As you read this, the MBT staff is hard at work at the ACFW conference (if you’re there too, stop by the MBT booth. I’d love to say hi!!). I’m sure you’re hard at work as well. You’ve been repeating your elevator speech a hundred times, not realizing it was to the hotel staff. When you finally got across the table from your dream agent, you forget everything… even your name! Conferences are enough to make you feel you insignificant. Like you’re a little tadpole in a great big ocean. If you’re not careful, you let some things go that really need to be attended to. That’s why I want to encourage you to stop! Relax! And… don’t forget to breathe! Whether you land that contract or not, you’re writing […]
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Last Minute Emotional Checklist
Many of our Premium Team Members and Voices are packing their bags and putting the final touches on their manuscripts and checking their boarding passes to Indianapolis for the ACFW annual conference. Going to a conference is a necessary part of a writer’s career for sure but it can really take an emotional toll right in the middle of all your best laid plans. Here are a few things you can expect and how to combat them so you’ll be relaxed and successful when you get to Indy: Feelings of fear will come. They always do. Whether they manifest as butterflies in your stomach, sweaty palms or downright terror, the fear show up. Expect it. Embrace it. It’s only preparing you for the rigors of the conference. It will pass. […]
Read the RestLet’s Be Frank. Jealousy Is Part Of This Biz
Am I the only one? You pop on to FB or an email loop to see what’s going on? Only to find out someone has just GOTTEN THE CALL! Signed with an agent. Signed with a house. Inked a movie deal. Or finaled in, yea, even won a major award. Got a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. And here you sit! Twenty manuscripts and counting with narry a nod. Perhaps your first book stunk up the publisher’s sales record to date. Maybe you’re doing great, building a readership, but can’t seem to hop into the movie market. Welcome to the world of publishing. Of anything entertainment wise. Shoot, I remember struggling in my corporate job with those who advanced faster than me. Earned more money. (Cause you know we all […]
Read the RestI Can Only Imagine
As a writer, there are many times when things just don’t go right. The plot takes a wrong turn. The agent doesn’t think your story is publish-worthy. Your dog eats your only hard copy of your manuscript. The writing life is full of disappointments. But it is also filled with glorious wins and blessings. As a writer, your words will reach untold numbers of people and will impact their lives in ways you can only imagine. Haven’t you read a book and thought, “I can only imagine what that character felt like”, or “I wonder if the author experienced that? How else could they write about that so deeply?” You can only write what you can imagine. And you can only imagine if you’ve felt that or something similar. Those […]
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