Do you make resolutions for the New Year?

One resolution that I would encourage all CWG members to make is to write more.  Anne Faye, in a recent CWG post, talks about the value of finding 15 minutes a day to write. Whether it’s a journal, blog, essays, articles, short stories, a play, a non-fiction book or a novel, when we increase the frequency of our writing, we improve.  A fellow Catholic novelist once told me that the only way I could improve as an author was to write and to write a lot.  Most authors take a lifetime to perfect their craft.

Join a live writers’ critique group or an online critique group. And…try to schedule just 15 minutes of writing time every day.

You’ll be glad you did.

On behalf of the Catholic Writers Guild Board, I’d like to wish everyone a Blessed and Happy New Year.

Ellen Gable Hrkach is the vice president of the Catholic Writers Guild. She is the award-winning author of In Name Only, a Catholic romance and Amazon Kindle bestseller (Top 100 Religious Fiction/Romance). Her third novel, Stealing Jenny, is also an Amazon Kindle Bestseller (Top 10 Religious Drama). Her website is www.ellengable.com. She and her husband and five sons live in Pakenham, ON Canada.

Are you a self-published author or thinking of becoming one? Well, you are in good company.

Here is a list of authors and the books they self-published:

Remembrance of Things Past, by Marcel Proust; Ulysses, by James Joyce; The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter; The Wealthy Barber, by David Chilton; The Bridges of Madison County by Robert J. Waller; In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters; The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield; The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. (and his student E. B. White); The Joy of Cooking.

Has one of your books ever been rejected by a publisher? Again, you are in good company. Here is a list of books that were rejected by one or more publishers:

Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth – 14 times; Norman Mailer. The Naked and the Dead – 12 times; Patrick Dennis, Auntie Mame – 15 times; George Orwell – Animal Farm; Richard Bach – Jonathan Livingston Seagull – 20 times; Joseph Heller, Catch-22 – 22 times; Mary Higgins Clark, first short story – 40 times; Alex Haley (before Roots) – 200 rejections; John Grisham , A Time to Kill – 15 publishers and 30 agents; Chicken Soup for the Soul – 33 times; Dr. Seuss – 24 times; Louis L’Amour – 200 rejections; Jack London – 600 before his first story; Diary of Anne Frank.

(Thanks to Dan Poynter www.parapublishing.com)

Other famous self-published authors include:
Deepak Chopra, Gertrude Stein, Zane Grey, Upton Sinclair, Carl Sandburg, Ezra Pound, Mark Twain, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Stephen Crane, Bernard Shaw, Anais Nin, Thomas Paine, Virginia Wolff, e.e. Cummings, Edgar Allen Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Henry David Thoreau, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Alexandre Dumas., William E.B. DuBois, Beatrix Potter.

Do you know of any other famous self-published authors? Feel free to leave a comment below…

Ellen Gable Hrkach is the vice president of the Catholic Writers Guild. She is the award-winning author of In Name Only, a Catholic romance and now an Amazon Kindle bestseller (top 100 Religious Fiction). Her new book is Stealing Jenny which is a contemporary pro-life suspense novel. Her website is www.ellengable.com. She and her husband and five sons live in Pakenham, ON Canada.

Follow up on Your Word is My Delight: A Catholic Writers Retreat

I’m still coming down from a spiritual high from our retreat in Michigan. It was so amazing, I am having difficulty finding the words to describe it (tough, for a writer). Ten people attended from many parts of the country, some from as far as Massachusetts, Arizona, and Florida. The majority, of course, were from Michigan. I have to admit I was concerned, at first, at the small group we had. But, as it turned out, that simply made it more intimate and focused.

Here’s the whole retreat gang from left to right: Margaret Realy, Dr. Jean Lee, Patrice Davignon, Gerard Webster, Ann Lewis, Pat Gohn, Michael Diebold, Kathy Schiffer, Helen Hart, Erin McCole-Cupp, Kathleen McGuire, Lillah Olson, Father Charles Irivin, Julie Herridge and Father Tucker Cordani.

CWG Member Pat Gohn was our key presenter who gave us some thoughtful reflections on Psalm 119, the documents of the Church, and our vocations as writers.

Margaret’s good friend David Krajewski also did a great talk on the Joyful Mysteries and “vocation” (I will be posting this soon in our forums for people to read.) The other speakers were fabulous, too. Kathy Schiffer and I conducted critique sessions that were small, inspiring, and effective.

It was a time to pray, write, and reflect in an absolutely gorgeous natural environment. The gardens that Margaret planned and coordinated on the grounds were breathtaking. Here are some photos.

Margaret gave us a tour of her lovely gardens the first day. This is she walking us through one of the several memorial gardens on the property.

This is a shot of the Calvary Garden through the autumn-colored trees:

And this is the bell tower of the monastary that the monks would ring throughout the day, now enhanced by Margaret’s green thumb:

One night, Margaret pointed out a cute little green tree frog to me, and later I could hear one singing outside my window. Tree frogs! I didn’t know they had tree frogs in Michigan, and I grew up there!

