Wow, what a great conference! I’m speaking, of course, of the Christian Writer’s Guild conference that Jerry Jenkins and his wonderful staff put on each year.

Naturally, I was there as an editor to represent Harvest House, but in so doing, I often listened to the speakers and the conferees through a writer’s ears.

Here then are some of the highlights:

* Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales, was just great. I’m sure much of what he said is also in his recent book. I highly recommend it.

* James Watkins is a very funny guy. His best line: “Nothing terrible happens to authors….just terrific anecdotes.” That’s mostly true, of course. Who else but a writer would go through cancer and think I wonder how I can turn this experience into a book? (That was my response several years ago when I underwent successful treatment for cancer….so I must be a writer!)

* Philip Yancey spoke about creating “gravitational force” in our writing. I’m going to save that topic and do entire blog about the concept.

There were other highlights too. Far more than I can write about in a blog–length report.

Of course, for me, one must-mention highlight was meeting with aspiring authors. This conference was particularly good in that regard. I found 8 or 9 projects that will require closer scrutiny. That’s a pretty high number, so I’m jazzed about that. For aspiring authors, I hope you can see why attending a conference at least once a year is vital to your success. In a couple of weeks I’ll be the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference, then at my personal favorite, Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference (I joke to friends about wanting my ashes scattered at Mount Hermon). I’d love to see you at either conference.

Another fun aspect of conferences has to be the friendships that develop. It was nice to reconnect with other editors whom I admire and to meet some new ones I’ve wanted to know. Some of the writers are good friends too. One in particular is a dear lady who I see there every year. She inspires me. She’s 86, still writing, and a bundle of joy and energy. As we finished talking, after her pitch, she asked me if I needed prayer about anything special. I mentioned a writing project of my own, and she grabbed my hands and prayed heaven down into that meeting room. Included in her prayer was that the resulting book would be a bestseller. I have no doubt that God heard that prayer and will answer. So, you see, it’s not just writers who receive at conferences, but editors too. At some point soon, I’m going to blog about the place of prayer in the life of the writer.

Now go sign up for a writer’s conference somewhere this year. There are plenty to choose from.

Check here.

I’m leaving Thursday for my first writer’s conference of the year. I’ll be in Denver at this conference. I hope to see some of you there. If not, I hope I see you at SOME writer’s conference this year. It’s important to get to at least one conference a year if you’re serious about writing.

If finances are a problem, ask the conference director if there are scholarships available or perhaps a way to work in trade for tuition. When I was at my lowest as a writer, I drove a shuttle ferrying conferees from the conference grounds to the airport and back. (Thanks Elaine!). I did that at two separate conferences and on one trip to the airport, I had one of my favorite editors as my sole rider. I got her all to myself for the 45-minute drive.

Last year I know of at least one conference where scholarship money went unused. Don’t let that happen. Pray about it and see if a door opens up.

On another note, I want to remind you to read blogs carefully. This week I’ve read two blogs aimed at writers where something was said that I disagree with at least in part. I may be wrong or they may be wrong; but you need to read carefully and decide whether or not the advice offered is valid for you.

In closing, I’ll offer a quote from author Dick Francis who died this week at age 89.

“When you’re writing, that’s when you’re lonely. I suppose that gets into the characters you’re writing about. There are hours and hours of silence.”

I’ll try to report on the conference when I get back.

Some of you know I’m big on characterization in fiction. Yes, novels must also have plots, a theme, and all sorts of other stuff…but characterization is at the top of my list. (My friend and author, James Scott Bell, and I will be debating this topic again at the Oregon Christian Writer’s Conference this summer. I enjoy these exchanges immensely and the audience seems to like them too).

Like many novelists, I’ve composed an interview sheet for characters applying for parts in my books. I really need to get to know them well if I’m to determine if their story is worth telling. On my list are all the usual questions, such as:

* where were you born?
* what is your worst memory from childhood?
* what’s your political persuasion?
* who was your first love?

