When you critique the first draft of your manuscript, watch for the following pitfalls:

1. Watch for Impractical Vocabulary
Don’t talk down to your reader, and don’t talk above his or her head. Readers Digest and Guideposts are written on a sixth-grade level. Keep your writing on a parallel level with your reader. Use “ten cent” words rather than ones not commonly used in conversation. You can express profound thoughts and still write in a clear manner.

2. Watch for Unnecessary Words
Eliminate any words, sentences, or paragraphs that don’t further your story line. Go through your manuscript word-by-word and ask yourself, “What will happen if I leave that out? If the answer is “nothing” then cut it.

3. Watch for Unnatural Speech
Your words should flow in a conversational manner as if you were sitting at your dining room table having a cup of tea with a friend. Make your words sound natural. You will be able to do this with practice and lots of rewriting.

4. Watch for Long, Run-on Sentences
If the reader drowns in your sentences, he will feel lost. Keep your writing simple. That doesn’t mean the content is simple, but the style is. When a sentence is shorter, it usually becomes stronger. Try to keep your sentences under twenty-five words.

Last week you were given Tips 5-8 for time management. Here are tips 9-12 to help you manage your time, so you will be able to find more time for your writing.

9. Organize Your Work
Keep your home office looking professional. Organize each writing project in a file folder. Label each folder as you obtain ideas for articles or books. What may start out as an article file on “Dealing with Stress” may turn into a book five years down the road. Place everything you find regarding that subject in your file folder.

10. Keep Accurate Financial Records
Keep a ledger of expenses and income for your writing. Excel is an excellent Windows computer program for keeping financial records. If you are making a serious attempt to run a business, you can write off the expenses on your tax return. Get receipts for your postage, office supplies, telephone calls, and dinners with editors. Also, if you drive to an interview or other job-related function, mileage can be deducted.

Keep track of your submissions—what is out in circulation, where you sent it, and when you mailed it.

11. Avoid Procrastination
Have you heard people say, “I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’m going to write when the children grow up, when I retire, when my husband retires… Someday, when I have the time, I’m going to…” If you are going to become a writer, you need to start right now.

12. Touch the Lives of Others
Writing is 99 percent perspiration and one percent inspiration. It takes a little talent, a strong desire, and a lot of hard work. If you manage your time properly, you will find time to write. Remember what I said at the beginning: God gives us enough hours to do all that He wants us to do. We have 86,400 seconds every day. Let’s use this time to glorify God in all we do.

Last week you were given Tips 1-4 for time management. Here are tips 5-8 to help you manage your time, so you will be able to find more time for your writing.

5. Remain Flexible
What are your writing goals for the next five years? Remain flexible. Yet, stretch yourself so you will grow and learn. Step out in faith and allow God to work through you to accomplish goals that will glorify Him.

Sometimes circumstances change, and your goals must change also. Be willing to change. Unforeseen circumstances can creep into your life.

6. Set Aside a Regular Time to Write Each Day
Pick a time when you are most creative and efficient. Writing takes a tremendous amount of energy. If you have small children, that might be nap time. If you have school-age children, write while they are gone. You’ll accomplish much more if the house is quiet. If you work, it will need to be in the evenings or early mornings. If you are a night owl, write when everyone else has gone to bed.

7. Find a Quiet Place to Concentrate
When you write to glorify God, He deserves all of your attention. You can’t concentrate if the TV is blaring, the phone is ringing, or children are screaming. You need to find a place that is free from interruptions.

8. Keep Your Body as Well as Your Mind in Shape
If you eat properly, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly, your mind will be sharper and more creative. Also, go out and participate in activities. In order to pull information out of your mind, there has to be a storehouse from which to withdraw it. Have you ever experienced a time when you were pulling more out than you were putting in? Didn’t you feel drained? Read. Read for pleasure as well as things related to what you are writing. You should spend as many hours reading as you do writing.

Tips 9-12 will be given next week.

