By Linda W. Yezak “The only rule I have found to have any validity in writing is not to bore yourself”—John Mortimer. If you follow Mortimer’s rule not to bore yourself, chances are good you won’t bore your reader either. So how do you make certain your reader stays hooked throughout your novel? The basic answer is to have a …
ACFW Conference Prayer: For the Families We Leave at Home (Day 10)
2018 ACFW Conference 40 Days of Prayer Day 10 – Topic: The Families We Leave at Home Romans 8:26-27–In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what …
Conference Dos and Don’ts
By Patricia Bradley With ACFW Conference coming up, I’m sure you’ve seen all the blogs about what you should do and not do at the conference. You know, things like take a one-sheet for your work, not the whole manuscript, pitch a finished story, not an unfinished one, make new friends and connect with old ones, and don’t stay up …
ACFW Conference Prayer: Mourn With Those Who Mourn (Day 11)
2018 ACFW Conference 40 Days of Prayer Day 11 – Topic: That we mourn with those who mourn Romans 12:15b– . . . and weep with those who weep. Dear Lord, Thank you for the opportunity we have to attend the ACFW conference where we can learn and improve our craft. For some of us the conference experience will be …
Introvert’s Conference Survival Guide
By Leslie DeVooght As we prepare for the ACFW conference, I wanted to share my tips for introverts attending for the first time. Two years ago, I attended my first Christian writers’ conference, and like many writers, I was scared to death. Being an introvert in a crowd of hundreds of strangers seemed like a cruel joke, but everything I …
ACFW Conference Prayer: Rejoice With Those Who Rejoice (Day 12)
2018 ACFW Conference 40 Days of Prayer Day 12 – That we rejoice with those who rejoice Romans 12:15a–Rejoice with those who rejoice . . . Dear Heavenly Father, So often we ask your blessings on our words, and many times see others gain what we desire. I ask that you let not envy or frustration cloud our reaction. Help …
Achievable Believable Character Transformation
By Donna L.H. Smith Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” This verse says a lot about our character as people. It should also be the basis for your …
ACFW Conference Prayer: Hotel Staff (Day 13)
2018 ACFW Conference 40 Days of Prayer Day 13 – Topic: Hotel staff I Corinthians 9: 19, 23–For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. Father, …
ACFW Conference Prayer: For the ACFW Choir (Day 14)
2018 ACFW CONFERENCE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER DAY 14 PRAYER – TOPIC: FOR THE ACFW CHOIR AS THEY PREPARE Psalm 66:1-2 – Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. Heavenly Father, Thank You for the ACFW choir, for the musical abilities You have given them, for their desire to …
If I Could Start Again Writing Christian Fiction
By H.L. Wegley A few months ago I was asked what I would do differently, as a novelist, if I could start again—a complete do-over. In answering this question, most of us would include starting to learn the craft at an earlier age. Now that I am beyond my three-score and ten and into those years Moses called “labor and …