Doing Workshops and Programs by Terry Burns

I do a lot of programs and workshops, generally one or two a month. I have some that continue to be asked for even though I have done them for several years, and I add new ones from time to time as they are requested or as they occur to me.

I have one I call "Too Shy to Pitch and Promote" which is one I have done the longest. I started doing it on the spur of the moment at one conference when I realized how many writers were there that were simply too shy to take advantage of the opportunities to pitch an agent or editor. Then I discovered that a lot of writers have trouble with that even if they aren't the shy type. They have trouble because they don't know how to present themselves as a writer. I touch on both in the program now. Maybe I ought to re-title it "Developing a Writer's Personna." Whatcha think?

One that has been very well received when I have been asked to present it I call "Writing to Reach the Unbeliever." I maintain that writing with that goal in mind is 180 degrees different from writing for the family of the faithful. Writing for the Christian market the readers expect to see very strong faith content and see it very early or they will probably decide the book is not what they want to read. With a nonbeliever strong faith content right up front will probably make them put it down. In this program I talk about why I think that happens and what to do about it to reach that market. I also believe that a "crossover book" is not one that is written to reach both, that usually ends up not doing a good job of reaching either, but one that does an awesome job of aiming one market or the other and manages to cross over and be read by the other market as well.

"Editor and Agent Pet Peeves" - Hartline agent Linda Glaz and I have worked on collecting these little gems from a variety of agents and editors, as well as from a lot of writers speaking of their pet peeves ABOUT agents or editors and we both do a program on them that is both enlightening and interesting.

"Just Say Yes" is my strongest faith based program. I've done it as a keynote, testimony, dinner speech or devotional, as well as a regular workshop. I was stunned to come to believe that when the Holy Spirit impresses on us the need to do something, there are just two possible answers, yes or no. Maybe, or later, or a variety of other excuses are not alternate answers, they are just another way of saying no. I really don't want to be saying no to God, so coming to this realization has greatly affected my own service to the Lord. This is also probably THE greatest hurdle for people to overcome in making a decision to be saved.

"Survive Your Way to Publication" is a program I did as a month-long online program for the American Christian Fiction Writers. I was asked to do it because of a statement I used to have in my email signature that said "getting published is not a selection process, it is a survival process." This program explores how to survive the many obstacles to publication. It also looks at a proposal not on WHAT should be in them, but why the items are in there and what we want them to do.

"It's Not My Job to Sell Your Manuscript." What? I thought that was an agents job. In this one I talk about the fact that it is OUR job to sell it, not just my job and what writers can do to work with an agent to improve their chances of success.

An agents panel or editor panel are always popular at conferences, but some conferences are too small for that and I do an "Agents Q and A" in such instances as a substitute. Of course I like to do all of my workshops in a Q & A format as much as I can to better reach the needs of the participants.

From time to time I add programs or replace them. Any of them sound interesting to you or do you have a suggestion for one you would like to see done? Have any agent or editor pet peeves you want to toss out?

The first page by Terry Burns

The purpose of the first page is simple – to get the reader to turn the page and move on down in the book. It has to be about the story, of course, but it is even more about hooking the reader into the book and selling the book.

In my own writing the first page is not the first thing I write but the last thing. I consider my first couple of chapters as temporary, they may or may not go into the book or if they do will probably need to be rewritten after I am really familiar with the story and the characters. Then when I am through and happy with it I go back and say “Okay, now how do I get them off this page?”

Readers don’t really care about the weather or the setting until they have decided they are going to read, then we can set the scene for them. What do I like to see on a first page? An action initiated that is not completed, curiosity aroused and not satisfied, a question posed and not answered, anything that begins on the page but is not completed until the next page.

While an agent or editor may not reject a book on the basis of just a first page, most of them want the page to be compelling. They know a majority of readers standing at a book rack pull a book down and read the back cover copy and the first page. The object is to get them to turn that page and read a little further into the book, because that’s when they will carry it up to the checkout stand. And that’s why first pages are so important.

