By Sarah Sundin When writing historical fiction, we need to research with both the eye of the bird and the eye of the worm. A bird soars high. It sees for miles in all directions and senses what’s happening in many places, but it’s detached from the action. The worm sits in its little spot in the ground, aware of …
When Your Spouse Reads Your Work
It’s just plain crazy! I have to tell you about the most unusual week of my life. My man reads his Bible, and things that are necessary for his job, but that’s about it. It’s so hard for me to understand this, but he doesn’t enjoy reading. But he had told me, if you get published, I’ll read your book. …
Six Tips for Defeating Self-Doubt
by Kathy Harris Fear. It can paralyze. And no one knows that better than a writer who is filled with self-doubt. We may sit down to put words on the paper, but nothing comes out. Or, even worse, we may not sit down at all. If you’ve ever had this happen, you’re not alone. Almost every writer will deal with …
Read to Write
By Cathleen Armstrong I have heard some writers say that they were never particularly great readers and that they never thought of becoming writers until it just…happened. I have to confess that on such occasions, and admittedly they have been rare, I regard the accidental writer with awe. How do you do that? How did you get up the nerve …
Everything I Need to Know About Mysteries I Learned from Scooby Doo
By JPC Allen As a kid growing up in the ‘70’s, I lived to watch Scooby Doo. Little did I know that this first exposure to mystery stories would be a good foundation for trying to write my own. My very first attempt at writing a story was in second grade, and I wrote a homage (that sounds better than …
Perfectly Polished: What it Takes to Succeed as a Writer
By Loretta Eidson A manicure and perfectly polished fingernails make me feel better about the appearance of my hands. I love transferring to the nail technician the responsibility of clean-cut cuticles, hang-nail removal, filing, applying the polish and drying. It’s her job to make me happy with her work and leave me with the desire to return. Writers don’t have …
Making Personal Celebrations Impersonal
By Susan A.J. Lyttek I intentionally chose this date to write a blog because it’s the 35th anniversary of my (and my husband’s) church wedding. You might notice that I’m oddly specific. We had eloped in June of the same year, so it’s not technically our marriage anniversary, though we do celebrate both dates. Our story is almost strange enough …
Do You Love Social Media?
By Deborah Raney As a true extrovert with a very solitary occupation as a writer, I truly enjoy social media. Sometimes I tell people I’m not sure I could have survived my 24-year writing career without it! (Of course there was no such thing as social media the first ten years I was writing, but I did connect with several …
Create While You Wait
By Kariss Lynch We’ve all experienced these seasons: the endless waiting for a dream to come true. We wonder if God hears, or if we heard him wrong when He called us to this crazy writing gig. Wait—the word that can make us squirm with anxiety and doubt our stories and our skill. Or it can make us hope. I’ve …
Why Should a Writer be Part of Goodreads?
By DiAnn Mills The biggest reason for a writer to jump onboard Goodreads is from their own words: “It’s the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations.” I’m convinced this social media platform is essential to a novelist’s recognition by readers and publishers. Let’s unpack what that means: If I’m looking for a book to read, I can explore …