By Chandra Lynn Smith This past weekend I did something new. And I was more than a little bit nervous about the endeavor. I don’t know about all writers, but I have a feeling many—maybe even most—of us are introverts. I recently learned a new personality type: extroverted introvert. People who are basically introverted but can adapt extroverted traits when …
When YA Isn’t Enough
By Daniel P. Warner The tone of the story has more of a YA feel than a book marketed to adults. I stared at the words in the rejection email, trying to make sense of them. Even at that early stage in my writing journey, I recognized how valuable it was to get feedback deeper than a form letter. But …
Accepting a Short Story Challenge
by Glynn Young Like most, if not all writers, I follow several writers who post and talk about the craft of writing. Like other writers, it’s helpful, encouraging, and instructive to see what others, Christian and non-Christian alike, are struggling with, learning, sharing, and figuring out. I published my last book in late 2024. What followed was a period of …
Countdown
By Mitchell S. Karnes They say, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” If that is true, I’m ecstatic. Book one of my Abbey Rhodes Mystery series, Water Grave, was released on January 29, 2025. One month ago, book four, Countdown, came out, and now I find myself in the depths of book five, which is currently titled Closure. It has …
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 …
Allie and the No Good Very Bad Workload
by Allie Pleiter The past three months served up the most challenging workload of my 20+ year career. For the first time, I experienced what most people might call “writer’s block” because so much was being asked of me by so many people that it spawned a sort of creative paralysis in my brain. I was acutely aware of what …
When You Hit a Writing Drought
by Glynn Young Since the time I was a reporter for my college newspaper, longer ago than I care to admit, writing has been an integral part of my life. I’ve been a reporter, editor, newsletter editor, speechwriter, public relations manager, novelist, short story writer, non-fiction book author, blogger, book reviewer, essayist, poet, and more. Writing has been central in …
Meeting with Readers
by Mitchell S. Karnes Meeting with my readers is my second favorite part of being an author. Don’t get me wrong, creating the story and watching it grow is fascinating, but seeing how my readers react to the books keeps me going. I wish I could hear from all of you. This month, I had the opportunity to meet with …