When I left the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in May of 2010 I overflowed with writerly confidence.

My manuscript had received a positive critique. The words “you’re almost ready” had been uttered. I left with marching orders . . . to submit fiction proposals to three agents and one editor.

And I intended to.

As soon as I incorporated all the changes that I now knew I needed to make to my novel. I expected it to take a few months. And it did.

Five months, in fact.

And then life happened. A lot of life.

One planned pregnancy suddenly included many unplanned complications. One wanted new home brought with it much unwanted drama.

And five months turned into six. Then seven. Then twelve. Then fourteen.

Somehow, I had become one of “those” people who never submitted the material that was requested at a conference. It was embarrassing.

And it was too late.

Or was it?

My dear friend and mentor, Edie Melson, said submit. She pointed out that the worst they could say is no. (And let’s face it, the odds of that happening are high regardless).

So on Tuesday, I hit send.

I’ve received emails from two of the people I submitted proposals to. They didn’t say “too late” or “this would have been awesome if you’d sent it in a year ago” or “sorry, Charlie.”

They said, “Got it. Gonna look at it. We’ll be back in touch.”

And I thought it was too late.

So what’s the lesson here? You can’t win if you don’t play.

Or in writing terms, you’ll never be published if you don’t submit.

I’m not expecting to hit a home run my first time at bat. I know rejection is coming and I’m not looking forward to it. I’ll need chocolate, and lots of it, to get through this.

But at least now I’m in the game. I’m not sitting on the sidelines “hoping to be published” but not taking any steps to make that dream a reality.

So what are you waiting for?

Did you attend Blue Ridge, Southwest, ACFW, Writing for the Soul, Mt. Hermon or any other conference and did someone ask you to send them a few chapters or a proposal? Did a faculty member suggest you query a certain agent?

It’s not too late.

Hit send.

The post Thoughtful Thursdays ~ Hit Send appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

Some of the first “grown up” books I can remember reading were in the historical fiction genre. “Prairie romances” I think they’re called now. These days, I still love reading books set in a different time, where the plot and characterizations are influenced by the mores of the day and both time and place are used to add dimension to a fantastic story.

And I recently read a great one. Under A Desert Sky counts as historical fiction because it’s set in pre-World War II New Mexico. It counts as a romance because, well, there’s love in the air. And, it counts as suspense because it opens with a murder and ends with . . . well, you’ll have to read it to find out. Trust me. It has a twist.

So we’ll call it historical romantic suspense. In my opinion, the best of three worlds!

DiAnn Mills set Under A Desert Sky at Ghost Ranch after she spent some time there a few years ago. Eva Fortier, our heroine, is on the run after witnessing a grisly murder. She hopes to find safety. What she finds is a whole new way of life . . . and love.

But nothing is as it seems. And nothing is easy. With a compelling setting, fiery characters, racial tension, challenged faith and blossoming romance, Under A Desert Sky will keep you turning pages long after you should have gone to bed.

Well, maybe you have more self-control, but that’s what happened to me.

****
Extra! Extra! Anyone who’d like to hear from DiAnn about how she got the idea for Under A Desert Sky can check out this interview with Alton Gansky from the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference website.

Disclaimer: DiAnn Mills sent me this book, and included me in the acknowledgements, neither of which she needed to do. I didn’t actually “do” anything – just put her in touch with someone who could help. She in no way expected a review on this blog.

The post Thoughtful Thursdays ~ Book Review: Under A Desert Sky appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

Wednesday.

At Blue Ridge, everyone is settling in. The newbies are learning their way around campus. The veterans have reconnected with old friends and made new ones. Everything is in full swing. They’ll be challenged this morning with a devotion and some time in worship.

So before we dive in, let’s take a few moments to worship.

Put on your favorite worship CD, flip on the radio, crank up your iPod or . . . if you want to get in the full Blue Ridge spirit, check out Janet Roller’s site. Janet Roller lead worship last year and is leading it again this year. She’s got an amazing voice and a very sweet spirit. There are three songs on this link you could listen to as you . . .

