by Laurie Alice Eakes Deadline. It’s an ominous word. It has dead in it. Cross that line and one is dead? Scary. Most of us get that quaky, quivery feeling in our tummies when we hear that a deadline is looming-the deadline for the Genesis contest, the deadline for the Carol Award entries, the deadline for registering for the conference. …
Finding the Reader’s Hook
by Cathy Gohlke Some of the best writing advice I’ve ever received came from the editor of a small town newspaper: “Discover what’s going on in world or national news, then find that story on a local level.” The problem was that the hottest story in world news at the time was a widespread accusation that trusted clergy had molested …
The Influencing Dilemma
by Laurie Alice Eakes Let’s start off with an explanation of “influencing”. This is the practice of putting your name and address on a list to receive a copy of the book either directly from the publisher or from the author. The idea is that you will read said book, write reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, CBD, etc., or talk about …
The Perfect Ending
by Sue Brower Executive Editor – Zondervan (a division of Harper Collins) My editing world was turned upside down last week. I thought I knew what was best to deliver the “satisfying ending to a great story.” Hopefully, we want the reader, or movie-goer to sit back, hold on to the last moments and then let go a sigh. “Ohhh, …
Thinking Time
by Rachelle Gardner Books & Such Literary Agency Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Gen. 1:2, NIV) I’ve always loved that tiny pause right there in Genesis 1:2, were it says “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” It …
Contests: Not About Winning
by Christine Lindsay The season of contests is upon us. There’s is nothing better than being nominated for an award, or even better winning an award to boost your chances of publication or selling your books. But what if year after year your submission doesn’t even make it to the finals? Just yesterday a friend said her submission wasn’t ready …
The Outline: Love It or Leave It
By Julie Cantrell When I wrote my first novel, Into the Free, I didn’t write an outline. Instead, the story came to me organically, and I didn’t know what would happen until I typed the words on the page. I enjoyed every minute of the process from start to finish, and the element of surprise kept me returning to the …
Silly Love Songs
by Ami McConnell Thomas Nelson, Inc. John Lennon’s iconic self-portrait hung on my cubical wall for years. His whimsical art was a wink to my arty inner-poet. But I have turned a corner recently. I’m wearing my (virtual) Paul McCartney jersey now. Here’s why. Paul McCartney wrote “Silly Love Songs” in response to critics’ accusation that he wrote lightweight songs-and …
Tackling a Writer’s Fears
by Les Stobbe Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency Fear, like a ghostly apparition haunts all of us as writers. For some it is a memory of a parent’s or teachers deprecating comment, like “Don’t ever consider becoming a writer.” For others it’s the ghost of past failures that produced an involuntary response-shelving a project. For some it haunts the writer …
Just Do It
by Daniella Ojo Last Sunday I went to a church I sometimes visit that’s closer to where I live. It’s been a particularly cold winter so far and the night before we had about 3 or 4 inches of snow. That may not be much to people living in other parts of the world, but for London that’s a lot. …