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Ever wonder how, why, or if you should share your writings beyond the boundaries of your desktop? Wonder how you can support your veracious thirst for conferences, research, and books of all sorts? I’ll share with you some new thoughts I’ve been turning over, because maybe they will work for you also.
SELL YOUR BOOK like WILDFIRE THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING & PUBLICITY by Rob Eagar Topic of discussion: CHAPTER 13 NEWSLETTERS: When for example: monthly; be consistent—Tuesday or Wednesday around 2:00 pm. Or choose a time when people will be checking their email and are active online. Newsletters keep you connected with your readers and the goal is to be available and provide a useful and relative message. Here are some examples: Laura Frantz--she is a historical fiction writer. She includes a short personal note; photos of her books; giveaways; what is going on in her life and how she prays for her readers and how she appreciates them (that is always a great idea! For we all need prayer!) She offers perks for signing up for her newsletter: “Be the first to see my new book covers, writing updates, subscriber-only giveaways, and recipes straight from my kitchen. Plus, get my free guide 10 Beloved Books That Inspire Me Professionally and Personally. ( Newsletters sent monthly )” Other newsletters to take a look at: Amy Robnik Joob ; DiAnn Mills; James Scott Bell; Steve Laube You will find their newsletter sign up on their websites. HOW TO WRITE SHORT STORIES AND USE THEM TO FURTHER YOUR WRITING CAREER by JAMES SCOTT BELL Offering short stories to interest people who enjoy your type of writing can build your email list for your newsletters. This is my plan. I love the power and pacing of a short story and to offer this to a reader who wants my newsletter is a reward for me! How to Make a LIVING as a WRITER by James Scott Bell In chapter 13 “What You Need to Know About Marketing” James Scott Bell’s #1 strategy for marketing is quality writing. Don’t rush or cut corners on you writing skill. As quoted from this chapter,’ “Mickey Spillane, once put it, “Your first chapter sells your book. Your last chapter sells your next book.”’ Bell provides a list of how readers pick authors on pages 128 – 129. He suggests that he thinks a regular email is better than a fancy newsletter. Brief and personal with relevant information. Each email should have a link to a new deal or reminder for an older one. Something amusing. How Do We Handle All of This Without Going Berserk????? DREAM--I’ve read somewhere and have always believed that we should take timeout for ourselves to write something that makes us thrive and our hearts beat faster…children’s book, poem, devotion, Biblical short story—whatever engages your heart and jumpstarts your day! Begin with Resting & Growing in the Lord, and here are some links that can help you do this: https://www.christianpublishingshow.com/ link on Steve Laube newsletter. (Examining your motivation.) https://www.faithgateway.com/author/cheryl-wunderlich/ Author of Finding the Sabbath in the Everyday, Sacred Rest.
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 WELCOME TO PENS OF PRAISE CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP
(I couldn't resist sharing a photo of the signs of spring! :) Signs of LIFE this Easter week. ) Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Introductions for new guests. Pass around sign in sheet. Thank you card for Faith Church. Devotion by Pat Klein Prompt Idea Interactive by Kathy Leist Grammar Tidbit by Rebecca McLafferty LET THE TEACHING BEGIN EARNING YOUR WAY TO DREAM, EXPRESS, & WRITE Susan Marlene will lead us into tweaking websites and exploring a doable newsletters and email lists. PROMPT: Beginning, New Beginnings or The End of That! You choose a prompt. We will also allow 5-minute readings from our writers as time allows at the end of the teaching. ANNOUNCEMENTS Let’s Keep In Touch: If you have a WEB page, blog, social media address, or other online personal information to share with Pens writers, please send to susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com so that contact information can be added to the announcement and handouts. Becky McLafferty writes on Thursdays for “Fill My Cup, Lord” (A FB page.) Becky McLafferty https://www.beckymclafferty.com/ Susan Marlene www.susanmarlene.com; Susan Fink https://www.facebook.com/susan.l.fink https://susanlfink.blogspot.com/ Kate Jungwirth https://www.facebook.com/kate.jungwirth.7 Debby Erdmann https://www.facebook.com/debby.erdmann?fref=pb&hc_location=friends_tab You are invited to visit and make a comment! That would be especially nice! 😊
REMEMBER: Inspired reader = happy reader + excellent take-away = return reader! God’s rich blessings to you as you write for His glory! PENS OF PRAISE
CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP April 16, 2019 Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Manitowoc Public Library Franklin St. Room 707 Quay St, Manitowoc, WI 54220 Street parking and parking in rear available. Wheelchair accessible. Franklin St. Room located on the first floor, to the left of the service desk. EARNING YOUR WAY TO DREAM, EXPRESS, & WRITE is our lesson this month. Susan Marlene will share information gleaned from well published writers on how to earn an income as a writer. Resource books on this important topic will be examined. PROMPT: Beginning, New Beginnings or The End of That! You choose a prompt. Let Susan Marlene know if you will attend so that we can provide a printed lesson for you and also save a seat for you! susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com or post a comment on her website in the www.susanmarlene.com An inspired reader given excellent take-away = return readers! We are a safe place to share. Pens Meetings Are Free As always, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact Becky McLafferty @ rebeccamclafferty@gmail.com or Susan Marlene@ susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com  Greetings All,
Starting this April, Pens of Praise Writers will meet at the Manitowoc Public Library! The third Tuesday of the month still applies and there is no charge to attend our group. We have a slight adjustment for the time, instead of the 6:30 p.m.—8:30 p.m. we will now meet from 6:00 p.m.—7:45 p.m. and our reserved room is the Franklin St. Room located on the first floor, to the left of the service desk. Faith Evangelical Free Church has hosted our writers meetings so kindly for so many years. If you wish to give this church a free will offering as a thank you for their hospitality and generosity, that would be welcomed and appreciated. (This is not expected though.) Pens of Praise Christian Writers Group – Free Event Manitowoc Public Library Franklin St. Room 707 Quay St, Manitowoc, WI 54220 Street parking and parking in rear available. Wheelchair accessible. Third Tuesday each month 6:00 p.m.—7:45 p.m. Excellence is respected—even expected for publication, but bloopers are not welcome. I have unfortunately offered my fair share of bloopers during the submission process. Let’s look over some ways to add professionalism to our writings and increase their acceptance and circulation.
Through the course of this past year we have visited many topics: goal setting, library resources, finding your best idea, the value of conferences, how to write endings, write your desired message and more. Applying these guidelines, tools, and skills will aide us significantly in our efforts to earn a living as a writer or publicly minister with our particular gift of words. Once you chose your topic, target audience, and compete the project, I advise every writer to slow down. Let your piece rest—rather like one allows their bread dough to rise. So often eagerness to complete our projects quickly causes us to pass over mistakes or areas that lack quality. I personally have written prose or lessons that made perfect sense as I wrote. When I’ve read those pages at a later date, I wondered what I meant by this statement or that one. Ouch! I’ve seen many encouragements for authors to finish their novel and leave it alone for a couple of weeks before diving in for the big edit. That allows your inner “eagle eye” to switch on, preventing boundless bloopers from directing your work to the rejection pile. I’ve been amazed at how I’ve ignored or not applied excellent advice from well-published authors. Of course, I go around the mountain a few times and find myself right where I started. Finally, I take the advice and use it while wondering what took me so long! (Be careful here, there are different genres and types of writing. Bad advice is out there—unintentional misdirection is costly to your spirit and submissions as well as your time. Be discerning and take time to look at writings that are similar to yours, but are published in order to get a balanced view of expectations for your market.) Show that you are able to meet deadlines, while gaining experience by doing smaller articles, devotions or projects. This provides credibility and gives you a win, win, win for all the benefits you can enjoy such as: honing your skills, making connections, ministering with your message and possibly gaining some income! Let’s take a look at the Christian Writers Market and the Writers Market publishing helps. Now let’s try an internet website I was told about that could be quite helpful to us all. Special thanks to Miss Lee, the teacher I work with. She shared these useful websites for our group! http://www.hemingwayapp.com/
PENS OF PRAISE CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP
March 19, 2019 Tuesday 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Faith Church 2201 42nd Street, Manitowoc, WI 54220 Faith Church is located next to Festival Foods Not far from the Manitowoc exit off Interstate 43 EAGLE EYE OR BOUNDLESS BLOOPERS is our lesson this month. Susan Marlene will direct this class concerning tools and skills to make professional writings for publication. Resource books on this important topic will be examined. Bring paper and pen or your computer for the writing exercises. An inspired reader given excellent take-away = return readers! PROMPT: Use your favorite genre to write a one-page piece on spills or spillage! Let Susan Marlene know if you will attend so that we can provide a printed lesson for you and also save a seat for you! We are a safe place to share. Bring your favorite coffee or tea with you! J As always, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact Becky McLafferty @ rebeccamclafferty@gmail.com or Susan Marlene@ susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com UPPING YOUR VERBIAGE & WRESTLING A THESAURUS by Susan L. Fink
Thank you Susan for your timely lesson and skill at leading this very useful lesson! My mind is still running over your assignments and words of wisdom! Anyone can visit Susan L. Fink at: https://susanlfink.blogspot.com/ WELCOME TO PENS OF PRAISE CHRISTIAN WRITERS GROUP Tuesday, February 19, 2019 Introductions for new guests. Pass around sign in sheet. PENS OF PRAISE STATEMENT OF BELIEF: Pens of Praise Christian Writers Group is a fellowship of word-loving communicators who provide encouragement, education, and listening ears to those writing clean and encouraging communication. We support the development of skill, attention to detail, and professionalism necessary to obtain personal and public publication. We are a group not limited by age, so even very young writers are welcome. We support Christian values and therefore do not share sex or overtly violent scenes, which would not be in keeping with Christian values concerning entertainment or enlightenment. WRITER’S PRAYER (by Rebecca McLafferty) Dearest Father God, I come before you this day with thanksgiving, knowing that you are here with me. I pray that you will use my writing to glorify you. May my words, both spoken and written, honor you. When I am unsure of what to write, encourage me, Lord. May your love, peace, and hope shine through my writing to touch lives—even the lives of those who don’t know you. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen Devotion—by Naomi Raddatz GRAMMAR TIDBIT: HYPHEN VS. DASH hyphen (-), en dash (–), and em dash (—) By Rebecca McLafferty Let the teaching begin! UPPING YOUR VERBIAGE & WRESTLING A THESAURUS Susan Fink will direct our class this blustery month of February. Susan will provide information about interactive writing with information about excellent resource books on this important topic. Remember, leaving your reader inspired with an excellent take-away is like an open invitation for your reader to return! We will also llow 5-minute readings from our writers as time allows at the end of the teaching. PROMPT: Use your favorite “Big Word” and write what you please! ANNOUNCEMENTS: Let’s Keep In Touch: If you have a WEB page, blog, social media address, or other online personal information to share with Pens writers, please send to susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com so that contact information can be added to the announcement and handouts. Becky McLafferty writes on Thursdays for “Fill My Cup, Lord” (A FB page.) Becky McLafferty https://www.beckymclafferty.com/ Susan Marlene www.susanmarlene.com; Susan Fink https://www.facebook.com/susan.l.fink https://susanlfink.blogspot.com/ Kate Jungwirth https://www.facebook.com/kate.jungwirth.7 Debby Erdmann https://www.facebook.com/debby.erdmann?fref=pb&hc_location=friends_tab You are invited to visit and make a comment! That would be especially nice! 😊
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January 15, 2019 Tuesday 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Faith Church 2201 42nd Street, Manitowoc, WI 54220 Faith Church is located next to Festival Foods Not far from the Manitowoc exit off Interstate 43 Brick by Brick – Building Social Media is our lesson this month. Susan Marlene will direct this class of social media tips. How to start and grow in your social media reach. Susan will provide information about some popular how-to books on this important topic. Also, reading-share-time allotted for those who attend! Pens Assignment: For Fiction and non-fiction writers wishing to participate with reading their work: Edit your pages and share a scene or selection infused with purpose- who, what, where, when, and or why. Remember, leaving your reader inspired with excellent take-away is like an open invitation for your reader to return! PROMPT: Use at least three of these words to create your prompt—nullify; annihilate; praiseworthy; promise; pledge; sympathy; future; imminent. Or write to this: My word for 2019. Let Susan Marlene know if you will attend so that we can provide a printed lesson for you and also save a seat for you! We are a safe place to share. Bring your favorite coffee or tea with you! As always, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact Becky McLafferty @ rebeccamclafferty@gmail.com or Susan Marlene@ susanmarlenewrites@gmail.com The Chicken Buzzer Meeting of Readings & Insights by Susan Marlene
