Write Now Editing

How I Write: Cindy Ervin Huff

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Author Cindy Ervin Huff and I go way back. I can’t tell you how far back because, honestly … I can’t remember! We’ve known each other online for years, and recently we’ve had the pleasure of meeting IRL at writing conferences.

Today, Cindy’s here to talk about her writing and editing processes, challenges, and more!

Thank you so much for being here! What do you write? How did you pick that genre?

I write historical and contemporary romance. I could say I write it because I love Hallmark and Mary Connelly, but the truth is I love history. Plus, I care about the struggles people have that can make a relationship challenging. I address things like PTSD and abuse in a fictional setting. I’ve had readers tell me my characters are relatable and that I handle the sensitive subjects authentically without excessive details.

What’s the most difficult part of writing your genre?

There are tons of romances out there, and they range from very erotic to no touching at all. The hardest part of writing a romance is to produce believable characters—flawed not only on the inside but also imperfect on the outside—that readers are drawn to. It is so cliché reading about the guy with the ripped body and the girl with the perfect shape. That isn’t realistic. Most of my heroines don’t believe they are beautiful, but their love interests see them differently.

Romance is one of the biggest selling genres and finding the audience who loves to read my style of clean romance is the biggest challenge. But once I find my gals, they are so loyal and anxious for more.

How long does it take you to: write the book? Edit it? Finalize it?

I’d love to say a few months, but I’m not that energetic, and I want to produce something that is publisher ready. It takes three to six months to get the story written (I get interrupted, okay?) and the first two rough drafts finished. Then another couple months to edit it. I have three critique groups I run it through and my hubby. Then after I’ve corrected every typo, grammar error, and writerly mistake I can see before I become blind to them, then I’m ready to create a proposal and pitch it.

If you have written multiple books, which is harder: the first book or the following books? Why?

I have two series I’m working on now. I found the next book in the Healing Heart series easier to write until I got to the end. Then I struggled with providing the damsel-in-distress a totally different ending than the previous book. I’ve started the second book in the Village of Women series, and it isn’t flowing smoothly yet. The first book in a series sets the tone and then you have to keep the same standard or up your game so the reader wants more. I hate reading a series where it feels like the second novel is the same as the first novel’s storyline but with different characters.

For sure! What’s your favorite Writers Conference? What do you like about it?

I love Write to Publish. I’ve attended it for years because it’s right in my backyard. It is well organized and gives off a warm, friendly vibe. And not having to spend money on housing is a plus. I love the Florida Writer’s Conference, which I attend when I can afford to. It has great teachers and that same warm feeling being around fellow writers.

If you’ve ever worked with a freelance editor, how did you find that editor? How would you describe the experience?

I love working with a freelance editor. When my debut novel Secrets & Charades was contracted, I enjoyed working with the editor they provided. I hired her to work with me on another manuscript. I learned more about editing and writing craft while working with her than I did reading craft books.

How do you self-edit your manuscript? 

I run ProWriting Aid as I create to catch typos and grammar as I go along. Then when it is finished or at the minimum, a chapter is finished, I turn on the Read Aloud tab in word and listen to a monotone male reader as I follow along. It’s amazing the errors you still find.  Even in a monotone, a terrible sentence can be caught, because a terrible sentence stands out when read aloud. Then I’m ready for my hubby and me to go over it together. I print out the manuscript, and he takes the seat at the keyboard. I read it out loud and find dialog, etc. that needs fixing.

What does your revision process look like?

While hubby and I go over the manuscript, I delete lots of unnecessary things, shorten sentences, and aggressively tighten scenes. Then I send the manuscript to one of my critique groups and revise according to their suggestion. Then I clean it up again.

Cindy Ervin Huff is an Award-winning author of Historical and Contemporary Romance. She loves infusing hope into her stories of broken people. She is addicted to reading and chocolate. Her idea of a vacation is visiting historical sites and an ideal date with her hubby of almost fifty years would be live theater.

www.cindyervinhuff.com
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https://www.tiktok.com/@cindyehuff?lang=en

How I Write: Ginny Dent Brant

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Writing a book is hard enough. Writing a book while battling cancer? I can’t even imagine!

Ginny Dent Brant doesn’t have to imagine–she did it. And she published it. And she’s won awards for it.

Today, she’s sharing tips and wisdom from her experiences as a nonfiction and cancer survivor.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Please tell us what you write. How/why did you pick your genre?
I write memoirs and Christian living books. I enjoy writing about real people. I’ve also written over 50 articles that are interviews with Christians about their faith. Some of those articles have made it to The Baptist Press, Townhall, and The Christian Post. My most popular articles were my tributes to Chuck Colson (carried by 15 different newspapers/magazines), Billy Graham, Robertson McQuilkin, and Dr. Avery Willis after they passed.

