Category: Helps for Writers

Engaging Culture, Helps for Writers, Inspiration for writers, New Releases, The writing life, Writing the Truth in Love

Writing for Readers in Today’s Culture

Many readers are also writers—whether published or not.

Are you a writer of sermons, blogs, letters, poetry, memoirs, essays, or books?

I invite you on a journey with me to discover, discern, and re-affirm a creative, organic, adventurous view of writing and publishing ministry today. Join me on this journey by reading my latest book, Write & Publish Organically: Dig Deep, Tend the Soil, Help Newness Emerge.

My vision of faith-based writing and publishing is like growing a garden that is not only productive but beautiful and good and true. It gets you in touch with “what is really real.” It gives life to all touched by the garden: workers, pollinators, neighbors, and consumers of the garden produce.

How does this vision fit within a post-modern, increasingly pluralistic and secular society, and a divided political landscape?

Churches are re-evaluating what ecclesia means, many Christians are deconstructing—and some are reconstructing—their beliefs. A growing number of the population identifies as SBNR (“spiritual but not religious”). They include the “Nones” (no religious affiliation) and the “Dones” (those who have left organized church). In this changing landscape how and what do we write and publish—especially in a sustainable way that will last and continue to grow and have influence?

In Write & Publish Organically, I consider five aspects of what I call organic publishing: Soak, Spoke, Evoke, Provoke, and Stoke. I show how we need to …

SOAK (first ourselves and then our readers) in mentally, physically, socially, spiritually healthy
nutrients, water, and life-sustaining soil.
Listen to wise words and the Living Word SPOKEN through the ages and still speaking. Then use words ourselves with care and creativity.
Write narratives to EVOKE the beautiful, good, and true, the transcendent within the imminent, to remind and re-enchant.
PROVOKE with our writing, cultivating vision, action, and community for a future of healing, renewal, and wholeness.
Continue to STOKE the fires of awareness, refinement, and relational engagement.

I choose the mindset of an under-gardener. My Father is the Gardener. Working with the Gardener, I purpose to dig, prepare the soil, and sow seeds with well-chosen, apt words. The resulting fruit may never be fully seen or measured. But I will seek to cultivate wheat, not chaff, and do it with love.

Join me, fellow writers and take the challenge of writing organically.

~Catherine

More about the book HERE.

Communicating Clearly and Effectively, Helps for Writers, Poetry, Writers Conferences

Writers: Poetry Can Sharpen Your Prose

by Catherine Lawton • 1 Comment

For Writers: Ten Ways Poetry Can Improve Your Prose

Writing poetry develops skills of concise wording (something we editors like!).

The writing (and reading) of poetry can sharpen your observation skills.

Because syntax matters in poetry, you will improve in your understanding of syntactic matters.

Figures of speech used in poetry teach you finer subtleties of word usage and connotations and make you a better wordsmith.

Poetic precision of words will sharpen your skill in choosing the most fitting, evocative, precise words for your prose.

The rhythms and rhymes of poetry tune your ear to hear fluctuations and patterns in the sense and sound of language.

Writing (or reading) a poem can provide a rejuvenating break from a long writing project. It may even break you out of writers block.

Writing a poem can help you distill a thought, discover a kernel of truth, and find your focus on a topic to develop more fully later, in prose.

A poem or short rhyme can add variety/spice/interest to a longer piece, when used in an organic way in a novel, memoir, blog post, even an expository piece of writing (and it looks good on the page).

You may possibly find your calling as a poet and discover that your poetry will reach your readers’ minds and hearts more effectively than 1,000s of prose words.

∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼

This list first appeared as a guest post on Marlene Bagnull’s blog “Write His Answer” at:

https://writehisanswer.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/why-write-poetry/

Photo credit: ©David Lawton

Editing Your Own Writing, Excellence, Helps for Writers, How to Approach an Editor, How to Submit a Book Query, How to Write a Book Proposal, Marketing Books, Memoirs, Writers Conferences

Colorado Christian Writers Conference

by Catherine Lawton • 2 Comments

The view of the Rocky Mountains from one of the buildings at Colorado Christian Writers Conference

Looking to attend a Writers Conference? Consider the wonderful setting, great staff and faculty, and nurturing atmosphere of the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, usually held in May in Estes Park, Colorado. We love going there, meeting with prospective authors, and presenting workshops. We’d like to meet you there. (We have met several of our authors there!)

A few other reasons to attend:

Marlene Bagnull is the director (You can listen to an interview with Marlene on blog talk radio, http://ow.ly/JI3lY )
Large Faculty of agents, editors, and authors
Free appointments with faculty of your choice

Some examples of great workshops in recent years:

Fiction Clinic w/Tracie & Jim Peterson, author 100+ books
Nonfiction Book Clinic with Craig Bubeck
Writing Powerful Narrative Nonfiction with Sherri Langton
Marketing for Introverts by yours truly, Catherine Lawton
Speakers’ Clinic with KPOF radio personality Roy Hanschke

Not to mention:

Author book signing Thursday evening
Uplifting worship times
Making friends and networking with other Christian writers.

Hope to see you there!

On hopeful paths of prayer and poetry,

~Catherine Lawton

Learn about this year’s conference: http://colorado.writehisanswer.com

Communicating Clearly and Effectively, Creative Nonfiction, Editing Your Own Writing, Excellence, Helps for Writers, Inspiration for writers, Nonfiction, The Writer's Heart, What We're Looking For

A Checklist to Make Your Writing Shine

by Catherine Lawton • 1 Comment

The marshy field in this photo teems with life. When our car speeds by it, though, we don’t notice or experience the wildlife hidden in the grasses, wading in the mud, singing from the reeds. One day we stopped our car, rolled down windows; looked through binoculars; listened, felt, smelled; tasted the breezes. Myriads of bird life, colors, textures of fauna and flora brought the place alive to us. Good writing does that also: draws in the reader, reveals hidden things, opens possibilities.

I taught from the following list at a recent writers workshop. Afterwards, a couple of wide-eyed writers said to me, “You really want good writing.”

Well, yes, I do! The better-written a manuscript comes to me, the more I like it. Here at Cladach we may resonate with the premise and material of a nonfiction manuscript—we may like a novel’s characters and plot—so much that we are willing to devote the editing time needed to bring the writing quality and style up to these standards. We may ask an author to go back and re-write/revise/re-work a manuscript. Then we also do in-house macro editing, line editing, and copy editing. The following list gives most of the elements of style and “good writing” that we look for in a manuscript and strive for in the books we publish.

Here’s how to give your writing pizzazz so readers will want to invest in it, engage with it—be entertained, convinced, and inspired by what you say. Check your writing against this list to make sure it communicates as clearly and persuasively as possible.

1. Have you written from your heart as well as your mind? (If not, read this post. If yes, go on to the rest of the list.)

2. Write in the active voice. Choose strong, active verbs.

3. Write concretely, rather than abstractly. Show, don’t just tell. Appeal to all the senses.

4. In nonfiction as well as fiction, use storytelling as much as possible.

5. Stay in a definite, consistent POV. Through whose eyes is the reader seeing?

6. Hook the reader on the first page/ first paragraph/ first sentence/ first word.

7. Keep the reader’s attention as each word, each sentence, each paragraph, each chapter leads to the next.

8. Maintain a logical or chronological flow of thought or action. Use transitions when needed.

9. Strive for precision and conciseness. Cut extraneous/ repetitious words and phrases. Less is more.

10. Give thought to word choices—consider subtleties, connotations, nuances; find the zing and zest of the right word.

11. Vary sentence structure and length. Use periodic sentences often (as in these examples).

12. Search for and remove troublesome words that hide like gremlins in your writing, words that are used compulsively but often aren’t needed. (Click here for my list.)