Focus on Nonfiction.

Here’s a list of of faculty members who teach/critique/represent nonfiction as well as those who focus on public speaking. As in yesterday’s post, I’ve tried to provide links to all the websites associated with each person. If there’s a link associated with both the name and the description, those are two different links – click on both! If you click on a link and it takes you to the Blue Ridge website, then you’ll need to click on the 2011 faculty page and scroll down to their info because they included A LOT of links!

There are many nonfiction options that are very accessible, even to the brand new writer without experience or platform. (Remember, tomorrow we’re talking about submitting and nonfiction may be just the place for that…)

Michelle Adams – Freelance Writer
Shelly Ballestero – Editor/Author/Professional Speaker
Linda Canup – Editor, In Touch
Michelle Cox – Writer
Eva Marie Everson – Writer
David Fessenden – Editor/Writer
Andrea Gutierrez – Editor, Thriving Family
Eddie Jones – Publisher
Terri Kalfas – Bible Studies, Hensley Publishing
Susan King – Editor, The Upper Room
Dr. Samuel Lowry and Timothy Lowry – Publishers, Ambassador International
Edie Melson – Assistant Director/Writer
Karen Moore – Editor/Agent
Vonda Skelton – Writer/Public Speaker
Rick Steele – Editor, AMG Publishers
Cecil Stokes – Film Maker/Director
Craig von Buseck – Editor/Writer, Ministry Director for CBN.com
James Watkins – Writer/Editor
Terry Whalin – Publisher
Carla and Josiah Williams – Publishing/ Marketing

As we did yesterday, let’s leave some comments. Find anything that caught your attention? Share it with the group.

The post Blue Ridge from Home – Focus on Nonfiction Wednesday appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

Tuesday.

At Blue Ridge, the conferees are heading to continuing classes and workshops. The paid critiques and meetings with agents and editors begin today.

Let’s take a moment to pray for everyone who is about to lose their breakfast or lunch over the prospect of having their “baby” shredded to confetti and for those who didn’t eat anything and now have the shakes just before they sit down for their first agent meeting.

And let’s not forget to pray for those faculty members who are giving the critiques and meeting with prospective clients. They are people too! And they aren’t in this to be mean. Their goal is to help aspiring writers succeed.

OK.

So what are we going to do today? Let’s focus on fiction.

I’ve split the faculty up in a way that makes sense to me. Some could go in the nonfiction list as well but I’m not doubling up.

Here’s a list of of faculty members who teach/critique/represent fiction.

If you look at the faculty listing on the Blue Ridge website, not everyone has a website listed. So, in this list, I’ve tried to provide links to all the websites associated with each person.

If there’s a link associated with both the name and the description, those are two different links – click on both! If you click on a link and it takes you to the Blue Ridge website, then you’ll need to click on the 2011 faculty page and scroll down to their info because they included A LOT of links!

Clear as mud? Great!

Many of these websites have fabulous writing tips. Have fun!

Sandra Bishop – Agent, MacGregor Literary
Caleb Jennings Breakey – Writer
Jonathan Clements – Agent, Wheelhouse Literary Group
Mike Delosso – Writer
Adrienne Gaines – Editor, Charisma House
Aaron Gansky – Writer
Alton Gansky – Writer/Conference Director
Julie Gwinn – Editor, Pure Enjoyment
Gina Holmes – Writer
Dr. Angela Hunt – Writer
Yvonne Lehman – Writer
Nancy Lohr – Editor, JourneyForth; Focuses on writing for children
Sarah Sper McClellan – Agent; Folio
DiAnn Mills – Writer
Deborah Raney – Writer
Romona Richards – Editor/Writer
Nancy Rue – Writer; Focuses on children/youth
Dr. Linda Seger – Screenwriter
Dina Sleiman – Editor, WhiteFire Publishing
Les Stobbe – Agent, Writer, Editor
Christy Lee Taylor – Film Producer, Abba Productions
Dr. Donn Taylor – Writer/Poet
David Van Diest – Agent, D.C. Jacobson and Assoc.

