tricia goyer

May 13, 2019 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

One Brave Step Started My Road to Publishing

24 years ago I took ONE brave step. I was at the Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference, and I’d taken a workshop on article writing. I’d attended the conference wanting to write a novel, but article writing intrigued me. I jotted down a few ideas for articles, but didn’t think much of it.

Then, the next day, as I was sitting on a bench out in the sunshine, one of those editors walked by. It was Jon Walker from HomeLife Magazine. I considered calling out to him, and before I could change my mind the words left my mouth:

“Mr. Walker, do you have a minute? I have a few ideas for magazine articles.”

Those two seconds of being brave opened up an amazing connection with an awesome magazine!

He sat down next to me with a smile. “Yes, of course.”

We probably talked for ten minutes. I shared some ideas, and Mr. Walker was interested in a few ideas. I promised to write those articles and email them to him. I followed through, and that started an amazing relationship. Over the years different editors have come and gone, but I’ve continued to write for HomeLife Magazine. My newest article is Mad Kids, Sad Moms is in the May Issue.

One Brave Step For You

Two seconds of brave CAN change everything. What do you need to be brave about today?

Maybe you’re interested in writing articles but you’re not sure where to start. Or maybe, you have a story inside that is just dying to be written? It’s so compelling but you just don’t know where to begin or what to do next.

Making your writing dreams become a reality is tough. You have ideas but you wonder if any of them are good. You have no idea how to connect with agents and editors, and what in the world is book proposal anyway? The truth is that almost anyone can write a novel . . . but (did you guess that was coming?) it takes a lot of time, persistence, and skill. Much more than I thought when I first started writing.

That’s why I created the Write That Book Club. This premier group provides education, inspiration, and connection with other writers and experts. It’s a place to learn all the tricks of the trade while getting your personal questions answered and finding friends who understand the struggle and are with you in the journey.

For More Information or to Join Write That Book now CLICK HERE!

Or from Facebook go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/writethatbook/

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October 10, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 5 Comments

My Favorite Marketing Tools for Authors

You think that writing a book is the hard part, right?! Getting your book noticed (and appreciated) by readers is a whole new thing. Here are ways I’ve connect with readers and have grown my fan base … without being annoying!

Just a few quick tips that have worked for me…

Marketing:

1. I’ve hired a nearly full-time assistant to help with marketing. She posts my blogs, formats my newsletters, sends out packages, etc.

2. I fit my radio interviews, etc. into my calendar. I also schedule in things like e-mail interviews, mailing signed books, etc. I don’t have specific days but rather specific slots to meet the need.

Speaking:

I used to speak two times a month. Now I limit that to four times a year. It takes me days to prepare, days to travel, days to “get back into life.” At this season in my life I need to give time to my family first. This is out-of-town stuff. This doesn’t count in local engagements, which I will take if they fit.

“I’m an Author. Do I Need a Newsletter?”

Many authors have newsletters. I have one that goes out about every other month. I share an inspiring story, news, and information about me and what I’m up to. (Subscribe to it by clicking here!)

Every book signing, conference, or speaking event I do I hold a drawing. In addition to their name and address, on the drawing info card, I include three other things:

“I would like to receive Tricia’s email newsletter.”
“I have another event I’d like Tricia to consider speaking at, please send me a press kit.”
“Comment:”

The majority of people check “yes” to signing up for the newsletter, which is great! Plus, I’ve discovered building a dedicated readership is worth giving away free books. As for whether it’s worth the extra time and effort, people who are signed up for my newsletter are people like older friends from church who don’t spend time on social media or reading blogs. I also encourage readers to pre-order my novels and it seems to be working!

Your Audience

Do you know your audience? Do you know who you’re writing for?

I do.

According to my web analytics: “Based on internet averages, triciagoyer.com is visited more frequently by females who are in the age range of 25-34, have children, are college educated and browse this site from home.” Looking at other information I find that the websites they visit before and after my site is Facebook.

When I think of my reader, I often think of real women I know to help me picture “her” in my mind.

One is Alana. She’s a friend from church who’s married to a great guy from Guatemala. They are involved in missions outreach in his home country. She’s college-educated but put her career aside to raise her two kids. At church we chat about my new books and the research behind them. She’s invited me to her home to talk to other young moms about homeschooling. She posts adorable photos of her kids on Facebook, and she works at a preschool part-time, mostly because she likes the connection with other moms and kids.

