Today I’m at Kathy Ide’s site talking about social media for editors and giving highlights from my workshops at The Christian PEN’s first annual editor convention.
Check out the full post at http://kathyide.com/social-media-for-editors.
10 Tips to Survive Writers Conferences
‘Tis the Season!
Nope, not Christmas. It’s the season of writers’ conferences! Some conferences have already finished, but there are still several yet to come.
- Colorado Christian Writers Conference, May 14-17
- Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, May 18-22
- Southern Christian Writers Conference, June 6-7
- Oregon Christian Writers Conference, August 4-7
- Maranatha Christian Writers Conference, September 15-19
- American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Annual Conference, September 25-27
These are just a few! What conferences have you already attended or are planning to attend? I attended the Orange County Christian Writers’ Conference two weeks ago. I’ll be posting more information from that conference in upcoming weeks.
Getting ready to attend writers conferences is a lot of work. Friend and fellow editor Kathy Ide has written about the 10 survival tips you must have before attending writers’ conferences. Here is an excerpt from Kathy’s blog:
1. Choose the right conference for you. If you’re a new writer, the best choice might be one that focuses more on honing the craft than on meeting agents and publishers. If you’ve never attended a writers’ conference, you may want to start small … especially if you’re shy. Conferences are held all over the country. Consider attending one that’s close to home so you can save on the cost of travel and lodging.
But if you can afford it—and if you can talk yourself into actually approaching and talking to industry professionals—spring for one of the bigger conferences, like Mount Hermon. It will be worth every single penny and then some!
If you have a strong desire to attend a conference you can’t afford, pray about it. If God wants you there, He’ll find a way. Many conferences offer scholarships (partial if not full). For the past two years, I’ve run a contest I call Promising Beginnings, and the grand prize is a full scholarship to Mount Hermon (registration, economy lodging, and meals.) If you’re interested in that, check my blog and social media venues in the fall.
2. Study the details. Read every word on the conference’s website or promotional literature to learn about the opportunities you’ll have there. Do some research on the faculty members and staff to get a feel for which ones you most want to try to connect with. Read the descriptions of the workshops to see which ones you think would most benefit you at this stage in your journey.
3. Prepare. If the conference allows attendees to submit a few pages in advance, go for it! Send in the most polished writing you can, proofreading carefully for typos, inconsistencies, and errors in punctuation, usage, grammar, and spelling. (Not sure how best to do that? Get a copy of my book Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors!) If you have something to offer to a magazine or book publisher, practice your “pitch” (brief verbal description of your project). Create some “one-sheets” to hand to publishers that creatively describe your project—and you.
4. Rest up. You will be tempted to stay up till all hours of the night during the last few days before the conference, preparing for the event and getting as much done before you leave as possible. But be sure you get a good night’s sleep (or two or three) before the conference, because you probably won’t sleep much while you’re there! There will be too many fun things to do and interesting people to hang out with. And you’ll want to be alert so you can learn everything you can … and make a good presentation when you meet with influential people.
5. Pack in advance. I start packing for a writers’ conference several days before my scheduled departure date. That way, if I think of something later, there’s still time to add it. Also, that leaves my last night with my husband free for a “date night” instead of spending our final moments together before the trip running around like a frantic chicken.
6. Try to anticipate what you might need. Take a few items from your medicine cabinet: Tylenol, tissues, cough drops, Band-Aids, echinacea, cold medicine, Tums or Pepto Bismol. You don’t want some minor aches and pains to distract you from what you could be getting out of this valuable opportunity to learn and connect. And even if you don’t need any of those things, someone else at the conference might … and you could be the hero!
I almost always come home with a scratchy throat after a multiple-day conference. Since I spend most of my days sitting in front of a computer, my voice box just isn’t used to being used for talking so much! Many veteran conference speakers have learned to put a Halls cough drop into a bottle of water. As it dissolves, it permeates the water with soothing comfort … and you don’t have to worry about trying to speak clearly around a lozenge in your mouth.
