Friday, April 22, 2011

V - Give Me a "V" by Missy Tippens

I'm so excited to have my friend and multi-published author Missy Tippens as a guest today. Please give Missy a warm welcome and leave a comment to be entered to win her book A Family for Faith... I don't have a review for Missy's book yet, but I can tell you the way A Family for Faith begins is absolutely adorable! And I can tell you, Missy's books are always enjoyable and a heartwarming read!)

Give Me a “V”!
By Missy Tippens

When Christy first talked to me about guest blogging with the letter “V,” I told her if nothing else, I could talk about working Very hard. :) But that I would try to come up with something more creative. ;)

So I visited an online dictionary and it gave me to the top V words. Among them were vagabond, vector and volts. But then I smiled when I saw velocity (the speed at which something happens—pretty appropriate for writers), Verb and Vowel. Not so hard to find writing words after all! Another of the top words? VICTORY.

In the business of writing, we have to claim victories along the way or else we’ll be tempted to give up. As I think back to my victories along the way, I see how God was working. I thought I’d share a few…

One of my first victories was when my husband’s aunt, after reading my Christmas letter mailed to the family, told me I had found my voice. “That’s wonderful,” I said. “What’s voice??” :) She was in a Masters of Creative Writing program at the time, and filled me in. I was so thrilled. I had never considered writing until that moment. And it gave me the beginnings of a secret, barely-hoped-for dream. Victory!

I started taking online writing classes and joined organization like Romance Writers of America and Georgia Romance Writers. In two different online classes, the teachers each told me I was good at one of my assignments. Victory!

Along the way I had several setbacks. Terrible contest scores (tied for 35th place out of 36 entries!). Rejections. But then, a critique group I had secretly longed to join asked me to join! (Smiling at Lindi, Meg and Maureen, here.) Victory!

After working through tough critiques that sometimes left me despondent, I improved my craft until I got the nerve to enter another contest. I was a finalist, then won the Laurie. Victory!

I started entering more and more contests. Began to final more often. But I sent a new manuscript and got painful feedback—made all the more painful because I knew the published author was right. I was devastated and decided it was time to throw in the towel. I’d spent way too much or our family money and time on the writing. Thirty minutes later, I got a call that the same manuscript had finaled in the Maggie (and it later won). Though I knew I needed to make changes to the mss as the author had suggested, it was enough encouragement to keep me going. Victory!

I tried different formats. Sent a short story to BelleBooks. And wonder of all wonders, they offered to buy it! My first sale! Victory!

A couple of years later, a manuscript I had given up on at my current publishing house got discovered by a new editorial assistant. After two sets of revisions, she bought it!! Victory!!

And that victory, the culmination of my dream, was almost 12 years after that first email from hubby’s aunt. Since that sale, I’ve had other victories that God has put in my life at just the right moment. Contest finals. A wonderful Agent! More sales. Positive comments and smiley faces on manuscripts just when I need them.

So many things can keep us moving ahead. Friends that encourage us. Professional recognition. Sales. Paychecks. But there are also the daily things that I also count as victories:

Making my daily word count.
Turning in blog posts.
Updating my website.
Making time for my husband and children.
Cooking a half decent meal! :)
Cooking a fully decent meal! Haha
Washing the underwear before someone runs out. (whoo hoo! Aren’t you glad?!)
Meeting my deadlines even if it takes staying up overnight a few times.
Coming up with a new story idea I love.
Surviving the writing of a synopsis without causing bodily harm to myself or anyone else.
Checking items off my to-do list.

I hope you’ll look for the small victories as well as the mile markers to help encourage you on the journey. What can you do each day to move closer to your dream, to your goals? I hope you’ll share some of your recent victories!

Missy






Missy Tippens, 2006 Golden Heart finalist, made her first sale to Steeple Hill Love Inspired in 2007. Her books have since been finalists in the Booksellers Best, ACFW Book of the Year and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Her most recent from Love Inspired, A Family for Faith, was released in April. Visit Missy at www.missytippens.com




 About the Book:
 When Faith Hagin sees widower cop Gabe Reynolds every day in her coffee shop, she can't help but feel for the struggling single dad. She's raised a teenager of her own—and sadly, knows what not to do. But thanks to his matchmaking preteen daughter, Chelsea, the whole town's praying for Gabe to find a wife! Even though Faith thinks she's content being just friends, spending time with him and Chelsea starts to feel like a fresh start at having a family. And their love may be the answer to everyone's prayers.

29 comments:

Lindi said...

Missy! Love this. I feel like I have 'lived' some of the journey with you, but I love hearing it. It is the small victories along the way that keep us going. You write such great books.
And I love your cover.

Don't enter me int the drawing. I already have my copy! LOVE IT!

Dianna Shuford said...

Hey, Missy, fancy meeting you here. Such an insightful post, and so true. I have been finaling in contests, but I can't claim that win yet. I hope to be able to cite that as a victory soon. Writing is such a solitary profession that for me any type of positive comment is a victory because I know where I've come from, and I know that I'm much closer to my dream of being published than I was 5 years ago.