By the end of the five days, all of us were great friends, praying, inspiring, supporting, crying, hugging, and singing songs by the campfire.

Because this retreat was so successful, we plan to have another in late April of 2013 – information, costs and exact dates to come. We will only offer retreats every other year so folks can save up to be able to attend both the retreat and our August conference in the same year.

Pray and work, folks. Ora et labora!

All authors need an editor. Self-published authors should not publish a manuscript without hiring a competent editor to improve and polish it.

For the purposes of this article, an editor is someone who suggests changes in overall plot, setting, characters and theme. I am not talking about a copy-editor (although copy-editors are important).

Before I started writing fiction, I had written many non-fiction articles. I mistakenly thought fiction would be easier. The first draft of my debut novel, Emily’s Hope, was so bad that when I gave part of it to my kind (and honest) husband to read, his response was, “You’re not going to let anyone read this, are you?”

Admittedly, I was crushed. I hired an editor and over the next two years, she helped me to take a badly written first draft and transform it into a much better novel. She helped me not only to improve my writing style, but to also create a convincing narrative voice.

Here are a few key points to remember when working with an editor:

Be Humble: If you think your book is going to be a Nobel prize-winning book or that it’s the best book every written…well, it probably isn’t, not yet anyway. It may have the potential of being a great book but, generally speaking, most books need a lot of polishing and editing to get it to the stage of being “great.”

Like many authors, I spend more time polishing and editing than I do writing the first draft.

Consider and Reflect on Each Criticism/Suggestion: It may take hours or days of reflection to realize that most of the editor’s ideas will actually make the book better.

Authors tend to be blind to the defects in our own works. Some of us can be rigid with regard to what we want the story or characters to be. For example, in my second novel (In Name Only, a historical romance), the first draft was entirely from the main female character’s point of view (POV).

The editor said that she understood why I chose that particular POV, but either I needed to include the major male characters’ POVs or find another way for the reader to understand the male characters better.

I initially rejected the idea of including the male characters’ POVs. Then as time passed and I reflected, I admitted that she might be right. As it turned out, writing from a male POV was also great fun. This novel went on to win a Gold medal in the IPPY awards and is currently an Amazon Kindle Top 100 bestseller in Religious Fiction.

Resist the Urge to be Defensive: This is where I have the most trouble. But then again, that’s my personality. Even now, when I read my editor’s suggested changes, I have to resist the urge to be defensive.

You Don’t Have to Agree with Everything: Sometimes, the editor will suggest changes the author is reluctant to make. If, after reflection, you still feel strongly about keeping things the same, talk it over with the editor. I find I usually agree with about 85 percent of the suggested edits and I disregard the rest.

Keep in mind that your editor is not being paid to be nice or to make you feel good; he or she is being paid to make your book a quality book.

Trust Your Editor: If you don’t trust your editor, you should probably find a different editor.

Working with an editor can be a challenging experience. However, if you exercise humility, consider and reflect on each edit, be open to change, resist the urge to be defensive and trust your editor, you will hopefully produce a great quality book.

What are your experiences working with an editor? Can you think of anything to add?

Leave a comment below before Friday, October 14th to be entered to win one of two free Kindle copies of my new book, Stealing Jenny.

Ellen Gable Hrkach is the vice president of the Catholic Writers Guild. She is the award-winning author of In Name Only, a Catholic romance and now an Amazon Kindle bestseller (top 100 Religious Fiction). Her new book is Stealing Jenny which is a contemporary pro-life suspense novel. Her website is www.ellengable.com. She and her husband and five sons live in Pakenham, ON Canada.

As Vice President of the Catholic Writers Guild, it is my responsibility to share board news on the fifth Friday (whenever that occurs).

Last Friday on this blog, in sharing what the CWG Board discussed at our recent Skype meeting, Karina said, “Officer Elections are in November! We discussed it and we will stay on as your officer cadre if you wish (though Karina would like to be committee coordinator and Dave would be secretary). However, that’s if no one else wants to run. Check out the forums for a list of duties and to nominate yourself or others.”

I just want to reiterate that the CWG Board members are willing to continue as members of the Board, if no one else wishes to run. If you are interested in running, please check out the forums to nominate yourself.

One of the great things about the 21st century is that we can participate in a Skype board meeting without leaving the comfort of our homes. We begin and end each meeting with a prayer. As a member of the board, I am able to view the agenda before the meeting and add any topics I think should be discussed. During the meeting, it’s easy to follow along with the Google Wave agenda and see changes which are being recorded in the minutes.

Being part of the CWG Board has been an interesting and worthwhile experience. As Vice President, my duties are not as numerous as some of the other board members, but I enjoy working with Ann, Karina, Anne and Dave.

Ellen Gable Hrkach is the Vice President of the Catholic Writers Guild. She is the award-winning author of “In Name Only,” a Catholic romance and now an Amazon Kindle bestseller (top 100 Religious Fiction). Her new book is Stealing Jenny, which is a contemporary pro-life suspense novel. Her website is www.ellengable.com. She and her husband and five sons live in Pakenham, ON Canada.