By Pam Hillman
To recap what we learned over at Dora’s, we’ve all heard that there are three P’s to publishing. I purchased an interesting book titled Where to Find It in the Bible by Ken Anderson, published by Thomas Nelson. I thought it would be a wonderful resource for devotionals when I bought it, but then realized it’s also great for writing related topics. I searched the entire section under “P”. Words popped out at me, and I immediately thought of ways to apply them to writing. I’ve taken some of the scripture references out of context to shine the spotlight on publishing, and the writing life.
I won’t quote these scriptures because of time and space, but will only excerpt short pieces. If a particular section speaks to you, feel free to look the scripture up. Maybe some of these vignettes will be helpful and encouraging to someone today.
Plan: Estimate the cost, Luke 14:28-30
Whether you are a plotter or a pantster doesn’t really matter. Each of us figures out where our stories are going at our own pace and in our own time. Experienced pantsters might not plot, they tend to write intuitively, and a lot of that intuition comes from the penmanship, perfection, and persistence already mentioned above.
Position: Asking for prestige rather than earning it, Mark 10:33-40
People appreciate what they have if they have to work for it. It’s the same with the writing life. Work to improve your writing, and you’ll be doubly appreciative when your efforts are rewarded. And the reward isn’t always a contract. There are different rewards. One reward is the satisfaction of a manuscript that is top-notch quality and ready for publication. A manuscript that you know without a shadow of a doubt is ready to be read by an editor. It might not be a contract, but it’s earning another step up the ladder. A step you’ve earned!
Prayer: Persistent prayer in time of need, 1 Samuel 7:8; God listens when people pray, 1 Kings 8:52; Psalm 6:9; Unanswered prayers, Job 30:20; God’s varied answers, Job 33:14-17; Persistent daily prayer, Psalms 5:3
There are almost 3 pages of scriptures on prayer listed in this wonderful book called Where to Find It in the Bible. Even if there isn’t a specific prayer that speaks to your heart regarding your writing, prayer can soothe your troubled spirit, and help you make it through your day. Pray for your writing to be all that it can be. Pray for God’s will in your writing life. And then turn it all over to Him.
Preparation: Spiritual preparation for future victory, Joshua 3:5; Dig ditches to receive water, 2 Kings 3:15-17; Break up unplowed ground, Hosea 10-12; Advance preparation, Mark 11:1-2
No matter what we’re doing, we need to be prepared. That might mean plotting our stories, or researching the publishing houses and agents we submit to. We need to study the industry, know which editor likes cowboys and which ones like firefighters. Which houses are publishing more historicals, and which ones are looking for contemporaries, or futuristic, or suspense. Plan ahead. Be prepared.
I’m listing several more “P” words from the book below, and I can think of many ways to relate them to the writing life. What about you? How can you apply some of these words to your writing life?
Publicity: Let others praise you, Proverbs 27:2; Word-of-mouth publicity, Matthew 4:24, 9:26, Luke 5:12-15
Prestige: Humility before honor, Proverbs 18:12
Positive: Message not yes or no, 2 Corinthians 1:18-10
Possessive: Greedy for gain, Jeremiah, 8:10
Power: Nothing to hard for God, Jeremiah, 32:27
To read Part One of this article which includes more “P” words for your perusal, visit Pam’s blog post on Dora Hiers’ blog from January 16.
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Pam is thrilled to announce the release of her second novel,
Claiming Mariah
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Contest runs from January 1st until March 31st, 2013.
And....that’s not all! There will be prizes offered randomly throughout the tour.
This week’s giveaway:
$10.00 Amazon Gift Card
PREVIOUS STOP ON TOUR
January 18th: Blogging with Preslaysa Williams
http://www.preslaysa.com
NEXT STOP ON TOUR:
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http://www.sarahforgrave.com/blog
Click for a Complete List of Stops Along the Tour
www.pamhillman.com
For Part One of this article, visit Dora Hiers’ blog.
Mary Connealy http://www.maryconnealy.com
17 comments:
Sweet! Love your 2nd installment of publishing p's, Pam, especially Prayer. This has been an awesome blog tour. Congrats on the release of Claiming Mariah!
