By Sarah Sundin We’ve all felt this when we read good books—we become the main characters. We feel their joy and anger and fear. As writers, our job is to produce this effect through our own characters. Not only does this produce a satisfying, cathartic, emotional experience for our readers, but it has a humanizing effect. Haman vs. Esther This …
Resurrecting your Manuscript: Rewrite, Repurpose … but Regardless, Give Grace
By Lana Christian Most, if not all, authors have at least one manuscript buried in a drawer. Maybe it was the first book you wrote. Secretly, you kept rooting for that underdog, hoping it would see the light of day. Maybe it can. The biblical story of Samson brims with lessons about giftedness, redemption, second chances, and the fact that …
Defining Goals and Redefining Success
By: Janette Melson As I edited a previous blog before publishing, I realized that I used the word goal a lot. And I concluded that there is a reason for that. According to some of the greatest minds throughout history, goals are a way to keep life exciting, successful, and productive. After all, “If you aim at nothing, you will …
Writing the Seasons
By: Kariss Lynch Anne Shirley’s words are a good reminder for all of us this time of year: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” A change of season is powerful, and the way we write and incorporate seasons in our books can be powerful, too. Lorelei Gilmore can smell snow, stirring our nostalgia. Anne …
What’s Fiction’s Purpose?
By Cynthia Herron What’s the real purpose of fiction? Several months ago, I tweeted: Fiction is just that. Fiction. Reading it is (and should be) fun. It is a break from reality. An escape. It doesn’t have to make sense, a point, or a literary statement. It can, but it doesn’t have to. When we distort that, we miss the art …
In the Presence of Courage
By Jerri Kelley Where we live there are dragons. Some folks call them hot air balloons, but if you’ve ever heard them breathe, you know they are dragons. Semper, our Lab mix, is afraid of dragons. She is afraid of most things. She wasn’t always that way. When she first came to live with us, she was fearless. She would …
Five Hundred and One – Encouragement for Unpublished Authors
By: SK Derban My long-term goal of becoming a published author was finally realized after more than two decades. It’s hard to remember how many times I thought about quitting, and that was before I started writing my first manuscript. Although I wanted to write directly out of college God had other plans for me. He knew I needed grooming, …
Your Wellspring of Strength for Writing
By Lana Christian I’ve been thinking about strength a lot lately—partially because COVID stole part of mine. My legs scream after I hike for a half hour. My brain still slogs at times. As I recoup those losses, I continue a demanding day job writing for physicians and researchers … and burn midnight oil pursuing my faith-based writing career. I …
When There’s Nothing…There is God
By Jerri Kelley For weeks now I have been trying to write this blog. I have sat at my computer, tapped keys, erased words, left with nothing done. Prayed some more only to hear quiet. It is a privilege to write for each of you, and I want to offer you something worth reading, and instead, I have nothing. Maybe …
What’s in a Name?
By Terri Gillespie A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth, and grace rather than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1, TLV When people hear our name, what do they think? We may want people to think of what we have published or written, but that’s only a small part of who we are. What about our ancestors? …