By Christen Civiletto Morris A friend talked me into sharing a vending booth at an outdoor fair so that we could sell copies of our books. (‘It’ll be fun! An inexpensive way to market! We might sell some books!’) I decided to give it a try. My environmentally themed suspense novel could potentially be of interest to the fair’s new-age …
Weaving a Story Web
by Ann H. Gabhart I’m guessing some of you may have walked into a spider web at some time in your life. You probably weren’t that happy to be wrapped in those silken threads while swatting at your hair to make sure the spider didn’t hide out there to later crawl down your shirt. But have you ever taken the …
Looking Beyond the Ribbons
By Beth K. Vogt There’s a basic ACFW Conference To Do list that starts months before the actual event: 1. Confront the whole “do I attend or do I not attend” decision 2. Register online, selecting your classes and appointment preferences 3. Make your travel arrangements 4. Count the days until … … the conference starts – which it does, …
Conference Time
by Colleen Coble My beloved ACFW conference is right around the corner. You might be planning to attend or you may be gearing up for another kind of conference this fall so I thought I’d give you a few tips about writers conferences as you’re packing to fly to Dallas. 🙂 1. The main benefit of a writers conference is …
Writing in times of CHAOS
By Susan A.J. Lyttek This past summer events occurred and piled up that often had me stressed or panicked or both. Some of these included getting my eldest ready to move out on his own, my youngest preparing to start college classes (locally, thankfully!) and my re-entering the workforce after eighteen years as a homeschool mom and freelancer. Add in …
Bum Glue
By Janice Cantore What do you do when you’re stuck at a spot in your manuscript? As you sit in front of the computer you seem to be hitting delete more than anything else, or worse, you’re staring at a blank page. Does that make you get up and find something else to do? When I get the urge to …
A Shy Girl at a Writers Conference
By Tamara D. Fickas Conference season is winding down, but the ACFW conference will be happening next month in Dallas. This time of year, posts about what to do at a writers conference abound. We spend a lot of money to attend the big ones, so it’s natural that we want to get our money’s worth. Experienced attendees are a …
No Time? No Money? Throw a Party!
By Sarah Sundin With a brand-new series launching August 4, I wanted to throw a launch party. Then my daughter chose July 18 as her wedding day. I knew I’d have no time or energy for another big event. I knew my sweet husband would grumble about spending more money-and rightly so. How could I throw a party-and survive to …
Creating Characters: Who Will You Be?
By Johnnie Alexander I rested in a vinyl chair, weary and in pain, pensive and in love. My day-old daughter nestled in my arms, her thick black hair brushing against her shoulders. “Who will you be?” I whispered. In that moment, I couldn’t even imagine a toddler “her,” let alone a grown-up “her,” and yet I was so curious. Would …
Teaching Writers
By Susan Lyttek There’s a huge difference between teaching a writing class and teaching writers. Let me explain. Most of the year, I teach writing classes to kids and teens. When teaching a writing class, you start with the assumption that the students have a limited understanding of how to write creatively. They may have written poems and stories before …