By Lisa Jordan When I became serious about writing and joined my first writing organization, I was paired with my first mentor. Even though I understood the basic fundamentals of writing, I needed help with advanced techniques to strengthen my craft. Also, I wanted someone who understood the publishing industry. Having a mentor helped because she understood where I was …
Being Thankful and Giving Back
Howdy! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and has come much faster than I could have imagined. Where has this year gone? With the coming holiday, I find myself reminded of how thankful I am for so many things. Family. Friends. A wonderful writing community like this one, filled with people of faith who share the dream of being published. …
Blessings in Conflict
By Kathy Harris If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. — Meister Eckhart Everywhere we turn this time of year, we’re reminded to be thankful. Whether it’s a warm and fuzzy television commercial, a not-so-gentle nudge delivered from the pulpit, or a magazine article on the Top Ten Tips …
“Drawing” on Your Creative Resources
by Betsy Lowery As a writer whose nonfiction offerings lean more toward deep ideas than toward useful application, I’m happy to offer to my ACFW community a very simple and concrete idea. In chapter 9 of The Wrong Type of Love (unfinished sequel to my first and unpublished novel, A Stranger’s Promise), a couple of young musicians need some inspiration …
In the Baking of the Bread
by Marianne Evans My family has this thing about homemade, fresh-baked onion bread. It’s a staple that’s been passed from my grandma, to my mom, and now, to me. I love being the one to carry on the tradition of baking bread because, as I’ve often joked with my kids, it’s a sure-fire way to get them to pay a …
Don’t Quit Your Day Job–Part II
by Elizabeth Musser A year ago (October, 2015), I wrote a post called ‘Don’t Quit Your Day Job‘. Here’s the second part of that post, giving a very personal account of how my day job inspired my newest novel. In the summer of 1984, I, along with dozens of other missionaries working throughout Europe, gathered for a conference in an …
LIFE HAPPENS – But what about your deadlines?
By Pat Bradley If you are a writer, published or unpublished, you have deadlines. True, they might be self-imposed, but they are still deadlines you take seriously. And since you can’t schedule emergencies, what do you do with those deadlines when you have to deal with a serious illness or something unexpected that can’t be put off? I found myself …
Unpublished and on Social Media as an Author? Why?
By Tamela Hancock Murray It’s hard to get through a week without seeing at least one article on platform. Well, here’s yours for the week! We agents ask authors for a platform, but I have found that unpublished authors wonder how and why they should show a professional presence on social media. That question is understandable. Without a book, what …
ACFW New Releases: November 2016
November 2016 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Biblical: Slender Reeds: Jochebed’s Hope by Texie Susan Gregory — In a deadly race to save her son, a young slave woman dares defy the most powerful man in the world. (Biblical from Barbour Publishing) Contemporary Romance: Crazy Woman Christmas by …
Why Am I Doing This?
By Sharlene MacLaren “Hey, God, why am I doing this?” Tell the truth now. Haven’t you asked this very question? Writing is hard work, and it’s no sin to expect some recompense. Right? After all, we spend months crafting our novels; first, researching; second, plotting; third, drafting outlines and constructing storyboards; and, fourth, drawing up character sketches, always striving to …