And so on. I have two pages of questions I ask, and of course most of the information will never appear in the book. The questions are simply designed to help me get to know the character. My final question is my favorite one and the answer usually doesn’t come from the character at all….it comes from….well, to be honest, I don’t know where. That question is: how will this character die? Even if he or she doesn’t die in the book, I’d like to know how and at what age (presumably years after the book ends) the character dies.

I bring this up now because I was just looking at an article that quotes William E. Barrett, author of Lillies of the Field. He brings another interesting element to this discussion that I’ve not thought of . He writes:

“I give each character a name and also a twelfth birthday observance. I have to know each person and in a formative stage. The twelfth birthday just struck me as being a time when somebody is shaping. He’s neither one thing or another. When I know a person when he’s twelve years old and still dominated by adults, and he’s got his own mind reaching out for things, it’s a very good time. I know his comrades, the people he plays with, his adults, his parents, all the casuals that come into his life. It makes me feel I know the character before I start to write a book about him.”

I like that. Age twelve. Yes, I think that knowing what was happening in the life of my now adult character when he or she was twelve would help me immensely in understanding his or her present situation. I’ll be adding that twelfth birthday observance to my list.

But while we’re at it, do any of you have interesting questions you ask your characters as you get to know them in their pre-book existence?

I enjoy hearing about the experiences of fellow writers. I think most of us do. In this first interview for my blog, I’m turning to Linda S. Clare, author of The Fence My Father Built. I had the honor of reading Linda’s manuscript a while back. I loved the story, but it wasn’t a good fit for Harvest House. Linda kept going and when the time was right, she connected with Abingdon Press. Their recently developed fiction line under the guidance of Barbara Scott has been impressive indeed, including at least one starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. That’s something many authors would give their first born to receive.

Here’s Linda’s book on Amazon:

Q. Linda, your previously published books were non-fiction. Isn’t The Fence My Father Built your first published novel? If so, what was the transition from non-fiction to fiction like?

A. Fiction was my goal all along. At one time, common advice to writers was to publish nonfiction to establish oneself and then move to fiction. It’s not the case anymore—nowadays, many nonfiction writers need a built-in platform, or reader base, in order to succeed in nonfiction. So when I finally made it to fictionville, I was thrilled. The switch was natural for me. I love making stuff up.

Q. I know this novel has been one you’ve been passionate about for some time.

A. You mean like 15 years? Maybe rabid is more like it. It was at times hard to be passionate, but I will say I never gave up on my characters. The novel would come “close but no cigar” at some pub house and I’d put it away, only to take it out and revise it later. One day I even drove around lost, in a pouring rain, looking for a certain editor’s office. He turned me down and he knows who he is.

Q. Can you give us a brief history of how it came about?

A. I took a fiction workshop in the mid 1990s from Melody Carlson, a chum of mine, and Muri Pond simply appeared. She told me she had to find her long lost father. I kid you not. I just wrote down what she told me to write.

Q. What was the initial seed-idea that resulted in The Fence My Father Built?

A. The year before Melody’s workshop, I’d written a novel called Edge of Wonderland. I’d secured New York representation and thought it was going to launch my writing career. That book, set in the desert, also had strong themes of father-daughter relationships.

Q. The road to publication for any novelist can be paved with rejections. Was that the case for you?

A. It might surprise some readers, but big-shot New York agents don’t sell every book they represent. Mine couldn’t find a home for my novel. She told me to “go write another one.” That’s when I wrote The Fence novel. If so, how did you handle rejection? It was devastating at first to come so close and ultimately not be published on that first book. You will note I don’t say I failed. Many author’s first novels are lying in a drawer. You must pick yourself up and go on, keep honing writing skills, learn the business. That’s what I did.

Q. What is your writing schedule like?

A. I used to be a morning writer but for the past 10 or so years, I’ve taught college writing at night. Now I generally write my blog, etc in the morning and work on my WIP from 1PM until 4PM.

