Tuesday, November 23, 2010

$25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card Giveaway!

As a thank you to all of my readers, I am holding a holiday giveaway. The winner will receive a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble, for themselves or as a gift to someone for Christmas.

This giveaway is open to anyone in the US. I will choose someone randomly through random.org on December 4th at 12am EST (early morning), and the winner will have three days to reply before a new winner is selected.


To Enter:

You must be a follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect.
Comment on this post with your email address (__ at __ dot __), and include any bonus entries if you'd like (below).

*Also, please do not unfollow (or unlike, etc.) once the giveaway is closed.

Bonus Entries:
  1. Follow me on Twitter. +1
  2. Subscribe to my blog via email. +1
  3. Add me as a friend on Facebook, OR "like" this blog (at the top of this page). +1
  4. Tweet about this giveaway and tag me @tessaemily. +1
  5. Add my button to your blog. +3
  6. Post a link to this giveaway on your blog (be sure to include the link). +3

Good luck to everyone, and I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

*Comments are now closed

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Devotion: Being Thankful, Not Just On Thanksgiving



Every Thanksgiving (and Christmas for that matter), each member of my family takes turns saying what we are thankful for. Of course, this is a great tradition. But why is it that we only think about what we're thankful for during the holidays? Instead of using this as a tradition, why not do this all throughout the year? I've found that living with a grateful heart makes life a whole lot easier. God continues to give us gifts throughout each day, so instead of complaining about what we don't have, why not look at what God has given us? Notice, these gifts aren't always in material form. Look outside of your window. God paints a sunrise for you every morning, a sunset every evening. Thanking Him even when things look rough brings out the beauty in life.


"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
~Philippians 4:8


If you can't be thankful for what you have, at least be thankful for what you don't have. Outlook always determines outcome.

I know that it's a little too early to be thinking about New Year's resolutions, but why not strive to be more thankful in 2011 instead of making it only an annual 'tradition'?


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What are you thankful for?
Are there any special holiday traditions you and your family do each year to celebrate Thanksgiving/Christmas?


(PS: I will be holding a holiday giveaway in a few days. Be sure to keep checking my blog so you can enter for your chance to win a gift card to Barnes & Noble!)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Thursday's Thought: Are Writing Softwares Useful?


There are several writing softwares that many authors, screenwriters, and comic book writers use to construct their stories. Popular ones include Scrivener, yWriter, and NewNovelist. Although these softwares have fairly good reviews, is it worth the cost when you can use Microsoft Word to write your novel for free?


Recently I downloaded the free trial of Scrivener, and so far I like it for many reasons - one reason is because it helps with organizing your thoughts. You can separate your chapters, scenes, outlines, etc. into different folders and sections along the side of the screen. I also love how you can maximize the software, which gives you the entire screen to write your novel. This is a great advantage, since Microsoft Word doesn't allow you to maximize it on the Mac. Overall, I believe that if you are an unorganized writer (like myself), buying one of these softwares may not be a bad idea.


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What do you think?
Have you used a writing software before?
Which one is your favorite, and do they really make writing easier?

Monday, November 15, 2010

Teen Writer's Part 3: The Advantages


As I mentioned in last week's post on teen writer's, I believe that for me the advantages of being a teen author outweigh the disadvantages. Here are a few reasons why it was my dream to pursue writing as a teen in spite of the cons:
  • People often suggest to write what you know. For example, if you are writing about someone going through an abusive relationship, the emotions would seem more real to you if you had gone through one yourself. It would be a lot easier to write about a certain historic time period if you actually lived in that era instead of having to rely on research, wouldn't it? Research is a good thing, but experience is best. Although adults were at one time teenagers themselves, let's face it - it's different now than it was then. Sure, some of the struggles may still be the same, but the times have changed. Although there are some really great YA authors presently, there are still many YA books that don't feel "real". These books seem as if they were written from an adult's viewpoint of a teenager's life. However, teens have an "inside look" on youth, so we'll most likely be able to connect with our readers on a deeper level than many adults who write YA. For instance, it's been easy for me to establish my writing voice in the YA fiction book that I am working on right now. Why? Because, I'm a teenager. It's that simple. Writing in the young adult genre is most likely going to be believable as well as genuine if you are actually a teenager.
  • We will have an early start in our career. Many of those who dream of becoming an author "when they grow up" don't find their name in print sometimes until late in their adult years, if ever. Does it hurt getting a jump-start? The possibilities are endless. As I mentioned in part one of Teen Writer's, why wait when you can begin now?
  • As teenagers, we already have the ability and influence to reach out to the youth. I recently read a book "Do Hard Things" by 19-year-olds Alex and Brett Harris where they discussed how important it is that we don't sit around and watch our youth pass by when we have the power to change it now. You never know when the Lord will return. No, I'm not saying we should hurry and do everything on our 'bucket list' immediately while we're still young. But teenagers need to hear about God. Who best to reach out and understand teenagers than another teenager?

