A Look at the Coaching and Editing History of Write Choice Services, Inc.

Over its fifteen-year history, Write Choice Services has supported numerous writers at various stages of their development and dreams. In the following pages, we share some thoughts on how we worked with clients in different genres.

We chose to speak of “genres” and not “Fiction and Non-Fiction” for the simple reason that we have helped our clients craft works across multiple genres with aspects of both fiction and non-fiction, specifically in children’s books and religious writing. Even memoirs can include elements of fiction as well.

Memoir/Autobiography/Legacy

The memoir has been and continues to be a very popular genre. On any given week, you will most likely find a memoir listed among the best selling books in a state, region or even in the nation.  Frequently, folks say they want help in writing their memoir. We listen to what they have in mind: stories they wish to share, adventures, memories, family history. Out of this listening we help our clients recognize more clearly their end desire, whether it be autobiography, memoir or legacy.

What are the differences? An autobiography is generally a chronological reporting of the events in one’s life. A memoir focuses upon a particular aspect of one’s life; for example, you may write about your career or volunteer work, your college years or a particular year in your life. A memoir encourages the writer to be more reflective upon events and individuals rather than engaging in reporting and recording events and highlights from one’s life. In a legacy, you write of the origins of family traditions, the values a family holds sacred, along with all those events, personalities, matriarchs and patriarchs of the family that you want your children and your grandchildren and their grandchildren to remember.

Engage in a search for books on writing an autobiography, memoir or family history – whether on an online bookstore website or in an actual bricks and mortar book store – and you will uncover a wealth of resources. Each takes a different slant in suggesting how you can or should write your story. Many of these books are very detailed. Just glancing through the content can generate an overwhelming feeling.

Write Choice Services has developed its own packet of materials to help folks write these personal works. Rather than simply giving you a packet and having you check in with us as you progress in your data gathering and/or writing, we prefer helping you clearly define what it is that you want to capture in words and how best to achieve that end product.

We will customize resources and a process for you that will speak to your specific writing intentions. Then we will coach you along the way.

Memoir Clients:

Tex Atkinson, Commander, U.S. Navy (ret.) - From the Cockpit: Coming of Age in the Korean War

Garnett C. Brown, Jr. – A Death in the Family

Lloyd E. Eckberg - Don’t Ever Forget!

Debbie Griffiths, R.N.C. – Little Lady Big Dream

Jerry Litherland – The Evolution of One Man’s Faith

Harry R. Mitchell – The World War II Memoirs of Harry “Rock” Mitchell

Tim Morrison, DMin, ND – Letters to My Sons: a Father’s Faith Journey

Patricia Abrams Swain - What God Has Done for Me

Bob Taylor – A Few Good Memories: Tales from Marine Corps Boot Camp

Client Stories:

For a Christmas present one year, Jerry Litherland, husband of the founder of Write Choice Services, wrote an extended letter to their two sons in which he reflected on his career and his beliefs. After Christmas, Jerry decided to expand that letter into a booklet. Both Janet and Tim worked with Jerry to help him create a well-written, personable memoir.

After assisting Jerry and having his sons frequently say, “Our friends can’t believe you are a minister,” Tim decided to write a memoir as well. He heard within his son’s comment, “You are different from the ministers our friends have. Why are you different?” Tim confesses with a wee bit of embarrassment that he tackled the memoir with academic fervor. He consulted notes from his seminary studies, reviewed seminary text books and hammered out 50 pages of a manuscript but could go no farther. Tim tried every trick he knew to overcome writer’s block; none worked.  Then he realized . . . he was writing to his sons who were then in their late teens, early 20’s.  What was he doing writing an academic type of book to his sons? Tim started all over. He decided to write a series of letters to Joel and Sean in which he discussed the people, places, events, books that shaped his faith and his ministry. All writer’s block disappeared as Tim wrote letter after letter after letter – 23 in all. These letters became Tim’s second book: Letters to My Sons: a Father’s Faith Journey.

