by Becky Wade Jane Austen was a genius with story in so many ways. One particular skill that I marvel over? Her skill at observing others and then transferring recognizable markers of personality and character to the page. Think for a moment about just a few of the characters from Pride and Prejudice. What do the following names bring to …
The Changing World of Publishing
by Rachel Hauck The world of publishing is changing. And you know this unless you just awoke from a long 10 year nap. There are more options available to writers today than ever before. The e-publishing entrepreneurs have changed the way we see book publishing. Writers around the world rejoice. Authors with no platform, or with a stack of rejections …
The End
by Jane Kirkpatrick Today I wrote The End of my latest novel. Of course it’s not really the end but rather the next stage in the production of a book. When I’m reading from the book at a signing, I’m still editing wondering to myself “why didn’t I use a different word there?” Or I skip a line because it …
The Learning Curve
by Katherine Reay Today is an exciting day for me. My debut novel, Dear Mr. Knightley, releases today – and I figured this was a fun and appropriate place to park myself. I’m supposed to write about writing here because that’s what we do! It’s been a year since Thomas Nelson contracted Dear Mr. Knightley. And as it launches today, …
Simple Story Starters
by Jordyn Redwood Most authors I know are people watchers. Sitting and observing people is a fascinating way to generate story ideas. If you haven’t just let your imagination run wild doing an exercise like this-let me offer a few examples. On the flight home from the ACFW conference that just happened in Indianapolis I was seated next to a …
Take the Scare out of these Writing Monsters
by Melissa Tagg So today’s Halloween. I was never all that into the holiday…until my sister had a baby. Now I have an undeniable attraction to the Halloween costume aisle at Target. But anyway, today feels like a good day to post about the “monsters” that scare away our productivity and confidence as writers. Here are the three that tend …
The Devil is in the Details, but God is in the Machine!
By Bruce Hennigan I am finishing up the final galley proof corrections for my upcoming book, “The 11th Demon: The Ark of Chaos” and I am anxious to make sure I haven’t used “deus ex machina” to save the day. While watching reruns of the newer versions of Doctor Who in preparation for the upcoming 50th anniversary broadcast of “The …
Perseverance Pays Off
by Deborah Lynne I started to title this ‘Persevere Until The End,’ but then I thought…NO. It isn’t the end-it’s the beginning of a new world for you the writer, the author, the published novelist. That was my dream twenty-seven years ago. Some people are blessed with their first manuscript becoming an over-night success. I wasn’t one of those. If …
Deepening Point Of View – Cheat Sheet
By Loretta Eidson Learning new words in the writing world has its challenges, but capturing the meanings and applying them can be a difficult task. My mental dictionary sent scrambled definitions through the memory chambers of my mind as I struggled to understand. Deepening point of view (POV) was mind-boggling. What did it really mean? In DiAnn Mills new release …
Making Memories
by Dani Pettrey My daughter got married last weekend. It’s hard to believe my baby girl is all grown up and now a wife of her own. My husband is a wedding photographer and was able to capture this gorgeous moment. It was a day of enjoying, making and capturing memories. And, it got me thinking. Isn’t that what we …