by Anne Greene Want to create unforgettable characters? Then find the WHY for what they do. Find the deep-down inner motivation that drives your character. Character Motivation is vitally important. Motivation engages the reader. Readers relate to character motivations. They make the character live in the reader’s minds. Motivation leads to the character arc. It’s the WHY of Goal Motivation …
GoodReads: An Author’s Friend, or Foe?
by Maureen Lang GoodReads was designed as a place where readers rule! Instead of trusting bestseller lists, readers can go to GoodReads to connect with other book lovers to share their favorites. In little more than a half-dozen years, the site has attracted 20 million members. Not only do readers there feel free to be honest, bold and sometimes blunt …
What’s in a Name?
by Ann H. Gabhart I’m at the beginning of a new story. I’ve written the proposal. I’ve named the main characters. No way can I write their stories without knowing their names. And just pulling a name out of a hat doesn’t work for me. I need them to have the right name. That’s not to say a character has …
Fast Edits
by Bonnie S. Calhoun Fast Edits This is a fast and down-dirty review of the things you should look for as you go through your self-edit of your manuscript. If you can catch all these, you’ve got a good start to a great manuscript. Weasel Words These are words that weaken the writing, thus the story. We sometimes type them …
Making Time for the Work You Love
by Mary Ellis Most readers imagine authors pounding away at their computers, then taking long walks on the beach to renew their inspiration. A writer’s life must be solitary, introspective, and perhaps a bit tragic. Although there are some writers enjoying that lifestyle, most juggle other jobs too. If wish to add author to your day job and family responsibilities, …
Conference Expectations
by Ian Acheson I waited outside the reception area of the corporate campus waiting for my client to arrive. I was expecting to receive a letter of employment from the CEO that would end my consultant status and see me appointed as a director of the company. We’d been in discussions for six months and all that was required was …
Finish the Book
By Kathleen Y’Barbo Reaching THE END and Pressing SEND at the 2013 ACFW Conference In less than two weeks, conferees will descend on Indianapolis for the 2013 ACFW Conference. Most hope to leave with some measure of success, be it a manuscript requested, an agent interested, or perhaps new friends made. Others hope to learn how to do what they …
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
By Mary Connealy Fired Up, Book #2 of the Trouble in Texas Series releases in September and I want to talk about how I got the idea for this seris. I have a character in my Kincaid Brides Series, the youngest brother Seth, the hero of Over the Edge, who spent time in Andersonville Prison during the Civil War. So …
Encouragement for the Discouraged
by Lindsay Harrel As most of us know, this writing journey can be filled with a lot of valleys. Experiencing writer’s block. Being stuck at home when everyone else is attending the big conference. Feeling like you’re on the outside of publishing circles. Receiving rejections. Trust me, I’ve been there! But I also was blessed enough to receive some great …
A Sense of Style
by Michelle Arch Anyone who has been engaged in the craft of writing for any length of time has developed a uniquely personal style. During the last several years in Chapman University’s dual Master of Arts in English and MFA in Creative Writing program, my own narrative manner has been described in workshops as meticulous, high, ornamental, tedious, lovely, distracting, …