By Karen H. Richardson Recently, I spent some time reviewing the 123 posts from KK’s Candor, www.kkscandor.com, my personal blog. In this review I noticed that several topics or themes were repeated. The change of seasons and holiday theme seemed to run with the calendar. These calendar-cycle themes come too easy. It takes little effort to find emotions or symbols …
Writing Lessons from the Master Author
By Marilyn Turk The more I study the craft of writing, the more I read like a writer. I look at how the author tells the story – word choice, POV, structure, and how many “rules” are broken. I also consider ways the story could be better – what could be left out or added to make it stronger. So …
CREATIVE OR CRAZY? The Writer at Christmas
by Patti Jo Moore Like many people, the Christmas season is my very favorite time of year. I love the music, the lights, and most of all remembering the Reason for this holiday season. Even though my life isn’t quite as hectic as it was when my children were little, I still find myself getting caught up in the flurry …
10 Lessons from My First Indie Book
By Judy Christie A year ago I didn’t know what a hybrid author was. Now I am one. This past week my first indie book, “Wreath, A Girl,” a new edition of a YA novel, joined my traditionally published books. The process has been exhilarating…and exhausting. While the lessons haven’t marinated long, I hope they will help if you’re considering …
Make Friends with your Deadline
By Denise Hunter They don’t call ’em deadlines for nothing. I’m pretty sure it’s because most of us feel half dead when we get there. Add a hectic holiday or an unexpected illness, and you may not be the only one ready to tear out your hair. But if you plan ahead and work steadily, you can reach your deadline …
Outlining – Step By Step
By Gail Gaymer Martin Though I use a brief synopsis to set up my storyline, I sometimes outline parts such as a suspense novel. Once the character is developed, the beginning and ending of the book and the black moment, begin to build the plot, scene by scene no matter if it’s a novel, novella, and even a short story. …
Publishing Decisions and Changing Times
By Robin Johns Grant I just ran across a Publishers Weekly article titled, “Is Amazon Really the Devil?” I had to laugh. When I talk to writer friends these days and the subject of Amazon comes up, either we speak in tones of awe and reverence-or else someone shudders and winces, as though we are indeed speaking of the devil. …
Don’t Neglect Life for Writing
By Anne Mateer Do you desire to populate your stories with people that leap off the page, characters that “live” in readers’ imaginations? I sure do. But that kind of writing usually doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It requires engagement. In life. With people. I’m in that “empty nest” season. I thought it would be great with no kids in …
Top 20 Ways Writers Spread Joy
by Cynthia Herron Now that Thanksgiving’s over and Christmas is just around the corner, writing may take a back seat as we prepare for the next big holiday. We’ll celebrate the birth of our Savior, visit with family, and of course, dine all things deelish during our Norman Rockwell picture-perfect moments. (I can hardly wait!) Still, while I adore the …
Cross Promotion and the Christian Author
By Carrie Fancett Pagels RWA’s magazine, RWR, recently featured an excellent article on marketing. One of the points they made, besides the obvious point that you must write the very best book that you can, is to link up with other authors and cross promote. As a blogger for many years, I’ve had the privilege of promoting many bestselling Christian …