Write Beside You

Cheri Gregory

How to Avoid Burnout with a Carefully-Considered “Yes” (Plus, a Free Download!)

by Cheri Gregory

When I started speaking regularly more than a decade ago, I only had one criterion for saying “yes” to a speaking engagement:  an invitation. I was so thrilled to be wanted that my knee-jerk response to every request was an automatic, over-eager, “Yes!” My first official speaking season calendar boasted 30 engagements and added 4,500 miles on my trusty Murano, all while I was still teaching full-time. And while I felt honored to share the message God had placed on my heart and loved my … [Read more...]

Notice the Need With Your Name on It

by Cheri Gregory

As Christian writers and speakers, it’s vital that we monitor our motives and notice the need of our audience. We must regularly ask ourselves: Why do I step up to a microphone in front of an audience to deliver a spoken message? Why do I spend hours at the keyboard to craft a piece of writing? The pat answer, of course, is “to bring glory to God.” But the truth is that even after a quarter-of-a-century as a professional communicator, I still wrestle with two self-centered … [Read more...]

Weeding Out Criticism You Shouldn’t Pay Attention To

by Cheri Gregory

In my early years as a speaker, I passed out a simple speaker evaluation form to all audience members after each message, asking them to rate my content, preparedness, delivery, etc. Those evaluation forms almost caused me to quit my speaking ministry. Not the forms themselves, of course. But the way I interpreted and internalized the input given on the forms. Back then, I didn’t know that I could — and should — carefully choose whose input to invite and whose feedback to forget. The … [Read more...]

How to Pitch Your Idea with a Servant Heart

by Cheri Gregory

God’s given you a message, and you want to steward it well. Which means that you need to get people’s attention. But the very idea of self-promotion makes you gag. How can you pitch your concept without seeming self-serving? Great question! A Tale of Two Pitches Grit ‘n’ Grace, the podcast Amy Carroll and I co-host, receives unsolicited pitches every week. The vast majority fall squarely into the self-serving category … and trash folder. But every now and then, a … [Read more...]

How to Write In a Cabin in the Woods No Matter Where You Are

by Cheri Gregory

I could write the best book here. Bird calls break the sleepy silence as a golden sky heralds the rising sun. Right outside my window, trees burst with pink and white blossoms. Stirring chocolate creamer into my coffee, I smile with certainty. I could write the best book here. The Allure of a Cabin in the Woods It’s tempting to imagine the book we could write … would write … if only we had a  cabin in the woods to retreat to and just write. For most writers, this “cabin in the … [Read more...]

How to Make Audience Evaluations Productive

by Cheri Gregory

“My problem is that all of my topics are so negative.” I was at the StoryBrand Workshop, trying to explain to Donald Miller why his marketing methods wouldn’t work for me. Ignoring my baditude, he smiled — the kind of smile you give when you’re trying to be extra patient with a whiny child. And he said, “I don’t think it really matters whether your topics are positive or negative. What matters is that you offer people solutions to their problems.” That was not what I wanted to … [Read more...]

The One Thing You Need to Know About Your Book Proposal

by Cheri Gregory

I used to hate book proposals. They felt like such a colossal waste of time—especially when all I wanted to do was write! But over the last year, I’ve had a complete change of heart. In the process of helping clients create strong book proposals, as well as developing four of my own, I’ve become a huge fan. What’s made the difference? I’ve finally figured out what a book proposal is really about. For decades, I thought a book proposal was all about me and my message. But I … [Read more...]

What You Need to Know About Audience Evaluations

by Cheri Gregory

She hated us. After the workshop Kathi and I co-presented, more than one hundred feedback forms had been turned in on the spot. 97% of the attendees loved our content, loved our takeaways, loved us.  Ahhhh … so much fun! A few shared some concerns about whether or not we had fully covered all the topics listed in our workshop description. Fair enough. And lesson learned: Next time, we’ll be sure to use our workshop description as a content checklist when developing a new … [Read more...]

How to Plan for Your Next Big Event

by Cheri Gregory

Big events used to sound so glamorous. I imagined how much fun it would be… …speaking to hundreds of audience members. …setting up a beautiful booth in the exhibit hall. …selling and autographing books. …snapping selfies with adoring fans. Then came MOMcon 2017, where my dream came true. Kathi, Roger, and I flew to Kansas City where the most amazing volunteers* helped us set up a gorgeous booth in the exhibit all, complete with stunning banners and posters (thank you, … [Read more...]