by Ian Acheson Jenny* was running late. She grabbed the first seat inside the door, and acknowledged the teacher standing on the opposite side of the room. He welcomed her, unfazed by being interrupted. We were sharing our homework. A 250-word piece on “Daring to Kick the Universe”. We soon got around to Jenny. She prefaced her work by sharing …
The British are Coming
by Christine Lindsay The British are coming! They said this when the Beatles arrived in New York, and they’re saying it again with the recent success of Downton Abbey. Recently an editor of one of the largest US publishing houses says to expect the British invasion in the Christian world of fiction. With my series Twilight of the British Raj …
Seven Ways To Avoid Burnout
by Becky Wade Think back. Have any of your favorite authors simply stopped writing? Some may have retired at the end of a long career. But others likely quit writing because of burnout. It happens! I happened to me once. And it’s something that can stall or derail the dreams of any writer at any time. What precautionary measures can …
Three Steps to Publication – Guaranteed!
by Lillian Duncan All stories have a beginning, a middle, and end. If you want to get published you need to write the BEST BEGINNINGS, MARVELOUS MIDDLES, and EXPLOSIVE ENDINGS. Succeed with those three easy steps and you’ll have a contract before you know it. OK-maybe they aren’t all that easy to master. It took me years to learn the …
On the Road to Publication Be Sure to Pack A Lot of Patience!
by Pamela S. Meyers I’ve always dreamed of writing a story set in my picturesque hometown, and God surely blessed me when I was given the opportunity to do so by Summerside Press. This past weekend I launched my novel Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the book of my heart. My first publishing contract came seventeen years after …
Back Story vs Character History, Part One
by Rachel Hauck Ding, ding! Referee: “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the first ever bout between Back Story and Character History.” Wahhaaaaa. Cheeerrrs! Ref: “In this corner, from the New York City, wearing black shorts, weighing in at a hefty five hundred and eighty-two pounds is the champion of all novel prose, Baaaaack Storrrryyyyyy!” Waahhhh…. crowd cheering. “And in this …
Therapists in Fiction
by Jeannie Campbell, LMFT I like to think that any professional, not just therapists, would laugh at their fictional counterparts. I assure you that Drs. Frasier Crane and Hannibal Lecter are hardly representative of the majority of us. No, authors most likely convey therapists as empathetic, conservatively dressed, with degrees artfully hung on the wall in a tasteful but somewhat …
ACFW REWIND: Developing the Real Life Substance
(Editor’s Note: Today, ACFW re-runs a worthwhile post from the past, in this case from February, in what we call the ACFW rewind, which highlights previous posts that deserve a second look. ) by Michael Lee Joshua I “live” in Colorado. But I work in Wyoming. I do get home every other weekend (as long as weather permits). Being up …
Inspiration for a Story
by Sandra Robbins When I first started writing, I was somewhat shocked to find that I would be an active participant in the marketing of my books. So I said a prayer and jumped right in. Besides all the resources available online, I found one of the things I enjoyed doing most was talking with readers. Over the last few …
ACFW Journal Extra: Happily Ever After Disasters
By Jeannie Campbell, LMFT ACFW Journal Contributing Writer When a characterization trend becomes so dominant it leads to copycat plots, there’s a problem. What trend? That would be the one of the female savior-as referenced in my ACFW Journal article, “Happily Ever After or Ever After Happiness?,” in the Spring 2013 edition. Typically, these characters are the pure, virginal type, …