by Tamera Alexander “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 Deborah Raney and I have been writing critique partners for more than ten years, ever since we met at the first ACFW conference. While not all critique partners become friends, friendship has been a natural outgrowth of our working relationship, and I’m so grateful. Over the …
Writing Under Deadline
By Donna Schlachter In the writing world, there are two kinds of deadlines: the ones imposed by others; and the ones imposed by you. The deadlines that others set for you in your writing might include a contest entry date; a critique group submission due date; a timeframe for the submission of a proposal and first three chapters to an …
LIES! The Foundation for Believable Motivation
by Ane Mulligan If y’all have been around me for more than ten minutes-okay five minutes, you know I’ll start talking about writing, and if I start on writing, I’ll move into motivation pronto. That’s because through mentors and classes I’ve taken, I’ve learned that’s the foundation of great characters and plotting. The first one was Rachel Hauck, who asked, …
Quit Clichés Cold Turkey
By Myra Johnson Sitting on the fence about using clichés? Here are 50 reasons to quit cold turkey! Clichés are the bane of a writer’s existence. We’ve all used them, both in our everyday conversations and in our manuscripts. Clichés are comfortable as an old shoe, phrases we use in a heartbeat because the meanings are usually crystal clear. Clichés …
4 Things I’ve Learned about the Writer-Agent Relationship
by Beth K. Vogt Today I’m talking agents. Why agents? Well, I have one, so that’s one qualification for writing this blog post. And we’ve navigated me switching from the nonfiction to the fiction side of the writing road – what I like to call the “Dark Side.” Funny story: My agent found out I was writing a novel because …
Shop Local
By: Suzanne Kuhn, SuzyQ Shop local? It’s a concept many of us embrace, especially surrounding the holidays. It should be a lifestyle choice for all authors, regardless of season. For many authors it’s their dream to one day see their book on the shelves of bookstores far and wide. Although this is an understandable desire, it’s one that requires a …
Natural Imagery
by Elizabeth Musser “The best images come unbidden”-so said my high school English teacher after reading my first novel years ago. While kindly complimenting me on many aspects of the story, he pointed out that at times I ‘beat the reader over the head’ with imagery or symbolism, saying effectively “Don’t ya get it? Isn’t that cool?” His advice? Trust …
The Worst Publishing Advice Ever
by Tamera Alexander When I became a member of American Christian Fiction Writers in 2001 (or actually, American Christian Romance Writers back then), I joined this fabulous organization knowing little more than that I loved story and I wanted to learn how to write. Since then, God has brought many incredibly gifted people into my life who have graciously helped …
No More Sagging Middle!
by Denise Hunter It’s no secret to my writer friends that my least favorite part of writing happens during the middle of the book. They don’t call it the sagging middle for nothing, folks. If you’re not really careful, that baby will sag so low you’ll be tempted to Select All and Delete. Or at the very least, whine to …
YA Dystopia Recipe
by Bonnie S. Calhoun The latest reading phase for YA (and a lot of adult readers) is the dystopian genre. A dystopian is categorized by a world set in the future, unlike the world we live in today. I’m even reading one now where the only difference in worlds is that in the book’s world all people are mandated to …