By Carrie Fancett Pagels I was recently asked this question. As a newly published author with an ebook novella, I hardly feel competent to answer. But someone asked how I got endorsements for another project (a not-yet-published manuscript) in which three multi-published authors gave me endorsements. And the questioner wondered how I already had a number of multi-published authors who’d …
The Transparent Writer
By Kathy Harris When you take time to get to know someone — to really know them — you may be surprised at what you learn. The battles they’ve fought and the triumphs they’ve won might very well inspire and humble you. The same, of course, is true of Christian writers. In fact, our personal stories can be just as …
I’m Not Called to Write
by Laura McClellan Are you called to write? That question has come up many times during the past fifteen months as I’ve worked on my first novel. At writing conferences, in blog posts, in emails on the ACFW loops-I’ve lost count of the number of times people have referred to being “called” to write, with not much discussion about what …
My Learning Curve
by Maggie Brendan As I embark on my seventh book in five years, The Arrangement, book one, in yet another new series, Virtues and Vices of the Old West, I look back on those brief years on what I’ve learned about the crazy world of being an author and thankfully, it’s way more than I can share in this brief …
Do You Have What It Takes?
by Maureen Lang Being a writer demands the impossible. On one hand, we must possess the emotional tenderness and sensitivity to see and feel all points of view. It’s only by experiencing deep emotion that we can create characters who think and feel authentically-characters who often represent two sides of a single issue. At the same time, the professional side …
Research Addiction
by Martha Rogers One of my goals this year was to do more research and come up with more story ideas for both contemporary and historical novels. Research is fun and leads me into areas where I’ve never been before. When the first novel in my new series, Love Stays True, releases this month, it will have the most extensive …
Research and a Wealth of Stories
by Diana Wallis Taylor With Claudia, Wife of Pontius Pilate coming out in June, people ask me how I can write a whole book about a woman who appears only briefly in one paragraph of one of the Gospels. I tell them, that this is where your research comes in. As with any other obscure character, you need to know …
Social Media. A Deliberate Endeavor.
by Suzanne Kuhn Social media. Just the mere term can stir fear in the heart of the edgiest thriller writer, causes the romance writer to pine for simpler days and has the mystery writer wondering if social media works. Social media doesn’t have to be a questionable proposition. With a little help and explanation, SuzyQ can restore your confidence, offering …
The Summer Season of Writing
by Telena Tanara Contreras The Arizona summer is an early arriver. In late March a dry breeze descends on the valley to give spring its notice; and a mere month later Queen Summer herself follows behind a procession of scorching rays, ridiculous temperatures, and dramatic dust storms to begin her ruthless reign. Come May, the people are done. Snow birds …
Food Fight!
by Rachel Hauck Boy, doesn’t that title just make you sit up and take notice. I woke up thinking about this today. Food. Writing. Diet Coke. Writing. Chips. Writing. Diet Coke. Writing. Tea. Writing. Water. Water. Water. To undo the chips and Diet Coke, of course. Writing. After returning from a fantastic writer’s retreat, I resolved to cut back on …