by Melissa Tagg I’ve often admired Samuel’s mom in the Bible. (I’m talking Samuel the “Here I am, Lord, send me” guy.) She stops eating…she weeps…she prays…she makes a vow to God. And when God blesses her with the son she asked for, she keeps her vow. But I recently reread the first chapter of 1 Samuel and I noticed …
Chasing the Light
by DiAnn Mills • Chase: to pursue • Light: a source of illumination • You: the committed writer What does chasing the light of story mean to you? Do you find it difficult to focus on what aspect motivates your creative muse? Writers pursue stories to illuminate the readers’ hearts and minds. It’s a big undertaking, and at times overwhelming. …
Writing Fast and Furious
by Lynn Hobbs Have you ever been writing when words flow fast, and you hurry to make your point? It seems like your novel, or your character suddenly has a life of its own and takes over. It can be exciting when what you had in mind progresses into a new enlightening direction. In my case, I type quickly and …
Breathe Life into your Manuscript
by Anne Greene During the writing of Masquerade Marriage, I thought I knew what being in deep point of view meant. I thought I wrote deep point of view. I knew I had to stay inside the character’s head. I lived inside the character’s skin. I showed nothing that the POV character couldn’t have seen. I showed only what the …
How Writers Can Hurry Less and Worry Less at Christmas
By Judy Christie When I was a girl, I went shopping at a Woolworth’s store that had a costume-jewelry counter and a ring-sizer that looked like an old-fashioned telephone dial. Curious, I put my finger into a variety of holes until I found one that seemed to fit. But when I tried to take my finger out, the ring-sizer was …
The Heart of the Matter
by MaryAnn Diorio Writing fiction, like all of life, is a matter of the heart. Scripture tells us that “people look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). The heart is the seat of motives. It is the control center of all human behavior. For those of us who write fiction, the heart …
Real Characters and the Supernatural
by J.A. Marx The spirit world. Holding to scripture. Authentic characters. Artistic license. How does an author reconcile all these concepts? I’m factual and a realist, which is partially why I don’t write fantasy or sci-fi. I’d find it too easy to write contrived scenes. Princess Janellia stands on the precipice of death and…suddenly a dragon swoops down and rescues …
Another Reason to Be Thankful
By Kathy Harris Strolling through the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana in September, I realized how blessed I was again to be sharing a weekend with more than 600 writers of like mind and Spirit. The hundreds of seasoned and pre-published authors, editors and representatives from major Christian publishers, and agents who attend ACFW conference each …
You May Be a Writer
by Ane Mulligan Someone recently asked me how I knew I was a writer. I gave her the usual answers about a story taking over my mind … forget that … taking over my life until it’s told. I also had to admit all my really good friends are imaginary, at least the ones who still talk to me. I …
When the Holidays Cut Into Writing Time
by Anne Mateer The holiday season is upon us. For some writers, the interrupted normalcy means more writing time. But I suspect the opposite is the case for many of us: the holidays mean less time to write. Perhaps your children have vacation from school and require more supervision. Or they’re home from college (like mine will be) and you …