Episode 36: Giving Voice to Your Story
This week on the podcast we explore Point of View as it pertains to writing. The following is a tribute to the woefully underutilized second person point of view.
It is ten am on Thursday – time for your favorite podcast to go live. You sit down at your computer, a mug of your favorite beverage at hand. You click play. You hear Jamie’s unreasonable-for-ten-am level of perky chatter. You grit your teeth, and sip from your mug. The mellow, honeyed tones of Jenifer’s voice fill the room. “Ahh, better,” you sigh.
Tina chimes in with some acerbic wit and you narrowly avoid performing a spit-take. Rhonda’s infectious laughter is missing today, and you suddenly realize why the podcast has felt a bit less than “complete” – it’s not quite the same without her. Still, as the trio of hosts finish their discussion about point of view, you find yourself nodding your head as you tap your chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm,” you think, “perhaps I should try writing my current work in progress in a different point of view, to see if it helps me with the trouble I am having with the piece.”
Satisfied, as usual, with your Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast listening experience, you open up your current project and set to work.
-Jamie
Episode 35: The First Page
I’ve never struggled to write a newsletter. Not once. Until today…and the irony of the situation is not lost on me. This week’s episode of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast is titled The First Page.
We’ve all been there. We have our idea. We know what we want our story to be. We can’t wait to get started. Getting started should be easy, but it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes we find ourselves staring at a blank screen, the blinking cursor mocking us relentlessly. I can attest to this…because it’s what I experienced this today!
But, my friend, don’t be discouraged! We’ve all been there, and I promise you, if I can break through that first page barrier and write this newsletter, you can conquer your first page as well.
In this week’s episode, the ladies and I discuss exactly that and share some tips and suggestions that have worked for us. Check out our YouTube channel to watch, and while you’re there, don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to our channel. We really appreciate your support!
Blessings,
Jen
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
Episode 34: Social Media and the Writer
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have made it easier than ever for us to communicate with our friends and family. Many writers are harnessing the power of social media to advance their writing careers. How does one do this? What are some first steps? Also, how does one protect his or her privacy when venturing into the realm of social media?
We discuss all of this and more on today’s episode of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast. Tune in and join the discussion.
See you there,
Jamie
Episode 33: Camp Nano…Should You Participate?
There were several title suggestions for today’s episode: Rhonda’s Inquisition, Three Tarts on the Spot, Convince Me…I could go on. The fitting title was “Convince Me” because I put them to the task today and they did convince me I should participate in Camp Nano for the first time.
If you’re on the fence about committing your valuable time to Nano for the second time in the last five months, watch our discussion and see if it will help you decide.
Episode 31: Reading in Your Genre
When I was about 12 years old, my grandmother bought me my first Janette Oke book. I devoured it, and she bought me another. And another. I didn’t know it at the time, but my grandmother was not only influencing my taste in literature, she was influencing my spiritual life by exposing me to stories of love that were greatly influenced by faith in God and His hand in these characters’ lives. And, incidentally, she was also preparing me for my future as a Christian romance author.
It’s really no surprise to learn that most writers are avid readers. However, the types of books we choose to read varies greatly. Some, like me, seldom stray from their favorite genre. Others, like Tina, read across many genres. It should come as no surprise, I suppose, that I only write romance, yet Tina writes across multiple genres.
In today’s episode, the ladies and I have a chat about reading within (and outside of) our chosen genres. So, grab a cup of coffee, put on your fuzzy slippers and give a listen to our discussion. And let us know your thoughts! We really want to hear what you think about reading and genre writing in the comments of our YouTube webcast HERE or on the iTunes podcast episode HERE.
Until next week, keep writing the stories God has given you!
For Him alone,
Jen
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
Episode 32: The Art of Research
The other day, my son asked me why Friday the thirteenth was considered an unlucky day. Finding the answer was as simple as sitting down at my computer and clickety-clacking on the keyboard.
Amazing.
I don’t know about you, but I’m old enough to remember life before the internet. I remember, upon being assigned to write a report, pedaling my bike up to the library to do the necessary research. In those days, asking the librarian to help you locate a book was tantamount to asking for a particularly long and exasperated lecture on how to use the card catalogue for yourself. There was no efficient clickety-clack of keys to provide almost instantaneous book location information, much less today’s rows of multiple terminals which allow patrons to find the information for themselves. So, those of us on a quest for information would head straight to the card catalogue, pull open its tiny drawers, and thumb through yellowing pieces of cardboard to get a hint on where in the library we might find information on pilgrims, potatoes, General Eisenhower, etc. Armed with a location code as long and as potentially confusing as modern-day GPS coordinates, it was off to the indicated shelves.
