Ten (well, 11) Most Common Mistakes Beginner Writers Make By MaryLu Tyndall ... AND a Book Giveaway!

1. Believing all you need is talent to write. No. No. No.  My surgeon may have been born with a great talent for surgery, but I’m really glad he went to 4 years of medical school and then interned under practicing physicians!!!   You may have loads of talent, but you need to study the craft of writing and that is a never ending process.

2. Being unteachable.  I knew a writer once who had real talent but whenever I would critique her writing and point out areas where she needed improvement, she’d get angry and argue with me. Part of becoming a great writer is learning to be humble enough to receive instruction from others.

3. Not entering contests for fear of losing. Let’s face it, it’s hard to lose, it’s hard to come in 99^th out of 100 entries! But I say enter all the contests you can afford to enter. It’s a great way to receive valuable critiques from published authors for cheap! And when you get their scores and comments back, read number 2 above. 

4. Focusing more on grammar and punctuation and sentence structure than on characters, plot, and dialogue. You may end up with a perfectly written and eloquent book, but if you don’t have great characters and an interesting plot, no one will read it.

5. Not spending enough time developing your characters. Characters drive your story. You must have interesting, deep, sympathetic characters or you will lose your reader. They must be complex and contradictory. They must have strong fears and goals and dreams and weaknesses. Get ahold of character charts and character interviews that other authors use and really spend the time on each main character until you feel like they are your best friends. If you don’t, they will end up one-dimensional and the story will be flat.

6. Not spending enough time plotting your story. Plot is equally important, yet I come across so many stories that wind around in maze and end up going nowhere. Scene after scene goes by with nothing really happening and nothing driving the story forward. Whether you are a plotter or a pantser, you still must take the time to determine where your book is going and how it’s going to get there, and then make every scene count.

7. Not having a moral or theme to your story. If you want your book to be memorable, you need to have a purpose to it, some point or lesson you want the reader to grasp. Even if you’re only writing fluffy romances, you can still interject a moral or theme. In fact, having a strong theme can really aid in developing plot.

8. Getting discouraged after a few rejections. If you’re a writer, you’re a writer. You will write no matter how many rejections you get. You won’t be able to help it. I know you’ve heard this before but this is a tough business to break into. Commitment and perseverance are essential. I’ve known writers who tried for 20 years to get published when finally their break came.

9. Incorporating all your hard research into your story whether it fits or not because a) You don’t want to waste all that hard work, and b) you want to impress people with your knowledge.  Let me tell you a secret. Most people could care less about the details of your story. If it’s good, they will be too engrossed in the story to be impressed. In fact, they will be bored if you add too many details. Some fiction novels read more like textbooks, and I guarantee it, most people will not keep reading. Out of every 100 historical facts I may find during my research, I usually only end up using less than a quarter of them in my story, placing them seamlessly within the character actions and descriptions.

10. Going it alone. Don’t do it. I’m an introvert so I have a tendency to want to be alone, but I’ve learned that without the help and support of other authors, I wouldn’t make it. Find out if any authors live in your area and connect with them. If not, join online groups. Make friends and discuss the business, your fears, your hopes, exchange manuscripts, pray for each other. Believe me, you’re going to need it.

11. Don’t write to market. In other words don’t write what you think will sell or what seems to be selling well or what everyone tells you will sell well IF it goes against what God has put on your heart to write.  Write that story burning on your heart.. you know the one. It’s the one that if you don’t tell it, you feel like you will explode. It’s the one that you get really excited about whenever you start thinking about the story and characters. That’s the one you write.

A Christy Award finalist and best-selling author, MaryLu Tyndall dreamt of tall ships and swashbuckling pirates during her childhood years on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. She holds a degree in Math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before testing the waters as a writer. Only by the grace and providence of God, did she decide to answer His call to write her first trilogy, Legacy of the King’s Pirates. Now, with over a dozen novels published, she continues to pen her romantic tales while managing a home, husband, six adult kids, and three cats who have decided that her keyboard is the best place to sleep!  She believes that without popcorn and chocolate, life would not be worth living, and her sole motivation in life is to bring others closer to God. 

For more information on MaryLu and her books, please visit her website  or her blog 
 or you can find her on Facebook!

THE GIVEAWAY

Forsaken Dreams

They Left Everything Behind to Build a New Southern Utopia

Colonel Blake Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath the weight of defeat and loss. With his entire family murdered by the North and his name appearing on a list of officers wanted for war crimes, Blake organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.

Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her Georgian home. She can't help but wonder how different her life would be had she not met her late husband, Stanton Watts, a general in the Northern army. Now a war widow, Eliza is rejected by both North and South. Desperate to keep her marriage a secret and escape her past and pain, she longs to start over again in Brazil.

But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea  and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for.

Enter to Win a copy of Forsaken Dreams

by leaving your email address with your 

message to MaryLu Tyndall in the 

comment area below. 

 If I draw your name and there is no email, you will not win. 

*For extra entries -- leave a comment for each time you do any of the following...

1.  Follow/Join MaryLu Tyndall's Blog
2. "Like" MaryLu Tyndall's Facebook Author Page
3. Share what you love most about Pirates and why! :-)
4. Share which of the common mistakes you can relate to the most as a writer!
5. Follow/Join Ritty's Adventures in Writing Blog
6. "Like" - Ritty's Adventures in Writing - Facebook Page
7. Share this blog post/giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest... or just send the link to a friend in an email!

Last entries will be accepted on 
Wednesday, May 22nd at 11:59p.m.

 Winner will be announced in the comment area of this blog post 

on Thursday, May 23rd 

Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.

 Check out MaryLu Tyndalls' Guest Post #1:

 Ten Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Got Published

An Interview with Beverly Lewis AND a Special Giveaway!

Beverly Lewis

I am truly honored to be hosting author Beverly Lewis on my blog. I was first introduced to Beverly's Amish book series several years ago, and once I completed the first series, I could not put the books down until I completed at least the next one. Her stories are deeply moving, captivating (I slept very little, determined to finish those books!), and thought-provoking. I must confess that after finishing two of the series, I had to take an emotional/spiritual break to digest all that I had experienced. The characters were so compelling that I was reminded of my friend who once admitted she was moved by the characters in the book she was currently reading to the degree that she almost stood up in church during the prayer time to share a prayer request on their behalf! Beverly is truly an inspiration to both the reader and the aspiring writer. I hope you enjoy the following interview. And please check out the generous giveaway that Beverly has provided! 

1) At what age did you first begin to seriously pursue writing? And, if you could go back and have a conversation with yourself at that beginning stage, what would you say? In other words, what do you wish you would have known then that you know now?

Our three children were in middle school when I first began writing How-To's for kids' magazines, as well as short fiction for teen magazines. I loved writing on assignment, as well, and actually might still be doing that (loved the short lead time!) if it hadn't been for our eleven-year-old daughter, Julie, who first got me thinking about writing books for pre-teen girls ("Holly's Heart" turned into a very popular 14-book series.)

Advice for my younger writer-self? Hmm...I guess I'd say not to sweat the deadlines so much. And pace myself better the first few years when I was writing 10-12 kids' and teen girls' books per year. Everything else, I'd definitely do the same, trusting the Lord for the mini and giant steps along the way.

2) Out of all your book series, which of them has been the most difficult to write (and why) and which has been the easiest? 
 

The Sunroom was both the hardest and easiest book to write. The most challenging because it focuses on my own life (and my dear mother's heart-breaking diagnosis)...and the easiest because the pages poured out of my very soul in about three weeks' time, when I was actually contracted to write the next book in a continuing saga at the time. But this book took me over and HAD to be written!

3) If money was not an obstacle, where would you love to vacation or take a trip to? 

The Seychelles Islands.

4) What is the one message that you hope all readers take away after reading one of your books? 

Divine Hope and Light. Life is short but not always sweet, but there is Jesus, the Hope and Light of the world. 

5) What are your top three sources of inspiration for your novels?

The Word of God.

My family tree (and oodles of stories from the Plain side of that vast tree).
My keen imagination and fond memories of growing up near Amish farmland, and interacting with many Plain families since I was six years old.
And, one more, the stories my Amish friends tell me and urge me to fictionalize.  :) 

6) How do you cope with "writer's block" or do you not struggle with that often? 

I have just the opposite struggle, ongoing--too many ideas for one lifetime. Honestly, writer's block has never been an issue for me. I must literally rein in my story ideas.

Connect with Beverly Lewis! 

Official Beverly Lewis Facebook Page

www.beverlylewis.com

The Confession (Movie) Facebook Page

ENTER TO WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY of "Beverly Lewis' The Confession" DVD! 

Premiering this SATURDAY, May 11th at 9/8c on Hallmark!

(See directions on how to enter below the video)

Enter to Win

by leaving your email address with your 

message to Beverly Lewis in the 

comment area below.  

