By Tina Radcliffe With the New Year comes reflection and evaluation as we map out the course for the year ahead. In order to reach your goal you must have a map and you have to plan. Come on. When was the last time you started a long road trip without checking the oil, the tires, gassing up and buying …
What Writers Do on Summer Vacation
by Mary Ellis I’m occasionally asked by readers how I spend my vacations. Touring Europe with a rail-pass? Spending a month meditating in the mountains of Tibet to prime the creative well? Or perhaps relaxing on a secluded beach somewhere tropical, unspoiled and complete with spa facilities? Actually, many writers I know use vacations to research their next book or …
ACFW Rewind
(Editor’s Note: Today, ACFW re-runs a worthwhile post from the past, in this case December 2011, in what we call the ACFW rewind, highlighting previous posts that deserve a second look. ) What Makes Your Fictional Character Believable? by Ane Mulligan What makes a fictional character believable? It’s how real they are. Does the writing pull you, the reader, into …
Resolutions for Writers
Since this is the start of another year it seems like the perfect time to set new writing goals. To help you get started here are few that should be on every writer’s resolution list: Make a Solid, Attainable Goal If you have a specific goal in mind, you’ll be less likely to get sidetracked. An attainable goal is one …
Digging Deeper – How Far Should You Go?
by Connie Stevens Most authors-at least the ones I know-love research. Whether they write contemporary or historical, long or short, romance or suspense, a writer wants to know their characters intimately. The best way to do that is to delve into their background, their roots, their hidden past. Are there ghosts from their past that haunt them? What defines their …
Grace Under Pressure
by Laurie Alice Eakes Once upon a time, I believed the time, mood, and environment had to be just right for me to find the creative energy within me. Without this perfect setting, the “muse” would never pay me a visit. The words would not flow. Then my first truly serious deadline hit. Three months to finish a 50,000 word …
Choosing a Present Joy
by Jane Kirkpatrick Some months ago a reader wrote the following: “My children are happy and nearly grown, my husband loves the fact that I’m writing, I’m organized enough that my home nearly runs itself, our church is healthy and thriving with or without me. But giving myself permission to do this thing that I love so much – writing …
Cat Block
by Beth Shriver I bet you’ve never used a cat to gage your level of writers block…but I don’t hear anyone opposing the idea so I’ll continue. I don’t know about you but I have three furry friends who keep me company while I write. After a dog bone, a scoop of cat food, and a cup of coffee, the …
Backup Plan
by Carolyne Aarsen I dislike running out of things. When I pull a jar of mayonnaise from my pantry to replace the one I’ve just emptied and I don’t see a second full jar, I get nervous. What if I have a sudden craving to make a whomping huge bowl of potato salad and I use up the jar I …
Set Goals and Reap the Rewards
by B.J. Bassett One year Jack London received 400 rejections. With that many rejections he was bound to have received some acceptances. I look forward to the beginning of a new year with a fresh slate to record my goals. Since I began setting goals, I’ve written and published more. I set monthly goals. Others set daily, weekly, yearly, short …