7. Relax! Don’t get so worked up over making sure you connect with the “right” people that you miss out on the fun. If you get to a group event early so you can snag a seat at the table where your first-choice faculty member is going to sit, and the table still fills up before you get there, don’t panic. Wherever you end up sitting will be right where God wants you, and you’ll get the blessings He has chosen for you—which is better than anything you could have chosen for yourself.
8. Evaluate the conference. Many conference packets include forms for attendees to fill out, encouraging their helpful comments: what worked well for you as well as suggestions for improvement. Don’t think that your opinion is unimportant. Conference directors do read those forms, and they rely on attendees’ input in their planning for future events. If a faculty member was a blessing to you, write about it so the directors know who to invite back. If something negative happened, don’t hesitate to report it. Directors need to know what not to do next time too.
9. Take the conference home with you. If the conference offers recordings of workshops, get as many as you can and listen to them after you get home. You’ll get a lot of instruction that you otherwise would have missed, and those recordings will keep the “conference vibe” going long after the event is over.
10. Write about the experience. If you had a good time at the conference, post a blog about it. Get the word out on your social media venues. Let other writers know what’s out there that can benefit them. The Christian publishing industry is all about helping one another achieve whatever God has in store for all of us.
These are great tips! What other tips would you add that are important to know when attending writers’ conferences?
Image courtesy of Victor Habbick/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
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Social Media, Online Marketing, and the Pacific Coast
I’m in Orange County, California, this week for two conferences! The first is an editor conference — the first of its kind! The Christian PEN is celebrating its 10th anniversary by hosting the editorial convention, “Keys to Successful Freelance Editing.” Guest speakers include Kathy Ide, Kathy Bruins, Sharon Elliott, Kim Bangs, and ME! I’m presenting a workshop on social media and online marketing. We’re going to hit the highlights and share what works and what doesn’t.
What is social media all about? How do editors and writers market themselves, their books, and their services online? Here are the keys I am going to share to a successful social media presence:
- Be present
- Develop relationships
- Make connections
- Engage with people
- Create community
- Maintain authenticity
- Provide value
I’ll be sharing more of my research and notes on social media and online marketing next week.
After the PEN convention is the Orange County Christian Writers Conference, which is where I switch gears and attend as a writer. And I’ll even get to pitch a few of my projects to literary agents. Fingers crossed!
But before all this hard work gets started, a few of us had to experience the rocky shores of the Pacific Coast. I’m used to the sandy white beaches of Siesta Key on the Gulf Coast. But the Corona Del Mar Beach took my breath away. What a wonderful place to rejuvenate and get inspired!
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Keys to Successful Freelance Editing Convention
Have you ever found something “accidentally” and later realized what a great impact it’s had?
That’s how I feel about The Christian PEN. I joined this network of Christian editors about two years ago. I’m not even sure how I found it—I wasn’t looking for it intentionally. I joined and even registered to take one of the many online classes offered by founder and director Kathy Ide. During that class I learned valuable lessons on establishing a freelance business, and I was able to connect with other Christian editors.
Last spring, when I attended Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Kathy was one of the faculty members. I wanted to introduce myself as one of the students who had taken her class. Maybe she would recognize my name from the homework assignments? I was nervous! It was like meeting a celebrity in the world of editing!
Kathy and I were able to chat several times during the conference. She is a delight! Not only is she my idol as an editor, but she also happens to be one of the most gracious, encouraging, professional, and wonderful people I’ve ever met!
This spring I get to see Kathy again and all the members of The Christian PEN, and I can’t wait! Ten years ago, God gave Kathy a vision of a network for Christian freelance editors. Now with over 600 members, The Christian PEN is celebrating its 10th anniversary and holding its first convention, “Keys to Successful Freelance Editing.”
From April 23-25, 2014, freelance editors from throughout the United States will be gathering at Richfield Community Church in Yorba Linda, California, to listen to established editors share information about editing and learn how to improve their businesses. The speakers will include Kathy Ide, Cecil Murphey, Jeanne Leach, and Alycia Morales (and even yours truly).
