Write Now Editing

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 
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/ginny.d.brant/
Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/ginnydentbrant/

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: Thomas Allbaugh

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It’s not uncommon for writers to publish in different genres or publications. In fact, it can be a good way to build your portfolio and gain experience. Thomas Allbaugh has his hand in several genres, and today he shares some of his tips for novelists. Keep reading!

What do you write? How/why did you pick your genre?

I write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. I began with a love of fiction that I got from reading Mark Twain and some science fiction in the fourth and fifth grades. Since then, I’ve written stories and always thought I’d write a novel. I finished my first novel when I was 61. I’m writing my second now.

I graduated to being a nonfiction writer after grad school. Currently, I’m writing a book on grief about losing our son to suicide.

Finally, I just published a chapbook of poems, part of which came out of my grieving process after losing my youngest son.

What’s the most difficult part of writing your genre? How do you work through those challenges?

Right now, I have the over-all concept for my second novel. I find the challenge with this book is focusing on action as opposed to writing too much exposition or background. I realize this is all the process of me learning about my characters and their situation, but most of this material is for me, not my reader. Most of it gets cut.

I have this same problem writing short stories. Recently, I started a story with the basic concept and conflict. I had to do a lot of rewrites to focus more and more on the central conflict of the story and the action. That was harder before I understood what I was doing. Now that I’ve made myself aware that this is how I write fiction, it feels less like driving in the dark.

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

For my first novel, I had to rewrite it about five times. At one point, after four drafts, I had over 300 pages. One reader suggested I harvest the scenes I liked the most and cut the rest. That was painful to hear, but I did it—I cut over 150 pages and started over.

Editing helped me create emphasis and depth, but revision took most of my time. The novel took six years. I’m about two years into my second novel; it was interrupted by my son’s suicide and a lot of writing I’ve been doing to process that.

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

My favorite book is James Wood’s How Fiction Works. This book mainly focuses on literary examples of point of view. It zeroes in on what Wood calls free indirect discourse: the way an author moves between his/her own authorial voice and the consciousness and voice of the characters. He provides good and bad examples, especially where the author intrudes on the consciousness of the character and doesn’t allow the character’s own language to emerge. This is especially good for someone writing in third person close.

I feel this is often a danger with religious fiction. I don’t want my way of seeing things, which is Christian, to intrude on the view of a character who feels very differently. That is called author intrusion, and I’m more aware of it, thanks to James Wood.

What writing book do you want to read next?

I have found a few pages of Ann Hood’s Creating Character Emotions to be incredibly enlightening in terms of understanding how to present character reactions that are not clichéd (“She shivered with fear”). I started to use it as a kind of map, but I’d like to read it through and really digest her approach to different human emotions. She is particularly good at showing how beginning writers get this wrong and fail to really make their characters’ emotions authentic for a reader. Then, she offers scaffolding on how to do it right. I think it’s going to be a very helpful book.

What’s your writing day like?

I have a day job teaching writing. I have to prepare for and teach classes, then read and respond to student writing. During the semester I can only write in the evenings, on weekends, and during a spare half hour in between work duties. I find it easier to write shorter pieces ( poems and short stories) during this time.

In the summer, I write almost every day for four months. I try to write 9 a.m.–noon; sometimes I write longer. I try not to exhaust myself. Usually this gives me the chance to write 1,000 to 2,000 words. All the drafts of my first novel, Apocalypse TV, were written during summers and Christmas breaks.

How do you prepare to write your books: pantser, plotter, both, something completely different? Describe your strategy.

I am a plontser: I do some plotting, then I do some pantsing.

When I plot, I know something about a character, and usually that knowledge comes from a scene I picture them in, so I write the scenes I know. While writing, I start pantsing, and this gives me a way to discover new ideas about my story. But it leads me to being stuck. Then plotting helps me to see further.

I think it was John Gardner who wrote that writing was like night driving in the country of Southern Illinois. He had trouble seeing beyond his headlights, but he kept driving by those lights. I think Gardner’s metaphor says a great deal of what writing is like for me.

What advice do you have for new authors?

Take yourself seriously and have fun and write what you love. You should join a writer’s group that will listen to you and hear what you are trying to do and be able to help you. You should also go to writer’s conferences and learn about how hard it is to get published and what publishers are looking for. You should learn what works and what doesn’t in the publishing world today.

Finally, really listen to rejection, and don’t rush to print on Amazon unless you are really sure that it’s a good book and is well written. Use rejection to give yourself an apprenticeship. That is, keep trying to get better. Don’t rush to self-publish. Don’t do that until you’ve developed a pretty big platform and audience.

What does your revision process look like?

My revision process is the main portion of my writing process because my drafting is mostly exploring.

I use the first draft to discover my story and ideas. For this reason, I make major cuts and rearrangements. I have to add new scenes. I have to create more emphasis.

I spend the majority of my time revising the big, global issues that shape the plot: what events happen first, what follows, and so forth. Later, I focus and add more color to scenes, more dialogue, add more character details, and create the emphasis I want. Revision for me is chaotic, but it may be where most of my work gets done. It certainly was for my first novel.

Thomas Allbaugh is the author of Apocalypse TV, a novel, and, most recently, The View from January, a poetry chapbook centered on themes of transience and the loss of his son. He is professor of English at Azusa Pacific University, where he teaches creative writing and composition/rhetoric. He has also published a textbook for first-year writing, Pretexts for Writing, which is in its third edition.

https://thomasallbaugh.com
https://twitter.com/tallbaugh1
https://facebook.com/tallbaugh1

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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