By Jane Kirkpatrick Some years ago I wrote a novel based on the life of a Native American woman. I’d worked for many years on an Indian reservation and had many native friends who helped me capture the essence of this woman. The book received fine reviews and I spent a fair amount of time doing newspaper and radio interviews. …
The Creative Person’s Guide to Time Management
By Judy Christie As a writer, I am drawn to creative people-smart, funny, interesting, innovative, imaginative. I am blessed to interact with fiction writers who explore and imagine and adapt to a dizzying rate of change, a combination that clogs schedules faster than a plateful of spaghetti can clog a drain (don’t ask how I know this). Sometimes we writers …
To Quote the Queen, “That Doesn’t Match!”
by Dr. Patrick Johnston I have a problem. No sooner do I step out of the bathroom on Sunday morning does my wife take one look at me and pronounce with the authority of the Queen of England, “That doesn’t match!” Though I really don’t see it, most of the time I just blame the curse of Adam and take …
Three Magic Phrases for a Writer
by Richard Mabry Early in my road to writing, author and teacher Alton Gansky taught me to ask a magic question: “What if?” One of his books began when he noted the presence of a military installation in a deserted location and asked himself, “What if that base suddenly disappeared?” The result was an excellent book. And it began with …
ACFW New Releases: August 2014
August 2014 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Contemporary Romance: Small-Town Billionaire by Renee Andrews — When trapped in a tiny North Alabama “Mayberry” town, billionaire Ryan Brooks wants nothing more than to get back to Chicago ASAP, but a business opportunity–and the eclectic yet gorgeous woman with the …
Finding Inspiration in the Oddest Places
by Connie Stevens Writers are asked all the time, “Where do you get your ideas?” The answers vary based on the genre. Some might hear a news report about an unsolved murder or a case of corruption. Others might gaze at the stars and dream of futuristic possibilities. Still other authors may find a fascinating tidbit of trivia and allow …
Fiction and Reality
by Deborah Rather I write contemporary Christian romance. As soon as people find out that I have written numerous novels (nearly 80 now), they almost always ask the same question. “Where do you get your ideas?” This bewilders me. I always want to come back with something pithy like, “Don’t you pay attention to what goes on around you?” Most …
On the Road
by Kathleen Y’Barbo I’ve had a love affair with long, aimless drives well before I found love with a man who shared that passion. Sliding behind the wheel, plugging in the iPod or adjusting Pandora radio, and then pointing the car toward an unknown destination has long been my idea of a grand day. If the weather’s nice, the top …
To Err is Human
by Marcia Gruver While teaching a creative writing class, I passed a little card around the room and instructed the students to read aloud the following sentence: Now is the time for all good men to come to the the aid of their country. One by one, the eager scholars misread it. Until I pointed out each word on a …
Off To A Strong Start
by Maureen Lang Sometimes the place your story starts isn’t always the place to open your novel. There are three choices: •Just Before the major problem/conflict comes up, with a hint of the iceberg ahead. •Just As the conflict arises. •Just After the hero or heroine has a first glimpse of that looming iceberg in their path. Just-before openings allow …