Guest Writer: Author MaryLu Tyndall

How I captured and boarded the indomitable ship of publishing By MaryLu Tyndall

I’m currently writing my 11th novel.  Wow! Did I say 11? That fact is still as shocking to me as  the first time I got “that call” from my agent, telling me that I received a contract on my first novel. Every contract I’ve received after that has been just as exciting. God has been good to me. But, now that I’ve been in the business awhile, I often get asked, how did I get published? What is my advice for writers trying to capture that illusive ship of publishing? 

If you’re a writer who’s been at it for quite some time, you’ve probably heard a multitude of answers such as: study the craft, join on online writers group, get in a critique group, attend conferences, enter contests, take classes, generate a platform...etc.  So I won’t bore you with all of that again. I will say that all those things are good and valuable and are definitely things you should be doing as an aspiring writer. Having said that, however, I should tell you I did very few of those things before I got my first contract.

You see, if you’re a writer, you sort of know it deep down inside. You don’t write for money or fame or recognition. You write because you cannot do otherwise. It would be like telling an artist not to sculpt or paint or a chef not to cook.  I wrote stories as far back as I can remember—way back in grade school. I was always creating adventures in my head and jotting them down here and there. God had made me a writer. I just didn’t know it yet! So, I wandered down the wrong path for many years until God, in His mercy, yanked me back to where I was supposed to be. I tell you all this by way of saying that you’re either a writer or you’re not. If you’re not, you will never achieve the success you’re looking for. You may even get a book published, but after awhile the business will become too hard and your ideas will dry out and you’ll give up. So, first thing, check in with the Creator and make sure you’re on the right path.

By the time I figured that out (slow leaner here), I didn’t know a thing about writing. But I heard quite clearly God telling me to write a story about a Christian Pirate. At first, I thought I was hearing things, but then I decided, what the heck? So I did. I had no prior professional writing experience, wasn’t on any loops, did not belong to a critique group, and had never attended a conference. I did, however, gather all the writing books around me I could and studied the craft of writing. Nevertheless, within three months of completing my first full length manuscript, I received a contract for it, plus three more books.  To this day, many people tell me that first book of mine is their favorite. Lately, I’ve been pondering why, especially when I wrote that story with no plot, no preconceived set of rules, and no expectations of it being published. I wrote the story that was burning on my heart. The one that I had to tell or I would explode. And I had a blast doing it.

So what? You say. What does that mean to me? Well, I’ll tell you. After 11 books, I’ve really been trying to get back to the way I felt when I wrote that first novel. The combination of all the magical elements that made it not only get published but get nominated for a Christy award. And here’s what I remember I did:

1.    Study the craft. Learn all the rules. And then when you start writing, forget about them!
2.    Read read read. Read great literature and fiction in your spare time. As much as you can. Read Best sellers in your genre. You’d be surprised how much of a positive impact reading has on your writing
3.    Choose a story that makes you excited. That burns in your heart, yearning to be set free. If you don’t, your book will come out bland.
4.    Create deep and interesting characters with flaws and real goals, heartaches and needs.
5.    Don’t plot. Yes, you heard me. Just start with a situation, turn off your left brain, and go from there!

If you’re doing a romance, create a beginning situation for both hero and heroine. Such as in my first book, The Redemption, the situation for the heroine: Young noblewoman runs away from abusive uncle in England to the Caribbean in search of her long, lost father, hoping he will give her the love she’s never had.   Hero: Redeemed pirate turned privateer who sails Caribbean in search of a vile pirate, his arch-enemy, with the intent on capturing him and bringing him to justice, rescues maiden from deserted island only to find the father she is searching for is the same man.

So, now, you have a great situation filled with all kinds of possibilities and incredible tension. You’ve created deep characters. Now, just sit down, flex those fingers, and write. Turn on music, light candles, whatever gets you into your alternate world. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, historic details you need to look up later. Just mark them and move on. This is how I wrote The Redemption.  If it worked for me, perhaps it will work for you too!

You can pre-order MaryLu Tyndall's newest book from the Surrender to Destiny Series (releasing the first of March!). And be sure to pick up Surrender the Heart before reading this second installment.