What’s the most difficult part of writing? How do you work through those challenges?
I wrestled with God over writing a book about my cancer journey. While meeting with the hospital chaplain about the dilemma of dealing with cancer, he told me, “Consider this a gift from God for you to help other people. You’re a writer and a speaker—think of all the people you could help.”

My response, “No way. I don’t want this gift.” But the more I researched, the more I felt compelled to share with others what I’d learned. It was difficult to do the hard work while with dealing with the side effects of treatments and medications.

In my first book, Finding True Freedom, the difficult part was deciding which intimate details to share and getting the okay from family members. A memoir about your own family can be like walking through a field with landmines.

How long does it take you to: write the book? Edit it? Finalize it?
Unleash Your God-given Healing required two years of research, one year of writing, one year of editing and polishing, and 18 months of promoting it. I’m still doing podcasts and interviews.

Which was harder: the first book or the following books? Why?
This recent book Unleash Your God-Given Healing was harder because it is loaded with footnotes to medical research. My editor made me type out every name noted in the research articles instead of using “et al”. I was also asked to recheck all of the footnotes several times, note the last date I checked the websites, and verify all the difficult to spell names!  Oh my! Memoirs that require a lot of footnoting can be difficult to write, and they also require the most of the writer including fiction techniques.

What’s your favorite writers conference? What do you like about it?
I’ve attended the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s conference four times. They have a wonderful faculty, and many experts have poured their lives into me. It’s also a great place to make connections with other writers, publishers and agents. It’s only 90 minutes from my home.

If you’re self-published, why did you decide to go that route? If you’re traditionally published, why did you decide to go that route?
My first book was traditionally published. For this second book, I knew that Christian publishers do not usually publish books on health and wellness. I knew a “cancer book” would be difficult to get published. I remember going to writer’s conferences and seeing acquisition editors with signs saying, “I’ve heard enough cancer stories.”

I then submitted to eight publishers I had connections with. I heard from three immediately who did not publish health books. In a few weeks, I heard back from three other interested publishers who wanted to see more. One suggested I get a doctor to write commentary in each chapter. I took their advice. Three of these publishers took my book up the ladder. It got close with two publishers, but all of them wanted the doctor commentator to be the co-author.  I could not provide that. My book is from the patient’s perspective. It’s not about what the doctors do. It’s about the role the patient can play in their own prognosis. All the publishers said, “This book needs to be published.” That was reassuring.

At that time, I made the decision to self-publish. I went with Westbow Press because they’re the self-publishing arm of Thomas Nelson (Harper Collins). If my book sold well, they would begin distributing it. As of two weeks ago, Harper Collins is both distributing and promoting my book. After winning three awards (Golden Scrolls First, Selah Award Second, and Director’s Choice Award Second for Non-fiction overall), Westbow Press recognized my book with the Lighthouse Recognition Award.

Congratulations! What advice do you have for new authors?
Chuck Colson was the cover endorser for my first book. He advised me to start in the middle of a crisis. I did that in both books. He also advised me to use a theme from beginning to end to tie my story together.

In Finding True Freedom, the theme was dance. My father taught me to dance, he met my mother at a dance, and from a young age, we danced to the same tune, When I gave my life to Christ, we began spinning in different directions. My father tried to block my path, but God moved in his heart, and he became everything he forbid me to be including a missionary. In the end, we were dancing to the same beat with our heavenly Father.

The theme tied throughout my Unleash Your God–Given Healing book was an analogy to the Wizard of Oz. The analogy begins when my doctor shows me the MRI that looks like a tornado has invaded my body. Like Dorothy, I desperately want to get back home to a normal life. When discussing the eight steps, each one has a shared truth from God’s Word and a tie to the Wizard of Oz. For example, in the chapter on hydration, how ironic that Dorothy killed the Wicked Witch of the West with a bucket of water!

I would advise any authors to take Chuck Colson’s advice.

How do you self-edit your manuscript?
I was under cancer treatment during most of the process. I was actually making mistakes I’d normally not make due to brain fog. I asked five friends to go behind me and look for errors and recommendations. Two were English majors, two were nurses, and one was a cancer patient. They caught many mistakes. Mistakes are part of the process. I even found ten mistakes after my first book was published. Although mistakes are normal, you must do everything you can to catch them.

I couldn’t agree more. Thank you so much for joining me today!

Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer. It was written with commentary by an oncologist, and was recently given a Golden Scrolls Award and named a Selah Award Finalist.

