by Bonnie S. Calhoun Have you heard novelists say their story was bogged down by inactivity, or that they felt lost in a long drawn out narrative? Well never fear! I have a totally sharp solution…conversation. That’s write (right). Dialogue is considered to be an action element. It can move any plodding exposé into the realm of frantic excitement, or …
Story Ideas You Are Certain Won’t Work. But They Do.
by Gail Gaymer Martin When I was proposing my next series, for Love Inspired, I ran amuck. Nothing excited me, and when it did, it didn’t strike my senior editor. When I asked what series ideas she would like to see, she said, “Something like Make A Wish Foundation.” Hmm? That slammed into my brain like an avalanche. My frozen …
Shining God’s Light Through Our Writing
by Kathi Macias One question I am often asked is, “Why do you write about such dark topics?” My answer? “I don’t write about dark topics; I write about the Light that shines in the darkness.” Now I’ll admit that most of my novels’ subject matter isn’t exactly easy reading; it isn’t easy writing either, as topics like the persecuted …
New Fiction Publisher at Thomas Nelson
by Ami McConnell Thomas Nelson, Inc. Respected author friends, I’m so pleased and proud to introduce Thomas Nelson’s new publisher, Daisy Hutton! AM: Daisy, you’ve been in publishing for your entire career, and with Thomas Nelson for several years, racking up the frequently flyer miles. Can you share a little about your journey? DH: My very first job in publishing …
Stop, Drop and Roll: Adding the Crisis Scene
by Janice Thompson You’re at the 3/4 point in your novel and facing that all-important crisis scene. The Supreme Ordeal. The Black Moment. The Big Gloom. You know it’s critical to the story’s survival, and you want it to be the best it can be. Still, you’re unsure of how to progress. How does one go about writing a crisis …
Who’s in Charge Here?
by Beth Shriver I find my stories taking on a life of their own at times. I think I’m going one way with the plot and it turns a corner without asking me. The same goes for characters. You think you have this imaginary friend all figured out, and then they do something you never thought they would. I don’t …
Real Issues in Christian Fiction
by Dani Pettrey I often hear people say they don’t read Christian fiction because it doesn’t deal with real issues. I take issue with that. I’ve read phenomenal Christian novels dealing with issues like adultery (Dry as Rain by Gina Holmes), drug addiction (Terri Blackstock’s Intervention series), and most recently, I read a novel dealing with a very prevalent issue …
Where Do Ideas Come From?
by Lisa Lickel The journey of The Map Quilt started when I was in fifth grade, learning about the Underground Railroad, watching my grandmother sew quilts, and discovering the astonishing fact that not all black people in the United States came here on slave ships. That was long before I was silly enough, about the age of forty, to start …
Quick Reference Guide to Research Methods
by Laurie Alice Eakes Recently, I enjoyed the privilege of giving an ACFW chapter a short workshop on research methods. Others have found this helpful, so I am hopeful you all will, too. Although I have more historical romances than Regency romances in print, I am known as a Regency author. And if anyone knows anything about readers of the …
A Writers’ Budget – Surviving on Two Paychecks a Year
by Mary Ellis Ahhh, a writer’s budget…rather sounds like an oxymoron, no? Plenty of writers will tell you they have no budget. Money flies out just as fast as it flies in, and it doesn’t fly in often enough or in sufficient quantity. But readers of this blog are Christians, by and large, and we’ve heard the Scripture that the …