I have readers from other age groups and lifestyles, but I know that I have a nice following from this audience.

There are obvious ways I connect with them:

By doing guest blogs on mommy and homeschooling sites
By blogging about marriage and family on my blog (I throw books stuff in now and again 🙂
By posting about my writing (which is following my dream), life and family on Facebook and Twitter
By hosting Facebook contests

I also try to be aware of other places my core readers and followers are congregating.

One of those places is Pinterest.

I’ve discovered that you can pin anything to your “bulletin boards” that has a photo. I “pin” my books under subject headings like “World War II” or “Amish.” I also started spending five or ten minutes each day finding old blog posts and “pinning” them. For example, recently I pinned a blog post from July 2010 on “How to Be a Better Lover” to my Marriage board. If people like your pins, they repin them on their boards. And then people look at their boards and repin them, too. Sweet!

Recently, because of things like Pinterest and Facebook parties, the daily views on my blog/website have jumped significantly. I’ve also seen my book sales numbers growing, too. Yeah! And the best part is it’s fun for me! (Yes, I find Facebook and Twitter fun, too.)

Because I like it, I don’t feel like I’m marketing (so much), and readers don’t feel that I’m only concerned with trying to sell them something.

Even though the majority of books I write are fiction, I’m making a connection with my main readership who connect with me over family and real-life issues, and then run out to buy my novels. They also buy my books for their parents and grandparents, too, which I love!

All that to say, instead of casting a wide net and attempting to reach a variety of readers, I’ve been doing more to connect with those who respond most positively to me and my books.

Tweet It!

Are you sick of hearing about Twitter yet?

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? You have 140 characters (letters) to answer that question. You can “tweet” once a day or twenty times a day. It’s up to you.

You may wonder who reads these tweets. They are your “followers.” People follow others they know, those they respect, or those recommended by other. Not every follower reads each of my posts, but many of them read most.

Throughout the day I send updates about my devotional time, writing, editing, and even my errands. People follow the progress of my books, and they are often eager to spread the word about my project. They comment back, which gives a sense of community.

I’ve also used Twitter when doing research. I post questions, and I ask for feedback. I’ve even asked for suggestions for chapter titles or character names. Fun!

Tweeting may sound like work, but it takes less than one minute to post 140 characters—about two sentences, or as much as this paragraph.

As a writer there are benefits to tweeting

1) People do enjoy hearing about everyday lives of interested people. As a writer you are one of them. (This is the reality television generation, remember?) As you’re working on a book, you can become interesting to a wide variety of people—many who may later be readers.

2) Seventy-five percent (or maybe more) of the people I’ve connected with are those who I haven’t connected with before. Score! My followers include radio hosts, television producers, editors, and many potential readers.

3) My Facebook account is also connected with Twitter. When I update the status of one, the other is updated. Because of this, my Facebook network has grown, too.

4) When I promote my interviews or articles or books, I have a wide variety of people who are eager to hear the newest news. For example, when I was recently on Focus on the Family radio, I tweeted about it, and many, many people responded, telling me they turned into the radio. It was a great feeling!

Following back…

Personally, I follow thousands of people on Twitter. No, I do not keep updated with this many people all day long. Rather, I have a select few that I follow via my cell phone. The rest (those I don’t follow on my cell phone) I keep updated on by scanning on the web four or five times a day. If I see something interesting, I may comment on their post.

The people I follow closely are writer friends and professionals in our industries, such as Michael Hyatt (CEO of Thomas Nelson), Sheila Walsh, and Ed Stetzer (CEO of Lifeway). I can honestly say I know more about what’s happening in the publishing industry today than I did a month ago.

I also follow a few “non-famous” closely. One is Kristen, a farm mom. I’m writing a series of books set on a farm, and it’s free research! So if you are interested in connecting with people, building relationships, and spreading the word about your writing, Twitter might be worth checking out.

Go ahead and try it. It’s not hard to dip your toe into . . . since it’s only 140 characters at a time. 😉

Marketing for Authors: A few quick tips that have worked for me… @TriciaGoyer

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More Resources

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk

Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less by Joe Pulizzi

Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business by Anne Handley

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October 2, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

The Balance Between Mom and Writer

I started writing when my kids were five, two, and a newborn, and I was starting my first year of homeschool. My husband was in college and worked at night. We were poor. LOL.

I started writing during naptime, but by the time I started getting book contracts, my kids were too old for naps, we still homeschooled, and my kids were home all day. So for years I wrote when they were around the house—usually in the afternoon.