Cancer prevention and wellness blog at www.ginnybrant.com 
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How I Write: Janet McHenry

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All roads don’t lead to publication, but there are many paths to get there, and Janet McHenry has traveled many of them! Today she’s going to tell us about her writing journey and share some tips and ideas with us.

Thank you so much for being here! Let’s start with what you write: how did you pick your genre?

Some might call me an agent’s nightmare. While I primarily focus on nonfiction (Christian living, devotional books, gift books, Bible studies), I also have written board books for children, first chapter books, YA mysteries, and a cozy mystery—a total of 24 traditionally published books. I simply write as God leads me. My focus in the last 20 years or so has been on prayer.

Wow! That’s quite diverse. How long does it take you to write a book?

Writing a book doesn’t take me that long—usually three months or less—because I already have a detailed outline and a good sense of where the book is going. Because I mostly write nonfiction, I only create one or two chapters for the proposal. When I get a contract, then I finish it quickly—usually early.

If you’ve written multiple books, which was harder: the first book or the following books?

I’ve written two series for children—a first chapter book series of six books and a girls’ mystery series of three books. Those were challenging because I had the sense that the readers expected something bigger and more dramatic with each successive book. For example, instead of one villain in the final girls’ mystery (Mystery at the Old Stamp Mill), I created three. No reader has ever told me she guessed the solution. That makes me smile!

What’s your favorite book on writing? What do you like about it?

Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird is my favorite book on writing. I have a little oval picture frame with her advice in it: “one thing.” A book should be about one, focused thing, Lamott teaches, but her expression also reminds me that my work can also just be about one thing at a time. I tell myself to just finish the one thing I’ve listed in my bullet journal. Then when it’s checked off, I tackle the next one thing. It’s a profound but simple concept that keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.

That’s great advice. Thanks for the reminder.

What’s your favorite writers conference? What do you like about it?

My favorite writers conference has been the one at the Mt. Hermon Conference Center in Mt. Hermon, California. I’ve probably attended it 20 or more times; I’ve lost count. It was there I learned to write, found lifelong writing friends, and met my agent and many editors in the industry. The teaching has been superb over the years, plus the conference center is in the middle of the redwoods near Santa Cruz—a bit of heaven on earth. While the 50th and last conference was in 2019, Inspire Writers has taken the baton to continue a writers conference that will look very much the same, and I’m excited that I will be teaching there again in 2022.

What’s your writing day like?

I start with devotional studies in the morning, which lead me to create a meme from my reading in the Bible that I then share across various social media platforms. After answering email and doing other marketing work and shorter writing assignments, I then shift to my bigger writing tasks after lunch. Sometimes I write into the evenings if I’m inspired or if I’m simply determined to get something done.

How do you combat writer’s block?

I read through the Bible each year. Daily I find ideas to inspire my writing. In fact, I blog daily about something I’ve read. When people ask me what inspires my writing, I say, “The Bible.”

How did you find/pick your agent? What tips do you have for others looking for an agent?

My agent and I were friends before she became an agent, so I’m actually one of Janet Grant’s first five clients. For those looking for an agent, I highly suggest going to writers conferences to meet with them in person and genuinely be interested in them as human beings. Worry less about impressing someone; just be genuine and share your life’s mission/vision and passion. If you don’t know what that is, figure it out before you pitch to an agent or start writing.

How did you find your freelance editor? How would you describe the experience?

For four of my books I worked with a freelance editor hired by WaterBrook Press. Liz Heaney truly taught me to write nonfiction Christian living books. I had decent ideas, but she made me work hard and dig more deeply into content creation. She would continually tell me to “Explain this more,” and to come up with fresh ideas, as opposed to merely reworking others’ thoughts from other books.

Great tips! How do you self-edit your manuscript?

I am an editor myself, so I edit as I write. I can’t help it. I’m not one of those writers who can just pour thousands of words onto pages. The internal editor won’t let me spew unorganized thoughts down onto the screen. Part of that self-editing process actually occurs before I write, because I work from a detailed outline. I also re-read the prior day’s writing before I continue writing, editing and adding new thoughts. Then I’ll go through the whole book before I send it off to my editor. It’s usually pretty clean by then…and should be, as I’m a former high school English teacher and newspaper journalist.

What does your revision process look like?

For me, the revision process starts with the feedback from my editor. I simply work through the book, page by page, making the requested changes. After 35 years of writing, revisions aren’t as painful for me as they were when I started writing. In fact, the last three books had very few edits needed. I couldn’t say this 20 years ago though; in 2004, I had a book that the editor completely rejected. I had to start from scratch and write another book entirely. However, the editor was right, and the book is one of my faves now: PrayerStreaming: Staying in Touch with God All Day Long.