Jackie S. said...

Love learning more about you, Missy. Would love to read your book! I live in GA, also, and although I just won on Christy's blog, I sure would like to win and read yours! Thanks!!
jackie.smith(at)dishmail(dot)net

Missy Tippens said...

Lindi, thanks for always being there along the journey!

Dianna, keep at it! And be sure to claim those finals as victories. Have you entered the Finally A Bride contest? :)

Jackie, thanks for dropping by and entering!

Linda said...

So would love to read this book....I am too single and love reading stories of meeting that right person..someday.
Suffering through a divorce puts up walls but mine are healed and I am ready to meet someone...God is good and he will bring someone special...love reading romance hoping someday my knight in shining armor will appear.

Lynette Eason said...

Missy! AWESOME post! I love to see all of your victories. And I'm thrilled that I was able to share in one of those victories. Your first book and mine releasing the same month. How excited were we? LOL. So excited to read your new book. Hugs,
Lynette

Missy Tippens said...

Solo, I'll be praying for God to bring you Mr. Right!! :)

Missy Tippens said...

I know, Lynette! That was the most fun time ever!

Lynette and I would email back and forth as we went through each step after The Call. Title ideas, art fact sheet, revisions, contract signing... :)

Lynette, we need a writing retreat soon!!

Jane Lathem said...

Missy I love this post. I am sure you are ALWAYS looking for victory...small and large....when it comes to writing. I am so thrilled with the success you have had and since I have not yet gotten a copy of your latest, I would LOVE to win one in this drawing!!!

Vince said...

Hi Missy:

Love the ‘V’!

Valiant! Vivacious! Vibrant! Verdant! Virtuous! Valedictorian! Valor! Viable! Venerable! Vincere (to win; to overcome).

Veni, vidi, vici

Not a bad letter that letter ’V’.

I’m a big believer in ‘victories along the way’ and I think doing this is very important in the writing of romances. Reader’s want your hero and heroine to experience victories along the way – even as the author is making life difficult for them. The heroine’s victory is also the reader’s victory. This adds to the total reading enjoyment.

I have “A Family for Faith”. I’d like someone who has not read it to win it!
Vince

AngBreidenbach said...

Missy, I think you are so right. It's the little victories we need to celebrate. As we begin to see them, they start to form the picture of the path we are on and help us understand what we are here for too.

Love you, your work, and blessed to be your friend.

Angie

squiresj said...

Glad I have you on facebook so I knew you were here today. You need a review of this book, I write them on 7 sites. You are an author I have enjoyed. I didn't know you had not been writing that many years.
I had never heard of the person who's blog you are on so my first visit here.
May God annoint you and use you mightily.
jrs362 at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Hello Missy, Your words are inspirational as well as thought provoking. I like what you had to say. I've not read your writings before, and I'm looking forward to reading A Family for Faith. Thanks for offering your book as a giveaway and for the opportunity to win it. I hope I win.

This certainly the time when we learn about victory in the greatest sense - Christ's resurrection. What glory!

He is Risen, Indeed,
Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

Eva Maria Hamilton said...

Missy, wow! That was a great read :)

Missy Tippens said...

Jane, thanks for stopping by!

Missy Tippens said...

Vince, I thought of your reader rewards as I wrote my last manuscript. :) And yes, those are victories!

Missy Tippens said...

Angie, I'm blessed that you're my friend!

Missy Tippens said...

Jane S., thanks for stopping by! Where all do you do reviews? Do you have a list somewhere?

Missy Tippens said...

Thanks, Barb. And yes! We'll celebrate the biggest victory on Sunday!

Missy Tippens said...

Thanks, Eva!

Christy LaShea said...

Hi everyone! Y'all have had a great chat and I'm sorry I haven't been in on it until now.

Thanks to all who have stopped by. This is a great post, isn't it? So motivating! I need motivation now more than ever!

Keep the comments coming. We'll announce a winner next Thursday, April 28.

rbooth43 said...

Missy! Amazing post!I would love to read this book as years ago, I met that right person and we had 36wonderful years together before his death in 2001.
God Bless you on this Easter weekend!
Rebecca
rbooth43(at)yahoo(dot)com

Missy Tippens said...

Rebecca, I'm sorry for your loss. But you were very blessed to have 36 years!

Amanda Trought said...

This is a very inspiring post, it was great to read, definitely look for the small victories, stepping out every day in faith.

Stay blessed, thanks for posting.

Amanda

Amanda - Realityarts-Creativity
Art Blog

Christy LaShea said...

Rebecca, I ditto what Missy said - you are so fortunate to have had 36 years with him!

Amanda, thanks so much for stopping by here.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Missy Tippens said...

Thank you, Amanda. Glad you liked it.

Katherine A said...

This sounds great. Are you willing to ship to the uk?

Missy Tippens said...

Sure, Katherine! Christy, please enter her as well if you haven't already drawn a winner.

Christy LaShea said...

You're entered Katherine! I'll post the winner Thursday - probably evening as I'm off to my day job now!

Thanks for all who participated and to Missy for blogging here!

Finalist!

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