I was just talking to my daughter Leslie about this a few days ago. She’s twenty years old and she’s passionate about God. She’s a pretty great writer, too! Here is her blog.

Anyway, I asked Leslie what were the benefits/drawbacks of having a writer-mom at home. These are the three benefits she came up with.

1. Leslie said it really impacted her how I modeled serving others in my life . . . and through my writing. She said I showed her how important it was to serve other people.
2. She said it really grew a love of books and writing in her. She loves to read and write and is minoring in writing/editing in college.
3. She said that it was “cool” having a famous mom. Her friends thought it was cool. She also got to meet amazing people and she was able to travel with me to interesting places. (I had to laugh at the “cool” part. She never told me that before!)

I asked about the drawbacks. She told me it was what her and my brothers referred to as the “five-minute rule.” They would approach and ask me something . . . and then wait. “Then, Mom, after about five minutes, you’d turn and say, ‘What?’ Or you’d turn and answer our question. We’d always laugh about that.”

I thought that was very funny, and I can remember that happening. If I was writing I’d have to finish off my train of thought before I turned to answer them. I’m glad to know that they thought it was funny. Also, it was normal for them. It was normal to have me writing at my computer for a few hours each day. (They were with me 24/7, and I had times dedicated JUST to them, too.) And I was still there—still present. Our presence as moms makes a big impact.

Our presence as moms makes a big impact. @TriciaGoyer

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The funny thing is that Leslie didn’t mention the stuff I felt guilty about:

1. Not having a clean house all the time.
2. Limiting their extracurricular activities to one activity per child per year.
3. Getting a babysitter once in a while.
4. Going away to conferences a few times a year. (And later a few more times to speak.)
5. Having weeks now and then of picking up pizza or Taco Bell for dinner because I was under deadline.

Every family is different, but this really encouraged me. Now, as I continue to balance writing with my younger ones, it’s been a huge benefit to see that the older three have turned out great. It’s helped me to realize that I often feel guilty about things that aren’t really going to matter years from now.

Being present, and letting your kids know that they are the most important thing, goes a long way!

Prayer

God, Thank you for my children. Thank you for instilling creativity into each of us, myself included. Help me find the right balance between family, creativity, and the rest of my life. Give me wisdom and sensitivity to see things from a new perspective.

More Resources

Balanced: Finding Center as a Work-at-Home Mom by Tricia Goyer

The Solution To Working Moms Finding Balance In Everyday Life: Control Your Life Before It Controls You by Marita Kinney

Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom by Tricia Goyer

Get Organized Secrets of Professional Organizers Volume 2: Leading Experts Talk About Productivity & Work-Life Balance by Donna Smallin Kuper

Beyond Soccer Mom: Strategies for a Fabulous Balanced Life by Leonaura Rhodes

To celebrate launch of The Lulu Tree Boutique, I’m doing a giveaway!

Ten winners will receive a copy of my book“Life Interrupted.” One grand prize winner will receive “Life Interrupted” and a Lulu Doll! Only those in the U.S. are eligible to win. Winners will receive an email and be announced next week! a Rafflecopter giveaway

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September 29, 2014 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

Don’t Miss Your Kids in All Your “God Projects”

I’m a project person. I like lists to check off and gold stars (even if they are imagined) placed on my jobs that are well done. As an author I like to type “The End”at the completion of my novels. As a Teen MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) leader, I like getting into my car after a meeting and letting out a contented sigh, knowing the speaker’s message touched a great need.

The problem is that kids don’t like to be projects. And even if I’ve created the perfect “moment”as a mom, they’ll do something crazy like cut their American Girl doll’s hair off with no warning. (Just like two of my daughters did just last night!)

As a project person, I tend to gravitate toward things I can fix or manage. If faced with cleaning out the refrigerator or coloring with my three young kids, my natural tendency is to let the fridge win. After all, the fridge looks so shiny when it’s done … and the kids’ papers? Not so much, especially when they don’t color in the lines!

Even worse is when a “God Project” is involved. You know what I’m talking about. Doing a good thing for God, like planning a Sunday school lesson or writing an inspiring blog post (ahem). Those things draw me even more than the fridge, mostly because I don’t have to deal with moldy food, but also because I’m doing something for God. Didn’t He say to go into all the world and preach the gospel?