Thank you so much for being here and sharing your tips with us!

Janet McHenry is a national speaker and the author of 24 books—six on prayer, including the bestselling PrayerWalk (now 20 years in print) and her newest, The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus. A former high school English teacher, she and her husband Craig live in the Sierra Valley, where he is a rancher and where they raised their four children. She has been featured in national magazines such as Health, Woman’s Day, and First for her prayerwalking practices. The Sierra County CA coordinator for the National Day of Prayer, Janet also leads the prayer ministries at The Bridge Church in Reno.

Facebook personal: https://www.facebook.com/janet.mchenry.9

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/JanetMcHenryAuthor/

Facebook groups: Bible Girls 2021, The Safe Place Prayer Group, The Walking Club

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-mchenry-18793b24/

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Website: https://www.janetmchenry.com


How I Write: Susan Neal

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Writers love to write, and many of them write in different genres. Sometimes, however, it takes some trial and error before we find just the right genre for our talents and passions.

That’s how author Susan Neal stumbled into a genre that’s helping her reach tens of thousands of people with life-changing books.

Thank you so much for being here today! How did you pick your genre?

I write healthy living non-fiction books. It took me a long time to figure out my genre. I tried to write fiction, short stories, and devotions. But I received rejections with everything I submitted. I think all along God wanted me to use my nursing background and experience with losing my health to write books to help others improve their health and weight. I feel as though I had a Divine-led genre path.

What’s the most difficult part of writing your genre? 

Research is the tough part. I read clinical research articles and search valid websites for pertinent information. This takes time and effort, but I want the most accurate information for my readers. My book, Solving the Gluten Puzzle: Discovering Gluten Sensitivity and Embracing the Gluten-Free Lifestyle required loads of research regarding the four gluten related disorders, how to diagnose them, and treat each one. If you would like to discover if you may have an intolerance to gluten, take the quiz I created at glutenintolerancequiz.com.

I can’t imagine the work, but I’m sure your readers appreciate it! How long does it take you to write, edit, and finalize a book? 

Five months. About halfway through each book, I send several chapters to my professional editor. She helps with the development of the book. We go back and forth the last two months.

How did you find/pick your agent?

Cyle Young was my agent for three years. I found him at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference (BRMCWC). I sent him my unpublished Star Wars Bible study to critique. (If you plan to attend a writers conference, be sure to send a submission for a literary agent or publisher to critique, so you get that extra appointment and they get to see how well you write.) At the BRMCWC, my Star Wars Bible study won third place in the awards contest. The next morning, Cyle offered to be my agent. Entering contests is essential to an author’s writing career. When you win, other people notice.

If you self-published, why did you decide to go that route? 

The first manuscript I self-published was Scripture Yoga. I could not find a publisher to publish this book since it had such a small target market. Therefore, I chose to publish it on my own because I felt compelled to provide a safe environment for Christians to perform yoga. I went on to self-publish six other healthy living books. My best seller, 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates sold 17,000 copies in its first three years and won the Selah Award at the BRMCWC.

Congratulations! Since then, you’ve also dipped your toe into traditional publishing. What led to that decision?

Elk Lake Publishing published my latest book, Eat God’s Food: A Kids Guide to Healthy Eating. I did not feel qualified to self-publish a children’s picture book, so I found a traditional publisher.

What’s surprised you most about the publishing process? 

At first, the self-publishing process was difficult—just like riding a bike for the first time. But after I published a second book, it became easier. Therefore, I was most surprised that the publishing process was easy after I found out what to do—just like riding a bike. I became a certified writer coach, so now I help other authors self-publish their books. You can find my coaching services at https://susanuneal.com/authorcoaching.

What advice do you have for new authors? 

Understand that whether you are self-published or traditionally published, the author is responsible for book marketing. I recommend joining the Christian Indie Publishing Association to help you figure out how to market your book. Learning about the publishing industry can be overwhelming. So why not get help from an association. 

If you’ve ever worked with a freelance editor, how did you find that editor? How would you describe the experience?

I asked the Director of the Florida Christian Writers Conference, Eva Marie Everson, to recommend an editor. Eva Marie had critiqued my work at a small conference, so she knew what I wrote. She matched me perfectly with a Christian, nonfiction editor.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with my editor. I learned so much from her and even took some extra coaching sessions to develop my writing further. My writing improved with each chapter and book. I’ve now published eight books.

