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Written by Kevin Lucia
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Monday, 12 May 2008 |
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Kevin Lucia, one of five new bloggers at Relief, continues his first blog series on the path to publication.  Writing is tough, if you’re really committed. There’s a distinction between those who “like to write” and those who are hardcore writers. There are writers out there of all kinds: The former “like” to occasionally jot down their thoughts here and there, but when push comes to shove, writing isn’t a priority in their daily schedule (Notice I said ‘A’ priority, not ‘The’ priority. We’ll get to that later).
The later are those who write and type to the brink of carpel-tunnel destruction, whose eyes twitch from computer screen over-exposure, get cranky when they don’t write, and write into the wee hours of the morning. There are writers out there of all kinds, but I’m sure every one would tell you: writing seriously consumes serious energy and requires fierce dedication.
Author Robert Liparulo offers a great example. When asked how he finally found the time to write his breakout novel, Comes A Horseman, he answered that with a family and a full schedule, he began waking every day at 4 AM so he could have quiet time to write before everyone else woke up.
The willingness to write into the wee hours of the morning isn’t the only thing that separates the writers from the hopefuls; patience is another qualifying factor. With the exception of a few, it takes awhile to get published. Some writers wait years before publication; some see it never. Others spend years in non-writing careers (such as Andrew Gross, who managed sports retail businesses before The Blue Zone) before publication. Everyone has to do their time and take some lumps. It’s said that even J.K. Rowling was rejected by Penguin/Putnam, among scores of others, before Scholastic took on Harry Potter.
This waiting period, fraught with rejection letters and repeated “No thank yous” from editors, serves a purpose (despite being frustrating): it gives writers time to refine their craft. It also separates those who were meant to be published writers, from those who really want to be published writers. As painfully true as it is, just because someone loves writing doesn’t mean they’re meant to write for publication. Writing is something everyone can enjoy, but statistically – and unfortunately – not everyone is meant to be published.
Of course, technology has changed society radically, and the writing/publishing world hasn’t remained unaffected. With the advent of Print On Demand technologies, scores of independent small press publishers and self-publishers have opened shop on the Internet. Now almost anyone, regardless of talent, can pay a fairly reasonable “package fee” or “pay per copy” to have a book “published”.
I won’t spend a lot of time on this, except to make the following statement: self-publishing itself is not ultimately foolish or a waste of money. Everyone needs to make a decision about what’s right for them, and there are many projects with niche audiences that self-publishing is suited for. However, bottom line: POD/vanity/self-publishers who promise that you can have your novel published “now, why wait?” and get all the ensuing fame are at the very least not telling the whole truth, at the very worst, lying.
Many have wasted time and resources until they discovered they’d either made a mistake trying to manufacture writing success or, worse yet, they weren’t meant to be writers at all, while someone took advantage of their dreams. The most unfortunate cases are folks whose natural talent and inexperience are taken advantage of. I myself have missed several traps, by the thinnest of margins. Popular detective fiction author John Laurence Robinson’s first novel was an unfortunate victim of such a “publisher,” but he recovered and continued to publish several fine novels, (When A Skylark Falls, To Skin A Cat, & Until the Last Dog Dies), through River Oak Press.
A good example of patience is the experience of another popular suspense/thriller author, T.L. Hines. Before Waking Lazarus was a Library Journal Suspense/Thriller of the Year choice, it languished in a drawer with three other completed manuscripts. Over the course of several years, Hines garnered almost 181 rejections from a variety of publishers and agents.
Considering his rejections many lessons learned, Hines stopped sending out Lazarus and worked on other projects, until Bethany House acquisitions editor Dave Long came across a sample of Waking Lazarus on Hines’ blog, downloaded it, and asked for more. At that point, Hines had become simply content with one thing: writing for the enjoyment and development of his craft. His third novel, Unseen, will be hitting store shelves soon.
To recap :
1. First and foremost, you need patience.
2. Check back next week for point two…
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Written by Coach Culbertson
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Friday, 09 May 2008 |
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Our Guest Editor for Creative Nonfiction in Issue 2.3 Jill Kandel was just published on a webzine called Brevity. Go check it out at http://www.creativenonfiction.org/brevity/brev27/kandel_things.html. Congrats to Jill!
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Written by Kevin Lucia
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Sunday, 04 May 2008 |
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Kevin Lucia, one of five new bloggers at Relief, introduces his first blog series on the path to publication.
We all have dreams that require time and patience for fruition. Unfortunately, we live in a “now” generation; we want success now, not later, and it seems as if we’re always looking for a short-cut to our end goals.
The writing world is no different. In an age of best-selling mega-authors, many have bought into the romantic dream of the novelist’s life: a carefree existence sipping wine in a country cottage or trendy Manhattan studio-loft, pounding out one bestseller after another. I know this first-hand; I had this same dream.
Someone forgot to mention, (or maybe we just ignored), the most important truth about a writing career: it’s hard work, offering little immediate returns or fame. Getting published is like making the NAVY Seals; most wash-out before they get past “week one,” and like getting into the NBA, even if you do make it, there’s no guarantee you’ll get “off the bench” and make it into the limelight.
