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Instead of Looking for the Right Publisher, Focus on Becoming the Right Writer

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The Wrong Focus

I started writing in 1994 when I was pregnant with my third baby. I was 22 years old with some college under my belt. I’d been a Christian less than five years, and I’d read only one book about writing before I prepared my proposal for submission to a publisher via a writer’s conference. And as my friend and I drove to Mt. Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference, do you want to know what my biggest worry was? (Drumroll, please.) My biggest worry was WHAT IF more than one publisher wanted my book!

(The truth is that I had nothing to worry about!)

Publishers, Oh My!

Like most wanna-be authors, when I first started writing I was focused on the elusive publishers. They were the ones who were going to make all my dreams come true. I attended Mt. Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference year after year after year. I had appointments with editors. I attended their workshops. I read the market guides and schooled myself on their needs. Yet it took nearly ten years before I landed a contract, and looking back I realized I’d been focused on the wrong thing: publishers. I’d set my sights on THEM, not realizing God had some work to do with ME.

Hoping to publish your first book? You might be looking in the wrong direction. @TriciaGoyer

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Maturity, Please

First of all, I needed to grow up. I needed to grow in my knowledge of God, the Bible, and how to live and love as a Christian. I had great ideas for books, but when I first started writing I wasn’t mature enough to share an impacting spiritual message. God had work to do.

In my years of striving toward publication God led me through times of testing and times of healing. He connected me with a Bible-believing church and mature Christian friends. I started reaching out to help others, and I cared for my dying grandfather. I became a student of God’s Word and prayer. All these things changed me, matured me.

Writing Skill 101

I thought I knew how to write a book because I loved to read books. I wrote diligently for many years and received many, many rejections. But you know what? With the rejections, I learned what didn’t work. And I continued to read books on writing—and attend writer’s conferences—learning what did work.

My big breakthrough came when I was taking a class on scene writing at our local community college and I had an “ah-ha” moment. What the teacher (a former Hollywood Scriptwriter) shared about scenes changed how I wrote, and I had a book contract within a year. But I kept learning, kept trying, and my efforts paid off.

Becoming published is as much about God as it is talent and skill. @TriciaGoyer

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Humility and Dependence

When I first started writing I wanted to prove myself. I never would have admitted it to anyone, but I wanted to prove that a teen mom could make something of herself. Through the years of struggle I was humbled. I realized I could not do this writing thing without God’s help. Instead of counting on myself, I had to depend on Him. And that is where God wanted me to be. That’s still where He wants me to be.

Here is something I recently read in my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) notes that struck a chord with me: “Those who teach or preach with life-changing spiritual power come into the presence of people after time in the presence of God” (lesson 3 notes).

I only have something to say when I’m in God’s Word, spending time with Him and listening to His heart. I only have words to share when I humble myself and depend on Him.

Don’t Give Up

I’m not sure where you are on the wanna-be-published journey, but I urge you not to get discouraged. Yes, it’s important to know the publishing world you want to enter, but it’s even more important to become a student of what God’s doing within you and through you.

God has a writer in mind who can impact the world . . . and He has a plan for getting you there. Trust Him, lean on Him, depend on Him, relinquish to Him. God’s approaching this writing thing with the end in mind. He knows where He’d gonna take you, and now He’s doing the work of preparing you to be the person He can trust to go there.

What about you? What has God been doing to make you the right writer?

 

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How a Garden (and a Family) Grows

Daisies in the morning.

I love gardening. Well, let me clarify . . . I love writing about gardening. It seems both down-to-earth and oddly romantic to live on a farm like Bob and Charlotte in Sweet September. The idea of planting seeds, watching their progress, and then eating of their labor delights me—which is why my husband and I planted a garden this year.

The lives of the Stevensons and their grandchildren unfold in this captivating story of remarkable change.

It was only our second attempt at a garden. The last one we had was more than fifteen years ago. We had just moved to Montana, and we’d bought our first home. Before the grass was in, I staked out a large spot and planted everything I could think of. Row after row after row.

Gardening, adoption, and books? @TriciaGoyer takes her inspiration from real life:

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sweet-septemberThe produce had come in thick, but so did the weeds! My kids and I would literally dig through the weeds to find the green beans and tomatoes. It was work! Maybe that’s why it took me so long to attempt gardening again.