Find MaryLu on her website and blog. Have a Facebook account? Like her fan page or add her as a friend. I'm sure she'd love to connect with you!

Guest Writer: Jay's Musik Blog

Mary Beth Chapman: Choosing to See Book Review by Jay from Jay's Musik Blog. 4.5/5 stars

In Choosing to SEE, Mary Beth Chapman takes a look at the events of her life and dares to see how God has seen her through it all. As many know, on May 21st, 2008, Mary Beth and the Chapman family lost their five-year-old adopted daughter Maria when Will Chapman pulled into the driveway not seeing Maria running toward him. Through an interesting turn of events, God allowed the Chapman family to see that He was still holding them and taking care of both them and Maria. In Choosing to SEE, Maria Beth explores her life from beginning to the present, and how the hand of God has guided her through it all.

Mary Beth takes a look from the insecurities of her teenage years, to her problems in marriage, and much more. Through these major changes in life, Mary Beth shares how her fear slowly but surely was torn down through learning that God was always holding her hand. Also in Choosing to SEE, you will read the exciting accounts of Mary Beth's adoption processes, one of which was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Out of all the chapters and stories in the book, I think the adoption chapters were the main highlight of the book, seeing how something Mary Beth said she would never do came to pass. Also interesting accounts were the Chapman's house fire, and their children's weddings and graduations, as Mary Beth writes out a chronology of the Chapman family beginning from day one.

Mary Beth devotes the second half of Choosing to SEE to the terrible tragedy that plagued the Chapman family -- Maria Sue's death. Although hurt devoured all the members of the family, Mary Beth focuses on the healing of Will's hurt, as church, school, and family members reached out to him. I also enjoyed how Mary Beth shared the account of when both Will and Shaohannah learned how to let go of their hurt and embrace the future. These accounts make the book well worth the read!

However, one thing I disliked about Choosing to SEE was a few accounts that seemed rather unnecessary. I felt that a few sentences here and there actually took away from the extreme interest presented in the chapter. A few times, Mary Beth made reference to family matters that I personally found to be private. These features only appeared a few times through the book, so I probably would recommend parental guidance for children reading this book.

Mary Beth's Choosing to See is full of extremely interesting accounts of the Chapman's growth as a family, and their Christ-like examples of being unified. I very much enjoyed reading how the Chapman family bonded together after the accident and were one like never before. Mary Beth shares story after story of how God's hand guided their lives and led them to where they are now. Out of all their tragedy comes blessing -- a unified family, Maria's Big House of Hope, and healing for their hurting souls.

I believe that Choosing to See is a book that Steven Curtis Chapman fans will enjoy, seeing what life was like as Steven began his music career, and how his faith strengthened the Chapman family enabling them to be where they are today. Choosing to SEE is an excellent book showing how God speaks in ways that we often least expect it.

Become a fan of Jay's Musik Blog on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

Guest Writers

We just added a new feature to our policy page. The idea of having a guest writer is not new, but we've expanded upon it. We're super excited to have a few authors and writers post for TCS. If you are interested in becoming a guest writer, I've provided a small list of specifications on that page (it's located at the very bottom).

Bookworms, look out for posts from some of your favorite authors and writers!

God bless!
~Grace

Guest Writer: Author Alice J. Wisler

Characters in Grief by Alice J. Wisler 

An elderly missionary was asked to sum up his life which had been filled with sorrow and anguish.  His words shocked many, especially those who were expecting something more profound.  “Jesus loves me, this I know,” he said.  Then he sat down.


Once upon a time, I wrote happy. As a little girl of ten, I wanted everything to turn out well. I thought that if you ate your vegetables and said your prayers life would be grand. I conveyed this in my writing. I also planned to save the world, although that was a bit later in life. 

When my four-year-old son died, I could not write happy. Like the words in many of the Psalms, my tears were my food; despair filled every ounce of me. Writing helped to get the sad out, and pretty soon, I wanted to live again and had hopes for my fiction.

There is no surprise now that my novels depict both happy and sad, joy, light-heartedness, distraught, and confusion. My goal is to write real.

