By Mindy Obenhaus Are you getting as excited about conference as I am? Now I know you think you’re coming to Dallas, but you’re not. You’re coming to Grapevine. So as a resident of this fine town, let me be the first to welcome you. Grapevine has loads to offer. From our historic downtown to Grapevine Mills Mall and plenty …
Demons and Darlings
by Michelle Arch After three years in Chapman University’s MFA program and six semesters of writing workshops, conferences, and purposeful study of the craft of writing, I have debunked any notion that existed in my mind that writing is a peaceful, innocuous, inner journey of the soul. Naïve pre-enrollment images of my writer self stretched out on a blanket in …
Here Be Dragons – Part 2
By Lynette Sowell Last week I talked about four dragons that we writers can face on our writing journeys: time, jealousy, procrastination, and a nameless one that I’ll elaborate on a little more. I’ve had twelve years of perspective on this through ACFW, and I’ve realized that these dragons do not go away the longer you write. I hate to …
What Not to Wear: ACFW-Style
by Melissa Tagg I got stuck in a dress the other day. I mean reeeally stuck. Arms over my head, uncooperative fabric playing boa constrictor with my torso while my sister laughed at me inside the department store dressing room. And to be honest, I halfway blame my near death on ACFW. Yep, that’s right. See, when my unfortunate incident …
Redefining Success at the ACFW Conference
by Beth K. Vogt A writing friend of mine is attending the ACFW conference for the first time this year. She is excited… and nervous. Right now, “nervous” rules the roller coaster ride of her emotions. The biggest virtual hill she’s facing? The 15-minute appointments with editors and agents. Writers alternately covet these appointments – the whole “Please, oh please, …
Burnout or Balance
by DiAnn Mills Recently I took an honest evaluation of myself, and I didn’t like what I discovered. Exhaustion pelted my mind and body. Did I mention cranky? I rose earlier in the morning and hit the pillow later at night. I cancelled breakfast meetings with friends and attended a writer’s conference where I failed to make all the necessary …
How to Write GREAT Action Scenes!
By MaryLu Tyndall In any great action scene your reader should be feeling and experiencing the same stress, fear, and excitement your protagonist is feeling. You want your readers on the edge of their proverbial seats! You want them screaming, “Oh no! What’s going to happen? How will they survive? Help!” So, how do you create that kind of tension …
Writing to Music
by Lisa Jordan “Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.” ~Author Unknown My two sons have musical abilities they didn’t inherit from their parents. My oldest son sang in an a cappella and an elite choir in high school and college …
7 Reasons to NOT be a Writing Diva
by Carrie Fancett Pagels With the ACFW conference right around the corner, many may be tempted to pull their diva mantle out and pack it! Don’t! With narcissism so rampant in our culture that DSM revisions had to more narrowly define its features, one might wonder if I am spitting in the wind to even comment on this phenomenon. Even …
Characters Make the Novel
by B. J. Robinson Want to write a heart-touching novel? Let your characters drive the story. Develop well-rounded ones so readers will be able to identify and connect. Begin with your main character. In my novels Last Resort, Southern Superstitions, and Whispering Cypress, I started each one with a main character. In my August 11 release, Whispering Cypress, I created …