For $100, editors can enjoy a Wednesday evening meet-and-greet, a full-day speaking event on Thursday, followed by dinner on Thursday night, and a final meeting Friday morning. Friday afternoon, Family Christian Bookstore in Santa Ana will host a book signing that will include Christian PEN authors as well as authors from the Orange County Christian Writers’ Conference.
Are you a writer who edits or an editor who writes? Stay for the OC Writers’ Conference immediately after The Christian PEN’s convention, April 25-26.
I will be attending both conferences. I hope to see you there!
Click to Tweet: The Christian PEN is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Join founder @KathyIde in CA this April for festivities: http://ctt.ec/eCHn2+
Visit the PEN website for more details and to register: The Christian PEN.
Visit the OC Christian Writers’ Conference for more
details and to register: OCCWC.
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Does Your Novel Have the Same Elements as Looney Tunes?
My family is kind of odd.
Different, perhaps, than what mainstream society is like.
Maybe your family is like mine . . .
We actually like each other. And we like to be together!
That’s why last Friday night, we were cuddled on the couch—me, my husband, and my two kids—watching old reruns of Looney Tunes!
That’s right folks!
Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Road Runner, and Wile E. Coyote.
You know ‘em, you love ‘em.
My daughters laughed until their bellies hurt. My husband and I shared “remember when” stories of watching these cartoons as kids.
We know Wile E. never gets the Road Runner.
We know Bugs always outsmarts Elmer.
And we know that sweet singing bird is forever out of reach of that mean puddy tat.
So why do we watch them over and over and share them with our kids decades later?
Because they bring back fond memories, good feelings. They make us laugh together as a family. They help us connect, reminisce, and make new special memories.
It’s all the same elements of a good novel.
It’s all the same reasons we stay up way too late until the Kindle battery dies, because we just want to read one more chapter.
There are lots (and LOTS) of novels available in all the genres. What makes you choose one off the shelf? Why do you “add to your cart” on Amazon? How good does it have to be to pass onto your friends?
Most likely, your answers include the same reasons my family likes to watch the old-school Looney Tunes. It makes us feel good. It helps us escape from current troubles. It gives us that euphoric feeling of childhood.
If you’re a novel writer, you’ve got to evoke these feelings in your readers.
If you’re a novel reader, you want to feel these things when you read.
So share with me, what other reasons keep you turning page after page in a book? What current novels are you reading now?
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©2011- 2014 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.
Hands Free Mama: An Editor’s Review
Three words are going to change, shape, and define 2014.
HANDS FREE MAMA
If you don’t already know and love Rachel Macy Stafford (“Hands Free Mama”), you most definitely will this year.
Literary agent Steve Laube predicted that in 2014 “There will be at least one surprise breakout Christian book.” [To read the entire article of 2014 publishing predictions, click here: http://www.authormedia.com/2014-publishing-predictions.]
Friends, this is that book.
Rachel started blogging about her daily struggles and her desire to live a less distracted life. Her blog, Hands Free Mama, boasts 1 million hits a month, and her Facebook page, The Hands Free Revolution, has over 100,000 fans and friends. Her much anticipated debut book, Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters, was released on January 7 by Zondervan.
Her endorsers include well-known names such as Glennon Doyle Melton, author of the New York Times bestseller Carry On, Warrior, and founder of Momastery.com, and Arianna Huffington, chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group and author of thirteen books.
Rachel is a featured columnist for the Huffington Post and is leading a six-week workshop for HuffPost Parents readers. [Check it out here: “Stress-Less Parenting Workshop.”]
I could go on and on, listing Rachel’s credentials and the rave reviews and overwhelming accolades she’s received for Hands Free Mama, but I want to tell a slightly different tale from my perspective of editor and friend.
In August 2011, I received an email one Saturday from a stranger who had happened upon my website. She wrote:
Hello there! It has been a pleasure to “get to know” you through your blog and through your comments on my blog! I so appreciate all of your encouraging and positive words. I truly feel your entrance into my life has been divine intervention. I think you might be able to give me some advice/wisdom that I need to make a decision.
