By Emilie Hendryx The first year I attended the ACFW Conference I was scared stiff. Absolutely filled with nervousness and anxiety wondering what it would be like, how I would manage to form a coherent sentence before an agent, or whether I would make a complete fool out of myself. Fast-forward to my second year at the conference and I …
ACFW 40 Days of Prayer: Day 7
2015 ACFW CONFERENCE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER DAY 7 PRAYER – TOPIC: HEALTH FOR ALL ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE Our Father, who art in Heaven. We hallow thy name. Omniscient in the creation of men, You left nothing incomplete, marvelous works. Wages of sin being death, You were careful to hedge our futures, at the price of your Son’s life. His …
Five Ways to Tell You’re Not Mrs. Muir
By Cathleen Armstrong Have you seen The Ghost and Mrs. Muir? That 1948 movie about a widow who lives by the sea and writes a book with the help of a ghostly sea captain? From the time I first saw the old film, it was my fantasy to be Mrs. Muir. But the more I wrote, the more it became …
ACFW 40 Days of Prayer: Day 8
2015 ACFW CONFERENCE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER DAY 8 PRAYER – TOPIC: FOR A SMOOTH REGISTRATION And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28 NIV There is no complication that is too difficult for our Lord, no pressure or stress …
ACFW 40 Days of Prayer: Day 9
2015 ACFW CONFERENCE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER DAY 9 PRAYER – TOPIC: CASEY MILLER AS HE FINALIZES APPOINTMENTS Dear All-Knowing Heavenly Father, we ask that You grant Casey Miller confidence, grace, wisdom, and insight as he works at the complex task of arranging the agent and editor meetings for those who attend this year’s conference. Help him to make wise …
Different Strokes, Different Folks, Different Paths, Different Maths
By C. Kevin Thompson To say the writing life is a “one size fits all, write the same, market the same, sell the same” society is naïveté at its finest. Take Tom Clancy, for example. Ex-military. High-ranking Naval officer. Decides to write a story. Has it published via the Naval Academy’s press…a press which strictly published non-fiction, military-type books on …
ACFW 40 Days of Prayer: Day 10
2015 ACFW CONFERENCE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER DAY 10 PRAYER TOPIC: THE FAMILIES WE LEAVE AT HOME Father, please guide us as we gather together seeking to glorify Your name through the written page. Advise us as we share the truth through the associations we make with our craft. Thank You for the privilege of being able to meet together …
What Does the Author Need?
By Cindy Woodsmall As writers, we are attentive to the settings, plots, characters, and all things that make for great storytelling and honed writing. We capitalize on our characters’ thoughts and feelings, and there is nothing quite like exploring the reasoning and nuances of their weaknesses while finding the frailty of their strengths. But do we put as much time …
ACFW 40 Days of Prayer: Day 11
2015 ACFW CONFERENCE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER DAY 11 PRAYER – TOPIC: THAT WE MOURN WITH THOSE THAT MOURN Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. –Romans 12:15 Dear Lord, some of us have suffered a seemingly crushing blow. Tears overtake us, and we can’t imagine how to get through the day, least of all write a …
Words, Camera…and Action!
By Bonnie S. Calhoun What comes mind when I say those words? Typically someone would think of a movie set in the oldun’ days. Someone had a tripod camera and a megaphone and a snappy board with numbers on it. I want you to try this when you’re writing an action scene. The idea is to get you to look …