by Anne Greene During the writing of Masquerade Marriage, I thought I knew what being in deep point of view meant. I thought I wrote deep point of view. I knew I had to stay inside the character’s head. I lived inside the character’s skin. I showed nothing that the POV character couldn’t have seen. I showed only what the …
Wall of Misconception
by Stan Crader When writing non-fiction, always reference primary sources. Years ago, Dr. Peter Lillbac wrote an article criticizing the 9th circuit court’s ruling that the pledge of allegiance was unconstitutional. Following the publication of the article Peter received a letter questioning his assertions. His reply included numerous primary sources and was eventually published as a book. The following is …
The Heart of the Matter
by MaryAnn Diorio Writing fiction, like all of life, is a matter of the heart. Scripture tells us that “people look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). The heart is the seat of motives. It is the control center of all human behavior. For those of us who write fiction, the heart …
Being Adept at technology doesn’t make you a writer!
by Mary Ann Kerr The tools for writing can be a distraction. There are so many programs from which to choose and which one is the best for writing? How does one know which one to choose? I have a MacBook Air and love it. When writing, I usually use pages, but I also have Scrivener which is a great …
Bigger on the Inside
As I begin editing my fourth book, “The 10th Demon: Children of the Bloodstone” it is painfully obvious I will not get a chance to catch my breath from just completing the third book, “The 11th Demon: The Ark of Chaos” available within the next two weeks. After completing the edit on the third book I am now very much …
Real Characters and the Supernatural
by J.A. Marx The spirit world. Holding to scripture. Authentic characters. Artistic license. How does an author reconcile all these concepts? I’m factual and a realist, which is partially why I don’t write fantasy or sci-fi. I’d find it too easy to write contrived scenes. Princess Janellia stands on the precipice of death and…suddenly a dragon swoops down and rescues …
You May Be a Writer
by Ane Mulligan Someone recently asked me how I knew I was a writer. I gave her the usual answers about a story taking over my mind … forget that … taking over my life until it’s told. I also had to admit all my really good friends are imaginary, at least the ones who still talk to me. I …
When the Holidays Cut Into Writing Time
by Anne Mateer The holiday season is upon us. For some writers, the interrupted normalcy means more writing time. But I suspect the opposite is the case for many of us: the holidays mean less time to write. Perhaps your children have vacation from school and require more supervision. Or they’re home from college (like mine will be) and you …
Where Do Storytellers Come From?
by Dana Mentink Writers are storytellers. Most will tell you something along the lines of “Oh I’ve been jotting down stories since I was a kid!” Guilty. When I wasn’t jotting them, I was thinking about them (most likely during a math lesson.) Somewhere in my formative years, the seed was planted deep, sprouting into a jungle of stories. So …
Top 10 Ways to Fail Spectacularly with Social Networking
By Edie Melson This past year, everywhere you turned someone was offering help on how to succeed with marketing, aka social media. Today I’m going to turn the tables and give you my top 10 ways to fail spectacularly with social networking. 10. Never follow anyone back when they follow you. Why would you? They aren’t nearly as interesting. 9. …