Indeed, our blossoming relationship—both personally and professionally—did seem like a divine intervention! We started “chatting” on email, getting to know each other. Ironically, she used to live in my small town, just a few miles from me. Her two girls even took swim lessons from the same instructor as my two girls. I began to feel a kindred connection with this woman I had never met but who I could tell had talent, passion, and authenticity, and I knew—just knew in my heart—that she was destined for greatness.
Rachel and I continued working together over the next year-and-a-half. Editing for her was divine. I’d get lost in her words, forgetting that I was supposed to be proofing and critiquing and finding mistakes (which were always few). Typically, writers are talented for their thoughts and words, not necessarily for their correct grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, verb usage, etc. However, Rachel is gifted in all things writing—sentence structure, grammar, showing not telling, unique voice, flow, attention-grabbing titles and headlines (I could go on and on …).
Rachel is a dream client.
Then we actually got to meet in person. Ahh! We were both excited! But I was worried—would she be the person I had gotten to know online?
Indeed, she was.
It instantly felt like we were sorority sisters, kindred spirits, good friends.
Others often ask me: “What is Hands Free Mama like?”
One word: AUTHENTIC.
Rachel is authentic, sincere, humble, kind—REAL.
These characteristics are why she’s so loved by her fans.
Rachel’s authenticity has led to the phenomenon of being Hands Free—of showing millions how to open their hearts and hands to each God-given moment.
Leave the laundry until tomorrow. Learn to dance with your kids in the rain. Love each moment your kids call your name. Live in the present. Join Rachel and live authenticity.
*Hands Free Mama is now on the New York Times Best-Sellers List. Her book is available at HandsFreeMama.com or on Amazon.
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Win a copy of Hands Free Mama personally signed by the author, Rachel Macy Stafford!
To enter to win:
1. Share this on Twitter: “Win a signed copy of HANDS FREE MAMA via @ChristiMcGuire: http://wp.me/p3cLRA-14Y”
2. Like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ChristiMcGuireWriter. Share this post http://wp.me/p3cLRA-14Y on your FB page and tag me.
3. Follow me on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/christimcguire. Go to my pin at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/4151824630580300/and pin it on your boards!
A winner will be chosen at random and notified on February 10, 2014.
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If you have publishing dreams like Rachel, I can help you through the process.
Visit my Services page for more info on my editing and consulting services.
©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.
What’s the Difference? “Into” vs. “In to”
I’m going to make a profound statement.
Ready?
Here goes: The space bar is the most powerful key on the keyboard.
Do you agree? Think about it … one little space can make a word, sentence, or paragraph incorrect. Even the lack of a space can make your writing incorrect.
We’ve found that one space is so important when we’re talking about ellipses, spaces between sentences, and the automatic space Microsoft Word places after paragraphs. In upcoming posts, we’ll discuss how to properly space em dashes and en dashes. (Don’t know what those are? Stay tuned—I’ve even got keyboard shortcuts to share!)
The space bar is so important because it can change one word, such as INTO, to two words: IN TO.
One space makes all the difference in meaning and usage.
INTO
“Into” is a preposition. Use “into” to indicate that action is happening—there is movement of something toward something else. Example: She placed the decorations into the box.
“Into” usually answers the question WHERE? If the second half of your sentence answers the question “where?” then use “into.” In the above example, where did she place the decorations? Answer: the box.
IN TO
“In to” can function in a few ways:
- “In to” can be two words that happen to be next to each other in a sentence. “In” functions as an adverb, followed by the preposition “to.” Example: My mom came in to help me put up decorations. In this example, “in to” is typically short for “in order to.” The sentence could be edited to be: My mom came in order to help me put up decorations.
- “In” can also be a part of the verb, like in this example: The burglar broke in to the house. The phrasal verb is “broke in.” The preposition “to” tells where the action happened—where did the burglar break in? Answer: the room.
