In This Issue...
Are you ready to invest in yourself? In your writing?
We understand. There was a time when Chris felt the pull to go back to school and earn a master’s degree in writing. He did this when he had a full-time job, a two-year-old at home, and Gena was expecting our second child.
Yeah, it was nuts.
We don’t recommend the timing… At. All.
He knew he needed to challenge himself though. He had several middle grade novels under his belt and a slew of publishing credits and awards. And yet, he couldn’t deny the draw to push himself, to make his writing better, to get outside his comfort zone, and seek new input from new teachers.
His writing is better for it.
This year, Gena has learned the value of pushing herself too. She began working with a fiction coach so she could learn how to write better for that genre. She’ll tell you, at the beginning, the whole process was tough. After years of writing nonfiction, she had to learn another way, to think about story construction differently.
That’s what all of us have to do if we want to grow in our writing. We have to open our hearts and minds to new experiences and new teachers.
One of the best and easiest and cheapest ways to do that is by attending writer’s conferences. We promise, it’s worth it.
Right now, we are preparing to teach at WriterCon in Oklahoma City. If you’re in the area, please come. Invest in yourself. In your writing. You won’t regret it.
To get you ready for that conference, Chris’ article The Investment with the Highest Return shares his experience with writer’s conferences. He’s a believer for sure.
Also check out The Most Popular Children’s Books from Every Country. This is a must-read for anyone thinking about writing children’s books.
Then take a look at Don’t Say That! 24 Overused Words and Phrases that Make You Sound Pretentious. It’s a great chance to learn how you can easily edit your writing to make it stronger.
Finally, check out our author challenge. We're accepting submissions for devotions for this newsletter about writing, the writing life and publishing. We hope you'll use it as a way to introduce yourself to our audience. Check it out!
So enjoy this issue of The Accelerator, and if you have a friend who needs some writing encouragement or who might have a devotion to submit, share this newsletter with them. We’d love to meet some new friends!
Must Reads
The Investment with the Highest Return
What's the best investment you can make in your writing career? We know ours... hands down. And in this article, Chris shares the investment he's made in his career that pays of every time. Read to find out.
The Most Popular Children’s Books From Every Country
Who can resist a good children's book? We have several on our shelves that we're now holding for our someday grandchildren. If you're a children's author or a parent (or grandparent) who's always on the lookout for a good book for your children, you'll enjoy this read.
Don't Say That! 24 Overused Words and Phrases that Make You Sound Pretentious
We love this article! If you get the chance to hear Gena teach about editing, you'll hear her talk about deleting filler words that weigh down and work against your writing. Many of these examples are just that—filler words that don't add anything to the copy and instead take away from the strength of it.
This also hits close to home with a series Gena has been reading. Wonderful series. The first thriller Gena has read in years, and she can't get enough... with one exception. The author insists on using the word "amongst" instead of "among." It's so common that Gena investigated when to use amongst vs. among. She found that, while amongst is acceptable, it is considered outdated and typically found in British writing. Since this series is written by an American, we've concluded that the author is either trying to sound smart or is from a generation/area that used that word.
The bottom line: Words matter. How we express a sentiment matters. Is our copy old-fashioned, out of date, or cutting edge? It can mean the difference in readers continuing to read or moving along to another writer's work. There you go. We're crawling down off our soapbox now.
The Last Word
What are Chris & Gena teaching at WriterCon?
Here's our lineup:
- The Best Apps for Authors (Chris)
- The ABCs of Marketing (Chris)
- Ghostwriting for Speakers (Gena)
- How to Inspire with Devotions (Gena)
- 3 Vehicles to Publishing (Chris & Gena)
It's going to be an exciting and busy week. We'd love to see you there!