by Sarah Hamaker Are you a writer? If you answered yes, do you believe, deep down inside, that you are indeed a writer? Too many times, we say we’re writers but our actions say another thing. For example, you meet someone for the first time and are asked what you do. Do you… A) Say you’re a writer? B) Say …
A To Don’t List for Writer’s Conferences
By Tamara D. Fickas Springtime is easing into summer. Trees and flowers are blooming. The temperature is inching upward. On cue, the writing world is easing into conference season. One-sheets and proposals are bursting forth. Social media is a twitter (see what I did there) with what works best and words of encouragement. This season is a busy time for …
The Capacity to Obey
By Davalynn Spencer “What if I run out of things to say?” For some authors, this can be a serious concern. Other writers dip from an ever-flowing font and never worry about where the next words are coming from. I began my writer’s journey as a journalist and crime-beat reporter. Talk about unending fodder. But deep down in the creative …
When Things Aren’t as they Seem
By Deborah Raney A few years ago, I was speaking at a MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) in a small Midwestern town. As I learned to do from the wonderful speaker and writer Liz Curtis Higgs, I had picked out my “balcony people” in each quadrant of the room–those women who were nodding and smiling and giving positive feedback with …
Writing Book Reviews: Help or Hindrance?
By Darlene L. Turner Five stars, four stars, or one star? What’s the best rating to give a book? Or should we even be doing book reviews? This is a question I ask myself quite often. Why? Because writing book reviews take time. As we all know, time is something we writers cherish. In order to get our word count …
My #1 Rule of Writing
By Tosca Lee Late one night while I was writing my second novel, Havah, I dragged myself home from a business trip–tired, bloated, grouchy, stinky… and on deadline. I had two solid days at home before my next work trip and 5,000 words to write. Why then, the next day, did I want to do nothing but pick my cuticles, …
It’s All “Write” with Me
By Robin W. Pearson I imagine Moses felt a spark when he stumbled upon the burning bush. Spending time in a den of hungry lions motivated Daniel, and crouching in the belly of a fish surely gave Jonah the encouragement he needed. Sitting at the feet of our Savior definitely moved the disciples, and being struck blind opened the spiritual …
Writing Through Grief
By Linda Robinson It’s hard to write anything when you’re grieving. I know that all too well. We recently lost our grandson, who was twenty-nine years old, had fought lymphatic cancer as a four-through-six-year-old, underwent two separate rounds of chemo, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. Praise the Lord, he survived and was still cancer free at his death. But …
How to WRITE About When Everything Goes WRONG
by Allie Pleiter Write What You Know, Right? Writing about the difficulties in your life sounds like a sure-fire path to emotionally compelling work, right? You know exactly how it feels, you know the gut-wrenching progression of events, and it would feel so cathartic to get it out on the page. It could be like re-writing your life at a …
Those Stories in My Head
By Martha Rogers Like the raindrops in the song, these stories keep falling on head and filling it with ideas. Peg Phifer posted a quote on our Novel Track writing loop, and it suits me to a T. “GOD PUT ME HERE TO ACCOMPLISH A CERTAIN NUMBER OF THINGS. AT THIS RATE, I’LL NEVER DIE!” That’s exactly how I feel …