by Bonnie S. Calhoun Okay…chocolate does come to mind…but not this time. Remember the famous saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Go one step further, “No great book was built in one writing.” By that I mean many authors hamstring themselves by trying to include everything in their first go round. Character emotions, allegories, red herrings, hidden meanings, clues, …
Go ahead, I can take it. I think…
by Sherri Stone There I was, my first time at an ACFW conference on appointment day. I had two. One for a fiction project and one for non-fiction. The fiction appointment went well and was very encouraging and helpful. Time for the non-fiction appointment and I clutched by precious baby tightly and took that long walk to the end of …
The Secret to Getting Published
by Richard L. Mabry, MD Gotcha! How many of you clicked on this post thinking I’d give you the magic formula for turning dross into gold? Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Let me tell you my own story. My first writer’s conference was an absolute disaster. I felt as though I’d been dumped into a foreign land without knowing …
No Shortcuts to Developing Gift and Craft
by Tina Radcliffe I firmly believe in the philosophy of happily-ever-after, hard work paying off and that eventually everyone who pays their dues will graduate from the school of hard knocks. I don’t believe there are short cuts to success for authors. Writing is a gift and a craft. Gift is that immeasurable package of God-given talent you were born …
New Releases: March 2013
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Catching Her Heart by Carolyne Aarsen — When they fell in love that summer, Jess Schroder never knew the secret Naomi Deacon carried away with her. Eight years later, she’s back in Hartley Creek – a nurse’s aide devoted to healing others. As she gets …
The Long Wait, Part 2
by Dani Pettrey Last month, I shared five proactive steps you can take while waiting for the “call.” Those steps helped me during my waiting days, and I hope they were encouraging to you. Today, I’d like to share five more. 1. All good things take time: It takes time to learn how to write a novel. Yes, there are …
Is There an Exception to Every Rule?
by Donna L. Rich There are many details one can miss when engulfed in pride of accomplishment. For instance, I’m published in contemporary, my most recent of which, Love for the Right Reasons, will be out in March from Heartsong. Nevertheless, I love writing and reading historical. Here’s where the pride comes in. Having had twelve years’ background in tracing …
The Voices, the Voices!
by Carolyne Aarsen We all have them. Those Voices that won’t leave us alone as we write. The Voices that roam around the back of our head, that analyze each word, each phrase, each scene. Voices that are often negative, sometimes positive. I’ll be writing about my hero and heroine as they become aware of each other and the Voices …
Writing in the Rain
by Telena Tanara Contreras I am a planner down to the last detail, organizing my life much like I organize my family’s travels. When a trip approaches, I map out the events, orchestrate the timeline, gather the supplies, and instruct the participants. I make sure my perfect little plan is in picture perfect order before bags can be loaded and …
Day Job?
by Beth Shriver I’ve always admired writers who also have another job as well as their writing. I was a social worker before my daughter was born and started writing soon after, but now that my youngest is off to college I’ve ventured back into the work force. I’m still learning how to balance the two. The first thing I …