By Cynthia Ruchti Many of us who write for God confess we’re learning more about Him on the journey than we could ever capture on paper. What do I believe about God’s role in my writing? Theologically speaking-or doctrinally speaking-do I act as if I believe He has reasons for how long it takes to get published? Or do I …
Backlinks and Blogs
As a freelancer who provides SEO work for websites and blogs, I am woefully aware that many ACFW writers treat links in blog comments as spam. Knowing how the search engines index these comments, I spend much of my time educating bloggers on the value of these links. The internet is a monster of sorts: a ‘spiderweb’ of information. The …
Privacy and the Digital Age
by Cheryl Wyatt Since authors have been ushered into the digital age in terms of marketing expectations, I sought advice from Frank Ahearn, renowned skip tracer, privacy expert and author of How to Disappear, a book popular among novelists. Cheryl: While most novelists prefer to remain in obscurity, the publishing trend toward digital marketing doesn’t allow for that. Have you …
Deadlines: A Writer’s Friend
by Laurie Alice Eakes Deadline. It’s an ominous word. It has dead in it. Cross that line and one is dead? Scary. Most of us get that quaky, quivery feeling in our tummies when we hear that a deadline is looming-the deadline for the Genesis contest, the deadline for the Carol Award entries, the deadline for registering for the conference. …
Finding the Reader’s Hook
by Cathy Gohlke Some of the best writing advice I’ve ever received came from the editor of a small town newspaper: “Discover what’s going on in world or national news, then find that story on a local level.” The problem was that the hottest story in world news at the time was a widespread accusation that trusted clergy had molested …
The Influencing Dilemma
by Laurie Alice Eakes Let’s start off with an explanation of “influencing”. This is the practice of putting your name and address on a list to receive a copy of the book either directly from the publisher or from the author. The idea is that you will read said book, write reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, CBD, etc., or talk about …
Contests: Not About Winning
by Christine Lindsay The season of contests is upon us. There’s is nothing better than being nominated for an award, or even better winning an award to boost your chances of publication or selling your books. But what if year after year your submission doesn’t even make it to the finals? Just yesterday a friend said her submission wasn’t ready …
The Outline: Love It or Leave It
By Julie Cantrell When I wrote my first novel, Into the Free, I didn’t write an outline. Instead, the story came to me organically, and I didn’t know what would happen until I typed the words on the page. I enjoyed every minute of the process from start to finish, and the element of surprise kept me returning to the …
Just Do It
by Daniella Ojo Last Sunday I went to a church I sometimes visit that’s closer to where I live. It’s been a particularly cold winter so far and the night before we had about 3 or 4 inches of snow. That may not be much to people living in other parts of the world, but for London that’s a lot. …
America’s Mythology
By Darlene Franklin I am a New Englander by birth and proud of it. I didn’t make it west of the Mississippi River until I was twenty-two. Nor did I watch many Westerns on television. My heroes were the Minutemen and the leaders of the civil rights movement. Mythology belonged to the Ancient Greeks and Romans; with a healthy dose …