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Episode 107: How should You Sprint?

Here’s your weekly inspiration for Christian Writers. Enjoy!

Hey Christian Indies,

I wonder what the open rate on this newsletter will be. 

Like, when writers see the word, “sprint,” will they think, “wait a minute, when did I sign up for yet another health and fitness newsletter?” 

Will they actually believe we, the hosts of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast, are planning to  instruct other humans on the form and manner of running  – very quickly – for short distances?

The short distance part sounds right….but…Hmm. 

Obviously,  I’m banking on the fact that you know us better than that, Christian Indie! And if you’re reading this far, that is definitely the case; you know that we know “sprinting” in the writers’ world has nothing to do with track shoes, and everything to do with finally getting your novel published! That’s right – sprinting is the key to unlocking the power to finish your novel’s first draft more quickly than you’d ever imagined. 

Sprinting is also a great motivator. There is nothing like hearing the timer go off and realizing that you just wrote a hundred words or more without really “trying.” You’ll start to crave the exquisite feeling of writerly abandon you get when you embrace the white font challenge and write, write write!” 

“But, I have so many questions!” I imagine you responding,  “For example, what is the white font challenge? And, also, what is the most effective way to sprint?”

Well, Indie, we suspected you’d be asking, so we’re fixing to tell ya. Join us in the chat this week as Jamie, Jen, and Tina discuss our favorite sprinting technique in detail. You’ll leave equipped with everything you need to know in order to harness the power of word sprints and finish that first draft!

See you there,

Jamie 

But where to find writing prompts!? We’ve got the answer – we’ve written a book! More details coming in future installments of our newsletter, so stay tuned!

We’re gearing up for NaNoWriMo! Like our facebook page to know when we go LIVE for Preptober!

Episode 106: Writing Sprints #1 – Why Every Writer Should Sprint

Here’s your weekly inspiration for Christian Writers. Enjoy!

Hey there, Christian Indies,

Have you ever sat down with the intention of crafting a wonderful read, only to find yourself staring at a blinking cursor and a blank page for hours, wondering how or even where to begin? 

Yeah, me too. 

Honestly, I believe we’ve all been that writer at some point or another.

We try everything to break (or avoid!) the seemingly judgemental stare of that flashing cursor – walks in the park, trips to the store (I am particularly guilty of this, and my bank balance shows it!), even housework!

Maybe this is you right now, or maybe you fear this will be you at the beginning of the upcoming National Novel Writing Month. If so, never fear! We on the podcast have a potential answer for you!

 What if I told you the secret to banishing the blank page had nothing to do with plotting, or planning, or forming a plan of attack, but had absolutely everything to do with charging ahead – literally, just writing anything that comes to mind?

“But wait!” You say, “I can’t just write down whatever comes to mind! No one will want to read that!” Well, Indie, no one is going to read your unedited sprint (unless you’re crazy like us and insist on sharing them!), but as my co-host Jen always says, “you can’t edit a blank page.” Plus, it turns out, there’s actually some really cool scientific stuff going on when you are a prolific sprinter! 

It’s going to be a great show, filled with lots of good reasons  why you should add writing sprints to your writing routine.

See you there,

Jamie

WATCH OUR PODCAST NEXT WEEK FOR A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

In case you missed it, here is a link to last week’s episode!

Episode 93: Art Imitates Life #4: Inspiration is Everywhere

Hey Christian Indies,

Something readers often ask is, “how do you come up with all these ideas?”

If you’re anything like me, you stumble and fumble to answer such questions. After all, if I knew the source of my ideas (the good ones, anyway!), I’d return to that fount afresh each morning, hauling along the biggest bucket I could carry.

We writers know that our writing inspiration does not come that way, in some predictable manner, such as a spring-fed stream which perpetually and inexorably flows from higher elevations to the lower. Inspiration is more like the wind, or perhaps like a wisp of vaporized sea, lingering – even faintly tastable on the tongue – yet impossible to directly grasp.

This sounds like bad news, until you consider inspiration – like the vaporized droplets of the Atlantic that make that region’s saltwater taffy dance on the tongue – is everywhere, all around you. This week on the podcast, we’ll learn how to recognize, collect, and distill this inspiration into a story that comes alive for your reader. 

See you there,

Jamie

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