How I Learned to Stop Relying on Favors and Start Finding True Fans by Fayla Ott When I first started this journey, I imagined that one day, everyone I knew would be utterly amazed that the literary genius they’d overlooked would rise from the ranks of the ordinary. And no, I wasn’t picturing myself dancing with Patrick Swayze. That would …
Embracing YOUR Path
By Elle E. Kay @ElleEKay777 We’ve all been there. Whether we’re watching a virtual webinar, attending a conference, reading a craft book, or chatting with a fellow writer, we hear all about the BEST way to write a book. One person may tell us to throw out the plot, while another insists we plan every scene in detail. Some say …
Of Giving Up and Letting Go
By Melanie Rigney Is there a difference between giving up and letting go? That question was posed at a retreat I attended recently. The conversation was of particular interest to me. While others were spending the retreat in prayer, working on faith journey scrapbooks, or taking long walks, I was researching a nonfiction book that’s due to a Catholic publisher …
Jot and tittle
by Dr. Dwight David Croy In Matthew 5:18 it says, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Literally, it means, “not one stroke of a letter” will pass away. In Luke 16:17 it says with a Greek variant, …
Comfort Food for Writers
by Linda Glaz Okay, time to sit back and relax with your favorite coffee or tea and a handful of shortbread cookies (my guilty pleasure). I’ll do the same, and we can talk about you getting published. “Can you give me any hints and tips to get my foot in the door?” I’d be happy to. I receive numerous submissions …
Engaging Book Clubs with Engaging Discussion Questions
by Sarah Sundin @sarahsundin As readers, we delight in socializing with fellow book-lovers. As writers, we delight in connecting with readers. The continuing popularity of book clubs provides an opportunity for authors. By crafting engaging questions about your novel, you can help book clubs have amazing discussions that build community and love of story. Since I belonged to a book …
Building a Home, Building a Novel
By Diane E. Samson My husband and I have been in the process of building a home for the last 18 months. Our new place will be ready in December, and as all the various design pieces come together so it looks like an actual home, I can’t help but notice the similarities this experience has been to bringing a …
Do Readers Care about Point of View?
By B.D. Lawrence @BDLawrence3 Lately, I’ve read a lot of books with different variations of point of view. There are the traditional private eye novels that are always first person. I’ve read third-person point of view. No surprise. There are novels with multiple first-person points of view – by chapter. Multiple third-person points of view, usually by chapter, but not …
Five Things I’ve Learned from the Amish…
… that Have Nothing to Do with being Amish and Have Everything to Do with being a Christian by Suzanne Woods Fisher Being Amish is not a lifestyle Amish traditions are all about faith, deeply rooted in every aspect of their lives. It’s not squeezed into a Sunday morning service but infuses everything, like a teabag steeping in hot water. …
Where Dreams Are Made Possible
by Kelly Anne Liberto @kellyliberto Are you pressed down and exhausted from opposition? Tired from a burning passion that will not leave you but you seem to make no progress no matter how hard you work? You know the scripture burning in your spirit calling you to follow him. Yet, you see no fruit or reward after years of laboring …