A
Step in the Write
Direction
January
20, 2014
Update:
It’s official: WinePress Publishers has closed down. They sent me the files to
my Step in the Write Direction book and also the student
edition, so I’m presently searching for a new publisher. I’m thankful I do have
an inventory here to sell as their printer is not printing any more orders at
present….
Notes
from yesterday’s sermon on Zechariah 4:6-10 on repairing the temple, especially
verse 10: “Who has despised the day of small things?” Don’t worry if you don’t
feel qualified to write a book right now. An average book may sell 3000-5000
copies, while a magazine article may attract 50,000 or more readers. Do small
things faithfully, instead of trying to do one big thing in one big swoop. Also
verse 6: “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.” Our pastor said, “Don’t focus on
the obstacles or the rubble; focus on the Power.” He also talked about people
who plan and plan and plan. “Stop planning,” he said, “and start doing.” And his final thought: “You’re
still alive because you haven’t finished the job God gave you to do.” (Thank
you, Pastor Ira Brown, for these thoughts!)
Thought
for Today:
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked
up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with
whatever hard things come up when the time comes" (Matthew 6:34 The
Message).
Laugh
for Today:
The
Bathtub Test
During
a visit to a mental asylum, I asked the director, “How do you determine whether
or not a patient should be institutionalized.” “Well,” said the director, “we
fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket to the
person and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.”
“Oh,
I understand,” I said. “A normal person would use the bucket because it’s bigger
than the spoon or the teacup.” “No, said the director. “A normal person would
pull the plug. Do you want a bed by the window?”
Song
for Today:
(A
song that meant a lot to me the night before a scary surgery when I was a
pastor’s wife and the mother of three preschoolers):
And
He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And
He tells me I am His own;
And
the joy we share as we tarry there,
None
other has ever known.
“In the
Garden,” C. Austin Miles
Writer’s
Tips:
Some
other tips from a recent editing job:
·
You
can use initial caps for Deity pronouns (i.e., He, Him, His, You, etc.) or lower
case, but be
consistent.
·
Indent
a quotation over four lines. In this case, you won’t need beginning and ending
quotations marks, and use double quotation marks for any quotations within that
quote.
·
Decide
if you’re going to spell out numbers ten and under or ninety-nine and under, but
be consistent. (Use your ABC sheet to jot down what you’re doing.) BUT spell out
numbers at the beginning of a sentence (i.e., First Corinthians), and don’t
change within a sentence (i.e., if you spell out a number in a sentence, then
spell out the next ones—even if it doesn’t follow your selected
rule).
·
You
can use a comma in a series (i.e., red, white, and blue) or not, but be
consistent.
·
Use
a tab at the beginning of a paragraph. DON’T space over.
·
Same
with centering a title. DON’T space over. To center something, simply click on
Ctrl e.
·
After
the last line on a space, don’t do numerous carriage returns to reach the next
page. Simply click on Ctrl Enter, and this will take you automatically to the
next page.
·
In
days past, underlining a word indicated to the publisher that you wanted it
placed in italics. This isn’t necessary anymore. Just click on Ctrl i and Word
italicizes the word. (Ctrl b puts it in bold, but this isn’t used much anymore
either.) E-mail me for more Microsoft Word shortcuts.
·
Don’t
overuse “he said,” “she said.” Change paragraphs with each new speaker (I know;
I didn’t do that in today’s joke); call the other person by name so the reader
knows who’s speaking; or have the speaker perform some action. For example,
instead of, “I’m going to the store,” said Janet. She picked up her purse.”
Write, “I’m going to the store.” Janet picked up her
purse.
Remember,
the easier you can make it on the publisher, the better your finished book will
look.
Have a good week spreading
the
gospel
through the printed page.
Donna
Clark Goodrich
dgood648@aol.com
www.thewritersfriend.net
http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com
www.thewritersfriend.net
"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"
"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"
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