This year my husband and I decided to be more realistic. We planted two types of tomatoes, squash, and cantaloupe. And as we watched the small plants grow, we dreamed of the harvest. Every day we peeked at the growing plants and invited our new children to do the same.

Just like Bob and Charlotte, we opened our home to three little ones, children who came to us through adoption. We adopted Alyssa in 2010 as a newborn, and this year we added Bella and Casey to our family by adopting from the foster care system.

Read the rest of this post on Guideposts!

 

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A Christmas Gift for Rose just released! Rose turned her back on the man she loves after he assisted the Englisch during World War II—only to discover she’s an Englischer herself. Born in the midst of the hardships of The Great Depression, Rose grew up in Berlin, Ohio, in the arms of a loving Amish family. But she is overwhelmed by self-doubt when she learns that she was born Englisch and abandoned when her family moved West in search of work. Was she meant to be Amish or would she have been better off growing up with her own kind—Englischers? When the man she loves leaves her behind, Rose is certain he left for good. Yet Rose discovers sometimes our greatest gifts are the ones we fear.

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How an Amish Novel is Born: The Truth Behind the Fiction

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Think all novels are purely fiction? Think again.

Every great novel starts with a bit of fact. My first Amish novel, Beside Still Waters, started with more than that.

A few years ago I was asked if I’d ever consider writing an Amish novel. The truth is, I hadn’t. But as I pondered it, I remembered my daughter had a friend, Saretta, whose parents were raised Amish. They moved from an Amish community in Indiana to Montana, and that is how we met. I also remember my daughter telling me Ora Jay and Irene lost two daughters in a buggy accident.

Hmmm, I thought. I’d love to hear their story. Maybe someday, if I see them again, I’ll ask.

Every great novel starts with a bit of fact. @TriciaGoyer

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With that thought, the first seed of an idea for an Amish novel was planted, and my mind started to feed and water it. That’s how novels usually start.

The next day, my daughter Leslie and I went out for some mom and daughter time. We went to a bookstore to browse and get coffee. As we looked over the bargain rack, guessed who walked in? Saretta. We hadn’t seen her for six months at least, and there she was.

“Saretta,” I told her. “I think I’m supposed to talk to your parents—hear their story.”

“Sure, I’m sure they’d love to talk to you!”

Less than a week later Ora Jay and Irene sat in my living room. They told me about being Amish, about losing their daughters, about their move from Indiana to Montana. They also talked about their faith. They shared what it meant to be Amish.

They also shared how their faith had grown after moving to Montana. They shared many ways God had changed their lives and their hearts. I listened, amazed. As I listened, their story added more water—the Living Water—and sunshine to the seed of a novel planted in my hearts.

Read the rest of this post on Writes of Passage!

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Wondering what’s up next for me? My book The One Year of Amish Peace releases soon. You can pre-order it here!

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What is the Best Book Writing Software?

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Looking to write your first book or better your next? Here’s a look at the best book writing software.

I get asked writing questions all the time. Here is one I get asked often by those who want to start their first novel.

I am about to start my first book and was wondering if you had any advice to share on what software to use or best system for starting a new book?

I don’t use any specific software to write a book. I only use a normal word-processing program. I have used Microsoft Word before. Now, because I have a Mac, I use Open Office.

When submitting a manuscript it’s important not to make it too fancy. A publisher will strip away all the extras like italics, bold print, and fancy fonts. Any fancy formatting is just a waste of time. I’ve submitted 40+ manuscripts to more than a dozen different publishers, and here are the basics: <click to tweet>

  • Times New Roman
  • 12 point font
  • Double Space
  • Indented
  • 1-inch margins

In fiction, I use italics for direct thoughts. I also use bold print for chapter headers and subheadings in non-fiction.

Some people write their manuscripts with each chapter as a separate file, and then they compile it into one document before submission. I sometimes do this for non-fiction books where each chapter has a unique theme, but for my novels I simply write the whole thing in one file. I then save it as a final document, with the complete book’s name when I’m done before submission.

When I submit my manuscript to my publisher I save it—and submit it—as a Word document. It is the preferred submission for publishing companies.

Other articles for writers by me:
Marketing 101
Switching Hats Between Fiction and Non-fiction

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