By Darlene L. Turner “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV) Picture this . . . you’re sandwiched between friends, holding onto the safety bar with a vice grip. The car moves up and up. Your jaw is clenched. You reach the top and- Do you remember the thrill of a good …
The Lost Art of Hand Writing
By Kim Gilliland Stone, clay, copper, silver, parchment and papyrus were all used to write upon during biblical times. I can’t even begin to imagine the tedium in writing just a quick note to a friend. If I had to produce the clay or cut down the reeds to make the papyrus, I would probably forgo any written communication. I’ve …
Stand Therefore
By Ian Acheson One aspect of the writing vocation that I wasn’t really prepared for was the frequency with which negative emotions surfaced. Whether it’s the number of rejections one receives, the often daily struggle of putting words on a page, the discouragement when questioning the quality of one’s story, to those disappointing sales figures and reviews, to name just …
Waiting
By Dawn Crandall People who don’t know me might not realize that I signed my three book contract with Whitaker House when I was (finally) six months pregnant with my first child. What they also wouldn’t know is that I’d waited twice as long to have a baby than to get published, and that they both, unfortunately, happened to come …
A Brainstorming Session
By Lillian Duncan So, I’m sitting at my computer pondering what to write for the first of my four ACFW blogs for the year. Time for a brainstorming session! I could try to find a sneaky way to promote my newly-released mystery novella, DEADLY INTENT. But would that really help anyone but me? Probably not so…REJECTED. I could pontificate about …
Setting…perhaps more important than you think!
By Roxanne Rustand Where do you start, on your journey toward a cohesive and sellable story? There is no single right or wrong way. Ask most writers, and they will say they use a consistent starting point each time they start a book. Some to start with a general plot idea, as in “I want to write a book about …
Being Equipped
By Henry McLaughlin God has a will, or a plan for each of us. Psalm 139:16 (NLT) tells us, You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Each of us is on this earth for a specific reason. We may …
Writing like David
By Melissa Tagg So…King David. I kinda love him. I’m talking about David in the Old Testament. The one who took down Goliath. I love the guy and it’s not so much his giant-slaying ability that warms my heart as much as his vulnerability and brutal honesty. He has big ups and big, big downs (and yeah, some not-so-shining moments, …
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 …
Are You a Marlin or a Dory?
By Allie Pleiter Hand any writer multiple tasks, and you will find out a lot about their personalities very quickly. Some of us tend to be the kind of people who determinedly hammer at a single, linear task batch until it surrenders. Others of us nimbly shift from one task to another depending on where we see possible progress. How …