By Patricia Bradley The day this posts my tenth novel, Justice Delivered will release. For the past five years I have been living my dream of being a writer published writer. I’ve been a writer much longer. Much longer. As I thought about this tenth book, I thought about all the things I wished I’d known when I first started …
5 Ways to Destroy a Writing Career
by DiAnn Mills Writers receive blog posts daily that offer advice to build their careers. The publishing world has many sides, and each facet needs attention. We read— How to sell more books. How to strengthen characterization. How to write a synopsis. How to create a proposal. How to research and interview. How to increase exposure through social media. How …
Failure or Success – Our Choice
By Henry McLaughlin I experienced two what might be called failures recently. In the space of three days. On Saturday, I received a rejection from an agent. On Monday, a publisher declined to consider my manuscript. It was the same book in both instances. To me they were failures. Something about my writing did not strike either the agent or …
Imagine the Impact
By K.W. Bounds Why do I even bother writing? Threatening to torpedo my work in progress, this thought surfaced leaving a wake in its path, as I scrambled to stay afloat in a sea of self-doubt and frustration. The compulsion to write God-honoring words never left, but my confidence in producing such waned. You’ve been there. It’s a universal struggle …
Trusting the Truth
By Christine Sunderland I look through my kitchen window to the slopes of Angel Mountain (aka Mount Diablo in Northern California). A white cross rises in the green grass, recently watered with rain. I jot notes on a lined yellow pad. I am in the home stretch of the first draft of my novel, Angel Mountain, 60,000 words and counting. …
A Pick-Me-Up for the Weary Writer
By Cynthia Herron As a little girl, I created masterpieces. I rocked my world with art and zany inventions. I made stuff from unusual materials—egg cartons, fabric swatches, wallpaper samples—you name it. I used it. I adored anything I could put my creative stamp on and call my own. I liked to color, paint, and make things with my hands …
Let Go and Let God Write
By: Lenora Livingston In my seventy-nine years of living, never once in my wildest dreams did I ever envision myself writing a novel. No, not me, no way! In my school days, I always cringed at the very thought of rough drafts and rewriting themes and term papers. If I couldn’t write it right the first time, forget it. It …
“Don’t Push Me”
By Leslie DeVooght My two-year old niece proclaims, “patience is waiting with a happy heart.” Apparently, I gave her mother the book In This House, We Will Giggle by Courtney DeFeo. My family studied one virtue a month from this book, but I’m pretty sure we need a remedial course. We all need what we want, and we need it …
Dare To Know
By Kim A. Gilliland I have often heard or read in writing courses over the years — write about what you know. I have also heard and read how absurd that notion is. I wonder, which is correct? Perhaps it’s both. I love to write about murder, but I have never murdered anyone. My protagonist owns her own pet store, …
What We Learn While Waiting
By Elizabeth Musser I received a wonderful gift over Christmas: contracts for two new novels with a publishing house I not only respect but one I had worked with for many years. And then for many years, I didn’t. Work with them. Or receive a contract. And it was HARD. Maybe your writing has career has been a little like …