By Dwight David Croy At my late stage in life, God gives permission to go on a writing mission. It is an extension of the great commission. The professional writing mission is new to me, but a welcome outlet for ministry. Books will not rival the living breathing Word of God, but they have a role to play in each …
Beating the Rain
By Chandra Lynn Smith I’m sitting at my desk this morning pretty much feeling like the weather. Pennsylvania is known for its fickleness about changing seasons. We can go from winter to spring to summer to mud all in the same day. And yes, around here we truly do feel like we have a fifth season called mud. This morning …
Trusting God When an Unexpected Crisis Interrupts Your Life
by Donna Wichelman @DonnaWichelman Have you ever faced an unforeseen event and had to find the courage to trust God even in those difficult circumstances? Most of us have probably endured such a time. Sometimes, it comes out of the blue just when everything seems to go your way, and you’re riding high on the happiness train. We writers are …
Singing the Song of Life
by Christine Sunderland @Chrisunderland One of the great mysteries of life is that we must pass through death to live life eternal. And so Christians follow Christ through the gates of Jerusalem, break bread with him in the upper room, pray with him in the garden, follow him to his death on the cross, and mourn with his mother Mary, …
How to Write a Detective Team
by JPC Allen I’ll state the obvious: if you want to write a mystery, you must have a detective. But detectives come in all shapes and sizes, so you have a lot of room to develop an interesting main character. As you write, you might find your story is better if you have a duo of detectives. When I began …
So Many Books, So Little Time
by Angela Hunt When I turned fifty, I realized–with a start–that I would not live forever. That I probably had more time “behind” me than in front of me. I began to look at the books I write in a new way–considering that I have a limited amount of time in which to write, the books I choose to write …
Be Yourself
By Loretta Eidson @lorettajedison Did you ever think you could become an author? I didn’t. Well, not until the tug in my heart pulled me in that direction. Who was I to join the team of such an overwhelming, impressive profession? Who knew the journey would be so challenging? Starting at the bottom forced me to face my fears of …
Stealing the Heart of the Reader
By Marie E. Bast @mariebast1 To steal the heart of the reader, a story must have a solid plot line and the protagonist must believe a lie about him or herself, which will cause obstacles and hinder them achieving their plot goal. This problem will become obvious at the inciting incident and first plot point. Each chapter, like a golf …
What Happens When You Finally Type “The End”?
by Glynn Young @gyoung9751 It’s been more than two years since the writing began. It’s been more than four since the research started. A little over a month ago, on Jan. 16, I wrote this in my writing journal: “Reached 87,758 words. First draft completed.” Five days later, I wrote “First reread / editing completed.” It was there I stopped, …
Branding: Isn’t that for cows?
by Melody Morrison Apparently, nearly everyone on the planet has some degree of ADHD or ADD. We have a society that requires it. The speed of life and volume of input is dizzying. Most of us never knew a name for it besides “scatter-brained” or disorganized or distractable. The good news discovered by educators rests in strategies. Categorizing, using planners, …