Half way there!

By Lacey Gunter

Hallelujah, we are half way through the month of November.  For all you NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo participants, you just have to put in another 15 days and it will all be over. Don't give up now, you can do it!

I have been able to come up with 16 picture book ideas so far. That puts me one day ahead. Which is a good thing, because I also decided to do SkADaMo this year, Sketch A Day Month. It has been quite challenging.

I am not a professional illustrator. I like to draw, and illustrating my own picture book manuscript one day would be a lovely dream. But I am nowhere near the skill level of a professional. Despite all that, I told myself "So what. Just try it." Honestly, it has taken a large amount of time and effort,  but I am glad I signed on. I have been pleased with the progress I am making, while at the same time humbled and inspired by other participant's amazing talent.

One of my SkADaMo drawings. You can find the rest of my  SkADaMo drawings on my Facebook account.

Obviously, finishing a novel, coming up with lots of great ideas for stories and improving your skills are great benefits to participating in these events. But another benefit I've discovered in the past two years of doing them is the relative ease of networking with other writers and illustrators. These activities allow for natural interactions with people of a variety of skills levels, without having to pay to go to a pricey conference or join a writing association. That alone is worth at least one attempt.

I would love to hear how things are going for everyone else who is participating in one of these activities (see easy interaction). 

Wishing you the best of luck in finishing November. Write on!

Networking, part 2

Remember those dark, empty, forlorn days when we obsessively checked our mail box or e-mail for that one letter? How many of us have gray hair from then?? :D How much darker it would have been without the loving support of our friends--especially that of our writerly friends!

Writerly friends? They are wonderful people who understand our crazed mania for the written word, wouldn't you agree? ;)

I've searched for inspiring articles to share with you about friendships, and just how powerful they can be (friends, not articles though articles can be just as powerful!). A great writer is someone who once stood on the shoulders of another great writer.

Here is the part of the article I found in the Ensign that applies to us needy writers:
"When she arrived in the San Francisco Bay area, she was alone and needed to establish herself in a social circle. She weighed her options: meet friends as she had during school—at bars—or go back to church and meet friends there.

"April chose church. It was not easy. She still thought the Church crowd was stale and even odd, but she felt an inner pull to reconnect with the Spirit. She gave herself six months to find friends, and if unsuccessful, she would return to the scene she felt more accustomed to."

How many of us have felt that way in the world of writers as we tried to break into it? Or even during the process of finding our place in it?

"April began attending a young single adult ward, sitting on the back row and sneaking out after sacrament meeting. She gradually stayed for all meetings. Almost six months to the day after deciding to come back to church, she realized she felt comfortable there, she had made several good friends, and most important, she was feeling the Spirit again and gaining a testimony of the gospel. She decided to stay."

We can apply April's experience in finding her social life to ours as writers with other writers. Mingling. Sharing. Growing. The best way to do this is to go to conferences.

Be witty. Be resilient. Be bold.

"“Thank goodness I chose the Church,” April says. “It’s made all the difference. I’ve been able to make lots of friends, and that’s helped me get my life back on track and going in the right direction. I’ve been on both sides of the fence, and although I have many good friends who aren’t LDS, I still need to have the influence of my friends who are.”"

Heavenly Father wants us to reach out to others. To influence them so that they feel uplifted, loved, cherished. Think about it. Would you be where you are without the support of good friends? How about good writing pals?

On the other side of the book cover ;), is our writing doing the same? Uplifting our readers? Loving our readers? Cherishing our readers?

"As a young single Church member myself, I have often been struck by the power my friends and associates have to influence the choices I make—large and small. Most often I’ve been struck by how that power can be wielded for good. I have been impressed again and again as I’ve watched individuals and groups make good decisions—and as my friends have helped me make good choices too."

Ah, the powerful influence of networking . . .

"Surrounding ourselves by good people is a principle most of us have been taught since our youth, but finding good associates—especially when we are establishing our own lives away from our parents—can be challenging. Several young single adults have shared their ideas with me about where and how to cultivate good associates."

You can also say this about writing. Surround ourselves by writing people. I know that some of us live in islands of normal people--c'mon, you've got to admit that writers are nuts, aren't we? The voices in our heads never cease! ;) But that's the beauty of the internet! We can connect with writers in Germany if we wanted! Join online writers groups . . . Heaven's the limit! ;)

"Good associates may not ultimately share all our values or beliefs, but they will understand them, respect them, and help us honor them. True friends never ask us to be less than we should be, and they consistently help us to be better. These are the friendships we should honor and treasure."