13. Use your ear. Do the sentences flow well? In fiction, is that how people sound when they talk? Try reading your writing out loud.

Art in Books, Book Publishing, Communicating Clearly and Effectively, Editing Your Own Writing, Excellence, Helps for Writers

Search, Find, Delete These Word Gremlins

by Catherine Lawton • 1 Comment

These troublesome words tend to hide like gremlins in our writing (especially in fiction, but also nonfiction).

We often use these words compulsively, but often they aren’t needed.

Remember, less is more. Conciseness makes better, stronger, clearer writing.

Do a search for—and delete unnecessary uses of—the following:

very
just
that
nice
interesting
look / looked (at)
like
then
begin / began / beginning
started / started to
take / took
seem / seemed

Were you surprised how many of these words showed up in your article, blog post, or book manuscript (especially a novel)?

Do you have other words on your personal list for keeping gremlins out of your polished drafts?

Book Publishing, Communicating Clearly and Effectively, Editing Your Own Writing, Helps for Writers

A Writer’s (Tongue-in-Cheek) Checklist

by Catherine Lawton • 4 Comments

Are editors always this long-faced? 🙂 Maybe we have all seen too many proposals and manuscripts with these errors in them. (See the list below.) In this photo, I’m sitting in the middle of a panel of book editors and agents at CCWC May 2016. We’re all considering a serious question posed by a conferee. But plenty of light, humorous moments occurred at the conference also–and lots of encouragement and inspiration, as well.

One constantly-recurring theme for writers is that we must strive for clarity. To that end, at my workshop on “A Checklist for Writers” I shared my list of writing techniques. Then I offered this bonus “checklist” that uses tongue-in-cheek humor to help us avoid murky writing.
(This list comes from Professor Howard Culbertson at Southern Nazarene University, and I use it with his permission.)

Don’t use no double negatives.
About them sentence fragments.
Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
Between you and I, case is important.
Do not submit writing in email or cell phone text format — thx!
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
Use your apostrophe’s correctly. Omit the apostrophe when its not needed.
Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
Of course, if any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
A writer must not shift your point of view.
Avoid clichés like the plague. They’re old hat. So, go around the barn at high noon to avoid clichés and colloquialisms.
Do not be redundant and keep repeating yourself; do not use more words than necessary; eliminate the superfluous in your writing.
One should NEVER generalize.
Be more or less specific.
And avoid starting sentences with a conjunction.
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
Don’t use commas, that are not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.
Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed. So, take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Be careful to use the write homonym.
DO NOT use multiple exclamation points and all caps to EMPHASIZE a point!!!!!!!!
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth-shaking ideas.
Proofread your writing to see if you any words out.

Book Publishing, Choosing What to Publish, Editing Your Own Writing, Helps for Writers, How to Approach an Editor, Inspiration for writers, The Publishing Process, The Writer's Heart, Trends in Publishing, Writers Conferences

A Mountain-top Experience for Christian Writers at CCWC

by Catherine Lawton • 2 Comments

If you are a Christian writer, I want to encourage you to attend the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference. This great conference is just two weeks away, but there is still time to register. I will be at this conference and I would love to meet you there. You can come for 1, 2, 3, or 4 days. You can stay in beautiful YMCA of the Rockies or commute. Come if you can! Here’s more information from the conference director, Marlene Bagnull:

Colorado Christian Writers Conference

A note of encouragement from Marlene Bagnull, Director:

Do you ever doubt your abilities as a writer?

Have you almost given up on getting published in today’s competitive market?
Do you hate the “slush pile” and wish you could talk to an editor one-on-one?
Are you secretly terrified of the idea of building a “platform”?
Do you feel like you’re all alone in your writing adventure/struggle?
Is it really worth hanging in there for the long haul?
Is there a desire burning in your heart to write words that will potentially lead others to Christ?

