By Liz Curtis Higgs Being published is a blessing, but I think the writing process itself is the real reward. The discoveries unearthed while doing research, the time spent on character development, the crafting of the story, and the fine-tuning of each sentence–that’s what makes my heart sing. I bet that’s how it is for you as well, my friend. …
World Creating for the Earth-bound
By Lee Carver Fellow authors, I’d like to share with you a thought which has helped me visualize and therefore write my fiction. Fantasy and sci-fi writers are accustomed to creating worlds, defining them well enough that the reader “sees” the setting, right? Doing that without an “information dump” is part of the challenge. It has only recently occurred to …
LIFE HAPPENS – But what about your deadlines?
By Pat Bradley If you are a writer, published or unpublished, you have deadlines. True, they might be self-imposed, but they are still deadlines you take seriously. And since you can’t schedule emergencies, what do you do with those deadlines when you have to deal with a serious illness or something unexpected that can’t be put off? I found myself …
Unpublished and on Social Media as an Author? Why?
By Tamela Hancock Murray It’s hard to get through a week without seeing at least one article on platform. Well, here’s yours for the week! We agents ask authors for a platform, but I have found that unpublished authors wonder how and why they should show a professional presence on social media. That question is understandable. Without a book, what …
Five Smooth Stones
By Darlene L. Turner Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 1 Sam 17:40 (NIV) Dawson lost his footing and fell backwards. The towering figure sneered, crooked teeth protruding. He crossed his arms …
The Power of the Word…
By Kathy Parish “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 (NIV) You know how your mind sometimes gets hold of a concept, an idea, and you can’t let it go, but you can’t really put that thought pattern into a coherent sentence? I think I’m there, folks. It …
Writing a Novel for Film
By Lenora Livingston Typically, a book is written prior to being adapted to a screenplay. However, I chose to do the reverse because of how my story developed. When I experienced the greatest miracle of my life, it triggered a long series of flashbacks about certain events that occurred during the three preceding decades. It was if I was watching …
ACFW New Releases: November 2016
November 2016 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Biblical: Slender Reeds: Jochebed’s Hope by Texie Susan Gregory — In a deadly race to save her son, a young slave woman dares defy the most powerful man in the world. (Biblical from Barbour Publishing) Contemporary Romance: Crazy Woman Christmas by …
Don’t Forget These People
by Georgia Evans Guess what? I was born with a face that scared everybody. The doctors did seven surgeries within ten days, and that was just to keep me alive. When I was a month old, they worked very hard to make my huge cleft palate go away, only it just became smaller, not gone. Because my heart wasn’t supposed …
Why Am I Doing This?
By Sharlene MacLaren “Hey, God, why am I doing this?” Tell the truth now. Haven’t you asked this very question? Writing is hard work, and it’s no sin to expect some recompense. Right? After all, we spend months crafting our novels; first, researching; second, plotting; third, drafting outlines and constructing storyboards; and, fourth, drawing up character sketches, always striving to …