Blog Entries for: Kudos
- Spelling for Dollars! and Christian Writer's Den Readers Get Published!
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If you've been reading this blog any length of time, you've heard me say that editors are becoming more and more discriminating. When I first started writing, instructors told us we had a chapter to get the editors' attention. Then it became five pages. Then one page. Then one paragraph. Now, many editors say we have one sentence. Ugh.
- August 10, 2010 | 4 Comments | View or add comments
- Submitting to Agents and Publishers
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You've done everything you're supposed to do. You've taken the classes and been to critique and rewritten and edited and formatted. Your manuscript is ready. You're sure of it. Time to throw your baby to the wolves.
- July 13, 2010 | 7 Comments | View or add comments
- Screenwriting Basics
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Well, I've just returned from the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival, where Sarah Ann Sumpolec and I co-direct the Intern Program. What fun! Here's a photo of Sarah and me with all the interns at the banquet dinner. If you have 16-18 year-old teens who are interested in a career in acting, screenwriting, or any area of film production, this is the program for them! Similar to a writer's conference, the Gideon offers great opportunities for adult and teen interns to network and learn from industry professionals in the media arts. I hope you'll plan now to attend next year. The dates are August 6-11, 2011.
- June 8, 2010 | 3 Comments | View or add comments
- Submission is NOT a Four-Letter Word!
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Forty-one years ago today I walked down the aisle to say "I do" to my high school sweetheart...and he's still my sweetheart today! In honor of our 41st anniversary today, I want to share an important lesson I learned on marriage. And even though it's primarily written to women, I think you men will especially enjoy it. Gr-r-r-r-r.First of all, I want to tell you I knew instinctively how to be the wife Gary needed, how to be his helpmate, how to relate to him in a way that would build him up as the leader in our home. That's what I want to tell you, but I can't--because it'd be a big fat lie! The truth is, the Lord took me kicking and screaming all the way to submission! And my marriage and my love for Gary has never been the same.
- June 1, 2010 | 9 Comments | View or add comments
- Conference Etiquette: Mind Your Manners 2010
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I'm in the midst of prepping to teach at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference that begins this coming Sunday, May 16 and runs through Thursday, May 20. As always, I'm thrilled to be part of this amazing conference. Have you registered yet? It's not too late! So this week, as I prepare, I can't think of anything better to talk about than Conference Etiquette--regardless of the conference you're attending. Like many of my blog entries, this one is written and shared with you because I wish someone had taught these concepts to me when I was starting out!
- May 11, 2010 | 11 Comments | View or add comments
- Show, Don't Tell
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Show, don't tell. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You've heard it a thousand times. But it IS the writer's mantra. And it should be.
Instead of telling readers what is happening, we want them to view the scenes as a movie in their minds.
- April 13, 2010 | 7 Comments | View or add comments
- Who are the Characters in YOUR LIfe?
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The more I teach at writer's conferences, the more I realize how blessed we are as writers if we have home-grown, ready-made characters in our families. You know what I'm talking about...the eccentric grandpa who buys moonshine along with the eggs, the prim and proper aunt with the colorful past, the entrepreneurial dad with the can-do attitude and the can't-do bank account. Yes, I am blessed as a writer. Most fiction writers admit that even though their characters are rarely exact duplicates of anyone, many are compilations with bits and pieces of various people, thrown together into a hash of the real and the imagined. And the results can be a quite entertaining.
- March 9, 2010 | 5 Comments | View or add comments
- Writing is No Different
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This week I received an email from someone I'll be meeting at an upcoming writer's conference. She was discouraged because she had been going to conferences and working hard, but so far had only received only $25 for her efforts. She ended the email by saying that if it weren't for encouragement from a few people, she would just quit.She's not alone. I know exactly how she felt. I remember working year after year, paying for postage, buying books and magazines on writing, and going to conferences...and I didn't even have $25 to show for it.
- February 9, 2010 | 15 Comments | View or add comments
- So What Are We Waiting For?
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Okay, let's be honest here. I have a feeling you're like me...and last year you had some great ideas. Some really great ideas. God ideas. Ideas that you knew you were supposed to share with others through writing and/or speaking. Your intentions were good.And yet--for whatever reason--they're still just ideas. Ideas sitting in your computer...in your journal...or maybe even just in your head.
- January 11, 2010 | 13 Comments | View or add comments
- You Oughta Be in Pictures!