Q. What authors have influenced your writing?

A. First and foremost, Barbara Kingsolver, especially her Bean Trees, Animal Dreams, and Poisonwood Bible. We’ve both explored similar themes of relationships and the desert or unfamiliar environment. Others include Jodi Picoult, Elizabeth Berg, Marilynne Robinson and Sherman Alexie. I also love memoir, especially Frank McCourt, Kaye Gibbons and Jennifer Lauck. My favorite kind of novel is a coming-of-age story told in first person. As far as Christian fiction goes, I’m a newcomer. But I really think Joyce Magnin, (The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow) Mary De Muth (Daisy Chain) and Susan Meissner (The Shape of Mercy) are strong writers who are changing the face of Christian fiction. And watch out for Southern writer (also Abingdon) Christa Allen (Walking on Broken Glass).

Q. Has procrastination or writer’s block ever been a problem for you? If so, how did you handle them?

A. Writing is my therapy—seriously. The incident with the New York agent sent me into a tailspin for several months. It was difficult to climb out of that snake pit. But here I am.

Q. You occasionally teach writing workshops and classes here locally. Has that had an effect on your writing in any way?

A. Of course! I learn as much if not more than my students do. Since teaching was my first career (I taught art in elementary schools) teaching writing keeps the basics in front of me all the time. Problems my students face in fiction are the same as what I face as a writer: writing interesting characters in trouble. Keeping them interesting and in trouble isn’t always the easiest way to write. But it’s the only way that works.

Q. How did The Fence My Father Built find a home at Abingdon?

A. I know this isn’t helpful to up-and-coming novelists looking for a sale, but once again my friend Melody Carlson rides to my rescue. She happened to chat with Abingdon editor Barbara Scott, who said she was looking for a few good manuscripts for a start-up fiction line. I sold The Fence My Father Built unagented. The rest is history. But if I had to give a new writer with a hot manuscript advice, it would be this: Write, write, write. Read, read, read. Revise, revise, revise. Find a good critique group. Produce, produce, produce. Try getting some articles published in magazines. Network. Keep writing. Never give up.

Q. The Fence My Father Built has gotten some very nice reviews. I notice that one Amazon reviewer said, “I was pleased to find that this is not a ‘religious’ genre book…” Is it hard for a Christian writer to not be message-heavy in his or her fiction?

A. First of all, I have been so pleased by the reviews. But part of my story as a novelist lies in the timing. My novel had to wait for the market, I think. Readers increasingly want to find their own conclusions and meaning. They demand complex characters who reflect our complex world. Christian fiction readers want good, clean entertainment, but they also want deep meaning and poignancy. It just so happens that Abingdon promotes a solid message of the human condition illuminated, showing characters who struggle with real life problems—whether they’re looking for a long-lost father or facing the “big” 5-0 birthday. The authors I’ve worked with at Abingdon make you laugh, cry and shout for joy at the redemption, faith, hope and love in the stories. All without shoving the Christian message down readers’ throats. I don’t know about other writers but my style is to show how God is for us but without the shoving.

Q. Is there any particular part of writing fiction that is hardest for you (plotting, character development, dialogue, etc)?

A. Shhh! Don’t tell anybody but plotting is difficult for me. I tend either toward the melodramatic or the desolate ending. Sometimes I take awhile to get the climax scenes right. I think most writers exhibit their own world view in their characters and in their plots. Mine is, “We’re all really messed up but hey! God’s going to sing us through whatever we face.” I believe in the ABCs of redemption: God Always with us, Bringing us eternal life in Christ our Savior.

Q. Have you always been writer?

A. Yes! Well, at least from about age 10 or so, when I was quite sickly with chronic bronchitis and asthma. I stayed home and wrote stories and poems on my great-aunt’s enormous black Underwood typewriter. Mother sent my stuff to children’s magazines. Later, at age 16, my first publication was a poem I sold to The Denver Post newspaper. I was thrilled—and hooked on writing.

Q. Do you have a goal for your writing?

A. Beyond becoming a bestselling household name? My goal is to write as many good books as I possibly can. I’m a polio survivor with a crummy thing called Post-polio Syndrome—I tire very easily and I type one-handed. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do, but you can bet I’ll be doing it with gusto and style.