When I created Monet, the three-year-old in my first novel, Rain Song, some questions arose. Why was this child so loud and naughty? Was it the case of poor parenting? Her mother took her to many doctors to try to find out why she was the way she was, and while there was some conversation about autism, I never said that was Monet’s diagnosis. Yet, some readers were quick to label her with that and their reviews showed it.

Whether you like Monet in the novel or not, to me, she is the symbol that things are not always neatly-labeled in life. Everything is not black or white. My son was not immediately diagnosed with cancer. The doctors gave him other labels first and eventually he had to go through a surgery and a biopsy. A lot of waiting was involved.

I believe life in novels should mimic life in reality. I don’t have all the answers, and neither do my characters.  They don’t get over grief, they heal a little. They might overcome some adversity, but they still have wounds.  Mentally-challenged Jonas, in How Sweet It Is, will never be a scientist or a professor, yet he has the qualities of a humble man that surpass most scholars. We don’t know why God made Jonas the way he did, but we like him.

Can we live with not knowing everything? In our lives and in our novels? Is grappling with our faith okay? Is it acceptable to some days barely hang onto the hand of the God? I believe that creative ways to show our characters have not yet arrived are necessary in our stories.

Just like in my life. And in yours.

Sometimes when our days are a blur of uncertainty, when the future looks dismal, when our spirits have been crushed, what comes from our feeble lips is both simple and profound, “Jesus loves me, this I know.” It is a sacrifice to say it, and yet, it rings true. 

Alice J. Wisler is the author of Rain Song, How Sweet It Is, Slices of Sunlight, Down The Cereal Aisle, and Hatteras Girl (releases Oct. 1st).

Website: alicewisler.com
Blog: writingtheheartache.blogspot.com
Twitter: @AliceWisler
Facebook Fan Page: Alice J. Wisler



God bless!
~Grace

Writer's Groups: To Join or Not to Join? by Pamela Thorson

If you have done any writing on a serious level, you've surely at least heard of writer's groups. Many agents, seasoned authors, and writer's conferences routinely encourage writers - especially novices - to get involved in local groups. Soon after publishing my first book, I was invited by an acquaintance to join theirs. I jumped at the chance, eager to connect with other local writers. A year later, I was invited to join a local author's group. Since then, I've juggled my time between both groups and have discovered a few striking differences:

* One group is mostly a critique group. We meet often (every two or three weeks) in order to stay disciplined and writing. The group is informal but serious. We e-mail our submissions to each other before the meeting, so we can come prepared with our critiques. We set a certain amount of time to discuss each submission. The group strives to make the critiques positive and non-critical. The focus is on learning: learning how to write better and learning more about the writing profession in general. We attend writer's conferences together. We cheer each other's victories in getting published and encourage one another through the rough weather of life in general. In some ways, we're a support group, too.

* The other group is comprised mostly of self-published authors learning how to market their products in a tough economy. This group is varied and fiercely independent. The leader makes sure that any new writers understand that "This is not a critique group." Several of these authors are either active or retired professors from nearby colleges and universities. This group has organized such activities as an open house for local authors, open-mike nights for book readings, and presentations from the university book store and a local publisher. 

Which group would I recommend? It depends on what you're looking for. One woman in the second group said she had tried a critique group and hated it. Personally, I have learned a lot from the critique group. If a writer can't take the critical eyes of a small group, that big, brutal world out there is going to be a rude awakening. On the other hand, for those who already have a product and want to devote their time and energies solely to marketing, the second group is valuable.

I've found that I need both. I have a lot to learn. The critique group keeps me disciplined and writing; the marketing group forces me away from the computer and out there where the readers are. The interaction and wisdom of others is vital to growing as an author, whether novice or seasoned. Any writer who pretends to know it all is in danger of becoming proud, irrelevant, or just plain stale.

 As Christian authors, our words are living letters from God's heart to others. To be filled the breath of life and anointing that comes from the Spirit of God, they need the fresh air of new ideas, the nourishment of mentoring, and the revealing light of gentle correction.

It's always exciting when a group of Christian authors can be co-laborers instead of competitors. So if you're not in a writer's group yet, I encourage you to find one. Or start one today.

Visit Pamela Thorson's website:

songinthenight.net