30 years today!

Mr. and Mrs. Edward L. Akins, Dec. 3, 1982

Today is my 30th wedding anniversary.

By the grace of God!

I couldn't be a writer without the support of my family and my husband. It's a sacrifice for him because my husband is the polar opposite when it comes to needing people time. He thrives on being around people, talking to them, spending time with them. For him to give up time with his one and only, is a real sacrifice, and I appreciate him for it.

Writers do well to remember what their families pay for loving them in the midst of a book or project. One of the things I do for my kids (who are older but have disabilities), is promise them a night out on the town (dinner, movie, etc.) if I sign a contract or sell a book or story. It helps them to be in on the victories. It helps them understand when I'm spending hours in front of a computer the reasons why I'm doing it. My children still at home can't grasp what I do because of their autism and developmental delays. But they do understand I'm happy when I sell something. And they are more than eager to celebrate with me.

Because my husband (whom I lovingly refer to online as "Mr. Himself") is a spontaneous kind of guy and I'm a planner, we've had to bridge that obstacle by making myself schedule "dates" so that he doesn't get neglected, or worse, feel neglected. It was very difficult for him in the beginning of my writing commitment until he saw me succeed. Then it clicked for him. I'm still not sure it's all that easy for him, but I'm grateful for his support. I couldn't write well without it. He has had to learn to do a lot more around the house than he did when we had little ones running around. I was happy to give those years to my children. But I'm happy now to give some years to the craft I love and I never take my husband's support for granted. We don't write books all by ourselves. It takes a circle of support and I know I'm blessed to have that.

All of it is by God's grace: successful marriages, writing careers, intact families. Without God's blessings and grace, we couldn't do it. So I thank God today that I've a marriage that's lasted 30 years. I'm grateful for the things I've learned by being married: giving up the right to be right; editing the words I say; compromise, compromise, compromise.

It's sort of the same when we write. We give up the right to be right by allowing others to critique and edit our work, we learn to compromise, and we most certainly learn to edit.

Nothing is perfect the first time. Wait, nothing is perfect, period.

30 years of marriage will teach you that.

And so will 30 minutes of writing. 

 Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, grandma to five beautiful little girls and author of the best-selling Jacques Cartier (that went #1 on Amazon in its category) and O Canada! Her Story.  Her debut novel The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots  was sold to Pelican Book Group and due out in 2013. One of her columns on MNN.com was featured on the CNN homepage. Represented by Hartline Literary Agency, she lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, mother-in-law with Alzheimer's and three rambunctious dogs. When she's not writing she dreams of riding her motorcycle through the Smoky Mountains.

Murder and Manuscripts

Source: Wikimedia Commons

"Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it — whole-heartedly — and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings."  

Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch

~~~

You've slaved over your manuscript. You love every word. It's like a precious infant that you've given birth to after years of hard work and attention. You've spent lunch hours, and evening TV watching time creating a masterpiece.

And now your critique group wants to cut your favorite parts.

And it hurts.

That's okay. It's supposed to. When we first start out, as in any effort, it's painful. Athletes don't become gold medalists without pain. Great writers don't, either. I promise, as you gain more experience as a writer, as you keep writing and keep writing and keep writing, you're gonna write some unworthy stuff. If that weren't true we wouldn't need critique partners, agents, or editors.  And because you're going to write unworthy stuff (and even experienced writers do), some of your darlings will end up slashed, rejected and murdered. Suck it up. It's good for you. You will learn from it.

The best advice I ever heard about "killing our darlings" is from Stephen King's book On Writing. He puts his manuscripts in a drawer for months before going back to them for edits. That way, he isn't as emotionally involved with them. And while that manuscript sits, he starts the next one.

When you start a new manuscript, it becomes your passion. That other manuscript, aging in the drawer, becomes just another project you want to get right. At least that's how it works for me.

Recently, I went back to a manuscript that I'd written and completed almost two years ago. I 'd been struggling with how to rewrite the first chapter. It simply wasn't right. So I put it away, got started on other projects, and got it out again last week. Within minutes I easily cut most of the first three chapters. I couldn't see how to do that before because I was too close to it. Now, it's just something that needs to get done, and hopefully, what I've changed will make it more worthy for someone to consider it.

When it comes to writing, we have to be willing to "murder our darlings." (However, don't forget to pray and ask God what to leave in and what to take out. That makes the decision even easier.)

The thing to remember about sitting manuscripts is that God's timing is perfect. He knows who is going to pick up your book/story on what exact day at what exact time. We have to rest in His perfect plan and time for releasing our words to those who need to hear them. Letting our manuscript age in the drawer could be part of God's plan for releasing it at the proper time and place. Never forget that God's purpose will prevail, no matter how many words you write.

What makes us think we can get ahead of God? Silly humans. Timing is up to God. When we write with that it mind, it makes the waiting easier.

 "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass...Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not..."

Psalm 37: 5&7a

 Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, grandma to five beautiful little girls and author of O Canada! Her Story and represented by Hartline Literary Agency. She lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, and three rambunctious dogs. Her favorite color is purple, favorite hobby is book-hoarding, and favorite food group is cupcakes.

The Impact of Genesis Past

As it is each spring, Genesis is well underway. Writers are biting their nails or distracting themselves with work and first round judges are rubbing tired eyes while evaluating entries.

After I finished my allotted group, I wondered what happened to previous winners so I randomly choose 2005 and contacted winners Ruth Logan Herne for General Fiction, Cheryl Wyatt for Contemporary Romance, and Camy Tang for Mystery/Suspense/Thriller to ask what they were currently doing and what impact Genesis had.

Ruth: I'm having the time of my life working for Love Inspired Books. My most recent release was the 4 Star Yuletide Hearts, part of the Men of Allegany County series, and I'm looking forward to A Family to Cherish, my July release. I was blessed to final and/or win in the Noble Theme, later called Genesis, multiple times. I love this contest. It allows Christian authors a chance to shine in their genre, and that's rare. I contracted my first agent as a result and caught the interest of several editors, exactly what I wanted to accomplish.

The Genesis/Noble Theme was good to me and for me. I began to see the broad scope of Christian fiction, how its growth has opened up doors of opportunity for so many. It was worth every penny I spent and got me lots of great feedback even when I didn't win. I also made sure I entered several different entries, hoping to shine multiple times. And it worked!

Cheryl:Winning Genesis significantly affected my career. My now-editor, from my dream house, Love Inspired, was sitting in the front row. She was very excited and remembered me from another manuscript I had submitted. I sold my first book to them days after returning from the conference...it had won the Romance Category of Noble Theme the year prior. Now, I'm on my 10th book...in a medical mini-series titled Eagle Point Emergency. The Doctor's Devotion is on sale for pre-order now. Doctor to the Rescue will be available in December.

Even the years I'd entered and not finaled were beneficial because the judges' comments steered me to things I needed to work on craft-wise. It also helped me see my strengths. The positive reinforcement gave me courage to keep trying even though I didn't score high the first couple times I entered. That I started out with very low scores then progressed to win and to contract is a testament that this contest has far-reaching benefits.

I think in the beginning, most writers aren't as far along as they think they are. I see a lot of open hostility from people who don't final. When you complain openly, you're making yourself look unprofessional. That always bothers me because they don't realize that agents and editors are watching. As one editor wisely put it: the industry has a looooooong memory. Stay humble, teachable, Christ-like and determined to learn. Judges aren't right 100% of the time. But they are right MOST of the time.

Camy: The editor who would later buy Deadly Intent, my first Love Inspired Suspense, was the first person to congratulate me after I won in 2005. Getting the attention of editors and agents was the most surprising aspect. I had been unaware of the growing prestige of the contest and hadn't thought that the editors who hadn't judged the contest would pay that much attention to the winners. Now that Genesis has gained so much respect among the Christian publishing industry, I think current winners can be assured that their names are being noted by editors, especially when the finalists have appointments with them at the ACFW conference.