Q. What are you working on now?

A. I have several works-in-progress. I’m nearly finished with a stand-alone novel called Hiding from Floyd, about redemption for a family still grieving ten years after Floyd, who was seven, died tragically while playing Hide and Seek with James, his very strange brother. I’m also pitching a sequel to The Fence My Father Built called The Hallelujah Gate, starring Nova, Muri and the Red Rock Tabernacle Ladies. If it’s contracted I get to write more about Native Americans and vortexes. And I have a completed memoir about my childhood stays in a Shriners Hospital, called, One Hand Clapping.

Q. Any parting advice for fiction writers?

A. As I said earlier, write, write, write. Read, read, read. Revise, revise, revise. Smiling doesn’t hurt. And never give up.

Early next week I should be posting my first interview here. I hope you’ll watch for it. In the meantime, today’s entry is repost of something I wrote for another blog a couple of years ago. Most of you will not have seen it, but if you’re a writer, you’ll relate to it. Here ’tis:

I’m in a bad mood today. Give me a couple of days and I’ll bounce back—I always do. My bad mood is from the same source as your bad moods: a rejection. This one was particularly painful because it was from a publisher I’ve published two prior books with and my new proposal was for my best book yet….in my opinion. They did not agree.

I wish I could say that rejections get easier as the years go by. And for some people, I suppose they do. But I’m not one of those people. I actually have warm blood running through my veins. Smiley here.

If you too have warm blood, you likely go through some variation of the following stages when faced with a major rejection:

1. The first stage, of course, is the What are those stoopid editors thinking stage. This proposal is GOOD! Why can’t they see that? And compare my novel with what IS selling these days! Ack! (Of course, when I reject a novel from an author, it’s always the right decision. I’m clearly exempted from the inept editor category). Another smiley here please.

2. Next comes: I’ll show them! I’ll send it out to a really knowledgeable editor who will publish it to great acclaim. A year from now they’ll be holding meetings trying to remember which editor was responsible for letting this masterpiece slip away!

3. Step three is the food and TV stage. Lots of feel-good food, like pizza, donuts, chocolate chip cookies, Breyer’s ice cream (vanilla, of course). TV-fare like old “I Love Lucy” reruns. Anything that’s funny and mindless. Barney Fife is a great restorer of one’s soul at times like this.

4. Next (after a day or two of misery) I might actually pray about the rejection. Okay, okay, I know this should be step one….but somehow ranting for a couple of days is more fun, if less spiritual. But after the rant and after the gorging, there has to come a time where I must acknowledge that which I’ve known all along: God is my agent. God is the one who directs my writing path. Long ago all of this was surrendered to Him. And yes, another rejection is a clear reminder that God has not seen fit (once again) to consult my timetable. Prayer calms me down. It starts to bring me back into focus. During this phase I may even do some repenting for steps one, two and three.

5. When I think I might be ready to face life as a writer once again, I usually drive over to Barnes & Noble, get a venti-sized mocha, and browse awhile. Usually I’ll pick up a few attractive books and read the first few lines. For some reason, this motivates me. Why, I could have written this, I think. Being in the company of all those books is like finding comfort among close friends. No doubt many, if not most of the books on the shelves at Barnes & Noble were rejected at least once before finding a publisher. I recall the story of Patrick Dennis and his manuscript for Auntie Mame. He started sending it out by working his way through an alphabetical list of publishers. It was finally accepted by Vanguard Press.

6. By the time I’m ready to drive home from the bookstore, I’m beginning to think clearly again. Actually there are two places where I do my best thinking about my writing: in the driver’s seat and in the shower—neither of which is conducive to jotting down all the insights that sprout up. But somehow on the drive home or somewhere during the next day or two, the creativity kicks in once again. The well that I thought was permanently parched by rejection has once again started to accept the trickle of ideas and what-ifs that might make for a great new book idea—or an improvement on the tear-stained manuscript still sitting where I left it after reading the dastardly rejection.

Hope springs eternal for the writer who won’t allow himself to become hardened by rejection. And even if I never publish another book, I’ll still endure gladly (okay, gladly probably isn’t the word here) the process that includes rejection. It’s in my blood, after all. That same warm blood coursing through my veins doesn’t know what it means to give up writing. I suppose that’s a good thing. I’ll be in a better position to decide in about 48 hours.

