Mool cool helps for writers

My friend and novelist, Patti Lacy has a writing contest every month on her site. The winner receives a $15 Barnes and Noble gift certificate!

Keith Drury's excellent book, A Brief Guide For Writers, helped me tremendously. "Packed with dozens of tips and hints, this book gives step-by-step instructions on preparing a manuscript so it will shine and be noticed by editors and publishers."

And, if you are interested in mystery writing, Barb Early has some fascinating photos on her blog of a trip to the Writers' Police Academy. She also has a blog just for mystery writers.

Blessings on you as you write for your Audience of One, the King of Kings and only Good Shepherd.

The Words We all Need to Hear

You Love Me Just As I Am


During a very down time emotionally, when my kids were little and I felt anything but valuable and lovable, the Lord gave me this song during a time of worship:

You love me just as I am, Lord
You love me just as I am, Lord
You see deep inside me and look past my faults
And you love me just as I am.

You need me just as I am, Lord
You need me just as I am, Lord
My value to You can’t be measured by man
And you need me just as I am.

You use me just as I am, Lord
You use me just as I am, Lord
You filled me with your Holy Sprit and power
And you use me just as I am.

All of us need to hear the words “I love you” on a regular basis. Not “I love you because…” or, “I’ll love you if…” but just plain “I love you.” Every person is made in God’s image, and therefore everyone is valuable, capable and lovable.
So, I’d like to tell you:

I love you just as you are,
I love you just as you are,
Because Jesus loves me just as I am,
I love you just as you are.

© Jeanette E. Levellie

Have a blessed day, you lovable, precious person, you!

Clean Up

Cleaning Up is Never Finished!

I am 'cleaning up' my book manuscript. I'm on the third round. This time I'm looking for better words, tightening my too-long sentences, striving for easier readability. It's hard work, but I love it. Most of the time.

I wonder if God looks at me like I view my articles and book manuscript: always a work in progress, always in need of some more "clean up." The difference is, I will one day finish my book and I believe someone will like it well enough to publish it. But as long as I'm on this earth, God will not be finished refining me. There will always be places in me that require "editing": a tacky attitude, a sloppy habit, a wrong motive.

Until Jesus comes to fly me to my real home in Heaven, I will need daily, hourly fixing. "Please don't give up on me, Lord. Help me cooperate with your corrections, so I will make you proud that you chose me as your daughter."

Overwhelmed?

I have been working to revise two chapters of my new book, “The Secret Life of a Preacher’s Wife” to send to the Write to Publish conference for evaluation. I also need to go over my proposal for “God Is Bigger,” my first book, which is completely done, but needs a “home.”

My darling husband Kevin, who is the epitome of organization, and I sat down Sunday night and made a list of all I have to do before the conference in June. It was as long as the Great Wall of China! Well, not quite. But almost!

Then we made a schedule, which I am trying to keep, so I won’t be fussing and running around like “I love Lucy” at the last minute, throwing socks and underwear into my suitcase, putting my make up on in the car on the way to Chicago, worrying that I didn’t have enough business cards printed up and will my roommate snore and what if an editor is mean to me, etc…

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with your life? Your writing goals? What helps?

Be Still My Soul

I spoke with excitement to my friend, Loretta. I enthused about the tremendous writers’ conference I had attended, the selling of a humor article to one of the editors there, and my commitment to write one hour a day. My words splashed out, filling the front seat of her car as we travelled to lunch.

“I am thrilled for you,” Loretta said, “But I feel strongly that you’re to do something more than writing each day.” A holy quiet embraced me. My heart picked up its beat. Because she chose each word carefully, I sensed the Holy Spirit was about to speak through Loretta. God usually tiptoes in when He has something significant to say. He rarely hollers and waves His arms. I shut up and listened.

“In order to write well, Jeanette, you need to spend time simply sitting still. Part of your ministry of communicating God’s love to people will be in those moments you are listening. You can’t hear from God unless you are quiet.”

Wow.

I knew the Lord was not chiding me for talking too much. He was simply telling me to listen more. I already know everything I know. If I want to take His message of hope to sagging hearts, I must be still with Him long enough to fill my own sagging heart.
I know it was God who spoke through Loretta last Saturday morning. Yet, practicing what He preached will not be easy. I was born talking, working, and trying to motivate others. How can I change from a ‘human doing’ to a ‘human being’?

