Tag Archives: ACFW

Goals: August 2016

  By Ralene Burke • August 5, 2016

PIC1068506062So this post is a few days late, but my recovery from Realm Makers and my crazy week prevented the post from coming out any sooner than, well, today!

I didn’t do a goals post in July, so I don’t really have anything to follow up on. I did manage to get everything I wanted done in July done, except for finishing an edit on my own story. I’m okay with that, though, because I still pitched it at Realm Makers and got a request for a full!

Back to August–and my quest for world domination. Actually, this month, I’ll settle for dominating my to-do list. It’s kicking my rear!

So, here are my goals for August:

  1. I need get a jumpstart on my revision of Dividing Spirits, which is now being aptly retitled, Soul Seer. I need to get the first 3 chapters polished before ACFW.
  2. Which brings me to my 2nd goal: prepare for ACFW. I have to design a new one sheet for Soul Seer and get all the papers printed out. Yay! Plus, I need a newsletter signup/contest sheet for the freebie table. And I need snacks.
  3. Start on my diet. I’ve actually already started on this. Yay! My friends Amy and Michele are jumping in on the quest with me to lose weight and get in shape before Realm Makers next year. Plus, there’s the being healthy part, which is important too. 😛
  4. Get on a homeschool schedule. Yes, I only have 2 weeks to homeschool before I leave for a week, but I think it’s important to get everything together and organized and work the kinks out. That way, AFTER I get back from ACFW, we can jump in to the routine, rather than fumbling about for another few weeks.

And that”s all I’m giving myself this month. I think it’s important to focus on a few things at a time. And this is plenty. Especially since there was only 3 weeks between Realm Makers and ACFW.

What are a couple of your goals for August?

Let’s keep each other accountable. I’ll keep a list of those who respond, and we’ll all check in the beginning of September! Sign up for my blog/newsletter so you can check back in with us!

ACFW . . . and Realm Makers

  By Ralene Burke • September 21, 2015 ,

Wow! What a whirlwind ACFW conference this year! I really felt like it was here and gone and left me in a cloud of dust. As that dust clears, though, I think this may have been the most inspirational ACFW conference I’ve been to.

For those who may not know, ACFW stands for American Christian Fiction Writers, and they have an annual conference where hundreds of Christian writers from all genres gather together to learn, worship, and fellowship on a long weekend.

11200796_10207617348136891_6678106449078097704_nHighlights for me this year:

Meeting my roommates and spending time with them. (I didn’t know them beforehand, not even much from Facebook.)

 

Sharing with my agent and my hubby that one of the publishing houses requested a proposal for my fantasy trilogy. (Squeeeeeee!)

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Hanging out with my fellow spekkies from Realm Makers AND finding that there were several speculative fiction writers there who had not hear of Realm Makers and therefore getting to tell them about it! (Yes, that was a bad sentence.)

 

12004088_10207610882215247_5009947617500223860_nListening to the keynote speaker, Bill Myers, who is such a source of inspiration, laughter, and wisdom. I truly got the most out of his sessions than any other part of the conference this year.

 

Next year, the conference is in Nashville, much closer to my home. I’m so excited for that one!

 

Speaking of next year . . .

And about a completely different conference.

We now know the date and place for Realm Makers 2016!

 

And on that note, I’ll leave you with one last thought that I gleaned from Bill Myers.

2016-announcement-copy

“The key to my success is that I’m a crybaby. I’m a coward. And I’m a moron. But I always say YES to God.”

 

This quote is going up on my wall tomorrow and will be my inspiration for the rest of the year. Amen!

From Beginning to End–How to Finish Your Manuscript (by Cindy Stewart)

  By Ralene Burke • August 19, 2015 ,

Are You A “Newbie” Struggling to Finish Your First Manuscript? Has the bite of the perfectionist bug slowed you down? Are you tempted to quit?

I consider myself a “newbie” author of Christian fiction. My journey began a little over three years ago when I attended my first writing event – the Blue Ridge Christian Writer’s Conference near Asheville, North Carolina. I wrote my first 1000 words of fiction for a practicum workshop I attended, but I was so afraid of failure, I waited too long and missed the deadline for submitting the assignment. That turned out to be a huge blessing because I wrote the entire first page in one paragraph. When I saw my classmates’ work projected on the screen (with many paragraphs on a page), I was thankful mine would not “see the light of day,” at least not yet. The conference was a great blessing, and I returned home motivated to continue writing the story of my heart. Almost three years later I rejoiced as I wrote “The End” for my novel of 395 pages (113,000 words).

 

Why did it take three years to complete the draft of my first novel?

  • Perfectionism brought my writing to a halt
  • Unavoidable life events interfered, such as, a full-time teaching job
  • The huge learning curve for writing fiction
  • Not knowing how to mount the brick wall blocking my path at critical junctures

 

How did I overcome and reach “The End”?

Although there are many sources available for new writers today, and I’ve taken advantage of many of them, I’ve listed those that were most effective in ushering me forward as a new writer.

