Within A Conference

Writer's conferences are invaluable to writers/authors not only for the education aspect, socializing and mingling with like minded people, and meeting editors and agents, but most writer's conferences also offer photography sessions.

At the upcoming ACFW Writer's Conference they will be offering 20-min. sessions with a professional photographer. For $40.00 U.S. you can get a set of six individual head shots and you'll receive them on a CD to take home with you. An amazing value, and even better is the convenience!

Okay, I'm going to humble myself here. I fully admit that I'm NOT photogenic in the least. So when I attended the ACFW conference in 2009 in Denver, I hesitated to take advantage of a similar photo op. offered. After a little chat with myself and a major pep talk, I finally booked my photo shoot in hopes that this professional stranger could do miracles with the likes of me. I was totally amazed with the twelve shots she managed to get of me. The fact that I didn't look hideous stunned me. (Well, I may look hideous to some, but at least I didn't look hideous to myself this time.)

Here's the humbling part. Looking to the right, that's me (picture courtesy of another horse mom who just had to photo creep me last weekend. Thanks, JM!) And, yup, that's how pics of me always turn out. Definitely not like the one above and trust me, JM takes beautiful pictures of every one and every thing...just not antigenic me. To prove it and to help you get this awful pic out of your mind, here's another creep photo she caught in the same session. (Yes, I'm boasting here, that's Charlie horse and our Donner horse encouraging each other before they head in to show. Chloe, and my Sabrina were quite proud of their horse's good sportsmanship manners!)



So, do you need an updated author pic for social networking, the back cover of your book, and what about that one-sheet you're working on? Check out this link for what one proven agent suggests you pack for conference. Great samples of one-sheets there, too. If you're attending a Writer's Conference, do seriously consider the offered photography session. This link takes you to the one ACFW is offering this fall. I've booked mine. Have you?

Are you happy with your writer/author pic? Did you get it done professionally? What do you thinks makes for a great author photo?

May your smile brighten some one's day today, and I do hope that awful shades pic of me didn't scare you too much! (I get sun stroke easily and have a two-hour drive home on show days, so protect myself, I do.)

Surrendering to Him,
Eileen

Fighting Overwhelmed

When the jitters, rushing heart rate, sinking gut, or maybe it comes in the form of shortness of breath to you, hits, does it spell OVERWHELMED?

Think last minute wedding glitches in the midst of everything else, preparing for arrival of baby in the midst of everything else, career milestone on the verge of success or failure in the midst of everything else. When I recall any of those incidents my stomach immediately aches and feels like it's dropped with a big ol' ugly thud to the pit of despair.

Is there any way out?

You betcha!

You can take comfort in recalling all those previous pits of despair and realizing that feeling didn't last forever. You survived. You found focus. By chopping and whittling away at everything crashing in, you cut them down to achievable increments. One little task at a time, you moved forward. And if you acknowledged each mini accomplishment along the way, instead of the bundle of unimaginable to-do's stealing your good senses, you got through it with only short panic attacks seeping in.

Just remember, the most important thing is to achieve the goal. How long it takes you to get to that goal is...well, it's really irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. The world will not end if the bride is a few minutes late. The world will not end if your project has to be implemented in stages--give 'em something new and that will placate them for the next big release. Think about where the baby's coming from--all they really need is You.

And if you're walking the overwhelming road of trying to prepare for a writer's conference now, like me, do your best at what you can accomplish before taking flight. Get that one-sheet done. Get the initial chapters polished like a shiny new engine. But don't stress if your whole series isn't polished. Don't even stress if you haven't got one novel fully primed and ready to your liking (in my experience, since writer's are always learning, there's always room for improvement, anyway), because conference is a time to learn and learn more, to socialize and network, and even if you did have all those novels ready and waiting for representation, there's no guarantee you'll find an editor or agent there that's looking for exactly what you're offering.

In fact, I've not heard of one writer who acquired their agent or sold their book at conference alone (even the special announcement sale at conference came as a result of their book being in the hands of the editor long before then). Writer's make contacts at conference, yes. But they don't sell on site. So stop stressing. Do what you can. Work hard and work smart and plan for conference to be a time of getting questions answered, feeling out prospective agents and editors, and letting them assess you, in return. Don't waste time worrying what you HAVEN'T got time to get done. Just do what you can!

Have you ever felt overwhelmed only to get through it and realize the stress was a big waste of time? Does stress hinder or boost your productivity? Is there such a thing as a healthy dose of stress? Or is it determination and self-discipline that keeps you motivated?

