by Rachel Hauck “One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph… In the first paragraph, you solve most of the problems of your book. The theme is defined, the style, the tone. At least in my case, the paragraph is a kind of sample of what the rest of the book is going to be.” — Gabriel García Márquez, …
Who Does the World Say You Are?
By Tara Johnson Writers, let me ask you a question today: Who does the world say you are? In her book The Wind in the Door, Madeline L’Engle explores a powerful truth: names matter. In the story, she shows that when someone misnames you, when they call you something other than who you really are, it diminishes you. It strips …
The Runaway Character
By Joni M. Fisher @authorjonimfisher Did you ever have a character demand a bigger part in the story? Luigi Pirandello wrote a play titled Six Characters in Search of an Author in which characters, who were created but never used, barge into a rehearsal and demand to be included in a production. That reality-twisting, groundbreaking play premiered in 1921. While …
After the Mountaintop: Writing When the Glow Wears Off
by Jeffrey Friedel @JeffersonRiede Who knew there were mountaintops in Springfield Missouri? I don’t know about you, but this year’s ACFW conference sure felt like one. The worship. The keynotes. The laughter. The long talks with fellow writers who get you. There was clarity and calling and coffee (so much coffee). Some of us walked away with book contracts or …
ACFW New Releases: October 2025
October 2025 New ReleasesMore in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Biblical: Rescued Heart: The Story of Sarah by Angela Hunt — A master of biblical research, Angela Hunt delivers a series starter that transports readers to the Old Testament world of Sarah and Abraham, making this novel a perfect read for those …
Visible Virtues: Prayerful Prudence
by Christine Sunderland @Chrisunderland A note from Christine: This post is dedicated to Charlie Kirk and his family Today is September 11, or “Nine-Eleven” as we recall it twenty-four years later, when the infamous and horrific attack by radical Islamists on New York’s World Trade Center buildings woke America from her sleep. It was a path chosen by those pilots, …
Surfing on Ink
by Dr. Dwight David Croy Work follows an exciting idea when writing. Life is often full of excitement with highs of adrenaline. The workflow of a writer is exhilaration, write a bunch, slow down, back to reality, slow down, concentrate on the mechanics, reality. Just like a surfer who catches the wave, rides high, determined, initial ideas die out, the …
2025 ACFW Christian Fiction and Industry Awards
American Christian Fiction Writers is pleased to announce the 2025 award winners. The awards were presented Saturday, September 6th at the annual ACFW Gala, which was held in Springfield, MO during ACFW’s annual conference. American Christian Fiction Writers is a professional organization devoted to the craft of Christian Fiction and helping writers expand their knowledge of the publishing industry. The …
You’ve Gone to Conference. You’re Home. Now What?
by Rachel Hauck In my early days of conference going, I came home jazzed with ideas, energized from time spent with friends and fellow authors. I had notes from the workshops and was always inspired by the keynote speaker. In those way-back-days, the publishing world was fairly static. For an author to publish, he or she worked with an agent …
2025 Conference Prayer, Day 40: That God’s Will be Accomplished
Please join us in today’s prayer, written by a member of ACFW’s Forty Days of Prayer team. Day 40 Focus: That God’s Will be Accomplished at Conference Verse: Psalm 115:1 (NASB)–Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Your name give glory Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth. Prayer: Each person comes to the conference with expectations. …