Sunday Devotional

For such a small dog, Max certainly has the temperament of an alpha. Just today, he and I engaged in a battle of wills that left me wondering just who the owner was.

I’m ashamed to admit I have fostered a rather bad habit in Max. He’s become so accustomed to getting ‘people’ food that the moment my family and I finish eating, he runs to his bowl in anticipation of scraps. Well, today I wasn’t as quick to leave the table as I usually am, and Max sat at my feet growling.

“What?” I said, glancing down at him. He cocked his head at me, waiting. “Just a minute, Max,” I said and went back to talking.

He growled again, louder.

“Max, just a minute.” I let my tone sharpen, thinking with just a word of reprimand, he would quiet down. Instead, he barked at me, ran to his bowl, and turned to stare at me.

“Good grief,” my husband said. “He sure is getting pushy.”

“So he is,” I said, mumbling as I got up to get him something to eat. And that’s when it occurred to me. As a child of God, I’ve grown to expect His blessings. What was once received with thanksgiving has now become the norm. Worse still, I growl and grouse when His blessings don’t come as quickly as I expect. Instead of waiting on God, I push my way forward, then run to Him for help when my impatience gets me into trouble.

Lord, help me to remember that it is You who is in control. Don’t allow me to become so self-absorbed that I forget that it is You who reigns from on high. May I always remember to give You thanks for all the wondrous gifts You bestow, and may my attitude always be one of praise.

Malachi 3:10-18 (New International Version, ©2010)

10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God

13 “You have spoken arrogantly against me,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’

14 “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”

The Faithful Remnant

16 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.

17 “On the day when I act,” says the LORD Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

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Winners!!

It's always so much fun to give away great books!! Congratulations to this week's lucky winner:

Bonnie R. Paulson - A Dad of His Own by Gail Gaymer Martin

Bonnie, please use the button in the upper right side of this page to email me with your mailing address so I can forward your information to the author. Then, sit back and wait for your book to arrive.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book and thank you, Gail Gaymer Martin for your generosity in providing a book!

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Weekly Drawing

Entering our weekly drawing is easy:

1. Leave a comment on Fridays or...

2. Sign up to follow The Borrowed Book. Followers will automatically be entered for a chance to win that week's drawing!

This week, The Borrowed Book is giving away:

A Dad of His Own by Gail Gaymer Martin ~ With his Dreams Come True foundation, Ethan Fox turns wishes into reality. Amazing trips. Meeting heroes. But Ethan has come to care deeply for a sick boy whose dream is…a dad. And not just any dad: Ethan. Though little Cooper has a great chance of getting well, widowed Ethan can't chance loving—and losing—again. Yet he's spending time with the sweet boy and his lovely, strong single mother, Lexie Carlson. Could a little boy's wish for a dad of his own come true after all?

Winners will be announced on Saturday, 02/19/11.

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Show Me the Money!

"Show me the money!" Speak those words and right away movie lovers know you're talking about Jerry Maguire, the story of a sports agent who falls on hard times when he loses his job at an agency representing athletes. Cuba Gooding, Jr. won an academy award for his performance as football player Rod Tidwell in this movie. One of my favorite scenes is Jerry on the phone with Rod as he desperately tries to keep him as a client. Jerry realizes as the minutes pass that all his other clients are being gobbled up by other agents in the office who are calling his clients to let them know Jerry has been fired. Even Rod tells him at one point that an agent from Jerry's office is on the other line waiting for Rod's decision on whether or not he's going to stay with Jerry. As Rod ends the conversation, Jerry realizes he's left with one client-Rod. In case you haven't seen it, here it is:



Rod Tiwell expected Jerry Maguire to "Show Me the Money!" If you watched the movie, you know Jerry delivered on that promise, but not after a lot of hard work along the way.

When you sign a contract with an agent, that person is going to go to bat for you just like Jerry did for Rod, but don't expect the money to come rolling in right away. You may be at the point in your writing career that you haven't been able to get a contract with an agent yet. In fact, you may be wondering if you even need one. In my opinion, if you're serious about selling your work to a reputable publisher, you need to think about getting an agent.

With publishing houses accepting only agented manuscripts, it's becoming necessary for every writer to have an agent. With all the prepublished authors wanting to get their foot in the door and publishers having fewer spots for new authors, it becomes a daunting problem. So today I want to focus on the subject of what agents can do for your career. I can't tell you how you're going to find the perfect agent for you, but I can give you some things to think about as you proceed with your search.

