by Darlene L. Turner Research—a chore or fun? Doesn’t matter the genre. Every writer has to do some sort of investigation in order to get facts straight and make their stories authentic. Some writers love research while others get the blahs when it comes to this aspect of the process. Why? The number one reason is probably because it takes …
Don’t Quit Your Day Job – Some Ideas to Write Around Real Life
by Tammie Fickas Ah, the life of a writer! You get to sleep in, enjoy your morning coffee on the back deck, spend a few hours at your desk, and boom, you have success. It’s enough to make a girl quit her day job and call herself a writer. Okay, before you stop reading, we all know it doesn’t work …
Are We Taking Our Medicine?
By Terri Gillespie TODAY’S PROVERB: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22, TLV A cheerful heart . . . What cheers us? Good news? A baby’s smile? A parking space close to the entrance? A beautiful sunrise? Getting what we want? These moments can be like doses of a spiritual elixir …
When Surrendering Our Work to God Leads to Unimaginable Destinations
By Donna Wichelman The writing life can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Most of us who’ve been writing for any length of time know the discouragement that comes from any number of places as we seek to put words on a page that mean something—anything—to an audience who will read them. But at times, we can be so consumed …
God’s Timing: Simple as ABC
by Patti Jo Moore If there’s one thing I’ve learned on this writing journey, (okay—I’ve actually learned a lot of things!), it’s the truth that God’s timing is always best. Always. No exceptions. We might think we’ve got a great plan, with all the details and timing worked out. Some writers make short- and long-range plans for their writing, including …
Stranger Than Fiction
By Davalynn Spencer We’ve all heard it said: Truth is stranger than fiction. I’ll not argue about who first made that observation, but I do like Mark Twain’s tongue-in-cheek defense of the premise: “… it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.” Possibilities were what I needed last year as I researched a protagonist’s goals and …
Invest in Others… Deep in the Trenches
by Kimberley Woodhouse An author’s life can be very lonely. And the longer you’re at this business, it could easily get lonelier when there are deadlines stacked on top of deadlines in addition to regular family/church life. That’s why it’s so important to invest in other writers. ACFW is a beautiful picture of that. That’s why we’re here, right? More …
Creating Characters that Readers Can Love
by Ann H. Gabhart Why do we love picking up fiction books to read? Great settings can add to a story, like the Appalachian Mountains setting I used for Along a Storied Trail. Interesting history makes me dive into a story. A plot that keeps me turning pages is a big plus. All those definitely contribute to a good novel, …
Microsoft Word: Trusted Friend or Bucking Bronc?
by Rhonda Dragomir Hunched over my keyboard, lights dimmed so as not to keep my husband awake, I type feverishly on my manuscript. It’s due tomorrow. Though it’s past midnight, I push ahead. If I finish, I’ll sleep better. There. Perfect. One more review and I’ll let it rest until morning. But wait . . . where on earth did …
The Faith to Finish
by Laurel Blount I’ve heard that 97% of aspiring writers fail for one specific reason. They don’t finish their books. It’s a staggering statistic—but after talking with many hopeful writers, I believe it. Even after they’ve pitched the book at a conference and been invited to submit, even when they’ve had an encouraging ‘revise and resubmit’ from an editor, their …