by Donna L. Rich If I had a photographic mind to capture the multitudes of personalities I’ve encountered over this Christmas season at the malls, I’d have enough characters to fill a book a month for the next ten years. Nevertheless, I don’t have that amazing mind, and it takes much work for me to craft my characters into dynamic, …
Tim Tebow and the Christian Writing Life
by Jordyn Redwood Okay, I confess. I am a Tim Tebow fan. As of this writing, the Denver Broncos just stunned the Chicago Bears in a 13-10 overtime defeat. There is something magical happening and several in the media are beyond speaking about what that something might be. What I know is that I love to watch Tebow play because …
Newbies Checklist
By Carrie Fancett Pagels As a fairly new zone director (spring 2011) I keep getting asked questions about newbies to ACFW or to Christian fiction writing. The best advice I got four years back when I joined was from Rachel Hauck. I will try to offer my own take. 1. If you are not an ACFW member – JOIN. 2. …
What Makes a Fictional Character Believable?
by Ane Mulligan What makes a fictional character believable? It’s how real they are. Does the writing pull you, the reader, into the story enough for you to experience it? Do you feel like you’re part of it? That this character is your friend? That comes a lot from deep POV. And to get deep, you have to know the …
One Message – Many Stories
by Lillian Duncan Writing Stories of Faith…Mingled With Murder And Mayhem is the tagline on my email signature and my website. I like it, but when I tell people I write murder mysteries and suspense that are Christian Fiction, I often get a blank stare or one of disbelief. After all, how can a book where murders, mayhem, and bad …
My First Booksigning Tour
by Rose Allen McCauley As I began this piece about the Georgia trip my husband I made Oct. 28-Nov. 6, 2011, I was reminded of how well our trip turned out, in spite of the many changes along the way. I know that was because God had His Hand over our trip guiding us much better than our TomTom did! …
The Blessing of Using Beta Readers
by Keisha Gilchrist-Broomes You don’t know what you don’t know. Motivational speaker Les Brown teaches that truth-filled statement in several of his spirited talks. I had never considered what it might mean for my own work until I crept closer to writing “The End” on the fourth draft of my novel. By the time I reached the end of my …
Deadlines: The Good, the Bad, and the Divine
By Kathy Harris What better time to talk about deadlines than during the holidays? In contemporary society our lives are fret with hurry most every day. But this time of year compounds those commitments, from holiday parties to shopping for gifts to end-of-the-year work and/or school obligations-not to mention the added expectations and desires to spend time with our families. …
The Passion in Our Stories
By Margaret Daley Why should you be passionate about what you write? People tell you when you start writing you need to write about what you know–or if not you’d better do a lot of research to familiarize yourself with the subject. I agree, but I would take it a step further. You need to be passionate about what you …
Transition
Transition for a full-time freelancer – I didn’t know I was ready – Are you? When my wife accepted a job transfer to Colorado, it was our opportunity to realize a lifelong dream. We have wanted to move to this area of the country for many years. However, she had a job in order to make the transition but I …