[Read the rest of this post on MomLifeToday.com]

Prayer

God, thank you for my children and the desire I have to serve you. Please open my eyes to see the moments I am missing with my children. Allow me to let go of whatever projects I’m doing that don’t serve my family in the long-run.

I’m a project person. Problem: kids don’t like projects. @TriciaGoyer

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More Resources

Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions: 90 Faith-Building Ideas Your Kids Will Eat Up! by Chrystal Bowman and Tricia Goyer

Lead Your Family Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodges & Tricia Goyer

Women Living Well by Courtney Joseph

Anything: The Prayer That Unlocked My God & My Soul by Jennie Allen

To celebrate launch of The Lulu Tree Boutique, I’m doing a giveaway!

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September 26, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 8 Comments

The Lulu Tree Boutique! (& Giveaway!)

*Please note, friends: This post is long. But, would you take time read it, for me? For all the precious Ugandan mamas who need your help? And then, would you consider sharing the post so others might help too? There’s even a giveaway at the bottom! Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. – Tricia

She walked for four hours just to meet me.

Her soles were red from Uganda’s earth and she didn’t break a sweat in the high heat. Her eyes shone but she lowered them, looked at her sandals, even as I reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, and I could feel the strength in this peasant farmer’s arm.

She’d lost her husband just weeks earlier to HIV/Aids, an illness people still talk about in hushed tones because of the shame associated with it. She’d lost her children long before that to this children’s home I was visiting–because she had a sick husband to care for and a farm that wasn’t bringing in money and no way to feed her sons or daughters.

And here I was, able to pay for her kids’ clothes and education while she wasn’t.

And not because I worked harder. No, she worked sun-up to sundown and had callouses across her hands and feet. No, it was because I came from a first class country overflowing with food and privilege while the rest of the world is forced to feed from our trash cans.

I smiled at her, but I felt sick.

I am a mother.

Every night I walk into my boys’ room and ache for them lying there in their beds, because they’re tucked deep in my womb. I cannot imagine how humbling, or humiliating, it would be, to have to ask someone else to take care of my children. To not be able to give them food or water, to not be able to keep them under your own roof-and THEN, to walk four hours to meet the woman who can?

This woman (me) who flies over in her airplane with her suitcase full of clothes and her bag full of lipstick and her wallet full of money, and says it’s all in the name of Jesus–a God this farmer worships more reverently each day than I ever have in my life?

Our Father weeps.

He anguishes over every single mother–because there are hundreds of thousands of them across Uganda in the same situation–who has to lose her child, who cannot take care of her children.

And He’s asking us to do something about it.

Sponsoring a child is good, don’t get me wrong. I sponsor as many children as I am able.

But standing there with this beautiful woman in her brown hat and her downcast gaze, her son’s eyes shining as he looked at me, I thought, No. Enough. There has to be more.
I want this son to look at his MOTHER with adoration, not me–a stranger.

I want him to look at HER to provide his needs, not me–an outsider who didn’t birth him without an epidural, who didn’t weep and pray over him every night of his childhood, who didn’t spend every minute of every day trying to earn enough money to buy him a bowl of Matoke (cooked banana) so he wouldn’t starve to death.

So, I went home and founded a non-profit called The Lulu Tree.

I didn’t intend to found a non-profit. I just wanted to partner with someone who was doing what I wanted to do. But no one was.

Our vision at The Lulu Tree is to work with HIV mothers in the slum of Katwe, Uganda (the worst of Kampala’s eight slums), equipping them to be care for their own kids. Our slogan is “Preventing tomorrow’s orphans by equipping today’s mothers.” Lofty, I know.

But you have to dream big, right? Shoot for the moon and you’ll land somewhere among the stars? So we’re shooting for the moon.

We’ve hired a beautiful Ugandan social worker named Esther Natakunda Tendo (Esther–is there more anointed a name? She has been called to free her people from captivity.)

Esther is a 29-year-old married mother of two who has received education in Sex and Gender Based Violence, computer application and project planning and management from the African Population Management. She has volunteered for years through the children’s home where she was raised, and has extensive work experience both in banking and in communications. Esther speaks several dialects, and is a strong believer in Jesus Christ. Her heart beats passionately for women and children suffering from AIDS, and it is her heart’s desire to help those who are impoverished find hope. As her name suggests, Esther has responded to the call to set her people free from poverty and despair.

