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 …
Measuring Greatness
By Loretta Eidson Recently, I posted this quote by Mark Twain on Hootsuite: Great people can make you feel that, you too, can become great. I’ve heard numerous times throughout my life that if we want to be smart we should hang out with smart people. It stands to reason the same is true for greatness. But, who do we …
Top Blogging Mistakes Made by Authors Online
By Edie Melson Blogging is a great way to connect with our online audience. And while there are a lot more people out there doing it well, I still see some common mistakes. These things affect a blog, making readers click away before we have time to connect. Today I’m going to point out some of the specific things we …
Have You Overlooked a Good Resource?
by Patricia Bradley One of the best kept secrets resources at ACFW is this blog. I mean, where else can you go and find blogs on just about every aspect of writing and all in one place? Or go to be encouraged? Just this May, I was feeling very discouraged. My sales on a general market book weren’t what I’d …