Authentic Voice by Diana Flegal

As we head into a New Year we often look at how we can step up our game and become better at what we do for the Glory of God. For writers and agents alike this means learning new skills and honing our craft.

Networking is a word that makes many of us cringe. This past year I found myself paddling fast to keep up. Technology seems to always be one step ahead.

In proposal's of old, an author would state; "I will develop a website at the time of contract which I will use to promote my book'. Several years ago, authors had to step up their game and prepare a website as they pitched their titles. Agents and editors then asked authors to blog and network. FB has become the standard connection in author communities and twitter book signings a the new virtual tool. Blog tours and guest blogging are something an author must be willing to be a part of.

As I considered highlighting the one thing I felt would be most helpful to my clients and the readers of our blog heading into the New Year, I received a book in the mail from New York Times bestselling author Cecil Murphey titled; Unleash the Writer Within.

Real, Transparent, Gutsy and Straightforward, Cec's title asks a pivotal question each writer needs to ask themselves, whether beginning their writing journey or mid career. Why Do You Write? Is your answer gut level honest or profound sounding but untrue.

"If you believe you have a gift to write, consider it the foundation on which you build. You still need to learn the skills to express what you want to say".

Cec admits to writing, "to find out who I am".
In his writers workshops, Cec has found the real reason writers write is rarely ever, "to make money".

"Everything you write reveals something about who you are- even your attempts at self-concealment. Your most honest writing becomes your best writing."


Wishful, magical thinking will not make you a good writer."We need to continue improving our writing skills but in the process we can't forget who we are. If we do, our voices become lifeless. The words may sound beautiful, but they will not express our true selves."

If you desire to discover who you are, develop your voice, learn to write with heart, become authentic to your readers, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Cec's book.

You have unique stories to tell the world, teachings and words that will inspire and encourage others. So what are you waiting for? It is time to unleash the writer within!

Happy New Year to one and all!

Where You Teach, What You Learn by Andy Scheer

I just got back from a road trip in which I attended two Midwestern writers conferences and spoke to writing students at Taylor University. So I might think that I'd taught for nine hours, not counting my 36 one-on-one appointments.

But a statement a woman made during one of those appointments—added to what I told the students at Taylor—reminds me that as writing professionals, our teaching is not nearly so limited.

During our appointment time this past weekend in Kansas City, a woman thanked me for something I'd taught her years ago during a conference in Glorieta, New Mexico. I didn't remember her, so I asked what she had learned.

Turns out the big lesson she gained from me didn't come in a class—or even directly pertain to writing. In those years the Glorieta conference was directed by an especially Type-A individual. The schedule was packed with sessions from breakfast until ten at night.

But not for me. Knowing I needed time to reflect and to unwind, I'd excused myself from attending not only the night owl workshops, but also the evening general session. While I could be there in body, I knew my mind and spirit were not up to participating.

So I found a comfy chair in the lobby of the residence hall and gave myself permission to sprawl—despite the risk of conferees seeing me and my faculty name tag.

This past weekend I was reminded that a Glorieta conferee had asked me if I was okay. I'd told her my brain was full and I'd given myself permission to take the evening off. Nearly a decade later, she said that brief encounter proved one of the most valuable lessons she learned at that conference—and that it had shaped her attitude toward every one she'd attended since.

And I thought I was done with teaching for the day.

As I spoke to students in the professional writing program at Taylor University, I emphasized that everything they do affects their professional reputation. Do they meet their deadlines, fulfill their assignments, and consistently deliver quality work? Editors remember that.

Can they say, like Dr. Seuss's elephant Horton, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant”? Any time you interact with a colleague, you teach them something—often about you. In the writing business, we keep encountering the same people. My current boss for much of my freelance editing work was once part of my editorial staff at Moody magazine. These days I appreciate what I'm learning from her, and I hope she can say the same. After all, you never know what—or when—you're teaching.