by Chandra Lynn Smith Writers are a different sort. If you disagree with me, ask your family what they think. In our family of six, my oldest son, the actor, is often the one who ‘gets it.’ The rest of the family gives me the deer-in-the-headlights stare. Writers use a specific type of pen, notebook, size lead or ink. WE …
Gary the Groundhog Saved My Column
By Jenny Powell It all started when I moved my medical office into the second story of a professional building with giant windows facing Highway 54. I would stare out the window at the small wooded area there whilst contemplating a befuddling set of symptoms, seeking diagnosis. That was where I first saw Gary. The large groundhog waddled purposefully through …
Unexpected Perks (or Blessings) from being an Author
by Marilyn Turk @MarilynTurk Someone once said, “I don’t enjoy writing, but I enjoy having written.” I have to agree with that statement. While I find it miraculous the way a story develops while I write, I didn’t expect the process to be so hard. At least for me, the perfectionist over-achiever pantser, it is. And part of the added …
What I Learned Selling my Books in a Bar
By Sara Davison @SaraDavison19 As soon as we walked into the room, we knew we were wasting our time. A friend of mine and I had been invited to have a book table at an event in our city. Neither of us knew much about what the event actually was, but since it was late November and they were looking …
Pitching With Grace and Perseverance
By Barbara M. Britton @BarbaraMBritton My pitching days began in 2008. I have pitched to agents and editors in the General Market and to those in the Christian Fiction publishing world. I’ve pitched in person and over Zoom. My shortest time allotment was three minutes, and my longest pitch session was fifteen minutes. What were some of the craziest things …
What Makes a Good Novel?
By B.D. Lawrence @BDLawrence3 “There are bad novels and good novels…but that is the only distinction in which I see any meaning…the only classification of the novel that I can understand is into the interesting and the uninteresting…it is of execution that we are talking — that being the only point of a novel that is open to contention.” Henry …
Why Poetry Can Make You a Better Writer
By Glynn Young @gyoung9751 Like most of my generation, I read poetry in English classes in high school. It wasn’t until I was a high school senior that I read poetry that stuck in my head. And it was T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and “Four Quartets.” I read poetry in college as well, but my …
Step Outside You Comfort Zone and Write
by Terry Overton Listening to my Bible Study leader speak in our recent study of Rahab, the point was made very clear to me. God asked Rahab to step out of her comfort zone and do something she probably never thought she would do. He had selected Rahab to take in two spies and to lie to the authorities when …
Why I Love Critique Groups
By Cindy Ervin Huff @Cindyhuff11Huff One of the best ways I’ve improved my writing over the years is in my critique groups. I’ve learned so much at writer’s conferences and writing craft books, but the application can be challenging. I don’t often see my writing mistakes. But having critique partners makes all the difference. For a few years, I was …
How I Started Writing
by Angela Hunt Hel-looo, ACFW! This is my first blog post here, so I thought I’d introduce myself to those of you I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting. I’m a mom, Nana, and keeper of Chickens and Very Big Dogs. I live in Florida. I’ve flown to New York so my dog could be on Regis and Kelly, I’m …