Writing Opportunity

I've recently been approached to get a team of writers together for an exciting new project back by actress/author, Candace Cameron Bure.

Candace starred for eight seasons in the hit ABC television series "Full House" (still syndicated in more than 100 countries) and is now a featured cast member of ABC Family’s popular drama, "Make It or Break It." Her newest book Reshaping It All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness is available for pre-order on Amazon (see below). Candace is also active among several charities and speaks to women nationwide about her faith. She is the mother of three children, and help-meet to her husband Valeri Bure.

We are looking for modern moms with strong values. The audience will consist of many Christian readers as well as non.

We are seeking bloggers who currently write on topics that interest women such as marriage, parenting, health, fitness, diet, organizing, reviews of interest to families, single-moms, crafting and decor, etc. Writers who hold an old-fashioned mindset, will be of particular interest to us.

If you are interested in joining our team, please visit my main webpage at www.darleneschacht.net Leave the URL to your website in the comment section there so that we can consider your writing.

While we appreciate all of you, we are only able to consider a handful of writers that we feel make the best fit. Those writers who do will be contacted shortly with further details.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at: darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

Available on Amazon

I'm so excited. Our book is up at Amazon for pre-order. It's nice to finally have my name on the cover of a traditionally published book!

Candace Cameron Bure first became known to millions as a co-star on the hit ABC television series Full House. Today, like her brother Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains, Fireproof), she is the rare Hollywood actor who is outspoken about her Christian faith and how it helps overcome certain obstacles, like her struggle with food addiction.

Bure’s recent weight loss was featured in US Weekly and People magazines as well as national talk shows including The View and NBC’s Today. In Reshaping It All, she continues the story, inspiring women to embrace a healthier lifestyle by moving faith to the forefront, making wise choices, and finding their worth in the eyes of God. Candace shares a candid account of her struggle with food, and ultimately her healthy outlook on weight despite the toothpick-thin expectations of Hollywood.

More than a testimony, here is a motivational tool that will put readers on the right track and keep them there. In addition to practical advice, Candace offers a biblical perspective on appetite and self control that provides encouragement to women, guiding them toward freedom.

The Hook

Candace Cameron Bure and I had been working on getting a book published for about two years already. We really believed that the writing was good, and with her celebrity status I assumed that getting a contract would be a cake walk, but after two years we realized it wasn't as easy as we had hoped. The missing ingredient: a hook.

We needed a hook for the book that made it different from all other books out there. My first reaction was, "The writing is the hook! The minute the reader opens the book, they'll see how different it is. It's inspiring, it's funny, it's just so good!" But that wasn't enough. First of all it wasn't that good, and secondly even if the writing was incredibly good we were still missing that certain something that made this book different from all the others that line the shelves.

I tried coming up with titles that might be a hook. Tried steering the writing to reach a unique audience. Tried making the book a motivational tool instead of a regular diet book... but in the end, we still lacked a viable hook.

It wasn't until we finally reached the point where we decided to make Candace the hook that the project saw the light of day. Making Candace the hook meant that I had to take a back seat to our co-authoring experience so that she could be front and center. Candace's face would be on the book. Candace would be the main ingredient of the book.

Let's face it. Other than Iris, and Paula (thanks guys) there aren't too many people in the world who really care if I lost weight or how I took it off. On the other hand there are thousands of people who are interested in how Candace stays fit and healthy, and how this mother of three still looks so good at age thirty something. By the way--happy birthday, Candace!

In the end, I'm glad that we went through this learning curve. It's been about three years now since the first draft of the book, and looking back at it, I see that it it was nowhere near ready for print. The delay gave us the needed time to write, and rewrite until we were more than satisfied with the final outcome.

B & H Publishing says the book is expected on shelves in January 2011. Some things are worth waiting--and worth striving--for!

Attention Class

I can’t promise you perfection, but one thing I will promise you is that learning grammar together will be more enjoyable than eighth grade English ever was. Unfortunately I don’t have any cute boys I can slide your desk next to, but rest assured that you’re only one click away from Bradley Cooper at all times.

