by Maureen Lang I’ve just finished my current Work In Progress, and I always share my first draft with at least one trusted friend and critique partner before starting my revision process. Fresh eyes have a way of spotting plot twists that fall flat, character traits that don’t ring true or, the subject of today’s blog post, unnecessary verbiage. The …
The Act of Creation
By Michelle Arch My office is in chaos – again. After finishing my course thesis on the parallels between Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground last spring, I spent a Saturday clearing the disarray of books, critical essays, notepads and Post-its with my jotted thoughts and references, my highlighted and dog-eared MLA Handbook and dictionary, half-empty water …
Patriots, Politics, and Powerful People
by Stan Crader In an effort to draw a fictional narrative closer to reality, I wanted to drop the name of a real famous person into the periphery of my novel. So, I began making a list that first came to mind. Try it and see what you come up with. Make a list of the greatest names that come …
Researching A Contemporary Novel
by Gail Gaymer Martin A contemporary novel is set in the present, and yet I spend a great deal of time researching details of location, seasonal events, health issues, careers and more to bring reality to the novel. The last two books of the Sisters series revolves around firefighters, and I used the Interent to research the career, but knowing …
Someday … I’ll Write a Novel
by Kathy Harris Someday … I’ll write a novel. How many times have you heard someone say these words? Maybe it was you. Or perhaps you’ve written a novel-or two or three or more-and your goal is to be published. Or multi-published. Maybe you want to hit the New York Times Bestseller list. Whatever your dream, it’s time to set …
Writing Under Adversity
by Cheryl Wyatt As I pondered what to write about on this blog post, I wondered why it was taking me so long to think of a subject. Sure, I’d prayed, but my brain still felt dead and devoid of ideas. It dawned on me that a cumulative lack of sleep for the past two weeks is the likely culprit …
Why Do We Write?
by Kristena Tunstall Why do we write? For everyone it’s different. For me, it’s very personal. I started to write because of a tragedy, and not just any kind of tragedy but one that so many of us could imagine because we know the pain would be so acute. It’s the loss of a child. It’s hard to believe that …
Celebrating the Little Moments in Your Writing
by Lisa Jordan I read a brief devotional from Joy for a Woman’s Soul, written by the Women of Faith ladies. The late Barbara Johnson had written a piece titled “Celebrate Joy.” She reminds us “celebrate anything you can think of.” After all, “every day is worth a party-not just the cookie cutter moments.” If we applied that to our …
Imagine, Dream, Believe
by Loretta Eidson As I pondered the appropriate topic for this blog, I sat at my breakfast bar with a cup of coffee admiring these flameless candles on the counter in front of me. Imagine, dream, believe blinked in the flickering light. That was it, these simple words could be applied to many areas of life, but I found them …
Amazon Reviews for You
by Eddie Jones Here we are in the midst of the most important shopping season of the year and (perhaps) your book languishes in the lost-but-not-found section of Amazon, B&N.com and Christianbooks.com. Oh what is a poor author to do, Cindy Lou? Get more reviews for you. That’s right, increasingly customers turn to online reviews written to learn if a …