By Elizabeth Musser I often get asked the question by readers, “What inspired you to write this novel?” And my answer is usually the same each time. “Life.” So, so many things in life have inspired my novels. My first novels, a trilogy, were inspired by the Huguenot cross, the first Protestant cross made in France in the late 1600s. …
What Inspires a Writer
By Elizabeth Musser I often get asked the question by readers, “What inspired you to write this novel?” And my answer is usually the same each time. “Life.” So, so many things in life have inspired my novels. My first novels, a trilogy, were inspired by the Huguenot cross, the first Protestant cross made in France in the late 1600s. …
Going Through the Motions
By JPC Allen I am sure all of us have wondered, sometime in the middle of December, between shopping and baking and attending various social functions, if all this flurry of activity truly celebrates the coming of the Messiah. Do all these traditions and commitments mean anything to me? To anyone else? To God? All these questions came to mind …
Going Through the Motions
By JPC Allen I am sure all of us have wondered, sometime in the middle of December, between shopping and baking and attending various social functions, if all this flurry of activity truly celebrates the coming of the Messiah. Do all these traditions and commitments mean anything to me? To anyone else? To God? All these questions came to mind …
“Passive” Mania Blues
By Loretta Eidson I’m a high school graduate who majored in Home Economics and Math. English and Literature weren’t necessary to me at the time. Remembering how to dissect a sentence or conjugate a verb lasted about as long as ice cream on a hot summer day. So goes active voice and passive voice. Oh, my! Wish I’d paid more …
“Passive” Mania Blues
By Loretta Eidson I’m a high school graduate who majored in Home Economics and Math. English and Literature weren’t necessary to me at the time. Remembering how to dissect a sentence or conjugate a verb lasted about as long as ice cream on a hot summer day. So goes active voice and passive voice. Oh, my! Wish I’d paid more …
Honor the Craft
By Henry McLaughlin James Scott Bell posted a blog called Don’t Ever Mail It In where he wrote about the attitude that we’ve reached a certain point in our writing where we don’t have to improve. What struck me most is his definition of a real writer. It’s someone who honors the craft and never settles. In this blog, I’m …
Writing Out of My Comfort Zone
By Lee Tobin McClain I’m usually a planner… I’m a planner in all areas of my life. I write grocery lists, yearly goals, and daily plans. Most relevant to this post, I plan out my novels. I have chapter outlines and Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts for every book I write, and I usually plan out each scene before I write it. But …
Writing Out of My Comfort Zone
By Lee Tobin McClain I’m usually a planner… I’m a planner in all areas of my life. I write grocery lists, yearly goals, and daily plans. Most relevant to this post, I plan out my novels. I have chapter outlines and Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts for every book I write, and I usually plan out each scene before I write it. But …
Getting Naked on the Page
By Lenora Livingston In my lifetime, I have spent a lot of time, money, and effort trying to improve my writing skills. I have taken long courses and short courses, attended writing seminars, and joined writing groups. But the best advice ever given to me came absolutely free from Mark Weston. I had already learned from taking acting classes that …