Articles for tag: Writing Advice

October 20, 2014

By Jamie Snyder If you want to publish your work, the first decision to make is whether to self-publish or to pursue an agreement with a publishing company. Both options have advantages and disadvantages. If you have a smaller platform of influence, self-publishing will likely be your best option. Numerous self-publishing companies have websites; first, review their information, and then contact one (or more) to begin a conversation. If you decide to pursue an agreement with a publishing company, do not be afraid of rejection. Even the most successful authors have been told no more often then yes. If you

October 19, 2014

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Teaching

So You Want to Write a Book: A Strange Blend

By Daniel Overdorf The heights of delight and vulnerability come when you tear open the cardboard box that holds your first book. For those who wish to pursue this strange mix of glee and embarrassment, I offer seven bits of advice. 1. Check your motives. Many want to have written; few want to write. Unless you relish the process””from the monotony of research to the tedium of rewriting and editing””you will never endure the meticulous work required to author a book and to convince a publisher it”s worth their investment. 2. Read good writers. Whether you connect best with Shakespeare,

October 19, 2014

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Teaching

So You Want to Write a Book: Three Essential Ingredients

By Dave Ferguson Since I had never written a book, I was flattered when I received an e-mail from a representative of a big publisher asking to meet me. I agreed to meet, and over coffee, we talked about me authoring a book. I was very excited about the possibilities! However, within minutes I could tell this rep had made a huge mistake. He thought he was meeting with Dr. David Ferguson, the counselor and Oxford scholar. Instead he was meeting with Dave Ferguson, the church planter. Oops! We had a good laugh, finished our coffee, and I left thinking,

July 10, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Miscellaneous

A Conversation with Liz Curtis Higgs

CHRISTIAN STANDARD Editor Mark Taylor talks””and laughs!””with Liz Curtis Higgs at the 2014 North American Christian Convention about how to write a book and why she’s encouraged about the future of the church. See the interview here.

July 23, 2008

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

Spontaneous Combustion and the Weekly Grind

By Mark A. Taylor It”s easy to take for granted the creativity of others, especially those who must produce content on a schedule. Preachers, for example, stand to speak every week, some of them several times every week. Teachers fill class periods, sometimes with the overflow of their study, some of them by reading just ahead of their students in the textbook. Newspaper columnists and magazine writers must achieve a specific word count on deadline. Many who benefit from such output think it comes easily. But Rob Bell, speaking this April at the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin