A Step in the Write Direction--June 25, 2012

A Step in the Write Direction

June 25, 2012

Update: Today my daughter and family leave to go back to Oklahoma after a two-week vacation. They moved there last December 1, and then my other daughter and I visited them in May this year. Don’t know now when we’ll be seeing them again. We miss them—our daughter, two precious granddaughters, and a great pastor son-in-law.

Has been a slow week proofing and editing-wise. Need to decide what book to work on next. Will send book proposals out this week for caregiver book and for parents who have lost children. Once I get a publisher lined up, I’ll send out guidelines.

Prayer Request: For headaches from fall in Oklahoma on May 21^st.

Thought for Today: The word must become flesh, but the flesh also must become word. It is not enough for us, as human beings, just to live. We also must give words to what we are living. If we do not speak what we are living, our lives lose their vitality and creativity. When we see a beautiful view, we search for words to express what we are seeing. When we meet a caring person, we want to speak about that meeting. When we are sorrowful or in great pain, we need to talk about it. When we are surprised by joy, we want to announce it! Through the word, we appropriate and internalize what we are living. The word makes our experience truly human (Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey).

Laugh for Today: A woman calls her doctor and asks, “Is my disease terminal?” “No,” he replies. “Why do you ask?” “Well,” she says, “you told me to take this prescription for the rest of my life, and the bottle says ‘No Refills’.”

Writing Tips:

Following are some questions a reader sent me. Perhaps you’ve had the same questions yourself.

1) What does "accepts simultaneous submissions" mean?

It means you can send the same manuscript to several sources at the same time, as long as they're not in the same denomination. For example, you could submit to a Southern Baptist publication and an American Baptist, but not to two that are both Southern Baptist. It's harder in secular magazines because many people read the same ones. For example, you wouldn't submit to both Family Circle and Woman's Day. Woman’s World asks that you not submit it to a competing magazine until a year has passed.

2) What does it mean when a magazine says “No Reprints”? That means they won't accept something that has been published before. However, if it's been published in perhaps your church newsletter, or in a shorter or lengthier format, I'd type Reprint Rights* in the upper right-hand corner, then at the bottom of the page I'd type *Published in church newsletter, circulation _________ or *Published in name of magazine in ______ words."

3) How do you get guidelines for magazines? Usually you can find the guidelines on the magazine's web site without writing and asking for them. The web site address can be found in the Christian Writers Market Guide, or type the name of the magazine in Search or Google.

Have a good week spreading the gospel through the printed page!

Donna

 

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