My writing journey began when I realized how much I like to make up stories and live in a fantasy world where I could create the perfect family, especially after my parents’ divorce. I made up stories for my paper dolls and my dolls using them as the characters. I wrote short stories as a teenager and my first novel …
ACFW Volunteer Spotlight
This next volunteer highlighted is Sharon Srock who is relatively new to ACFW (less than 2 years) but was willing to jump in as Chapter Treasurer for the OCFW chapter when they needed someone to fill that role. Sharon uses her skills learned in running her own business to keep the chapter reports and financials looking great! Sharon is always …
After All, It is my Blog, Right?
One of the first things any writer needs to do is to establish a web presence. Following are a couple of tips to help you do it the right way. * Buy your own domain name. The friend that will develop your website or your blog may be your best friend — or your sister — or your brother — …
Learning to be Flexible
The first year I worked as a school principal I led my faculty in a year-long study of personality types. By understanding basic personality differences in individuals, we learned how to work with both children and other staff members whose personalities were different than ours. We started out by identifying the strengths and weaknesses in each personality type and deciding …
ACFW Volunteer Spotlight
I am pleased to showcase Kathy Cretsinger for the volunteer spotlight for ACFW this week. She volunteers in several places within ACFW. She helps with the ACFW book club, leading discussions of various books. She is also the Area Coordinator of Kentucky and active in her zone as well as she takes the time to volunteer at the annual conference. …
Write Where it Hurts
At the recent ACFW Conference in St. Louis, my writing critique partner Deb Raney and I taught a class together and part of my session included “writing where it hurts.” It’s often said that God never wastes a hurt. It’s true. And it’s especially true for the writer. Every experience you’ve been through, especially the painful ones, gives you an …
Writers & Community
“You must be a writer.” My best friend and I say that to each other all the time. Whenever one of us comes up with a unique phrase or a play on words, the other one pops up with the longstanding joke. It’s a blessing to share that kind of fun. Not everyone understands what it’s like to live with …
Using Real Life Experience in Fiction
People are always telling us to write what we know. The best way to do this is to write our real life experiences into our make believe world through the layered fabrics of our characters’ lives. This doesn’t mean that we can’t set a story in France if we’ve never stepped foot in France. It means we need to know …
Down in the Valley, Valley so Low
For those of you unable to attend the recent ACFW conference, there’s an understandable tendency to be down because you’d like to have been there. But right about now those who did attend may also be feeling a bit low. And that’s understandable, as well. One of my first writer’s conferences (before I was ever a member of ACFW) got …
God’s Plan for our Writing
Regency romance writing called me. Not the calm drawing room conversations and country walks of a Jane Austen, but the swashbuckling romance such as Sylvester or The Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer, or even better, the “Sanguinet” series by Patricia Veryan. I wanted spies and dead bodies amidst the glitter of the haut-ton. Who needed to find God’s Grace more …