God’s Inspiration and The Butterfly Effect

ACFWACFW, Advice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, writing 5 Comments

By Darlene Corbett @darlenecorbett.com Remember the Butterfly Effect? For those who forgot or are unfamiliar with its origins, here’s a quick reprisal: In 1963, the scientist Edward Lorenz proposed a startling idea. He suggested that the slight movements of a butterfly’s wings could create tiny changes in the atmosphere, causing a greater impact later. Many scientists viewed this as outlandish, …

A Word Fitly Spoken

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Critiques, Encouragement, writing 4 Comments

By E.V. Sparrow @evSparrow A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. ~ Proverbs 25:11 (ESV) Through networking, I’ve witnessed some disturbing interactions among authors. Sometimes, these caused extreme discouragement for someone. I’m certain none of us wish to injure another’s soul and calling. Perhaps as authors or editors we’d say there are “wrong” …

Writing…for Such a Time as This

ACFWAuthors and writing, Faith, Friends of ACFW, writing 2 Comments

By Terry Overton @TerryOverton6 There is no question our world needs books by Christian authors. We are called through the Great Commission to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Christian authors may teach the Gospel through stories of redemption. A review of books by Christian authors reveals redemption is incorporated into romance novels, …

It Can’t Be Right When It Feels So Wrong

ACFWACFW, Authors and writing, Critiques, Encouragement, Friends of ACFW, Perseverance, Procrastination, tips, writing 8 Comments

by Sarah Sundin @SarahSundin Chapter four nearly did me in. Chapters one through three flew as planned, and I knew chapters five and six were going to be exciting. But chapter four took me a full week to write. I’m a plotter, an outliner. Before I start my rough draft, I know what needs to happen in each scene. This …

Living the Story of America Rising

ACFWAuthors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Friends of ACFW, writing 1 Comment

by Christine Sunderland @Chrisunderland As Christian storytellers, are we affecting our culture for good? Are we using the talents that God has given us? Are we making a difference? We live in an increasingly polarized culture, both national and international. As we watch civilization collapse around us, what part can we play and what responsibility do we own, for the …

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? A Rebel Writer’s Guide to Breaking the Rules of Writing

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Characters, Encouragement, tips, writing 2 Comments

By Kathleen Y’Barbo Turner @KathleenYBarbo When my daughter was in kindergarten, her teacher asked the children to interview an adult about his or her job and come back to class the next day with a report on what they learned. Hannah grilled me about my job as a writer, and I answered her questions about how I constructed my stories. …

What is that to You?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Fear/Doubt Leave a Comment

By Sara Davison As writers, I believe we wrestle with many of the same issues: self-doubt, lack of confidence, times of being blocked creatively, discouragement. Most of us also have a tendency to compare ourselves to other writers, worrying more about what they are doing or achieving than focusing on our own lives and work. Peter struggled with this. When Jesus …

The Practice of Perseverance

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Perseverance, writing 4 Comments

By Lisa Kelley @LisaKelleyWrite Waiting to be published can be daunting as well as disappointing. I closed out 2022 empty. I had semi-finaled in a writing contest but didn’t progress. One judge suggested I shouldn’t have made it to the semi-finals. I had a manuscript rejected, and I’d finished my fifth novel only to discover, after one of those hard …