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Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3 Summary: With God on your side, there's no better time to pursue your dreams than in your youth (Eccl. 11:9). Many people may try to discourage you, saying that "you're too young" and "inexperienced" - but notice that in the Bible God often used the young and the weak ones to prove His power. However, you're not in a race. God may want you to enjoy your youth without having to be busy with a time-consuming career. But that doesn't mean you can't start developing your craft. Prepare yourself now! Especially if you feel as if God has put the passion in you to write, then don't procrastinate. As teenage writers, we have power to reach our broken youth and a lot of time to get a head-start in our career. Why wait?

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Thursday's Thought: Do Giveaways Bring More Traffic To Your Blog?

Now that the holiday season is approaching, many blogs are offering Christmas giveaways. Some of these include Christmas books, movies, music, various gifts, as well as festive decorations for the house. I've heard that holding giveaways can increase your blog traffic since people love entering them - however, is it worth the time, effort and expense that's put into it?

I've never held one of my own before, only because it seems a difficult task. I'm sure that it's not too bad, though. Besides, many of the blogs that do hold giveaways seem to be more popular than those that don't.


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What do you think?
Have you held giveaways before, and were they worth it?
Is it a good idea to hold a holiday giveaway?

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Teen Writer's Part 2: The Disadvantages



Last week I discussed why I believe teenagers shouldn't wait to pursue their writing dream. In this post I'll talk about the possible disadvantages of being a teen author.

Not every dream is going to be as glamorous as you've imagined. Writing is a commitment. It involves a big chunk of time out of your daily life just to sit down at the computer and write. Of course, this sounds exciting for me, since I've always been one who loves finding a quiet place to tap away on my keyboard. But just like any other commitment, there are things you should think about before pursuing writing at a young age. Here are just a few that you may want to take into consideration:

  • Unless you're as successful as Nicholas Sparks, the chances of your books bringing you fame and fortune are not very likely. According to author Jody Hedlund's recent post, an average writer will earn more as a greeter at Wal-Mart than from writing. So if you're hoping to be a teen author just so you can have of money, you may want to re-think this.
  • Writing is a hobby - but being an author is a job. It's not only about writing a book and finding a publisher to publish it. You will need to go through the long and dreary editing process with your editor, establish social networking with other writers (which is a form of promotion), and also market your book. Not only will you have school deadlines, but you will have deadlines with your book, too.
  • If you're hoping to publish before you graduate high school, keep in mind that you will be sacrificing a lot of your high school experiences. This is no problem for me. I'd rather begin ministering to people through my writing while I'm still young. But if you are a social butterfly (unlike myself), then you may want to wait a while before beginning your writing career. I have had to cancel plans with my friends before because there was too much writing that had to be done. However, you may be able to manage both the teenage and the author lifestyles - but some people may prefer to enjoy their youth while they can without having to worry about a career. And that's fine. God has a different plan for everyone, and you're only a teen once.
  • Not everyone is going to be nice. What I mean is, there will be people who will give you harsh critiques. Some of these will be from people who are in the industry, and others will be from random people who voice their opinion on Amazon reviews. In writing, you will be rejected. You will be critiqued. Not everyone is going to like your work. This is one of the reasons why many adults think that teenagers should stay away from being published until they've developed a "thick enough skin" for rejection. To be honest, I don't think we will handle rejection very well even after we are adults. However, you may want to let God allow you to mature a little longer before getting involved in such a ruthless industry.
For me, the advantages of being a teen author completely outweigh the disadvantages. It's worth the time, sacrifice, rejection, and stress. Besides, all of the work will eventually pay off when that first published book is in your hands. If you feel discouraged about pursuing this craft but still don't want to wait, keep in mind that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).


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If you are out of high school, what is your opinion? Do you think teenagers should get a jump start on writing as a career, or wait? What are some other possible disadvantages of being a teen author?