by DiAnn Mills This blog is not about your favorite treat, although a bowl of M&Ms does seem to make the creativity flow at rocket speed. I want to talk about the kind of candy that sweetens our writing, the books that take our craft to the next level. I have personal favorites, and these are the ones I want …
What To Do About Slime
By Sarah Hamaker Remember that old Nickelodeon TV show for kids where someone got slime poured over his head? That image of the green, gooey stuff cascading out of a giant bucket onto someone’s head came to mind when I read a snarky online comment about me. The person knew nothing about me. But the anonymousness of the Internet has …
Suffering Grace-fully
by Christine Sunderland I’m writing my next novel (working title, The Fire Trail), a story about the “medication generation,” hooking up, love and marriage, sexuality today, jungle culture versus civilization. I collected a thick file of news clippings, Internet printouts, and quotations from relevant reading. I revisited my first books on craft – creating characters, plotting plot. To develop my …
20 Years: Happily Ever After
by Kristena Tunstall Marriage. Those of us who are married, or have been, know it takes more than just love to make one work. You need good communication and complete trust in one another. It’s what makes a marriage special because when you have these two key ingredients, your love deepens with each passing day, week, month, and year that …
So You Think You Want to be a Writer?
by Casey Herringshaw Writing a novel is certainly not for the faint of heart. The weak in limbs or the feeble of mind. Writing is for the passionate and driven, those willing to fight the battle against the piles of laundry and undusted home surfaces. Those willing to spend hours glued to one’s desk chair and foregoing much in the …
Why I Write for Boys
by Eddie Jones Why do I write for boys? First I are one. Have been for as long as I can remember. Given the advancements in modern science and the cultural acceptance of transgender persons, a day may come when I am something different. But for now I’m a boy – albeit an older, smelly one. Here’s another reason I …
Learn from a Pro
by Deborah Lynne Today I wanted to do something a little different than my normal blog for ACFW. Don’t get me wrong; it still shares valuable insight into writing like all of the ACFW blogs posted. For my blog I had an idea and emailed one of my favorite authors of inspirational romantic suspense requesting to interview her. I am …
The Enemy-enemy
by Beth Shriver The cursor blinks and still nothing. The hours tick by and you’ve written two sentences. You take a break to check your email. The phone rings. Now its lunch time. You sit down to write and see the blinking cursor again. We’ve all had those days when procrastination sets in, and the harder you push, the further …
The Huguenot Cross-Celebrating the Symbolic
By Elizabeth Musser I received my Huguenot cross in December of 1994, given to me by my beloved husband, Paul. We spent many hours looking for just the right cross because it was extremely significant to me. It represented the dreams of a lifetime, the answer to decades of prayer. I was going to write a novel. Many believers in …
Writing Romance When the Real Romance Fails
By Kit Wilkinson How do you write a happily-ever-after when your own story has turned into a tragedy? When I landed my last novel contract, frankly, it was the first bit of good news I’d had in a long while. I’d prayed to be able to write this book for a few months, thinking it would be just what I …