We’ve also hired a national coordinator named Carol Masaba. She is the national coordinator both for The Lulu Tree and for the African Evangelistic Enterprise in Uganda. She partners with churches across the country to bring the hope of Christ to various parts of the nation. Carol has over 20 years experience in integrated community development work, during which she has worked with poor and marginalized communities to improve the well-being of children and youth. She is in charge of hiring and mentoring Lulu staff and volunteers and overseeing the ministry as a whole.

Both Carol and Esther will be working with the mothers in the slum of Katwe. Our goal is to equip them holistically–spiritually, emotionally and physically. This involves connecting them with the local church, providing HIV treatment for the mothers and children, and teaching the mamas a trade–to how to sew, or cook, so that after two years of being sponsored, these mamas will be self-sufficient. (You can read about how to sponsor a mama HERE). And … we’ve got some more exciting news!

We’re launching THE LULU TREE BOUTIQUE!

…with the ultimate goal of creating a market for these precious mamas to selling their beautiful work through, once they’ve been trained.

If you have Christmas shopping to do, and want to help people at the same time, look no further!! We would be so grateful. Follow this link: http://thelulutree.com/shop/.

Shipping is included with the prices. All proceeds go towards The Lulu Tree.

A friend of mine, dear Jodie Vanderzwaag, has given up her very successful business a few months ago to run this boutique. Pretty amazing. We are also partnering with The House of Belonging, Funky Fish Designs, Krafty Kash, and Little Dragonfly Boutique, as well as a number of individual artisans who have donated their products to this shop. My dear sister Christy Stewart Halsell of Sandy Feet Media has volunteered long hours to set up this website and boutique (I HIGHLY recommend her web services!), and countless others including photographer Leanne Doell have donated time and energy to Lulu. To see a full list of everyone who’s helping us, please visit HERE.

So, let’s get shopping!

We’ve got cozy slipper boots, slouchy beanies for kids and adults, little girl dresses, cowls and jackets, infinity scarves, dolls, darling Lulu headbands and artwork, jewelry, and more. See below for some sneak peeks.

Christmas season is around the corner! @TriciaGoyer & I will be shopping @TheLuluTree!

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On behalf of women like Harima, below, who is our first Lulu Mama–THANK YOU! For helping us bring DIGNITY and LIFE to these dear women!

Bless you! Thank you!

-Emily Wierenga

PS. Friends, if any of you wants to get involved with The Lulu Tree, we’d LOVE to have you. We are a non-profit that exists only due to the generosity and compassion of people like you. Please visit HERE to find out how you might change a life today through Lulu. Emily T. Wierenga is an award-winning journalist, blogger, commissioned artist and columnist, and the author of five books including the memoir Atlas Girl: Finding Home in the Last Place I Thought to Look (Baker Books). All proceeds from Atlas Girl benefit Emily’s non-profit, The Lulu Tree. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her husband and two sons. For more info, please visit www.emilywierenga.com. Find her on Twitter or Facebook.

To celebrate The Lulu Tree, I’m doing a giveaway!

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September 25, 2014 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

How to Keep & Deepen Your Relationship With Your Teen Son

My 6-foot-tall son lumbers into the room and sinks onto the sofa.

“So, I’ve been thinking about Chapter Two…” he says.

I pause what I’m doing and we talk. We talk about fictional conflict, inciting incidents, and motivation—what the character wants more than anything. Nathan has just finished writing a novel and lately we’ve been chatting about that.

I have six children and my relationship with each of them is different.

They all enjoy different things, and for a while I wondered how I could best relate to my sons as teens. Yes, I cheered at their basketball games. I often found myself out to lunch with them one-on-one, or at sci-fi movies, but I wanted something more–something that could just be “ours.”

It turns out that Nathan, my third oldest, and I both enjoy writing and plotting. We relish figuring out what makes a story good…then what makes it great. After nearly every movie we watch, we talk about what worked and what didn’t. As a homeschooler this started with chapter books that I read to him during school time.

Nathan also attended homeschool writing classes that I taught. We’d chat about all the elements of fiction writing on the way home. It wasn’t a forced conversation. I didn’t read a book and try to follow it. Instead, I just opened myself up to my son. We have talked about our shared interest and I’ve watched our relationship grow. Soon talking about plots and writing became “our thing.”

[Read the rest of this post on TheMOBSociety.com]

Prayer

Thank you for my son. I look forward to spending time and sharing our lives together as a family. Give me inspiring ways to connect and deepen my relationship with him.

