By Henry McLaughlin God has a will, or a plan for each of us. Psalm 139:16 (NLT) tells us, You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Each of us is on this earth for a specific reason. We may …
ACFW 40 Days of Prayer: Day 38
2015 ACFW CONFERENCE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER DAY 38 PRAYER – TOPIC: KEYNOTE SPEAKER Jesus, thank You for bringing Bill Myers to speak at our conference this year. Lord, as we gather to hear the words of wisdom he has to share, I pray You would be poured out. As Bill prepares his talks, that Your words for us would …
Nuggets of Ideas
By Donna Schlachter We recently returned from a research trip to California, where we stayed in a bed-and-breakfast situation, sharing meals with our host family. They were a delightful couple, and during one of our conversations, she mentioned she’d been working on a short story for a number of years. I asked some questions, and finally she admitted it was …
ACFW 40 Days of Prayer: Day 39
2015 ACFW CONFERENCE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER DAY 39 PRAYER – TOPIC: THE AUDIO/VISUAL TEAM “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thes.1:2-3 NLT). …
Writing like David
By Melissa Tagg So…King David. I kinda love him. I’m talking about David in the Old Testament. The one who took down Goliath. I love the guy and it’s not so much his giant-slaying ability that warms my heart as much as his vulnerability and brutal honesty. He has big ups and big, big downs (and yeah, some not-so-shining moments, …
ACFW 40 Days of Prayer: Day 40
2015 ACFW CONFERENCE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER DAY 40 PRAYER – TOPIC: GOD’S PRESENCE AND BLESSING Father God, You are our great Almighty Father, and we thank You for the opportunity to join with one another in working for Your glory. We are gathering together to glorify Your name, to learn how to better use our talents for Your glory. …
Creating Characters: Who Will You Be?
By Johnnie Alexander I rested in a vinyl chair, weary and in pain, pensive and in love. My day-old daughter nestled in my arms, her thick black hair brushing against her shoulders. “Who will you be?” I whispered. In that moment, I couldn’t even imagine a toddler “her,” let alone a grown-up “her,” and yet I was so curious. Would …
Are You a Marlin or a Dory?
By Allie Pleiter Hand any writer multiple tasks, and you will find out a lot about their personalities very quickly. Some of us tend to be the kind of people who determinedly hammer at a single, linear task batch until it surrenders. Others of us nimbly shift from one task to another depending on where we see possible progress. How …
Communicating Biblical Truth through Christian Fiction
By Norma Gail “You connect with your audience when they identify with your pain.” Notes I took at a workshop a few years ago resonate with every word I write. The message stayed with me because of its truth. As Christian fiction authors, we don’t just sell entertainment, we sell hope, connecting with our readers when we touch a tender …
Not Qualified? Think Again!
By Sarah Sundin “Who am I to write a novel? I didn’t major in English! I’m ‘just’ a mom/teacher/police officer/nurse.” Ever think something like this? Many of us feel our lack of literary credentials will block us from achieving our dream. However, scanning the biographies of published novelists reveals a sparkling diversity of backgrounds. Those diverse backgrounds make each novelist …