by Ann H. Gabhart Why do we love picking up fiction books to read? Great settings can add to a story, like the Appalachian Mountains setting I used for Along a Storied Trail. Interesting history makes me dive into a story. A plot that keeps me turning pages is a big plus. All those definitely contribute to a good novel, …
Microsoft Word: Trusted Friend or Bucking Bronc?
by Rhonda Dragomir Hunched over my keyboard, lights dimmed so as not to keep my husband awake, I type feverishly on my manuscript. It’s due tomorrow. Though it’s past midnight, I push ahead. If I finish, I’ll sleep better. There. Perfect. One more review and I’ll let it rest until morning. But wait . . . where on earth did …
The Faith to Finish
by Laurel Blount I’ve heard that 97% of aspiring writers fail for one specific reason. They don’t finish their books. It’s a staggering statistic—but after talking with many hopeful writers, I believe it. Even after they’ve pitched the book at a conference and been invited to submit, even when they’ve had an encouraging ‘revise and resubmit’ from an editor, their …
Getting Unstuck after 2020
by Kristi Holl I was sick twice during the pandemic, we lost two family members, plus I had a month-long severe reaction to my second Covid shot. When I resurfaced, practically comatose, I was behind on one book deadline and a book proposal (set in 1850s England.) None of my decades-old “get started” techniques worked, which induced a near panic. …
Writing is a Lot Easier than Editing
By Glynn Young In late December, a story idea took possession of my head, and I began to write. The narrative flowed like it never had before with five previous novels. This one was different; its predecessors had been part of a series, while this one was a completely different story. On Feb. 18, I write this note in my …
The Juggling Act: Working Full-time and Writing
By Amy Clipston People often ask me, “How do you work a full-time job and write books?” I resist the urge to roll my eyes, and instead reply, “I just make it work.” Unlike some authors, I work full-time for a local government, in addition to writing four or more books per year for HarperCollins Christian Publishing. In fact, in …
Blog Humor
By Stephanie Prichard I love making people laugh, so I aim to elicit a chuckle in my blog devotionals too. Here’s an example of how I combine laughter with the seriousness of Scriptural truth: Mistaken Restroom Yep, I did it. Walked smack dab into a men’s restroom. I was in such a hurry I raced straight to a stall and …
A New Novelist’s Journey to Publication
By Frank DiBianca Believing we all learn from our fellow travelers’ writing experiences, I thought I’d outline mine in hopes that they may be useful to other new fiction writers. I remember publishing in my school’s fourth-grade “newspaper” a flash sci-fi story, The Unknown Element, about a new atomic element with mysterious properties. When the teachers said they didn’t understand …
Altar Envy
By Terri Gillespie “When you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build it from cut stone, for if you use a tool on it, you will have profaned it.” Exodus 20:25, TLV Despite my smile and enthusiastic congratulations, the familiar funk of envy settled on me like slime. That adage to “fake it until you make it” …
Resurrecting Righteousness
By Christine Sunderland Angel Mountain is a resurrection story, so I was pleased the novel was released shortly after Easter last year by Wipf and Stock Publishers. One of my main characters is Abram Levin, a Jewish refugee who converts to Christianity in his later years. He spends his last days in a sandstone cave as a hermit, singing, praying, …