- “To” can also be part of the verb. Example: We went in to hear the conference speaker. The verb “to hear” is an infinitive and just happens to be next to “in” but functions separately.
One little space between or not between two tiny words makes a difference!
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©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.
Spaces After Paragraphs
So have you stopped living in 1989 yet? Are you caught up to 2013? Are you resisting the urge to put only one space between sentences?
I hope so! (Or maybe I don’t hope so, since my job is to correct other people’s mistakes!)
It’s hard enough to remember to follow all the current (and sometimes ever-changing) rules. But when Word automatically does stuff that you don’t want it to, that is just plain frustrating!
Newer versions of Word (again, get up-to-date if you’re using the 2003 version!), automatically put more space between paragraphs than you want—and that manuscript format standards call for.
Sneaky, eh?
Totally sneaky, because even if you display paragraph marks, you will NOT see an extra paragraph mark after every paragraph! It’s just part of Word’s styling. Word increases the space between paragraphs every time you press “Enter” to create a new paragraph.
Even hitting “Backspace” doesn’t delete the extra space.
So what do you do? Well, if you only want to remove the space after a particular paragraph, put your curser on the paragraph, then click “Paragraph,” then “Line Spacing,” then “Remove Space After Paragraph.” (I don’t know why you would want to do only one paragraph, but you could.)
Before I learned this next trick, I started to do that for an entire eBook manuscript—with over 30,000 words. After clicking through all those menu items for three paragraph, I was already frustrated. Selecting all text (“Ctrl” + “A”) and clicking on “Remove Space After Paragraph” didn’t solve the issue either.
So I invested a little bit.
Maybe you’ve already discovered this tip or have known about it since the dawn of Word. But just in case … here it is.
To remove the spacing between all paragraphs:
1. Click “Paragraph Dialog Launcher” (small arrow in lower right corner of Word 2007 or later). A new dialogue box pops up.
2. Make sure you are on the “Indents and Spacing” tab.
3. Check the box, “Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style.”
4. Click “OK.”
This change will only affect the document you are working on. If you want to use this as a default property, click the “Default” button in the Paragraph Dialog Box.
As an editor who formats client’s query letters, proposals, and manuscripts, this has been a huge help to me as I work.
Tell me … have you noticed the extra space after each paragraph? Did you already know how to change it? Or did you learn this trick for the first time?
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©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.
Double Spaces—It’s Not 1989 Anymore
1989 called.
It wants its AquaNet back.
And its double spaces.
People often ask me what’s the first thing I do when I receive a client’s manuscript. Good question! The answer is: remove the double spaces between sentences.
Most writers (unless they are a lot younger than I am) grew up learning to type on a typewriter. We were taught to place two spaces between sentences, right? Even when I upgraded to an electric typewriter in high school (I thought I was so cool!), the rule was two spaces after a period.
But guess what?
It’s not the 80s. Or even the 90s anymore.
Now we use computers with word processing programs, which have proportional fonts. Two spaces between sentences aren’t necessary for better readability anymore like they were with the non-proportional fonts of a typewriter. The font of a typewriter is monospaced, meaning all the letters take up the same amount of space. An “i” takes up the same space as a “w” or “m.” So the double spaces helped the document look neater and our eyes read better.
The single space after a period is the widely-accepted style for:
- The Chicago Manual of Style
- The AP Stylebook
- The Modern Language Association
(It is not, however, the accepted style of my 91-year-old grandmother who still types our addresses on the envelopes when she sends us cards!)
What if you can’t break the bad habit of hitting your space bar twice? Editors and designers will take out the extra spaces (while cursing under their breath!).
But it is so easy to take out the double spaces yourself.
Hit “CTRL” + “F” to bring up the “Find and Replace” box. Click on the “Replace” tab. In the first box (“Find what”), hit the space bar two times. In the second box (“Replace with”), hit the space bar one time. Click “Replace All” to instantly replace all the double spaces with single spaces.
Here’s the trick—keep hitting “Replace All” until it says it has made “0” replacements. Then you know you have them all! Sometimes it takes hitting the “Replace All” button two or three times to get ALL the double spaces replaced.
