How Five Little Words Can Changed Your Writer’s Heart–and Your Life!

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  “Nutty with A Dash of Meat” Jeanette Levellie here with a secret to how five little words can change your writer’s heart–and your life! In all the years since Debbie left L.A. to move to Denver, I never told her how the five words she taught me changed my life. Two decades flew over us like a streak in the inky sky before I thought to thank her for those five words. When we moved into a beautiful new home, she said them. When my kids received awards, and I had my first paying article published, she spoke them. Even when…

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Overcoming Those Pesky Time Thieves That Attack Writers

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“Nutty with a Dash of Meat” Jeanette Levellie here with a few ways to help you overcome those pesky time thieves that attack us all. When someone stole our credit card information, we canceled the card. But when time thieves break into my writing schedule and steal precious time, I shrug and say, “I’ll do that project tomorrow.” Too many of these robberies lead to unfinished projects and blocked goals. Your time-stealers may vary, depending on your personality. I imagine you can relate to at least some of these productivity robbers that regularly sneak up on me:

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Where to Begin the Story

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Hello from Crystal Bowman! This blog post is for those who want to write fiction for children, and even for those who don’t because the more you know, the more you grow. Most of my books are for the children’s devotional or Bible storybook market. However, I have written several fiction picture books as well as few dozen I Can Read! books, so I want to share something I learned many years ago in my novice years of writing. The mistake many writers make (and I used to be one of them) is to write an explanatory introduction to “set…

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Package or Present? When I Needed a Kick in The Pants

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“Nutty with a Dash of Meat” Jeanette Levellie here with a fun–but not at the time–story about how the Lord gave me a kick in the pants to help me learn humility. I hope you don’t need this lesson, but just in case . . . Playing the Comparison Game When our family performed a special music program on a Sunday night, the people in the congregation were effusive in their compliments. As I prayed after the concert, I found myself playing the comparison game. “Why can’t our people be like these, Lord? Why did you call us to pastor a…

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A Writer’s Confession

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Bob Hostetler here, offering another prayer for writers: Lord God Almighty, I confess that I have sinned against you through my own fault, in thought and word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone. I confess that I have too often trusted my own strength instead of relying on yours; I have let my puny ability suffice when I could have and should have laid hold of your ready power. I confess that I have chased after mammon, and written for mere money, instead of seeking first your kingdom and your glory, and…

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Paginate Please!

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Hello from Crystal Bowman. I am happy to tell you that I am spending the summer in Michigan rather than my home in Florida. I have three grandhildren in Michigan, so besides the beautiful weather, those are three great reasons to be here! I have been writing for children for over 25 years and also have an editing service for children’s writers who are trying to get their books published. When I review proposals, I often see a good proposal with the manuscript tacked on at the end. What I often don’t see is a paginated manuscript.

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Write, Walk, Write

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by Judith Couchman Writing is one way of making the world our own, and . . . walking is another. —Geoff Nicholson Long before doctors claimed physical movement as heart healthy, walking and writing joined hands. Writers have traipsed miles to stretch their legs, clear their brains, and feed their creativity. Walking enhanced their ability to form ideas and solve dilemmas. The poets William Blake and Henry Wadsworth walked to explore their imaginations. Charles Henry Miller explained, “Most writing is done away from the typewriter, away from the desk. I’d say it occurs in the quiet, silent moments, while you’re…

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Five Ways to Stay Sane while Raising Cain (or Jane)

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“Nutty with a Dash of Meat” Jeanette Levellie here with some tips for those of you with kids at home, taken from my Time Management for Part-time Writers  conference class, Five Ways to Stay Sane while Raising Cain (or Jane). Although my kids are done being kids, I’ve learned a few secrets—mostly the hard way—of managing my time when I had only scraps of it to manage. I hope these help and encourage you.

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Every Word Counts

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Hello from Crystal Bowman, writing from sunny Florida where the air is getting warmer every day. I’ve been writing for children for more than twenty years and am still learning. When it comes to writing for children, the more you learn and the more you know, the harder it gets. I write mostly for the preschool market, but also write devotions for beginning readers as well as for kids ages 6-10.

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Writing Articles as a Marketing Tool

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by Sarah Hamaker, reluctant marketer Articles can be a fantastic marketing tool for writers. After all, writers are passionate and articulate about our subjects, which can translate well into shorter pieces for blogs, magazines, newspapers and other forums, both online and in print.

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