Author Brad Listi recently blogged that pursing a writing career without a doubt certified a person as completely insane because of how hard it was. Many folks don’t think this way; I know I didn’t initially. I hardly imagined writing a novel was like breathing, but I clearly remember my dreams of never having to work again as I feverishly hacked away, (hacked is a good word), on my very first manuscript in college.
Though I’ve published no novels, I have published quite a few nonfiction articles and a handful of short stories. And even with this track record, I don’t have infallible answers, only the realization, (gleaned from hindsight), that if it weren’t for a few key changes I made based on the advice of far other worthier folks, things would be different. Over time, I’ve learned things I wish someone had told ME fifteen years ago, and they fit into the following four maxims about a writing career:
1. No Batteries Included, Patience Required—The question is not only “how much energy do you have?”, but also “How long are you willing to wait?”
2. Hats, Coat, and Thick Skin Only — listening to and valuing critique, taking direction, and playing nicely is almost always a requirement.
3. A Plan In Hand Beats Wandering in the Bush—There’s no ONE right path to publication, but there are paths, and plans for them.
4. Be Willing To Sacrifice What You Love Most—You will be forced to rework some priorities…and it’s not the ones you think.
5. Nuts and Bolts: Cover letters? Writers’ Market? Places to Send Stories and/or Articles?
Join me next time, as I will elaborate on each of the previously mentioned maxims!
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Written by Alan Ackmann
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Wednesday, 30 April 2008 |
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 With your indulgent permission, I thought I’d break from our Wednesday pattern of craft Blogs and add a more playful thread I’ve been toying with for some time: Words that are no longer popular, but should be. Personally, I often drop words into conversation that are asynchronous with their context (See? I just did it!). But I also wanted to start this thread because certain words are just so gosh-darn fun that they deserve more stage-time, and should never have been cast aside. I got this idea because of the word “Consarnit”—a grizzled, prospectory sort of word that is a euphemism expressing that something bad has happened (as in: “Consarnit! I forgot to paste my cover letter and/or upload my submission into the Relief Writers Network!”). I don’t know the origin of the word, and can’t even find it in any dictionaries, which might be a question of misspelling it. But a standard Google search reveals, for whatever reason, that the word is popular with the comic book set; I can find it in this spelling connected with G.I. Joe, Star Wars, and Transformers. I dunno.
What I do know, however, is that in the course of researching this Blog I found a fantastic website at www.phrontistery.info, which contains (among other things) a compendium of lost words being preserved . . . well . . . because they should be. The requirements for a lost word are described on the site, but suffice it to say that some of the several hundred archived words are delightful. For example: Blateration, which means chatter or babbling: as in “I've had about enough of your garrulous blateration, you clod!” Others are mysterious, like… Ascoliasm, a noun for “a boys' game of beating each other with gloves or leather while hopping” And some, depending upon your liturgical inclinations, might be downright practical, such as… Ebaptization, meaning “declaring that someone has not been properly baptized” (for those of you who like stirring the pot). Even better is the magnificent “hymnicide,” meaning “the killing of hymns through alterations.” So I thought I’d ask people what words they think deserve a chance to shine! Browse the site and nominate your favorites, search on your own, or just tell us about your pet project words. In the meantime, I leave you with the word that, as a lifelong Simpsons fan, is my favorite discovery so far: Back in the 1600s there existed the word “homerkin,” which was a noun referring to an old liquid measurement of beer. Positively delightful. Enjoy!
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Written by Heather von Doehren
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Monday, 28 April 2008 |
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Last month in an effort to expand what we blog about here at Relief , we posted ads at a variety of locations looking for some new bloggers to add a fresh outlook to what we do here at Relief. We've tried to make the mix as eclectic as possible. So, with no further ado...here they are in no particular order:
 Monica Brand, a former newspaper reporter turned stay-at-homeschooling mom who has been writing since high school, has been a Christian for most her life. She likes to read across a wide variety of genres (not just CBA authors). In addition to this site, you can find her at her own blog at monicabrand.net , Writer Interrupted , New Jersey Moms , and ACFW.com .
 Travis Griffith, who recently left behind the corporate marketing world choosing family and writing in lieu of “a comfortable life” financially, is a former atheist trying to define what leading a spiritual life really means. His children’s book, Your Father Forever , published in 2005 by Illumination Arts Publishing Company, Inc. captures only a fraction of his passion for fatherhood. We’re glad to have him aboard. Kevin Lucia, currently seeking an MA in Creative Writing from Binghamton University, is a born-again Christian who teaches 9-10th grade English and acts as a freelance columnist for The Press & Sun Bulletin . If you can’t get enough of Kevin here at Relief, you can find him at kevinlucia.net , as well as on MySpace and ShoutLife.  Don Beireis, who is currently in transition from twelve years in the banking industry, is a musician, a writer, and a “recovering legalist” who has spent most of his life in church. An avid reader, his desire to write stems from what he sees as “a growing need to translate theological knowledge into inspiring life application.”
 Derek Joseph bent his knee to Jesus as a young child, and has served on the staff of a missions agency, working primarily with college students, first at the University of Illinois, then at Northern Illinois University, and soon in Indianapolis. He's taken courses through three different seminaries and one Christian graduate school. In his spare time you might find him lifting weights, reading theology books, enjoying a Belgian ale and steak, or hanging out with his lovely fiancé.
Stay tuned for articles by these talented new bloggers!
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