I’ll be honest. Typing up this list made me rather gloomy for a while. What a list! The agents. The editors. The phenomenal authors. The collective creative talent at Blue Ridge is astonishing.

Sigh.

But this brings us to….
Tuesday Night!

Let’s have some fun. Watch a comedy…a movie, a sitcom, a YouTube clip…whatever you’ve got time for.

Then leave a comment about anything particularly intriguing you found on the websites and tell us what made you laugh tonight. We aren’t sitting together in the cafeteria or main meeting room at Blue Ridge, so we’ll have to use the comments section to share our experiences.

Have a great first day everyone!

The post Blue Ridge from Home – Focus on Fiction Tuesday appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

I’ve been thrilled with the positive response to the Blue Ridge from Home Conference.

I wish this blogpost could be full of all the things I’ve done in the past week to prepare…sadly, I’ve got nothing.

The pedicure? Didn’t happen.

The new outfit? Fat chance.

But, I’m not giving up. Nasty stomach viruses and mountains of laundry notwithstanding, I’m determined to proceed. One advantage to feeling too crummy to do anything except lay around means that I have more time than usual to hang out with my laptop.

So, for all you Home Conference attendees…remember that Monday is go for a drive day…grab that mocha, tea, or milkshake…the point is to take a few mintues to enjoy something that makes you smile. If you have a Starbucks nearby, you can get a half price frappuccino from 3pm-5pm…so you have no excuse!

There’s no moping allowed this week. We aren’t at Blue Ridge, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t exactly where God wants us.

So celebrate that fact!

Leave me a comment and let me know where your drive took you!

The post Blue Ridge from Home – Monday appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

The Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference begins May 9th. So many of my writer friends are going that my emails, Facebook and Twitter feeds buzz with all the preparations.

I AM SO JEALOUS!!!

(And yes, that was me yelling).

OK.

I’m better now.

I am.

And I have a plan.

Just because I can’t go, doesn’t mean I can’t use my time wisely. So for my friends who, like me, will be hanging out at home this year, I offer you my Blue Ridge from Home Conference Schedule. Feel free to modify it for your own use.

The week before: Purchase a new outfit and get a pedicure . . . priorities people!

Monday – Go for a drive. It takes me approximately two hours to get to Ridgecrest. As tempted as I will be to drive up there, I will instead drive to my local Starbucks and purchase my favorite writing beverage – a tall, decaf four pump mocha.

In case you don’t know, that’s a mocha with EXTRA chocolate. I’m going to be down in the dumps and in Lynn’s Logic, chocolate makes everything better. Therefore, extra chocolate makes things extra better.

Tuesday – Focus on Fiction. I write fiction. I love fiction. So I’ll spend some time perusing the writing advice available on the websites and blogs of the faculty members.

Tuesday night – Watch a comedy. Vonda Skelton will be speaking at Blue Ridge and the schedule says it’s Faculty Talent Night. Everyone will be laughing. Might as well join in the fun.

Wednesday – Focus on Nonfiction. Same as Tuesday except specifically searching out the faculty members who are teaching non-fiction classes.

Thursday – Submit something. Now this one is tricky for me. I’m a little busy these days. But I think by the time Blue Ridge rolls around, I could have a devotion or two ready to submit for publication. (Famous last words).

Thursday night – Go out to eat. The banquet will be Thursday night. If I’m going to be in the spirit of things, I think this is an important step!

Friday – Focus on Social Networking. Everyone will be saying their goodbyes, sharing business cards and promising to keep in touch. So I’ll be sending friend requests and following more writers on Twitter and adding more blogs to my blogroll. And I’ll be sure to update my own blog!

Now, as is true for all conference schedules, this schedule is subject to change. I’d love to hear your suggestions for ways to attend BRMCWC from home.

Anyone care to join me? It’s not too late to sign up!

The post Blue Ridge from Home appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

Hyp-o-crite:
1. A person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion.
2. A person who acts in opposition to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.

I am a hypocrite.

I’ll give you a few examples.