Moms: How do YOU deepen your relationship with your son? @TriciaGoyer

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September 23, 2014 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

How to Say “Yes” to God

I don’t know about you but as soon as I became a Christian I wanted to do something FOR God. I was a pregnant teen who found forgiveness and freedom and I wanted to make my life count for Him.

Over the years I found many ways to serve Him and to be truthful it was a lot of work. I taught Sunday School, led Bible studies, and volunteered in numerous ministries in church. I found myself wanting to shout, “No, enough is enough!” I was burnt out to say the least. By burning myself out, I thought I was saying, “Yes” to God.

Over time I learned that there is a difference between saying yes to my ideas vs. saying yes to God.

There is a difference between saying yes to my ideas vs. saying yes to God. @TriciaGoyer

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So how do you know what God wants? And how do you say yes?

Awareness.

God’s calling to you will be different than His calling to anyone else. What is He asking of you? Ask God to make you aware. For example, in 1999 I read an article about orphans in China and my heart was stirred. Over the years I was drawn to adopt. It took many years before my husband was open to the idea, yet God made me aware of the plight of orphans long before He called me to do anything about it. It took 10 years from the time God made me aware of the situation until we brought a baby girl home, but it all started with God making me aware of the need.

[Read the rest of this post on TheBetterMom.com]

Prayer

God, thank you for giving me a life in which I get to say “yes” to you everyday. Give me awareness of the things that matter to you. Help me to make choices that reflect my desire to say yes to you over saying yes to my own ideas.

More Resources

– Lead Your Family by Ken Blanchard Phil Hodges & Tricia Goyer

– Teen Mom: You’re Stronger Than You Think by Tricia Goyer

– The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Choices by Lysa TerKeurst

Congratulations to Kerry M., winner of Darlene Schact’s new book, Messy Beautiful Love!

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September 16, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 12 Comments

Free Printables for Writing Your Novel

I’ve pulled together a ton of Free Printables for Writing Your Novel. A few are mine, but most of them are awesome resources that I’ve found around the Internet.

Free Printables for Writing your Novel

Are you interested in writing a novel but you don’t want to start? Do you learn by doing? Do you want easy-to-use worksheets to help novel writing made sense? These printables and resources are just what you need!

Yay! FREE Printables for your next novel, collected by @TriciaGoyer!

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Story Ideas

Create a Writer’s Notebook! This worksheet will inspire story seeds and concepts. Click here to download and print.

Character Creation

This series of worksheets will help you get to know your character’s personality, what they want, and how they might try to overcome challenges. Click here to download and print.

More of my Favorite Printables…

TheWritersCraft.com has a great set of worksheets.

Elizabeth Span Craig has collected a long list of wonderful tools and worksheets made by and for novelists!

Annie Neugbauer’s Plotting Worksheet is for writers who have scattered ideas that need to be worked into a basic plot structure. It’s one page, bare-bones, & easy to view at a glance.

Writer’s Digest has a wonderful index of worksheets to help you write your novel in 30 days.

Story Tracker (Act I, Act II, Act III): These worksheets help you outline before you start writing, and/or keep track of your story’s progression as you go.

Story Idea Map: This worksheet is especially critical for writers who will be working without any kind of outline. During the first few days of your 30-day effort, you should complete this worksheet.

Scene Card: Scene cards can be used as an outlining tool before you begin your 30-day effort, or as a daily writing and brainstorming technique. Scene cards can also play a critical role in revision. Index cards can be used instead of the worksheet if preferred.

At-A-Glance Outline: Offers a quick way to fill in the blanks of your story. It guides you to answer the right questions for each area of your story, the questions that will come up fast when writing.

Character Sketch: Keep track of the qualities of each major character using these sketches. As you become more experienced as a writer, you may want to create your own character profile worksheets.

Character-Revealing Scenes: This more advanced outlining worksheet helps you identify where and how you will reveal important aspects of each major character.

Climax: This worksheet helps you consider your novel’s climax, the point where the protagonist faces the conflict directly, with his goal on the line.

Closing & Denouement: Questions on this worksheet analyze the novel’s post-climax scenes with an eye toward tying up unresolved arcs and the novel as a whole.

Reversal Brainstorm: Plan ahead for characters’ changes of heart, new situations, unexpected betrayals and more.

Write That Book!

Are you ready to write your novel but just need a little help?

Imagine if you were friends with a successful author willing to show you the ropes. Tricia Goyer is that friend. The author of more than 75 books, she’s the writing coach you’ve been looking for, and she’s ready to help you:

learn from her expertise
network with experts so you can cash in on what they know
discover the community who needs to hear your message of hope

“Want to know how to write? You can learn while you sit in the carpool line!” Tricia Goyer

Join Write that Book here!

