Monday Milestones

By Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

In Monday Milestones, members of the Beyond the Borders zone of American Christian Fiction Writers share their latest achievements.

Click here for more information on joining American Christian Fiction Writers. In case you were wondering, Beyond the Borders covers all members outside the USA—there are almost 100 of us, from over a dozen different countries.

Onto our Monday Milestones!

Awards

Kara Isaac won the 2018 RITA Award from Romance Writers of America for Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements. Congratulations, Kara!

Click here to read the full list of winners, or click here to watch the replay and Kara's awesome acceptance speech!

New Releases

Grace in the Shadows by Christine Dillon

Christine Dillon (Taiwan) has released Grace in the Shadows, the sequel to Grace in Strange Disguise.

Physiotherapist Esther has survived cancer, but wounds within her family remain unhealed. Is her revived faith the reason for the rift or could a simmering secret be the root cause?

Cosmetics consultant Rachel buried her past - and her father’s God - but the past refuses to stay buried. Will she continue to run or is confronting her pain the way to freedom?

Two women. Two different lives.

One collision course with truth.

Can God’s grace shine even in the darkest of shadows?

Return to Baragula by Mary Hawkins

Return to Baragula by Mary Hawkins (Australia) has been re-released by ForgetMeNot Publishing.

When overcome by being alone with the man she loved on the romantic beach setting, teenager Emily Parker failed to keep her promise to God never to make love until married. She never dreamed how it would impact her own life and the lives of many others. Six years later, despite the hateful way she’d been treated there, she has to return to her home town, but discovers that Matthew Davidson, the man she’d yielded to, is now the local doctor.

While Emily’s faith is now weak, even believing God can no longer love her, Matthew’s life has changed since he committed his life to Christ. However, now he has to deal with all the consequences of his actions with Emily. When he becomes ill and is still weak when disease attacks the community, Emily, a registered nurse, has to help him. But danger from her life in the city has followed her, and now also threatens her family. Through it all, will Matthew and Emily’s faith and love be strong enough to forgive each other, and deal with all the consequences of their behaviour?

All Made Up by Kara Isaac

Kara Isaac (New Zealand) has released All Made Up, a standalone contemporary romance that features some characters from her previous novels.

Everyone thinks Katriona McLeod is living the dream. Her professional career as a make up artist sees her traveling the world working with the stars and she's got no shortage of men wanting her affection. Only problem is she's never gotten over Caleb Murphy, the one guy she's ever loved. When she accepts a job on the latest looking-for-love reality TV show, Falling for the Farmer, she discovers to her horror that Caleb is the leading man and she's cast as one of his harem. But she hides a secret that means that even if she wanted a second chance with the guy who broke her heart she could never have it.

Caleb Murphy couldn't care less about C-Class celebrity fame or reality TV and he certainly doesn't believe it could lead him to love. The one thing he does care about is fulfilling his mother's last wish. Kat's presence on the show seems to offer up a solution that will make both the network and his mother happy. It might have been almost ten years since they split but he knows he can trust her with his plan. Just as long as he doesn't fall in love all over again with the woman who will never stay.

Unknown Enemy by Janet Sketchley

Janet Sketchley (Canada) has released Unknown Enemy, the first in her new Green Dory Inn Mystery series.


Landon Smith vowed never to return to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Despite her faith, the memories might undo her.

But a shadowy figure has been skulking around the Green Dory Inn—seen only by her friend Anna.

Loyalty demands she stand by this woman who’s been a second mother to her. No matter the cost.

With the police unable to find solid clues, and the incidents escalating, Landon must help Anna discover the truth about the prowler and stop him. Before he turns violent.

Works in Progress

The Making of Mrs Hale by Carolyn Miller will release in November 2018.

Rita Stella Galieh is working on a proposal for a new series.

Jessica Kate is working on the edits for Love and Other Mistakes, which will release from Thomas Nelson in 2019. Click here to read the first chapter on her website.