May we all work smarter and healthier this week onward!


Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

*image courtesy of Google.

God May Know What He Is Doing, But Am I Helping or Hindering?

A recent thread on the ACFW e-loop is titled: God Knows What He Is Doing. I've read a couple of the responses and totally agree that God knows what He wants and has in store for each of us, and attending or not attending the upcoming ACFW conference isn't going to change His plans. He is the maker of miracles after all.

But just reading the subject line and forgetting the context to which it is really about, I must say that I bear a heavy heart in response to God Knows What He Is Doing. I can't help thinking that I'm hindering His work as of late, rather than helping Him. And I do believe that in all that God blesses us with, He often requires something from us too. The end gift is not all He intends to bestow on each of us, but a greater learning/understanding is also part of the package, and I have no doubt that my ever-faithful Father is more than patient in waiting for me to get that learning/understanding right before He'll generously bestow the end gift upon me. Am I alone in this thought process?

Say, since most of you reading this blog are writers, the end gift is publication which God intends to bestow on at least a few of us (here's the hopeful me surmising here), then what? Are we set? Is it ALL in God's hands? Is the onus on Him to get the gears in motion so that publication shall be achieved?

Surely not.

Surely, as any mother or father knows, this is a tremendous TEACHING moment. The prize of publication cannot be just handed over without being earned in some way. God so wants to pass this gift over, but alas, he must wait until we are ready for it. The driving instructor/tester doesn't hand over the prize driver's license just because the time has come, the end of the driving test has arrived, does he? No, he must first see that the student driver is ready for the responsibility of every life that might come in contact with him/her on the roads he/she chooses to travel from this day forward. The student driver needs to earn the tester's trust before he/she is deemed ready. And the tester will withhold the license for not only the safety of the student driver, but for everyone else, if need be.

As it is with writing, I assume. And I can't help but feel as though I've been failing my Lord's testing as of late in the writing category of life at least. Failure isn't a word I like to think about, or associate with me, but lately it's one that's been haunting my thought process.

In preparing my book proposal package for the conference, I happened to read over the recent query letter I sent out to my dream publisher in August and realized I'd failed big time. I had stated in that query that I would be pitching my newest book, The Unlikely One, the book that is a finalist in the Genesis contemporary category this year, at the conference. Well, guess what? It isn't ready. As I type this post I'm about 13,000 words away from finishing my first draft and definitely a few revision rounds and many edits away from being ready to submit this novel to anyone in the publishing industry.

So, I've not only failed to keep my end of the bargain to this publisher who may or may not like my writing anyway, but that's not the point, I've failed to make the most of this upcoming conference even before it even gets here. Yes, I have another completed manuscript to pitch, but I really wanted to take advantage of being a finalist with this ms and pitch it. Show how I could indeed get a second manuscript primed and ready for pitching in a reasonable amount of time. But instead, family, and summer activities with them, consumed my time and here I sit, manuscript unfinished.

It is possible to finish the first draft before conference, even with it being only one week away, but that isn't enough, and I'm kicking myself for it. Lost opportunity rings like a jingle in my ears, taunting me and flashing $$$$$$$$, yes, dollar signs in my vision. My family has invested a lot into this conference and now I feel like I not only failed myself, but them as well. So what do I do?

What any God fearing woman would. Right. I look for what I've done right, and what I have left to still gain from this conference experience, and move forward from there. I write the best book proposal I can for the novel I do have finished. I prepare to pitch it for God's glory. God has presented me with a chance to pitch my first novel, one that incidentally is very near and dear to me still, even after six years of labour pains with it, and I will do my absolute best to not disappoint Him in that area too. I may not have the two novels to pitch that I so wanted, and God may be disappointed with me in that, but I know He'd want me to at least take advantage of this opportunity and pitch this one.

I will gather all that I need for the early bird session on the book that I haven't quite finished with the intention of having the amazing Donald Maass and all his wonderful teaching help me plan my revisions so that I can make it as close to a breakout novel as is possible for me.

And I'll do my utmost to shine His Little Light through every action, word, and deed that transpires through me during the time I have at the ACFW conference. I will accept God's wonderful grace and blessings in attending this conference and make the most of it so that He can keep on teaching me and helping me move forward toward that ultimate gift that He may or may not be patiently waiting to present to me...when I'm ready. I will do all this because He is the reason I write in the first, middle and last place. God inspired this journey in me, and even though I may hinder His process along the way, He is ever faithful and would want me to push onward for His purpose. I'm so glad He is eons more patient and forgiving than me!


Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Processing A Writer's Conference

I've had a day to get my thoughts in order, but yet there still seems to be a haze lingering around my brain matter. Ever feel that way? Like you can't quite organize your thoughts and come up with a clear understanding of what transpired?

Writer's conferences have a way of doing that to some of us.

Okay, I'll try my best to divulge what I found to be the highlights of Write! Canada 2009 for me. (By the way, Write! Canada is the largest Christian Writer's Conference in Canada. It attracts over 200 attendees each year. That may seem small to you American's, but remember, our land mass may be close to yours, but our population isn't.)

This was my third year attending this conference, and I must say that each year the Worship time ranks high in my memories. Singing and praising God, and hearing His word spoken aloud before breakfast each morning is truly a gift. Each time I leave a worship service at Write! I tell myself that if this alone was offered, it'd still be more than worth attending.

But, of course, the worship time is not all that is offered. Socializing and learning with fellow writers is both encouraging and inspiring. Hearing newly published authors tell their joyful story in the midst of encouraging you to keep going is truly a blessing. Their sincere interest in wanting to help you succeed comes through their words of encouragement, gracious advice offered, and knowledge shared. This is what a writer's conference is all about. Sharing!

My focus at this conference this year was not so much to expand my knowledge of the craft, but with getting a better idea of what is really involved in publication. Since I will also be attending ACFW's conference in the fall, I figured I'd save the craft-building classes for that one, and learn a little more about what hopefully is to come for me sometime in the next twenty years or so. As a result, I learned many things. Here's a few for starters.

1) How to focus on my writing as a career, not a hobby.
2) What agents really do, and why you need to do your homework before seeking one out. And that there is a reason why it's so difficult to partner with a good agent.
3) Contracts have many similarities to fourth year Algebra and Calculus post-secondary classes. NO FUN!
4) I have so much more to learn...
5) The image you portray does mean something.
6) Some bloggers actually can make money. And somehow do so by simply putting a PAYPAL link on their blog. (Don't worry, I'm not headed in that direction.)
7) I have so much more to learn...
8) Edits don't end until the author puts his/her foot down. Learn when to do it!
9) There will always be someone who writes better than you, but you don't have to write like them to share your words with the world!
10) Published authors are generous people who want to help you succeed.
11) There are many sides to an individual. Don't be blind-sided by a third-party viewing. (This can be used in character development big time. Talk about multi-dimensional character building!)
12) Editors don't all rip your work to shreds.
13) And, since this list needs to end somewhere and a baker's dozen is a good number--once again--I have so much more to learn... BUT, I also discovered, that I know a thing or two, too!!! Now that's progress.

On Wednesday, I'm going to dig a little deeper into the first item listed above over on Writer's Rest.

I pray you all had a wonderful weekend and that your writing is shining brightly these days. Blessings prayed for you all!


Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

A Crazy Week of Preparation

Getting ready for conference is like preparing for a month-long family vacation on a deserted island. Time consuming!

With the extra chauffeuring duties for my oldest in the midst of high school exams, doctor appointments, and a hamster who insists on welcoming infection, I've had a run this past week and a half. But all's good. I think I'm on track.

Two things came to mind during my mad rushes recently:

1) You know you're a writer when you pass the road-side lottery sign that shouts Five Million Dollars and you think, what would I do if I won? Would I quit trying to get this writing thing right? No. Never. But I would hire a house keeper and gardener so that I could write more!

2) Writing is merely a collection of words; given enough permutations, you're bound to get it right. (That's the editor in me screaming for hope!)


So, tell me, what strange and wonderful things come to your mind unexpectedly as you rush to get something done?


Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

If you had the opportunity...

to ask an editor, agent, or author some writing career-related questions, but weren't specifically wanting to pitch your work to them, what would you ask?

I may just find myself in this predicament next week, as the line I'm wanting to pitch to isn't going to be represented at this conference. But, there are going to be some great agents, editors and authors with invaluable information to share. If only I knew what to ask? What to pick their ingenious brains on?

Any suggestions?

Here's some rolling around in my brain:

For Authors: How do you shut the internal editor off so that the story can just spill out? How do discern which critique suggestions to make, and which to leave alone?

For Agents: What first lines of query letters grab your attention? Are you looking for authors with several novels ready, or is one good one enticing enough to spur your interest?

For Editors: Who are your favorite agents to work with? Do you take un-agented proposals?


What about you? If you had this opportunity what questions would you ask?


Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Conference Preparedness--What's that?

