Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category

May
25
2011

Shooting the Gaps

I’m a huge sports fan, and when the Cubs or Sox are actually good, I’m a huge baseball fan. I’m not sure there is another sport where each move, each pitch, each play can carry so much significance. Especially when you get the the playoffs.

Well if you’re building a good baseball team you need a few kinds of players. Of course you need a solid pitching rotation. You need a decent, if not good, bullpen. And you need good hitters. Most fans think that you have to have big boppers–home run hitters. And you do need power. But you also need guys who can just put the ball in play and get hits. Some of the best hitters in the history of baseball have not been huge home run guys, but knew how to find a way to get on base.

The way they do this is they “shoot the gaps.” That is to say they are so skilled in their hitting, so disciplined, that they can read the defensive alignment and poke the ball thru the gaps. I’m thinking of guys like Tony Gwynn, who rarely hit a home run, but always got hits. Pete Rose was another. Ichiro Suzuki is another. What they do looks easy, but is hard to do. It’s hard to discipline your at bat and find a way to position the ball exactly where you would like it on the field.

In a way, writing is like this. To be a good writer, to build an audience and platform, you need to “shoot the gaps.” What do I mean by this?

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Apr
27
2011

Can We Retire This Word?

I’ve only been preaching for three years, so technically I’m a “rookie pastor.” But already I’ve seen some tendencies I’m working to correct. One I find in myself and also see in other Christian communicators is an over- use of the word, “most.”

We arrive at a countercultural truth in our study, perhaps a doctrine nobody seems to want to hear and we easily transition to, “You won’t hear that in most churches.”

Or we say, “In most churches . . . .” or “many Christians . . . .” It’s an easy thing to do. I not only hear this crutch in preachers preaching, but read it in blog posts and in books.

But I wonder if it’s healthy. For one thing, do we know what “most churches” believe? Dictionary.com defines “most” as “in the majority of instances.”

Can a preacher like myself honestly say with any degree of honesty that I actually know what “most churches” believe? There are over 450,000 churches in the United States. To honestly say you know what goes on in “most churches”, you’d have to have visited at least 226,000—that would tip you from half to “most.” I’m guessing even the most widely travelled speakers haven’t frequented that many churches. So we really don’t know, do we?

We employ “most”, I suspect, for two reasons. 1) It’s an easy cheap shot to the “out there” problem we perceive. 2) It makes us “better than most” by default. 3) It’s a lazy way to provide some application.

I’m learning, the hard way, that for me, God isn’t as concerned with “most churches” as he is with my church. And God isn’t as concerned with “most Christians” as he is with this Christian. I’m also learning it’s easier to dwell on the “out there” problem in Christianity than to apply radical gospel surgery to my own heart.

So who is with me? Let’s try to retire the lazy assumption of “most” in our preaching, our writing, and our gospel living. It’s both dishonest and disingenuous.

Feb
04
2011

Friday Five Interview: Ginger Kolbaba

Image of Ginger looking up and smiling.

After a couple of years of trying to get my work published and getting rejected (mainly because my writing wasn’t nearly good enough), in the Summer of 2004, I got a big break. Ginger Kolbaba, editor of Marriage Partnership, a magazine once published by Christianity Today, read an email query and said she liked my idea for a section for newlyweds titled “Work it Out.” I wrote a piece that shared our conflict over TV viewing. She accepted it and I felt like a million bucks. That piece helped launch my writing ministry. Well, Ginger and I have since become good friends. And today, she is still working for Christianity Today as editor of Christianity Today’s new online magazine, Kyria.com and manager of discipleship and women’s resources for Christianity Today. In Christian publishing for 14 years, she is former editor of Today’s Christian Woman and Marriage Partnership magazines. An accomplished book author, Ginger has written or contributed to more than 16 books, including her most recent novel series, Secrets from Lulu’s Café, which include Desperate Pastors’ Wives, A Matter of Wife and Death, and Katt’s in the Cradle.

Ginger also teaches and speaks across the country. She’s appeared on national venues such as CNN’s Nancy Grace and Court TV’s Catherine Crier Live, as well as Family Life Radio and Moody Radio’s Midday Connection.

She is a pastor’s kid (both her parents are ordained ministers) and is a summa cum laude graduate of Anderson University (Anderson, Indiana).

Ginger was kind enough to stop by for today’s Friday Five:

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Jan
14
2011

Friday Five Interview – Terry Whalin

If you’re a writer, editor, book publisher, agent or anyone associated with publishing, it’s likely you know my friend, Terry Whalin.W. Terry Whalin understands both sides of the editorial desk–as an editor and a writer. He worked as an editor for Decision and In Other Words. His magazine articles have appeared in more than 50 publications including Writer’s Digest, The Writer and Christianity Today. He is the creator and webmaster for Right-Writing.com.