I’m here to help. And I’ve invited some of my friends to help you too. They are professional agents, editors, authors, and marketing and publicity team members. They’re the best of the best in the Christian publishing industry. Together we want to help you reach your dreams.

To help you do this, I’ve created Write That Book. This premier group provides education, inspiration, and connection with other writers and experts. Learn all the tricks of the trade while getting your personal questions answered.

Over thirty experts will be available throughout the month to answer your questions. Their decades of experience will be at your fingertips. They not only want to help you, they also want to get to know you better. After all, your words might just be the ones they’re looking for!

September 12, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 12 Comments

September Book Giveaway!

Winners announced on September 19th!

10 winners will receive 2 books of mine: Generation NeXt Parenting & Generation NeXt Marriage. Enter the raffle below (as many times as you’d like) to win. Only those in the U.S. are eligible to win.

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September 9, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 9 Comments

In the World, Not of It: The Christian Bubble

When we moved to Little Rock in 2010, I knew it would be easy to slip into the Bible Belt bubble. My husband’s job was with a Christian organization (FamilyLife), so surrounding ourselves with like-minded friends would be easy. Big, beautiful churches are within a few miles of our home, and I knew we could make great friends at church, too.

But is that all life is about—to be surrounding with fellow Christians and enjoy life? Deep inside I felt it wasn’t. How could I raise my child to believe the concept of “giving to the least of these” when I wasn’t making the effort to cross town and reach out?

Bubble-Breaking Church

We started by attending an inner-city church (mosaicchurch.net). We were surrounded by people who weren’t like us in many ways. I also began a support group for teenage mothers, and my town teens helped with it. My son Nathan was our door monitor, letting the young moms in. (Because of the area, we cannot leave the church doors unlocked). My daughter Leslie volunteered to babysit every week, and my toddler daughter, Alyssa, made quick friends with the other kids. Coming from Montana (and a church where most of the people were like us), we felt we were breaking out of the bubble big time . . . but was that enough?

Bubble-Breaking Neighborhood

When we go to church or the grocery store, we see homeless people and lower-income people on a daily basis. As we built relationships within the inner city, we realized it’s not about “us helping them”—we realized we’re all the same and Jesus loves us all. Making a point to spend time in the inner city has increased our compassion as we build friendships and discover that we can find amazing people no matter where we live.

Show children they can be the hands and feet of Jesus as you give, love, and serve together. @TriciaGoyer

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But isn’t Our Job as Parents to Help Our Kids Stay Innocent?

Right now our kids at home are twenty, seven, four, and almost four-years-old, but two are out of the nest and living amazing lives. My older kids have been volunteering to help with teenage moms since they were elementary-school age. I remember when my daughter first started helping to babysit; she was only eight years old and heard all types of things come out of the mouths of the teen moms, like who was sleeping with whom, who had what disease, etc. At first I was horrified . . . my poor, innocent girl! Yet her questions about what she heard opened up amazing conversations about sexual purity, life choices, the way people are raised, economic poverty, etc.

Because of those conversations, my daughter became passionate about purity—after all she saw the consequences of sex outside of marriage. Just today I was talking via Skype to Leslie, who is on a two-month mission trip to the Czech Republic, and she told me she was asked to speak to a church youth group about sexual purity. You’ll never know how God will use your kids and how He’ll prepare them.

That being said, I have three young kids and I do my best to protect them. We do need to protect those little ears at times, especially during the ages when we can’t sit and have a long conversation about what they just heard.

But the Thought of Exposing My Kids Makes Me Nervous

Yes, anxiety comes when we expose our children to the hard things of life. As a parent, we want to protect our children. We want to keep them as innocent as we can, as long as possible. Yet we also must “go yet into the world.” (Isn’t that what Jesus commanded?) Needy, hurting people who need Christ are everywhere. The greatest example we can give our children of obeying Jesus is to show them people (who sometimes make bad choices and live hard lives) are different than us but that those people need to know about Jesus, too. It’s our job to tell them about Him!

As Christian parents, we don’t need to show our kids smut for smut’s sake. Instead, we need to point out people in need and show them that Jesus can transform anyone. Show them we can be the hands and feet of Jesus as we give, love, and serve.

