Many people have helped me reach my writing goals. Whenever I can, I want to pay that forward, so to speak, by encouraging prospective writers to keep at it. 

Unfortunately, writing, marketing and mothering just doesn’t leave me many extra hours for critiquing the work of others. I just wish I had more time! But our world is full of busy people, so something tells me you can relate.

That said, I can offer you my help by recommending a few things:

Read. I hope you keep books in your car for those lulls during your daughter’s gymnastics practice or while waiting for your dentist appointment. Fill your senses with the written word, both in and outside of the genre you seek to write, anytime you can. Reading awakens and stirs up my own creative bent, and if you’re a writer, it will do the same for you.

Find out if you love to write, or if you just love the idea of being published. There’s actually a difference. Truthfully I think I started out the latter. When I finally got serious and took classes with publication in mind, I found that it required hard work and sweat.  It’s not an easy task, this writing thing. I had to learn about structure, craft, and editing. I had to withstand rejection and long periods of waiting between submissions. At one point, the pain of the process became too much, and I gave it up. However, I missed it terribly, and what I learned most through it all is that I LOVE TO WRITE. Make sure you do too before investing your life into it.

Go to writer’s conferences. I know they can be expensive, but our God is extravagantly generous. When my teen son was a baby, I just didn’t have the resources to attend a week-long conference. Then ‘out of the blue’ I was invited to participate in that sought-after conference—for free. It’s a long story, but to this day I’m grateful for the way God answered the prayer for provision.  Through conferences I have made lifelong friends, I’ve met editors who contact me with assignments, and, of course, I’ve learned much about writing and marketing. Find a way—some conferences offer grants—and go!

Get the guides. If you’re interested in writing for inspirational markets, then pick up a copy of Sally Stuart’s Christian Writer’s Market Guide ( http://www.stuartmarket.com/) and for general markets, Writer’s Digest puts out the Writer’s Market (http://www.writersmarket.com/ Both books are choc-full of info to get you started.

Surf for resources. You can visit my agent, Steve Laube’s site for a comprehensive list of writing resources. http://stevelaube.com/links.htm  And if you write fiction, consider joining the American Christian Fiction Writers www.acfw.com, a community of both seasoned and new authors. Great opportunities for learning, networking and fun!

Keep up the good work, and don’t lose heart. You’re on your way…

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