by Casey Herringshaw Every writer, at some point, during their novel-creation career will most likely experience some period of burnout. It creeps up like a naughty third-wheel cousin and steals all enthusiasm you might have cultivated for this story. It often doesn’t matter how much you love a story or the characters, sometimes it’s all the emotional energy we pour …
Joy Before the Blessing
by Melissa Tagg I’ve often admired Samuel’s mom in the Bible. (I’m talking Samuel the “Here I am, Lord, send me” guy.) She stops eating…she weeps…she prays…she makes a vow to God. And when God blesses her with the son she asked for, she keeps her vow. But I recently reread the first chapter of 1 Samuel and I noticed …
Chasing the Light
by DiAnn Mills • Chase: to pursue • Light: a source of illumination • You: the committed writer What does chasing the light of story mean to you? Do you find it difficult to focus on what aspect motivates your creative muse? Writers pursue stories to illuminate the readers’ hearts and minds. It’s a big undertaking, and at times overwhelming. …
Writing Fast and Furious
by Lynn Hobbs Have you ever been writing when words flow fast, and you hurry to make your point? It seems like your novel, or your character suddenly has a life of its own and takes over. It can be exciting when what you had in mind progresses into a new enlightening direction. In my case, I type quickly and …
Breathe Life into your Manuscript
by Anne Greene During the writing of Masquerade Marriage, I thought I knew what being in deep point of view meant. I thought I wrote deep point of view. I knew I had to stay inside the character’s head. I lived inside the character’s skin. I showed nothing that the POV character couldn’t have seen. I showed only what the …
Wall of Misconception
by Stan Crader When writing non-fiction, always reference primary sources. Years ago, Dr. Peter Lillbac wrote an article criticizing the 9th circuit court’s ruling that the pledge of allegiance was unconstitutional. Following the publication of the article Peter received a letter questioning his assertions. His reply included numerous primary sources and was eventually published as a book. The following is …
How Writers Can Hurry Less and Worry Less at Christmas
By Judy Christie When I was a girl, I went shopping at a Woolworth’s store that had a costume-jewelry counter and a ring-sizer that looked like an old-fashioned telephone dial. Curious, I put my finger into a variety of holes until I found one that seemed to fit. But when I tried to take my finger out, the ring-sizer was …
The Heart of the Matter
by MaryAnn Diorio Writing fiction, like all of life, is a matter of the heart. Scripture tells us that “people look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). The heart is the seat of motives. It is the control center of all human behavior. For those of us who write fiction, the heart …
Being Adept at technology doesn’t make you a writer!
by Mary Ann Kerr The tools for writing can be a distraction. There are so many programs from which to choose and which one is the best for writing? How does one know which one to choose? I have a MacBook Air and love it. When writing, I usually use pages, but I also have Scrivener which is a great …
Bigger on the Inside
As I begin editing my fourth book, “The 10th Demon: Children of the Bloodstone” it is painfully obvious I will not get a chance to catch my breath from just completing the third book, “The 11th Demon: The Ark of Chaos” available within the next two weeks. After completing the edit on the third book I am now very much …