by Ruth A. Douthitt I grew up in the 1970s as a “child of the television age”. Most families had more than one TV set in the house and had it turned on all day long…even during dinner! I grew up during the summer of blockbusters, a term created after the movie JAWS set box office records that summer of …
Purpose in Pain
by Jennifer Sienes I lack imagination. A bold confession for a writer, wouldn’t you say? It’s true. That’s why I don’t do fantasy-don’t write it, read it, or watch it. “What do you mean you’ve never seen Lord of the Rings?” my husband of seven years asked me. “But you’ve read the trilogy, right?” Sorry to disappoint. But, no. I’ve …
GMC. And the greatest of these is: Conflict
by Maureen Lang There have been countless books, blogs and workshops devoted to the topic of conflict, mainly because of the three biggies in fiction writing, Goal, Motivation and Conflict, the greatest of these is conflict. Without conflict, the goals of your character would come too easily, with or without proper motivation. And then where would your story be? Over …
Writing Advice in Old Fashioned Dishwashing
by Tamara D. Fickas Today my sweet grandmother is having a birthday. Grandma is an amazing woman. Early in life, she married a farming man, and together they raised thirteen children in a three-bedroom farmhouse. Life wasn’t easy for them and with that many kids, money was always tight, but they made the best of everything. They didn’t have all …
Ten Reasons Why You Should Attend ACFW’s National Conference
by Pam Meyers Since ACFW’s first national conference 2002 in Kansas City, MO, I have not missed one conference. I’ve watched it start out in a Kansas City hotel with 100 attendees (including the presenters) to well over 600 attendees today. Why do I like the ACFW conference so much? Here are ten reasons-although I could go on longer. 1. …
The Forgotten Prophet
by Jim O’Shea While doing research on End Time prophecies for my recently released thriller, “The Linen God”, I discovered the writings of a little known, twelfth century Irish monk named Maolmhaodhog ua Morgair. Born in Armagh, Ireland, Morgair (who became known as Saint Malachy), was canonized the first Irish Saint in the Catholic Church by Pope Clement III in …
More is More
by Michelle Arch Lately I’ve struggled with the word constraint of a guest column I write. No matter how concisely I try to present my ideas, I’m routinely asked to cut between twenty and forty words from each submission. Not long ago, I spent a painful weekend pruning over 4,000 words or roughly fifteen pages from a complex essay that …
Parasail Writing
By Loretta Eidson If you’ve ever been parasailing, you know the exhilarating feeling of the wind in your face, the serene solitude of flying through the air, and the breathtaking scenery of the ocean below. If you’re a writer, you envision the many ways parasailing can relate to the creative mind in the development of an intriguing story. Whether you …
Writing Despite Adversity…(Yes, You CAN!)
by Cynthia Herron “Mrs. Herron…We have your son’s lab results back. It’s serious.” There were no preliminaries. No shoot-the-breeze kind of niceties. Just words. Plain, succinct, gut-wrenching words that conveyed the gravity of the situation. I braced myself for the worst and struggled to hold onto some sense of normalcy. This couldn’t be happening. I had a proposal to finish. …
Creative Minds and the Need for Sleep
by Mary Ellis Read any author interview or listen in on any conversation between writers and you will hear one universal theme: There aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. Between day-jobs, spouses, kids, houses that need to be cleaned, and meals to get on the table-how does a writer find enough time to write? Once you’re …