Since this is the start of another year it seems like the perfect time to set new writing goals. To help you get started here are few that should be on every writer’s resolution list: Make a Solid, Attainable Goal If you have a specific goal in mind, you’ll be less likely to get sidetracked. An attainable goal is one …
Digging Deeper – How Far Should You Go?
by Connie Stevens Most authors-at least the ones I know-love research. Whether they write contemporary or historical, long or short, romance or suspense, a writer wants to know their characters intimately. The best way to do that is to delve into their background, their roots, their hidden past. Are there ghosts from their past that haunt them? What defines their …
Grace Under Pressure
by Laurie Alice Eakes Once upon a time, I believed the time, mood, and environment had to be just right for me to find the creative energy within me. Without this perfect setting, the “muse” would never pay me a visit. The words would not flow. Then my first truly serious deadline hit. Three months to finish a 50,000 word …
Choosing a Present Joy
by Jane Kirkpatrick Some months ago a reader wrote the following: “My children are happy and nearly grown, my husband loves the fact that I’m writing, I’m organized enough that my home nearly runs itself, our church is healthy and thriving with or without me. But giving myself permission to do this thing that I love so much – writing …
Cat Block
by Beth Shriver I bet you’ve never used a cat to gage your level of writers block…but I don’t hear anyone opposing the idea so I’ll continue. I don’t know about you but I have three furry friends who keep me company while I write. After a dog bone, a scoop of cat food, and a cup of coffee, the …
Backup Plan
by Carolyne Aarsen I dislike running out of things. When I pull a jar of mayonnaise from my pantry to replace the one I’ve just emptied and I don’t see a second full jar, I get nervous. What if I have a sudden craving to make a whomping huge bowl of potato salad and I use up the jar I …
Set Goals and Reap the Rewards
by B.J. Bassett One year Jack London received 400 rejections. With that many rejections he was bound to have received some acceptances. I look forward to the beginning of a new year with a fresh slate to record my goals. Since I began setting goals, I’ve written and published more. I set monthly goals. Others set daily, weekly, yearly, short …
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
by Lillian Duncan Wow! It’s the first day of a new year and I have the honor of welcoming it in for ACFW’s blog. That is quite the honor and quite the responsibility. Do I pick a solemn topic? Maybe, one to make you smile? Something encouraging? Something to make you think? Something inspirational? Mmm. What to do? So many …
A Plan for 2013: Getting to THE END and Pressing SEND
by Kathleen Y’Barbo As the saying goes, all good things come to an end, be it a year or a book. I sit in the shadow of a Christmas tree now devoid of gifts and dropping needles like crazy, painfully aware that 2012 is almost no more. Midnight ushers in 2013, and with the new year comes new plans, new …
Whose Fault Is It If Your Book Doesn’t Sell in 2013?
by Greg Johnson WordServe Literary Group After representing a couple of thousand books, I’ve seen average books go through the roof, and great books struggle to find readers. I won’t name names or titles, but we’ve all scratched our heads after reading a current bestseller, thinking Really? Naturally, I’ve seen hundreds of books sell just “okay.” And on rare occasions, …