As a Certified AWSA Writer Coach, Susan Neal RN, MBA, MHS, desires to help others publish and sell their God-given message. She is the author of eight healthy living books. Susan won the 2020 Christian Author Network Excellence in Marketing Award for Outstanding Broadcast Media for her book marketing campaign. Susan is the Director of Christian Indie Publishing Association (CIPA) and Christian Indie Awards.

You can follow Susan on:

https://www.facebook.com/ChristianIndiePublishing
https://www.pinterest.com/SusanUNeal/_created/

How I Write: Joanna White

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Most authors stick with one (or two) genres, but that’s not always the case. Joanna White’s varied career includes several genres and series, and today she’s here to talk about her experiences and what works for her.

Thanks for being here! What do you write? How/why did you pick your genre?
I am the kind of author who writes whatever I’m in the mood for. Most of the time, it’s fantasy, so fantasy is my main genre, but I also write clean romance, action-adventure, historical fiction, Biblical fiction, and I’ve dabbled in a bit of science fiction and military action. The main reason is, again, just because it’s what I’m in the mood for.

What’s the most difficult part of writing your genre? How do you work through those challenges?
That’s a good question. Honestly, writing is a hobby and a passion first, not just a job for me, so most of the time, writing is my way of relaxing and having fun. Sometimes, being creative can be mentally exhausting, but most of the time the difficulty comes from editing it after the book is written. That, and marketing. Trying to get people to buy and read books is so hard for me.

How long does it take you to: write the book? Edit it? Finalize it?
I’m a faster writer than any other author I’ve met. I wrote a million words in 2020 and can write about fifty thousand words in two weeks if I’m able to write a lot every day. Sometimes, I’m tired or lazy or my wrists hurt, but if I push myself, I can write a lot. I can edit pretty quickly—a few weeks to a month or so as well. Depends on how much work the book needs to prepare it for publishing. But my highest word count is about thirty thousand words in eight to ten hours of writing.

If you’ve written multiple books, which was harder: the first book or the following books? Why?
For me, ending a series is way much harder. I have a tendency to not want things to end, so when I wrote the Valiant Series, I first started it around 2012 and finished it in 2017. Even several years later, I am still debating about the ending and trying to revise things and come up with ideas to make it better. I don’t end things very well. Even most of my books end on cliff hangers—that’s how the series was started in the first place; too many cliff hangers, so it all just kept going, haha.

How do you self-edit your manuscript?
Well, I started self-editing because I had to. There was no way I could afford to pay for an editor. It helped that I was a writing competition judge and host for about four years, so I was used to fixing mistakes because I would score writers based on everything from grammar, vocab, sentence structure, to description, action, and dialogue, all the way to the characters acting like they’ve been portrayed to be and no plot holes and stuff like that.

I started having to do that for my own books. For some reason, I miss a lot more when I’m self-editing but when I’m editing other people’s works, I am able to fix just as much as other editors. That’s why I became a freelance editor because I wanted to give people the chance to have an editor they could afford while also giving the same quality as the high-priced ones. But usually, when I’m self-editing, I’ll go through Grammarly on the book once and then read it through and try to catch as much as I can. Sometimes, with some books that are more complicated that need plot or character help, I’ll go through it with my husband because he’s an editor Nazi! I can’t see mistakes within the plot or characters, so that’s when I defer to him. But he also catches mistakes that I don’t see—like sentence structure, which is one of my weaknesses as a writer.

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and experience with us today! Here’s a bit more about Joanna and her books:

Joanna White is a Christian Author and fangirl. Hunter and Shifter are the first two books in her debut series, called the Valiant Series. In December 2019, one of her short stories was featured in Once Upon A Yuletide, a Christmas fairy tale anthology by Divination Publishing. Dark Magi, a prequel in the Republic Chronicles came out in November 2019. Glimpses of Time and Magic, a historical fantasy anthology, also featured one of her stories.

She graduated from Full Sail University with a BFA in Creative Writing for Entertainment. Ever since she was ten years old, she’s been writing stories and has a deep passion for writing and creating stories, worlds, characters, and plots that readers can immerse themselves in. In 2020, she reached her personal goal of writing a million words in a year. Most of all, Joanna loves God, her family, staying at home, and being a total nerd.

To stay updated and find out more about her novels, where her inspiration comes from, games, giveaways, and more, visit her website at: authorjoannawhite.com.

Facebook: facebook.com/authorjoannawhite
Instagram: instagram.com/authorjoannawhite
Pinterest: pinterest.com/authorjoannawhite
Facebook fangroup: facebook.com/groups/jwwarriors.

ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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Lover of all things fiction, I also love University of Michigan football, the Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings, kayaking, gluten-free cupcakes, and my husband.

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