How Many Books?

I have often wondered how many books I could read in a year’s time, so this past year, I kept track. I totaled 75. Many of the books I read were paperback romances by ACFW authors. It is fun to read them because I know some of the authors personally. I can picture them sitting at their desks, carefully selecting the right words to make up their story. I find myself wondering how many times a certain scene was rewritten before it reached publication, or which character’s name was changed during the course of rewrites.

However, when I look over my list, it frustrates me to see how few books I read that others are talking about. Every time I read some of the loop emails, I gather another list of books I want to read “someday”. This last week, I ordered A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lesseman and the new book on writing romance that Gail Martin wrote. Then, I was introduced to Karen Kingsbury when I received the first book in her Redemption series as a Christmas gift. So, of course, after finishing the first one, I had to run to my local Christian bookstore and buy the next one in the series, Remember.

In the meantime, one of the ladies on our library board and a long time friend, not to mention former teacher to both of my kids back in the day, loaned me a book she thought I would like. I returned it to her after reading it and doesn’t she arrive at our next board meeting with two more books for me to read.

I joined the LI book club in August and they were sending me four books a month with frequent offers to get two “extra books” free if I do thus and so. I changed that one so now I am supposed to only receive four books every two months, but they still seem to arrive in the mal faster than I can read them.

I couldn’t resist the bargain table at Wal-mart the other day. What reader can resist a hardback novel for under three bucks, for goodness sake! I couldn’t settle for one, so I walked out with two. That totals close to a dozen books I have acquired over the past week.

Carla Stewart, in responding to a “tag game” on her blog, mentions several books I have heard of and wanted to read, but never have. Everywhere I go and everything I read seems to lead me to another book, another possible adventure, another “must read experience”.

Like most avid readers, I have stacks and stacks of books, some neatly organized on bookshelves, most piled up here and there on end tables, the coffee table, the wall unit. I know I need to weed out and get rid of some of them, but it’s like making a choice between old friends. How do you decide you will never want to look at one certain favorite book again over another? It is a daunting decision and one I am agonizing over as I struggle every day to get organized.

I look forward to all the great books I will read over the next twelve months and I will grieve the ones I give away out of necessity. Each one holds a hidden treasure of knowledge and adventure between its covers.

There are many things I believe about heaven, but these are for sure two. There will never be a limit on the amount of time we have to read and the selection of books we can choose from will be virtually immeasurable.

Interview with author Cheryl Wyatt coming soon!

Thanks for reading my blog.

Time is Already Flying By!

We are ten days into the New Year and already I am struggling with meeting my goals! How frustrating is that? Very! However, I need to take some of my own advice and reevaluate my plans.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak at my Toastmasters meeting. I spoke on New Year’s resolutions and how they involve lifestyle change. There lies the key. It is so difficult to change, especially when you have been as disorganized as I all your life. Maybe I’m a bit ADD as well, because it seems I can’t ever stick to one project for any length of time. Well, I shouldn’t say that. I can do the things I like for hours at a time! Give me a good book and if I’m not interrupted, I could read it from cover to cover. Set me down at the computer and I can find things to do on it that keep me occupied for half a day.

Housekeeping chores are another thing entirely. I can only focus for a certain length of time on going through old mail or organizing my myriad collection of books. So, I’m going to set a goal of fifteen minutes once a day to do that sort of thing. Maybe that way, the wood on top of my computer desk and the spare desk in my bedroom will be visible by the end of 2008!

I received a critique of one of my WIPs from one of the members of my new critique group the other day. Even though these particular pages have been entered in the Genesis contest twice and scored in the nineties both years, she identifies a major flaw. This is good, because the same problem has been gnawing at the back of my mind for months. Still, I have decided to move forward with this manuscript and get if finished. Then I can go back and rework it. If I don’t, I will be forever working those first couple of chapters. Maybe if I finish the story, I will be able to better define my heroine in chapter one. Big change for me. I’m used to rewriting the same chapters over and over until I think they are right. All that rewriting, and still they are not.

Sometimes this whole writing thing is so exasperating! I work out great scenes in my mind, but when it comes to putting them on paper, they don’t sound near as exciting. I think of other writers I have spoken to, published authors, who say it never gets any easier. I derive some consolation from that, knowing there are dozens of you out there experiencing the same agony as me. Searching for the right word. Checking sentence structure. Researching facts. Dreaming great dreams of touching lives with words.