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YouTube videos, that is. Not convinced? What if I tell you it could increase your ministry opportunities and add income to your bottom line? After repeated requests at women's events, I made my YouTube video two years ago...and I had no idea what that would mean to my ministry. Here's how it happened.I'd been doing my Solomon's Beloved skit (a funny, literal interpretation of Song of Solomon) in some of my programs for years, and the audiences always loved it. Women would often come up after the program and ask if I had a video of the skit that they could use at their church. Of course, I didn't. But finally, enough people asked until I realized I was going to have to do something about it.
- December 8, 2009 | 6 Comments | View or add comments
- Word Pictures: Out of the Mouths of Babes
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The past couple of days, I've Twittered a few comments collected through the years from kids at my Writing is Fun workshops in schools. Our kids' and grandkids' statements are often good for a laugh, but could there be more to them than that? Honestly, could "MaMa, why is your arm like a water balloon?" assist me in some way as a writer and speaker? If you've ever heard me speak, you know I use a lot of stories. After all, it's through story that we can grab the listener and then teach the message we feel called to share. I use this technique frequently, and I find it works especially well when the joke's on me.
- November 9, 2009 | 6 Comments | View or add comments
- Research: The First Step to a Great Story
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As I write this entry, I'm on the coast of NC, researching settings and story ideas for the fourth Bitsy book, Bitsy and the Mystery at __________ (location to be decided, hopefully this week).
To be honest, one of the hardest parts about writing the Bitsy Burroughs Mysteries is coming up with plausible reasons for a 12-year-old girl from a poor Greenville, SC family to visit all these cool islands! Well, the way I begin that process is through research.
- October 12, 2009 | 6 Comments | View or add comments
- Money in My Mailbox
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Last week I walked out the door to the mailbox. I came back in $25 richer. It was the second time I had gotten free money.Well, maybe not totally free, but almost.
- September 7, 2009 | 3 Comments | View or add comments
- Auditioning Characters at the Airport
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As I write this, it's 3:30pm and I'm sitting in the Washington DC airport. According
to my flight itinerary, I should already be home, lying on my sofa, dozing off as I pretend to read the newspaper. But instead of snoozing, I'm stuck at the airport, scouting out my next cast of characters...and they don't even know they're auditioning for the part. There's the lanky college-age fella across the aisle from me, chatting on one phone while checking his email on another. His molasses voice floats across the stuffy air as he makes alternate plans with his unseen buddy. A black flip-flop the size of a bread loaf hangs from his right foot while he picks at his toenails. Yep, there are possibilities there.
- August 10, 2009 | 7 Comments | View or add comments
- Chip MacGregor's Answers to Basic, Basic, Basic Questions
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I've been in Denver this week for the International Christian Retailers Show and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association conference. It's been a joy to brainstorm with my agent and plan future projects, share successes and disappointments with long-time writer friends, and make new friends to travel alongside on this journey called writing. It's been especially nice to meet some of you for the very first time! God is so good to give us the camaraderie of friends to stand by us through the ups and downs of this business (Or as my friend, Robin Bryce says, this Binistry! [Business + Ministry]).
Since my time is short this week, I appreciate agent Chip MacGregor's willingness to share two of his recent blog posts. Do you have questions about terms within the publishing industry? Are you confused about the differences between royalties, advances, and earning out? Do you have questions about book proposals? If so, just click on over to Chip's blog, where you'll find the answers to those questions and many more. Thanks, Chip!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Kudos for Our Readers!
It's that time again. Time to send our congratulations to the following readers of The Christian Writer's Den. You've done what it takes and you have the credits to prove it! Join me as we celebrate with our writing friends!
- July 14, 2009 | 3 Comments | View or add comments
- Following Up with Agents and Editors
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This is a crazy week. I'm taking my mother to three doctors appointments, teaching three writing classes for kids at libraries, emceeing at VBS every night, and our 10-year-old granddaughter is here for her special week with PaPa and MaMa (including, but not limited to: water park, "Up" movie, Gatti-Town, pottery, swimming with cousins, bowling, and getting our nails done)! All that to say, today's segment will be quick and to the point!
Now that several weeks have passed since the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, I thought it would be a good time to cover a few points about submitting to agents and editors. Perhaps you've been busy rewriting chapters, tweaking proposals, or finalizing query letters. Some of you may have even sent material in.
- June 16, 2009 | 4 Comments | View or add comments
- Urgent! Please Send Me Your Blue Ridge and Gideon Conference Kudos!!!
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I know it's not Tuesday. But there were many award finalists and winners from our group at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to let everyone know!
So, if you were any kind of winner (okay, I know we're ALL winners, but you know what I mean) at Blue Ridge or if you were a finalist or winner at the Gideon, would you please email me ASAP? I want to include them in the kudos and I'll be working on it this weekend!
