by Gail Gaymer Martin I have learned that deep POV brings a story to life. Deep POV is the pure viewpoint of the character in a scene. First person is more personal and provides the deepest form of POV possible. Yet authors create the feeling of deep POV by avoiding phrases such as I believe and I think and even …
Change Your Motive, Change the World …and the industry
by J.A. Marx If you’ve been around ACFW for any length of time, you’ve heard the one question every agent and editor asks: “Who’s your audience?” The tighter we narrow down the audience for our story, the happier we make the marketing department. But at what point in writing a new book do we start thinking about our readers? God …
Novel Preparation 101
By DiAnn Mills We writers have habits, some quirky, that help us get started on new writing projects. Today I’d like to share with you how I organize my thoughts and preparations before writing chapter one, line one of a new novel. I’m mostly an organic/pantster writer, but some things I have to know before I begin. Idea. Oh, these …
Your Character’s Voice
by Sarah Sundin (@sarahsundin) I’m a California girl. I’m ashamed to admit I use the word like as filler on a regular basis. My young-adult children use vocabulary not even known in the rest of the country. If I were to write all my novels in my natural voice, I’d be very limited in geography and era. When we speak …
Leaving Your Manuscript Alone
By Lynn Hobbs It’s finished. You’ve reread your manuscript, checked for typo’s, and tightened sentences. The next step is as important as getting your story written, and written well: leave it alone. Let it sit idle for at least two weeks. This is what I do. You may have a better alternative, but this works for me. No matter if …
Reviews
by Nora St. Laurent Authors want them, readers struggle to write them. When an author asks for an honest review what are they expecting? When a reader writes an honest review, what does that look like? First off, I know this can be a touchy subject on many fronts. Reviewers and authors realize that the FTC is cracking down on …
When Your Readers Bother and Bless You
by Elizabeth Musser I just returned from a book signing event where I was invited to speak to a church book club. Because I posted the event on Facebook, other readers who weren’t a part of the book club also attended. I spoke about my most recent novel, The Long Highway Home. The novel is based on true stories of …
Do the Angels Cheer for Underdogs?
by Kathy Harris Please allow me to interrupt the post I’d originally planned for today to journey into the land of “what if.” After all, we’re an organization of “what if” writers, and it’s imagination that inspires our stories. I recently interviewed Chris Fabry for my personal blog, and reading about Chris’ new book Under a Cloudless Sky reminded me …
What Do Some Experienced Writers Have in Common with Mother Guppies?
By Mary Lou Cheatham Our first aquarium held only five gallons, but we loved it. At the pet shop we bought some guppies. The clerk said, “Better buy one of these.” “What is it?” “It’s a trap to keep the mother from eating her babies.” It was a rectangular plastic device that floated near the top of the water. We …
What Do You See?
By Loretta Eidson Remember the old saying “there are two sides to every story”? It’s difficult to see reason or understand another point of view if the full picture isn’t clear. Last Sunday my pastor gave this example during the sermon. He held the back side of his hand out toward the congregation and asked David, one of the church …