MySpace/My God/My Book

Okay, haven't blogged in a while because I am now on MySpace. The person who said they would never get on myspace finally took the plunge. Now I must admit my addiction to this website. I have found old friends and some new friends on there. Even added some awesome authors on there, which I know will help me network with them from a virtual standpoint.

Well anyway, an update on the book. Drum Roll Please............................
I have my book title!! But first let me tell you how it happened. Let me testify for a minute: I had given consideration to several titles. I probably came up with 7 or 8 and every time I heard a song or read something, I would consider some of the words for my title. One title kept sticking out in my mind and I renamed my outline and started working with it, but I still wasn't quite sure about it. So I did what all Christians do...I prayed about it.

I was ready to put a title on my project, so I asked God to confirm it. I sat at my desk at work and I prayed and asked God to give me a sign. Well within five minutes, I read the words in a book. Then the admin. asst. in my area said the words, then I read them again in a different passage and I just kept hearing it. I was like, okay God, I got it. But the All-knowing One knew I wasn't 100% convinced. So He kept showing it to me in words, and I kept hearing people say it. The exact words were brought to me so many times that I knew it had to be those words. Then it was all confirmed when I asked my fellow writer friend what she thought. You see, God had confirmed it already, but I wanted to make sure I didn't need to add this one word to it. Why do we always try to take over when God already knows what's best for us? We'll discuss that in another blog. So anyway, I asked my writer friend her opinion of the two titles and she totally confirmed it for the final time for me what God had been telling me the whole time.


My first Christian Fiction Novel is titled......Back and Forth by Fon James! I am still working on finishing the manuscript, but I am so proud that my "baby" now has a name!!!!!

More details and excerpts on the book coming soon!

"If we keep climbing, we will eventually reach the top!"

Be Blessed Indeed,
Fon

Delaying Your Blessing

Well today I want to just blog about delaying your blessing. As I am writing this book, sometimes I just don't feel like writing. I go home, cook dinner, eat, watch TV and just decide that I will write tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes and I do the same thing. After a few days of repitition, I get mad and I give myself an unrealistic deadline as a way to catch up. Then I pray and ask God to help me and give me strength to work on this novel. All I am saying is sometimes God give us what we need, and we still are too lazy to just do it. I mean how far have I delayed my blessing of being an author simply because I didn't feel like writing. I know many authors who struggle with discipline in the craft, and it's such an awesome feeling to reach that plateau of completion (I guess, since I am not there yet), but it has to feel awesome, just like completing any other task you've struggleed with.

So today is a new day, another opportunity to do God's will in your life; whether its writing a book, joining a ministry at church, starting your business, expanding your product offerings of your exisiting business, quitting your job to step out on faith for a new adventure, moving to a new city, or whatever it is...the time is now. We know what we need to do and we know God will give us everything we need to do it...we just have to do it and end the delay on that sho-nuff blessing that is coming your way...just stop the delay and get it done TODAY! Your blessing is waiting on you.

In the words of Larry the Cable Guy:"Get'er done"


Be Blessed,
Fon

Trying to stay focused

Okay, so I created my new blog and I was all sooooo excited. Now of course I haven't gotten any comments on my blog yet, but that's okay. I really haven't publicized it to the masses.

Anyway, moving on to the topic at hand. It has been a real beast trying to stay focused and write everyday. I always let other things like chores, work, and pure laziness/procrastination stop me from doing what I know I need to be doing. I say to myself, "Self. You have got to do better. This story ain't gone write itself. And the quicker you write it, the quicker you can get it to the intended reader. I know this story is meant for someone or someone(s) and it's up to me to get it done.

Sometimes I feel really good about writing and sometimes and I just feel good about the thought of writing. I know that I have a talent for writing, but I let the fact that I am new author slow me down into thinking I need more training. So what do I do? I read other writer's book with the notion that I am "in training." But in all honesty, I am just "in true procrastination." I know my problem and I admit wholeheartedly, but I know that God can help me through this situation. So I pray every night that God give the strength to finish my writing project and that He gives me the words to say.

Now I know that I am praying for God to give me the words to say, but I am missing them by procrastinating? Yep! And since I know this information, does it make me stop proscrastinating? Sometimes.

I have always beens a pressure writer. What do you mean by that you ask? Well, I always "think" that I write better under pressure, but in actuality I am a forced writer. I write when I am forced to. And I have a hard time being hard on myself or forcing myself to do anything. I don't have any true consequences other than not getting the book finished. Oh well, right? WRONG! I have to get the book finished because someone is waiting on it. That intended reader that I mentioned above is out there waiting on this book so that it can help them learn how to forgive. Yes this book is about forgiveness. Forgiveness from God and forgiveness toward others. So the fact that I don't have anyone forcing me to finish at a certain time, gives me the false liberty that I have all the time in the world...but I know I don't. My goal is to have this book done by year end! And of course breaking that goal down into smaller bites, my more immediate goal is to have the 1st draft done by end of first quarter, which is March 31st. And today is....oh my goodness, let me get to writing. I don't have much time left!

Until next blog, remember don't procrastinate. You are only delaying the blessing that God has in store for you...and that goes for me too!

Fon

Let me catch you up!

Hello everyone,
Welcome to my blog site. I am so excited to be blogging, finally! Well, just to catch you up on where I am with my first novel. I started writing this novel in September 2006. I previously started writing another novel, but it wasn't Christian Fiction so of course I couldn't get the thing off the ground. Then I started praying and asking God to show me what he wanted me to write about and that's when it happened, He gave me this novel. And I am depending on Him daily to keep giving it to me because of course God didn't give me the entire novel that day! But I know He wants me to depend on Him throughout this process so giving me the novel that day might not have allowed me to "chat" with Him about it daily. God loves for us to "chat" with Him daily. When was the last time you talked to Him?

So fast forward to today...I recently finished revising my outline. A good author friend of mine, Stephanie Perry Moore (See Fon's Favs to check out her website!) helped me gain new direction for my outline. Now of course this is my first book, so I have tons of stuff to learn! But I never really liked outlining before I started writing, so my initial approach didn't quite get it done. So shouts-out to my soror and friend Stephanie for helping me on that front.

Now that I have refined the outline and I know where I am going, I have to start rewriting a couple of areas. You see, I was writing using my original outline, but now that I have refined it, I have to go back. Plus with Stephanie's help, I realized that my chapters sizes were all different...and I learned that you just can't have that kind of inconsistency. I've also been playing around with several titles. We'll discuss that in future blogs...

So now you're caught up on my journey! I know this is going to be a challenge, but I am up for it because I know that I can do all things through Christ...He really does strengthen me. I just gotta work on being more disciplined in my writing...so yall pray for me!

Until next blog...