“To love life is to love time. Time is the stuff life is made of.” –Benjamin Franklin

What would you do if every morning a teller from your bank phoned and told you that your account had been credited with 86,400 pennies ($864)? But the bank had placed the stipulation on it that you had to spend it that day? No balance could be carried over to the next day. Think of the fantastic things you could do with such a gift.

God credits each of us with 86,400 seconds each day, but no balances are carried into the next day. Each night erases what we fail to use and what we use unwisely. No previous day’s time can be reclaimed.

1. Pray Before You Begin
It’s easy to plunge into something without taking time to talk to God about it, but starting any project with prayer makes your time more productive. Before you begin to write, ask God for wisdom and guidance. If it is His desire that you become an author, He will help you find the necessary time it requires.

2. Make a Time Commitment
In order to write, you need to plan ahead and set the necessary time aside for it. Perhaps you will decide to write an hour every day, or perhaps you will start with only fifteen minutes if you are a beginning writer. If you can’t write every day, try to select a certain day of the week and clear your calendar as best you can on that day.

3. Use Your Time Wisely
If you want to be a serious writer, you must treat your hobby like a business. Don’t wait until the house is spotless and all the chores are done to start your daily writing. You’ll never begin!

You are doing some things now that fill the time you intend to use for writing. What can you eliminate? Now I’m not suggesting you neglect your family. It is important to invest time in those you love and in friendships. People are more important than things. If a friend calls with a problem, don’t tell her she’s interrupting your writing time. Say “no,” however, to anyone who starts a conversation with, “Since you’re a writer and don’t have to go to the office, I’m sure you’ll have time to bake a cake for the PTA, stuff envelopes, or head the new church committee.”

4. Set Writing Goals
What do you want to accomplish in your writing? Dream big, and then break those ambitions into small goals that are specific and achievable. I do not recommend that beginners start with books. Writing a book is like eating an elephant, and you don’t want to end up with indigestion. Begin with articles or church school take-home papers.

Writing goals should include three things:
1. They must be specific.
2. They need to be measurable.
3. They must have a time factor.

Perhaps a realistic goal for you would be an article a month. In a year, you would have 12 articles or stories.

Now for those of you who want to write books, at first the thought may seem overwhelming. Lee Roddy is a well-known fiction author and speaker who challenges you to write a page a day. If you do this, in a year you’ll have 365 pages which is about two trade-size books. Of course, that doesn’t include the time needed for editing.

Tips 5-8 will be given next week.

After you have written the first draft of your story, ask yourself these twelve evaluation questions:

1. Do I have a good lead?
2. Is my story or article interesting?
3. Is it significant?
4. Is my story or article marketable?
5. Does it have continuity?
6. Does it make sense?
7. Have I left out any important points?
8. Did I say what I wanted to say?
9. Are my transitions adequate?
10. Did I repeat my thoughts?
11. Did I use complete sentences?
12. Does my ending tie into my beginning?

When you have answered the above questions, go back and look at your outline and theme sentence. Do they need revision? Does your article or story support your outline and theme? If not, you need to change either your theme and outline or your first rough draft. Remember that nothing is set in concrete at this stage.

1. Pack at least two pair of comfortable shoes, preferably flats. You will be walking a great deal—on concrete. It’s not a fashion show!

2. Put your second pair of shoes in your carry-on suitcase with wheels that you will use on the ICRS floor to collect books and catalogs. That way you can change shoes during the day.

3. Bring a large suitcase in which to carry the free books you picked up on the ICRS floor. Shipping them home is very expensive. Be careful not to go over 50 pounds—including your clothes!

4. Bring an umbrella. It rains in St. Louis, and you don’t want to look like a drowned rat!

5. The Crowne Plaza Hotel is 4 to 5 blocks from the convention center, but CBA provides free buses to transport you back and forth from this and the other CBA hotels to the convention center. Bus service starts on Sunday.

