Christopher D. Seifert

Husband, father, lawyer, writer, dreamer. Author of the YA novel HERO, RED: A FOOTBALL NOVEL, and HEIGHTS: A POETIC PANORAMA. #writingcommunity

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

Fall into a world of wit, whimsy, and wonder as you discover this collection of poetry that is brimming with humor and heart. HEIGHTS: A POETIC PANORAMA by Christopher D. Seifert
https://t.co/LUKGlAHdoG

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

I'm afraid for me sadness about the state of our Union has given way to cynicism. That's why this article, which charts a hopeful course forward, was exactly what I needed.
https://t.co/qzEnUGYCZx

[Kayla Hicks 📚 @klhicks912]

Agree?

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

Here's a pretty good AI summary of my latest book. If you've read HEIGHTS, please post a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads. If you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

https://t.co/RDYHcoUt7e

[Gérald Caussé @Gerald_Causse]

When I received a calling from President Dallin H. Oaks to serve as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, I felt overwhelmed with emotion and deeply aware of my own limitations.

After I accepted the call, President Oaks invited me to follow him into a room where my fellow Apostles were gathered. Then he asked me to share my testimony of Jesus Christ.

In that sacred moment, a passage of scripture came clearly to my mind from Doctrine and Covenants 68:

“Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me.”
I felt a powerful assurance of the Lord’s promise. As we bear witness of Him, He sustains us and stands with us.

Though I felt the weight of my calling, those words—"be of good cheer, and do not fear"—brought comfort and peace. I knew then, and I know now, that as we bear witness of the Savior, Jesus Christ, He will stand by us.

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

May the Fifth be with you!
#maythefourth #startrek

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

I had a super-fun morning speaking to students at King Science & Technology Middle School in Omaha about being a lawyer and an author.

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

Alexandria State Recreation Area near Fairbury, Nebraska, really is one of my favorite dark sky places in relatively close proximity to Lincoln. Got some decent photos early Saturday morning. @NEGameandParks

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf @UchtdorfDF]

Jesus Christ is the light that leads us through life.

[NASA @NASA]

It's our home.

This Earth Day, see our planet as our Artemis II astronauts saw it with these new images from the mission.

[Orson Scott Card @orsonscottcard]

You don't need advice from editors on rejected manuscripts. 

My short story “Ender's Game” was rejected by Ben Bova at Analog back when that was the top market for a sci-fi story. Ben gave me feedback. He thought the title should be “Professional Soldier” and he said to “cut it in half.”

But I knew he was wrong on both points and submitted it to Jim Baen at Galaxy. He sat on it for a year, and responded to my query with a rejection. There was some kind of explanation, but I don't remember what it was. I concluded at the time that Baen's comments showed that he had barely glanced at the story.

So … I got feedback both times, but it was not helpful. I looked at Ben's rejection again. What was it about the story that made him think it should, let alone COULD, be cut in half?

Apparently it FELT long. What made it feel long? Now, post-Harry Potter, I would call it the quidditch problem. I had too many battles in which the details became tedious. So I cut two battles entirely, merely reporting the outcomes, and shortened another. In retyping the whole manuscript (pre-word-processor, that was the only way to get a clean manuscript), I added new point-of-view material to the point that I had cut only one page in length. So much for “in half.”
But I already knew that my manuscripts did not need cutting — if it wasn't needed, it wouldn't be there in the first place. Even the battles were still there, but instead of showing them, I merely told what happened (so much for the usually asinine advice “show don't tell”), which kept the pace going.

Those changes made, I sent it to Ben again. I did not remind him of what he had advised me to do. I merely told him I liked my title, and said, “I have addressed your other concerns,” which was true. I figured he wouldn't remember what his exact words had been. My answer was a check. That revised story was the basis for my winning the Campbell Award for best new writer.

Did Ben's feedback help? Yes — but his specific advice was not right, and I knew it. On my next two submissions, Ben hated my endings, and I revised as suggested. The fourth submission he rejected outright, and the fifth, and I thought, Am I a one-story writer? I went back to Ender's Game and tried to analyze why it worked. Then, deliberately imitating myself, I wrote “Mikal's Songbird.” Ben bought it, and it received favorable mentions. I was afraid then that I had consigned myself to writing stories about children in jeopardy. But in fact I was writing character stories rather than idea stories. And THAT was how I built a career, not by self-imitation, and not by following editorial suggestions.

I did get wise counsel from David Hartwell on my novel Wyrms, but that was on a book that was already under contract, and it was story feedback, not style. I got wise counsel from Beth Meacham, too, on various books over the years — but again, only on books that were under contract. I also received appallingly stupid advice from the editor of my novel Saints, which temporarily destroyed the book's marketability; after that, I was allowed to go back to my original structure and save the book — now it's one of my best.

Editors don't know more than you about your story. They especially don't know why they decide to accept or reject stories. YOU have to know what your story needs to be, and take only advice that you believe in.

Your best counselor on a story nobody bought is TIME. Let some time pass and then reread the story. Don't even think about why it Didn't Work. Instead, think about what DOES work, and then write it again, a complete rewrite, keeping nothing from the previous draft. Find the right protagonist and begin at the beginning — the point where the protagonist first gets involved with the events of the story. Be inventive — the failed first draft no longer exists, so you're not bound by any of your earlier decisions. THAT is how you resurrect a good idea you did not succeed with on your first try.

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

@Tiff_Germain Yeah, I skipped a few words and a scene when I read the book to our family. I was thrilled that not only was the movie extremely well done, it was also very gentle.

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

Finally got to see Project Hail Mary. Optimistic, maybe even joyful, sci-fi that's faithful to the spirit of the book and safe for the entire family. I'm totally there for it. Amaze Amaze Amaze.
https://t.co/1amMxo0J1Z

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

What the Artemis II astronauts did over the last 10 days was a testament to their bravery. And the fact that they traveled farther from Earth than anyone ever has, re-entered our atmosphere at more than 24,000 mph, and splashed down safely was a testament to human ingenuity. Thanks to everyone at @NASA for making this mission possible, and for taking us along for the ride.

[NASA @NASA]

Welcome home Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy! 🫶

The Artemis II astronauts have splashed down at 8:07pm ET (0007 UTC April 11), bringing their historic 10-day mission around the Moon to an end.

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

Sooo exciting:
https://t.co/Oc7yI8XCOv

[Nebraska Men's Basketball @HuskerMBB]

Heads held high. ❤️

[Christopher D. Seifert @seif_train]

April Fools!

[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints @Ch_JesusChrist]

The road to redemption began with “hosanna.” As we remember the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, may our hearts welcome Him this Easter season.