A Step in the Write Direction

· 100-Plus Motivational Moments for Writers and Speakers – half-price $5, $2.69 s&h (This is free if you purchase 5 other books.)

· BIGGER SALE: A Step in the Write Direction—the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers—on sale NOW--$10.00, $3.22 s&h (only 16 left)

· BIGGER SALE: A Step in the Write Direction—Student Edition with assignments throughout—on sale NOW $8, $2.69 s&h)

· The Freedom of Letting Go (new one coming out will have discussion questions; can be used in S.S. class or small group); original copies without questions now on sale for half-price--$7.50, $2.69 s&h

· BIGGER SALE: Healing in God’s Time (story of Dave Clark, composer of 25 songs that have gone to #1 on the charts); was $15; NOW $8, $2.69 s&h

· The Little Book of Big Laughs—105 purse/pocket-size book of clean jokes—$5; up to 4 for same s&h—$2.69

· Preparing Your Heart for Christmas (31 Advent Devotions) half-price—$5

· Michigan and Ohio Cookbooks; half-price $5 each, plus s&h (depending on number ordered)

Monday, July 20, 2015

A Step in the Write Direction--July 20, 2015--Selecting Titles

A Step in the Write Direction

July 20, 2015

Update: I wish I had a more positive update to share, but I have to admit the last week has been a rough one with the rotator cuff physical therapy (seems like it’s making it worse; will see a surgeon Wednesday) and the COPD. Have been very short of breath and wouldn’t be surprised if, at my visit next with the pulmonary specialist, he may put me on oxygen, though I’ve been trying to put it off. But seems like all I want to do is sleep lately….On a more positive note, though, I found another insurance policy that will pay on the “slip and fall” if I can get the doctor to change the death certificate as “fall” wasn’t listed as a cause of death—when really it was the MAIN cause. So appreciate your prayers on this behalf. Thanks to all of you for your notes of encouragement (and some checks—which I’m not cashing until I hear from this latest policy).

Thought for the Day: "Let the printed word which brings men light, and let the printed word which makes men free, and let the printed word through which Thy word is spread, go on and on forever" (prayer of Johann Gutenberg, found among his papers).

Hymn for the Day:

“I will pour water on him that is thirsty;

I will pour floods upon the dry ground.

Open your heart for the gift I am bringing.

While ye are seeking Me, I will be found.”

Lucy J. Rider, “Ho! Every One That Is Thirsty”

Laugh for the Day:

A chap was arraigned for assault and brought before the judge. "What is your name, occupation, and what are you charged with?"

Prisoner: "My name is Sparks; I am an electrician, and I'm charged with battery."

Judge: "Officer, put this guy in a dry cell."

Writer’s Tips: Short Stories – Selecting a Title (This can work for nonfiction too)

I've heard people say, “Don't worry about your title. The editor will change it anyway.” Editors have more important things to do with their time, however, than to think of new titles. If you select a good one, they'll keep it.

I usually try to tie the title into the theme of the story. A story I wrote about a neighbor whose CB radio bled into our TV set and tape recorder I called “Breaker, Breaker.” I titled a story about a military couple “The Lord’s Army,” and I used a phrase from Scripture in a story titled “Such As I Have.”

An article about water beds ended up “Water, Water Everywhere—But Not a Drop to Drink,” and a travel article on Yuma, Arizona I called “Yuma, the Swinging Gate.” Another one on living with a disabled husband was titled “When the Golden Years Aren’t Golden.”

I always said editors never changed any of my titles, but I had to admit that “Tank, the Terrible”—the new title for my story in a teen Sunday school take-home paper—was much better than my bland title of “A Gift for Danny.”

Attract readers with your titles, but don’t promise them more than you can deliver. Your writing should live up to the title. There’s nothing wrong with being clever as long it isn’t overdone. For example, a splashing headline in a tabloid inviting the reader to a story concerning the health problem a popular singer was ashamed to admit, turned out to be only a weight problem.

Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

Donna Clark Goodrich

· 100-Plus Motivational Moments for Writers and Speakers – half-price $5, $2.69 s&h (This is free if you purchase 5 other books.)

· A Step in the Write Direction—the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers—on sale for half-price--$12.50, $3.22 s&h (only 16 left)

· A Step in the Write Direction—Student Edition with assignments throughout—on sale for half-price $10, $2.69 s&h)

· Healing in God’s Time (story of Dave Clark, composer of 26 songs that have gone to #1 on the charts); was $15; now $10, $2.69 s&h

· The Little Book of Big Laughs—105 purse/pocket-size book of clean jokes—$5; up to 4 for same s&h—$2.69

· Preparing Your Heart for Christmas (31 Advent Devotions) half-price—$5

· Michigan and Ohio Cookbooks; half-price $5 each, plus s&h (depending on number ordered)

Monday, July 13, 2015

A Step in the Write Direction--July 13, 2015--Short Story Writing

A Step in the Write Direction

July 13, 2015

Update: “This is the day that the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I’m glad that joy doesn’t depend on circumstances; instead it’s the Source of our joy!...I’m one of those weird people who like Mondays; it’s a new beginning. Forget last week!...Visiting pastor gave some good points yesterday on preparing for church that I thought could be adapted to writers: Prepare, Participate, Practice (what you learned). This is especially good for someone planning to attend a conference. Prepare ahead of time by printing out guidelines of editors who publish what you write; Participate by getting acquainted with other conferees and scheduling appointments with editors, and Practice what you learned when you get home….Off to physical therapy again. Five more appointments before I see the orthopedic surgeon. I actually think it’s getting a little better.

Thought for the Day: "Writing is something that you can never do as well as it can be done. It is a perpetual challenge and it is more difficult than anything else that I have ever done—so I do it. And it makes me happy when I do it well" (Ernest Hemingway to Ivan Kashkin, 1935, in Selected Letters, p. 419).

Song for the Day:

“I’ve been there

I’ve faced those lonely trials, I’ve been there,

So when you’re walking through the valley of the heartache once again,

You’re only going where I’ve already been.”

“I’ve Been There,” Dave Clark

(If you’d like the rest of the words of this song Dave wrote before he was healed of his 19-year illness, email me.)

Laugh for the Day: The minister had received several negative votes on his last recall and his little girl had overheard who voted them, but the father told her not to tell him. Later he allowed the girl to view the baptismal service and she sat on the front row. As the minister prepared to immerse the first lady, the little girl shouted, "No, no, Daddy, she wasn't one of them."

Writer’s Tips: Writing the Short Story

Parts of a Short Story

There are four parts to a short story: problem, struggle, barriers, and the solutions. Choose one basic problem your main character will face and carry that problem throughout the story. Don’t lose it on page 2, never to see it again, only to come up with a new and better problem on page 4.

How does the lead character solve his problem? You can use chance to hinder resolution, but not to help. Stories where the person prays, and suddenly, everything is all right seem unbelievable. Now perhaps during this person's prayer she may recall a Scripture verse or a solution comes to her, but prayer alone shouldn’t solve the problem. Show the character’s willingness to listen and follow the guidance God reveals during prayer. One conference speaker said that God can perform miracles in real life but not in fiction. A reader wants to see the character’s creativity dig her out of a deep mess.

Show the story's basic problem and identify the sex of the main character in the first l00 words. Have you ever gotten halfway through a story written in first person by a female author and suddenly discovered the main character is a man? When that happens, I have to go back to the beginning and read it again, because my entire perspective has changed. Somewhere near the beginning of your story, either have someone call the person by name, or make reference to a gender relationship to clarify.

Does the problem fit the character's age? I began one devotional for teens with the words, “Remember your first car?” The editor noted, “Most teens this age have only had one car.”

In her article “The Greatest Short-Short,” referring to the story of the Prodigal Son, Colleen Reece says, “Stories almost invariably need three things if they are to survive and sell: an interesting character who faces a real challenge and somehow changes in the process. What better example,” Reece asks, “than a boy who demands ‘real living,’ finds it isn’t so hot after all, and packs his pride in his battered suitcase to go back home?”[i]

[i] Colleen Reece, “The Greatest Short-Short,” The Christian Writer, June 1986, p. 27.

Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

Donna Clark Goodrich

· 100-Plus Motivational Moments for Writers and Speakers – half-price $5, $2.69 s&h (This is free if you purchase 5 other books.)

· A Step in the Write Direction—the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers—on sale for half-price--$12.50, $3.22 s&h (only 16 left)

· A Step in the Write Direction—Student Edition with assignments throughout—on sale for half-price $10, $2.69 s&h)

· Healing in God’s Time (story of Dave Clark, composer of 25 songs that have gone to #1 on the charts); was $15; now $10, $2.69 s&h

· The Little Book of Big Laughs—105 purse/pocket-size book of clean jokes—$5; up to 4 for same s&h—$2.69

· Preparing Your Heart for Christmas (31 Advent Devotions) half-price—$5

· Michigan and Ohio Cookbooks; half-price $5 each, plus s&h (depending on number ordered).

www.thewritersfriend.net
"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"

Sunday, July 5, 2015

A Step in the Write Direction--July 6, 2015, Writing for Newspapers (conclusion)

A Step in the Write Direction

July 6, 2015

Update: I’m going to share a little story about the song below and how it changed someone’s life. My nephew, Dave Clark, traveled with a gospel singing group, the Speer Family, for five years. He had moved from Michigan to Nashville several years before, in spite of a serious health problem, to follow his calling to be a songwriter. His wife said she knew where the group had been by the E.R. bills. Dave had a disease called apthous stomatitis which caused sores the size of a quarter in his mouth and down to his esophagus. Twenty-nine doctors at Mayo Clinic could find no cure. One night while singing at a camp meeting, the crowd sang the song below and that’s when Dave felt he needed to leave the group, as good as they had been to him, and go out on his own. This meant doing his own driving, setting up the sound equipment, etc. To make a long story short, eventually he was healed (the story is told in the book Healing in God’s Time) and wrote 25 songs that went to #1 on the charts including “Crucified with Christ,” “Mercy Said No,” “Mercy Came Running.” Just recently another one went to the top, “Pray Now” recorded by Karen Gooch Peck….Answering God’s call isn’t always easy, but when you’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause, it pays off….God might be calling one of you to do something today that seems impossible, but with Him, all things are possible.

Thought for the Day: "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it" (Edith Wharton).

Song for the Day:

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;

I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;

I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame.

I’d rather be true to His holy name.

“I’d Rather Have Jesus,” Rhea F. Miller

Laugh for the Day: A little girl was in church with her mother when she started feeling ill. "Mommy," she said, "can we leave now?" "No," her mother replied. "Well, I think I have to throw up!" "Then go out the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush." After about 60 seconds the little girl returned to her seat. "Did you throw up?" Mom asked. "Yes." "How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?" "I didn't have to go out of the church, Mommy. They have a box next to the front door that says, 'For the Sick.' (From “The Gospel Greats newsletter, June 30, 2015).

Writer’s Tips: Writing for Newspapers (conclusion)

Op-Ed Columns

Op-ed columns are like a Letter to the Editor, except longer—usually between 600 and 850 words, focusing on a local issue or a current event happening nationwide or worldwide, and something you feel passionate about. These columns are stronger if you include more than just your opinion; it helps to include statistics.

Give your column a catchy title, use a strong lead, present your facts in order, and wrap up the column with a strong ending—perhaps tying it in with your title or lead paragraph. Include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, word count, and photograph—if requested—and send it out.

Who knows? In a few days when you open up your newspaper to the editorial page, you may see your op-ed column—for everyone to read!

Note: If your column is published in a secular newspaper or periodical and you quote at least one Scripture verse, after publication you can submit it to the Amy Foundation for their annual awards, ranging from $10,000 to three prizes of $1,000 each. (See www.amyfound.org/amy_writing_awards/amy_writing_awards.html for more information.)

Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

Donna Clark Goodrich