Lovely Georgiana commented in yesterday's post about the one-sheet being the biggest thing for her to create for her conference "package." That made me wonder what exactly is supposed to be in a conference "package"?

Help me out, everyone. I'm going to attempt to list what I think that package should hold, but I'm certain I'll get something wrong or miss something entirely and wish I hadn't have when I get there.

Here's my list so far:

1) Business Cards: Don't need to be fancy, just need to have contact information. Name, Snail mail address, Email address, Website address if you have one, and a stunning picture of yourself would be nice, too, but not a deal breaker. Hand out liberally to fellow writers, etc.

2) Copies of your One-sheet: A One-sheet is an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper with your full name, contact information, bio information with writing credentials/credits, a summary of what you write, branding clause if you have one (mine is Writing Faithful Romances Worth Pondering), and a head shot picture of yourself. This is the sheet that you'll leave with the editors and agents for them to help keep who is who straight in their head once the conference is over. Most say that lots of white space is desirable, or an aesthetic background photo that represents your type of writing. Conciseness is the key, while still presenting enough to sell yourself to the powers that may be.

3) Log line for the story you're intending to pitch. Some print these on sticker labels with the title of your story and then attach them to the back of your business cards. Good for cheating, too. If you get tongue tied around agents and editors in general, just pull your card out and read the back to get grounded. The log line helps you develop your elevator pitch, too.

4) An elevator pitch: Know your story and be able to summarize it in a few short sentences. Memorizing is good here.

5) Longer pitch: What you wish to say while in one-on-one appointments. If you're not pitching a particular story, what about coming up with some good questions to ask instead. Make the most of those appointments.

6) A Proposal Package: This could vary by what the individual agents/editors give as personal guidelines for what they are looking for. But in general, I believe a Proposal Package includes the following if you're pitching a particular story.

• A cover letter on good quality paper, preferably on letterhead.
• Author biography
• Market analysis
• Story Synopsis
• Initial 3 chapters of story wishing to pitch
• A One-sheet
• Business card

Put all this together in a folder and create one for each of your target agents and editors should you be given an opportunity to present it. They likely won't take it with them, but if they request it be sent to them, then you'll be more than ready.

Okay, I think that's it, besides Bible, clothing and toiletries, etc. to pack. Now it's your turn. What did I miss? Help me be prepared, please!

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

A One-Sheet.

I had planned to submit a critique for the conference I'll be attending in a few weeks, but with my health issues of late and the unexpected upheavel that zapped me of any productivity in my writing arena of life for a while, I just plain missed the deadline. So, yesterday, when the extension news came, I decided quickly to switch which piece I'd intended to submit to make my life slightly easier and take advantage of this valuable service, and then I discovered that they wanted a one-sheet with the ms submission.

"Weird," I thought aloud. Synopsis are often requested, but I've never heard of a one-sheet to go with your ms submission. So, I sent off an email asking what exactly they considered a one-sheet to be, thinking it mustn't be what I think it is. Why on earth does a critiquer need to know my credentials, contact information, etc. to tell me what works and doesn't work in my story. But it appears that they had the same definition as I had on what a One-sheet is, and they like to pass this paper along to the critiquer so that they can get a picture (both literally and figuratively) of the author of the piece they're critiquing.

"Wow," I'm now saying, as some of the critiquers are editors and agents. Now is this not a huge bonus? Think about it, not only do we get to sign up for editor/agent one-on-one appointments at the conference, but we also have the added benefit of possibly getting our work directly in front of those very people with a picture of ourselves and a little information about us as well, even before the conference. And then we also get to reap the benefit of their critiques to help us improve our writing. I'm stunned and so very pleased with whoever came up with this request! Bonus! Bonus! Bonus!

But...

That meant I had to go at a mad rush to create a new One-sheet, as the one I currently have is out of date and I don't have the software to edit it either. (I had it professionally done a couple years ago.) So, I emailed a friend who I knew created her own a while back, and ask if she'd let me have a copy online that I could use as a skeleton. Bless her heart, she sent me three without hesitation, and one of them was done in Word, so that one I could tweak to my heart's content... so I did!

My eldest daughter, Alisha, is great with photography, so she searched through her online album and came up with a picture of me from my niece's recent wedding. She cut and cropped it, to get a head and shoulder shot of me out of it (dear hubby's shoulder keeps me company in the photo, and I love that, because this writing endeavor is really such a team effort with all his support). Then she found a country scene that has my middle daughter riding her pony in an open flowering field toward a wooded patch on the farm and a huge tree to her left. It's the perfect backdrop to my One-sheet that really gives the feel of my stories. Rural settings, country life, and the flowers give a cheerful feel, too, which I strive to end my stories on.

