by Lynn Hobbs Descriptions of a scene and section break are simple. A section break can be another characters point of view or closure of a particular scene. A scene break within the same scene will show days or hours later in the story; or the character’s advance to a new location. A challenge to include them in a flowing …
The Doldrums: How to Put More Wind in Your Writer’s Sails
By Bonnie Doran What are the Doldrums? Here are the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary definitions: 1. a spell of listlessness or despondency 2. a part of the ocean near the equator abounding in calms, squalls, and light shifting winds 3. a state of period of inactivity, stagnation, or slump Do you ever feel that your writing is in the Doldrums? You …
Make Time to Write
by Bruce Hennigan My good friend Marilyn once asked me how I found the time to write. I simply replied, “you don’t find time to write, you make time to write.” How do you do this? 1 — Make Writing a PRIORITY not only for yourself, but your family unit. When I received a five book contract with Realms in …
Go in Strength
by Eddie Jones On the last day of a recent writers’ conference I mentioned to Ann Tatlock that I should start a new imprint called, Dry Bones Publishing because, as I explained to Ann, “So many books have no chance of surviving in this desert wasteland called book publishing.” I was kidding, of course. Last thing I need to manage …
Whatever Is Good
By Ramona Richards “Employ whatever God has entrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, in every possible kind and degree.” -John Wesley This quotation from John Wesley may have been inspired by 1 Peter 4:10, which instructs us in a similar fashion: “And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of …
Writing that moment when faith comes alive
By Allie Pleiter I don’t always write characters who come to faith in the course of a novel. Some of my novels have been romances between two people who already have faith as a crucial part of their lives. Others have one character helping to open up the heart of another to God’s love. I admit, those are my particular …
Journaling Our Journeys
By Shirley Gould In a valiant quest to describe human emotions in our prose, we as writers scan lists of nouns and adjectives in an attempt to make them real to our readers. It is a tedious and time consuming process. Gleaning from my personal journey, emotions experienced in our lives evoke the most vivid descriptions possible…if we journal them …
How to Get Better With Every Book
By Lindsay Harrel As someone who suffers from perfectionism, I want everything I do to be the picture of…well, perfection. That includes the books I write. But the reality is – and I’m sure all of you know this – writing books is just plain hard. It takes time to learn the best ways to develop a character, to take …
The Art of Fighting and Making Up with Fake People
By Melissa Tagg Several weeks ago I turned in the rewrites on my third book. If I were to describe the process of writing From the Start, um, I might slip into slight melodramatic territory. Or I’d straight up tell you it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever written. Which is the truth, no matter how drama queen-ish it sounds. I …
His Face or His Hand?
By Ian Acheson I think one of the things I pray the most about is seeking direction; or for confirmation that I’m doing the right thing. Do you do that? My work life tends to be lumpy. The life of a consultant is like that, however, in recent times there have been less lumps, meaning less projects and less income. …