More than Writers

Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.  Many of us have author newsletters. I suspect there are more who know newsletters are a good idea but haven’t yet started one. I consider myself a late comer here, but it isn’t too late to start and thought I’d share tips I’ve found handy. I only started a newsletter when I knew I could keep it going. I planned when I’d issue them and when, in each month, I’d need it ready by. I realised from this I could schedule it into my writing life easily.  Consistency helps build reader loyalty, though what this is can vary from author to author. For me, once monthly works. Other authors issue newsletters quarterly. Both are fine but you need to work out what would work best for you on a long term basis.  It also helps me to work out themes which I can keep writing about, the obvious one being flash fiction. Sharing tips on what has helped me writing wise will resonate with others so again it is something to write a...

    FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN PART 2   On March 28 th , 2022, I wrote Part 1 of this post, here: https://morethanwriters.blogspot.com/2022/03/from-egypt-to-canaan-part-1.html    In that post, I mentioned a bit of the hardships I faced in Nigeria [Egypt] which God turned around for the good of my family and I, when He led us to the UK [Canaan] in 2003.   In the Bible, we read that the Israelites were told by God that the land He was giving them to sojourn was Canaan and they would expect the following: 1.       They would live in houses they did not build. 2.      They would not see the Egyptians anymore. 3.      They would live in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4.      They will harvest from vine yards they did not plant. When you read this in the Bible, do you reflect or gloss over the deeper truth? Put it this way. Maybe, someone you know has had a huge chang...

 T his morning I woke to a bright blue sky and sunshine, tipping last night's forecast of unremitting rain on its nose.  In a burst of enthusiasm I stripped all the beds and stuffed the sheets and duvet covers in the washing machine.   'You must be mad' my housemate Marilyn said.  'It's going to be raining all day today, how will you dry them?'   Presuming Marilyn hadn't realised it was sunny (she is blind) I replied blithely, 'it's a beautiful day, the forecast was wrong!  They'll dry in no time.'   Marilyn shook her head doubtfully, but I was sure I'd made the right decision when an hour later the sky was still clear and with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze it seemed perfect drying weather.  Marilyn's lift arrived for her church lunch and I happily pegged up the full basket full of bed linen.  The sheets and duvet covers  were soon dancing happily in the breeze and glowing in the bright sun.  I felt smug. ...

Image by  StockSnap  from  Pixabay My wife and I have been renovating my ‘final resting place’ for the last few months. Design decisions are important, as they are with our books. Making a mistake is also key to the whole process, though the fewer the better. One of the most difficult things is choosing the right paint colours. Although, it is interesting how the struggles that we face, provide us with stories. These could often be regarded as modern-day parables. Parable 1 At a previous house, we bought four different tester pots and tried them on the walls in various places. We watched how the different lights made them change and we made the decision. Everything felt good and we thought to ourselves, ‘That wasn’t too bad.’ We set to work with five litres of paint, brushes and rollers in hand. To me, the first coat looked good (of course it did, I didn’t want to paint it again). However, working in partnership involves listening to the other half. The other half...

  Or 'how to handle being nominated for an Award and then not winning it!' A couple of weeks ago I received a most surprising email. Out of nowhere I discovered that Instant Apostle had put one of my novels forward for the CRT (Christian Resources Together UK)  Fiction Book of the Year Award . They were contacting me to let me know that ‘ The Bride’ had been shortlisted as one of three finalists. What an absolute honour! For any author to know that their work is considered potentially award winning, is such a huge encouragement. I was ever so slightly overwhelmed! The news of my award nomination came at a really good time. Life has been challenging lately, with a number of discouragements and difficulties affecting us as a family. I was really grateful – to my publishers, to those who had judged my book worthy, but to God as well. He knew how much I needed to hear some good news. Some really good news. Something definitely worth celebrating. So then the waiting beg...

  My son collected his GCSE results last month, or rather, I collected them on his behalf, as he was away. I opened the envelope on a video call, so that he was the first to see them. Fortunately he did really well, so it was an easy call; he knew he’d be able to do the subjects he wanted at A level and after he’d phoned a few family members with the good news he could go and celebrate with his friends. Provided they’d also been successful. Whatever successful meant for them. Over the next few days, I bumped into some of my son’s friends and I perfected my questions. Instead of ‘how did you do?’ I asked, ‘Were you happy with your results? ‘Did you get what you need for your next step?’ Because success looks different for different people. For one boy, scraping a pass in both English and maths was a massive success as he can do his carpentry apprenticeship without needing to worry about resits. For another friend, failing to get a 7 in maths means he had to ma...

  A Writer’s Friends by Rebecca Seaton   Intro Writing is not the solo occupation we sometimes think, writers need a team. God Himself loves unity – the Trinity acts as one. The dedication in one of my books is Proverbs 17:17: ‘A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.’ The principles of fellowship and discipleship can be applied to our writing journey just as easily as to our spiritual one. Beta Readers The author is the alpha reader, so the beta reader comes next. They haven’t lived through the process, they’ll be your first ‘ouside’ reader. Think carefully about who you choose and your expectations. It might be someone close or someone professional depending on your needs and circle. You need someone you trust, not just to say ‘That’s nice’ but to honestly give constructive feedback. A good beta reader can change your writing journey: Stephen King’s wife famously fished ‘Carrie’ out of the bin and gave him pointers for changes, providing a t...