By: Lenora Livingston In my seventy-nine years of living, never once in my wildest dreams did I ever envision myself writing a novel. No, not me, no way! In my school days, I always cringed at the very thought of rough drafts and rewriting themes and term papers. If I couldn’t write it right the first time, forget it. It …
The Bird and the Worm—Research for Historical Fiction
By Sarah Sundin When writing historical fiction, we need to research with both the eye of the bird and the eye of the worm. A bird soars high. It sees for miles in all directions and senses what’s happening in many places, but it’s detached from the action. The worm sits in its little spot in the ground, aware of …
When Your Spouse Reads Your Work
It’s just plain crazy! I have to tell you about the most unusual week of my life. My man reads his Bible, and things that are necessary for his job, but that’s about it. It’s so hard for me to understand this, but he doesn’t enjoy reading. But he had told me, if you get published, I’ll read your book. …
“Don’t Push Me”
By Leslie DeVooght My two-year old niece proclaims, “patience is waiting with a happy heart.” Apparently, I gave her mother the book In This House, We Will Giggle by Courtney DeFeo. My family studied one virtue a month from this book, but I’m pretty sure we need a remedial course. We all need what we want, and we need it …
Enjoy the Journey – Even the Detours
by Tracy Popolizio Last year I was given a great, hidden treasure. A book! I say hidden because I didn’t realize the impact it would have on me until months later, when, shuffling through my stack looking to see what might interest me, it caught my eye. I pulled it out and thought I should probably read it because it …
Beautiful in His Time
By Cathleen Armstrong How does it happen so fast? New Year’s Day always dawns with so much promise—365 days, a whole year, lie open like the pristine pages of a brand-new journal. The possibilities are infinite. This is the year we’ll finally finish the novel-that-never-ends. We’ll start a new one. We’ll wrestle social media to the ground and rise victorious …
Traits of a Successful Critique Group
By Henry McLaughlin I’m sure we’ve all participated in or heard stories about horrible experiences with critique groups. I’ve had a few myself. Unfortunately, I may have contributed to some of them. To any writers I did this to, I apologize. I’ve been writing seriously for over ten years. During this time, I’ve participated in many critique groups, both on …
Dare To Know
By Kim A. Gilliland I have often heard or read in writing courses over the years — write about what you know. I have also heard and read how absurd that notion is. I wonder, which is correct? Perhaps it’s both. I love to write about murder, but I have never murdered anyone. My protagonist owns her own pet store, …
What We Learn While Waiting
By Elizabeth Musser I received a wonderful gift over Christmas: contracts for two new novels with a publishing house I not only respect but one I had worked with for many years. And then for many years, I didn’t. Work with them. Or receive a contract. And it was HARD. Maybe your writing has career has been a little like …
One Step at a Time
By Rondi Bauer Olson We write because we love words, stories, and touching people’s lives. We write because we can’t stop, and because it is God’s calling on our lives. Unfortunately, working as a writer can have some unhealthy side-effects. Vision problems and headaches from staring at a screen all day, carpel tunnel, and worst of all, for many of …