By C. Kevin Thompson To say the writing life is a “one size fits all, write the same, market the same, sell the same” society is naïveté at its finest. Take Tom Clancy, for example. Ex-military. High-ranking Naval officer. Decides to write a story. Has it published via the Naval Academy’s press…a press which strictly published non-fiction, military-type books on …
What Does the Author Need?
By Cindy Woodsmall As writers, we are attentive to the settings, plots, characters, and all things that make for great storytelling and honed writing. We capitalize on our characters’ thoughts and feelings, and there is nothing quite like exploring the reasoning and nuances of their weaknesses while finding the frailty of their strengths. But do we put as much time …
Words, Camera…and Action!
By Bonnie S. Calhoun What comes mind when I say those words? Typically someone would think of a movie set in the oldun’ days. Someone had a tripod camera and a megaphone and a snappy board with numbers on it. I want you to try this when you’re writing an action scene. The idea is to get you to look …
Writing in times of CHAOS
By Susan A.J. Lyttek This past summer events occurred and piled up that often had me stressed or panicked or both. Some of these included getting my eldest ready to move out on his own, my youngest preparing to start college classes (locally, thankfully!) and my re-entering the workforce after eighteen years as a homeschool mom and freelancer. Add in …
Writers’ Plans
By Carrie Fancett Pagels Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. When the New Year came around in the Pagels household, we made a resolution of “no surgeries” for 2015. The previous year, I had Achilles heel surgery (that wasn’t successful), my father-in-law had a triple bypass, and our …
Roller Coaster Life of Writing
By Darlene L. Turner “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV) Picture this . . . you’re sandwiched between friends, holding onto the safety bar with a vice grip. The car moves up and up. Your jaw is clenched. You reach the top and- Do you remember the thrill of a good …
The Lost Art of Hand Writing
By Kim Gilliland Stone, clay, copper, silver, parchment and papyrus were all used to write upon during biblical times. I can’t even begin to imagine the tedium in writing just a quick note to a friend. If I had to produce the clay or cut down the reeds to make the papyrus, I would probably forgo any written communication. I’ve …
Stand Therefore
By Ian Acheson One aspect of the writing vocation that I wasn’t really prepared for was the frequency with which negative emotions surfaced. Whether it’s the number of rejections one receives, the often daily struggle of putting words on a page, the discouragement when questioning the quality of one’s story, to those disappointing sales figures and reviews, to name just …
A Brainstorming Session
By Lillian Duncan So, I’m sitting at my computer pondering what to write for the first of my four ACFW blogs for the year. Time for a brainstorming session! I could try to find a sneaky way to promote my newly-released mystery novella, DEADLY INTENT. But would that really help anyone but me? Probably not so…REJECTED. I could pontificate about …
When Real Life and the Writing Life Collide
By Kathleen Y’Barbo Watch out or you’ll end up in my novel! We’ve all seen this slogan or others like it on t-shirts, mugs, and all sorts of items. Until recently, I hadn’t given the process of creating characters from real people much thought. Sure, I’ve used real characters in my novels. Anna Finch and the Hired Gun featured a …