In the fall of 2006, Debbie Griffiths contacted Write Choice Services for help. She wanted to write about her life not so much as a record for her family but as encouragement for women entrepreneurs. A question that emerged in conversations with Debbie was whether she had just one book or several books “inside of her.” On the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving, 2006, Debbie and Write Choice Services sent nearly simultaneous emails containing essentially the same idea. Debbie should focus on one book – her journey from high school student to extremely successful business woman. Debbie then began her writing. In mid-March 2007, Debbie contacted Write Choice Services again. Would we look at her manuscript?  Something just did not feel right to Debbie. Tim read through several chapters and emailed Debbie, “Your own voice seems to have disappeared from your writing.” Tim made a couple of suggestions; Debbie made some changes and then had Tim work with her through the rest of her manuscript. Debbie chose to self publish Little Lady, Big Dream. She invested herself in marketing strategies, sold all of her copies and approached a mid-size publishing company. Tate Publishing accepted Debbie’s book and took it nationwide. For more information on Debbie, visit   www.littleladybigdream.com.

From the Cockpit: Coming of Age in the Korean War is the memoir of Tex Atkinson, Commander, US Navy (ret.). Atkinson came to Write Choice Services seeking an editor for his completed manuscript, and Janet Litherland accepted the challenge. Atkinson’s memoir was first published as a soft-cover. John M. Hardy Publishing (The Bridges of Madison County) then took it over and published a hardcover version. Said Commander Atkinson of Write Choice Services’ work:  “(You) picked my jumbled manuscript off the ground and made it fly like an eagle!”

Garnett C. Brown, Jr., kept a daily record of his work, thoughts, and feelings while serving in Vietnam. That record became the basis of his book, “Charlie” Brown’s Vietnam Journal: A Tactical Airlift Pilot’s View of the War. He describes it as “an account of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.” Colonel Brown’s tours of duty include the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Arms Control & Disarmament Agency, and the Institute for Higher Defense Studies where he served as Director. Write Choice Services is proud to have edited his manuscript and guided it to publication. 

Informative/Business

We know; there really isn’t a genre called “informative.” Yet that is the best word to describe books written by several Write Choice Services clients. These individuals have a particular idea, topic or concept they want to share. The challenge in working with these individuals focuses upon guiding them to a concise and understandable discussion of their subject. Sometimes people know their material so well that they do not realize when they have left out a step or a vital piece of information. Or they can’t recognize when they have been too specific or too technical in their writing. We provide suggestions to the authors to assist them in creating more reader/user-friendly books. Often times, we are newcomers to the fields in which our clients write. We figure that if we can follow and understand what the client has written, then there is a very strong likelihood that the readers of the author’s intended market will understand the contents as well.

Informative Clients:

Evelyn Klaus Blasi – A Guide to Divorce: From Someone Who’s Been There

A. Kenneth Fuller, MD – Unacceptable Risk: Child Sexual Abuse and AIDS

Tim Morrison, DMin, ND – Healing Plants of the Bible: Then and Now

Mary Tomlinson Williams – The Complete Wedding Organizer

Client Stories:

Evy Blasi is a state certified mediator who specializes in working with couples considering divorce. Evy’s now ex-husband was an attorney. He filed for divorce. Evy retained an attorney to guide her and protect her in the ensuing divorce process. Evy decided to write a booklet about her experience and to provide “how to” information and “heads up” advice for others, particularly women, who face divorce and feel overwhelmed. Tim Morrison worked with Evy in editing her work.  Tim had also gone through a divorce back in the late ‘80’s. Tim describes his biggest challenge in working with Evy on her manuscript was getting Evy to rein in her emotions just a bit. Evy did and produced a masterful booklet chock full of exceedingly helpful information.

Janet Litherland edited Tim’s manuscript Healing Plants of the Bible. This was Tim’s first successful adventure in getting published. Janet encouraged him through all the phases of writing and editing. She questioned him about placement of some information. Appendices were added and expanded upon Janet’s suggestion and recommendations. Seven years after it publication, Healing Plants of the Bible continues to generate steady sales.