7 Top Reasons You Need to Come to the May 11-14 CCWC

Master the craft of writing. Okay, no one will ever achieve that lofty goal. There’s always more to learn. But as one conferee said, the Colorado Christian Writers Conference is equivalent to a semester college course in writing. A faculty of 56 editors, agents, and authors will provide instruction for wannabe and advanced writers of fiction from Christian speculative to historical, point of view and voice to making a scene. Nonfiction writers will find help for writing Bible studies, memoirs, articles, and much more. With 59 workshops and 8 continuing sessions to choose from, there really is something for everyone.

Learn how to sell your work to potential publishers or explore the how-to of indie publishing. Whether you’ve received more than your share of rejection slips or have yet to get your first, two of CCWC’s eight continuing sessions that will provide the answers you need are: “Indie Publishing Boot Camp” and “Writing a Winning Book Proposal.”

Face to face opportunities to pitch your work to editors and agents. In today’s publishing world the only way to connect with many agents and editors is through meeting them at a conference. Those who register for Thursday through Saturday are entitled to FOUR 15-minute one-on-one appointments with the faculty of their choice. You’ll find lots of helpful info on how to prepare and make the best choices by clicking on One-on-One at http://colorado.writehisanswer.com.

Learn the craft of marketing/promoting your published work. Yes, it’s a craft, and not one that comes naturally to most writers. I’ve often said that the reason I quit Girl Scouts was the stress of trying to sell cookies. Whether or not you enjoy marketing, though, you hold the key to the sales of your book. And the good news is that marketing can be learned. We have a track of six hour-long marketing workshops and a continuing session on “Thriving in Today’s Publishing World.”

Friendships with other writers. Writers connect deeply with one another faster than I ever have in the chit-chat before and after Sunday-morning worship services. A key verse that I’ve sought to follow is 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Encourage each other to build each other up” (TLB). It happens every year at CCWC!

Inspiration and encouragement to keep on keeping on. Louise Looney is well qualified to teach the workshop, “Still Climbing – Not Over the Hill.” Since turning 75, she has written four books. Allen Arnold’s continuing session, “From Overwhelmed to Creative Breakthrough,” will provide a refreshing journey for anyone who feels disheartened. And, of course, we also offer eight inspiring keynote addresses and times of worship.

And the Number 1 Reason to come to the Colorado Christian Writers Conference: Renew your faith and passion to “write His answer.” Each year Father meets us on the mountain and challenges and equips us to write about a God who is real, who is reachable, and who changes lives.

There’s still time to register and to request appointments. Housing is still available at the YMCA – Estes Park Center. Thanks to the Y’s spacious classrooms, none of the workshops or continuing sessions are filled. For much more info and secure online registration go to http://colorado.writehisanswer.com. If you need time payments or scholarship help, please ask. Email me at mbagnull@aol.com or call 484-991-8581.

Authentic Faith, Book Publishing, Helps for Writers, Inspiration for writers, The Writer's Heart, Thinking Christianly, Venturing for the Lord, What Makes a Good Author?, What Makes a Good Book?, Why Publish?, Writers Conferences

A Christian Writer’s “Wildly Unbalanced Life”

by Catherine Lawton • 6 Comments

I hear writers bemoan the demands and distractions in their days (including technology) and how hard it is for them to achieve balance in their lives. Perhaps you’ve felt that, too. You’re working at the computer and think you’ll just check Facebook for a few minutes. An hour later, you wonder where the time went. Or you hear the musical tone that tells you new emails or text messages have arrived on your cell phone. You were just about to focus in on the theme of a blog post you’re preparing to write. You touch your phone screen, read the text and one thing leads to another. Let’s see, where did that inspiration, that thought, that focus go?

I ought to read more, pray more, call so-in-so, go shopping, attend those meetings, deep clean my house/office, sort through papers, watch those recommended movies, re-decorate my house, exercise more … while tweeting, blogging, posting, submitting copy to editors.