Shall we get started, class? Today we’re taking on a few common grammatical errors.

Consider the following sentence:

Being a little stinker, my husband keeps an eye and a tether on Nathaniel at all times.

The sentence does make sense, because my husband is a little stinker at times, but what I’m really trying to say here is that my son, Nathaniel is the trouble maker.

In order to get my point across, I can go in one of two ways: 1. Make two separate sentences. 2. Rearrange the sentence to better illustrate my point.

My choices boil down to this:

Nathaniel is a little stinker. My husband keeps an eye and a tether on him at all times.

Being the little stinker that Nathaniel is, my husband likes to keep an eye and a tether on him at all times. (Now that’s much better!)

Of course there's always a third choice, which is adoption, but we'll save that for another day.

I have to cover this next error with you before I explode. In fact I think I just want to talk about it because it irks me so terribly much. I realize that I’m a complete nerd when I’ve gotten to the point where grammar starts to irk me, but I can’t tell you how many times I see this error, and somehow the world keeps turning regardless.

It’s the use of the word too, the word two, and the word to. Did anyone notice there are three separate words there? Now that I’m posting this I’ll probably misuse them a thousand times in the next year, but in our entire defense I’ll point out that even the most educated writers misuse them. (Covered my butt there.)

Let’s look at each one of them individually:

The word “too” is an adverb. It can be used in place of the word “also” or when describing excess.

I want my belly scratched too.
That mermaid is too large for my fish tank.

Secondly we find the word “two.” This one is easy for most of us since it simply indicates the number 2.

I have two birds named Lola.
I have two days left to finish my lunch.

The use of the word “to” is a little more complicated. It shows direction or intention, but it’s also used in other ways as well. The secret is to learn when and where to use the previous forms of the word (too and two) and you’ll start to see where this last one fits in.

I am going to rock out with my dog Elvis.
Do you know how to stop a cat from wearing your shoes?
Are you going to eat that last fish head?

Undercover Information

As I was getting this little website back up and running, I noticed that my last entry was from November 11, 2008. It is now 2010! Several months back, I got a letter from my old writing partner Stephanie who said, “Isn’t it ironic that your last post was about discipline, and you haven’t updated the website since?”

Irony: “An outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.” - www.dictionary.com

Ironic indeed! I didn’t expect to burn out when I did, but that’s exactly what happened. Christian Women Online Magazine was going so well, I was working on this website, and I was monitoring the world’s largest blogroll. I had also started a book project with actress Candace Cameron Bure (Full House). Just when things were right where I wanted them to be career wise, I got to the point where I couldn’t even look at the internet without feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. Work had consumed every minute of my thought life, and I needed time out.

While I was away, I was doing the best thing I could as far as writing is concerned. It’s the most relaxing activity I could find, and a healthy one for my mind--I was reading.

It got to the point where my husband joked that I was rotting my brain. I have purchased enough books over the past two years to stock a small library, and then some. While I was relaxing, my brain was filing away information on grammar, punctuation and sentence rhythm. It’s for this reason that I highly recommend reading for all writers. If you have writer’s block or you’re just not in the mood to put pen to paper today, grab a book on any subject and start reading.

Reading is as important as writing since it opens our ears to hear other voices. We each have a writing voice, and that voice is shaped over time by the bits and pieces we glean.

When I got the nod from B&H Publishing to start writing the book, I noticed that my voice had improved incredibly over time. It wasn’t due to the fact that I had been writing, but rather that I had been reading so much.

With that said, I’m happy to report that I’m refreshed and ready to take on the world. I’ve stepped down from the position of editor at CWO. I’ve also wrapped up my book project with actress Candace Cameron Bure, which is expected on shelves in the Fall of 2010. My intention is to focus in this little corner of the web, where I hope to give and to glean with the friends that I meet.

Let’s have some fun, and let creativity soar!