by Jenny Powell MD I’ve been reading since I was four years old. My older sister taught me whilst playing school (I had always thought that since my mother was an elementary school teacher, she had taught us both. I assumed wrong.). I remember reading my first chapter book in third grade, the age at which they tested our reading …
Singing the Song of Freedom
by Christine Sunderland Today, July 9, is my birthday, nine months after my bones took flesh, searched out and known by the Lord of Hosts. Bursting into the world with my first breaths, five days after America’s Independence Day in 1947 (in Fresno, California), I left behind the comfortable creche of my mother’s womb. My mother, a graduate of Biblical …
Shhh!
by Angela Hunt Hello, ACFW! I hope you’re enjoying your summer and planning for the conference coming up in September. It’s going to be a great time! Anna Quindlen once wrote an insightful column for Newsweek. She wrote about solitude and explained that though she loves her family, she also loves time alone: “I like solitude. I can spend days happily …
Why Read or Recommend a Biblical novel?
By Linda Dindzans @lindadindzans First let’s review from my previous blog Why Write a Biblical Novel? the definition of a biblical novel. The vast cast of biblical characters is both historic and religious. They are not fictional. Their lives, faith, and teachings are accurately recorded in scripture. A biblical novel is not scripture. The tale is generated in the “offstage …
The Five Be’s of Brainstorming
by Darlene L. Turner Brainstorming plays a significant part in every author’s writing process. Doesn’t matter if it’s non-fiction or fiction, we need to spend time mulling over our thoughts before we put our pen to paper. But what exactly is brainstorming? Seems like an odd question, but let’s look at the definition from dictionary.com. “A technique for generating ideas …
Fingerprint of Worship
by Jenny Erlingsson @jennyerlingsson I tiptoed up the stairs and closed the small bedroom door behind me. One hour. I had one hour to start working on the book that had been pulsing in my heart for a couple of years. It felt like a life message I needed to share, even if it was just for my family. I …
Mastering the Puzzle
By Loretta Eidson Most people enjoy putting puzzles together. We know it can be quick entertainment or a time-consuming, tedious challenge, depending on the number and size of the pieces. Separating straight edges from the others and forming the outline help bring the size of the picture into focus. Some may dump the remaining pieces on the table for a …
How Do Writers Choose a Fiction Genre?
By DiAnn Mills New writers often have the dilemma of choosing what genre of fiction they should write. If this is your problem, I have a few tips to help you make that critical decision. Look at an overview of five of the most popular genres. Romance – These stories are about two people who fall in love. The plot …
Battling Discouragement
By Allie Pleiter @alliepleiter As an author and book coach, I’ve battled—or guided another writer through—just about every creative hurdle. Today I’ll share a chapter from WRITER CRISIS HOTLINE, a writerly advice book I co-authored last year with my coaching partner Cathy Fyock. Let’s tackle one of the most common laments we hear from authors: discouragement. Writing a book can …
Musings About Writing and Printing Motivations
By Dwight David Croy In the 1960’s, the way to get an “A” in the subject of English in High School was to be a good creative writer. The mechanics were secondary, the organization was secondary, punctuation and the spelling was also secondary. If you were fortunate enough to get a teacher that smoked weed, these things were not even …