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Episode 124: Writing Your Way: Plotting vs. Pantsing – Revisited

Dear Christian Indies,

When the podcast was new, and the ladies and I were each in various stages of our writing journey, it was interesting to see how we approached each new writing question in a different way. One such topic was outlining; more specifically, we wondered about each of us – whether we would perform better as “plotters” or “pantsers.”

Jenifer decided to give plotting a try. Now, something I have since learned about Jenifer is that she never does anything half-way. I’ll never forget when she showed up at our writing retreats with a gigantic piece of cardboard – the kind of thing you see at a child’s science fair – marked off to represent the three main acts of her novel, and bedecked with post-it notes, each outlining a specific plot point in her novel.

[Read more…] about Episode 124: Writing Your Way: Plotting vs. Pantsing – Revisited

Episode 88: Better Call a Beta!

If you’ve been around the independent publishing world for any amount of time, you’ve heard writer’s speak (often, lovingly,) of their “Team.” Sometimes, they specifically mention a “beloved BETA reader,” or a treasured member of “my ARC team.”

If you’re anything like me, these acronyms become interchangeable in your conversation, because they seem to overlap so much in common usage that you are certain you are referring to the same group of people, but BETA readers and ARC readers serve very different functions.

This week on the podcast, we discuss what a BETA reader is, why you want one, and where you can find one. In future episodes, we’ll cover what you can do with an ARC team of your very own!

Still have no idea what BETA or ARC even means? Tune in to this week’s podcast and the mystery shall be revealed!

See you there,

Jamie

Episode 80: Allegory? That’s What I’m Tolkein About!

The world has changed in the past couple of weeks. As a writer and reader of dystopian fiction, it has been difficult for me not to allow my imagination to project a bleak future upon our present reality. 

When I am tempted to worry, I find myself reflecting upon the many ways the Bible uses allegory to comfort and encourage us. I am reminded of God depicted as the good shepherd, the picture of the faithful caretaker who will not leave even one of his sheep behind. I am reminded how he is compared to a good and gracious father, and referred to as a comforter. 


(It is extra fun for me that the word “comforter,” in modern parlance, means a snuggly blanket on your bed. LOL)


But seriously, it can be frightening to imagine some of the things we are told to prepare for eventually coming to pass. I hear these terrible things on the news, and the next thing you know, I’ve injected myself or my loved ones into those situations, and suddenly I have a case of the worries on my hands like nobody’s business.

Been there. Like, uber-recently. LOL.

If you find yourself beset with worry, I want to encourage you, sister (or brother!), If you can, the next time you come up for air, please try – though it be difficult, try – to imagine the Lord of creation, wrapping those protecting, comforting arms around you. Don’t worry if you feel you aren’t doing it right.” Don’t worry if you don’t feel like doing anything at all! It’s hardest to believe when the storm is raging. Thank God, he is strong when we are weak.

Rest, my dear friend, as much as you are able, in the promises of the Lord. 

Yours in Christ,

Jamie

Episode 40: Collaboration

Hi Christian Indie Writers,  

In today’s podcast we are discussing collaborations. We here at the Christian Indie Writers Podcast recently decided to do a collaboration and thought we would let you all in on the process we went through to get that rolling. You’ll want to tune in for a special announcement regarding that very thing, as well as a chance to chime in on it.
As usual we will catch you up with what’s going on in our lives; check in to the accountability corner; and do a writing exercise. It was wonderful to have Jenifer back with us after her softball injury kept her off the air last week. We thank the Lord for her swift healing.  

If you’d like to participate in the writing exercise just set a timer for fifteen minutes. No cheating by trying to think of an idea before you start the timer. Then write a story using the words twilight, council, polite, embox, and constraint. We would love it if you shared what you wrote with us on social media.  

We would like to invite you to check out our Patreon page. We always post our podcast there for anyone to watch, including links to our writing exercises for you to read and see that we aren’t worrying much about punctuation, capitalization, and spelling in that 15 minutes.  

For just $2 dollars a month you can be our Patron and watch our postcast, which is our writing group meeting. We each submit something we want critiqued or need feedback on. This is where we move from simple encouragement like we do in the podcast and actually give it to each other straight.  

Until next time; 

Christina 

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

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.

Episode 25: Office Hours for Writers

During NaNoWriMo the ladies and I started discussing how to continue the momentum we had going. We were making it a point to get into a Google Hangout and sprint together most days, and our word counts were amazing. 
It was decided that we would have what we are calling ‘office hours. We bookmarked a hangout and we meet there each weekday and some Saturdays at an agreed upon time. We have three timed sprints and then it’s water cooler time. We are each still working on something to advance our career, but this is the time to chat or ask for input. 
I have personally gotten so much accomplished during office hours that I don’t think I’ll ever want to stop. 
Check out our latest podcast where we discuss our ‘office hours’, how it has helped each of us be productive, and how you can do it too.
Don’t forget to check out our Patreon for our post casts, where the shenanigans really take off, as well as some serious critiques of our writing.
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