by Beth K. Vogt Bobby Flay is a celebrity chef and restaurateur. Any books he’s written are filled with mouth-watering recipes, not imaginary characters and plot twists. But as I recovered from a deadline and a migraine – Could the two be related? – I indulged in a mini-marathon of television episodes of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Watching Flay create …
A Christian Writer’s Prayer
by Deborah Raney I will soon celebrate the 20th anniversary of the day I wrote the first words of the first prologue of my first novel. It has been a wonderful two decades full of adventure and surprises–and adjustments. Almost ten years into my pursuit of being a “real” writer, my job as a novelist had finally begun to be …
Building Your Platform
by Laura McClellan As an as-yet-unpublished writer, most of my time and attention is focused on actually writing-trying to finish my first manuscript. I read with interest, though, the many blog posts and articles about marketing, and understand the need to build a platform that will help persuade publishers to take a chance on me as a debut novelist. Like …
Sweet Spot for Writing
by Jennie Atkins Have you ever wondered how some authors can turn out novels as easily as baking a boxed cake? I know I do! They seem to throw in all the right ingredients, stir in a mixture of conflict, suspense and romance, and come up with a perfectly baked masterpiece. And they do it in record time. It almost …
‘Tis the Season-For Christmas Stories!
By Carrie Fancett Pagels Doesn’t every author dream of having a Christmas story in print? This year one of my wishes comes true when “Snowed In: A Northwoods Christmas” appears in Guidepost Books A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Volume One, Tales of Faith and Family for the Holidays. I certainly enjoy reading Christmas stories so I hope I’ve written one …
A Silent Abyss
by Michelle Arch Last month I published my 500th post on my literary weblog Archetype. When I created the site in 2009, I had recently begun the dual English and Creative Writing graduate program at Chapman University and wanted to maintain a virtual writing workshop or MAB (multi-author blog) for artistic experimentation. At the time, I was immersed in the …
A Tool for Your Writer’s Tool Kit: Observation
by Becky Wade Jane Austen was a genius with story in so many ways. One particular skill that I marvel over? Her skill at observing others and then transferring recognizable markers of personality and character to the page. Think for a moment about just a few of the characters from Pride and Prejudice. What do the following names bring to …
The Changing World of Publishing
by Rachel Hauck The world of publishing is changing. And you know this unless you just awoke from a long 10 year nap. There are more options available to writers today than ever before. The e-publishing entrepreneurs have changed the way we see book publishing. Writers around the world rejoice. Authors with no platform, or with a stack of rejections …
The End
by Jane Kirkpatrick Today I wrote The End of my latest novel. Of course it’s not really the end but rather the next stage in the production of a book. When I’m reading from the book at a signing, I’m still editing wondering to myself “why didn’t I use a different word there?” Or I skip a line because it …
The Learning Curve
by Katherine Reay Today is an exciting day for me. My debut novel, Dear Mr. Knightley, releases today – and I figured this was a fun and appropriate place to park myself. I’m supposed to write about writing here because that’s what we do! It’s been a year since Thomas Nelson contracted Dear Mr. Knightley. And as it launches today, …