by Christine Sunderland Life is a journey from choice to choice, an exercise of free will. When we choose, a genetic component changes, and we become slightly different people. We have chosen a direction that informs our genes and colors our future choices. As readers we follow this journey in stories. We wonder where the choices will take us. But …
Critiquing Suggestions for Transitioning to Published Author
by Carrie Fancett Pagels I’ve posted elsewhere about not despising the day of small beginnings, as the Bible also tells us. One of the blessings of working on three “smaller” publications in the past several months is what I’ve learned about my writing life. For example, how can I best work with a Critique Partner (will abbreviate as CP henceforth.) …
5 Keys to a Successful Editor/Agent Appointment
By Elizabeth Ludwig Few things strike fear into the stout of heart more than speaking in public. In fact, according to a recent Gallup Poll, the only thing more petrifying is a fear of snakes. Is it any wonder, therefore, that writers are often reduced to stuttering, terror-stricken imbeciles when faced with the prospect of sitting down with an editor …
Extrovert Your Introverted Writing Ways
by Crystal Laine Miller If you are an introverted writer, you may be ready to crawl into a cubby somewhere after reading Amanda Luedeke’s The Extroverted Writer: An Author’s Guide to Marketing and Building Platform. Don’t. Read it again (it’s short) and take one bite of the elephant. Start with just one thing that she addresses. If you’re that extroverted …
God has Bestowed Creativity Upon His Creation
by Mary Ann kerr Creator noun: a person or thing that brings something into existence. • (the Creator) used as a name for God. God is the author of creativity. I realized the other day that I always think of God as the person who created the heavens and the earth eons ago. I’ve never thought of Him as still …
Letting Your Protagonist Be Super and Human
by Rachel Hauck Did you see the movie, “The Avengers”? Did you like it? I did last year and wow! Another blow-’em-up New York City movie. I think Hollywood needs to get more creative, but hey, that’s me. Poor NYC if anything ever happens to them as depicted in movies! Back to “The Avengers”. Besides Ironman, Thor, Hulk and Captain …
What Coldplay Taught Me About Pitching
by Melissa Tagg Anybody who knows me knows I love Coldplay. Like, soooo much. I’m convinced there’s a Coldplay song fitting for every occasion in life. And one of my great dreams is for someone to someday sing Coldplay’s “Green Eyes” to me. Except I actually have blue eyes, so it’d be kind of weird. But still. I love Coldplay. …
Fact or Fiction: The Christian Faith
by Bruce Hennigan “The Da Vinci Code” has old over 30 million copies since it debuted in 2003. It has been translated into over 40 languages. Not too bad for a work of fiction that in its author’s own words are based completely on “facts”: “FACT: All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” …
Writing and Time Management
by Jennie Atkins So you want to write, but you have to hold down your dreaded day job, be super mom, or just get through your never-ending to-do list. There are days you finally drag yourself to your computer and barely squeak out a paragraph or two at best. Or you get sidetracked with e-mails, phone calls, or a hundred …
A Dash of Steampunk
by Kathleen Y’Barbo When I mention that my historical romantic suspense series, THE SECRET LIVES OF WILL TUCKER, includes a dash of steampunk, I usually get one of two responses: a wide grin or a confused expression. For those of you who best identify with the confused expression crowd, let’s talk about what steampunk is. Wikipedia calls steampunk “…a subgenre …