By Lenora Livingston “Paying it Forward” is an expression for describing the recipient of a good deed repaying it to others instead of to the original benefactor. What better way can a person show their thankfulness than to participate in the rippling effects of goodness. At age 78, I wish I could go back and thank my teachers who most …
Finding Acceptance in a Tough Writing Industry
By Emily Conrad When responses to my debut novel started to come in from my launch team, a friend asked if the positive feedback encouraged me. Though, yes, the praise was a momentary boost, and no, I don’t want to consider what might’ve happened in my heart if the initial response had been the opposite, I had to confess that …
Storytelling Lessons (For Every Writer!) from the Gospels
By Susan A.J. Lyttek As Christian fiction writers, we weave our faith into our stories whether we mention God or not. We can’t help it because it is intrinsically part of who we are. And that is a good thing. It means for the non-Christian that our stories are salty and make them thirst for something more than this limited …
Perfectionism: How Can Something So “Perfect” Be So Wrong?
by Kathy Harris I’m a perfectionist. And that’s not a good thing. Taken to the extreme, perfectionism can lead to serious psychological issues and is, in fact, on the rise, especially among young people. (See, Harvard Business Review, January 26, 2018.) But, even those of us who have a casual acquaintance with perfectionism will find that our work can suffer …
Ten Wrongs Don’t Make a Writer
How to Avoid the Top Ten Fatal Flaws in Fiction By Kathleen Y’Barbo It is not yet 2019, but it won’t be long until we’re several weeks—or months into the new year, the time when New Year’s resolutions begin to lose their shine and some of us begin to wonder if we should have resolved NOT to make any …
Make Room for Him
by Shirley E. Gould Christmas is upon us! It happens every year…the food, the search for gifts, company parties, Christmas programs and family gatherings crowd our schedules, devour our finances and sap our strength. We can get overwhelmed in the twinkle lights and tinsel. The lines get blurred. Today, the grinch teams up with Scrooge to divert us from the …
Handling Disappointment & Unmet Expectations
By Donna L.H. Smith If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been disappointed in writing or life — or had unmet expectations — I’d be a rich woman. Because disappointment is a part of life and how we handle ourselves, our feelings, our responses when life throws us a sucker punch… Let me tell you a story. Eighteen …
Writing from the Shadow of God
By Linda Thompson I’ve been asking the Lord what kind of encouragement I could pass on today, and He reminded me of this. A couple of years ago, I met a Bible character who really inspired me on my writing journey. Whenever I get blocked, I come back to his example. And I’d never heard of him before that day! …
The Ultimate Story
By Darlene L. Turner Recently, my pastor did a series on evangelism and spoke on how we need to tell our stories to reach others for Christ. Our mandate is to go into the world and share the gospel. This made me think about why and what we write. Sometimes I get caught up in the writing journey—the pitches, time …
Six Tips for Defeating Self-Doubt
by Kathy Harris Fear. It can paralyze. And no one knows that better than a writer who is filled with self-doubt. We may sit down to put words on the paper, but nothing comes out. Or, even worse, we may not sit down at all. If you’ve ever had this happen, you’re not alone. Almost every writer will deal with …