Kara Isaac is working on the edits for One Thing I Know, which will release from Howard Books in February 2019.

Janet Sketchley is working to release Hidden Secrets (next in the Green Dory Inn Mystery series) in early 2019.

New Agent

Tara Ross has completed her first YA novel, and signed with Cyle Young and Hope Bolinger at Hartline Literary Agency. She is currently querying and hoping her manuscript finds a home.

Cover Reveals

The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings (Thomas Nelson, March 2019) 

When three people take the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, their lives change forever.

A hothead businessman coming to the city for a showdown meeting to save his job.

A mother of three hoping to survive the days at her sister's house before her niece’s wedding.

And a young artist pursuing his father’s dream so he can keep his own alive.

When David, Gillian, and Michael each take the wrong suitcases from baggage claim, the airline directs them to retrieve their bags at a mysterious facility in a deserted part of the city. There they meet the enigmatic Baggage Handler, who shows them there is more in their baggage than what they have packed, and carrying it with them is slowing them down in ways they can’t imagine. And they must deal with it before they can leave.

In this modern-day parable about the burdens that weigh us down, David Rawlings issues an inspiring invitation to lighten the load.

Congratulations, everyone!

Monday Milestones

by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

In Monday Milestones, members of the Beyond the Borders zone of American Christian Fiction Writers share their latest achievements.

Click here for more information on joining American Christian Fiction Writers. In case you were wondering, Beyond the Borders covers all members outside the USA—there are almost 100 of us, from over a dozen different countries.

Onto our Monday Milestones!

Award Finalists

Three ICFW authors have been named as finalists in the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Awards for published Christian fiction. They are:

Contemporary: The Long Highway Home by Elizabeth Musser

Mystery/Supsense/Thriller: Ghost Heart by Lisa Harris and Lynn Gentry

Romance: Then There Was You by Kara Isaac

Congratulations, ladies! We'll be sharing reviews of each of these books later in the month.

Click here to read a full list of the 2018 Carol Award finalists. 

In other award news ...

Then There Was You by Kara Isaac is also a finalist in the Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense category of the 2018 INSPY Awards.

Jessica Kate has finalled in the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award (Contemporary).

The Ellusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller got an Honorable Mention in the Foreword Indies (Religious Adult Fiction).

New Releases

Carolyn Miller will release Miss Serena's Secret, the second book in the Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope series, on 24 July.

Tania Riegel released her debut novel, Schwert de Hoffnung (Sword of Hope). Yes, it's in German. We said we were international!

Works in Progress

Kara Isaac is currently revising All Made Up, which is due to be released later this year. We'll have more news in the next edition of Monday Milestones!

David Rawlings has completed the edits on his first novel for Thomas Nelson, The Baggage Handler, which will release in March 2019.

Christine Dillon is currently working on the final edits for Grace in the Shadows, the sequel to Grace in Strange Disguise, which will release in early September 2018.

Cover Reveals

Unknown Enemy by Janet Sketchley

Janet Sketchley has a cover reveal for her Summer 2018 release, Unknown Enemy, book one in the Green Dory Inn Mystery Series. I'm definitely getting the mystery vibe from this ...

About Unknown Enemy

Landon Smith vowed never to return to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Despite her faith, the memories might undo her.

But a shadowy figure has been skulking around the Green Dory Inn—seen only by her friend Anna.

Loyalty demands she stand by this woman who’s been a second mother to her. No matter the cost.

With the police unable to find solid clues, and the incidents escalating, Landon must help Anna discover the truth about the prowler and stop him. Before he turns violent.

One Thing I Know by Kara Isaac

Kara Isaac has the shared cover for her first 2019 release from Howard Books, One Thing I Know. Isn't it beautiful? 

Congratulations, everyone!

Can doubt play a positive role in your writing life?

If you’re a writer, you’ll have doubt. We all do. It comes with the territory.

