by Michelle Arch As an MFA student, a short fiction writer, an aspiring novelist, and a literary blogger, I reflect frequently on the issues of universality and marketability in relation to art. Whether composing a chapter of my novel, a short story, or even a mere blog post, questions of significance dog me: What is writeaboutable? What merits the deconstruction …
Get moving!
by Myra Johnson January is speeding swiftly away, and (if I were to hazard a guess) so are many of our New Year’s resolutions. So to help us get back on track, I’d like to talk about . . . well, actually I would rather NOT talk about . . . the dreaded E word. Not E-mail. Not Edits. Not …
Too Much of a Good Thing?
by Sherri Stone As a relatively new and pre-published writer I have spent my first year in ACFW trying to soak up and follow every last drop of writing advice I’ve received from my fellow members this year. Frankly, I’ve found it tremendously overwhelming. My problem has been that of many beginners: 1) I didn’t know enough to ask intelligent …
Critique Partner Matchmaking
by Melissa Tagg This past year has been one of dreams-come-true for me. Only dream that hasn’t come true? A proposal from Tim Tebow. Um, I guess he was too busy playing football. (Playing being a relative term, in this case. Yeah, I might need to work on my grudge against the Jets!) But one of the coolest things that …
Days of Silence
by Dr. Richard Mabry God made a promise to an old and childless Abraham that someday he would be the father of many nations. Fourteen years after that, Isaac was born to Abraham and his wife, Sarah. Did you ever wonder what happened during the prolonged period of waiting the patriarch endured? Did Abraham worry because he was getting older …
Mapping out the New Year
By Tina Radcliffe With the New Year comes reflection and evaluation as we map out the course for the year ahead. In order to reach your goal you must have a map and you have to plan. Come on. When was the last time you started a long road trip without checking the oil, the tires, gassing up and buying …
What Writers Do on Summer Vacation
by Mary Ellis I’m occasionally asked by readers how I spend my vacations. Touring Europe with a rail-pass? Spending a month meditating in the mountains of Tibet to prime the creative well? Or perhaps relaxing on a secluded beach somewhere tropical, unspoiled and complete with spa facilities? Actually, many writers I know use vacations to research their next book or …
ACFW Rewind
(Editor’s Note: Today, ACFW re-runs a worthwhile post from the past, in this case December 2011, in what we call the ACFW rewind, highlighting previous posts that deserve a second look. ) What Makes Your Fictional Character Believable? by Ane Mulligan What makes a fictional character believable? It’s how real they are. Does the writing pull you, the reader, into …
Resolutions for Writers
Since this is the start of another year it seems like the perfect time to set new writing goals. To help you get started here are few that should be on every writer’s resolution list: Make a Solid, Attainable Goal If you have a specific goal in mind, you’ll be less likely to get sidetracked. An attainable goal is one …
Digging Deeper – How Far Should You Go?
by Connie Stevens Most authors-at least the ones I know-love research. Whether they write contemporary or historical, long or short, romance or suspense, a writer wants to know their characters intimately. The best way to do that is to delve into their background, their roots, their hidden past. Are there ghosts from their past that haunt them? What defines their …