Self-Help

The challenge here is to help our writing clients attain the clarity that is needed for a successful self-help book. Clarity of theme is critical in any writing but tops the list in self-help. A similar situation arises here as was mentioned above in the “informative” category. Clients know their topic so well that they some times “see” what should be in the content but is not. They leave out a step or some critical information. As we edit, we actually follow the steps – implement them in some fashion – to make sure that we arrive where the author says we should. Or we have the type of experience that the writer suggests will happen when following the writer’s guidelines.

Self-Help Clients:

Mary Barley – Getting Fit from the Inside Out

Michelle Fenton - Hypothyroidism: How Do You Know?

Jo Mitttiga – Your Inner Child

Tim Morrison – Writing One’s Way to Better Well-being;

                           Playing One’s Way to Better Well-being;

                           Meditating One’s Way to Better Well-being.

Client Stories:

The Better Well-being booklets were collaboration between Janet Litherland and Tim Morrison as Janet edited Tim’s manuscripts and helped him generate the format. Tim then worked with a local printer, recommended by Janet, to publish his series. The idea for the booklet series came while Tim worked as a naturopathic counselor. He wanted to provide his clients with something that could help them as they battled cancer or chronic disease. Tim discussed his ideas with Janet and she guided him through the process from idea conception to having the booklets available.

Religious/Inspirational

Write Choice Services clients have come with stories of their faith journeys, amazing encounters and inspirational thoughts. Our coaching keeps the writer on track for sharing her/his unique story. That is a critical piece in this genre. The challenge for the client is to avoid creating just another one of many similar stories on the market. Is the story or experience truly inspirational?  What about it is unique? Does it make sense? Is the narrative too strident, too preachy? Sometimes there is a need to edit out “shop talk,” or concepts and ideas or terminology that might not be understood by all readers. Our clients have come with both fiction and non-fiction manuscripts in this genre.

Write Choice Services is particularly strong in this area because the president/owner, Tim Morrison, holds a master of divinity degree and a doctorate in ministry. He continues to read extensively in religion, theology and spirituality. He also meets for study and conversation with a variety of religious/spiritual professionals. 

Religious/Inspirational Clients:

Joe Colavito – Jelly Donut Junction

Phyllis Diane Dearing – Rise, Peter, Slay and Eat;

                                       White Sepulchers

Amy Keffer Shellem – Quiet Moments with God

Chris Smith – France Insolite: Spiritual Journeys in France  

Client Stories:

Joe Colavito came with ideas for five different books and saw them as being adult parables within a series. Our initial coaching with Joe was to help him attain greater clarity on each of his potential books and then edit his Jelly Donut Junction. Joe shared a number of ideas as he wrote and our task was to determine if the various ideas fit logically into the parable. We also kept a keen eye on continuity and clarity – was the story line plausible and did all the action and characters flow smoothly? Yes and yes . . . after a few tweaks. For more information on Joe, visit   www.joecolavito.com.

Chris Smith of Chris Smith Ministries chronicled her summer 2008 trip to France taken to visit friends and missionaries, and to share her faith with others. In reading Chris’s manuscript, Tim encouraged Chris to expand upon the “you are there” elements of her writing – give more detail to people, places and locations. Then he drew upon his own understanding of various faith traditions as he encouraged Chris to more clearly compare and contrast her own faith experience with the faith experiences of those with whom she interacted on her journey. Chris’s fluency in French combined with her amazing musical abilities add a unique dimension to her personal story. For more information on Chris, visit www.chrissmithminisries.com. 

Children’s Books

Some folks believe that it is easy to write children’s books. Writing for children is no easier than writing for any other genre. In fact, writing for children can be more challenging. Helping clients understand that foundational point is our initial focus. Next, we have our clients define the specific age for which they are writing. Vocabulary is exceedingly age specific when writing for children. Too often, writers use age-inappropriate words when writing for children: too big, too long, or too difficult to understand. Similarly we work on concepts: Is the story theme understandable by the age group for which the client writes? Is the story too long, too short or just right for the target age group? Are the characters believable? Does the setting make sense? Is the story line consistent in the lay out of the setting? These issues are pertinent for all writers but the concerns take on greater significance with children. We adults have a tendency to forget the comprehension abilities and capabilities of children.

