So, (I realize you should not start a sentence with so, but this is necessary. Oh. Not but either. However? Nope, not that one either.) Let me start again. :)
I’ve recently worked with some writers who are newbies. It’s so refreshing to work with those who are just beginning. Their enthusiasm rubs off and it, if I’m honest, it’s like a sweet balm to my heart. I love listening to their aspirations, dreams, and desires as a writer. They’re excited and everything they do exudes excitement.
They attend conferences filled with excitement and dreams and then...it hits. Reality. Part of our jobs as faculty at a conference is to offer encouragement, direction, and assistance to new writers. We want them to understand that within this business, (or at least the Christian end of it), there is room for everyone.
Faculty members spend hours in preparation, study, and doing critiques as we ready ourselves for the next conference. When we meet with a conferee who has a particularly unique piece of work, we may ask, “Send me that work. Let me take a closer look.” And all we hear are crickets.
I’ve often wondered why. I never missed sending something to an editor or publisher who requested it. But apparently, this is a real issue since at the last conference I attended, I ask for five people to send me their work and here I am, a month out, and NOT ONE PERSON sent me their work.
This is where the so, comes in:
SO, I want to breathe some truths into you about publishing. Take them in, think about them, and then take action where necessary.
Never Look Back
Cindy Sproles
8/2/2024
Words Have Power
Cindy Sproles
7/12/2024
Those Hallmark Holidays
Cindy Sproles
5/12/2024
Deep and Wide or Sick and Tired?
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12/18/2023
What Would Jesus Do?
Cindy Sproles
11/10/2023
Chick, Chick, Chick
Cindy K. Sproles
9/30/2023
In My Inperfections
Cindy K. Sproles
8/27/2023
By the Hair of my Chinny, Chin, Chin
Cindy Sproles
7/21/2023
What Dumb Cluck!
Cindy K. Sproles
6/29/2023
Where to Draw the Line?
Cindy Sproles
4/27/2023
Submit! ME?
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4/14/2023
Why Are People So Mean?
Cindy Sproles
3/30/2023
I'm Getting Old
Cindy K. Sproles
3/3/2023
To Hear or Not to Hear
Cindy Sproles
1/28/2023
Happy New Year, Happy New Year News
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1/9/2023
Happy Neuter Year
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12/31/2022
Facing Reality - Aging Parents, Aging Children
Cindy Sproles
12/30/2022
Word of the Year for 2023
Cindy Sproles
12/24/2022
My Grown Up Christmas List - Three Things to Adulting the Right Way
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12/13/2022
Weebles Wobble but They Don't Fall Down
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12/6/2022
The Man In the Middle
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11/24/2022
Diversity is More Than Color
Cindy K. Sproles
11/14/2022
Love in Motion
Cindy Sproles
11/7/2022
Deadbeat or Deadline
Cindy Sproles
10/31/2022
Backstory - The Reader Doesn't Care!
Cindy Sproles
10/18/2022
The Color of Scared - The Final in Seeking Spiritual Renewal
Cindy Sproles
10/14/2022
The Color of Scared - Second of Three in Seeking Spiritual Freedom from Fear
Cindy Sproles
10/9/2022
The Color of Scared - First of Three in Seeking Spiritual Freedom from Fear
Cindy Sproles
10/3/2022
Fog, Mist, Morning
Cindy Sproles
9/29/2022
From a Rooster to a Hen
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9/24/2022
Writing from the Hip
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9/19/2022
Soggy Scrubby and the Long Goodbye
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9/13/2022
Wramping Up for ACWC
Cindy Sproles
9/10/2022
Rest Not, Want MORE!
Cindy Sproles
9/3/2022
Reality for Me
Cindy Sproles
8/17/2022
The Truth in Publishing
Cindy Sproles
8/11/2022
Beyond
Cindy Sproles
8/4/2022
Working with an Editor
Cindy Sproles
7/7/2022
Two on the Way
Cindy Sproles
2/26/2022
The Party's Overrrrr!
