By Liz Curtis Higgs I’ve never been voted off the island, named the weakest link, or told what not to wear, but as a novelist I’ve weathered my share of criticism—constructive, destructive, and otherwise. A sharply-worded email from a disgruntled reader makes me question my calling. A scathing review on Amazon sends me back to my w-i-p with a heavy …
First Chapters Syndrome
By Rondi Bauer Olson Last year my nebulous-but-fantastic-sounding goal was to “write every day.” I did a pretty good job. Five or six days a week I opened my laptop and typed a few hundred to a few thousand words. After twelve months, my word count was pretty impressive. Unfortunately, my useful output wasn’t. The first project I started working …
Combating the Doldrums
By Linda Brooks Davis Ever find your enthusiasm for a writing project flagging? I have. Have you figured out what to do about it? I pull out this photo of Ella, my granddaughter. And remember. My daughter called me in the fall of 2004 with news that rocked our family. After years of failure and disappointment, she was pregnant with …
Take the Stage
By Shirley E. Gould I’ve heard it said that “Life is what happens when you have other plans.” I totally agree. Interruptions and distractions plague the writer’s life. When you mix in events such as weddings, birthdays and anniversaries and blend those with holiday celebrations, the opportunities to write a novel dwindles. This is true no matter where you find …
Encouraging One Another
by Kathy Harris I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day …
How Brainstorming and Eating Pizza with Friends can Lead to a Book!
By Rose Allen McCauley Did you know the Twelve Days of Christmas start on December 25 and end on January 6th on Epiphany–the day the wise men first saw the Christ Child? To most people it means figuring out something, and to writers it can mean: an illuminating discovery, realization, or… a revealing scene or moment. Three of my Kentucky …
The Holy Author
By J.A. Marx When I began writing my first novel, my daily routine started at 5a.m. at the computer. The pressure was on me to make my dream happen. Plots and characters absorbed my thoughts, and everything else obliged them. Isn’t that how best-selling novelists live? As Christian authors, we have a holier calling: to not be conformed to the …
How to be Splendid
By Deborah Hackett Just before Christmas, my husband and I surprised our two little ballerinas with a trip to see the Moscow Ballet performing the Russian Nutcracker (who knew Clara was Masha?). The whole performance was breath taking, from the sumptuous sets, the beautiful dancing, the heart stopping acrobatics of the Arabian dolls to the lavish costumes. As the word …
Making Resolutions or Setting Goals?
By Martha Rogers New Year’s is the time for resolutions, or so people say. Most of those who do make resolutions usually break them within the first month. Years ago, I quit making resolutions and started setting goals. These ranged anywhere from getting my office space organized to setting aside time to exercise. By setting short term and long term …
Resolution Inclusions for 2017
By Shirley E. Gould With Christmas in our rear-view mirror, we’ve over-eaten and gained a few pounds, we’ve maxed out the budget, opened our presents, enjoyed smiles of wonder on children’s faces, visited Grandma and are now ready to face the new year with fervor. It’s a time to slow down and review 2016. Good or bad with its ups …