Be Yourself

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, tips, writing 5 Comments

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

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Characters, creativity, Dialogue, Plots, Story Structure, tips, writing Leave a Comment

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”?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, research, revisions, writing 2 Comments

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?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, creativity, Faith, marketing, writing 2 Comments

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, …

What’s in a Name?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Characters, Encouragement, writing 3 Comments

by Janice Cantore This might be a rambling blog post. I’m not sure if every writer struggles with this subject like I do. I’ve written 14 books and I think I’ve struggled with this at some level with every single one. How do you pick names for your characters? I write suspense fiction, plot driven, not character driven, still, in …

Top Five things Christian Writers need in their Writing Toolbox

ACFWACFW, Advice, Authors and writing, Faith, Friends of ACFW, Prayer, tips, writing Leave a Comment

by Cindy Ervin Huff @Cindyhuff11Huff Christian writers, like secular writers, have a plethora of help available to them as they craft their books. Classes, conferences, webinars, coaches, to name a few. But Christian writers whose heart is to follow His guidance as we write have five essential tools to help us succeed. 1. Prayer It is easy to wake up …

The Greatest Short Story Ever Told

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, writing Leave a Comment

By Michael House @real_housemd I’ve had people tell me at events where I’m displaying my books (all novels) that they only read non-fiction, because fiction is frivolous and not “fact-based.” Well, I believe Jesus himself would beg to differ. He presented many teachings in the form of parables, and he has inspired so much great (and useful!) writing from the …

Good Things Come in Small Packages

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Short/Flash Fiction 1 Comment

By Julia Fenstermacher First sentences. The moment our hero walks into the room. The “meet cute.” These are the small packages that if done well, grab your reader, pull them close and say, “you’re not going anywhere.” We long to develop the craft of hooking our readers and scour books upon books on “writing the novel that sells.” What if …

What a Contest Can Do for You

ACFWACFW, Advice, Contests, tips, writing 2 Comments

by Lisa Kelley @LisaKelleyWrite It’s time for unpublished authors like myself to enter the Genesis contest. I encourage you to go for it, but to approach it as a learning experience rather than a ticket to publication. Even though I’m the 2023 Romance winner, I’d enter again this year if I had a finished manuscript. I’m competitive, so it’s hard …