Writing about Grief, Pain and Sorrow

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by Allie Pleiter @alliepleiter We want our books to touch readers. For that to happen, our characters must go through deep emotions, letting the experiences transform them and their faith. Even those of us who write with a touch of humor need to plumb the depths of life’s journey to write a book that feels as significant as it does …

Singing the Song of Truth

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By Christine Sunderland @Chrisunderland Christians have long sought to portray truth. They look to Moses and the Ten Commandments etched into tablets of stone on Mt. Sinai that became the foundation of their worship and life together, the Ark of the Covenant. The Ninth Commandment forbids false witness, for God’s law leads to God’s truth about who we are and …

The Voice Inside You

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By Nancy Mehl @nancymehl When I first started writing, I was excited about the future. I finally knew who I was. What I was born to do! But after a while I began to realize just how much work it was going to take. How much it would impact time spent with my family and my friends. It was clear …

A Story’s Right to Life

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by Felicia Ferguson @Felicia_writer Christopher Hitchins is quoted as saying, “Everyone has a book in them and that, in most cases, is where it should stay.” But what about those lesser cases? Those stories that do need to be released? Need to be given life? January 22nd was Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, and while I fully support a human’s …

The Talent of Tenacity

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By Tanara McCauley @TanaraMcCauley There’s a story my father loves to tell to anyone who’ll listen. It’s an embarrassing boast of the my-kid-could’ve-been-this variety, and I shake my head whenever I hear its intro. He recounts how, when I was a scrawny eighth-grade sprinter on the track team, I missed the start of an 800-meter race due to an untimely …

Hello 2024 – New Year, New Goals?

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by Lori Domingo @loridomingo22 I’ll begin by wishing everyone a very happy New Year! Honestly, it doesn’t seem possible to me that another year has come and gone. 2023 was a mixed bag of successes and failures, with plenty of trials thrown in just to keep me humble. Part of what I like to do at the beginning of the …

Bless You and Keep You

ACFWAdvice, Encouragement, Faith, writing 2 Comments

by Julia Fenstermacher The day after Christmas, “Poetry Moment” on NPR (National Public Radio) featured a poem I wrote. The poem came to me this past year out of a time of frustration. I was very busy with good writerly things: my new author newsletter, attending the Write to Publish conference, serving as our local ACFW chapter VP, and creating …

You’re Not Going to Drown

ACFWAuthors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Fear/Doubt, writing 5 Comments

by John Matthew Walker @jdubmd Familiar with the huge numbers that swarmed him daily, Jesus and his disciples went to the lakeshore early in the morning. When the crowds gathered and pressed around him, Jesus and his disciples climbed into a boat a pushed off the shore. He stood at taught them from the boat. The day stretched on and …