Prayer

Thank you for placing me in a world that needs your love. Bring me opportunities to break out of my normal pattern of living in order to show your love to the people that need it.

More Resources

In, But Not Of: A Guide to Christian Ambition and the Desire to Influence the World by Hugh Hewitt
Blue Like Play Dough: The Shape of Motherhood in the Grip of God by Tricia Goyer
Generation NeXt Parenting: A Savvy Parent’s Guide to Getting it Right by Tricia Goyer
3 Questions About Giving Every Parent Should Ask
I’m Passionate About Teaching My Children Service to Others

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September 8, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 3 Comments

In the World, Not of It: Protecting Innocence

“I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them.” Psalm 101:3 (NLT)

I can remember the first horror film I watched was when I was in third or fourth grade. The plot line was about a man who moved into a haunted house and then uncovers all the horror that happened there. I’m scarred for life, seriously. Who let me watch that? (Sorry, Mom and Dad, but it’s true.) I thought about that movie many times over the years. It didn’t leave me. That movie (and others that followed) brought fears and dark thoughts.

I’m sure at the time I begged to watch it and other movies I also still remember—those with sex and violence and foul language. When I was a kid, MTV and HBO had just shown up on the scene. Television was no longer a “safe” place . . . and I was drawn to all the smut. What kid isn’t? I wanted to feel grown-up. I liked being scared and having my heart race at both romance and danger.

The thing is, as a kid, I didn’t know what to do with buds of the sinful desires that were also stirred up.

Sure, I’d watch Fraggle Rock during the day, but at night when my friends were staying over, we’d turn the TV down and watch movies I’m too embarrassed to name. Then there were the popular songs at the time. How many times could one sing “Like a Virgin” by Madonna without the words making an impact? (I’m sure glad that I didn’t grow up with the Internet; kids today have many more temptations!)

So where did that leave me? At thirteen when I got my first boyfriend, my innocence was already gone—or at least that’s what it felt like. So when I started dating a handsome, older boyfriend, getting caught up in the emotion was easy. After all that’s what those people on those movies did.

I don’t think I consciously made an effort to surrender my innocence.

It was never that simple. By the time my boyfriend gave me my first kiss my innocence had been stripped away one movie, one lusty song at a time. I didn’t have a sense of “Should I do this?” Instead, I thought “Finally.” After all those years of watching “romance,” I finally was experiencing a bit of it myself.

As a mom, I went to the extreme with protecting my kids, or so some people thought. My children couldn’t listen to secular music, and I monitored all their television. They couldn’t watch Jurassic Park until they were in junior high and Wizard of Oz was pretty much off limits until then.

I even homeschooled my kids so I could be the gatekeeper of what entered their lives. I’m thankful I did. My intention at the time may have been to protect my kids’ innocence, but the close relationships built during those years—and mostly their relationships with God—are our reward.

Turn to God for strength and wisdom in leading your kids toward all things pure. @TriciaGoyer

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We need to step out of our Christian circles and impact the world. I believe that.

There’s a difference between my daughter accidentally overhearing a conversation between two pregnant teens than me allowing a movie with sexually promiscuity into our home. If you’ve reached out to and are walking with others, in a dirty world you’re going to get messy at times. Though we should model grace and compassion for our kids, we should never risk their innocence for the sake of entertainment.

Did protecting my kids’ innocence work? No and yes.

In their growing-up years they still watched things they shouldn’t (when I didn’t know) and one of my children as a teen found a way to get around some of the safety protections we set up on the Internet and was drawn into places this teen should never have been. So I wasn’t able to protect my kids completely. But in many ways they were allowed to stay kids longer. Their minds weren’t filled with the smut, and it gave more room for God’s word and a relationship with Jesus to grow.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

Protecting your child’s innocence may call you to higher standards for yourself.

You might even need to make sacrifices of money and time (especially if God calls you to homeschooling, too). But know that your effort will pay off. We only have a short season when we’re able to protect our children. Don’t let the world’s standards influence you. Instead turn to God for strength and wisdom for guidance in leading your kids toward all things pure.

Prayer

Lord, fix my thoughts on truth, honor, and purity. Give me heavenly standards. Show me ways I protect the innocence around me in my day.

More Resources

Lead Your Family Like Jesus Activity Sheet – Download here.
Lead Your Family Like Jesus with Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges
Louder Than Words: The Power of Uncompromised Living by Andy Stanley
Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids by Dr. Kara E Powell & Dr. Chap Clark
Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace by Heath Lambert

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