So, I will press on and hope that I see some success in 2008.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I would like to wish everyone a healthy, prosperous, successful, and blessed 2008.

The beginning of a new year brings to mind the obligation of resolutions. It seems like the logical time to “sweep out the old, bring in the new”. Start over. Do “everything right”.

There are several definitions of the word “resolution”, but the one I like is “finding a solution to a problem”. I have learned over the course of my life that one does not find the solution to all of one’s problems somewhere between midnight December 31st and 12:01 AM January 1st of the subsequent year.

The solving of problems takes time. It also requires change, and change seldom occurs overnight. Change is a process that must be planned out, evaluated, implemented, and re-evaluated for its effectiveness.

Resolutions are usually broken within the first week. By the first of February, we are in despair over our failure to live a healthier lifestyle or make a dent in the to do list we promised to complete. Most of us still carry the burden of those bad habits we vowed to shake. Sometimes it seems that we remain at a standstill as time marches forward.

This year, I have decided to dispense with resolutions and set goals instead. Defined as “the result or achievement toward which effort is directed”, goals are friendly little things. They represent movement, progress, final arrival at a destination. If they are not achieved by a certain date, they can be moved a bit further along on the calendar without too much protest.

Goals can be broken down into pieces. A resolution is like cramming half a sandwich into one’s mouth all at once, forcing a person to choke it down. Goals can be achieved at a more leisurely pace, making them much more palatable.

A word of warning. Goals come with a companion that cannot be denied. Responsibility. If we do not hold ourselves accountable to our goals, they are as worthless as a paper sack with a hole in the bottom. We have to set up consequences for failure to meet our goals and exercise the self-discipline necessary to enforce them.

Be specific about the goals you wish to achieve and break them down into realistic possibilities. Rather than setting a goal of writing 500 words a day, aim for 2500 words a week. That gives you leeway when the grandkids stop by unexpectedly, you have meetings to attend, or life events just get in the way. This little padding can mean the difference between success and failure.

If you find you are consistently not meeting the goal, take the time to do an evaluation and find out why not. Is it too unrealistic for your life-style? Is it a matter of self-discipline? Are there other things in your life that need to take precedence right now, other goals that are more important?

If you find your goals are feasible, put those consequences in place. “If I have not written 2000 words by Friday, I need to skip that favorite Saturday evening TV show”. Be firm with yourself when you need to be and give yourself a break when it is warranted.

Throw out the resolutions that shatter like tinkling glass when they are broken. Set goals that are tangible, flexible, and rewarding when achieved. Move forward in 2008!

Thanks for reading my blog.

Interview with Author Peg Phifer

Welcome, Peg. I’m delighted to have this chance to interview you and allow you to tell others about the new writing opportunity you are offering. I understand “Apples of Gold” is a venue for devotionals and short inspirational pieces. What is your main goal in providing this opportunity to writers?

Thank you, Pat. I’m delighted to have an opportunity to talk about my new venture. “Apples of Gold” (Proverbs 25:11) is a new feature on my blog “Sips ‘n Cups Cafeteria,” but it is not a new idea with me. A number of years ago I was editor and publisher of an e-newsletter and website called Wordsmith Shoppe, in which I featured a writer of devotions in each issue, also called “Apples of Gold.” The idea resurfaced when I started up my blog.

Devotion writing is a niche market and writers of these inspirational thoughts and musings don’t get the recognition other writers do. At least that’s the way I see it. Most often they become part of a compilation book of devotions that include many other writers in, say, 365 days of daily devotions. So I thought I’d open one day a week on my blog to give some of these writers a bit of exposure.

But I’ve expanded the original concept to include not just the standard formula devotional, but ‘slices of life,’ poetry, almost anything that has an inspirational tone, perhaps even a lesson learned from a personal experience.

Is there a particular target audience you are hoping to reach?

No, not really. I just hoped to provide meaningful and thoughtful reading for anyone who comes across my blog. Each Apples of Gold post is listed as an archive file with an embedded link to that particular posting. Contributors can direct friends and families to their posts. That way they get exposure and my blog gets the traffic.

It’s exciting to report that I now have fourteen regular contributors and I have all the Thursday slots filled up through early March. I’m considering breaking off Apples of Gold into it’s own blog and then we won’t be restricted to just one day a week. I’m praying about that.

I realize you offer guidelines on your web site, but could you give us a brief overview of your guidelines here?