The same way I was born again. By His potent, loving grace. ---Jen

More Cool Links for Writers

Holley Gerth from Dayspring Cards has a wonderfully uplifting blog. She has just published her first book, "Rain on Me." I have copies on order, and can't wait to read it!

Another cheerleader is Jim Watkins, an award-winning author and editor who is as helpful as a roomful of Hershy bars. He shares oodles of great advice for writers.

Kindred Heart Writers has a book giveaway every month, as well as nourishing articles. One of my mentors and a loving Christian writer, Clella Camp, is on their team.

May the Holy Spirit surprise you by your anointed words as you write for Him, your audience of One!

Happy Weekend,
Jen

Keeping Your Eyes on the Prize

I spent a large chunk of my afternoon formatting articles into a single document for my book. Writing for fun and writing for publication are as different as playing in the sprinkler in your front yard and training for the Olympic swim team. What I love to do is write. But that’s only about 25% of the process of getting published. The other 75% is revising, sending query letters to prospective publishers and agents, researching markets that will buy your writing, creating a proposal, and reading about how to do those things. A lot of tedious stuff, but necessary. It can frustrate you if you forget your focus.

It’s kind of like making a recipe. What you love to do is the actual cooking or baking of the food. Your goal is to create something that will nourish but also entertain the taste buds. You relish the process of putting together ingredients and savoring the smell and taste of your culinary creation.

What you find is that you must spend a wagon load of time writing out the recipe, filing it in the proper spot in your recipe file, making a shopping list, purchasing the ingredients, then cleaning up the mess after the final satisfied hiccup. The creation is only a smidgen of the process. You do all the others, however, because you are addicted—in a healthy way—called, if you like, to the art of cooking. And you are rewarded by the pleasure of those you cook for. So, although you may greatly dislike the tedium of the ‘other’ parts of cooking, you force yourself to do them, because the gratification of expressing your creativity and ministering to others is worth the trouble.

In my case, when I sell an article or greeting card verse, or when someone tells me that one of my columns helped them, it makes all the monotonous tasks worth it. My goal is to change lives, to draw people closer to the Master, to hear someone say, “your writing revolutionized my walk with God.” So if I have to suffer along the way in order to get my writing out there, it’s a small price to pay. Especially if someone who didn’t believe, becomes a Believer from reading something I wrote.

I just need to keep reminding myself of the goal…
--- Jen

Cool helps for writers

Terry Whalin has some helpful articles for writers on his website: everything from fiction to thank you letters to website design to attending a conference.

Jessica is always cheerleading us with helpful questions and insights.

And, Susan is a writer who stays close to the Lord by praying for everyone else! She has a blog full of goodies.

Blessings on you as you write for your Audience of One!

Jeanette

Chattering

When I was a child, my mom often called me a "chatterbox." It was not meant as a compliment.

I grew up believing I talked way too much. When you believe something about yourself, whether it's true or not, you make it happen. So, I talked too much. Sometimes I still do.

As an adult, however, I discovered my gift: communication! Now we know where the source of my desire to talk, sing, teach and write all those words, originated from: the Giver of all good gifts.

I have found there is a difference between chattering--- just talking to fill up empty space that you feel uncomfortable with--- and communicating.

When I say or write something that lifts another out of a deep well of despair or tweaks erroneous thinking about the Father, I am communicating His heart of love and goodness. This is my passion, to reflect Jesus more accurately to you than you saw Him a moment ago.

I often ask the Lord to keep a watch at the door of my mouth, so I don't chatter. I want my words to count for eternity. To lift up and build and reveal His goodness and wisdom. To nourish a soul or a million souls. To pass on His heart that spills over with love for you. Even just to make you laugh, so you'll be healthier. This is communicating my Lord to you.

Jeanette

Welcome!

Welcome to Audience of One, where we will explore together the joy of writing for God, to drink of His overwhelming love and feast on His grace.

Fasten your seat belt! I am anything but a boring driver!

My goal is to inspire, encourage, and provoke. Hopefully, I'll be able to tickle your socks off, too!

God is an adventurer, always taking us places we thought we weren't ready for. His Spirit yearns to grow us beyond our believability and soar us to impossibilities.

Are you ready?