6. To get to your hotel from the airport, the Crowne Plaza recommends Go Best Express owned by Go Airport Shuttle. Rates are $21 one-way, or $37 round-trip. You can make reservations in advance at shuttlefare.com, but I don’t think it’s necessary. You can just pick up your luggage at baggage claim and walk out to the shuttle curb. There will be an attendance there to help you. Lots of shuttles will be heading to the convention center hotels. If you book a shuttle ahead, you’ll have to wait for that one. Or you can get a taxi for $30, $2 each additional person, so if you have two or three people this might be cheaper.

7. As far as dress goes, most people dress up for banquets. The dress on the ICRS floor though is casual business. Either dresses or nice slacks are fine. Some people dress up for their signings, but I figure since I’m sitting behind a table, nobody can see my shoes anyway. I’m a firm believer in flats.

Is it to share your story with others? Are you seeking personal growth? Is it a ministry? Is it to make money? Making a living as a freelance writer is extremely difficult. Hopefully, your main purpose for writing is providing a ministry. Personally, I want to change lives and to share something with others that will benefit them.

Thirty years ago when I began writing, I made a commitment to God and to myself that I would write an hour every day. I started writing Sunday school take-home papers. Now I have published 30 books.

Decide what time commitment you are willing to make. Be aware that you can't wait until everything else is taken care of to start writing. Writing must become a priority, and it is demanding. Other things may have to be sacrificed. You must give up something you are doing now in order to gain the hours you plan to devote to writing.

The important thing is to set aside a certain amount of time to perfect your craft. You can either designate large blocks of time if you have them, or you can write for a few minutes a day. However, you must be committed to whatever time you set aside, and it must be quality time. Also, you need to find a quiet place, free from interruption. It helps if you can write at the same time every day, too.

Always pray for God's guidance before you start writing. We must listen to God and submit to His will before we can start writing for Him effectively.

Does your church have anyone who has done something out of the ordinary? If so, write an interview article about that individual. What about special programs and activities? Perhaps your church sponsors a soup kitchen, a Special Olympic program, or concerts at the park. Church staffs are always looking for articles regarding new outreach programs.

Another place to glean ideas is from your pastor’s sermons. For years I was blessed to be pastored by Chuck Swindoll. I was careful not to take the essence of his sermon, for that would be plagiarism. Plus, his books are taken from his sermons. However, I would hear a sentence or phrase that would trigger an idea of my own, and I would jot down just enough words so I could write a devotional or article when I had some free time.

Your Community

When you are reading your local newspaper, watch for interesting people to interview. A word of warning though: Don’t contact individuals too close to a tragedy. Allow time for healing.

Keep an eye out for special events and current events as well as for interesting people. The newspaper is a wonderful source for fictional stories, too. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

As well as searching through your newspaper, you can find ideas in magazines, from radio shows and news briefs, and from television. Documentaries provide a great deal of background for stories and articles, too.

Your World

Anniversaries of historical events bring to mind past happenings and special people who are worth writing about today. Study historical figures and see which ones were Christians. Show how they demonstrated good ethics and values through the choices they made in life.

Landmarks provide another avenue for vicariously transporting the reader to a place he might not visit. Perhaps you can use a landmark as a metaphor in a story. I once wrote a devotional about walking to a lighthouse. I used its beacon as something I wanted to imitate in my own life, so that Christ’s love would shine brightly through me.

I keep a tablet and pen on the table where I do my morning devotionals. Often Scripture will trigger an idea for a devotional or a short anecdote. I jot down enough information so that I don’t forget the idea, and then I return to my devotions. I do the same thing when I am reading books, magazines, and newsletters. I’ve even been inspired by advertisements in the newspaper and on TV. Conferences and speeches are also good sources for triggering ideas in our minds.

Sometimes inspiration comes in the middle of the night. I think that happens because our subconscious works best when we are quiet. Plus, it’s been my experience that God doesn’t speak very loud, and if I’m talking or busy with activities, sometimes I don’t hear Him. Yet, in the middle of the night, He often speaks through my mind. I’ve learned to get up and jot down the essence of the thought. If I don’t, sadly it is gone by morning—never to be recovered again.

Anywhere you go and anything you do can provide ideas for writing. That is why I keep a small tablet and pen in my purse at all times. When an idea strikes, I can easily record the necessary information.

