Thursday, January 19, 2012

Called to Write, But How Do I Become Published?

Good morning friends. This blog post is a continuation from yesterday's post as I continue to share how I became a published author. Enjoy!

God called me to write a book. So, I wrote. Not certain what I was to write--I just wrote. As my writing progressed, it seemed that short stories and devotional writing were what flowed best from my heart to my pen.

If you want to be a writer, you need to write--a lot. It is a craft that improves with practice. A newpaper columnist advised me to write every day. I told him I didn't have time to write every day. He said, "Do you have an hour? Then write for an hour." I took up his challenge.

People prayed for me as I shared with them that God called me to write a book. If you are a Christian writer, please surround yourself with people who will pray for you. Writing is a hard, lonely business. You may lose friends who don't understand that you need to sit at your desk and write instead of join them for coffee. That was sometimes painful. I am thankful for friends who understood and prayed.

So, there I was with a stack of writing and no idea what to do next. I wasn't concerned about publishing it. I felt God would open that door when the time was right. He did just that.

In those days, Dan and I were leading marriage retreats at Montrose Bible Conference in Montrose, PA. Arriving for the conference, I spotted the brochure advertising the Montrose Christian Writer's Conference. Who ever heard of a conference for writers? Well, God did and He led me to this lovely place overflowing with creative minds, publishers, agents, and invaluable teaching.


Having no idea what was ahead, not knowing what to bring, the following summer I returned to Montrose armed with a stack of my devotional writings.

What a beautiful place and a worthwhile conference. I attended what I called the Getting Published 101 daily class where I learned the ins and outs of publishing and how to write a book proposal to send to publishers.

This year Montrose Christian Writers Conference will be July 22-27, 2012. More information can be found at http://www.montrosebible.org/writers.

The number one writing tip I give a writer is to go to a writer's conference. You'll meet people who become treasures of advice and love and encouragement as your journey continues.

In my opinion, if you are serious about your writing career, you need to write, you may need to give up some pleasures so you have time to write, it is good to have people support you in prayer, and going to a writer's conference is essential.

Tomorrow, I'll share more about what happened at Montrose.

Hoping these writing and publishing tips lead you to splash into the writing pool. Enjoy the swim! It's worth it.

Splashes of Serenity,

Elaine

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for writing this series, Elaine. It's helping to give me that push I need to keep going!

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  2. Elaine,

    Thank you for sharing how your career as writer was born. God knew what he was doing when He gifted you to write - lives are changed through your writing and speaking. :)

    I am looking forward to tomorrow.

    Lisa M Buske
    http://lisabuske.weebly.com

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  3. I owe so much to Patti Souder and the conference at Montrose. I've made wonderful friends there and got three book contracts there. I'd never miss it for all the money in the world. (Well, maybe)

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I would love hearing from you! Thanks for sharing!