When Real Life Hijacks Your Writing Schedule (And How God Can Take It Back)

ACFWACFW, Advice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Time Management, tips, writing 14 Comments

by Fayla Ott There’s a saying around my house: If Mom plans it, watch out and cover your head. The sky will most certainly fall. Maybe that’s why my guys are known to wear hats. I’m addicted to planners, lists, and charts. It’s like a sickness that can’t be medicated. My office looks like an Office Depot had a baby …

Making Good Use of Holy Week

ACFWEncouragement, Faith, writing 2 Comments

by M.D. House @real_housemd By way of confession, I’ve never shown a great interest in Holy Week. I need to repent of that. The resurrection of Jesus Christ—which we celebrate on Easter—and the events leading up to that seminal, world-shaping event (which had been prophesied from the beginning), is more important than any other topic we could think about or …

Embracing YOUR Path

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Fear/Doubt, Plotting/Outlines, tips, writing 12 Comments

By Elle E. Kay @ElleEKay777 We’ve all been there. Whether we’re watching a virtual webinar, attending a conference, reading a craft book, or chatting with a fellow writer, we hear all about the BEST way to write a book. One person may tell us to throw out the plot, while another insists we plan every scene in detail. Some say …

Simple Tricks for Staying in the Room

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Distraction, Time Management, tips, writing 5 Comments

by Jane Kirkpatrick My forty-first book will be released in May (Across the Crying Sands, Revell) and I’m busy writing book two in the three book “Women of Cannon Beach” series.  I’m discovering some of the same old negative voices creep in to make me leave my computer and clean the grout which seems much more important.  To combat those …

You Have the Write to Remain Writing

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Fear/Doubt, tips, writing 6 Comments

by John Zelenski @johnzelenski As an author, sometimes I am told by fellow writers, “I just can’t find the time to work on my writing craft.” The truth is, we do live in a society where time is often in short supply.  We have jobs (possibly more than one), families, responsibilities, church, etc. And while the list can go on, …

Of Giving Up and Letting Go

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Fear/Doubt, Perseverance, tips, writing 9 Comments

By Melanie Rigney Is there a difference between giving up and letting go? That question was posed at a retreat I attended recently. The conversation was of particular interest to me. While others were spending the retreat in prayer, working on faith journey scrapbooks, or taking long walks, I was researching a nonfiction book that’s due to a Catholic publisher …

ACFW New Releases: April 2025

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April 2025 New ReleasesMore in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Contemporary Romance: Earning the Veteran’s Trust by Lisa Jordan — After leaving the navy, Mallory Stone plans to buy her best friend’s fruit farm, a safe place to raise her son and adopt senior dogs like her dear Rosie. Until her ex-husband, …

Comfort Food for Writers

ACFWAdvice, Agents, Authors and writing, business, Encouragement, Rejection, tips, writing 3 Comments

by Linda Glaz Okay, time to sit back and relax with your favorite coffee or tea and a handful of shortbread cookies (my guilty pleasure). I’ll do the same, and we can talk about you getting published. “Can you give me any hints and tips to get my foot in the door?” I’d be happy to. I receive numerous submissions …

God’s Mighty Hero

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Fear/Doubt, Prayer, writing 12 Comments

by Maureen Miller “You need to be brave, like Gideon,” God said. “Who… me?” I replied, then busied myself. Maybe he’ll go away. But, of course, God didn’t go away. Instead, he repeated, “Be like Gideon.” He’s serious, I thought. Still, I argued. “But Father, I’m not courageous like Gideon. In fact, I’m really more like—” “Gideon,” God interrupted, “Remember, …