So, how do we achieve “balance”?

Or, is that even the right question?

I got help on this issue a few days ago when I attended the “Writers on the Rock” Christian writers conference in Lakewood, Colorado, as a workshop presenter. Happily, I had opportunity to go to a session taught by Allen Arnold of Ransomed Heart Ministries. “Balance isn’t the key,” he told us. “God wants us to write—not for him or about him—but with him. This leads to a wildly unbalanced life. Let other things fall away.”

Demonstrating his teaching, Allen presented a creative, God-breathed message that brought clarity to my mind and both piercing and encouragement to my heart. In fact, the heart was his theme.

“Infuse Your Creativity with Heart” was his topic. “Nothing great was ever achieved without great heart,” stated the workshop blurb in the conference program. “Yet writers often become disheartened, discouraged or overwhelmed” (that’s where I started this post, remember?) “and when they do, their stories slowly begin to die.” Allen’s workshop promised to tell us “how to discover the truer you, consecrate your creativity, and feast on hidden Spiritual Manna.” He delivered on that promise.

A tall man with a joyful smile and eyes that seem ready to laugh with you or cry with you according to your need and the Lord’s leading, he said, “God cares far more about the story you’re living than the story you’re writing. Live well. Then write well.”

Does living well mean keeping up with everything the world, and even the church, often tells us we should keep on top of and keep “in balance?”

“You can’t write a better story than you’re living,” Allen Arnold states. “Nothing is more important than how a story was born—what your heart is like at the time of writing. … Your writing changes when it becomes about presence over productivity.”

If writing and connecting with readers to encourage them, lift their sights to Jesus, come alongside them, instruct them in the living Word, bring them hope through a well-told story, is what gives you life … then this may be what the Lord is calling you to do; and to live out this calling, you will have to let some other things fall away.

Tend to your heart. Then write and connect and live a “wildly unbalanced life” in—and flowing out from—the presence of Jesus.

Update: I recently got Allen Arnold’s book, The Story of WITH : A Better Way to Live, Love, & Create. I recommend it! ~ C.L.

Book Publishing, Choosing What to Publish, Helps for Writers, The Publishing Process

Are You Ready to Publish a Book?

by Catherine Lawton • 1 Comment

Acquisitions Editor Hat

Think that’s a glamorous hat? Think again. As a “boutique” (small, custom, picky) publisher, I wear this hat often, and at first glance it may seem to give power and appeal. Over time, though, it brings me to my knees.

With my acquisitions editor hat on I must make decisions to enter into contractual agreements with writers based on perceptions and best guesses. First impressions of an author or manuscript are subjective. I may like the person, writing, or idea based on personal preferences and interests or their persuasiveness and ability to engage me with their written expression.

If an author/book idea crosses that first threshold, it must then hold up under business scrutiny. Tough questions should be asked, analysis and forecasting applied. Is there enough demand for a book like this? If so, can we and the author reach the market for this book? Is it well written, engaging, and unique enough to compete with similar books? If it will catch the wind and begin to float, is the author ready and able to sail with it? Is this project financially feasible? Does it really fit in Cladach’s niche of literary waters?

If we answer too many questions “No” or “We don’t know,” and this process shoots too many holes in the potential project, it will sink before it starts with us. What we don’t want is to prepare a book, like a boat, to launch upon a sea of published books only to watch it sink. This has happened.

With some projects we know that we are testing the waters and risking storms at sea, but we believe in an author or project so much that we are willing take the risks. If we do that too often, though, we cannot stay in this business/ministry.

