By Vikki Kestell I wrote in my last blog that producing great Christian fiction is, as Gollum said, “Tricksy.” I discussed redemptive fiction, the art of writing characters who encounter Jesus in organic situations. IMHO, redemptive storytelling is the most powerful and effective method of presenting the Gospel. In this follow-on article, I want to discuss the phenomenon of “repeat …
Coming Together
By Rondi Bauer Olson During this Thanksgiving season, many of us are visiting with relatives. Maybe you’re eating leftovers, or you’ve snuck away for a few moments by yourself. In any case, coming together to thank God for our blessings is not only important for families, but can be wonderful for writers, too. Last summer I signed up for an …
Thanksgiving Dinner
By Shirley E. Gould During this season of thanksgiving, we enjoy a feast of turkey, dressing, casseroles, corn, cranberry sauce and croissant rolls. Mashed potatoes with gravy and sweet potatoes complete the display. It’s a time of family gatherings, parades and football games. While it brings a halt in our writing schedule, it is a prime opportunity to gather fodder …
Why Mentors Matter
By Lisa Jordan When I became serious about writing and joined my first writing organization, I was paired with my first mentor. Even though I understood the basic fundamentals of writing, I needed help with advanced techniques to strengthen my craft. Also, I wanted someone who understood the publishing industry. Having a mentor helped because she understood where I was …
Being Thankful and Giving Back
Howdy! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and has come much faster than I could have imagined. Where has this year gone? With the coming holiday, I find myself reminded of how thankful I am for so many things. Family. Friends. A wonderful writing community like this one, filled with people of faith who share the dream of being published. …
“Drawing” on Your Creative Resources
by Betsy Lowery As a writer whose nonfiction offerings lean more toward deep ideas than toward useful application, I’m happy to offer to my ACFW community a very simple and concrete idea. In chapter 9 of The Wrong Type of Love (unfinished sequel to my first and unpublished novel, A Stranger’s Promise), a couple of young musicians need some inspiration …
In the Baking of the Bread
by Marianne Evans My family has this thing about homemade, fresh-baked onion bread. It’s a staple that’s been passed from my grandma, to my mom, and now, to me. I love being the one to carry on the tradition of baking bread because, as I’ve often joked with my kids, it’s a sure-fire way to get them to pay a …
Don’t Quit Your Day Job–Part II
by Elizabeth Musser A year ago (October, 2015), I wrote a post called ‘Don’t Quit Your Day Job‘. Here’s the second part of that post, giving a very personal account of how my day job inspired my newest novel. In the summer of 1984, I, along with dozens of other missionaries working throughout Europe, gathered for a conference in an …
LIFE HAPPENS – But what about your deadlines?
By Pat Bradley If you are a writer, published or unpublished, you have deadlines. True, they might be self-imposed, but they are still deadlines you take seriously. And since you can’t schedule emergencies, what do you do with those deadlines when you have to deal with a serious illness or something unexpected that can’t be put off? I found myself …
ACFW New Releases: November 2016
November 2016 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Biblical: Slender Reeds: Jochebed’s Hope by Texie Susan Gregory — In a deadly race to save her son, a young slave woman dares defy the most powerful man in the world. (Biblical from Barbour Publishing) Contemporary Romance: Crazy Woman Christmas by …