Hope you're having an awesome week!
- June 13, 2009 | 2 Comments | View or add comments
- Put on Your Grown-Up Britches and Get to Work!
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I received an email recently from an unpublished writer. She wanted to know how to get her book published. At least that's what she said she wanted. But as I read her note, I realized the specifics of her request told an entirely different story.She started out by telling me about the book she'd written. She knew it was a good book and was sure to be published "If only someone would take the time to really look at it."
- May 11, 2009 | 10 Comments | View or add comments
- The Synopsis: Short & Sweet
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You've just completed the Great American Novel. You've done everything you've been told to do. You've created compelling characters and plopped them right smack in the middle of emotional/physical conflict. You've engaged the reader with your perfectly executed plot and subplots. You've edited and proofed and allowed your baby to be critiqued by your writer's group. Now it's time to share the pictures and see if anyone wants to hold her. So you register for a writer's conference where editors, agents, critiquers, and contest judges may ask for a synopsis.
- April 13, 2009 | 4 Comments | View or add comments
- Interview and Book Give Away with Author and Speaker Jo Franz
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Hi Gang! Please help me welcome Jo Franz. Jo is an award-winning author and national speaker for women's conferences, retreats, banquets, etc., and a speaker for colleges, universities, and association and business events. She has inspired audiences since 1984, and she gives God all the glory! She has stories in numerous books and contributed to the writing of several others before writing her memoir. Her newest book is for college students and high school seniors. I had the joy of meeting Jo several years ago at her booksigning at the International Christian Retail Show in Atlanta. I'm blessed to call her my friend! You can reach Jo and read more about her and her ministry through these links:
- March 23, 2009 | 10 Comments | View or add comments
- Punctuation Pitfalls, Part I
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First of all, here's my disclaimer: I am NOT an expert in English. I don't have a degree in English and wouldn't dream of trying to tell you how to create perfectly-punctuated pieces. That said, I do a fair amount of critiquing and do feel fairly confident in offering some general hints to finding the most frequent errors I see. (And yes, I've seen variations of each of these examples) Over the next few weeks, we'll be looking at punctuation pitfalls that can mean the difference between an acceptance and a rejection in your writing life.
- When writing dialogue, place quotation marks around the spoken words, not the speaker tag.
Correct: "You didn't tell me that," Tom said.
Incorrect: "You didn't tell me that, Tom said." - March 9, 2009 | 7 Comments | View or add comments
- Is Your Writing Flat as a Pancake?
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Do you feel like you're caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to your writing? Are you looking for a way to write outside the box? Are the editors as mean as snakes when it comes to their rejections? Learn to recognize overworked cliches...and soon you'll be whistling a new tune!
So what qualifies as a cliché? Dictionary.com says a cliche is:
- February 9, 2009 | 8 Comments | View or add comments
- Hey You!
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(I'm so sorry that this week's entry has such clunky links and no photos. I'm in FL and having computer issues, so I'm on my friend's Mac and don't have time to learn how to do it right! This is the best I can do on such a tight timeframe. I'm so sorry! I hope you still find nuggests of wisdom in the words I've not-so-eloquently written.)
Hey You!
- January 13, 2009 | 4 Comments | View or add comments
- What's in a Name?
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Remember when you studied the balcony scene from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet? Remember when Juliet said:
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
- December 8, 2008 | 5 Comments | View or add comments
- And the Beat Goes On...
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November 11, 2008
Ahhh...the melody of words. Don't you love it? Melodic writing truly is music to the ears.
- November 10, 2008 | 10 Comments | View or add comments
- Taking the Question Out of Query Letters, Part 1
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October 14, 2008
Query letters. I hate them. You hate them. Everybody hates them. But the ability to write a good query letter can mean the difference between publication and rejection. Over the next two weeks, I'll be sharing a five-step formula for writing query letters that will create interest and increase the chances of seeing your name in print. (It will be presented as a query letter for a proposed article, but the basic concepts would work for a manuscript cover letter, too.)
- October 14, 2008 | 2 Comments | View or add comments
- Do You Really Need an Agent?
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September 9, 2008
After my blog post, Scams, Shams, and Flim-Flams, a writer asked, "Do I really need an agent?" Well, you'll be happy to know I can confidently and unequivocally answer that question in three simple words: Yes, no, and maybe.
When I wrote my first book, I knew I didn't want an agent. I mean, why would I want to give a whopping 15 percent of my earnings to a total stranger when I could do it myself and keep all that money?