Even with an agent, it's going to take time to sell your book. Agents know what is selling and what is not. If your story doesn't fit a particular house, don't expect it to be submitted there. Those kinds of submissions receive an immediate rejection. When it is sold, however, it's great to have someone who knows what the market is paying in advances and will work to get you the largest amount possible. Since houses pay different amounts, you might get lucky with a big advance and then you might not. Of course your agent is going to get 15% of that. So your upfront money is smaller, and you have to sell enough books to pay back the publisher before you can even start to see royalty checks. Sad as it is, the truth is that we're not all like Nicolas Sparks and can get an advance of $1,000,000 for a first manuscript.

Rod Tidwell trusted Jerry Maguire, and you need an agent you can trust. Be careful to query only reputable agents. The inspirational publishing industry is like a family. Don't be afraid to ask friends and colleagues about agents before querying. Go to conferences and workshops where you will meet agents who are actively pursuing publication for their clients. I read that agents are not salesmen, they are people with a lot of friends in the publishing industry and make recommendations based on what the market needs. I like that idea. It makes me feel good that my agent doesn't have to SELL my work to a publisher, but she can RECOMMEND it based on what that house needs.

Also, look for sales that the agent has made lately. If you can't find any, be careful about proceeding with that person. Another word of caution: An agent who charges reading fees or mentions charges for other services is one to avoid. If he/she is having to do this, then they aren't making a successful living from their work for clients.

If you're looking for an agent, I hope you find the right person. I recently told a friend of mine who had received a rejection from an agent that finding the right person is like looking for the goose that laid the golden egg. It may take a long time to find it, but once you do it's well worth the journey you had getting there.

Have you found your agent yet? What do you expect from your agent once you sign with him/her? Leave your questions, and the ladies of The Borrowed Book will try to answer them.

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Video Interview ~ Gail Gaymer Martin

The Borrowed Book is proud to present a new media for introducing you to your fun, favorite authors! This special video interview with Gail Gaymer Martin is the first in a series that we will be presenting in the coming months. We hope it will help you get to know these authors better. Enjoy!

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Multi-award-winning author, Gail Gaymer Martin writes Christian fiction for Love Inspired and Barbour Publishing, where she was honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has forty-eight contracted novels with over three million books in print. She is the author of Writers Digest’s Writing the Christian Romance. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers, a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations and presents workshops at conference across the US. She has a Masters degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and is a licensed counselor. She lives in Michigan with her husband. Her current release is titled A Dad of His Own, published by Steeple Hill, February, 2011.

Gail is giving away a copy of her book, A Dad of His Own. Be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book on Friday for your chance to win! And, to learn more about Gail and her work, visit her at:

Website: http://www.gailmartin.com/
Blog Site: http://www.gailmartin.blogspot.com/
Writing Fiction Right Blog
Facebook
Twitter

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Writing 101: Pass the Scalpel

It’s sharp. It cuts. And a good writer will learn the value of using it with educated precision. By wielding the scalpel, you rid your manuscript of weak words, phrases, scenes, and unnecessary tangents. And as the word count you worked so hard to achieve falls to the floor in a bloody heap you rejoice knowing your manuscript is stronger for the loss.

Strange?

Yes.

Both writers new to the business and writers new to the world of publishing must learn the lesson of the scalpel and learn it well. As a newbie, I balked at the idea of cutting anything from my manuscript. Instead of bravely slicing unnecessary words and paragraphs, I would create a separate file for the precious orphans, thinking I might use them later, or that they might be fodder for another book.

Only it never happened.

I quickly discovered that anything worth deleting from a manuscript needed to be deleted *permanently*. No tears. No pining after the hours spent creating the words. If they were marked to be cut then they were inferior. Period. Sounds tough, huh?

I asked some of my writing peers to share their perspective on the cutting process.

Author Frances Devine’s response goes to show that applying the scalpel can be beneficial in more ways than one. “I cut several paragraphs a couple of days ago because I decided I needed to change the end of a scene. It gave me a new outlook on the next chapter.”

Kimberli Buffaloe isn’t published, but she is learning and maturing as a writer. This statement only proves that: “I've learned to push aside my ego and cut for the good of the story. I don't care if I like the line, scene, or chapter, or if I think the sentence is the most clever thing I've ever written. I've slashed 10k during this revision and know it's probable I'll cut at least 1000 more.”

