by Jason Joyner | Sep 12, 2012 | ACFW, Blog, conference, Dallas 2012, resources, writing, Writing Wednesday
In one week I’ll be at the airport.
It’s time for the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Dallas. This is my first writing conference, and I’ve already shared some resources I’ve found while preparing.
One would think that with all the advice on the web that there wouldn’t be nerves. Ah, who am I fooling? We’re human, and anytime we do something wildly different it will create anxiety. I’ve been working on a novel for a long time. It’s finally to a point where I feel comfortable going and seeing what happens.
So, if you’re like me and worried about what to expect for your first conference, here’s a few more posts I’ve found circulating the net while procrastinating preparing for take-off.
Mike Duran says chuck the check list but pack the deodorant.
Agent Karen Ball gives her two B’s for the conference. Scroll to the bottom of her post, and you’ll find several other helpful links. One of them I’ll link specifically, from Tamela Hancock Murray for the ACFW 2011 Conference with the helpful title of Conquering Conference Jitters. So you can read that post, or jitter away. The choice is yours.
Maybe I’ll see you at the conference. If we’re lucky, we won’t end up like the unfortunate gentleman below.
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True picture of a n00b at the ACFW conference last year
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by Jason Joyner | Sep 6, 2012 | Blog, Uncategorized
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
by Jason Joyner | Sep 5, 2012 | Blog, revision can be fun, writing craft, Writing Wednesday
Two weeks until the conference.
No big deal or anything, right?
I know I don’t have to have my first revision done before I go to the ACFW Conference. If I am lucky enough to get some interest, I will have a little time to get it finished. Still, it provides a handy deadline and incentive to get it done. I am one of those writers who works better under pressure.
Just as there are many helps out there for writers when plotting, I’m finding a lot of resources for revision. I’d like to pull together a post of links for helpful sites, but guess what? I’m on a deadline. 😉
I’ve been impressed with the American Christian Fiction Writers member resources. I signed up as a member a few years ago but I wasn’t as serious and didn’t take advantage of the services. Right now I have signed up for their novel editing loop on email. They run this every couple of months. They have you set a goal and report your pages edited to give accountability and encouragement. They also offer mini-lessons on editing basics. There are handy tidbits in there.
The one book I’ve fully read and used is James Scott Bell’s Revision and Self-Editing.This helpful guide gives an overview of Bell’s fiction teaching and applies the knowledge to the revision stage of writing. He is one of my favorite writing guides, so I’m happy to dig into it. I’ve also read the ubiquitous Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by King and Browne, but that was a long time ago.
Today Nathan Bransford had a helpful post about revision. When you get to the point that you hate your novel, that you can’t imagine another change – well, then you’re close to being ready. Go check the post out for yourself.
And in closing, if you didn’t see Bransford’s Publication Process in GIF form, then you missed one of the best posts for writers in a long, long time.
I’d say more, but those revisions aren’t happening by themselves. Back to the grindstone.
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Do you have any specific revision resources you like? Please share them in the comments below.
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by Jason Joyner | Aug 29, 2012 | 3-D, Blog, characters, conference, revision can be fun, writing craft
It is time to revisit some old friends of mine.
You’d think after working on a novel for 7 years that I’d know these people pretty well by now. However, sometimes you don’t really ask the questions that get you deep into a relationship.
When I’ve had critiques done of my work so far, my main character Jenna usually comes across as well-rounded. She was a little too head-strong initially, but I think I’ve worked some of her rough edges down.

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| I think Tebow is more than just a cutout |

Now the male lead and her romantic interest, Derek? He’s another story. I think I start off showing the differences he has compared to Jenna, but he later on blends into being whatever she needs him to be. I think I lost track of who he was. In doing so, I don’t think he is very three-dimensional.
I know I love it when a book has numerous 3-D characters, people who reflect reality and could be someone you know in real life. The cardboard cutouts in a book get boring fast.
This is the right time to recognize this. I’ve got the whole book in front of me to show who Derek is in more depth. Why does he accompany Jenna to Thailand? What does he want?
I’m not settling for two 3-D characters either. I want to evaluate my secondary characters and see what I can do for them. One or two of them are fairly well-rounded. I’ll have to evaluate that when I get to them.
I am finding that the first draft is hard to get down. The framework of the story needs a foundation, and that can be tricky for me at times. The revision seems to be going smoothly for me. Now that I see the outline, I can work on filling the
meat out onto the bones. And mix my metaphors.
What do you do when it comes to creating depth in your characters? How do you beef them up in the revision process?
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by Jason Joyner | Aug 27, 2012 | Blog, evangelism, Jesus, links, Mission Monday, Verge Network
I’ve been following the Verge Network on Twitter (@VergeNetwork) all summer. They post some thought-provoking articles on missional life and discipleship. You have to pay for full access, but some gems have popped up on the free side.
This inteview by Rick Warren of Asian church planter Ying Kai is eye-opening and simple. When doing evangelism:
- Tell a story
- Don’t ask for permission to share
Check out the video in the link below for the explanation. Makes sense, and I’ve tried it. It works!
http://www.vergenetwork.org/2012/05/29/simple-ways-to-share-your-faith/
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What say you? Have you found any successful ways to share your faith?
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