Cindy Sproles
2/22/2022
2022 Encouragement for the Writer
Cindy Sproles
1/4/2022
Every Day is New
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1/1/2022
Beginning Anew (An Eldercare Note)
Cindy Sproles
12/31/2021
Five Ways to Kill Your Publishing Opportunity
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12/30/2021
A Dollar Wisely Spent
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12/28/2021
Silent Night
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12/25/2021
Back Pocket Projects
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12/21/2021
Things are Back on Track - I think!
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12/18/2021
Wonky is Hard
Cindy Sproles
4/25/2021
Present Yourself Approved and Professional
Cindy Sproles
1/28/2021
Integrity - An Authors Valued Trait
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1/8/2021
Homonyms – Did You Sea/See Them Their/There?
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1/8/2021
Writer Self-Care - Welcome 2021
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1/4/2021
Hope in a New Year
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1/1/2021
One More Christmas Thought - Taken from ChristianDevotions.US blog
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12/25/2020
A Christmas Saga - Joy in the Season
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12/24/2020
When Writing Grows Hard
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12/22/2020
Permission to Quit - No Way
Cindy Sproles
12/18/2020
The Power of the Pen
Cindy Sproles
12/15/2020
The Good, The Bad, and the Memoir
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12/11/2020
The Immeasurable Power in You
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12/8/2020
Scratch It Till It Bleeds
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12/5/2020
Closing Up Shop - Renting or Selling Our Parent's Home
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9/5/2020
Humility in Writing
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7/7/2020
Let it Percolate
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7/3/2020
Mentoring - A Wise Choice
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6/29/2020
Divorce My Words?
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6/23/2020
Icy Self-Talk Will Freeze Your Writing
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6/19/2020
The Power in You
Cindy Sproles
6/16/2020
Waiting
Cindy Sproles
6/12/2020
Who Really Sells Your Books
Cindy Sproles
6/9/2020
Social Media When You Aren't Social Media Minded
Cindy Sproles
4/20/2020
What Really Is Important
Cindy Sproles
4/12/2020
In the Midst of Chaos
Cindy Sproles
3/17/2020
The Heart of God
Cindy Sproles
2/14/2020
Writing in a Pickle
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1/30/2020
The Adult Day Care Alternative
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1/23/2020
Social Media Blitz
Cindy Sproles
1/19/2020
The Joys of Aging
Cindy Sproles
12/30/2019
The Reality of Who We Are?
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12/22/2019
Publishing Trends
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11/30/2019
Be Thankful ANYWAY
Cindy Sproles
11/28/2019
Writing Your Mission Statement
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11/19/2019
Perseverance to Write
Cindy
11/16/2019
Common Sense Tips for When You Write
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11/9/2019
The Battle is Fought
Cindy
10/15/2019
Twelve Tidbits of Wisdom from Top Christian Writers
Cindy Sproles
10/5/2019
Pray with Fire
Cindy Sproles
10/3/2019
The Easy In
Cindy Sproles
9/24/2019
The Art of Self-Editing
Cindy Sproles
9/10/2019
Questions, Questions
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9/6/2019
15-Minute Appointments - Important Networking
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9/3/2019
Don't Close Your Eyes - Bob Hostetler
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2/5/2019
Love Your Faculty
Cindy Sproles
10/17/2018
Forging Ahead after Rejection
Cindy Sproles
7/17/2018
cindysproles.com Privacy Policy
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6/4/2018
Closing Up Shop - Guiding Seniors to Letting Go
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4/9/2018
Publishing Naysayers
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3/16/2018
In Prayer - I Write
Cindy Sproles
3/3/2018
Keep Them Reading
Cindy Sproles
1/12/2018
Encouraged - Even When . . .
