by Michelle Arch Last month I published my 500th post on my literary weblog Archetype. When I created the site in 2009, I had recently begun the dual English and Creative Writing graduate program at Chapman University and wanted to maintain a virtual writing workshop or MAB (multi-author blog) for artistic experimentation. At the time, I was immersed in the …
A Tool for Your Writer’s Tool Kit: Observation
by Becky Wade Jane Austen was a genius with story in so many ways. One particular skill that I marvel over? Her skill at observing others and then transferring recognizable markers of personality and character to the page. Think for a moment about just a few of the characters from Pride and Prejudice. What do the following names bring to …
The Changing World of Publishing
by Rachel Hauck The world of publishing is changing. And you know this unless you just awoke from a long 10 year nap. There are more options available to writers today than ever before. The e-publishing entrepreneurs have changed the way we see book publishing. Writers around the world rejoice. Authors with no platform, or with a stack of rejections …
The End
by Jane Kirkpatrick Today I wrote The End of my latest novel. Of course it’s not really the end but rather the next stage in the production of a book. When I’m reading from the book at a signing, I’m still editing wondering to myself “why didn’t I use a different word there?” Or I skip a line because it …
The Learning Curve
by Katherine Reay Today is an exciting day for me. My debut novel, Dear Mr. Knightley, releases today – and I figured this was a fun and appropriate place to park myself. I’m supposed to write about writing here because that’s what we do! It’s been a year since Thomas Nelson contracted Dear Mr. Knightley. And as it launches today, …
Choosing Joy Instead of Jealousy
by Lindsay Harrel I’m pretty sure we’ve all been there. It’s that emotion no one wants to feel, because it makes us feel icky inside. Plus, only terrible people have such tendencies, right? Unfortunately, no. As a writer, it’s a feeling that will most likely strike at some point in your career. Jealousy. I was recently doing a Beth Moore …
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 …
Simple Story Starters
by Jordyn Redwood Most authors I know are people watchers. Sitting and observing people is a fascinating way to generate story ideas. If you haven’t just let your imagination run wild doing an exercise like this-let me offer a few examples. On the flight home from the ACFW conference that just happened in Indianapolis I was seated next to a …
Take the Scare out of these Writing Monsters
by Melissa Tagg So today’s Halloween. I was never all that into the holiday…until my sister had a baby. Now I have an undeniable attraction to the Halloween costume aisle at Target. But anyway, today feels like a good day to post about the “monsters” that scare away our productivity and confidence as writers. Here are the three that tend …
The Devil is in the Details, but God is in the Machine!
By Bruce Hennigan I am finishing up the final galley proof corrections for my upcoming book, “The 11th Demon: The Ark of Chaos” and I am anxious to make sure I haven’t used “deus ex machina” to save the day. While watching reruns of the newer versions of Doctor Who in preparation for the upcoming 50th anniversary broadcast of “The …