by Christine Sunderland As Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ, they celebrate their own resurrections. They celebrate the ending of their story as human beings. And it is a satisfying ending for each of us. Just so, as I plot my novels, I want my stories to reflect these deeply human realities that are true of all of us, believers …
Motivation-the Foundation of Compelling Characters
By Ane Mulligan For those who have read Debra Dixon’s book GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict, I have come to the conclusion that Motivation is the most important. Motivation engages us. We can relate to character motivations. They form the foundation of characters that live on in our minds after the story ends. Motivation leads to character arc. It’s the …
Mistaken Identity
By Deborah K. Anderson Have you ever discovered that you’re not who you thought you were? I did recently, and let me tell you, it can be a frightening experience. A few years ago, I received an e-mail telling me I was a finalist in a novel competition. Being the optimist that I am, my eyes shifted. Okay, what’s going …
Make Your Manuscript Sparkle
By Anne Greene When I wrote my book, Masquerade Marriage, I discovered the secret to making each manuscript I write come alive to my readers. In the second book of my Scottish Marriage Series, Marriage By Arrangement, I honed that secret to a fine art. I’m a great proponent of improving each manuscript I write. So, I’ve worked diligently to …
The Art of Not Rushing
by Lindsay Harrel I’m impatient by nature. I see something I want and I make a plan to go for it. Sometimes, no matter the cost. But as an author of Christian fiction…well, I just can’t. I can’t force myself to learn something faster than my brain will process it. As we all know, learning characterization or plotting techniques isn’t …
Why Take the Chance?
by Fay Lamb Stick around the business long enough and you’re going to find an exception to every rule. You know, the best-selling author who says, “I don’t worry about grammar and punctuation. I just tell the story and let a copyeditor deal with the rest.” Sure, it happens. Someone writes a novel that is so intriguing an editor overlooks …
The Writer’s Life Is A Solitary Life. Or Is It?
The Writer’s Life Is A Solitary Life. Or Is It? How to build a viable community. A writer’s life is a solitary life. The very act of shutting oneself away to write a novel implies solitude, aloneness. If not physically, then mentally and emotionally. Writers have to break free from the day-to-day, spend time with the people living and breathing …
Speaking at Your Local Library
by Lisa Jordan Last November, my friend mentioned her book club was reading my first novel, Lakeside Reunion, and she asked if I’d like to come and talk at their November meeting. I agreed and enjoyed the conversation I had with them. One of the book club attendees works as the business manager at my local library and asked if …
My One Tip for Writers
By Margaret Daley I have been writing and selling for over thirty years. During my journey I have gone through many types of situations that a person may encounter as a writer–a line dying, editor changes, rejections, sold a book that never came out, a long dry spell. So when an interviewer asked me what tip would I give a …
How Should an Author Engage with Bookstores?
by Suzanne Kuhn (SuzyQ) I write a bi-monthly column entitled Engage+Relate for CBA’s magazine Retailers+Resources. I encourage bookstores to connect with both their customers and their local communities. Likewise, authors need to engage and relate with bookstores. Browsing in a bookstore is the most common way readers discover books. An author who adopts an intentional bookstore strategy is likely to …