• I’ve been known to shop at the health food store . . . and then run through a McDonald’s drive-thru—and not to order a salad.
• I’ve been known to set up a budget . . . and then ignore it for, um, well, a while.
• I’ve been known to snap at my husband . . . on the way into church . . . hmm . . . ok . . . that one just happened this week. Let’s move on.
• I’ve been known to yell at the pokey driver in front of me . . . on my way to Bible study.
• I have been known to blog about something . . . and then live my life in direct contradiction to what I’ve written.

It’s very frustrating.

And it’s been very obvious in my spirit in the past few weeks. You see, the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is fast approaching and many of my writer friends are planning to go.

I feel left out.

Many of them have had great success in the past year. Agents have been obtained, articles have been published, books have won awards.

For others. Not for me.

I can’t seem to stop the feeling that hits the pit of my stomach each time a fellow writer passes a milestone I have yet to reach. Can’t shake the sense that I’ve been given a taste of something delicious and now have to watch others enjoy the feast.

My “good Christian girl” side knows that this is an issue of trust. She knows that God is sovereign. She knows that God’s timing is perfect and that His purposes and plans will prevail. She knows that whatever God wants for her is for her ultimate good and His ultimate glory. She has blogged about this very thing here and here.

You know what the “much more irreverent” side of me says to that?

Yeah, yeah, whatever.

I’ve been rather ticked off about the whole thing. I’ve fumed and fussed and thrown quite the spiritual temper tantrum.

God probably should’ve knocked a knot on my head for my behavior. I’m still not sure why He hasn’t. Maybe He’s cutting me some slack considering that I haven’t slept through the night in almost eight weeks. Maybe He recognizes that the current “shower of blessing” I’m under has come very close to drowning me and I’m just now keeping my head above water—most days.

Maybe Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father and quietly intercedes, “She’s mine. I died for her.”

I am a hypocrite.

But I’m a saved hypocrite. I’m a loved hypocrite.

I’m a forgiven hypocrite.

Psalm 32:1, 2 and 5 – Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit…I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (ESV)

The post My Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

image courtesy of photobucket.com
Several weeks ago, when everything seemed to be falling apart, I was sitting at my desk praying. And I felt strongly that I needed to read Psalm 119. I can’t say that kind of thing happens to me all the time. But it did this time.

Psalm 119, for those who may not be familiar with it, is very long.

I read but nothing “grabbed” me. I continued reading, feeling dutiful. Until verse 76 popped me between the eyes.

Psalm 119:76 – Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. (ESV)

Now, if that verse didn’t give you chills, I can understand. It seems like a verse I would normally have read and just kept on going.

But when I read it on this particular afternoon, my mind immediately went to a verse I have quoted over and over since my writing life began.

Psalm 138:8 – The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (ESV)

I sat at my desk stunned.

And comforted.

Nothing had changed. My circumstances remained chaotic. My plans lay in ruins. But my heart felt secure.

So, as the rest of the month disintegrated around me, I thought God had shown me that He had other plans. And I was okay with that.

But regardless of whether the manuscript was going to be submitted for the contest or not, the revision still had to be completed before I could do anything else. So I pressed on.

When I had the “opportunity” to spend the day in bed last Sunday (as in, the nurse said stay in bed all day), I wrote. All day.

And as of today, the re-write is done. By done, I mean, done for now. We all know nothing is ever truly done. But, the manuscript is finally in a place where I can submit it to the agents who requested it at Blue Ridge.

I sent my contest entry off an hour ago.

I’m under no delusions. I don’t think I’m going to win the contest. I don’t think I’ll even place. And that’s not put-on false hypocrisy. That’s a writer’s reality. I’ll probably need to write for quite a few more years, churn out several more books, attend quite a few more conferences and learn more than I ever imagined existed about the craft of writing, before I’ll finally produce a manuscript that is publishable.

But finishing in time to submit to Operation First Novel was important to me. And sometimes God, in his steadfast love, reminds us that He knows where we are. That He knows what is important to us. That He gives us our dreams. That He keeps His promises.

