by Edie Melson Writing is hard work, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We spend hours at a computer, neglecting exercise and proper posture. Beyond that, we pour our hearts and souls into the words we arrange into stories, articles, even blog posts. We spend time and money learning how to write, constantly improving our skills. Then, when it seems like it …
Great and Good
by Stan Crader Great ain’t always good. My next novel will feature a group of court-house-bench codgers who gather daily to test their adversarial bond. Their discussions begin somewhat innocuous and inevitably escalate into debate and occasionally evolve into fierce full-blown arguments. The goal is to provoke the reader to thought beyond the story. To that end, I’m developing topics …
Don’t Forget the Old Goals in the New 2015
By Casey Herringshaw Happy New Year! It’s filling all the corners of the internet. Greetings from friends and people you bump into at the grocery store. It’s clogging our social media and reminding us that this is truly a new year. I can’t believe how fast 2014 has gone. Those who said that the older you get the faster time …
Use the …phone
By Shirley Gould In crafting Christian fiction, we, as writers, use twists and turns in our plots to grab the reader’s attention, plunging them into our fictional world. We spice our prose with interesting characters, places and themes carrying them on a roller coaster of emotions with our comedies, mysteries and tragedies. Most of our stories have misunderstandings that cause …
Different Points of View
by Carolyne Aarsen In my latest book, Her Cowboy Hero, it’s wintertime. In one scene, my hero and heroine pull a little girl on a sled through the snow. It was a fun scene to write because snow and sledding have been a huge part of my childhood and my children’s. Many good memories have been made on the hill …
A New Perspective on Goal Setting
By Susan May Warren I woke up this morning to a layer of fresh grace on the evergreens, sparkling in the rising sun, Lamentations 2:23 in my mind. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Phew. Because with the relatives gone, the Christmas tree down, the ornaments packed away for next season, I’m sitting on my sofa …
Follow The Leader
By CE Hilbert Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. — John 12:26 When you were little, did you ever play, Follow the Leader? The object of the game is to mimic the movements and the steps of the one who is in …
ACFW New Releases: January 2015
January 2015 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Amish Romance: The Beekeeper’s Son by Kelly Irvin When Deborah Lantz arrives in drought-stricken Bee County, she longs for her lush, green Tennessee home. But more than that, she wants her mother, a widow with six children, to be happy again. …
Writing from Heartfelt Experience
by Charlotte Snead I’ve read tons of romance novels. Many I wouldn’t recommend to Christian women, yet I write romance books without shame. As the mentor mom for Mothers of Preschoolers, I know young women need edifying romantic stories. Romance is tough for them. Toddlers are pulling on them all day, often waking them at night. They are tired, and …
Reason for the Season
By Lanny Smith Merry Christmas! What a wonderful time of the year. It’s Christmastime – the reason and the season for family, food, gifts and – Christmas movies, right? I recently had the privilege of hanging out with many of the cast and crew of an upcoming film in production. I acted like a human sponge, soaking up the atmosphere …