Oh how true this is! It doesn't matter where their faith is founded so long as they "never ask us to be less than we should be, and . . . consistently help us to be better." And, of course, the same applies to us on how we influence others. ;)

Okay, I thought this would be a wonderful thing to read and think about how we could apply this to ourselves as well.

"The Marks of a True Friend

The scriptures provide the surest guide to finding and being true friends:

Bear one another’s burdens.

“Ye are … willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

“Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:8–9).

Share testimony with each other.

“Stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in” (Mosiah 18:9).

Love unceasingly.

“A friend loveth at all times” (Prov. 17:17).

Be a good influence.

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” (Prov. 27:17).

Be loyal.

“Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands” (D&C 121:9).

Give of yourself.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)."In Good Company, Lisa Ann Jackson, October 2003 Ensign

I find this a very exciting time to becoming an author. We are signing ourselves into God's army as we bravely march into the lone and dreary wilderness.

Tell me how you've reached to others with their writing. How does it make you feel when you know that you are making a difference in their lives?

For my March 17 post, I will provide as many connections to writers as I possibly can come up with!

Networking, part 1

Networking, Part 1

I've been hit with the strength of love over the LTU&E weekend. Everyone from illustrious artist Nathan Hale, Hollywood special effects wizard Marty Brenneis, amazing author Brandon Sanderson, crazy cool James Dashner, the new J.K. Rowling Karen E. Hoover--and many more along with on-the-way-to-be-published little ole me--shared the spirit of brotherhood.

It was A-mazing.

The panelists shared with us their sacred passions as their followers (a potpourri of published & aspiring authors, along with young fans) cheered them on.

I've been thinking.

Q: What do you think makes LDS conferences different from others?

A: The authors there truly reach out and CARE about the aspirations of children, mothers, fathers, students and you! At least that's been my experience.

There is no doubt the feeling of oneness there. There is no doubt the feeling of strength there. There is no doubt the feeling of the Spirit there.

Which faith you are doesn't matter, either--you are and do feel equal to the authors. They feel like real people and nothing like demigods.

Here is a passage quoted from the Ensign (I have color-coded keywords):

"When we understand our relationship to God, we also understand our relationship to one another. All men and women on this earth are the offspring of God, spirit brothers and sisters. What a powerful idea! No wonder God’s Only Begotten Son commanded us to love one another. If only we could do so!"

You will definitely taste this at any LDS writers conferences. No gospel is preached there--the only thing that is shared is the religion of writing.

"What a different world it would be if brotherly and sisterly love and unselfish assistance could transcend all boundaries of nation, creed, and color. Such love would not erase all differences of opinion and action, but it would encourage each of us to focus our opposition on actions rather than actors."
"Brigham Young gave us some practical advice on how to do this. “The difference between God and the Devil,” he said, “is that God creates and organizes, while the whole study of the Devil is to destroy” (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 69). In that contrast we have an important example of the reality of “opposition in all things” (2 Ne. 2:11)."

"Remember, our Savior, Jesus Christ, always builds us up and never tears us down. We should apply the power of that example in the ways we use our time, including our recreation and diversions."

Including our writing!!

"Consider the themes of the books, magazines, movies, television, and music we make popular by our patronage."

And not to mention by our authorship in those medias, right?

"Do the purposes and actions portrayed in our chosen entertainment build up or tear down the children of God? During my lifetime I have seen a strong trend to displace what builds up and dignifies the children of God with portrayals and performances that are depressing, demeaning, and destructive.

The powerful idea in this example is that whatever builds people up serves the cause of the Master, and whatever tears people down serves the cause of the adversary. We support one cause or the other every day by our patronage."

Or authorship.

"This should remind us of our responsibility and motivate us toward fulfilling it in a way that would be pleasing to Him whose suffering offers us hope and whose example should give us direction." Powerful Ideas, November 1995 Ensign. Elder Dallin H. Oaks Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

We, as the guardians of the written word, are dubbed with the authority to lead our readers to building of their hearts, strengthening their spirits, and inspiring their integrity.

I want to share with you that I have no doubt that if you feel the power of gravity pulling your hand to word, that it is the Lord who is behind it. Please don't let the whispers of discouragement stop you, but remember the feelings of flight when you write!

What are your experiences with writing conferences? Have you ever been to one where you felt like the one outside looking in?

Stay tuned to next week's Wednesday post, Valor Publishing Group's Blog Tour for author Karen E. Hoover's debut novel, The Sapphire Flute :)

Watch for Networking, part 2 on March 10!