Declutter Your Mind – What Do you Need to Purge to Write Better?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Distraction, Encouragement, Friends of ACFW, writing Leave a Comment

By Tammie Fickas With the pandemic and people spending more time at home, decluttering seems to be a hot topic. Going from working too many hours to a forty hour a week job to working from home, I’m surrounded by my stuff, and I’ve realized there’s way too much of it. So, I jumped on the bandwagon and as my …

The Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Lion

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Friends of ACFW, Reviews, tips, writing Leave a Comment

By Julia Kay Being a women’s fiction writer, I’m a big fan of spiritual leaders who teach and champion other women. Specifically, Lisa Bevere is one of my favorites. I recently read a comment on social media from someone saying that her hand motions were annoying in one of her videos. As writers, we’ve been there, right? Rude comments. Random …

Don’t be afraid to smash your story

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Friends of ACFW, revisions, writing 1 Comment

by Bettie Boswell Jeremiah 18:4 “ And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”(KJV) Sometimes writing can be like creating something beautiful out of a muddy and unco-operative piece of clay. I first experienced natural clay on …

Remembering to Remember

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Friends of ACFW, writing 2 Comments

By Christine Sunderland History is important. True history is lifesaving. We must never forget our past, the good and the bad. Today is Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. Americans remember those who fought in World War I and the Armistice signed the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 1918. We also …

How Long Do You Write Before Writing It Down?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Brainstorming, Encouragement, Friends of ACFW, tips, writing 2 Comments

By Glynn Young I spent almost four years writing my first novel before I put a single word on screen or paper. Writing a novel wasn’t intentional. A song had captured my imagination, a single image formed in my mind, and gradually a story unfolded to accompany that song and image – all in my imagination. I mentally nursed the …

How Do Book Launch Teams Help Authors?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Books, Friends of ACFW, tips, writing Leave a Comment

by Cynthia Herron Anticipating a book launch is a little like anticipating childbirth, both thrilling and terrifying. We’re excited about our book birthday, but there’s a lot of hard work leading up to that point. In addition to writing the book, launching it takes coordinated effort by the author, the publisher, the marketing team, and so on. Cheerleaders—those who will …

Why Depleted Writers Can’t Lie Down in Green Pastures

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

By Kristi Holl 2020 has been a long year for me, as for most people. Nearly eight months of isolation, a Covid-19 death in the family, and illness left me in need of rest at a time I wanted to make headway on my work-in-progress. I craved the Good Shepherd’s renewal of “lying down in green pastures,” but could not …

Amish Fiction and Evangelization

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Friends of ACFW, writing Leave a Comment

By Dana R. Lynn “You’re an author? How exciting! What’s your new book called?” “Deadly Amish Reunion.” When people ask me what I write, I used to feel odd telling them that I wrote Amish fiction, mostly Amish suspense. Sometimes their faces would light up. Other times, it was obvious they were trying not to roll their eyes. People are …

Straddling the Fence

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Friends of ACFW, writing 1 Comment

By Donna Wichelman Mathew 6:24 –“ No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (NASB). If you are a Christian and a fiction author, perhaps you have squirmed over marrying the two identities and branding …