What amazes me is that even the most successful writers go through it. I was listening to the most recent NovelMarketing podcast and Jim Rubart made mention of the fact that his latest novel – his 10th – has been hard. He’s wondered if he can actually write and doubting if he’s up to it. Jim’s an amazing author with half-a-library’s worth of books with his name on them, but he’s still saying he experiences doubt.

I’m going through another phase of doubt too. I’ve just had the rush and enormous excitement of signing a contract and working on my debut novel with my publisher. The edits. The cover design. The marketing ideas. It’s been amazing, and a sense of achievement. Recognition. Validation that the doubt was wrong.

Then it came time to pitch some more ideas. The doubt returned quickly. Very quickly. My feeling of success was still warm but the icy hand of doubt came back.

I tried to shake off the doubt – we all do, don’t we? – but then I wondered if there was another way to think about it.

So I was thinking about the role of doubt in a writer’s life. It’s often spoken about as a negative, and there are a gazillion blog posts about overcoming it so I, in typical contrarian fashion, wondered what sort of positive role it might play.

I didn’t want to write another blog post about “tips on getting rid of doubt”, so I thought about how doubt might actually help me.

1. Doubt makes me challenge what I write. Let’s face it, I’m the worst person to evaluate one of my own ideas – either in a positive or negative light. For me, when I doubt my story because I wonder if that plotline is derivative or just lame, it forces me to rethink it, and strengthen it. I doubt a character is likeable, so I examine him. It drives me to work harder to make him quirkier, more engaging and memorable.
2. Doubt helps me check my research and presentation – research or grammar. I doubt I’m right about the details, so I check the Chicago Manual of Style (my marketplace is in the US), and I get it right. I don’t presume, and therefore make silly mistakes. 
3. Doubt is a part of the fun. I don’t know if this idea is going to get over the line or not. It’s exciting while waiting (he says, knowing he often thinks otherwise in the middle of the wait). 
4. Doubt keeps me reliant on God. This is a big one when you’ve just had a success. When well-meaning people (who are clueless about the writing journey, let's be honest) start to tell you that you’ll retire on your “author money” in the next five minutes, that doubt over your next idea – and the thought that my first novel was just lightning in a bottle – keeps me leaning into God for whatever happens next. 

So that’s what I’ve learned about doubt and me. What role does doubt play in your writing life?

Monday Milestones

By Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

Welcome to International Christian Fiction Writers and our first Monday Milestones post for 2018. In Monday Milestones, members of the Beyond the Borders zone of American Christian Fiction Writers share their latest achievements.

Click here for more information on joining American Christian Fiction Writers. In case you were wondering, Beyond the Borders covers all members outside the USA—there are around 100 of us, from over a dozen different countries.

Onto our Monday Milestones!

Award Nominations

Kara Isaac

Then There Was You by Kara Isaac, edited by Iola Goulton and Halee Matthews, is a finalist in the Romance Writers of America RITA Awards for Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements.

Then There Was You is also a longlist title for the blogger-nominated INSPY Awards for Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense.

Carolyn Miller

The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey by Carolyn Miller is a longlist title for the INSPY Awards for Historical Romance.

Carolyn is also on the Debut Novel longlist with The Elusive Miss Ellison.

Patricia Beal

A Season to Dance by Patricia Beal is another longlist title for the Debut Novel category of the INSPY Award.

Christine Dillon

Grace in Strange Disguiseby Christine Dillon is a finalist in the Women's Fiction/General Fiction category of the Grace Awards.

Grace in Strange Disguise is also a longlist title for the Debut Novel category of the INSPY Award.

New Releases

Carolyn Miller

Carolyn Miller has released Winning Miss Winthrop, the first book in her new Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope series.

Nathan D Maki

Nathan D Maki has released The Keeper's Crown, a novel of the Apostle Paul.

New Contracts

David Rawlings

David Rawlings has signed his first publishing contract! His debut novel from Thomas Nelson will release in early 2019.