It's hard to put your "baby" out there and I applaud participants for it! Go into it with a humble heart because even the most critical comment could have a grain of truth in it that will help you improve your writing. I have gained the absolute best feedback from my judges, even the ones who gave me low scores. It kept me constantly striving to improve my craft and hit the audience I want to write for. My most current book is Protection for Hire published by Zondervan.

Congratulations to the winners. Continue to improve your craft. Editors and agents will be watching, so show them you're hard-working, humble, and kind. Also show that you're generous with your time in giving back to the Genesis—offer to judge next year!

Thanks, ladies. These authors had more to say. Complete transcripts are available when you request by comment below. For the list of winners from other years or for more about the contest, go to www.acfw.com.

What inspires you?

Source: Wikimedia Commons

As imaginative writers, many things inspire us: sunsets, mountains, romantic candlelight. Maybe it’s a memory of our childhood, a nightmare, or our latest trip to the mall. We're constantly people watching, thinking up new plot lines, creating “what if” scenarios in our minds.

We go to conferences to learn the logistics of fashioning a book,meeting agents or networking with publishers. We spend valuable time on group emails, building an online platform, and gathering friends on Facebook. There’s nothing wrong with doing these things. It’s part of the job. We need to be the best that we can be and  fellowship with other writers to feel inspired, encouraged or validated.

Sometimes, though, we look too hard for inspiration, when as Christians, we have it inside of us. Sadly, we may forget it’s there, or worse, ignore it.

Job was someone in the Bible who got a lot of advice. He was surrounded by “encouraging” nay sayers who shared their expert opinions: “Quit! Give up! Die!” 

But Job knew where to look for inspiration. He knew Who to listen to:

“But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment” (Job 8 & 9, KJV).

As writers in these last days, we need to work smart, not hard. It’s tempting to take the hard road of going to and fro picking up tidbits here and there. We can wear ourselves out being afraid we might miss some morsel of a publishing secret or writing trend, when all we need to do is get quiet and listen.

To Him.

“What is it you want to say today, Lord? What words do you want on this page?”

I wonder sometimes—do we hurt the Holy Spirit’s tender feelings when we ignore His ideas? His inspiration? How would we feel if we were telling someone the perfect way to succeed but they never took our advice? What makes us think we have better ideas than God?

I am often inspired by thoughtfulness, grief, and the spirit of the overcoming soul. Courageous athletes, cancer survivors, pianists playing Rachmaninoff—these folks receive my awe and attention. But I must remember that my most powerful inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit. He knows better than anyone what needs to be written. He knows better than anyone Who needs a message that God has put me on this planet to write.

He longs to inspire us. He patiently waits for us to listen. All we need do is follow Job’s example, and obey. Obeying His voice is much better than all the sacrifices we make going hither and yon for inspiration. For it is written: “…to obey is better than sacrifice…”(1 Samuel 15:22).

Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, grandma to five beautiful little girls and author of O Canada! Her Story. She lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, and three silly dogs. Her favorite color is purple, favorite hobby is book-hoarding, and favorite food group is cupcakes.

You've Got the Power

I did something today I've never done before. I walked my 70-year old mother through her first on-line shopping experience. I'll spare you all the gory details, but just picture this: I have the computer; she has the need for new pants. We're on the phone together and she knows nothing about websites, on-line shopping, or the number of the specific Levi's she wants to purchase. So, as I try to find the perfect pair of pants for my gray-haired momma who is under 95 pounds and stands 5-foot, 1-inch, including her cow-lick, I’m also trying to help her understand the art of on-line shopping. We successfully found the jeans of her dreams and I got them for 25% off and free shipping. But I digress.

This experience prompted me to post about it on Facebook which elicited a rather interesting and lengthy conversation with some friends about the lack of techno- know-how of our aging parents.

 I thought about my own journey with technology. Before I graduated from high school 20 years ago, I learned to type on a typewriter. College afforded a little more technology but computers were basically fancy word processors, to use one you went and waited your turn in the lab, and I didn’t even have an email account.

 Since starting this journey of writing, I’ve learned to cut and paste—on a screen, not with art supplies, post a review, send a fax, create and update a blog, post a status update and a tweet, and a slew of other things that seem commonplace today.

 And I’ll likely learn new things, things that haven’t even been thought of yet. And I’ll do it because it is my job. Just as a surgeon needs to comprehend his instruments or a chef needs to know his recipes, I must make it my business to master my business.

 There are a few ways you can learn technology even when you feel like you’ve just stepped from the pages of Stone Age Today.

Ø  Read books, study on-line, or ask questions. Use the knowledge gained by others to your own advantage.

Ø  Take classes at the local community college, library, or computer store. Often they're free or inexpensive.

Ø  Ask a teenager. Chances are whatever new-fangled thing you need to learn, he or she already knows and will teach you in exchange for food.

 So, I’m curious. Are you letting lack of technology know-how hold you back or are you on the cutting edge of all things geek? What do you do when faced when learning something new? How do you stay current in this ever-changing world?

Nikki Studebaker Barcus