Ann Swindell – Page 4

Do You Have a Book Inside of You?

July 11, 2017 by Ann 3 Comments

The Writing with Grace: Book Proposal Workshop is open! I couldn’t be more excited!

Do you have a book inside of you?
Do you have a plan to make that book a reality?
To move from ideas and drafts to chapters and cover design?

If you’re writing a book, or if you want to write a book, crafting a powerful book proposal is possibly the BEST tool for clarifying your core message, solidifying your structure, and moving forward to make your book a reality.

But where do you start?

Book proposals are huge undertakings. After having written four proposals, I know how intensive–and confusing–the process can feel. I remember trying to shuffle through multiple resources, and I kept hoping that I was doing things the right way. It became overwhelming at times, but I knew that if I didn’t have a strong book proposal, my book idea would never actually become a reality. The proposal is necessary–and central to the process of writing a book.

Do you have a book inside of you? Don't miss this! #amwriting Share on X

That’s why I’m teaching a Writing with Grace Book Proposal Workshop at the end of this month! This will be a one-day, three-hour workshop in which we’ll cover the nonnegotiable elements of a powerful proposal AND how to execute those elements. Plus, we will hear from a literary agent in the Christian publishing industry.

If you’re aiming to write a book, you must write a book proposal, and this workshop is going to give you the tools that you need to make your proposal shine!

Registration is open now, and you can use the code BLOGREADER to save 10% on the cost of the course!

We’re going to have a wonderful time together on July 29th, and if you can’t come live, don’t worry–the recording will be available immediately afterwards for you to watch on your own time.

So, do you have a book inside of you? If you do, this is your next step.

Come join me over at Writing with Grace for all the details–I can’t wait to see you there!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Ann Swindell, book propsal, Christian book proposal, Christian writer, how do I write a book proposal, I want to write a Christian book, what do I need for a book proposal, writing class, Writing with grace

Five Ways to Grow Spiritually this Summer

July 6, 2017 by Ann Leave a Comment

This is from my newest article at RELEVANT. You can read the entire article here!

With summer in full swing, it’s easy to get into the rhythm of letting the days slip by without much intentionality. The sun shines longer, we play harder and many of us take extra days off of work. But while we may want to let go of some stressors during the summer, one thing we don’t want to let go of is our spiritual growth.

Here are five ways to keep growing spiritually during the summer months:

1.) Get Outside!
With nicer weather comes great opportunity to experience God’s beauty in creation and let it shape our prayers and our worship. Take a prayer walk around your neighborhood, asking God to give you His heart for your city and the people there—and let the sights and sounds of where you live inspire your prayers. Or go on a hike and take your Bible with you and read Psalm 19 or Psalm 8 out loud, thanking God for how He’s created the earth and given you life. Swim in the ocean (or the pool!) and break to read John 7:37-39, considering the living water that Christ gives to us that sustains our very spirit.

Don't let your faith slide this summer. Five ways to grow with God right now! #faith #summer Share on X

2.) Make the Effort to Get to Church.
I know, I know. With summer travel, vacations and holidays, it’s easy to blow off church on the weekends. But even if you’re traveling, find a church in town you can attend on Sunday. It’s a wonderful way to continue to growing in relationship with God, to get to know other believers and to experience church in a new way. God’s people are worshipping all over the world—go ahead and join them, wherever you are!

Read the rest of the article–including mixing up your Bible-reading routine and serving in a new way–here, at RELEVANT!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Ann Swindell, faith in the summer, growing spiritually, how do I grow spiritually, RELEVANT, spirituality, spirituality in the summer, summer, writing for Relevant

The Summer the Roof Blew Off My House

June 30, 2017 by Ann Leave a Comment

Home has always been a central theme in my life, and today
I’m honored to be sharing about home over at Jen Michel’s wonderful blog.
Join me there!

The summer the roof blew off my house also happened to be the summer I was away, studying abroad in England during college. All of it was an enormous surprise; there was no plan for a microburst to heave the roof off in July. When I left in June there was no warning about what was coming.

That house—the one that lost its roof—has been in my family for four generations. My great-grandfather was an architect; he designed the home. My grandfather laid the bricks, my father moved in at the age of four in 1954, and I was brought home thirty years later. The maple trees, just saplings when my father moved into the house, now tower twenty feet high.