Carolyn Miller

Carolyn Miller has signed another three-book contract with Kregel Publications.

Kara Isaac

Kara Isaac has signed a two-book contract with Howard Books.

New Facebook Page

Jessica Kate

Jessica Kate has started the Story Nerds Facebook group, where she nerds out with Hannah over books, movies and TV.

Congratulations, everyone!

Lessons from the five things spammers do wrong

I hate spam.

Not the faux-meat shaped like dog food, but the unwanted rubbish that appears in my email inbox every morning. The type of communication that leaves me disappointed that of the 100 emails I’ve got waiting for me, only three are actually real people with something for me.

I’ve noticed how much it’s infiltrating social media as well. The whole “fake news” movement means that we are becoming jaded to social media posts in our own feed, which is reinforced every time we see “Such cute dogs – Number #7 will melt your heart” or “You won’t believe Back to the Future was released 32 years ago.” (I would actually, I was there when it first screened).

I’ve studied spammers as a part of my day job: I write social media strategies and content for clients, and decided to get my head around what spammers do, and what impact it has.   By spammers, I don’t necessarily just mean those people who sit in a sweaty internet café in the Ukraine or Togo looking to steal your bank details, but those companies (legit or not) who end up flooding your inbox with stuff you don’t want.

That’s what defines spam. It’s not the fact that the communication is illegal or dodgy. Spam defines communication that is unwanted and irrelevant.

As I’ve moved into fiction writing, I’ve seen authors make those same mistakes (and I’ve even been tempted by a few myself).

Clearly we don’t want to be spammers, putting people off from engaging with us in the social media space, or when our eNewsletter arrives, so what can we learn from them?  Well, we can learn from the five things they do wrong. And I offer them to you as filters through which you can put your own newsletters, social media content and web sites.

1.    An overfamiliarity with me

We’ve all gotten that spam email. The one that reads like it’s come from a long-lost friend, despite the fact that you’ve got no idea who the sender is.  This type of email sounds like this:

“Hey David! Great to see you doing so well in business!  But I’m sure you’d love to do so much better, so lucky for you that I’ve got the product that will deliver exactly what you need!”

This is how I respond to this as I read it …

“Hey David! (Um, who are you?) Great to see you doing so well in business!  (How would you know?) But I’m sure you’d love to do so much better (I don't actually), so lucky for you (I don’t believe in luck when it comes to business) that I’ve got the product that will deliver exactly what you need (How on earth would you know exactly what I need?)!”

Do you know what that company was offering in that email? I don’t know. I stopped reading, and I enjoyed shunting their email to the Trash folder. Probably a little too much to be honest.

So what’s the lesson for authors? Presume nothing and don’t be too over-personal unless you’ve earned the right first. Learn about your audience first, THEN deliver something for them. Learn what they read, what they like, what they respond to and what puts them off. Then use THAT as a base for your connection with them.

2.    Expecting way too much, way too soon

I get the emails that are heavy on the sales pitch FROM DAY ONE.  It doesn’t work.  This is what that email looks like:

“As an introductory offer, we will give you 20% off, but only if you respond in the next 14 minutes …”

Sorry, but I don’t care about 20% off if it turns out that it will be a 100% waste of money.  I need time to research that. So that manufactured rush to get me to respond actually is counter-productive, because now I want to know why there’s such a hurry to push me into a sale.

As authors, we can’t expect everyone to read our elevator pitch and then buy our book. That process takes time for most people. They want to experience our ability, read some excerpts or be impressed with some recommendations. Then they'll weigh up whether or not we're worth it.

Lesson for authors: a small percentage of your audience will buy after the first interaction. Cater for the majority, who want to know more. Much more. And understand that your communication isn’t supposed to open and close a transaction in one hit. It’s supposed to add another brick to the wall.

3.    Being a salesperson first and foremost

I subscribe to a few eNewsletters, and will pretty much give anything a try in this field, although I am pretty ruthless when it comes to which ones I delete.

