by Terri Gillespie Fiction matters. Just as Jesus used parables to convey or hide a message for His chosen to discover, Christian fiction compels us to think and connect with our Creator. We develop stories that reveal who we are, the state of humanity, and the greatest theme of all, God’s love. As Christian writers, we pull from a sacred …
A Letter to the Lord on Instability and Endurance
By Elizabeth Musser Here I am, Lord, with the sun shining brightly outside the window, at last. The birds are chirping so sweetly, and our sheets are billowing in the wind as they hang on the line to dry. It’s good to be home in France, where I can still hang my clothes out on the line. I’ve been working …
What Would I Tell My Unpublished Self?
By Patricia Bradley The day this posts my tenth novel, Justice Delivered will release. For the past five years I have been living my dream of being a writer published writer. I’ve been a writer much longer. Much longer. As I thought about this tenth book, I thought about all the things I wished I’d known when I first started …
Deadlines: One of the Best Kept Secrets in Writing
by Kathy Harris A goal is a dream with a deadline. – Napoleon Hill Want to know a secret? I love deadlines! And I think you should too. Search online for the quote above, and you’ll find it, or one like it, attributed to a number of different people. I first heard it from one of my early writing mentors, multi-published author Kaye Dacus. Despite …
5 Ways to Destroy a Writing Career
by DiAnn Mills Writers receive blog posts daily that offer advice to build their careers. The publishing world has many sides, and each facet needs attention. We read— How to sell more books. How to strengthen characterization. How to write a synopsis. How to create a proposal. How to research and interview. How to increase exposure through social media. How …
Writer’s Pruning Season
By Darlene L. Turner My Father examines every branch in Me and cuts away those who do not bear fruit. He leaves those bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit. John 15:2 (VOICE) Spring is around the corner (hopefully!) and with it comes clean-up of debris left from the winter months. Every year, I pick …
When Emotions Cause the Block
By Chandra Lynn Smith I sat at my desk in January writing the blog post and I shared a little about my current project. Then the project was put on hold for a little while. What happened? Life. This winter has been one of heartbreak and my personal grief created a writer’s block. Last Fall I would have told you …
Failure or Success – Our Choice
By Henry McLaughlin I experienced two what might be called failures recently. In the space of three days. On Saturday, I received a rejection from an agent. On Monday, a publisher declined to consider my manuscript. It was the same book in both instances. To me they were failures. Something about my writing did not strike either the agent or …
Imagine the Impact
By K.W. Bounds Why do I even bother writing? Threatening to torpedo my work in progress, this thought surfaced leaving a wake in its path, as I scrambled to stay afloat in a sea of self-doubt and frustration. The compulsion to write God-honoring words never left, but my confidence in producing such waned. You’ve been there. It’s a universal struggle …
Trusting the Truth
By Christine Sunderland I look through my kitchen window to the slopes of Angel Mountain (aka Mount Diablo in Northern California). A white cross rises in the green grass, recently watered with rain. I jot notes on a lined yellow pad. I am in the home stretch of the first draft of my novel, Angel Mountain, 60,000 words and counting. …