That done, I came up with my writing blocks and had several friends help me edit and revise them. Thank you Jeanette, Jessica and Jody! You guys are so helpful and so quick at it too.

And so now I'm done. All in under a 24 hour span. But I'm not just done for this critique requirement. No. I've got my One-sheet created and ready for printing to take to my next two writer's conferences at least. I'm so excited!

So, if you haven't already, I challenge you to create your own One-sheet. If you're like me, and starting from scratch is too overwhelming, ask a friend to send you one that you could use as a skeleton. It really does help! (FYI: I could be that friend.)

Happy One-sheeting everyone!

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Life is Getting Back to Normal

I hate to say that in fear that another blow will hit, but leaping out in faith here, I'm believing that along with my very painful breast infection, the troubles of late are healing and passing over.

I've been really wanting to share what I've learned through reading The Moral Premise written by Stanley D. Williams, Ph.D. Some amazing stuff is in this book, and I will reveal what struck me the most in a day or two.

My countdown begins for an upcoming Writer's Conference. In less than three weeks I will be in heavy learning and socializing-with-like-minds mode. I'm quite excited and yet equally unprepared. Is that God's plan? I sometimes wonder.

What about you? Do you have something big coming up soon? Please do share, and I'll add it to my prayer list.

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Registered!

I'm so excited. I just registered for my first ACFW Writer's Conference, and I booked a room in the ACFW block as well, today. (FYI: The attendant on the phone noted that their rooms are going very fast for this block, so you may want to book soon if you're planning on attending.)

I'm even going for the earlybird session with Donald Maass. Now I just need to book my flight, and pray, pray, pray for God's guidance in all of this.

So, tell me, who all is going? Whom of my cyber friends am I to get excited about meeting in person in September? Is there a way we can all have breakfast together, perhaps, or join together in some other way?

Oh, and, my nieces wedding was beautiful!!! They are both so gorgeous and look so happy together. It was amazing on Friday. The stag and doe went well, other than for my lack-of-sleep breakdown and car accident at 2:00 a.m. while backing into a stop sign. I tell you, stop signs have no place being stuck in the end of a residential driveway, especially when you can't see the post in the dark. Arrrrrgh, that made me mad! Now to get my front end fixed.

Surrendering to Him,

Eileen

Conference Preparedness

Manuscript(s) sample chapters, tag line(s), 30-second elevator pitch(es), one-sheet(s), business cards, business casual dress, toiletries...

Okay, what am I missing?

Oh, yeah, now I remember, CONFIDENCE!!

Argh. Everywhere I turn these days (in the writing arena of life, I mean) I see how very little confidence I have. That's not good to take with you to writer's conferences. I know. Because in the past three years I've gone to three writer's conferences and believe me, there are plenty of confident writer's out there quite willing to monopolize ALL of the agent's and editor's time.

There's the mad dash to find the tables with the industry leader's name carded in that fancy script font, and then when the sign-up sheet is posted for fifteen-minute interval "appointments" with the oh-so-sought-after industry representatives, the limbs fly, necks crane, pens scratch, and when you finally come up for air, you discover you lost a shoe in the process. No, seriously, it can be like this. I know, because I watch from a comfortable distance.

Not exactly taking advantage of all that conferences have to offer, am I?

As I worked on this post, I looked up confidence in my concordance and couldn't resist sharing this quote after my above shoe comment. "For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." Proverbs 3:26 (Bolding, my doing.)

I'm in awe once more, there is even direction in the Bible for crowd control. God does have a sense of humor, I'm convinced, because His word spurred a giggle in me just now. What perfect timing He has.

There is another verse that I found, though, that is very insightful.

"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Hebrews 13:6

Doesn't this just say it all? If we are working to glorify Him, if we believe He is our helper/provider in this writing journey, then what should we fear of man's (agent or editor--yet another sinner like ourselves) reaction?

The worse they can say is that our writing stinks, and I highly doubt they'd be that insensitive to use those exact words. So, in the worse case scenario we get a huge dose of humbling, and learn that we need to study more and continue to work on our craft.

aka: Confirmation of what I'm already feeling.

Ironically, I'm feeling more confident already. Are you?

So, what do you do to prepare yourself for Writer's Conferences? Both internally and externally?
I have my first one of the year coming up in June, and would appreciate any guidance.


Surrendering to Him,

Eileen