Children’s Books Clients:

Sheryl Breze – The Dragon Who Didn’t Know She Was a Dragon (For more information on Sheryl, visit www.sherylbreze.com.)

Kerri M. Conner – My Mommy Has Breast Cancer, But She Is Okay

Mable F. Richardson – Charlie and Bergie’s Big Scare;

                                      Cody’s Story

Client Stories:

An individual came to Write Choice Services with nine children’s stories in hand. He had told them time and again to his grandchildren. After much prodding from his daughter and grandchildren, he finally wrote out the stories. Would we look at them and critique them for him.  The first question we asked was what age range he had in mind when he developed these stories. The stories were for his grandchildren, who covered a wide range of ages so the vocabulary in the stories had to be adjusted for a particular age. The setting for the stories was a small town – except in story six when somehow the main character’s house was now situated in a rural setting outside of town – same house, same family (no tornado and not Kansas). That story had to be rewritten. This individual chose not to seek publication – too much work to make the changes.

Poetry/Prose

Poetry is such an intense form of self-expression. What we offer to poets is a critique. We read the poems and comment on what we garner from them. Do our reactions reflect the thoughts, ideas, emotions that the poet intends? We may challenge the writer to broaden his/her perspective. We will offer suggestions on rhythm, meter, word choice, etc. Primarily, we edit for punctuation and spelling – though punctuation is often used differently in poetry. What we do emphasize with our clients is that getting a collection of poetry published can be even more difficult than getting prose published.

With prose – short stories, anthologies, etc. – the questions we ask are the same as those with any writing: Does it make sense? Is the vocabulary appropriate for the intended market? Does it flow well? Is anything missing from the story?

Poetry/Prose Clients:

Sarah Branham – Beyond My Wildest Dreams (poetry)

Golden Pod Writers – Potpourri (collection of poems and short stories)

Clayton Martin – When Chickens Had Long Legs (collection of short stories)

Betty Clair Neill – Midnight Musings (collection of poems and short stories)

Jackie Rennick – A Caged Bird’s Dream (poetry);

                            A Glimpse of the Soul (poetry)

Silver Scribes Writers Club – Reflections (collection of poetry/prose sponsored by

                                                Thomas University, Thomasville, GA)

Keith Weiland – Bee-ology (poetry)

Client Stories:

Tim Morrison and Keith Weiland were seminary classmates and have been friends and colleagues for decades. In the summer of 2008, Keith went on sabbatical. He wanted to learn more about beekeeping as practiced in long-established British and Scottish monasteries. He also was determined that he would not write a book. Soon into his sabbatical, Keith began writing poetry around scripture and beekeeping. Through the wonder and convenience of emails from the monasteries in England and Scotland, Tim coached Keith in his writing and made suggestions on content and concept. When Keith’s sabbatical ended and he returned to his part- time parish work and part-time beekeeping/honey business, Keith self-published Bee-ology.

Novels/Fiction

Write Choice Services’ best fiction client has been and is Janet Litherland, the founder of the company and current editor emeritus. Over the past decade, Janet has written five novels. She understands the ins and outs of writing good fiction. What we look for as we work with clients is strong character development, a convincing plot and coherent development. For more information on Janet, visit www.janetlitherland.com.

Novels/Fiction Clients:

Janet Litherland Barnes – Chain of Deception

      Discovery in Time

      Vanished

Jeannette Henderson – Fatal Promises

At Janet’s request, Tim has done “read throughs” of Discovery in Time and Vanished. In this process, Tim looks for continuity. Tim describes the work as an “awesome challenge” since Janet is his mentor, the founder of Write Choice Services, and Janet’s writing easily captivates the reader.

Miscellaneous

Patty McMillin Reed – Patty’s Pantry: Just Like Mom Made (cookbook edited by Write Choice Services)

Debra E. West – How to Get the Best Education Possible for Your Child – Kindergarten-6th

Grade: a Parent’s Handbook (edited by Write Choice Services). For more information Debra, visit www.besteducationpossible.com

Don West, Jr. – A Step by Step Guide to Crafting Personal Legacy Statements: an Ancient

                          Tool of the Thoughtful, Wealthy & Wise (co-authored and edited by Tim)