There is no logical explanation for the fact that I finished today, just a few hours before the deadline. If September had been “normal” I might have thought I had done this in my own power.

As it is, there is only one thing I can say.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Eph. 3:20-21 KJV)

The post Finished appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

I’m currently in the midst of an intense revision of my manuscript.

It is NOT fun.

I have to force myself to do it. 

I keep finding excuses to do everything else.

Maybe I should whip up a blog post? Great!

Clean the bathrooms? Absolutely! (Um, not really, but sometimes the idea is appealing).

Revise? Blech.

Why? Well, revisions require concentration. They are somewhat devoid of the creative release that comes from writing the first draft. (Don’t anyone yell at me. I didn’t say they were devoid of creativity – just the easy flow of the creative process when it’s all rushing out and you can’t type fast enough. There’s no “fast” typing in a revision.)

Plus, I’m a perfectionist, so the whole time I’m revising, I’m irked that I didn’t do it “right” the first time. Never mind that I know I didn’t know what I was doing the first time. Or that I know that no matter how  many times I look at this, I’ll always find something to tweak.

Regardless, I stay perpetually annoyed with myself. Which is no fun for anyone.

There’s no other way to put it.

Revisions are hard work.

One part of my revision process is to search out all the passive verbs in my manuscript and, in most cases, change them into active verbs.

I’ll give you an example (from the first paragraph of Chapter 11, in case you’re curious).

     His hands were shaking and his palms were sweaty.

(If grammar was a long time ago, or just not your thing, the passive verbs are “were shaking” and “were sweaty” – well, technically the passive verb is “were” and “shaking” and “sweaty” are adjectives, but you don’t really care, do you?)

This sentence will now read (probably, unless I change it again):

     Todd’s hand shook as he reached for a napkin to dry the sweat from his palms.

Now – honestly – did this change the sentence much?

No.

Would I have noticed the passive verbs until I took Angela Hunt’s class at Blue Ridge, or until Edie Melson pointed out how many (57!) I had in Chapter 7 alone?

No. Not a chance.

So, what’s the big deal? Who cares?

Well, apparently, publishers care. Editors care. Agents care.

Passive verbs are just one of the hallmarks of amateurish writing. And eliminating them is a big step in moving your writing from “this person has no idea what they’re doing” status to “there might be hope for this author” status.

But there is another reason.

A far more important reason.

Because I do not write for an agent, an editor or a publisher.

I write for an audience of One.

And even if no one outside my closest circle of friends ever reads a word of this manuscript, it needs to be my best.

My very best.

He deserves nothing less.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got approximately 1500 passive verbs to eliminate.

The post Why am I doing this? appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

Don’t worry. I’m not confused.

I know the conference ended Thursday.

Technically.

But I think it may take a few weeks to get back to normal.

My husband and children were so glad to have me home. They had flowers and a plan for supper that did not include cooking! I so appreciate their – OK, Brian’s – sensitivity and understanding that I was worn out. And he knows when I’m exhausted, taking supper off my hands is guaranteed to make me happy!

I got home, got unpacked, played with my little ones, watched TV with Brian and went to bed earlier than I have in a week.

But now it’s Friday.

This may not make sense to anyone who wasn’t at Blue Ridge, but I feel weird.

Not, I’m a writer so I’m weird. I feel that way all the time.

More, I’m a writer. Holy cow. Now, how do I make that work into my life? And what should I do first? Should I work on my plot skeleton for my next book? And I want to type up all my notes so I can firmly plant them into my brain.

But wait, I’ve got to tweak the beginning of my manuscript and get it sent out. Pronto.

I also need to clean the bathrooms.

Ugh.

I hate cleaning bathrooms.

I was warned that post-conference depression is normal.

I wouldn’t say I’m depressed. But I can feel myself coming off the conference “high” and I’m not sure the return to reality is going to be a totally smooth transition.

It’s only taken me several hundred words to figure out the one word I need to describe how I feel.

Overwhelmed.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. Psalm 142:3 (NASB)

The post Blue Ridge Friday appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.