Category: Katie Ganshert

Yearning

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

 

Writers know this word. We are well-acquainted with it. Because we yearn for so many things.
 
A contest final. An agent. A chance. A contract. We long for our words to be read. For our stories to touch lives. We long for affirmation–that all this time and all this sweat and all these tears will matter. We yearn for our hopes to take shape and grow into something we can hold – like a book.
 
Lately, I’ve been yearning.
 
It has nothing to do with writing. But it still feels the same. That deep-down longing for something that isn’t happening. A heaviness that presses against my heart. An unmet desire. An ache. And sometimes…..or maybe lots of times…a fear.
 
What if this doesn’t happen?
 
You only have to be human to understand that question. Because we all yearn. Each and every one of us. And it’s never comfortable. I have never met a person who enjoys the feeling. I have never heard anyone say, “Man, this is great! Give me some more please.”
 
That’s silly.
 
And yet…
 
There are times, in the quietness of the morning, where I find myself thanking God for the discomfort.
 
Not because I’m such a patient and long-suffering person (my husband is laughing right now). But because the ache draws me closer to Him. The deeper the ache, the tighter I cling. And the tighter I cling, the more I realize something.
 
He’s what I want. He satisfies the yearning.
 
Not the fruition of my dreams. Because dreams beget more dreams. Not getting what I want. Because gifts only stay shiny for so long.
 
But Jesus.
 
It’s about loving Him no matter if He gives me what I’m yearning for or not. It’s about trusting that He has a purpose. And maybe His purpose is better than mine.
 
My latest obsession in music right now is a song called Blessings, by Laura Story. I think it is breathtaking.



What if my greatest disappointments, the aching of this life, is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy? -Laura Story
 
The pain reminds this heart that this is not our home. -Laura Story
 
Don’t you just love those lines? They make me think of yearning in a whole new way.
 
Let’s Talk: What are you yearning for these days?

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Stimulating Conversation

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

There are certain blog posts I don’t just visit, but revisit. Multiple times throughout the day.
Why?
Because somehow, the author started a conversation and it means something to me. I want to see how it plays out. I want to join in.
I don’t know about you, but I love those kinds of posts. I love feeling like a part of a community. I love engaging in a meaningful conversation.
So how do I facilitate conversation on my blog? How do any of us?
It’s something I haven’t figured out yet. Not even close.
But I have made some observations that I thought I could share.
Blog posts that stimulate conversation usually…
  • raise more questions than answers
  • touch on something that people are passionate about
  • are controversial (but I’m not a fan of controversy for controversy’s sake)
  • ask an interesting question at the end
  • don’t wrap everything up nice and neat, but leave some things unsaid

Let’s Talk: What did I leave out? What makes a blog post conversation-worthy to you?

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Phone Call with My Editor

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I’m not going to lie. I was nervous.

I’m not sure why. I’ve talked to her in person at the ACFW conference. She already sent me a welcome-to-the-team email. And we weren’t even going to discuss revisions. We were just going to talk about what I can expect now that I’ve turned in my manuscript.

But I couldn’t help myself. I was nervous. And excited. And since I tend to talk too much when I’m nervous and excited, or tell people I have dreams about them (Hi, Rachelle), I gave myself a pep talk beforehand.

Basically the pep talk went like this: Don’t say anything stupid, Katie.

It worked. I think. At least I didn’t cringe when I hung up. Or blush. Or replay the conversation over and over again, wondering why in the world I said that. The entire experience was very pleasant. My editor has a calmness about her that put me at ease.

So what did we talk about?

Dates! We talked about dates! All kinds of wonderful, glorious dates.

Like my release date (scheduled for May, 2012).

When I can expect my content edit (that’s the big edit).

The due date for the revisions.

When we’ll do line edits.

When we’ll turn the manuscript over to the production team.

And when the ARC (advanced reader copy) will be ready. We’re thinking early fall….which means the cover will be done by then too. And if that’s not crazy, I don’t know what is.

We also talked a bit about marketing – how I’ll get this author questionnaire sometime soon. I’ll eventually have my own publicity contact person. My title may or may not change. It’s never too early to consider who might be willing to endorse my book (scary). And I do have to think about my “brand”. Which I found interesting, in light of recent blog posts.

Having read my work, she already has thoughts on my brand, but she also wants to hear my opinion. She likened the whole brand-thing to comparables in a book proposal. You know. Fans of such-and-such author will enjoy Katie’s work. Pinning that down really helps the marketing department.

She gave me some contact information. We talked a bit about other non-writing related things. And we said goodbye.

I hung up smiling. Big-time smiling.

And totally weirded out (in a good way) that by this fall, the ARC will be ready. Which is basically like a book, only it hasn’t gone through copy edits yet.

Three thoughts from this week:

  • It’s completely normal to feel nervous. My agent said, “Eventually the nervousness will dissipate. You are still new at this!”
  • The publishing journey travels in fits and spurts. I’ve been chilling out, maxing, relaxin’ all cool (Fresh Prince of Belaire style) for the past few months. But come May, things are going to start moving and shaking.
  • Publicity takes a long time – which is why my ARC will come out eight whole months before my book release.

Let’s Talk: How do you feel about book trailers? Effective? Not effective? Any suggestions for a creative alternative? Play any good April Fool’s jokes on anybody today? Sorry, these have nothing to do with my post.

Fun news: His Masterpiece, one of my short stories, is out with CFOM this month. Even MORE exciting is that I’m being published alongside my local writing friend, Nichole Wagner, who wrote A Cup of Heartbreak. I hope you enjoy them both!removetweetmeme