By Carrie Fancett Pagels Doesn’t every author dream of having a Christmas story in print? This year one of my wishes comes true when “Snowed In: A Northwoods Christmas” appears in Guidepost Books A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Volume One, Tales of Faith and Family for the Holidays. I certainly enjoy reading Christmas stories so I hope I’ve written one …
A Tool for Your Writer’s Tool Kit: Observation
by Becky Wade Jane Austen was a genius with story in so many ways. One particular skill that I marvel over? Her skill at observing others and then transferring recognizable markers of personality and character to the page. Think for a moment about just a few of the characters from Pride and Prejudice. What do the following names bring to …
The Changing World of Publishing
by Rachel Hauck The world of publishing is changing. And you know this unless you just awoke from a long 10 year nap. There are more options available to writers today than ever before. The e-publishing entrepreneurs have changed the way we see book publishing. Writers around the world rejoice. Authors with no platform, or with a stack of rejections …
The Learning Curve
by Katherine Reay Today is an exciting day for me. My debut novel, Dear Mr. Knightley, releases today – and I figured this was a fun and appropriate place to park myself. I’m supposed to write about writing here because that’s what we do! It’s been a year since Thomas Nelson contracted Dear Mr. Knightley. And as it launches today, …
The Devil is in the Details, but God is in the Machine!
By Bruce Hennigan I am finishing up the final galley proof corrections for my upcoming book, “The 11th Demon: The Ark of Chaos” and I am anxious to make sure I haven’t used “deus ex machina” to save the day. While watching reruns of the newer versions of Doctor Who in preparation for the upcoming 50th anniversary broadcast of “The …
Deepening Point Of View – Cheat Sheet
By Loretta Eidson Learning new words in the writing world has its challenges, but capturing the meanings and applying them can be a difficult task. My mental dictionary sent scrambled definitions through the memory chambers of my mind as I struggled to understand. Deepening point of view (POV) was mind-boggling. What did it really mean? In DiAnn Mills new release …
Making Memories
by Dani Pettrey My daughter got married last weekend. It’s hard to believe my baby girl is all grown up and now a wife of her own. My husband is a wedding photographer and was able to capture this gorgeous moment. It was a day of enjoying, making and capturing memories. And, it got me thinking. Isn’t that what we …
Truth Stranger Than Fiction
by Martha Rogers Today, my husband and I are celebrating fifty-four years of marriage after knowing each other for about six months. We had a total of six dates in the four weeks I knew him before he left for boot camp. We were engaged a few days after my birthday while he was here on leave for five days. …
Be a Superhero: Write a Novel in a Month
by Susan May Warren “NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month? Oh please, don’t ask me to write a novel in a month. I’m sorry, it’s just too overwhelming.” My friend and aspiring writer mentee, Sally, took a sip of her mint dark chocolate cocoa, looking at me as if I’d asked her to run a marathon. Tomorrow. “No. Forget it. You’d …
Writing A Novel Series
by Gail Gaymer Martin I’ve enjoyed writing novels in a series, because the advantage is: 1) each story creates fodder to build the next novel and 2) editors like to contract a series because they interest readers. A series demands an author to keep good records of details woven through the novels, especially with a large cast of characters. I …