I place the chicken timer on the table—it’s time to share a read and then explore some information by those teachers of ‘brain science’ on how to write page turners! My thoughts in blue type. READY SET—WHO WILL BE FIRST TO READ? (Chicken set for 5 minutes!) Wired For Story by Lisa Cron: …story told us what to hang on to. Story is what enabled us to imagine….1 When we turn pages with enthusiasm it is possible to not realize why. Revisit favorite authors and keep a notebook where you can write down the emotionally driven thoughts or concepts that stir you and pull you into story. This is good for fiction and non-fiction. Read page 4 third paragraph in Lisa Cron’s book. We want the real life feel to our stories, but without the mundane activities that are so common place and unimportant to the story purpose that they would steal our plot and character—interaction word count. Write three elements of story that cause you to NOT want to leave a story? What are three elements that cause you to WANT to leave the story? READY SET—WHO WILL BE FIRST TO READ? (Chicken set for 5 minutes!) The FIRST 50 PAGES by Jeff Gerke shares wonderful insights on starting a novel with all the right elements that agents, editors, and readers need to be engaged in your story. Gerke states, “In good dialogue, dialogue with subtext, the characters aren’t responding to what the other person says, but to what they think the other person means.”2 In non-fiction, I know I’ve scanned the contents to see if I can relate to what the chapters offer. You must immediately grab the attention and need that your particular reader has. Offer something unique and worthwhile. Now or at home -write how you could add those three elements to your story. What three elements do you use that cause you to enjoy your story? READY SET—WHO WILL BE FIRST TO READ? (Chicken set for 5 minutes!) Wired For Story What matters most is that the story “engender a sense of urgency from the first sentence. Everything else—fabulous characters, great dialogue, vivid imagery, luscious language—is gravy.” Again, even for non-fiction the importance of writing to topics that matter and offer help and direction to your reader is vital to a successful book. READY SET—WHO WILL BE FIRST TO READ? (Chicken set for 5 minutes!) Wired For Story—Lisa Cron shares, “the real story is how what happens affects the protagonist, and what she does as a result.” I also heard in a teaching by Randy Ingermanson that the way that reactions are recorded in a scene could muddy the read if the author writes what happens out of order. Your reader may not ‘know’ how it should be written, but they can sense when what is written is out of step with real life happenings. We don’t jump first and then hear glass shattering. READY SET—WHO WILL BE FIRST TO READ? (Chicken set for 5 minutes!) The FIRST 50 PAGES--Jeff Gerke states, “There is power in your hero’s dreams that may not be immediately evident…is the basis of that high-sounding term, the story question.” The inward motivation and unmet desire at the beginning of the story (realized or unrealized by the heroine/hero) is the fuel that drives the character to achieve that outward goal. The outward goal is very much linked with the inward need, that will be challenged along the story journey. For non-fiction writers, what dream are you targeting that could assist or direct your reader to discover what they need for a better life? READY SET—WHO WILL BE FIRST TO READ? (Chicken set for 5 minutes!) If we have extra time then I can read from sections from these books for those who are interested. The books I’ve referenced have so much to offer for those seeking to write with excellence and build their skills to communicate story at their very best! If you don’t wish to purchase them you can always request them at your local library. 1 Wired For Story by Lisa Cron, page 1 2 The FIRST 50 PAGES by Jeff Gerke page 29 3 Wired For Story by Lisa Cron page 21 4 The FIRST 50 PAGES by Jeff Gerke page104 |
Words are not just words. They are thoughts and inspiration that have been behind every relationship and every deed--good or bad throughout time. If you have that burning desire to communicate and explore, come peruse my pages, teachings, and short stories. Allow inspiration to anchor your dreams on the written pages of memoirs, devotions, poems or stories, both short or long! Luxuriate in the creativity you were born to share! Archives
April 2019
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