by Laurie Alice Eakes I have no scientific or statistical data to backup what I’m about to proclaim and explain. What I have is personal experience and three years of observation. Four years ago, I joined Facebook. A year ago, I joined Twitter. Somewhere in there I signed up for Linkedin and Goodreads and probably other social media sites I’ve …
Keeping the Reader in Mind
by Ruth A. Douthitt I teach writing to middle grade students here in Phoenix, and am amazed at their creativity when it comes to writing stories. As a writing teacher, I use a plotting diagram as well as an outline. I also remind my students to keep me, the reader, in mind as they write. Now I have 70 stories …
When is Fiction Not Fiction
by Charlotte Snead His Brother’s Wife, published in October 2012 by Oak Tara, springs from the heart of one who has walked the halls of Walter Reed and seen our brave warriors. The dry places where they fought are only one battlefield. The daily war for month after month, even year after year, to regain their ability to walk, to …
Dealing with Discouragement
by Ian Acheson Jenny* was running late. She grabbed the first seat inside the door, and acknowledged the teacher standing on the opposite side of the room. He welcomed her, unfazed by being interrupted. We were sharing our homework. A 250-word piece on “Daring to Kick the Universe”. We soon got around to Jenny. She prefaced her work by sharing …
The British are Coming
by Christine Lindsay The British are coming! They said this when the Beatles arrived in New York, and they’re saying it again with the recent success of Downton Abbey. Recently an editor of one of the largest US publishing houses says to expect the British invasion in the Christian world of fiction. With my series Twilight of the British Raj …
Seven Ways To Avoid Burnout
by Becky Wade Think back. Have any of your favorite authors simply stopped writing? Some may have retired at the end of a long career. But others likely quit writing because of burnout. It happens! I happened to me once. And it’s something that can stall or derail the dreams of any writer at any time. What precautionary measures can …
Three Steps to Publication – Guaranteed!
by Lillian Duncan All stories have a beginning, a middle, and end. If you want to get published you need to write the BEST BEGINNINGS, MARVELOUS MIDDLES, and EXPLOSIVE ENDINGS. Succeed with those three easy steps and you’ll have a contract before you know it. OK-maybe they aren’t all that easy to master. It took me years to learn the …
ACFW New Releases: May 2013
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Follow the Heart by Kaye Dacus — An American woman is sent to England to marry wealth, but finds herself torn between the poor man she loves and the viscount who offers the wealth and stability that can save her family. (Historical Romance from B …
The Writing Journey – Smile No Matter What!
by Donna L. Rich My last speaking engagement was with the Optimists Club, and they asked me to speak on my writing journey. Since they were optimists, I had to tell them about smile no matter what. When I was a kid, my mother always told me to smile no matter what, and I did just that – even when …
On the Road to Publication Be Sure to Pack A Lot of Patience!
by Pamela S. Meyers I’ve always dreamed of writing a story set in my picturesque hometown, and God surely blessed me when I was given the opportunity to do so by Summerside Press. This past weekend I launched my novel Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the book of my heart. My first publishing contract came seventeen years after …