By Gail Gaymer Martin Writers are so often told ‘write what you know.’ Yet sometimes ideas hit us that encompass things we do not know. This happens to me, and though I always research details in my books even if I have some knowledge, sometimes story ideas are far from my usual story line knowledge. Recently moving from Michigan to …
Lots of Digging…
by Kimberley Woodhouse I’ve talked a lot about research on my blogs for ACFW before. But as an author, that’s a huge amount of what we do isn’t it? I teach at a lot of writer’s conferences and groups about research and I get asked a lot of questions about it. How to streamline it… how to do it faster… …
In Praise of Reading
By Glynn Young I was an early reader. I don’t recall how early, but I do remember riding my red bicycle to the dime store when I was six, to spend 59 cents to buy Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion. It was the first of many such trips, for more Trixie Belden mysteries, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, …
When to Invest in Your Writing Career
By Carol Alwood Writers have far too many decisions to make. I’m not saying we’re the only professionals bogged down by options and the pressing need for results. Other professions have too many choices to make too. Besides being a writer, I’m an elementary school teacher. They say teachers make 1,500 decisions in a day. This turns out to be …
Look Up!
by Elizabeth Musser Often when I see a musical, one song will resonate with me so that it replays itself ad nauseum in my brain for days and weeks and months afterwards. Such was the case when I watched the wonderful film Mary Poppins Returns back in February. Here we are at the beginning of May, and I’m still singing, …
What Not to Do at a Book Signing
By Terri Gillespie You finally made it! You’ve spent weeks of preparation: posts on social media, e-newsletters, flyers everywhere, radio interviews, reminders to family and friends, sandwich boards on your dogs. There’s a table and chair set up just for you at the local bookstore. Soon you’ll be meeting, greeting, and signing your name and special Bible passage inside your …
Switching Horses in Mid-Stream
By Suzanne Woods Fisher After more than thirty novels about the Old Order Amish, all set in the same little fictitious town of Stoney Ridge, Pennsylvania, my editor called and asked if I would be interested in writing a contemporary women’s series. “Pick a spot on either coast,” she said. “And think of summer. Think of a place that calls …
Fiction—the Creative Sacred Place
by Terri Gillespie Fiction matters. Just as Jesus used parables to convey or hide a message for His chosen to discover, Christian fiction compels us to think and connect with our Creator. We develop stories that reveal who we are, the state of humanity, and the greatest theme of all, God’s love. As Christian writers, we pull from a sacred …
A Letter to the Lord on Instability and Endurance
By Elizabeth Musser Here I am, Lord, with the sun shining brightly outside the window, at last. The birds are chirping so sweetly, and our sheets are billowing in the wind as they hang on the line to dry. It’s good to be home in France, where I can still hang my clothes out on the line. I’ve been working …
3 Ways to Work Well with an Editor
By Kariss Lynch They say that all good things must come to an end. Sadly, the same holds true in writing. As you turn your manuscript into your editor, you abdicate your position as ruler of your own fictional kingdom in favor of an advisor who tells you all the wonderful things you did wrong and how you can fix …