AND THE AUTHOR SAID . . .

“For the true writer, each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment. He should always try for something that has never been done or that others have tried and failed. Then sometimes, with great luck, he will succeed. How simple the writing of literature would be if it were only necessary to write in another way what has been well written. It is because we have had such great writers in the the past that a writer is driven far out past where he can go, out to where no one can help him.”

--Ernest Hemingway, in recorded address, accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature, 1954

PERMISSION

Asking permission to use the text or art from a copyrighted source. If you are quoting from other published sources within your article or book, the question is whether or not you are required to ask permission—or is giving credit to the author enough? It all comes down to whether the quote falls under fair use. (See fair use for what qualifies.) Generally speaking, if the quote is brief and simply supports your premise, then you don't have to ask permission. However, if it draws a basic or important premise from the other book, you will need to ask permission to use it.

Be especially careful of using material that shows up on the internet as “anonymous.” Do not assume that it is actually anonymous, as after being forwarded and copied any number of times, the author's name may have been dropped along the way. Do your own research to verify whether or not the material is actually anonymous. The same is true for printed material appearing as anonymous.

For answers to all your questions about when and how to obtain permission, go to: http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html.

NY TIMES CHRISTIAN BEST SELLERS

THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES by Gary Chapman (Northfield/Moody) is #1 in Relationships; #2 in Advice, How-To & Misc.

FERVENT by Priscilla Shirer (B&H) is #4 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith; and #15 in Advice, How-To & Misc.

THE WAIT by DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good with Tim Vandehey (Howard Books) is #5 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith; #6 in Relationships.

THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN by Gary D. Chapman and Ross Campbell (Northfield/Moody) is #6 in Family.

I SAID YES by Emily Maynard Johnson (Thomas Nelson) is #8 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.

BOUNDARIES by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (Zondervan) is #9 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.

CATCH A STAR by Tamika Catchings with Ken Petersen (Revell) is #9 in Sports.

IMAGINE HEAVEN by John Burke (Baker Books) is #10 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.

UNASHAMED by Lecrae Moore (B&H) is #19 in Hardcover NonFiction.

 

CHANGES AT ALIVE LITERARY AGENCY

Rick Christian, President of Alive Literary Agency, announced today his move into a new role as Founder and Chief Executive Officer and the appointment of agents Bryan Norman and Lisa Jackson as President and Executive Vice President, respectively. “We’ve been working on our transition plan for the past year, and both Bryan and Lisa are extraordinary talents who can shepherd Alive and our elite roster of authors and industry relationships for decades ahead,” said Christian, 62. In addition to Norman and Jackson, Alive’s leadership team consists of long-time CFO Sonya Stricklin and Agent Andrea Heinecke, who will become an officer on Alive’s Board of Directors.

OFFICE SET-UP

Every writer needs an office, or at least an area set aside where they can go to do their work. Although lap-top computers make it possible to work anywhere, it helps to have a designated place where you are psychologically prepared to go to work. An office can be in your home or at an outside location. Your office space should include the following: (1) A desk-top or lap-top computer; (2) a desk or work table; (3) a comfortable desk chair; (4) a printer; (5) telephone or cell-phone; (6) office supplies (paper, envelopes, file folders, ink cartridges, etc.) (7) postal scale and stamps, or access to an online postage program, such as Stamps.com; (8) book shelves and a filing cabinet; (9) a library of how-to books for writers. (See book list in appendix). You will also want business cards, and possibly letter-head stationery (although you can create your own on your computer). For additional instructions on how to set up your office, go to: http://www.ehow.com/how_4744666_set-up-writers-office.html.

NAMING CHARACTERS

Selecting appropriate character names is as important as developing well-rounded characters. (1) Names must be appropriate for the time and the culture in which the story is set. Even people from different regions of the United States will have different common names. Do your research. (2) Don't pick names that are so unusual that they are a distraction to the reader. (3) Avoid names that are hard to pronounce, causing readers to stumble over them. (4) Avoid using names that are so much alike that the readers will have a problem keeping the characters straight. (5) You'll want the names to fit the characters. Romeo and Juliette would never be quite as memorable if they had been called Butch and Gertrude. A name-your-baby book is a good source of names for your characters. Look for one that gives the country of origin, if you have characters with roots in foreign countries. For another list of rules for naming characters, go to: http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-7-rules-of-picking-names-for-fictional-characters.

SPEAKING TIP OF THE DAY

Nerves can cause your voice to come across high and squeaky.

Be conscience of that and work at lowering your voice.