Some book projects we take on with excitement, but the sales peter out. Others catch wind in their sails and continue to sell week after week, month after month, year after year. With the benefit of hindsight I can see that the following factors make a difference:

What other titles has the author published? For instance, if his other titles are poorly-edited self-published books, this author’s reputation may suffer and hinder potential sales of the title we have carefully edited.
How actively connected is the author with the book’s prospective audience—even before she is published?
Is there a waiting audience/demand for this book?
Does the author have an ongoing means of reaching that audience? And is it an audience Cladach reasonably can reach out to?
Is the author’s personal life—including health, relationships, and finances—in order?

In my mind this begs the question: “As a writer, when are you ready to have your book published?”

Writers who feel they have something to say and long to be published authors, tend to become impatient. Your preparations to publish involve much more than finishing a manuscript and writing an effective book proposal. You need also to:

Find/identify/make connections with/get to know the audience for you and your book. (Start this ongoing process, in fact, even before you write the manuscript.)
Get your finances in order. It costs to publish and market effectively, even when you publish with a traditional, (large, small, or micro) royalty publisher.
Resolve, as far as you can, personal issues. Working as a published author takes time, energy, commitment, and the support of people around you.

As my mother used to say, “Work as if everything depends on you. Pray as if everything depends on God.” And that again brings me to my knees in the uncertain but enticing waters of acquiring book rights and taking publishing risks.

Janyne McConnaughey signs a Cladach book contract. This one was a good decision!

Cladach Authors, For the Glory of God, Helps for Writers, What Makes a Good Author?, What We're Looking For, Why Publish?, Writing the Truth in Love

Running the Race ~ Writing for the Lord

by Catherine Lawton • 0 Comments

Cladach’s Talented and Dedicated Authors

What makes a good author?

A good author is someone who has a burning desire to communicate through written expression, will pay the price to learn the craft of writing, will apply themselves to the process of writing, and will always keep their readers in mind. A good Christian writer loves the Lord, loves words, and loves people.

They can clearly answer the reporter’s questions:

Who: They know for Whom and to whom they are writing.

What: They have a clear focus and plan for what they are writing.

Where: They have a place to write and regularly “apply the seat of their pants to the seat of the chair” with pencil in hand or hands on keyboard.

When: They have a regular time to write and also have learned to snatch the moments and ideas as they come.

Why: They know why they are writing. A writer’s motives may vary: money (dream on), fame (rare and elusive), satisfaction, to scratch the itch (they can’t not write),… Or, they relate to what the Olympic runner, Eric Liddell ‘s character said in Chariots of Fire: “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

If God has truly gifted these writers to write for Him, then their writings will give pleasure to readers also. From their writings readers will gain inspiration, courage, hope, understanding, insight, help.

These Christian writers have taken to heart Hebrews 12:1-2.

On hopeful paths of prayer and poetry,

~Catherine Lawton

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For Writers: Ten Ways Poetry Can Improve Your Prose

Writing poetry develops skills of concise wording (something we editors like!).

The writing (and reading) of poetry can sharpen your observation skills.

Because syntax matters in poetry, you will improve in your understanding of syntactic matters.

Figures of speech used in poetry teach you finer subtleties of word usage and connotations and make you a better wordsmith.

Poetic precision of words will sharpen your skill in choosing the most fitting, evocative, precise words for your prose.

The rhythms and rhymes of poetry tune your ear to hear fluctuations and patterns in the sense and sound of language.

Writing (or reading) a poem can provide a rejuvenating break from a long writing project. It may even break you out of writers block.

Writing a poem can help you distill a thought, discover a kernel of truth, and find your focus on a topic to develop more fully later, in prose.

A poem or short rhyme can add variety/spice/interest to a longer piece, when used in an organic way in a novel, memoir, blog post, even an expository piece of writing (and it looks good on the page).

You may possibly find your calling as a poet and discover that your poetry will reach your readers’ minds and hearts more effectively than 1,000s of prose words.

Photo credit: ©David Lawton

Colorado Christian Writers Conference

A note of encouragement from Marlene Bagnull, Director:

7 Top Reasons You Need to Come to the May 11-14 CCWC