The ones I flick have one thing in common – they’re all thinly-disguised sales pitches. When I engage with an organization or an individual, and my expectation is that they’ll be providing me with advice, ideas, challenges or information that I can absorb – and they then do nothing but sell me stuff - I’m outta there.

I know some authors who constantly post that their book is available on Amazon all the time.  In the end I mentally switch off from anything they post, and that costs them the important bridge that social media is supposed to build. That's the case for many customers. They don't just stop reading the sales-related content. They stop reading everything.

Lesson for authors: Build bridges, then apply a toll. Resist the urge to sell, sell, sell ALL THE TIME.  There is nothing wrong with selling, but you need to have people’s trust, respect and interest before they’ll accept your sales pitch.

4.    Firing off a million emails, hoping to make one hit

You might have received those emails that look like they went to a million people, but still have a quasi-personal message about them.

This is what that looks like: “Hey customer, we all want to do better in life, regardless of what we want to achieve. Our product will do everything you need it to do, in a way that will really make your life turn around!”

Okay, so here’s my problem with this: in trying to be vague enough to reach everyone, they end up hitting no-one. When you’re online, you really need to target who you are speaking to (regardless of whether it’s a blog post, social media post or even web page).  And calling me customer instantly devalues all the other faux-personal style of the rest of the email or post. I know it's not for me.

If you’re an author, you need to speak more personally to people. It might be harder work, but it’s worth it. (And if you're wondering how this works with #1, the key to it is finding that happy medium. I'm happy to receive your eNewsletter if it says "Dear David", but not "Hey Dave ol' buddy, ol' pal".

Lesson for authors: if you’ve got a range of different groups following you (writers, readers, Christian friends and contacts and schoolteachers [for example]), then write four posts – one targeted to each group. It’s four times the work, granted, but it’s also the best way to engage with people – at their level.  One post that tries to reach everyone just doesn’t engage with people.

5.    Tell a story as if I’ve got the time to read it

I used to follow a real estate company because I liked what they had to say. In bite-sized chunks of information, they’d talk about what was happening in property and zeroed it on what I was interested in. I could digest it all in minutes, and feel informed enough to move on with my day. For deeper stuff, I could always follow their links to information that was a lot more detailed.

Then someone else took over, and everything changed.  Suddenly their posts and their articles took on a longer feel, and the writer (the new boss) felt that they needed to qualify everything first. That meant they were talking about themselves for paragraphs, before getting to what I was interested in in the last paragraph (sometimes this also went for Facebook posts).

I lasted a week.

You see, I haven’t got a heap of time to invest in reading this material. And I don’t want to waste time on information that doesn’t engage with me. So I don't read.

One thing I’ve found in business is that perfectly sums up the usual social media user. We all want to know what’s in it for us in the first five words. Not invest five minutes reading some waffle until the writer eventually gets to the point.

That’s the last thing authors can learn from: get to the point. You’ve got a handful of words to connect with your audience, so use them.

Lesson for authors: start every post with a statement that connects with your audience. Talk in their language, framing what you’ve got to say in the best way possible so a reader can digest it according to what they want. Don’t give them the history of the genre, give them the reason to read your book. Don’t go on and on about the fact you’ve got a newsletter – tell them why they’d subscribe. Start with a line that grabs their attention because it's got them in mind.

So that’s how my professional expertise informs how I connect with readers (and I’m still learning and tinkering).

What is your biggest frustration with spam, and what can you learn from it?

What if “better writer” was the journey and not the destination?

By David Rawlings (@DavidJRawlings)

Every writer under the sun wants to be a better writer.

Each of us has the carrot of being a better writer dangling a few feet in front of us, always out of reach. Even those whose names grace our bookshelves – including the ones whose names feature again and again – want to get there. In fact, the best writers never stop reaching for being a better writer.

So apart from the usual advice – you know, you need to do 10,000 hours before you become an expert – how do you actually get there? Surely it’s more than “keep practising?”

