by Crystal Laine Miller “…Home again, home again, jiggedty-jig!” How many times did we sing that song as kids? And we caught many product commercials on our three-channel TV that we noticed from singing the interesting jingles. Well, guess what? Authors have to market their product too, in interesting ways. Here are a few tips from a well-read reader-me. First, …
The Write Stuff
by Michelle Arch As an MFA student, a short fiction writer, an aspiring novelist, and a literary blogger, I reflect frequently on the issues of universality and marketability in relation to art. Whether composing a chapter of my novel, a short story, or even a mere blog post, questions of significance dog me: What is writeaboutable? What merits the deconstruction …
Grace Under Pressure
by Laurie Alice Eakes Once upon a time, I believed the time, mood, and environment had to be just right for me to find the creative energy within me. Without this perfect setting, the “muse” would never pay me a visit. The words would not flow. Then my first truly serious deadline hit. Three months to finish a 50,000 word …
Cat Block
by Beth Shriver I bet you’ve never used a cat to gage your level of writers block…but I don’t hear anyone opposing the idea so I’ll continue. I don’t know about you but I have three furry friends who keep me company while I write. After a dog bone, a scoop of cat food, and a cup of coffee, the …
Backup Plan
by Carolyne Aarsen I dislike running out of things. When I pull a jar of mayonnaise from my pantry to replace the one I’ve just emptied and I don’t see a second full jar, I get nervous. What if I have a sudden craving to make a whomping huge bowl of potato salad and I use up the jar I …
Set Goals and Reap the Rewards
by B.J. Bassett One year Jack London received 400 rejections. With that many rejections he was bound to have received some acceptances. I look forward to the beginning of a new year with a fresh slate to record my goals. Since I began setting goals, I’ve written and published more. I set monthly goals. Others set daily, weekly, yearly, short …
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
by Lillian Duncan Wow! It’s the first day of a new year and I have the honor of welcoming it in for ACFW’s blog. That is quite the honor and quite the responsibility. Do I pick a solemn topic? Maybe, one to make you smile? Something encouraging? Something to make you think? Something inspirational? Mmm. What to do? So many …
A Plan for 2013: Getting to THE END and Pressing SEND
by Kathleen Y’Barbo As the saying goes, all good things come to an end, be it a year or a book. I sit in the shadow of a Christmas tree now devoid of gifts and dropping needles like crazy, painfully aware that 2012 is almost no more. Midnight ushers in 2013, and with the new year comes new plans, new …
Bring on the New Year!
by DiAnn Mills This is the season we prepare our writing goals for the next year. Some of you are cringing … I can feel it. Others are moaning … I can hear it. But if we don’t evaluate our progress in 2012 and list what we’d like to accomplish in 2013, where is our career going? Let’s discuss the …
Passion to Publish
by Jill Elizabeth Nelson If I say, I will not make mention of [the Lord] or speak any more in His name, in my mind and heart it is as if there were a burning fire shut up in my bones. Jeremiah 20: 9 (Amplified) Fire in the bones. That’s how I describe the irresistible passion that kept me writing …