Mary, congrats and best wishes for your next book, Swept Away. Do you gals ever sleep??
I have the book 'Where to find it in the Bible.' I'll never look at it the same way again. LOL. :)
Dora, sleep is overrated! That's what DI Master Sargent Tina Radcliffe tells the Seekers when she routes us out of our bunks at 0300.
Then we have to ride mountain bikes with Sandra Leesmith until daylight. Then Myra Johnson makes us swim laps forever!
And you don't want to know what Ruthy makes us do!!!
Being a Seeker is hard work! lol
I hate to say it, but the "P" list really gives me pause. (Sorry!). I have problems (ugh!) with planning, preparation, and especially publicity.
Must spend more time in prayer, then all the rest will fall in place.
Misty, so glad you stopped by. And cool that you've got the book, too!
You know, my local Dollar General has a section devoted to books. Does anybody else have a DG? I've made several impulse purchases there and 'Where to find it' was one of them.
I've had it 4-5 years, and it has been a blessing. I'm on rotation to offer a devotion at my church periodically, and this book is my go-to resource for topics.
But when I went to the P's and started studying all the words just in that section alone that could be applied to the writing life, I was amazed.
Pammy I have a five word long C list.
The five C's of publishing.
But I'll save those for another day. Honestly, a lot of them are yours only with a different word used and mine is actually five C's an E and a A, so my method doesn't really roll off the tongue so much.
Thanks for being on.
I haven't heard of Where to Find it in the Bible. I'm going to hunt it up.
I've been wanting a new study Bible and I even had one in my hands the other day. The NIV Study Bible from Zondervan. But then I found out the new version has taken pains to be gender neutral. In the examples I've seen I don't think it hurts a thing. But It made me waffle and keep looking. I wish I'd just grabbed the book while I had it in my hands.
Actually Dora, insomnia is what drove me to write my first book. I am so used to sleepless nights I don't even worry about them any more. It's just the way I am and I'm okay with that.
Of course every day you hear a new story about 8 hours of sleep. Less sleep makes you fat. Less sleep makes you die younger.
So now, when I lay awake (lie awake? Grammar Queen alert!) I have fatness and death to fret about along with my other routine stuff.
Mary, I'm expecting a flood of visitors from a little town called Facebook any minute!
Where's the coffeepot???? Yikes!
Prize Vault is OPEN!
Mary, check it out. I'm not sure if it would be considered a traditional concordance, but I enjoy it.
For instance, there are about 15-20 references to insomnia. I probably shouldn't share the scriptures with you since they sorta go along with your comment above.
Just sayin'
Wow, I need a Bible that raises concerns about insomnia to a commandment level.
I actually went ahead and bought the 1984 version of the Zondervan NIV study Bible. Of course they've got everything on Amazon.
Let's see..another P post.
Besides Plot, which I mentioned in part one, my other difficult P word is Patience.
Seriously, Mary, I'm not sure you need to know what the Bible says about insomnia....
GUILTY CONSCIENCE
were the mild words...
Tina, with our current fast-food..."I want it now" mentality, patience is a problem for everyone, not just writers.
Patience was spotlighted on Dora's blog, so I popped over there (aren't links wonderful??) and copied it for a refresher:
Patience: Patiently see what God will do, 1 Samuel 12:16
We’re all anxious to see something happen with our writing. We want publication now. We want recognition now. We want our efforts to be rewarded. Now. But sometimes we have to be patient, and “…stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes.” Stand still, and wait on the Lord, but while you’re waiting, write!
That's what Samuel says. "Stand and SEE."
Wow.
That's not to say that we just sit down and wait. I'm a firm believer in giving the Lord the best of our efforts, but some things are out of our control. When we've done all that we can do, that's when preparation, patience, position, and prayer come in.
Hi Mary and Pam....two of my favorite authors!!! Keep up the great writing for us readers.
Jackie S.
jackie.smith[at]dishmail[dot]net
Jackie S!! So glad you made it by! Love seeing a familiar "face". :)
Mary, thanks for having me today. I enjoyed dropping by and chatting.
Persevere!
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