by Linda Fulkerson @lindafulkerson) You’ve finished your novel, passed it around the Beta reader circuit, received feedback from contests, revised and self-edited ad nauseam, and completed the final read-through. Your story sings! Now what? It’s obviously time to submit. So, the better question is “Now where?” The path to publication forms a Y that leaves would-be authors two choices: traditional …
Ready, Set, Sell-ebrate
By Barbara M. Britton @BarbaraMBritton Over the years, I have attended book events. Initially, I went as a reader, but since 2016 I have attended as an author. I love to meet readers, and sign and sell books. I also enjoy meeting authors who I know online but have never met in person. Book events usually occur on a single …
Writing During Hardship
By Cynthia Herron @C_Herronauthor If I’d known several years ago the hardships I’d face before and after publication, I’m almost certain I would have thrown up my hands in immediate defeat. There’s a reason why God doesn’t allow us to see the future. Giving up before starting negates possibility. Never facing adversity doesn’t develop our mettle. Merely existing on this …
Plotter or “Pantser” – Is One Better than the Other?
By Lori Domingo @LoriDomingo22 If someone had asked me that question a year ago, I would have proudly declared, “I’m a pantser. I never write from a plot outline. It’s too confining.” I had managed to complete one manuscript without it, and was hard-pressed when I was required to write one for one of my MA classes. It was something …
Martha and Martha: A Lesson in Learning and Writing
By Kathleen Y’Barbo @KathleenYBarbo We all know about Martha from the Bible. Biblical Martha was the Martha Stewart of her day, bustling around showing Jesus her devotion to Him with hospitality without any help from her sister Mary. From this story, we learn that sitting at the feet of Jesus—literally for these biblical sisters and figuratively for us in modern …
Reflecting the Gospel Through Our Characters
by M.D. House @Real_HouseMD At first blush, this doesn’t seem like such a difficult task. But when we examine the recent success of The Chosen—and all of the painstaking work which has gone into not just the cinematography but the storytelling itself—we realize the steep challenge involved in securing the sweet promise of that goal. Such stories and their characters …
Fish-Belly Dreams: Encouragement for New Writers
by Ashley Worrell @byashleyworrell I’ll never forget the day I walked out of my HR career forever. With my dying anthurium plant in hand, I walked down the government building’s corridor, uncertain of my choice. I’d worked my whole adult life to achieve this ‘dream job’, making money I never thought I’d make, and having doors open to me I …
Getting Your Word Count… and Making Your Words Count
by Brandy Heineman @brandyhei Today I’m celebrating the release of my newest novel, Like Honey for the Bones. The title inspiration came from the Proverbs. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. -Proverbs 16:24 (NASB) This lovely verse gives us an important truth: words matter. Though they can be weapons, they can also …
Where Do I Fit In?
By Marilyn Turk @MarilynTurk In this vast, unpredictable world of writing, do you ever wonder where you fit in? I do. Although we try to avoid labeling people, the publishing business does this for us. Here are some examples: 1. Prepublished? Published? Multi-published? 2. Are you with a major publisher? Small press? Independent? Hybrid publisher? 3. Are you an A-listed …
To Contest or Not to Contest?
by Angela Hunt Every year, the contests come around, whether you are published or unpublished. Should you enter? There’s a definite cost involved—not only the financial fee, but the cost of your time to prepare the manuscript, arrange for the mailing of books or pages, and the cost of wear and tear on your nerves. Are contests worth it? Way …