By Kariss Lynch Authentic. That’s ultimately what we want, right? We want a story that moves us, motivates us, makes us forget our troubles for a few hours, that makes us laugh or cry or jump, that leaves us still thinking, still wondering days later. We want a story that rings so true and raw in our own mind and …
Myth: BUSTED!
By Elizabeth B. Elliott If you have ever watched the show MythBusters on the Discovery channel, then you know the goal of co-hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage is to prove or disprove the veracity of commonly held beliefs. Putting these ideas to the test and sometimes under a literal microscope has paid off for them – their 11-year-old show …
Have You Overlooked a Good Resource?
by Patricia Bradley One of the best kept secrets resources at ACFW is this blog. I mean, where else can you go and find blogs on just about every aspect of writing and all in one place? Or go to be encouraged? Just this May, I was feeling very discouraged. My sales on a general market book weren’t what I’d …
One Rule for Handling Book Reviews
by Beth K. Vogt I had a rough day a couple of weeks ago. My daughter fell and badly sprained her ankle. My 96-year-old mother-in-law fell in her kitchen, which I’ve determined is her personal Bermuda Triangle. After 4 firefighters came and helped her back up, I went and checked on her Two falls before noon. Yes, gravity behaved badly …
When You Want to Give Up
By Tamara D. Fickas There’s a picture floating around Facebook of a guy eagerly digging a tunnel in search of diamonds. He’s been at it a long time and finally gives up. We can see the whole picture and know that just a few more plunges of his pickaxe will unleash the diamonds. He doesn’t know that. He’s tired and …
A Good Reading Chair
By Cynthia Ruchti How many of us live quiet lives in quiet homes with a comfortable reading chair we use strictly for our quiet post-dinner hour reading sessions? A few of us. Most read on planes, in waiting rooms, before falling asleep at night, during kids’ soccer or gymnastics practices, while watching television or waiting for the potatoes to boil. …
God, 10 Miles
by Nancy Ellen Hird Have you ever traveled a barren stretch of highway? Have you traveled such a road, your mouth growing drier by the nanosecond and your stomach growling like an angry bear? Your eyes dart to the side of the road. They search the highway ahead. You are watching for an exit sign that promises a restaurant. Ah, …
Story Glimmers
by Ann H. Gabhart A writer needs time to gather a story, to let the glimmers spark out of that mysterious dark center of the imagination where stories are born. At times the glimmers may sparkle but still be as elusive as a sunbeam. You see it but you can’t quite grab it. I’ve been at the glimmer stage for …
Overcoming the Failure Inside
By Elizabeth Ludwig Scarlett O’Hara. Katniss Everdeen. Michael Hosea. Jane Eyre. Do you recognize any of these names? Obviously, they are all characters from books. And yes, they are all heroes. But before they were heroic, they were flawed and fallible. These frail, imperfect, unlikely paragons struggled with weaknesses in their character-like serious flaws-vanity, envy, fear, jealousy, and pride, just …
Who’s your Ultimate Audience?
By Ian Acheson “It’s in the struggle that the story is written.” Yes, yes, I said as I read those words from a fellow author just before I sat down to draft this post. Golly gosh, I’ve struggled writing the sequel to Angelguard. The basic story of Angelguard fell out of me. I was a complete novice (well, I still …