By Laurel Blount A few weeks ago, I noticed a book by Sue Hubbell discounted on BookBub. I’d enjoyed one of her other books, so I purchased A Country Year: Living the Questions and settled down to read. The writing was every bit as good as I remembered, but as I savored the words, my mind kept flicking to a …
Writing with Integrity: Remaining True to Yourself and Others
by Kathy Harris For most of us, life is moving too quickly right now. We have what seems like a thousand things on our to-do list and little time to do them. Each moment of every day is about last minute detours, do-overs, and deadlines. And that’s without even thinking about writing. And it’s not just during the holidays that life is …
10 Ways a Writer can Give This Christmas
By DiAnn Mills Writers treasure giving Christmas gifts that are meaningful and personal. In the season‘s busyness, we too often become overwhelmed. We love every moment from November through December … parties, family time, worship, decorating, and the list goes on. But sometimes our ideas hit zero in the gift department. On Christmas Eve, we have nothing to wrap because …
Encouragement for Older Writers
By Laurel Blount A long, long time ago when I was in my twenties—back in the dark ages when there was no internet, no cell phones, and no social media—I submitted a book proposal to a well-known publisher. I was overjoyed when I received a request for the full manuscript, but ultimately, I got a kind rejection letter. Deeply disappointed, …
Remembering the Pacific War Through Story
by Linda Thompson Today is the seventieth-eighth anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Have you seen the Midway Movie yet? I can’t think of a more fitting way to commemorate the day. The movie delivers a pulse-pounding re-creation of the attack on Pearl Harbor of December 7, 1941, then follows the major events of World War Two’s Pacific Theater …
Who Told You That?
by Henry McLaughlin Remember the old cliché? from childhood: sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me? Not true. Words and names can actually do much more lasting damage. Cuts and bruises heal. Words and names create self-images that linger and poison for years. They can become prophecies we fulfill whether we want to or …
And Your Readers Are?
By Lynn Hobbs Years ago I was taught to write to a certain group selected to be your target market. Various writing workshops and writing conferences included this type of training. Age and gender or ages and genders were to be strictly adhered to for whatever you were writing. Consistency was of utmost importance. The argument was believable, and presented …
Thanksgiving
by Shirley E. Gould Today, on the fourth Thursday in November, we Christian Fiction Authors pause our writing to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. After all, we need a break from our keyboards from time to time. And it’s a chance to gather fresh material for our prose. So, listen, laugh and experience this time of being thankful for food, family and …
Beyond Writer’s Block
by Preston Shires A lot of people talk about writer’s block. To be honest, and I say this whispering, I really don’t know what they’re talking about. However, I do know that in order to write, one must have the perfect atmosphere, and you must stay in place to take advantage of it. So, I think I’ll write about that. …
From Disaster to Discovery
By Kathryn Haueisen Until I retired, most of my writing was work-related non-fiction. Critique groups, beta readers, and launch teams were all new concepts to me. I wrote my first novel without a critique group; didn’t yet know what a beta reader was; and didn’t get help with a book launch until the book was at the printer. I had …