Here’s another way of thinking about that: what if “better writer” was the journey and not the destination? As I’ve continued to develop my writing skills, I’ve spoken to countless authors and read everything I can get my hands on when it comes to what I need to reach the Holy Grail of being a “better writer”.

Treating the drive to be a better writer as the journey does something inside my head. Once I start to think about improving and developing as I go, it does a number of things:

• Take the pressure off. If you realise you are always becoming a better writer, rather than short of your elusive goal, it can take pressure off you. I know it has with me. Any improvement is an achievement, not step #5 in a 5,000-step process.
• Help you to enjoy the journey. I’ve found when I travel that if you focus too much on the destination, it can make the journey seem like something to be endured, not enjoyed. And I want to enjoy this journey - I'm putting so much of myself into it.
• Realise your improvement is a constant, not a goal. I set out on my writing journey thinking if I learned enough things, I’d eventually make it. But it’s not that. I’ve learned you need to keep learning.
• Puts my earlier efforts into context. I look back on my first manuscript, or my first draft of my current WIP, with different eyes. It’s no longer a poor first effort, it’s now the best I could have done AT THAT STAGE OF MY DEVELOPMENT. And now I’ve developed beyond that. 

 So that’s why I now view being a "better writer" as a journey. How does that sit with you?

About David Rawlings

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, I am a sports-mad, married father-of-three with my own copywriting/communication business who reads everything within an arm’s reach.

I can see a typo from across the room and always – always – make sure my text messages are grammatically correct. My manuscripts have finalled in the ACFW's Genesis competitions and the OCW's Cascade Awards.

And now I'm working with the Steve Laube Agency as my agent to find that elusive first publisher.

Diving deeper into life with ... stories

One of the casualties of our society’s desire to develop and get more sophisticated has been the time we spend on things or people. It’s as if we have reduced the very nature of our interaction with each other to as little room as we feel we can afford to give it.

Our society Googles issues, reads one article and feels like it’s informed. (If any research is done at all).

Large scale conversations – about the future of our planet or the future of our families - have been reduced to 140 characters, complete with a cool hashtag and a series of emojis.

We read about someone overcoming great odds (whether that’s health or poverty or discrimination) in a 200-word news article and follow up Facebook post.

Our support for friends in need has sometimes been reduced to clicking Like or sending them an animated gif.  

Politicians’ entire platforms, their audition to run a whole nation, are reduced to three-word soundbites with next to no detail. (In the USA, there was “Build that wall” and “I’m with her”.  In Australia, we had “Jobs and Growth”.)

(Just as an aside: I wonder if that has any kind of causal relationship with how angry people are. I run into this undercurrent of angst in a range of topics almost every day, and I wonder if its because people just don’t feel like they’re heard or understood).

So how have we arrived at this point?  I think one reason could be because understanding people or getting your head around issues is the perception we don’t have time. Our media is now on a 24/7 news cycle so it believes it has little time to actually check a story (or facts) because of the perceived pressure of missing out on the next one. We don’t stop and find out what’s really going on with someone because we’ve got to rush off to the next event which will make our life worthwhile because it adds another item to the list of “things we get done”. Which we can then post on social media for people to Like in passing.

To me, that has left us with a society that doesn’t appear to have much depth at all.  I want to dive deeper into life.

You know, there is one part of society in which I still find depth, and I’m glad it’s there.  I’m glad I can lose myself in it.

Stories.

There is nothing better than taking time – or increasingly making time – to dive into another world. That doesn’t necessarily mean a world far removed from my own with talking trees and Knights of the Realm, but instead a world of someone else’s experience.

Over the course of the story, I go deeper into life with someone else.  I experience the highs of their successes and the shared joy of them overcoming the challenges they face.  I commiserate with them as I learn about their successes.  I sit on the edge of my seat as I watch on as they are at the crossroads, facing life decisions that we know are the right or wrong thing for them.  I take time to get to know them.

