by Shirley Gould Don’t you love receiving something you know much thought and care had been given when it was chosen for you? My daughter gave me that kind of present. It was a bracelet made out of vintage typewriter keys, a perfect gift for a writer. It brands me as it inspires me to continue pounding the keyboard toward …
Right Writing
by Martha Rogers I love a good story, but recently I have read two good stories by a multi-published author that left me shaking my head. If the story hadn’t been good, I would have tossed the book aside. Things like head-hopping or changing point of view within a scene with no warning and beginning sentences with words that end …
Writing is a Calling
Good morning all of you fellow writers-some published, some working toward being published. God blessed you when He called you to write. Some write fiction, some non-fiction, but all members of ACFW fill their pages, their stories, with the love of God. He loved us so much, He sent His Son to die and live again so that we could …
The Upside of Rejection
By Brenda Anderson Rejection. A word most writers are intimately familiar with, a word filled with negative connotations. Merriam-Webster defines rejection as “the action of rejecting: the state of being rejected.” Sounds depressing, doesn’t it? In the midst of rejection, it’s difficult to find something positive, but I assure you, there is an upside. We learn from rejection: You’ve just …
An Unexpected Gift from Alzheimer’s
by Suzanne Woods Fisher A few years ago, I started writing a weekly column on my blog called “Conversations with Dad.” My father was in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease and, because my parents lived across the street, I was spending quite a bit of time with him. Quite a bit. For those of you who have had an …
Resurrecting Beauty
by Christine Sunderland I have long been fascinated with the relationship between beauty, truth, and goodness. One of the joys of being a novelist is that I can create characters who share my fascinations. So in my recently published novel, The Magdalene Mystery, a protagonist is devoted to truth in the media and correcting Internet lies. He is also fascinated …
Don’t Leave the Last 10% Unsaid
by Melissa Tagg There’s not a whole lot I can brag about when it comes to all things domestic diva-related. It’s not that I can’t do things like clean and cook-I just don’t generally have time to keep up in a way that wouldn’t horrify Martha Stewart. But one thing I can be at least a little proud of: I’m …
Details, Details
by Harry Kraus Let’s talk about the “fictional dream.” What makes people willing to suspend belief and enter into a make-believe world? How is this done successfully? I’ve been contemplating this recently as I’ve been reading the young adult novels beginning with Divergent. Veronica Roth creates a world very different from our own, one which requires the reader to accept …
Reflections of Tone
by Jennifer Sienes I’ve written enough now to realize that there’s been a pattern in not only what I write, but in how I write – no, I didn’t get the Tread Desk I’ve had my eye on for some time-I’m referring to that somewhat elusive tone. At the end of my first year as a middle school teacher, I …
How Writing Retreats Have Profoundly Impacted My Life
By Lindsay Harrel When I first began writing, I did everything I could to learn how to become a successful career novelist. I wrote a few books (kind of a given!). I read countless books and articles on craft. I stalked many an agent blog to discover more about the industry. I befriended other writers. All of these things were …