By Georgia Curtis Ling @GeorgiaCLing I thought I was marrying a city boy from Columbus, Ohio. It turned out his roots ran just as deep in Appalachia as my own, maybe deeper. Hanging in our entryway is the proof: a sepia portrait of a family dressed in their Sunday best, posed on the front porch of a white clapboard two-story, …
I Can’t Write
by Cynthia Hickey My days have passed, my plans are shattered. Yet the desires of my heart 12 turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near. Job 17: 11-12 Writing is a tough business. Someone once told me you can learn the craft of writing, but to be a storyteller is a gift from God. …
Wons, Nones, and Dones: Know Your Audience
By Bruce Hennigan @bhennigan55 Do you know your potential audience? Jesus knew his audience well. In Matthew 22:15-22 (NIV), Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees about the question of should they pay their taxes. Jesus answered them: “But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying …
Headline News Meets Mountain Heart
by Georgia Curtis Ling @GeorgiaCLing Every morning, I climb out of one dream only to crawl into another—trading the velvet drip of sleep for the blue glow of my computer screen, where I spend my days dreaming up a story for my next novel. The surrounding bluegrass countryside is peaceful outside my window when I begin, coaxing storylines out of …
Silence
by Donald L. Reavis In mid-April, knowing I had an upcoming blog date, I sat down and hammered out what I thought was an acceptable blurb. Proud of myself for getting it out of my backpack early, I opened the email to submit my humor-filled micro-story, only to discover the publish date was Memorial Day. My shoulders dropped as the …
How Dreams Can Change
by Cynthia Hickey I’ve enjoyed mysteries from a young age, devouring every Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Hardy Boys book I could find. There’s something irresistible about pitting your wits against a thief or killer that kept me turning pages long past bedtime. Now, mysteries have given me the joy of staying home and writing what I’ve always loved to …
Authoring Faith
by Christine Sunderland @Chrisunderland Today is the National Day of Prayer, a day signed into law in 1952. This year’s theme is “Glorify God among the nations, seeking Him in all generations” (I Chronicles 16:24 NASB). In this year, 2026, when we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we celebrate America and the faith of our fathers. …
Questions to Ponder
by Mitchell S. Karnes I grew up loving to read. That love grew into a passion for writing. In the beginning, I was full of questions and voraciously searched for the answers. Thankfully, God placed many great mentors in my life. Without them, I would have given up, for there were just as many critics who discouraged me from using …
Your Book is Not Your Baby – And That’s Good News
At my very first ACFW conference—several years ago—I sat in a class with a well-known and much-loved author. When I asked her for her number one piece of advice for a green, newbie like me, she replied, “Always remember your books are not your babies.” Her admonition took me off guard. I had heard numerous writers, both fledgling and professional, …
Red Ink, Refined Hearts
By Jeffrey Friedel @JeffersonRiede Yesterday my writing coach returned my manuscript with comments and edits, and within five minutes I discovered an exciting new subplot called “Defensiveness.” Then I briefly considered spinning it off into a companion project titled “Avoidance.” But our discipleship group has been reading Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller, and it’s been exposing the hidden idols I …