I always knew those trees as tall. I slept in the bedroom that my father slept in as a boy, ate in the same kitchen, played basketball in the same backyard. Every story that belonged to the house also belonged to my family; the people and the place, wedded.

Into the house itself, my great-grandfather cemented a reminder of the family sentiment. He set odd-colored stones in the brick fireplace, uneven and small, jutting out in unlikely places. Their colors do not match. These stones are from his travels to the Pyramids, the Coliseum, the Acropolis. He brought them back from those places to mortar them into the hearth, a reminder that though you travel far, you always, always circle back to where you started.

We are homebodies, embodied in a home that helps us know ourselves. Generations stay, or they come back.

I heard about the roof blowing off my house when I was in Oxford. My mother called from across the Atlantic with the news…

Read the rest of the story here, at Jen’s blog!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Ann Swindell, Christianity, exiles, home, house, Jen Pollock Michel, Keeping Place, Teach Us to Want

Why am I Still Waiting?

June 27, 2017 by Ann 2 Comments

This is the start of my most recent article for Desiring God.

What happens when God doesn’t answer your prayer after three, four, or five years? How about when he doesn’t answer it after ten, or fifteen, or even twenty years? Do you still trust him, decades down the line? Do you still ask him — again — for an answer to that same prayer?

I’m walking this road, because I’ve been asking God to answer one prayer — for healing from a medical condition I developed as a child — for over twenty years.

Still, after these long years of waiting, I can tell you two things with complete honesty:

I trust God.
I definitely don’t always understand him.

I trust that God is who he says he is — good, just, merciful. And I trust that Christ’s death on the cross was his proving once and for all just how much he loves me and all people (Romans 5:8).

I trust that God is who he says he is, yet I don't always understand him. #stillwaitingbook Share on X

Yet I don’t always understand him. It’s hard to square what I read about Jesus in the Bible — his willingness and ability to heal, his miracles, his compassion and tenderness — with what seems like a lack of help and healing in my own life. I know it wouldn’t be hard for him to heal me, but in twenty years, he still hasn’t done it. And if I’m going to be honest, I have to say that if this is his love toward me, it sure doesn’t feel like love.

Read the rest of the article here, at Desiring God.

Purchase my whole story, Still Waiting, here–and learn more about how God is with you in your own waiting journey. You’re not alone.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Ann Swindell, Desiring God, God's love, guest post, Still Waiting Book, why doesn't God love me, why doesn't it feel like God loves me

Pre-Order Freebies for Still Waiting

March 3, 2017 by Ann 3 Comments

Step 1. Pre-order the book from your favorite retailer (and save your receipt)!

Step 2. Email us a copy of your receipt at StillWaitingtheBook@gmail.com

Step 3. We will send the following freebies your way before April 4th!

Order 1 copy of Still Waiting and receive:

-A downloadable Gracelaced print of 2 Corinthians 12:9
This is an exclusive print, created by Ruth Simons for the release of Still Waiting
-An e-copy of the Waiting with Hope Devotional, written by Ann Swindell
-A discount code to Wilfred Wax (Ann’s favorite candle company!)
-Three Still Waiting iPhone lock screens featuring quotes from the book

Order 2 copies of Still Waiting and receive:

Order 5+ copies of Still Waiting and receive:

*Quantities are limited and we may sell out quickly!

Remember, all you have to do to claim your pre-order freebies is email us a copy of your receipt at StillWaitingtheBook@gmail.com. We will send the following freebies your way before April 4th!

The #stillwaitingbook pre-order bonuses are live! Check them out here! Share on X

**Gracelaced print is for personal use only and many not be reproduced, altered, sold, or shared for profit. Artist attribution is required if image is shared online.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Ann Swindell, Gracelaced print, pre-order freebies, pre-order goodies, Still Waiting Book

The 2016 Writer’s Gift Guide

November 15, 2016 by Ann 16 Comments

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’m starting to see “gift guides” pop up online, and I wanted to join in the fun! I offered a Writer’s Gift Guide in 2015, and it was really well received–I think almost all of us know people in our lives who love to write (or we are the ones who love to write!), and this is an easy post to share with others (wink!). Here are my top 10 gifts to give the writers in your life this year!