  • Seeking the Lord’s guidance throughout the writing process and following the promptings of the Holy Spirit
  • Joining American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) http://www.acfw.com
  • Taking online classes:

Margie Lawson Writer’s Academy – I took five classes (each class was one month long).  http://www.margielawson.com/lawson-writers-academy-courses

Writer University – I took three classes taught by Laurie Schnebly Campbell (class length varied from 10 days to one month). https://writeruniv.wordpress.com/classes

  • Paying for a 20-page critique by a published author.
  • Participating in writing contests and receiving comments/critiques:

My Book Therapy’s The Frasier Contest (first 1500 words and a 500-word synopsis)

ACFW’s First Impressions Contest (first 5 pages and a 200-word blurb)

ACFW’s Genesis Contest (first 15 pages, a one-page synopsis, and the first draft of manuscript must be complete)

Oregon Christian Writer’s Cascade Contest (first 15 pages and a one-page synopsis)

SC Writers ACFW First Five Pages Contest (first 5 pages)

  • Regularly attending at local writer group meetings
  • Reading and studying books on the craft of writing – many excellent books are available, but these encouraged me as a new writer and motivated me to press on:

James Scott Bell – 1) Plot & Structure, 2) Revision & Self-Editing, 3) Conflict & Suspense, 4) How to Write Dazzling Dialogue 

Susie Mae Warren – How to Write a Brilliant Novel 

Jill Elizabeth Nelson – Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View

 

What resources helped you reach “The End” of your first manuscript?

 

CindyAuthor Bio:

Cindy Stewart is a high school teacher, church pianist, and historical fiction author. She was the historical category winner for ACFW’s 2014 First Impressions writing contest, a 2014 Bronze Medalist in My Book Therapy’s Frasier contest, and tied for second place in the 2015 South Carolina ACFW First Five Pages contest. Believing that history often repeats itself, Cindy is passionate about discovering and sharing fascinating stories through writing historical inspirational fiction. She resides in North Georgia with her husband and college sweetheart of thirty-four years and has one married daughter and three adorable grandchildren. Her first novel, Abounding Hope, is set in Eastern Europe at the start of World War II.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Wrote a Novel (by DJ Mynatt)

  By Ralene Burke • July 8, 2015 ,

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI wrote a novel.

It’s not what I expected to write; yet when I sat down to write, the words just flowed onto the page.

I had lots of ideas … Amish Romance, Contemporary Romance, Sci-Fi, and plans for several non-fiction devotionals. But when I sat down–and began my Amish romance–almost immediately it changed into an Amish Suspense novel. Definitely suspenseful … and I love writing it. Some of the other ideas I had are in the works now, some are still in the planning stage, but the Amish suspense is the one I love to write.

But today I want to talk about my non-fiction book. When several readers asked me to write about my experiences when I competed in the NaNoWriMo event, I felt it was important enough to complete. National Novel Writing Month, affectionately known to its’ users as NaNoWriMo, isn’t looked upon favorably by many writers/authors. I’m not sure why … they don’t claim to teach you how to write, or how to get published, or how to do anything except to teach yourself how to develop a habit of writing.

That’s it. If you’ve always wanted to pen the great American novel, or be the next J.K. Rowling, do whatever it takes to write your novel. And that’s my message to you today. Don’t let anyone–or anything–stop you. And if you need a little nudge, or something to help you create a good habit of writing, NaNoWriMo can help with that.

If you don’t need help with making time to write, then I encourage you to sign up for a creative writing class at your local community college, or find a workshop that specializes in creating the perfect query letter or one-sheet–or join the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) organization and take their online classes.

There are also lots of books on how to make your writing better … and how to find an agent, or editor, or even a publisher. But the main thing is to get that novel written. And you can do it–I know you can do it–if you really want to. It doesn’t matter if you work full-time, or if you’re a full-time stay-at-home mom, or if you’ve just retired and need something to fill the empty hours.

One of my favorite Bible verses, that has encouraged me many times is “Ask, and it shall be give you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” ~Matthew 7:7

These words are not just words of encouragement … these words have been proven time and again. God promises whatsoever we desire, we only need ask for it to receive it. Now hold on, I’m not talking about earthly fame or fortune; I’m talking about having a desire to write–to reach out to others–words that God has given you to share.

Because honestly, if it isn’t in God’s will for me–I DON’T WANT IT! I make enough mistakes on my own. When I pray, I ask God to direct my path, to guide me in my words, to reach out to others with good news for others. I believe God has given me a love and a desire to write. All I need to do is write and ask God to make a way for those who need to read it – to find it.

Yes, I am coming to the place where I need my writing to support my family, but God has a much better plan than I could have – to help me reach this goal.

Write. Trust God to do the rest. It’s that simple.

1 - Author Photo - DJM - SM - 06-2015Author Bio:

DJ Mynatt is a newly-published author, who works full-time for the State of Tennessee, as well as beginning a new career as an author, editor, and speaker. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) organization, The Christian PEN (TCP) and the Non-Fiction Authors Association (NFAA).

DJ lives with her daughter and grandchildren in the beautiful hills of Tennessee When she leaves her “day job”, DJ’s time is spent focusing on her writing, editing, blogging, reviewing books (especially for authors featured on her BookShelf blog) and attending workshops and writers conferences.

In her first published book, DJ shares her experiences while participating in the NaNoWriMo challenge in November, and she encourages others to sign up for this amazing adventure!

“If you’ve always wanted to write, but haven’t been able to get started, NaNoWriMo is a great idea for you. It’s not meant to teach you how to write, but to give you the opportunity to create a habit of writing. It might just be the push you need to begin your writing career!”