If I draw your name and there is no email, you will not win. 

Last entries will be accepted on 
Friday, May 17th at 11:59p.m.

 Winner will be announced in the comment area of this blog post 

on Saturday, May 18th 

Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.

The Writer's Journey: When Jealousy Creeps In

Joanne Bischoff

Jealousy. A word that's green with envy and a little bitter to swallow. A word that most of us have been familiar with at one point of our lives or another. I’ve been hit with a case of it more than a time or two. Especially as a writer who’s been on the path toward publication. If you’re on that path, you may just know what I’m talking about. 

I remember a few years ago, when I was still unpublished and with no possible contract in sight, I stumbled upon an author with a book contract I would have probably sold my left patella for and a trio of the most beautiful book covers I've ever seen. Instead of being happy for them, I plopped down on the floor and cried "Why them, God? Why not me?" I was road weary and exhausted, having poured years into my stories and the pursuit of publication. I’d been working hard too. Me, me, me, me. Ew. It was rather unattractive. I was frustrated. Really frustrated. Have you ever had that feeling? It was hard not to throw my hands in the air and count off all the reasons why I should be as fortunate as this other person and who are they to... yeah, like I said, pretty unattractive. It was at that moment I halted in my tracks. What I felt was wrong. Very wrong. And suddenly, the only emotion I felt was shame.

Fast forward a few years later, a few published books later. I’d love to tell you that life is ALWAYS happy-go-lucky and these moments are a thing of the past. That I sit around with a rainbow in my heart, polishing the spines of my beautiful book covers and just feeling what a warm fluffy place authorhood is. But I’ll be honest and tell you that doesn’t always happen. Jealousy still creeps up. It just arrives in different forms. Just this last week, I found myself struggling with something and it hit me—the jealousy doesn’t die when we get what we thought we wanted. No, because sin still lives in our hearts. It’s a battle that’s never solved with any kind of success. It’s not solved with an agent contract, or a book contract and I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that it won’t fade with bestseller’s lists or prestigious awards. 

Jealousy is sin. Joy is a choice. NO matter where we are in our writing journey, we have to choose joy. I’ll tell you one way that’s worked for me. A long time ago, I asked God what to do about the jealousy that crept up from time to time. How does one cure a case of sour grapes? 

The answer came strong and clear and that exact moment I knew what I was called to do. I was called to rejoice for that person, I was called to pray for them. 

The Bible says, “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Rom 12: 15) Back to the jealousy I’d had when coveting that author’s beautiful 3-book contract. Beyond her name and pretty book covers, I really didn’t know her. I didn’t know anything about her and to this day, I still don’t. I don't know how hard she worked to get to where she was or how many hours were spent on her knees talking to God about her hopes and dreams or how excited her family and loved ones were when the big "call" came through that a publishing house had offered a deal. I didn’t know if she’d danced with her husband in the living room when she got the wonderful news, or if she cried on the phone to her mom. I felt horrible. And to this day, I get that same inkling that something’s gotta go in my heart whenever a seed of selfishness digs its little roots in. 

So now, whenever a moment crops up like that, I try and remember what I felt God calling me to do all that time ago. Pray. Rejoice. I don’t always do it as quick as I wish, but that’s another prayer—that God will continue to work in my heart. I still pray for that person sometimes, and I’ve added others to the list. It’s the best medicine for sour grapes. To simply stop and pray for someone. To lift them up to the Throne of Grace and pray for God’s hand in their life and their writing and that they may be used to bless others. We’re all working toward a common goal—to serve the Lord and to spread the gospel through the written word. This prayer time has become a chance to remember that. To lay it all down at God’s feet and trust that He knows what should come to be a WHOLE lot better than I do. That He has a plan for each and every one of us. It’s my time to stop and remember to rejoice with those who rejoice and wait and listen for where I can be used according to His will. I know I’ll always be a work in progress, but I’m so glad that God is with me each step of the way. 

Have you ever experienced a moment of jealousy? Do you think that God had a lesson for you to learn from it? 

Married to her first sweetheart, Joanne lives in the mountains of Southern California where she keeps busy making messes with their home schooled children. When she’s not weaving Appalachian romance, she’s blogging about faith, writing, and the adventures of country living that bring her stories to life. She is the author of the Cadence of Grace series (Waterbrook Multnomah) 

http://www.joannebischof.com/books/the-cadence-of-grace-series/ 

https://www.facebook.com/joannebischof