Reach THE END, Press SEND, Repeat

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Books, Distraction, Encouragement, Procrastination, tips, writing Leave a Comment

By Kathleen Y’Barbo-Turner @KathleenYBarbo As the author of more than 100 books, I often get asked how I manage to write all those books. My answer? One book at a time! I know, but it’s true. I also get asked for my secret to how I manage to reach THE END and press SEND time after time. Please understand I …

Living the Story of America’s Birth

ACFWEncouragement, Faith Leave a Comment

by Christine Sunderland Today is Independence Day, our annual celebration of the Declaration of Independence, unanimously signed by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The second paragraph rings in our memory: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit …

Seeing the Bright Side of Rejection

ACFWACFW, Advice, Agents, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Fear/Doubt, Rejection, Social Media, writing Leave a Comment

By Lori Domingo @loridomingo22 To say that I was beyond excited to be nearing the finish line of my MFA program would be an understatement. I had in my hands a completed, full-length novel – my first in my genre of choice, Christian fiction. Part of the requirements for one of my classes was to research a favorite author in …

The Poetry in our Fiction

ACFWAuthors and writing, creativity, Encouragement, Faith, writing Leave a Comment

by Susan Lyttek  @SusanLyttek On the day I’m writing this, I just wrote a personal blog post about our poetic God and how God uses poetry to communicate with us and through us. But the day this will be posting, I will be boarding a cruise ship with my husband to celebrate our fortieth anniversary and unable to see this …

What’s In Your Corner?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, writing Leave a Comment

by Chandra Lynn Smith Writers are a different sort. If you disagree with me, ask your family what they think. In our family of six, my oldest son, the actor, is often the one who ‘gets it.’ The rest of the family gives me the deer-in-the-headlights stare. Writers use a specific type of pen, notebook, size lead or ink. WE …

Gary the Groundhog Saved My Column

ACFWAdvice, Encouragement, writing Leave a Comment

By Jenny Powell It all started when I moved my medical office into the second story of a professional building with giant windows facing Highway 54. I would stare out the window at the small wooded area there whilst contemplating a befuddling set of symptoms, seeking diagnosis. That was where I first saw Gary. The large groundhog waddled purposefully through …

Unexpected Perks (or Blessings) from being an Author

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, writing 1 Comment

by Marilyn Turk @MarilynTurk Someone once said, “I don’t enjoy writing, but I enjoy having written.” I have to agree with that statement. While I find it miraculous the way a story develops while I write, I didn’t expect the process to be so hard. At least for me, the perfectionist over-achiever pantser, it is. And part of the added …

Pitching With Grace and Perseverance

ACFWAdvice, Agents, appointments, Authors and writing, Editors, Encouragement, tips 5 Comments

By Barbara M. Britton @BarbaraMBritton My pitching days began in 2008. I have pitched to agents and editors in the General Market and to those in the Christian Fiction publishing world. I’ve pitched in person and over Zoom. My shortest time allotment was three minutes, and my longest pitch session was fifteen minutes. What were some of the craziest things …