By Kimberley Woodhouse Step One: Write. The best way to become a real writer is… you guessed it: to write. You might have one thousand amazing ideas but you’ve flitted from one to another and never finished one of them. My suggestion is to keep a journal of all of those fabulous ideas and then sit down and focus on …
Combating the Solitary Life of Writers
By Tema Banner Writing is a solitary activity – as writers we have heard this and known it from the beginning of our journey. Outside influences provide the niggling of an idea that can not be displaced, and from this will grow a story that we hope and pray touches other hearts and lives, for the Glory of God and …
Sit! Stay! Write!
By Melissa Bennett Greetings fellow Christian fiction writers! The last time we met, I encouraged those of you having difficulty writing in these unsettling times to have grace with yourselves. Well, times haven’t changed all that much in the last two months. We still need to be gentle with ourselves and others. But if you’ll allow me, I’d like to …
Fiction Writing from A-Z
By DiAnn Mills Reminders about our craft burst our imaginations into creative mode. From A to Z, we find sources of inspiration to keep us writing. I’ve chosen the first word that entered my mind as a means to keep my imagination in full gear. A – Adventure Penning our stories is an exciting journey for the writer and the …
Fat Books, Tolkien, and Resurrection Power
By Michael Jack Webb Someone once said, “Inside every fat book is a thin book trying to get out . . .” I can’t help myself—I write “fat” books! I’ve tried to write books under one hundred thousand words, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to lose the weight. My very first novel started out at …
But, I neeeeed it . . .
By Renee Hodges But, I neeeeed it . . . I can’t think of four words that got under Daddy’s skin more. For a man who grew up, the youngest of five children with a widowed mom, working other people’s fields in the Arkansas delta, to hear one of his children say they needed anything more than air and water …
Transitioning to Storyland
By Darlene L. Turner So no matter what your task is, work hard. Always do your best as the Lord’s servant, not as man’s. – Colossians 3:23 (VOICE) I think we can all agree, 2020 has been a year for the history books and one we’ll not soon forget. I know friends who’ve lost loved ones, jobs, struggled with self-isolation, …
Carpe Diem
By Shirley Gould The Roman Poet Horace coined the phrase, carpe diem, seize the day. He wanted to urge someone to make the most of the present-day and give little thought to the future. Scripture encourages the same message in Matthew 6:34 NLT So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for …
The Uses of a Novella
By Glynn Young On July 1, with the publication of my fifth novel, I brought a five-book series to a conclusion. Each of the five was about 93,000 words in length, except for the last one. The last one has an additional 20,000 words, included as an epilogue but actually a freestanding novella. It’s related on a minor way to …
The Best of Times
By Julia Kay If we were at my kitchen table, I’m sure I’d hear some derisive laughter over this title. I don’t know about you, but early in my Christian walk, I thought God’s best included a writing contract and answers to my long list of prayers. But what happens when our mustard-seed faith doesn’t provide the miracle we need? …