by Maureen Miller Why’s it taking so long? This was my frequent cry. My frustration regarding my WIP’s publication process spilled over like coffee in a Starbucks cup sloshing over speedbumps. Similar to crickets from my content coach, God, too, often seemed silent. Over time, my inquiry changed. Is there a greater lesson to apply to my writing life? That’s …
Tracking Your Progress
by D’Ann Mateer Almost 25 years ago, I attended my first writers conference at Mt. Hermon. It was the second big step toward my writing dream—the first being finishing my first full-length novel. Of course, I soaked in all the classes and interactions with editors and agents and fellow writers, but probably the most lasting thing I took home was …
Giving Ourselves Grace in Our Writing Journey
By Elle E. Kay This path we’ve chosen isn’t easy. Whether you’re indie, traditionally, or hybrid published, you have to manage your career. We all have to help with the marketing, juggle social media, send newsletters, and so much more. Keeping all those plates spinning without dropping any of them is nearly impossible. Yet, we expect to do it. And …
Do’s vs. Donuts
by Kathy Harris To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time. ~ Leonard Bernstein After several years of neglecting exercise, I joined a gym. Life had come between me and something I actually enjoyed. I didn’t have time. Or so I’d told myself. With family, office work, and “home” work, the day didn’t …
Deadlines: One of the Best Kept Secrets in Writing
by Kathy Harris A goal is a dream with a deadline. – Napoleon Hill Want to know a secret? I love deadlines! And I think you should too. Search online for the quote above, and you’ll find it, or one like it, attributed to a number of different people. I first heard it from one of my early writing mentors, multi-published author Kaye Dacus. Despite …
Writer’s Pruning Season
By Darlene L. Turner My Father examines every branch in Me and cuts away those who do not bear fruit. He leaves those bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit. John 15:2 (VOICE) Spring is around the corner (hopefully!) and with it comes clean-up of debris left from the winter months. Every year, I pick …
How Are Those Resolutions Working For You?
By Patricia Bradley It’s January 16th, one day past the halfway mark in January. So, how are those resolutions you made at the beginning of the month working for you? Or have you already cast them aside, broken and mangled? Raise your hand if that’s you. That’s me waving my hand. Oh, I’ve not broken them all. I’m still doing …
Ten Wrongs Don’t Make a Writer
How to Avoid the Top Ten Fatal Flaws in Fiction By Kathleen Y’Barbo It is not yet 2019, but it won’t be long until we’re several weeks—or months into the new year, the time when New Year’s resolutions begin to lose their shine and some of us begin to wonder if we should have resolved NOT to make any …
How to End 2018 with Success
By Beth K. Vogt “I never dreamed about success, I worked for it.” — Estee Lauder (1908-2004), American businesswoman I came across the quote by businesswoman Estee Lauder while working on several different blog posts. Her words encompasses a truth I believe: Living the dream – any dream – means doing the work. If you’re reading this blog post, odds …
What Is the Message?
By Jean Kavich Bloom As an avid fiction reader and a fiction editor with more than thirty years in the Christian publishing world, I understand the power Christian fiction can have. Perhaps that’s one reason I’m concerned about a topic that can be a Pandora’s box of emotions and opinions—the message a fictional character’s response to sexually oriented advances sends …