Writing for the Love

Another short story published! And this one, anyone can read. " Ticket to Heaven " is now available online at Faith Hope and Fiction . I wrote this piece in 2005, a year or so out of college. It sat in my computer files getting digitally dusty, but I've always had a difficult time figuring out what I should do with it. The story is about a college-aged drug addict in-denial who encounters an old man handing out tickets to heaven. After she accepts the ticket, a miracle happens and leads her on a path to redemption. The story includes, among other things, drug use, a Bible-quoting drug dealer, and the Gospel message. Why has it been so difficult for me to find a place to submit the story? It's not because of the drug use or real-world scenarios, but because most of the magazines accepting spiritual/inspirational/Christian themes want non-fiction. I've had a really hard time finding places that accept Christian fiction. The word count was a litt...

One of my first short stories, "The Mute Girl," was published in eFantasy March 2013 issue. This is my first e-mag short story publication. About four years ago, I wrote the story and decided that I wanted to have it published. I'd been working on my novel, Livinity , epic fantasy, for quite a while. Publishing a fantasy short story seemed like a good idea to get my name out there. I had no idea it would take this long, and even now I praise God that it wasn't published any sooner. Since that time, I've learned a lot in the submission process. Perseverance. Thankfulness to Jesus even in the disappointment of repeated rejection. I lost count of how many the piece received. I learned not to take rejection to heart. If I received feedback, I tried it out. Maybe not following exact recommendations, but I played around with whatever issues the person had with the story. The last piece of valuable advice I received was an editor disappointed in the ending. T...

My writing weekend was a great success. Saturday, I dedicated to Livinity edits. Sunday, to completing the first draft of Lance & Ringo Tails: O Brother, What Art Thou?  I also outlined the next story and began writing that first draft. Then I returned to Livinity edits, which continued into Monday. I probably got through about eight chapters instead of ten, but that's okay. I still feel great about how far the story has come. The hard part was stopping at 11:30pm on Monday night to get enough sleep for work in the morning. I did allow myself one break to watch Downton Abbey with my best friend, but other than that, all writing. Not only did I meet the majority of my goals, I received an email acceptance on a short story reprint. Thank you, Lord! It uplifted and encouraged me so much. FICTION on the WEB accepted "This Is Hollywood" for online publication. The short story reprint will appear on their website Jan 27, 2013, and it's free to read. ht...

Happy New Year! I don't intend to review 2012. I'm ready to move forward, and focus on the goals for 2013. I will mention what God put on my heart all of last year: humility. The message of being humble resounded almost everywhere I went. I hope to continue to strive for humility this year. The get-a-novel-published goal remains, and will remain, until it happens. I have hopes for trying to get more short stories published. My first paid short story comes out in March. Although it has been some time in coming, I'm glad it's coming up soon. I've also decided to test the self-publishing waters with something completely different. A fellow FWA member has an e-book series (self-pubbed through Smashwords) about zombies in St. Pete. They are comical, somewhat gruesome, and definitely entertaining short stories. Visit http://www.jgerardmichaels.com/  for more info. The e-books are available on Amazon. After seeing how he made his stories available, I go...

Sometimes I think about the prize (novel publication, writing as a career) more than the journey. I wonder, when will I get there? It's a question for God, and I think I've heard him answer, Not yet. Unless that's just the voice in my head. Time will tell. Sometimes I think about the journey. Writing, rewriting. Editing, re-editing. Multiply that by 100. Then fashion a query, synopsis, and search for the appropriate agent/publisher for the book(s) and/or story(ies). Receive a rejection. Find the next market. Another rejection. Next market. PUSH (see previous post). I can get disillusioned by the process, but then I remember...I am writing. I love this. I love writing. I'm not getting paid for it at the moment, but I really do love the process. Because writing is the process. Taking a story that started with a blank page and crafting it to the best it can be feeds my soul. I'm pretty sure God designed me to love creating stories, though that doesn't mean the p...

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 It seems like everyone has been in a hurry for the past few decades, and I don’t think we’re slowing down. At least not as a society. Yet slowing down is exactly what I need sometimes. It’s surprisingly difficult for me. I have so much to do, like most people. There is ALWAYS writing to do. There will never be a moment while I live that writing will not need to be done. Not because someone is breathing down my neck with a deadline, but because I have so many unfinished stories I’m dying to work on. The verse above lets us know that God takes his time. He is a just God and will one day return (though not on Mr. Camping’s schedule). For those who long for it, he may seem slow. But this is for our sake, the sake of all his created, because he is merciful. For now, he allows the sun to rise eve...

In the midst of writing my novels, I am also entering short story contests and submitting short stories and poems to literary magazines. The more I PUSH, my chances will inevitably increase for publication! As of yet, I am unpublished in any writing category, and when submitting a query for my novel, I would like to be able to mention writing credits. Something else to strive for. Someone told me a story I want to share. A man asked God to make him strong so he could be a great warrior. God told him to PUSH a giant boulder that was blocking the entrance to a cave with a source of food and water. The nearby village was in need of food and water, so the man believed God would give him the strength to move the boulder. Every day, the man asked God to give him the strength, and every day he pushed and pushed, but the boulder didn’t budge. The man felt foolish, but he still believed that if he kept trying, God would grant his heart’s desire. After one year, the man decided he had en...