Terry has written more than 60 nonfiction books and his latest is Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets to SKYROCKET Your Success. (WTW Press). Another recent book is Running On Ice: The Overcoming Faith of Vonetta Flowers (New Hope Publishers). See more about his writing and purchase books at: www.terrywhalin.com. For more than 12 years Terry was an ECPA Gold Medallion judge in the fiction category. He has written extensively about Christian fiction and reviewed numerous fiction books in publications such as Faithful Reader.com and BookPage. For over five years, Terry was an acquisitions editor in the book divisions of David C. Cook and Howard Books.A former literary agent, Terry is now a publisher at Intermedia Publishing Group. On a regular basis, he writes about the Writing Life. Terry and his wife, Christine, live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

On a personal note, when I have always looked and read Terry’s informative blog for help sharpen my writing skills. And when I got my first book contract, Terry was available to give me some good and personal advice. Today he was kind enough to stop by and chat with me:

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Aug
13
2010

Friday Five Interview – Tamela Hancock Murray

Tamela Hancock Murray is a great friend and . . . she happens to be my literary agent a really good one at that. She works with Hartline Literary Agency. She is very professional, loves Christ passionately, and really knows the industry. Most of all, she really understands her clients and helps to further them in their calling.

What’s makes Tamela a great agent is that she’s a writer as well. She’s written several novels and has a background in a wide variety of writing, publishing, and public policy endeavors. A bit more of her background:

She has been a writer for many years. As a college student, she interned on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Department of State before graduating with honors in Journalism from Lynchburg College in Virginia. Today, Tamela has more than 20 fiction and nonfiction books to her credit, plus magazines and newspaper articles. Her published titles include Love Finds You In Maiden, North Carolina. Tamela lives in Virginia with her husband and their two daughters.

She took time to answer five questions for The Friday Five:

1) If someone is new to the Christian Publishing world, they might not understand what a literary agent does and why someone would need one. Can you explain?


Sure, I’m happy to explain. Literary agents sell books to editors to be published. We help both writers and editors.  First, we choose excellent works that we feel are ready to be published, and help writers polish their proposals to put their work in the best light. We also make sure the work itself is at its best to present to editors. Competition is great, and writing must shine. Agents also decide where to send proposals, matching the right editors with the right proposals.

Agents talk to editors often, so they have a pulse on what editors need at any given time. Editors appreciate agents because they know submissions from us are presented with care. I am privileged to work with talented writers and I’m thrilled when I bring a gifted writer to an editor’s attention and gain a positive response.

2) Agents seem to be the new gatekeepers in that they have the slush piles and more-than-enough queries for representation. How can a writer get ready for an agent so that his work is something an agent would like to represent?

The main thing a writer can do is to visit the agency’s web site and study it. Look for what the agency asks to be submitted. Follow these instructions. Also look for agents who represent the type of books you write. Another strategy is to get to know the agent through events such as conferences. Meeting the agent face-to-face will allow you to see how both of you click. Another great option is to ask a current client to recommend you to the agent. Agents will give strong consideration to writers their authors recommend. For the record, Hartline Literary Agency does accept unsolicited queries and proposals.

Let us know how you found us, and please select only one of us to query at a time. Our web site is: www.hartlineliterary.com

3) A lot of people are talking about the future of the publishing industry, some even predicting that we’ll never have books and everything will be digital. What is your take?

I think there will always be room for both. People enjoy beautiful books for their personal libraries to read and display. The leather-bound, illustrated family Bible will always be a treasured possession.

On the other hand, electronic books offer a way to read many books for less money, and those books don’t consume physical space so this is ideal for people with little shelf space and those who travel often.

When I read a library book I especially like I might purchase my own copy, and I believe people will purchase hard copies of their favorite electronic books. I am thrilled by the new formats, because I believe more people will have better access to a greater number of books. Electronic books are a special blessing to those who don’t have access to a large library system, and to people who enjoy reading rare and out-of-print books since they are becoming available in e-book form.

4) Tell a bit of your story. How did you get involved in the Christian publishing industry and what drives you to keep writing and representing authors?

I am a full-time literary agent and write very little for publication at present. My college degree and professional writing background help me understand writers and what it’s like to sit in front of a blank computer screen, knowing it must be filled with words — astounding, excellent words — by a certain date. I possess the technical knowledge and skill to help budding writers apply that extra polish, and I am thankful for my years as a writer for that reason.