The 2016 Writers Gift Guide is live--perfect for the writer in your life, especially if that writer is you! #amwriting #writer #writetip Share on X

How else could I possibly start? A book. Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies is one of my all-time favorite books for fellow writers, both for its meticulous prose and also for McEntyre’s vision for language. She is calling us to use words as people of faith and love–and the outcome of that calling is deeply meaningful. A powerful text for any word-lover in your life!
A beautiful journal set. I love this one from Dayspring–it reminds me that words travel so much farther than I can, and includes a journal, pencil pouch, and set of postcards ready for sending! Get this for the word-lover in your life who you wish you could hug more often! And use the code: SHINEHISLIGHT to save $20 off of a $60 purchase + get free shipping! Yay!
A planner. Writers need clarity when it comes to scheduling their days and setting aside intentional time to write. The planner that I use is from Anchored Press, and I even had the privilege of contributing to their weekly planner this year. These planners are GORGEOUS, practical, and filled with the truth of Scripture–just what we all need to keep us on track!
Personalized Writing Coaching. Oftentimes, writers have ideas and dreams and projects that they want to work on, but they don’t know how to strengthen and sharpen their writing–or what the next best step is to take in their calling as a writer. Through Writing with Grace, I offer individualized coaching for writers, and am now setting up calls starting in January. If you want to invest in your own calling as a writer–or if you want to show the writer in your life how deeply you believe in them, this would be the gift that keeps on giving! My coaching clients walk away with practical steps to take in their writing career, along with encouragement and vision for moving forward. Email WritingwithGraceCourse@gmail.com if you’re interested in setting this up and we can chat. I even have a gift card that you can give to your recipient so they have something to open on Christmas day!
A Goal-setting system, like Powersheets from the Cultivate What Matters Shop. I’ve written about these before, but most writers have a hard time juggling both their writing dreams and their everyday commitments; what happens is that usually the writing goes by the wayside. Powersheets have helped me to set priorities in my life around my calling and my gifts, all while keeping the Lord at the center. I am a huge fan of Powersheets and already pre-ordered my set for 2017!
A book pillow! I’m a sucker for quirky pillows, and being surrounded by books is always delightful, whether it’s a stack of books on my desk or a delightful throw pillow that represents books on my couch. This is a fun pick–clean, bright, and just cheeky enough to make even a curmudgeon smile!
Business cards. Sometimes writers need the validation of owning the truth that they ARE writers; it can be hard to say that you’re a writer if it’s never out in the open with others. Consider buying your favorite writer a pack of business cards as a way of encouraging her in her dream of writing–and make it stylish while you’re at it! I love these from Moo, which is where I purchase my business cards; the quality is extremely high. Click here and then search for “writer” in the upper right-hand corder to bring up a fun array of business cards related to writing!
A meaningful magazine subscription. The best writers are thoughtful readers, and one of my all-time favorite publications is Deeply Rooted Magazine. This is a beautiful, theologically rich publication that is deeply encouraging and aesthetically stunning, all at the same time. I’ve written for them for years (and hope to do so forever)! Order the writer in your life a yearly subscription and keep the gift going for the next twelve months!
A nice pen. Yes, most of us do our writing on screens nowadays, but there’s nothing like writing with a smooth pen on fresh paper. If you’re already getting the writer in your life a journal set (see #2), something like this would be a great stocking stuffer!
One more book. I couldn’t help myself–if you’re looking to encourage the writer in your life with spiritual truth (from a fellow writer!), you can pre-order my book, Still Waiting. It comes out April 4th, and I’ve been praying for the readers of this book for over a year. You can read more about the book here, but I think this is a great gift for the writer–and reader–in your life. I’ve poured my heart into it, and my prayer is that this book will be an encouragement to each and every person who reads it.

Well, there you have it: these are my top 10 gifts for the writer in your life–even if that writer is yourself! What else would you add to this list? Is there anything you can’t live without in your writing life? Share what you love with me!

May this holiday season be full of transformative words, conversations, and gifts that lead us to truth and beauty in Christ!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links,
all for products that I love and believe in–and use–myself!