Wow, wow, wow. What a year! I made a few posts on my social media accounts, but I wanted to share them here on my blog for anyone who may have missed the updates.
Here goes...
Whew. So that was my "sappy and a little cheesy" post. At the beginning of 2022, I decided I wanted to make a collage to help remember the journey. I think sometimes as writers we can feel a little bogged down or lost at times. Rejections can be disheartening. Waiting can be difficult. And let's face it, we all feel discouraged sometimes. So, I wanted to make sure that this year I wrote down all my accomplishments and saved them. That way, whenever I was having a day that I was dealing with imposter syndrome, I could go and look at my list of happy moments and achievements. Every step counts!
So, if you are a writer, pre-published or currently published, I encourage you to do the same! This made me feel so good and I wanted to share it with you.
Also, if you have done something like this or have a positive comment or achievement you reached this year, I would love to hear about it in the comments below! Feel free to link your website or social media as well so that others can take a peek.
I think the one thing that has truly benefited me more than anything this entire year is finding my writing community and fully emersing myself in it. It makes such a difference to have friends who can encourage you and understand what you're going through on this journey. We all learn and grow from eachother, so please please share anything you'd like below! I would love to hear from you.
P.S. Another thing I did this year that I heard from another writer in a conference, and I loved the idea so much, was I got myself a jar and labeled it "positive comments" and every time someone told me something positive about my writing, I wrote it down and placed it in the jar. That helped pick me up and motivate me so much throughout the year! If you can, I suggest doing this too!
And now, without further ado, *drum rolllllllll* Chelsea's 2022 stats and inspirational photo collage of tiny victories!
My 2022 stats:
Groups joined: 6
Conferences/workshops/webinars attended: 9
Events participated in: 21
Books written: 28
Revisions made: 63
Critiques given: 64
Submissions/queries sent: 55
Wonderful connections made: too many to count!
#writingcommunity #2022 #progress #endofyear
January-Februar
March-April
may-june
july-august
september-october
november-december
Moral of the story: "It's not the destination, it's the journey."
Enjoy your journey! Celebrate every small victory! Learn from every small setback.
And KEEP. ON. WRITING!
ARE YOU NEW TO WRITING?
If you are new to writing and looking for some great places to start making connections and building your craft, here is a list of just a *few* groups & events I recommend looking into.
Events & Contests
Zidlit Zombie WeekFall Writing FrenzyStorystormKidLitPitKidlit411
Groups & Community
Julie Hedlund's 12x12 Challenge (membership fee)
SCBWI (membership fee)
IBPA (membership fee)
Storyteller Academy (membership fee)
Children's Book Academy (membership fee)
Remember, you don't have to join every group and participating doesn't always cost money. You can be a writer on a budget. Just make sure you stay active and find your community! Personally, my favorite group has been Julie Hedlund's 12x12 group. It's PACKED with resources, webinars, videoes, links to upcoming events *many contests that are free* and it's a great community! And it's where I met my amazing critique partners, who have been invaluable to my growth!
By the way... one of my amazing critique partners, Terri Clemmons, has her debut picture book coming out in Spring of 2024, Mara Hears in Style. You can find out more on her website.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this helpful! Don't forget to share your positive achievements below. Or, just some goals you might have for 2023!
Anne-Geri’ (“Angie”) and her extremely cool husband David love laughing with friends so hard that beverage comes out of their noses. Her mission experience extends from her birthplace of New Zealand to all over the world, but her primary work is in Honduras, where she has co-directed youth camps and led short-term mission teams for over 20 years. She is a little bit of a hippie who enjoys her large organic garden and a good cup of hot tea after a hearty hike in the mountains. Her favorite animal is the donkey because when it brays, it reminds her that even on her best day as a human being, she sounds pretty ridiculous compared to her great God. Angie is a blogger and a High School Spanish teacher and often teaches Religion courses at the university level. She is fluent in Spanish and dangerous in German, but her Klingon is hopeless.
A little background on my relationship with Angie:
Angie and I have the pleasure of working together in the library, and we both share a passion for writing. It’s always wonderful connecting with other writers, and working with them in person is even cooler!
Fun fact about Angie: not only can she rocks hats like no one I’ve ever seen, but she’s a really awesome and knowledgeable lady, so working with her is an extra treat. So, let’s dive right into the interview.
Angie, what is your favorite genre to read? And does this inspire your own writing?
I love a good mystery; I haven’t written a mystery … yet. It’s in the works! However …
Mysteries have always been one of my favorite genres, both to read and write. I love the suspense and excitement that comes with trying to solve a good mystery. It’s also fun to try and come up with new and interesting puzzles for my readers to solve. Writing mysteries is a great way to exercise your imagination and creativity. Mystery was the inspiration for The Scripture Scout Christian Resources ... where one takes up a magnifying glass and, like Sherlock Holmes, discovers the footprints of Jesus in every part of the word of God ... even in Genesis. Our “mascot” is a magnifying glass and a Bible. But more on that later …
At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a writer? Was it something you always enjoyed doing, or did you find your passion later in life?
