A
Step in the Write
Direction
September
14, 2015
Update:
This has been a good week. I’ve had a lot of fun going through 17 trays of
slides (down from 57 at one time!) and sorting even more. Threw away a lot from
birthday parties of children I babysat (before 1969) and scenery. Even gave away
two trays of Scotland slides. My best friend who went with me on that trip
passed away in November and no one else seemed to want to see them so I just
kept one tray with my friend and me in them. Have made an index for each tray
and typed two copies—one to put in the box with the tray and one I put in a
notebook. I was down to viewing the last two trays when my projector broke.
Don’t know why. It was only 47 years old! (Like my friend said, they just don’t
make things to last like they used to.) Called a local camera store and they
said they couldn’t get parts for this model any more. However, when I went down
there to get a rental, they had a used one for sale—and I bought it!...My weekly
critique group is coming here today for our meeting. I spent all day yesterday
cleaning house—that’s why this blog is a day late!
Thought
for Today:
Either we Christian writers mean business about winning souls for God, or we
should go out of business.… If you have been ordained to write, woe to you if
you put
everything else first. Woe to you if you do not give to God the best part of the day when
you are most alert, when…the juices are flowing and the mind is creative.…We have the greatest subject in all history, the Man from Nazareth…the greatest commodity, the gospel; the greatest book, the Bible; the greatest gift to offer, eternal salvation. If that doesn’t motivate us…we’re in trouble (Sherwood Wirt, You Can Tell the World, 1975).
everything else first. Woe to you if you do not give to God the best part of the day when
you are most alert, when…the juices are flowing and the mind is creative.…We have the greatest subject in all history, the Man from Nazareth…the greatest commodity, the gospel; the greatest book, the Bible; the greatest gift to offer, eternal salvation. If that doesn’t motivate us…we’re in trouble (Sherwood Wirt, You Can Tell the World, 1975).
Prayer Request from
Reader:
Small girl with
glioblastoma multiforma with recurring tumors. She underwent surgery in February
(Valentine's Day), then went through radiation and has had four sessions of
chemotherapy. Last week they doctors found a new tumor at the top of her brain.
It is butterfly shaped and it is in a place where it won't respond to radiation
or chemo and is inoperable. Her name is Jillian.
Laugh for
Today: A farmer was
driving down the road with a load of fertilizer. A girl playing in her backyard
saw him and asked, "Whatcha got in your trailer?" "Manure," the farmer replied.
"Whacha gonna do with it?" she asked him."Put it on my strawberries," he said.
The girl looked at him and said, "You should come and eat with us! We put ice
cream on ours." (The Gospel Greats Weekly
Newsletter, 9/8/15).
A
good fiction proposal should include:
1.
The novel’s title: Research the kinds of titles that attract
readers.
2.
Synopsis: This is a short (1-2 pages) summary of the novel. If you cannot
describe your major plot points in this amount of space, then you do not yet
have a clear enough vision of your story. … If you cannot describe it in order
to sell it, then you will not be able to describe it in order to promote
it.
3.
Details: length, delivery date.
4.
Chapter-by-chapter outline—two or three sentences telling what happens in that
chapter. Keep them interesting—think of this as telling your story in
fast-forward….
5.
Marketing: Who is the audience? How will you reach them? How do you plan to
publicize it? Can you get radio or TV spots? Obtain speaking engagements?
Publicize it on your and other websites? Considering today’s economy, publishers
expect more from editors in helping to sell books. The more assistance you can
give, the better chance you have of selling your book.
6.
Endorsements: Who can you ask to read and review your book? Contact other
authors who have written similar books and ask them for endorsements. It is more
and more essential that you obtain endorsements early on in the
process.
7.
Competition: What similar novels are currently in print? List them, and note how
they are doing. Is there room for another?
8.
Author information: This is no time for modesty. What else have you published?
What awards have you won?
9.
Sample chapters: Include the first three chapters
[i]
www.customline.com/wordware/individual/getting/proposalsF.html. Used by
permission.
Have a good week spreading
the
gospel
through the printed page.
Donna
Clark Goodrich
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