray arm floating in a river. I mean much gentler fare.

Yes, floating body parts offer the reader -- and writer -- shortcuts. But relying on …

Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Grammar, Tamela, Writing Craft

The Stages of Editorial Grief

By Steve Laubeon January 20, 2020

Nearly every writer will tell you they have experienced the proverbial “red pen” treatment from their editor. The reactions to this experience can follow the well-known stages of grief popularized by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross.

Skip Denial, I’m Angry!

There is no denying that the edits have arrived. And for the author who was not expecting a hard-nosed edit, they can transition from …

Category: Editing, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Editors, Grief, Writing Craft

Tag, You’re It!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 12, 2019

One of the most common habits I see burdening stories is overemphasis on conversational tags, which goes hand in hand with not making good use of action tags. Here's an example I just made up:

"No," she exclaimed. She looked at the the pot of stew bubbling the stove and saw red juice splattering. She began to stir.

Unable to resist multitasking, I demonstrated several bad habits in the above …

Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Dialogue tags, Grammar, Tamela, Writing Craft

How Do You Measure Success?

By Steve Laubeon December 9, 2019

by Steve Laube

A few years ago while talking to some editors they described an author who was never satisfied (not revealing the name of course). It this author's latest book had sold 50,000 copies the author wondered why the publisher didn't sell 60,000. And if it sold 60,000 why didn't it sell 75,000? The author was constantly pushing for "more" and was incapable of celebrating any measure of …

Category: Book Business, Career, TrendsTag: Book Business, Career, Money, Success

Never Burn a Bridge!

By Steve Laubeon December 2, 2019

The sale of Thomas Nelson to HarperCollins and last week's sale of Heartsong to Harlequin brought to mind a critical piece of advice:

Never Burn a Bridge!

Ours is a small industry and both editors and authors move around with regularity. If you are in a business relationship and let your frustration boil into anger and ignite into rage...and let that go at someone in the publishing company, …

Category: Agency, Book Business, Book Business, Career, Communication, Rejection, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, TheologyTag: Agents, Editors, Get Published, Rejection, Trends, Writing Craft