And I learn about myself. I explore issues that are couched in the story of another, allowing me to see principles and life lessons in action. 

For me, there is only one thing better than reading a story like that.

Writing one.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about throwing myself into a manuscript is the process. Getting to know characters as they unveil themselves after I’ve spent time with them means I’ve changed their speech patterns or introduced a phrase that I hear them speaking if I stop and listen for long enough. Going back to a scene I thought was good and deepening it or throwing in a curveball, because I now know that character wouldn’t know what to do in that situation.

It encourages me to think deeper about the real world, about real people and real issues.  I find myself spending time listening to people about what they believe and asking the second question of ‘why?’ I’m  almost studying them for mannerisms or reactions to when life is going well (or not).

It means, in order to understand my characters or storyline better – and to be a better writer - I am thinking deeper about issues to do with mental health, poverty, the environment, loneliness, social media, the media or work-life balance.

Maybe everyone should be a writer.

If you are, I would encourage you to keep writing. Keep giving us something to lose ourselves in, to learn more and to go deeper into this life and all it has to offer. I, for one, will be most grateful.

About David Rawlings

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, I am a sports-mad, married father-of-three with my own copywriting/communication business who reads everything within an arm’s reach. I can see a typo from across the room and always – always – make sure my text messages are grammatically correct.

My manuscripts have finalled in the ACFW's Genesis competitions and the OCW's Cascade Awards.

And now I'm working with the Steve Laube Agency as my agent to find that elusive first publisher.

Learning from a marathon runner who hits the wall

I’ve got a mate who runs marathons.  Why is anybody’s guess - I told him the industrial revolution gave us ways to go anywhere in a 42-kilometre radius - and his constant invitations for me to join him are politely left to rush by.

It’s quite an achievement running forty-two kilometres. Pushing through the pain, wringing every ounce of effort out of yourself and doing something very few people achieve.  I do admire him for it. 

One of the most fascinating parts of running a marathon is known as hitting the wall. My mate talks about hitting it just past the halfway mark.  Everything about his experience says to give up; to walk; to even stop.  His legs are screaming for a break from the lactic acid and muscle cramps.  His lungs are screaming for relief. Even though he’s got the ability and the tools – and he’s already run half the race - things happen to him that make the finish line feel like it’s further away than when he started.

And he talks about feeling like he’s running in jelly.  He’s got the movement of running, but doesn’t feel like he’s getting anywhere. 

Writers hit the wall too. Our lactic acid might be family time that encroaches on writing. Our muscle cramps could be the pull of work or church over writing. Or our energy burnout could be when our ideas or storylines just run out of petrol. Or we're over halfway but just can't seem to find a way to finish the book.

It’s happened to me a number of times this year – when everything about my writing experience says to give up and stop. When my brain wants a rest and my bank balance tells me I should be doing extra work that actually pays the bills. When my ideas have run out of petrol and my characters feel like they can’t move on.

And it feels to me like the finish line – holding the final manuscript in my hands – is further away than when I started.

Now, my mate just laughs when I talk about writers hitting the wall, but there are things that he does that I’ve implemented this year.  And they’ve worked.

• Keep moving.  A runner needs their feet to keep moving. That movement is important as stopping the movement makes it 1000 times harder to restart it.  I’ve done that this year, at times I’ve just kept moving. That could be as simple as giving my protagonist another character trait, adding 200 words to the manuscript.  Or editing another chapter or scene. Or simply reformatted one exchange of dialogue.  That movement is important as I can look back and see that I've done something.
• Focussing on the finish line. Marathon runners often disassociate from the pounding beat of their stride and focus on the finish line. It helps break the dawning thought that they're in pain now, and is a reminder of why they're doing what they're doing. At times this year, I’ve just taken a deep breath and visualised typing The End at the tail of my manuscript. That disassociation has been enough to push me on and to spur me into action, because I now have the end goal in frame.
• Breaking the race down into chunks. This is the opposite of the previous point. One things my marathon running friend does is run the next 1km, then the next, then the next. I’ve done that – written the next scene, then the next scene, then the next scene. And when I’ve looked up at the end of the week I’ve written another 3,000 words.
• Enjoying the process. My friend says he tries to breath in sync with his steps or count out as his feet pound away. He enjoys the process of running.  That’s what I’ve tried to do this year.  I’ve written a particularly difficult scene and enjoyed the words as they’ve come, or the plot point as it has unveiled itself. I've gasped in surprise when a character says something I wasn't expecting or smiled when the protagonist got out of a jam even I didn't expect him to get out of. It sounds crazy, but it's FUN!