- September 8, 2008 | 11 Comments | View or add comments
- Giving Birth to Your Book, Part II: All Cleaned Up, Now Where Do We Go?
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August 12, 2008
About a month ago, I posted Giving Birth to Your Book Part I, with plans to post Part II the following week. As you can see, birthing this baby is long overdue. Well, after reading today's entry, you won't be able to say, "Oh, Ms. Vonda, I don't know nothing about birthin' no books!"
- August 12, 2008 | 8 Comments | View or add comments
- Giving Birth to Your Book, Part I: Clean It Up!
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July 8, 2008
You've worked for months or years and finally, it's done. You've accomplished your dream and finally created "new life." But new life is just the beginning. Yes, your baby-your book-is created, but how do you start the delivery process and get your baby out into the world?
- July 8, 2008 | 8 Comments | View or add comments
- Don't Wimp Out on Good Writing
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June 10, 2008
I've always considered myself a fairly strong person. After all, I've taken karate lessons, played first base on an all-boys baseball team, and been scuba diving with alligators. (Okay, I admit the alligators were a surprise, but I had bravely planned for the rest of the adventure.) But when I sat down to start writing, I turned into a real wimp...and I didn't even know it.
It wasn't until I started taking classes and going to conferences that I finally discovered one of the reasons I couldn't get published: I used wimpy verbs.
- June 9, 2008 | 4 Comments | View or add comments
- Who Says?
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May 13, 2008
Back in 1993, before dinosaurs walked the earth, I decided to write my first book. Gary bought an electric typewriter and converted my sewing table into a desk. I ordered erasers and Correct-o-Type. But I knew that to be a real writer, I needed one more thing--a Roget's Thesaurus.
Two sentences into the first page, I opened the ten-pound book. It was a heady experience. I followed the alphabet to the one word I knew I needed to avoid: said. Everybody knew said was a wimpy word, and I was not going to be a wimpy writer!
- May 13, 2008 | 4 Comments | View or add comments
- Teaching Biblical Truth Through Secular Fiction
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April 8, 2008
Today's fictional children are invincible. They're smart and calculating and wise beyond their years. They're totally independent and answer to no one. They nab the bad guy and save the planet and solve the world's problems through their ingenuity and insight. And where are today's fictional adults while all this is going on? They're standing in the corner, picking their noses--inept bystanders in the crises of life.
Truth is, real kids need us adults. They need us to listen and understand and offer guidance. Lesson #1: Fictional kids need adults, too.
- April 8, 2008 | 4 Comments | View or add comments
- Have You Failed...to Write?
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March 11, 2008
In 1993, long before I ever tried to write for publication, I attended a writing seminar. I had never traveled alone out into the big, bad world, so I was scared to death. I made my reservation, packed my suitcase, and drove two hours away. This was my big chance.
- March 11, 2008 | 9 Comments | View or add comments
Solomon's Beloved!
Want a laugh????
Solomon's Beloved has finally arrived at YouTube! I hope you'll take a look and leave a comment (and maybe even post a great rating;-). Thank you, friends, for all your support and encouragement!
2010 Christian Writer's Den Writing Retreat
**I'm sorry, but registration is full--BUT we have a waiting list and would be happy to add your name! No deposit necessary for the waiting list. When an opening comes available, we'll contact you then for your decision.**
Ladies, it's time to register for our
annual Christian Writer's Den Writing Retreat in Todd, NC. This year's date is October 21-24. (Don't worry, there won't be snow in October!) Check out the 2008 video here. More info and registration here. Or feel free to email me for more information.
Featured Books
Seeing Through the Lies: Unmasking the Myths Women Believe
"Vonda helps us get a grip and find our footing...and she does it with giggles and grace. Her light touch combined with her deep heart make this worth embracing."
Patsy Clairmont, author of Dancing Bones...living lively in the valley
Is your study group considering using my new book? I'd love to join you by speaker phone! Just contact me for details.
Want to read the first chapter?
Order your copy today !
Bitsy and the Mystery at Hilton Head Island has arrived!
Bitsy and the Mystery at Hilton Head Island--the third adventure in the Bitsy Mystery Series--is now available. You can get your signed, personalized copies here.
In this new adventure, Bitsy (the only girl on her baseball team) heads to Hilton Head Island for a tournament, where Bitsy expects sun, fun, and a first place trophy. But her plans change when she discovers a loggerhead turtle egg thief is on the loose. Could he be hiding right under their noses?
Read the first two chapters to find out more.
Visit the Bookstore to see all Vonda's books and find out how to get your own signed and personalized copies.