In the coming weeks, there are several things I’d like to do on this blog. One is to dispel a few myths, another is to do a few interviews with successful authors, yet another is to answer your questions (email them to me at nickbevh@comcast.net), and finally I’d just like to do the occasional rant…or encouragement…or whatever comes to mind.

I have several people in mind for interviews and I promise one real soon. But today I want to offer the first myth we should dispel. And this will be one that may draw some criticism from my editorial colleagues, but that’s okay. It might make for a lively discussion.

The myth is that you should never break rules in how you approach editors or try to have your work seen. Like all myths, there’s a grain of truth to this. It should go without saying that you shouldn’t be rude, pushy, or deliberately do something you know will rile an editor. However, that does leave some room for BENDING the rules WHEN IT SEEMS APPROPRIATE. (By the way, this is not an invitation for you to flood me with queries and proposals with a note saying, “but you SAID we should break the rules sometimes!”).

Breaking the rules efficiently largely has to do with your attitude. Politeness goes a long way. Several years ago I was eating at a restaurant several hours from home. A writer I had met at a conference recognized me and approached me and we began to talk. We had a nice conversation and I invited her to submit her manuscript to me at a later date. Was that pushy of her? Would you walk up to an editor in a restaurant and start off with something like, “You probably don’t remember me but….”

Some authors are too scared of offending an editor and would likely pass up that opportunity. Frankly, I was impressed that she remembered me. It was a divine appointment (though we did not end up publishing her novel).

Occasionally I get a phone call from an aspiring author. This is one of the worst rules to break, unless you have built a relationship with the editor and will keep the call short. I say that, and yet my favorite acquisition in all my years as an editor was the result of someone essentially making a “cold call” to Harvest House asking to “speak to an editor.” Dumb, dumb, dumb. And yet, when I took the call I found myself inviting the author to send me his self-published novel. Two weeks later when I read that novel, it was the first book I’d read in a long time that, as soon as I turned the last page, I wanted to start reading it over. Again, it was a divine appointment. (We did end up publishing his book. At one point I’ll dispel the myth that you should never consider self-publishing).

Another divine appointment happened when our company’s president ended up sitting next to the husband of a would-be author on an airplane. As any good spouse of a writer would do, he made a pitch on behalf of his wife’s book. We later published that book and it sold well. It was yet another divine appointment.

I’ve written several books of my own and my first major breakthrough was a divine appointment that resulted from me breaking a rule. I was an aspiring writer with only a few magazine articles to my credit when out of sheer desperation I chose my top six favorite publishers and simply wrote a one-page letter to each one with my qualifications and my query: did they have any books for which they needed a writer? I prayed, put the six letters in the mail and waited. Of course, I knew it was not kosher to approach publishers this way….but I was, as I said, desperate.

Little did I know that a couple of years earlier I had interviewed a woman for a magazine article who was now an editor at my number one publisher of choice. NUMBER ONE! She remembered me and responded to my letter and within a month I had my first book contract. I did two books for that publisher and both remain my bestselling books yet.

Now please hear me when I say this is not meant as an invitation to break the rules. I’d rather you see it as a call to watch for divine appointments. Unique ways to get a hearing with an editor. It’s a matter of learning how to balance action with humility. When to step out without being obnoxious. (Believe me, I could share stories of broken rules by would-be authors with whom I’d never want to publish).

I hope this advice helps you. But as I said, please don’t see it as an invitation to call me tomorrow or drop by the house for a friendly chat. And remember, not all editors are the same. Some editors may deeply resent even the slightest bending of the rules. Others, like me, are a bit more lax. We want to find really good writers and sometimes that means accepting a divine appointment we weren’t expecting.

Let this blog then be an invitation to pray for God to set up a divine appointment in His own way. Don’t let it be an excuse for acting unseemly.

If you have a story of a divine appointment that may have bent a rule or two, but which resulted in publication, send it my way and maybe I’ll do a blog of your responses. And if an editor reads this and wants to share a story of when an author bent a rule with you and yet it turned out to be the right thing to do, send it along. (Email them to nickbevh@comcast.net)