Writing a piece of work – any work – is hard. Especially if it’s something you’ve drawn from the depths of your experience or character. You’ve pushed through the pain, wrung every ounce of effort out of yourself and done something very few people achieve. 

And, like my friend, I admire you for it.

About David Rawlings

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, I am a sports-mad, married father-of-three with my own copywriting/communication business who reads everything within an arm’s reach. I can see a typo from across the room and always – always – make sure my text messages are grammatically correct.

My manuscripts have finalled in the ACFW's Genesis competitions and the OCW's Cascade Awards.

And now I'm working with the Steve Laube Agency as my agent to find that elusive first publisher.

Celebrating the little wins

I love seeing wins from other authors when they share them on social media.

It’s great to see when people you know are launching a book or have signed a contract. It’s heartwarming to share in the big wins of award nominations or best-seller lists. It's encouraging to see colleagues (and friends) recognised for the talent they have and the stories they tell.

It helps when, like me, you’re stuck in a bit of a no-mans land.

Allow me to explain … I’ve written two manuscripts. The first one is a finalist in the Oregon Christian Writers Cascade competition, the second is being looked at by a number of agents.

That’s good – it’s some kind of recognition at least. I’d much rather have those than a series of flat-out rejections, but I’m now waiting for answers. I haven’t had any ‘noes’ but I also haven’t had any ‘yesses’. Hence no-mans land.

So in this time of waiting (I’m still writing by the way) and before I’ve got anything significant to celebrate, I’ve taken to celebrating the little wins in my writing. Those things that might otherwise slide on past unacknowledged.  So this is my list of celebrations in the past month:

• Someone read the first three chapters of my award-nominated manuscript and asked “where’s the rest?”
• I came up with another novel concept that, after I fleshed it out and analysed it in the cold, hard light of another day, was actually still as good as when I came up with it.
• I told my elevator pitch for my next manuscript to someone and they wanted to know more.
• I came up with a plot twist that improves my WIP, it's still consistent with my characters and works on every level.
• I set myself a goal to write 6,000 words in a week and I did.
• The short story I wrote for my newsletter got some great feedback from people who said they were touched by it.
• I connected with my mentor and got another shot of encouragement and support.
• My first newsletter went out and subscribers took the time to email me their appreciation of what I’d done (if you do want to subscribe, visit my web site: www.davidrawlings.com.au and you'll get that short story I mentioned before.)

That’s how I’ve decided to address no-mans land. While I’m waiting for big news, I’m enjoying the steps on the journey. And one thing I keep appreciating about celebrating your little wins – it helps you appreciate the hard work you’re putting in, and allows you to see the everyday things you may otherwise miss.

Which little wins could you celebrate this month?

About David Rawlings

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, I am a sports-mad, married father-of-three with my own copywriting/communication business who reads everything within an arm’s reach. I can see a typo from across the room and always – always – make sure my text messages are grammatically correct.

Oh, and I love cooking, comedy and surfing. Over 25 years, I’ve made writing my career and paid the bills with words. It’s not a big leap from the six-year-old writing short stories instead of doing homework.

And now I'm working on finding a day between Wednesday and Thursday to squeeze in more writing.

www.davidrawlings.com.au