Cindy Sproles
1/2/2018
Christmas Tears
Cindy Sproles
12/18/2017
Holiday Elder Care - Be an Elder Elf
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11/12/2017
Grateful for a Dream I Didn't Know I Had
Cindy Sproles
11/9/2017
Keep Them Reading
Cindy Sproles
11/1/2017
Chicken Soup for the Soul - Writer Call Out
Cindy Sproles
10/27/2017
Five Ways to Assure Your Work will Find the Slush Pile
Cindy Sproles
10/24/2017
23rd Psalm Revisited
Cindy Sproles
10/21/2017
Contentment in Writing
Cindy Sproles
10/19/2017
5 Common Sense Tips to Better Writing
Cindy Sproles
10/10/2017
Overshadowed
Cindy Sproles
8/21/2017
Chicken Soup for the Soul Callout - Stories about Love
Cindy Sproles
8/21/2017
Five Keys to Overcoming Rejection
Cindy Sproles
8/12/2017
Writing Call Out - Chicken Soup for the Soul
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8/10/2017
When Words of Encouragement Wane
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6/28/2017
Writing Truth with Love
Cindy Sproles
1/13/2017
Oh To Be A Writer
Cindy Sproles
1/4/2017
Why Write?
Cindy Sproles
1/1/2017
Scammed
Cindy Sproles
6/21/2016
The Pain of Unsolicited
Cindy Sproles
3/9/2016
Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage
Cindy Sproles
11/21/2015
Thankful Despite . . .
Cindy Sproles
11/20/2015
Stepping Up to Na-No-Wri-Mo
Cindy Sproles
11/16/2015
The Gift of No Gifts
Cindy Sproles
11/2/2015
Writers Be Encouraged
Cindy Sproles
10/15/2015
Keep ‘Em Reading – It’s the Writer’s Responsibility
Cindy Sproles
8/13/2015
Saying Goodbye
Cindy Sproles
7/17/2015
Overcoming the Fear of Writing Failure
Cindy Sproles
7/8/2015
Making the Move – Home to Assisted Living
Cindy Sproles
6/17/2015
I Kid You Not
Cindy Sproles
6/6/2015
Hearing the Call to Foster – Renee McCausey
Cindy Sproles
1/13/2015
Throw Out the Crutches
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1/10/2015
So You Were Asked to Be A Beta Reader?
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1/10/2015
REJECTIONS – Aaughhh!
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1/5/2015
The Bachelor – Stephanie Reed
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12/14/2014
The Making of a Servant
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11/30/2014
Miracle in a Dry Season Review – Yvonne Lehman
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8/27/2014
Write Anyway
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8/26/2014
World Blog Tour – Catching Up with Cindy Sproles
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7/22/2014
The Progression of Life
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7/17/2014
Instrumental Writing Helps – Aaron Gansky
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7/4/2014
The Question Saga
Cindy Sproles
6/29/2014
Defy the Night – REVIEW
Cindy Sproles
4/28/2014
When the Work is Hard to Do
Cindy Sproles
4/1/2014
My Heart Belongs to Him
Cindy Sproles
2/14/2014
Review of The Vicar’s Wife
Cindy Sproles
2/2/2014
The In on Self Publishing – Part 2
Cindy Sproles
12/29/2013
The In on Self Publishing – Part 1
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12/26/2013
In a Pickle
Cindy Sproles
10/1/2013
Bigger and Better
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9/27/2013
Putting SOCIAL back in Media
Cindy Sproles
8/10/2013
After the Conference Ends…
Cindy Sproles
8/8/2013
Here a Tweak, There a Tweak, Everywhere a Tweak, Tweak
Cindy Sproles
8/2/2013
Can You Hear Me Now?
Cindy Sproles
7/23/2013
Golden Years, Cherished Moments
Cindy Sproles
3/20/2013
Broken Heart Syndrome
Cindy Sproles
9/26/2012
What About Our Elders
Cindy Sproles
8/24/2012
A Minute – A Lifetime
Cindy Sproles
8/10/2012
Water, Water – Who’s Got the Water
Cindy Sproles
7/31/2012