by Stan Crader As a consequence of writing several novels and posting a regular bog, I get the chance to speak about, you guessed it, writing. After a few speaking engagements I’ve developed a sense on how best to adapt my talk on writing to specific audiences. I begin with a short introduction and jump immediately into answering follow up …
That’s What Friends Are For
by Sarah Sundin When I started writing, I was alone. I’d never met another novelist, and I had no idea where to start. The first and best advice I received was to join a writers group and attend conferences. Made sense. I needed to learn my craft. I needed to meet editors and agents so I could sell my book. …
Beta Readers
by Katherine Reay This is a big week. Kids are getting out of school or traveling home if they are able, families are gathering, and Thanksgiving, and all the joy that comes with it, is hours away. Happy Thanksgiving, all! But we’re not here to share Turkey Bowl stories, or in my case the inevitable Turkey Trot run my family …
Platform Isn’t a Dirty Word
By Ane Mulligan Everyone hates the word platform. But stay with me here. If you’re a writer, you need one. These days, only the top 10% or less of writers have people who do all the marketing for them. Let’s face it, the rest of us have to market. And you have to have a sphere of influence to market …
Paralysis of Perfection
By Karen H. Richardson It happens to the experienced and the inexperienced among us. It happens when we least expect it or have time for it. We desire to put words on a page to tell a story, share an emotion, or express some great truth. We have a list of topics and an outline. We want each syllable to …
Not All Characters Are Created Equal
By Winnie Griggs The stories you write undoubtedly have casts of varying numbers, descriptions and personalities. And while every character in your manuscript works together to tell your story, they each perform a different function depending on the roles you assign them. In fiction there are four tiers of characters. These are: • Primary Characters • Secondary Characters • Bit …
The Doldrums: How to Put More Wind in Your Writer’s Sails
By Bonnie Doran What are the Doldrums? Here are the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary definitions: 1. a spell of listlessness or despondency 2. a part of the ocean near the equator abounding in calms, squalls, and light shifting winds 3. a state of period of inactivity, stagnation, or slump Do you ever feel that your writing is in the Doldrums? You …
Make Time to Write
by Bruce Hennigan My good friend Marilyn once asked me how I found the time to write. I simply replied, “you don’t find time to write, you make time to write.” How do you do this? 1 — Make Writing a PRIORITY not only for yourself, but your family unit. When I received a five book contract with Realms in …
Whatever Is Good
By Ramona Richards “Employ whatever God has entrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, in every possible kind and degree.” -John Wesley This quotation from John Wesley may have been inspired by 1 Peter 4:10, which instructs us in a similar fashion: “And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of …
Journaling Our Journeys
By Shirley Gould In a valiant quest to describe human emotions in our prose, we as writers scan lists of nouns and adjectives in an attempt to make them real to our readers. It is a tedious and time consuming process. Gleaning from my personal journey, emotions experienced in our lives evoke the most vivid descriptions possible…if we journal them …