by Richard Mabry When I began writing, I had an idea-just one-and wondered if I could turn it into a novel. My idea involved a young man who wanted more than anything to play professional baseball. He never made it past the minors, so he decided to make his father happy by going to medical school. Then he had one …
A Writer’s Passion
by DiAnn Mills How can a writer expect readers to be excited about a novel unless the writer feels the same passion? Does enthusiasm for story mean having passion for every word? Absolutely! Every grueling step of the process must be met with a committed spirit. Passion for The Chase kept me spellbound, as though the world around me had …
Going Mobile – Why Not?
by Michael Joshua Whether we are published or not, we love our blogs. There’s just something exciting about putting our thoughts out there for the world to read. Many of us choose from the available free services – blogger, wordpress.com and companies who promise free hosting, to name a few. But the fact is that if we intend to reach …
I WAS WRONG!–When Life Gets in the Way of Writing
by Lillian Duncan I am not a drama queen. In fact, I am the anti-drama queen. My life is calm-some might call it boring. And that’s okay with me. But all of sudden, it seemed as if my life was filled with drama-and not the good kind. Since my last release, DECEPTION (Harbourlight Books),came out in December, my husband had …
Talk it Out with SRS
By Mindy Starns Clark “I could hear the sound of Travis’s breathing.” That’s what I said, anyway, into the headset for my voice dictation program. As sometimes happens, it didn’t quite get that. Instead, it typed, “I could hear the sounds of Travis breeding.” Uh oh! Not in the CBA! Occasional gaffs aside, I’m a huge fan of writing by …
Trader 4:29
by D.M. Webb It worried me. This date looming before me. What was I going to write? Fine time for writer’s block to hit. But as in all things with God, He provides. Today my AFA Journal arrived, and I read an article about Building 429. Then to top it off I watch a YouTube link via K-LOVE on Facebook, …
How Do You Talk?
by Bonnie S. Calhoun In my novel Cooking the Books, I have several unique characters with a particular speech pattern for each person. Listen to the kids, and how they talk, listen to your teens with the text speech…IDK. Dialogue is nothing more than having a conversation. How hard can that be? “Yo G, it is, what it is!” Well …
3 Steps to Marketing your Book without Breaking into Hives
by Cara C. Putman This spring has been a whirlwind of book marketing. With novellas in January and May and a trade in April, it’s taken a lot of time. A friend recently called me a networking superstar, and I almost spewed my sweet tea across my computer monitor. When it’s time to call for help marketing a book, I …
What If One of Your Characters Is Not… um… Human?
by Rachel Hauck We spent a lot of time around the hallowed halls of ACFW teaching the craft of writing. As we should. It’s our goal and our mission. Character development is key to any good novel. Because after all, it’s people we care about. It’s people who tell stories. I have a saying: Tell the story between the quotes. …
Why A Magazine?
by Mike Ehret Editor – ACFW Journal Magazine I admit that was my response when first approached by ACFW President Margaret Daley about being involved with what became the ACFW Journal. In the digital age, it seemed like a backward step. But that’s the beauty of vision. What may seem illusory to others, or even Ludditian, becomes concrete and almost …