Please join us in today’s prayer, written by a member of ACFW’s Forty Days of Prayer team. Day 4 Focus: For ACFW members unable to attend conference Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) — “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a …
Where Does Our Fiction Fit In?
by Aubrey Reiss Taylor @aubtaybooks Writing this post led me back to some musings I had scribbled during the first year of my writing journey. At the time, I was questioning where I fit in, and it’s a question I am still unable to answer perfectly. Markets and genres are important ways to define our writing, yet these are areas …
ACFW 2026 Conference Prayer: Day 3
Please join us in today’s prayer, written by a member of ACFW’s Forty Days of Prayer team. Day 3 Focus: For special guest speaker, Karen Kingsbury Scripture: Jeremiah 1:9 (NIV) — Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.” Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for the gift …
Take Time to Spur One Another On
by Stephanie Cardel @stephaniecardel “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10: 24-25, NIV). I didn’t become a Christian until …
ACFW 2026 Conference Prayer: Day 2
Please join us in today’s prayer, written by a member of ACFW’s Forty Days of Prayer team. Day 2 Focus: For the audio/visual team Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (NIV)– We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, …
ACFW 2026 Conference Prayer: Day 1
Please join us in today’s prayer, written by a member of ACFW’s Forty Days of Prayer team. Day 1 Focus: God’s presence and blessing over the conference Scripture: Psalm 127:1 (NIV)– Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. Prayer: Lord, thank you for your …
I Can’t Write
by Cynthia Hickey My days have passed, my plans are shattered. Yet the desires of my heart 12 turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near. Job 17: 11-12 Writing is a tough business. Someone once told me you can learn the craft of writing, but to be a storyteller is a gift from God. …
Are You in the 16%?
by Linda Glaz (Linda S. Glaz Literary Agency) Well, are you? In 2026, the stats tell us that only 16% of the population reads for pleasure. This includes audiobooks. These dismal figures are down from 28% in 2004. And why is this important to know? All of us as writers are collectively seeking that same market—a market that is dwindling …
What Award-Winning Manuscripts Have in Common
By Tisha Martin One of the first stories I wrote won an editor’s choice award and was published in an anthology. But it probably wouldn’t have been considered if I hadn’t included one small but valuable ingredient. Fragrance. The theme of the contest was “fragrance,” but my story didn’t mention it at all. So, at the advice of an early …
Authoring Freedom
by Christine Sunderland @Chrisunderland Today is Independence Day, July 4. This year, 2026, is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, signed by Congressional representatives of the thirteen colonies on July 4, 1776. In this document, we celebrate our freedom from Great Britain, birthing our nation under God: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for …