A Step in the Write Direction--July 23, 2012

A Step in the Write Direction

July 23, 2012

Update:

It’s been a busy week, not so much work=wise but family-wise. Son was in hospital for two days with chest pains (he’s okay); daughter having trouble with insulin pump (she figured it out), and I’m still having headaches from fall. But re: writing—I finished the proposal for the caregiver book. It’s 62 pages and 10,000 words, but the publisher who wants to see it will take a partial manuscript. If this publisher accepts it, they like 60,000 words so will send out a call for submissions. This week—if I don’t get any editing or proofreading jobs—I’ll try to find a home for my 5 finished devotional books, 2 gift books, and 5 calendars. Writers, marketing is more than 50% of a writer’s life!!

Thought for Today:

“Daydreaming about something in order to do it properly is right, but daydreaming

about it when we should be doing it is wrong” (Oswald Chambers).

Laugh for Today:

A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."

The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."

Time Management Hints, continued

3. Use Your Time on Hold

More and more phone calls today are answered by a voice mail saying, “Your call is

very important to us. Please hold.” What do we do while the music plays? Sing along

with it? Gripe and complain?

This can be a good time to clean our desk, proofread or edit one of our manuscripts,

or look up a market. With today’s cordless phones, we can catch up on jobs all over the

house. A CNN survey shows that the average person spends 60 hours per year on hold. We can put that time to good use.

4. Check E-mail at Scheduled Intervals

Are you one who hurries to your computer every time you hear “You got mail”? Then,

once you’ve read the latest message, do you feel obligated to answer, even if it’s a “that’s

cute” to a joke you sent, or a “Thanks,” or “Praying for you”?

If so, your Internet is controlling you instead of you controlling it. Unless you are

expecting an important letter or you receive work assignments through the Internet, why

not schedule specific times to go to your “Read” file? And don’t feel you have to answer

every e-mail unless a question requires an immediate reply.

Note: Just to let you know that I am available to edit, proofread, and type manuscripts. A number of books I’ve edited have sold and I have the published copies on my bookshelf. E-mail me for my reasonable rates.

Have a great week spreading the gospel through the printed page.

***

“We are called to write, and I feel we will be held responsible at the Judgment for the people that we could have helped but didn’t because we didn’t write what God laid on our hearts to write” (Harold Ivan Smith).