A World of Inspiration

ACFWAdvice, Brainstorming, research, tips, writing 8 Comments

by Deborah Raney Last Wednesday I returned from the dream trip of a lifetime, one I wasn’t sure would actually happen before I died. It was our first time to travel overseas and we spent three glorious days in Paris, then wound our way through the United Kingdom—England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland—over the next ten days before returning to London to …

Plotter or “Pantser” – Is One Better than the Other?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Brainstorming, Friends of ACFW, Outlines, Plots, Plotting/Outlines, writing Leave a Comment

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 …

How Long Do You Write Before Writing It Down?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Brainstorming, Encouragement, Friends of ACFW, tips, writing 2 Comments

By Glynn Young I spent almost four years writing my first novel before I put a single word on screen or paper. Writing a novel wasn’t intentional. A song had captured my imagination, a single image formed in my mind, and gradually a story unfolded to accompany that song and image – all in my imagination. I mentally nursed the …

Get Closer to Your Story With the Power of “Why?”

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Brainstorming, Characters, Friends of ACFW, tips, writing 7 Comments

by Carol Alwood Space exists between us and our stories. As much as we can imagine these fictional dreams, we can’t transcribe unfolding events. There’s a rift between what we imagine and what we write. This gap, depending on how wide it becomes, can be the victory or downfall of our books. It may be why readers continue or stop …

Springing into the Next Story

ACFWAuthors and writing, Brainstorming, Characters, Friends of ACFW, Outlines, Plots, Setting, Story Structure, tips, writing 1 Comment

by Jan Drexler Spring is here, and it’s time to start my next book! With this new beginning, I’ve already spent hours of preparation. I’ve cultivated the bed of ideas, throwing out stones and stray roots. I’ve poured over research materials as if they were seed catalogs, each with their own versions of the standard offerings. I’ve studied maps, terrain, …

The Christian Writer’s Cause

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By John W. Tucker Christian writers have a variety of reasons for wanting to write. Here are eleven: 1) to fulfill a personal need; 2) to honor God by using this gift; 3) to reach sectors of the population with a message of hope; 4) to earn a living or supplement it; 5) to set an example and help reproduce …

Where Do Ideas Come From?

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By Melanie Dickerson I get a lot of emails and messages from teen writers asking for writing tips. The two questions I get asked most frequently: “Where do you get your ideas?” and “What do you do when you get stuck?” Since many of my novels are fairy tale retellings, I start out checking into the original fairy tale and …