Sure. As I mentioned above, I’m open to almost any type of short inspirational writing, subject to approval. But I’m not too difficult to please. Submissions must be sent as an attached Word document, RTF or plain text (i.e. Notepad). The subject line must contain the words “Apples of Gold.” At first I was trying to keep word count between 300 and 500 words, but I’ve loosened up on that and have accepted longer articles. A brief bio, Web site and blog links, email contact (not made public unless approval granted), and a jpg or gif photo is nice. If the contributor is published, those credits may be included, as well. (Links for all this at the end of this interview.)

I know from my association with you, Peg, that you feel a deep commitment to serve other writers on their journey toward success. I’d like to hear your thoughts on that calling.

I’m an introvert. So it’s easy for me to stay behind the scenes and help others along the way. I really enjoyed my fourteen years doing my e-newsletter, providing all types of helpful information for writers, such as: Conference schedules, market news, contests, opportunities and calls for submissions from other sources, paying markets, interviews, etc. For a while, I even had a chat room where a featured writer, editor or agent would visit and conduct a mini workshop or do a Q & A session. These included folks like Jack Cavanaugh, Sally Stuart, Marlene Bagnull, Eva Marie Everson, Andrea Boeshaar, Lynn Coleman, oh . . . I can’t remember them all. But after a time, I felt the Lord calling me somewhere else, and I discontinued that adventure.

And He led me to ACFW, then ACRW, in 2001, and in 2005 I was elected as Treasurer on the ACFW operating board, serving in that position for 2-1/2 years. It was a special time that allowed me to give something back to that great organization for Christian fiction writers.

“Apples of Gold” is just one more opportunity for me to help fellow writers on their writing journeys.

Who have been your strongest influences during your writing journey?

Oh, my, there have been so many over the years. I have to say that my very first encourager was Jack Cavanaugh. In my early attempts at serious fiction writing, in an online chat room, Jack helped me brainstorm a bit with some character development and a tricky plot. There were others, too, at that same time period. Lynn Coleman for one. Marlene Bagnull was a constant encourager and supporter of my Wordsmith Shoppe efforts. More recently are Christina Miller, crit partner who also writes in my historical era, and Staci Stallings, mentor extraordinaire.

Any parting advice for fledgling writers?

I’m not sure I have any new advice to offer as I’m a ‘fledgling’ myself. Just keep at it. Pray about everything. Be sure you’re in the center of His will in your writing. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, you won’t have peace about your efforts if you’re not where He wants you to be, or going where—and when—He directs you.

Thank you, Pat, for giving me this chance to share. I didn’t think I’d have much to say! LOL

Links:
Website: http://peggyblannphifer.com
Blog: http://peggyblannphifer.blogspot.com
Apples of Gold Guidelines: http://peggyblannphifer.com/applesofgold.htm
Submission Mailto: applesofgold@peggyblannphifer.com (be sure the subject line says Apples of Gold.

The Measure of Success

I have a great deal of admiration for those who, despite commitments of family, work, community activities, and numerous other obligations, can manage to write on a daily basis. Try as I may, I can’t do it.

These past three months have been tough. My mother-in-law passed away in August, just a month short of her 90th birthday. We had to euthanize our beloved German Shepherd/Chow mix of 15 years in October. My brother-in-law passed away in November. A dear friend has been dealing with serious health problems since July. Add to that the fact that I managed to contract walking pneumonia, had an allergic reaction to the medications, and had inflammation in the rib area for days from coughing so much. Seems on the days when I felt like writing, I was too busy with other things, and on the days when I had time, I felt lousy.

Yet, I look at others who have so much more on their plate than I do, small children at home, a full time job, stressful family situations, and they manage to stay faithful to a writing schedule.

My thought for November is a quote from John Foster Dulles, who served as Secretary of State during President Dwight D.Eisenhower’s administration. “The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.”

My tough problem has carried over through many years, so I guess the measure of my success at this point is pretty poor in the writing world, anyway.. And it is more than one.

Disorganization.

Procrastination.

Fear of failure.

So, my goal for the rest of this year is to eliminate at least one of those tough problems. Despite the everyday obstacles that always manage to creep into the middle of the road, I plan to barrel around them and forge ahead.

There was a discussion on the ACFW loop a while ago about giving up writing. Can’t do that. Don’t think the Lord wants me to. So, if writing success is one of the goals I am meant to accomplish in this lifetime, I better set my mind to getting busy and doing just that.

Thanks for reading my blog!