When I was younger, writing seemed to come naturally, and it made me happy. It didn’t matter if anyone else liked my work or not - all that mattered is getting those words on paper!
Can you tell us briefly about the books you have published and what inspired them?
My first book was published by Thomas Nelson publishing in 2006. I wrote it with an old college friend and later colleague, Greg Taylor. From his missionary experience in Africa and mine as a regular short-term trip leader to Honduras, we pulled our sources together to write a self-help nonfiction work, This resource was inspired by both of us having gone on mission trips (and brought teams) where things didn’t go according to plan because of poor preparation. This largely happens when teams are not properly ready to work cross-culturally in another culture’s land...but now there is hope! “How to Get Ready for Short-Term Missions” was the very first book of its kind.
How long did it take you to write your books? And what made you decide to go the indie publishing route vs. traditional publication?
I remember giving each other deadlines, and it came together through editing back and forth over a few months, I believe. That was when you had to pitch to a publisher who decided they liked you. And so, as I had prepared other works and found that the indie route was more successful. The process has since become simpler (and oftentimes financially rewarding) for those who wish to take on their own projects with minimal help from a big company!
Can you tell us the pros and cons you’ve faced on your self-publishing journey?
PROS: I would say creative control and less waiting around for your book to be “seen.”CONS: The only way to get visibility is to “know” people or actually KNOW HOW to DIY on the world wide web and online marketplace.
If you could give one piece of advice to other indie authors, what would it be?
Start with a blog/website and build a fan base, give freebies, then start sharing your products when you know they trust you and your resources.
We already know that when you aren’t writing, you’re working in the library, but what other work do you do and hobbies do you have? Do you have any other creative passions we don’t know about?
Writing pretty much IS my hobby AND job! The latest book, SCENT OF PINE, is the outcome of a hobby. The job is building products for THE SCRIPTURE SCOUT CHRISTIAN RESOURCES.www.thescripturescout.com – the hub and base for the three sites you will find there, which include:
“Devotional Discoveries”
“Godspeed Missions”
“The Supercharged Sunday School”
You can subscribe and get loads of freebie at you’re your preferred place and get literally loads of awesome freebies!
Can you tell us something about you that not many people know?
Hmmm… probably these two things:
1. That I have done a LOT of theatre with many different theatre companies in the Nashville area.
2.That most people call me by my given name, Anne-Geri’ – but saying it out loud confuses people when it’s on name tags, so if I have to wear one, it says “Angie.”
Now for some fun questions….
Sweet or salty?
Salty until recently (blood pressure) – now I guess my “secret snack” is ice cream instead of chips! Lol *weeps openly*
Favorite color?
Purple
Warm weather or cold weather?
BOTH! I love seasonal changes.
Coffee or tea? Iced or hot?
Give me a good hot cuppa any day. If you know what a “cuppa” is, you’ll know the answer!
Favorite color?
Oh no, now I’m confused – green? (lol, jk, it’s purple --- I think …)
That was a test... you passed!
Favorite animal?
Cat
Favorite tv show?
Oh, poot, I guess it depends on the genre! I’ll do comedies: Frasier, Only Murders in the Building. and The Vicar of Dibley.
Top five favorite authors/books?
(Yes, I READ every one of these before their works became tv shows or movies)
*doing alphabetical here*
Diana Gabaldon
Martha Grimes
John Irving
J.K. Rowling
Dorothy L. Sayers
If you could teleport anywhere in the world, where would you go first?
Hmm. I’d say either the backyard swing behind my first home in Auckland, New Zealand – because I hear it’s still there (and if possible, under a rainbow) OR the big rock in the river in behind the village of Silin outside of Trujillo, Honduras.
Tell us about your latest writing projects! What are you working on now?
We just released a product for The Scripture Scout Christian Resources under Supercharged Sunday School. It is a year’s worth of Sunday School curriculum that can be used over and over again without repeating itself. For example, a church kids ministry can use the same lesson across the board with all ages. Each teacher uses a different age-appropriate resource from that lesson, and every child in the kids’ ministry, 3rd through 8th grade, gets taught the same thing! It can be found HERE.
Thank you so much, Angie, for sharing with us!
To find out more about Angie, you can visit her website and social media below:
The Scripture Scout Christian Resources can be found on all of your favorite social networks, but these are preferred by our company:
MIGHTY NETWORKS*
PINTEREST*
Are you an author, illustrator, or any other member of the writing community looking to share some of what you do with others? Contact me below for details on upcoming FEATURE INTERVIEWS.
