by Kimberley Woodhouse The past few months have been weird. There, I said it. Of course, I don’t think any of us will soon forget COVID-19, coronavirus, stay-at-home orders, masks, church services all moving to online, or any of the other oddities that became normal parts of our everyday life during this pandemic. And it’s not over. To be honest, …
Writing Quotes
by Henry McLaughlin Many of us have writing quotes to inspire or nag us. Or to nudge us to keep writing. A few of my favorites include: “If my family didn’t want me to write about them, they should’ve behaved better.” – Anne Lamott “First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!” – Ray Bradbury “I love …
Creativity—Keeping it Pure
by Terri Gillespie “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1, TLV Creativity. Taking nothing and making something. Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” I love that. The Creator of the Universe—our Heavenly Father—sure has fun with creativity. Look at the giraffe. What is amazing as writers, authors, artists, musicians, and those who live …
The Big Squeeze
By Linda Brooks Davis Ever tried the Big Squeeze object lesson? Present four identical sponges that have been soaked in four different liquids, each clear and visually indistinguishable from the others. Ask participants if they can identify the liquids without smelling or tasting them. Answer: No. Squeeze the first sponge with a fingertip and taste: Plain water. The second sponge: …
How Can YOU Reach a Broader Audience?
By Mesu Andrews When I was choosing dates to write for the ACFW blog, I noticed that today, May 21st, is Ascension Day. Now, I’m a theological mutt. Mom’s charismatic. Dad was Quaker. My grandparents were Pilgrim Holiness ordained ministers—both grandpa AND grandma even way back when. Since my spiritual heritage is Evangelical, I don’t know much about Ascension Day. …
From Reality to Imagination
by Lisa Kibler I finally did it. I made the leap from nonfiction to fiction, and I love it. Nonfiction gave me my start in this amazing writing journey as I crafted a story about becoming like a local in my favorite US destination, Gettysburg, PA. As I continued with devotions, compilation contributions, and the memoir of a pastor, the …
The Art of Baking…and Writing
By Kariss Lynch I’m always cooking up a new story. The problem? I can’t write them as fast as I can concoct them. And somehow the thoughts don’t always make the batter very creamy. (Can you tell I’ve been baking and watching too many episodes of Cake Wars in quarantine?) Sometimes I have to a look at a new way …
A COVID-19 Surprise
By Kay DiBianca I don’t like grocery shopping. Let me be more specific: I hate it. But if we want to eat, I have to shop, so once a week I gird my loins, grab the grocery list and head to Kroger. To any stranger observing my shopping forays, I would appear to be a person on a mission. I …
Always Too Many Words
by Ann H. Gabhart Have you ever been asked to condense a novel you have written down into one sentence? Perhaps fifteen to twenty words? You are talking about a story that perhaps took you one hundred thousand plus words to tell and now somebody wants you to give them a one sentence description?? Impossible, you say. I am there …
Six Ways to Write While the World is Stressing You Out
By Allie Pleiter As the author of How to WRITE When Everything Goes WRONG—A Practical Guide to Writing Through Tough Times, I’ve been getting a lot of cries for help from writers these days. The crisis we find ourselves in right now can squelch any writer’s creative energy. New words can feel impossible, the focus to revise eludes us, and …