Pam Meyers has learned the value of the scalpel during a revision she did on a manuscript before submitting a proposal. “Once I got into it (cutting words) I loved seeing how the story strengthened as I got rid of the "extra" words. So many times I found I had "Goes Without Saying" or "Resist the Urge to Explain" clauses at the ends of sentences.”

The secret to creating a better story is applying the scalpel. First, you have to learn to see your manuscript not as a work of art, but as a means of communication. Within a manuscript is a theme, a basic idea that you want to convey to the reader.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, as Kim said, you have to kill ego. As writers we often become so caught up in ourselves that instead of conducting the orchestra of characters, we want to spotlight each one of our “pretties.” The problem is members of an orchestra who vie for time in the spotlight are taking away from the work they have been brought together to produce. Characters are the same way. The writer is the conductor and the characters must work together to create a beautiful story with a common theme.

Applying the scalpel returns the focus to the theme of the story and puts the writer back in control.

Mike Ehret, editor of ACFW’s e-zine, Afictionado, sums it up it best: “I have never seen cutting words fail to make a piece better.”

Have you ever seen the necessity of cutting words from your manuscript to make it stronger? Have you ever read a story where the author would have benefited from applying the scalpel a little more?

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CSG Part Two: Devotion on a Schedule

It's Valentine's Day, and today we're talking about devotion! In this case, we're going with the second and third definitions given by Dictionary.com for this word: "earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc." and "an assignment or appropriation to any purpose, cause, etc."

We must ask ourselves:

1. Am I devoted to my manuscript/story?
2. Am I willing to devote time to my manuscript/story?

If you answered "yes" to both of these questions, then you're right on track with part two of the game plan I started outlining last week for finishing your manuscript! (Click HERE to read Part One: A Companion for the Journey.)

Again, I want to add that I am not yet a published author, and I'm currently working on my first manuscript. So these tips I'm sharing with you are just things I've been learning along the way!

And now for the S in the CSG plan: Schedule.

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2011 is to finish my manuscript by May 31st. But I know that this year will be no different from any other previous year in fulfilling this dream if I don't actually sit down and write. Thinking about the story, planning the plot, and doing research are all wonderful and necessary activities, but if I'm ever going to have something to hand to an editor or agent, all those thoughts, plans, and historical tidbits are going to have to make their way from my mind to my computer!

Now, a writing schedule can look different for each person. For example, a full-time published author (ie: an author who writes for a living) would most likely want to schedule in hours of writing almost every day. But for those who are working full-time at another job or are full-time students, writing every day is not only a daunting and frightening idea, but it's also impractical.

So what are those of us in the second category supposed to do? To be honest, it depends. Sometimes we have to wait, because writing can't be a top priority then. God, family, and work must come first. But sometimes we actually do have the time, but until now we've chosen to fill it with other activities that are definitely not priorities.

This semester, the opportunity has presented itself to me, and so I've made a schedule. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning, I sit down in front of my laptop and type. My goal is usually at least 700 words, but sometimes I write a little less or a little more. The point is that the goal is practical, and I'm getting something onto that blank page. I think it's important to celebrate those small victories!

Since I had already written a good "chunk" of my story before beginning this new year, I think this schedule will help me meet my goal of finishing my manuscript before June. (After that--editing, polishing, and writing a proposal!)

Sometimes the words don't really flow well. I have to sit for a while and write bit by bit. A walk can be inspiring, and, of course, spending devotional time with God beforehand.

The point is, no matter how much I write or how much time I can set aside, I need to write. Pray, and then just do it! I think you'll be surprised by the results. On days when I think that a scene isn't going to turn out very well because I started out with only a vague idea in my mind, I am often excited by what ends up on the page.

And why is that? First of all, God is in control, and if He wants this story to be told then I just need to tell it and trust Him to work all the details out to His glory. And second, I personally feel devotion for this story.

If you love your characters and the story they're a part of, then you'll be drawn into their world and your love will show through your words. Your devotion will keep you going and help you stick to your schedule. So don't be afraid to keep your devotion on a schedule!

Do you have a writing schedule, whether you're published or unpublished? Does it work well for you? If you don't have a schedule, can you think of certain days of the week when you can set aside time just for writing?

(If you can't already tell from the pictures I included, I'm a fan of certain PBS Masterpiece programs/movies! These are characters a person can fall in love with for sure! The images are from the PBS Masterpiece website.)

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