By Tanara McCauley My parents are gardeners. Not your average throw-a-plant-in-a-pot-and-let-it-fend-for-itself gardeners; they are certified members of the green-thumb club, with a significant portion of their yard dedicated to fruits, vegetables, and herbs of every variety. Their garden thrives, and they are neighborhood-famous for it. Of course, their success was neither accidental nor instant. They started small. They planted and …
Writing in the Yoke: the Easy Writer
by Kristi Holl Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and My burden is light.” Writing in …
Carpe Diem
By Shirley Gould The Roman Poet Horace coined the phrase, carpe diem, seize the day. He wanted to urge someone to make the most of the present-day and give little thought to the future. Scripture encourages the same message in Matthew 6:34 NLT So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for …
The Uses of a Novella
By Glynn Young On July 1, with the publication of my fifth novel, I brought a five-book series to a conclusion. Each of the five was about 93,000 words in length, except for the last one. The last one has an additional 20,000 words, included as an epilogue but actually a freestanding novella. It’s related on a minor way to …
Tips for Co-Writing a Novel
by Kathryn Cushman I’m often asked about co-writing because I’ve done it a few times. My first co-written project, Angel Song, was an unusual collaboration orchestrated by agents. While that worked well, it’s not something writers can often control, so I won’t discuss it here. For my newly released, The Plans We Made, the entire project was conceived, coordinated, and …
11 Elements for the Best First Scenes
By Susan Wingate Writers face many challenges when they start a new project. Many of these challenges arise because the writer doesn’t have a clue about what she even wants to write about. Some challenges arise from structural issues?how to proceed with a story in its formatting, structure and plotting. Other concerns can include finer points like how the major …
The Best of Times
By Julia Kay If we were at my kitchen table, I’m sure I’d hear some derisive laughter over this title. I don’t know about you, but early in my Christian walk, I thought God’s best included a writing contract and answers to my long list of prayers. But what happens when our mustard-seed faith doesn’t provide the miracle we need? …
Lessons Learned about Promoting a Debut Novel
By Frank A. DiBianca So, after years of writing, revising, professionally editing, finalizing, and submitting manuscripts to agents or publishers, your book has finally been published. But unless you’ve been published by one of the big houses, the lion’s share of selling your book is going to fall squarely in your lap. Now comes the big question. How do you …
Just Getting Started
by Linda Brooks Davis One directive probably every writer has heard is “Write what you know.” Ever mull on those words and come up empty? Or feel as if you’re fighting a war? I have. But when I dig deeper, I invariably recall some gem from the past that usually involves my mother. She was a hoot. No one enjoyed …
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Getting Published
By Michael Jack Webb Okay, it’s not really “funny.” I began brainstorming about becoming an author in my mother’s womb. As a child, I loved to make up and tell fanciful, exciting stories, or act them out. A couple of the kids I grew up with formed a neighborhood drama company, and we put on plays. The first one was …