See? I don’t lie—it’s that easy!
Can you break the habit? Come on, I know you can.
(But if you can’t, I promise I won’t curse under my breath when I have to fix your manuscript!)
Now you may have replaced all the double spaces between sentences, but what about that automatic space that Word places between paragraphs? Yes, Word has an evil little monkey living in it. No matter how many times you backspace, it puts extra spacing after your paragraph!
How do you get rid of THAT?
Visit “Witty Words: Wisdom for Writers” next week to find out!
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Are you looking for a professional editor for your manuscript or book proposal? Check out the SERVICES I offer for editing, proofreading, and consulting!
©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.
Social Media Numbers: Do They Really Matter?
She’s right.
Shauna Niequist is so very right.
We are not defined by numbers. We are more than a math equation. More creative than calculus. More excellent than exponential notations. (Okay, that’s about all the math terms that I know.)
I needed to read this quote. Because lately, wherever I turn, my life is dictated by numbers. The entire publishing industry has changed from writing books to creating numbers. What do I mean by this?
One word: PLATFORM
Number of Facebook friends
Number of Twitter followers
Number of Pinterest re-pins
Number of blog subscribers
Numbers, numbers, numbers!
If your social media numbers don’t add up to a big, gigantic, impressive number … then probably no book deal for you.
Is platform everything in publishing? Yeah, it pretty much is. Are there those rare instances of authors not having a platform and getting publishing? Sure, but that is being more and more scarce.
And I understand—agents and publishers want to guarantee they are making their returns when they invest in authors. In today’s economy, authors must prove they have an audience, guaranteed sales, long-term success.
I get it. I really do. But it gets exhausting.
Consuming. Disappointing. Depressing.
Eventually, I can feel like all my worth, value, credentials is summed up in one NUMBER.
Do you ever feel that way? (Go ahead, admit it.)
Our magic can’t be calculated by math. You are more than a number. Whether you struggle with feeling like the number on a scale, the number of your 401K, or the number of your platform (or the lack of numbers of your platform), you are so much more than that.
God didn’t create a number. A figure. A robot. A calculation. He created you.
You are His CREATION.
You were created by the Creator. In turn, you create. You create magic every day when you write, edit, rewrite, proofread, blog, market, sell, encourage, challenge, change, discover.
How? How can that be?
Mary DeMuth made an excellent point in a recent Webinar on how to Pinterest. She said: “It’s not who follows you that is important. It’s who follows the ones who follow you.”
Did you get that?
Your numbers may not be astronomical. That’s okay. Jesus had 12 disciples. That’s pretty pitiful in today’s Social Media terms.
But what did those 12 followers do? They changed the world. They influenced others, who influenced others, who influenced others. And today, there are millions of Christian believers around the world.
It’s not the numbers of your platform—it’s what you do on your platform and how you encourage and influence others to encourage and influence others.
One writer friend confided that she was discouraged when she put her heart, soul, time, energy into a blog series that wasn’t getting much feedback. I understood—been there, done that! But the next day, an acquaintance from long ago commented that the blog series had encouraged her to spend more time with her son. In fact, she bought her son a Bible for them to read together.
ONE.
One person might have been the only numbered outcome of her efforts. But oh, how did my writer friend change eternity with that ONE person?
Are you looking at your writing, blogging, publishing, and marketing with earthly eyes focused on numbers?
Or are you looking at your work with eternal eyes—how you can change eternity through ONE person at a time?
God changed the world—all of eternity—with ONE person: JESUS.
Forget about being defined by your social media numbers. Focus on the power of ONE. Be encouraged that your efforts in influencing one person can multiply into big numbers—numbers you may never even know on this side of heaven.
Don’t be defined by numbers. Be defined by purpose. Your purpose. Eternal purpose. God’s purpose in you.
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Are you looking for a professional editor for your manuscript or book proposal? Check out the SERVICES I offer for editing, proofreading, and consulting!
©2011- 2016 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.