One of the most interesting assignments I had was during my U.S. State Department internship, when I prepared news briefs for the Secretary of State each morning. Later, when I was a young wife and mother staying home with an infant daughter, I wrote a few articles and was offered a job as a newspaper stringer, meaning I would write on their demand.

This option wasn’t practical for me at the time, but the offer encouraged me. I wrote for small Christian magazines, newspapers, and also novels. When I received an advertisement in the mail for Heartsong Presents, I felt led to submit to them.

They accepted my third novel, and I will always be grateful to them for giving me my first big break. My first job not involving my grandparents’ farm was in retail. I’ve always enjoyed the art of salesmanship, which encouraged me to make the transition from writer to literary agent. I love being a Christian literary agent because my work helps others realize their dreams, to God’s glory. Whether writers are helping others live better by walking with

God or writing to entertain my brothers and sisters in Christ, I am honored to be a part of their ministries. Joyce Hart will always occupy a special place in my heart because she was willing to give me a chance to be a literary agent.

5) What piece of advice would you give someone who feels they have writing talent and hears a call of God to communicate the message?

If you write 1,000 words a day, you will have a rough draft for a trade book novel in 90 days. Then you need to polish it until you feel it’s ready to be seen by people whose only interest is in reading a good book. If you are too afraid to let strangers read your work, you’re not ready for publication. After you submit, be prepared to accept and use constructive criticism. Work with a couple of other writers and learn from each other. Once you gain the courage to submit your work to agents, pay attention to any advice they offer. Be grateful for anything more than a form letter. That means they took time to give you special advice and they are nurturing you.

Thank you, Dan, for these wonderful questions and for the chance to spend time with your readers. May you all have a blessed day, and enjoy each moment that you write for Him.

Jul
16
2010

Friday Five Interview – Chip MacGregor

It is my privilege to interview one of the top literary agents in the country. Chip MacGregor is more than just a literary agent, he’s a consummate ”book guy” enjoying a successful career in all phases of publishing, from writing, editing, collaborating, publishing, and representing. Chip has discovered, collaborated with, and coached some of the most well-known authors, including Kay Arthur, Dr. David Jeremiah, Joe Stowell, Andy Andrews, and many others. Chip’s authors have spent numerous weeks on The New York Times best-seller lists, perhaps his most famous was Let’s Roll, the moving memoir by Todd Beamer’s widow, Lisa. Chip has also authored twelve books, including two bestsellers.

Chip is a favorite at writer’s conferences all over the country. He is a legend in the Christian publishing industry, known for his candor, knowledge of the industry, and passion for good writing. Personally, I have heard Chip speak on numerous occasions and have known him personally. He’s always a good and honest source of advice and is fiercely loyal to his clients. He’s also got one of the wicked senses of humor around. His blog, chipmacgregor.com is a rich source of information about the publishing industry, one that every serious writer should immediately bookmark.

1) Chip, a lot of people are talking about the future of books versus the digital technology (iPad, Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader). What is your perspective on where this is going?


History has taught us that as new technologies are developed, the culture adapts to them. We used to walk across the room to change TV channels. We used to stop and find a pay phone to call home. We used to re-type each page of a manuscript that had error. But we’ve adapted our lives to adjust to remote controls, cel phones, and PC’s. (And, of course, the advent of TV’s, telephones, and typewriters were cutting-edge technologies in their own days — each requiring adaptation from radios, telegraphs, and handwritten notes, respectively.) Right now we’re moving from printed materials to digital materials, and that’s creating a lot of change for people. My son will read a book on his cel phone — that’s about all anyone needs to know regarding the future of digital technology. All those extant great books and words? They’re all out there, ready to be interpreted through a new medium.

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Jun
11
2010

Friday Five Interview – Andrea Mullins

In 2005, I had this crazy idea for a devotional book for teens, based on the lives of teens in the Bible. I was an unknown writer, with only a very short list of published articles. At the time, I was volunteering to help my good friend Margaret McSweeney and her husband David, with their congressional campaign. Margaret is a writer herself. And while we were standing in line at a parade, she asked me if I had sent a proposal to Andrea Mullins of New Hope Publishers. I didn’t know Andrea and I didn’t know New Hope. Well, six months later, I had a voice message on my cell from Andrea. She was interested in  my book. After I picked myself up off the floor, I called her and since that time, New Hope has been my publisher. I’ll be forever grateful for her taking a chance on me and helping to develop my writing talent.

I have found Andrea to be a wonderful friend, someone who is deeply passionate about sharing the gospel around the world. Andrea is the publisher/director of New Hope Publishers and the President of Worldcrafts. She is the author of several books herself and has a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Transformational Leadership from Bakke University. Andrea is a sought after speaker for women’s ministry events.

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