You can also draw on the experiences of friends and family members for articles and stories to write. Look around your church for interesting people and unique ministries. Check out your local newspaper, your community, and current world events for even more ideas.  This is Part 2 of a three-part series.

Friends and Family

We can draw upon the experiences of our family and friends by interviewing them, and of course, we can draw upon our experiences with them for more ideas. Two people involved in an incident opens the door for dialogue, and nothing moves a story along better than a conversation.

Does your grandmother have a familiar saying that has shaped your life? If so, pass her words of wisdom onto others. Has she led an interesting life that you can capture on paper so her loved ones will have it long after she is gone. What a special legacy to pass on. I regret that my grandmother died before I had a chance to get her story down on paper. She escaped from Mexicoduring a revolution, and if I only had more information I could write a fascinating true story in her memory.

You may have a friend with a totally different viewpoint than your own on a subject. Write a heated debate in dialogue, showing both sides of the situation and voicing both opinions.

Perhaps the story you have in mind contains sensitive information. You never want to hurt your friends and family members with articles that you write, so it is important to handle these situations delicately. You can do one of three things in this instance:

1. You can change the name of the person and the place the incident occurred. This may also entail changing the time of the event. I did this in a devotional I wrote about a girl who tried to commit suicide. I didn’t want her or anyone who knew her to recognize the incident so I changed her name and placed the incident three years before it occurred.

2. You can change your name and write the article under a pseudonym. In this case you would also change the main character’s name and some of the circumstances. I find ideas for names in my telephone directory.

3. You can write a fictional story regarding the incident. Again make sure you change enough of the information so that your friends and family members don’t recognize themselves and feel as if they are part of a soap opera. The nice thing about fiction is you can take the essence of the story and craft it in a way that the reader gains the maximum benefit from the point you are trying to make. You are not hindered by facts.

In many cultures traditions are passed down from generation to generation. If you have such heirlooms make sure that you capture them on paper. Who were your ancestors? How do they affect your life today and the lives of your family members?

You can draw on your own experiences or those of friends and family members for articles and stories to write. Look around your church for interesting people and unique ministries. Check out your local newspaper, your community, and current world events for even more ideas. This is Part 1 of a three-part series.

Yourself

The best place to find ideas for articles, stories, and devotionals to write is to look at yourself. What have you experienced that will interest others?

You can draw upon past and present events or lessons you have learned. You can state your opinions in something like an op-ed piece or a letter to the editor in your local newspaper or a national magazine.

Have you learned a lesson in coping with a problem or difficult circumstances? Perhaps others can benefit from the road you have walked. A word of caution though: make sure you are healed before you begin writing, or your anger and unresolved feelings will come out. If you bleed all over the page, no one will benefit. Consider your hopes and dreams. Share them to encourage others in your personal experience articles.

Do you have any interesting hobbies that others can learn about. Often people’s busy schedules or their budgets won’t allow them to attend classes. You can be their classroom teacher and show them how to do or make something through a how-to article.

If you keep a journal, some of your entries may provide interesting slices of daily life. If you can write about the mundane in an exciting, humorous way, you will entertain your audience well. Be aware, however, that many of the things in your journal are meant for your eyes only, and others will not benefit in any way from reading about them. Learn to discern what will interest others and what will not.

Sometimes our childhood memories provide interesting anecdotes. Again, be careful that what you experienced is relevant to today’s audience.

Often events that happen in the workplace or while you are doing volunteer work provide excellent fodder for stories. One student of mine wrote about her work at a local rescue mission. Another worked at a preschool, and another volunteered her time at a home for unwed mothers. All of these experiences provided excellent material for stories.

Also, be sure to keep a journal when you travel. You never know what interesting situation you might encounter. Readers love to go on adventures to cities and countries where they will never travel. They can live vicariously through your exciting adventures, benefiting from the lessons you learned along the way if you make your story realistic.

Some of the incidents in your life will make excellent personal experience stories. Others might give you ideas for fictional stories. Fiction comes to life when it is based on a true story.