By Connilyn Cossette Have you read a book in which the characters seem flat? Lifeless? I certainly have. The plot may be great and the writing lyrical, but if the characters do not leap from the page the story will either leave readers unsatisfied or end up in the graveyard-of-unfinished-books. Since our goal is to provide an experience where readers …
How to Light a Fire to Your Writing Career
By DiAnn Mills When writers realize the embers of their careers are dying, stomping out the few remaining flames is not the answer. Instead, effective writers look for new ways to promote themselves that explodes with ingenuity and creativity. Is your career on the verge of smoldering? Try adding a spark to your marketing and promotion plan with these ideas. …
What do you do with Rejection?
by Patricia Bradley I met a writer once who kept every rejection letter she ever received. Over 10,000 letters. I was thinking about her the other day, and not just her, but all the writers out there who keep writing through rejections. I was one of those writers. I never received 10,000 rejections, mostly because I didn’t send my manuscripts …
When Jealousy Interferes with Spiritual Growth
by Mary Ellis Writers often create characters with some rather profound lessons to learn. If we’re smart we can learn those lessons along with them. Working in the competitive world of publishing, I often struggle with ego and pride. Authors are asked to blog and Facebook, tweet and pin, to draw attention to their books and ultimately to themselves. Available …
An Ordinary Writer Writing Ordinary Books
By Sarah Hamaker Who wants to be ordinary? If I asked that question at an ACFW conference, I doubt anyone would raise their hand. For some reason, ordinary has become associated with dull, listless, uninteresting and uninspiring. As writers, we may be content to live ordinary lives, but we want our writing to be extraordinary, to be the kind of …
A Prayer for Writers
By Beth K. Vogt I’ve come across different writers prayers throughout the years. I’ve even collected a few of them from various conferences, tacking them up near my desk so I can stop and pray through them as I fast draft or edit manuscripts. The writing life has certainly strengthened my prayer life as I’ve offered up innumerable prayers both …
A Spoon Full of Sugar…Yes, Please
By W.G. Reese You’ve finished that article, short story, or novel that you poured your heart into for days, weeks, and months. Whoever reads this miraculous compilation of facts, imagery and relatable emotion will enjoy — no, be enthralled and begging for more, until…. You run it by a critique group, friend, spouse, and/or that special someone who totally gets …
Permission to Dream Your Stories
By Chandra Smith One of my favorite things at a writer’s conference is the mealtime conversations with other writers about their stories and their characters. It is probably the only place writers can talk about the people in their heads and be understood. What inspires your story? Is it a conversation overheard in a crowded restaurant, or sunlight coming through …
The Broken Pencil
By Kathy Parish Early in my Christian walk, I came across a quote attributed to Mother Teresa: “I am like a little pencil in God’s hand. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it.” At that time I was more into my nursing career than seeking a career as a writer, although many of my duties …
When Fiction Provides Added Value
By Les Stobbe I’m constantly amazed by the fixation of fiction writers on novels, as if that is the noblest expression of the art of fiction writing. Yet there are a variety of other opportunities to employ fiction to present the life-giving message of Jesus Christ. Let me illustrate with my experiences. In my first real job in journalism I …