Kids today will never know the feeling of hopeful anticipation we (ahem) older folks had as we found the right row of shelves and started down it, glancing at the numbers on the book spines as we endeavored to locate the section where our book would, hopefully, be found. Then the real hunt began. All the books in the same subject matter were grouped together, and often had numbers very similar to one another. Though they were supposed to be standing on the shelves in number order, they were often plucked from their correct locations, browsed, then shoved back into a random spot on the shelf, resulting in much squinting and chin tapping as one tried to locate a particular title. Then it was possible that after all your effort, the book you wanted had already been checked out by another patron.
Today on the podcast, we talk about research in these modern times. With the advent of the internet, we have a world of information available at our fingertips. With so much false information mixed in with the good stuff, how does a writer find reliable sources of information online? Or, is it perhaps wiser to eschew online sources in favor of good old fashioned paper – reference books or county records or journals? What are some strategies or preferred methodologies to follow when doing research for writing? What are some “tools of the trade?” Come join the conversation as we answer these questions and more.
See you there,
-Jamie
Episode 30: Reader Reviews; The Good, The Bad, and The Totally Awesome
This weeks Podcast topic is focused on reader reviews. (stay tuned for future episodes focused on third party reviews) In this episode we discuss the importance of reviews to an author in order to sell books, where and how to get them, and how NOT to get them.
Reader reviews were never on my radar before I started this whole process. Honestly, I didn’t really think about the marketing, selling books, publishing side of things at all. I just thought, I’ll write this book, it will be my magnum opus, people will read it and hopefully I will make lots of money. It wasn’t until the F.L.A.W.S. writing group got together that anything other than that even crossed my mind.
If you’re where I was, don’t panic. Take a deep breath and watch our podcast. We are by no means claiming to be experts. We are working through these things right there with you. With each step each of us take towards publication we learn something new, and we will pass it on to you. We are in this together.
If you have an experience on your journey toward publication you want to share with us, please reach out and let us know. If you’ve learned something invaluable pass it on for others to benefit from your experience. We are better together. We can do this.
In Him, Christina Cattane
Episode 29: Ghostwriting and Plagiarism
With the controversy that erupted recently about #copypastecris we decided that a discussion about ghostwriters would be a good idea. If you haven’t heard about this controversy it must be because you are hard at work writing your masterpiece and not wasting time on social media.
Basically, a bestselling author plagiarized large chunks of her books, stealing from other best-selling authors. There were whole paragraphs lifted right from the pages of other peoples work. If you Google @copypastcris you can catch yourself up on all the sordid details.
In our podcast we decided not to focus our attention on this other author, who blamed the whole fiasco on ‘a ghostwriter she hired’, but on the issue of actually using a ghostwriter in the first place.
Should we, as Christian authors, (Christian being the operative word) hire a ghostwriter for any reason, or would it be morally wrong. In other words, should we be passing ourselves off as the author of a work we didn’t write?
Join our discussion and let us know what you think about this issue. Don’t forget to head over to Patreon and watch our Postcast.
In Him, Christina Cattane
Episode 28: Online Release Parties
During our podcast meetings, we have thrown around the idea of posting an out-takes video. Well, your wait is over because today we filmed a whole hour’s worth! Of course, this wasn’t intentional but we’re hoping that all of our goofs and silly mistakes are a good omen concerning Jen’s own online book launch party tonight; you know, similar to the old ‘break a leg’ adage.
Ecclesiastes 7:14a (NIV) reminds us of this:
“When times are good, be happy but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.”
There was an important lesson in today’s crazy podcast. It showed me how nice it is to have a group of women whom I can be comfortable enough with to flub in front of them without too much embarrassment. I believe that this group is the type of the thing God blesses His children with when we trust Him during the good times and the bad. And I felt like it was a good bonding experience for our writing group. I hope they did too…because these women are my valentines 🙂
While I am praying for only the best for Jen tonight, if the avalanche of oopsies continues throughout the night, I know she will be thanking God for the results He has in mind for her. Regardless of our (my) performance today, we gave much valuable advice and plenty of tips to get you thinking about how to launch your own book.