By Darlene L. Turner Every writer loves to type “THE END” on their latest work-in-progress, but that dreaded flashing cursor on a blank “Chapter One” page sends tremors down our spines. Can I get an amen? However, starting a new manuscript doesn’t have to be daunting. Authors can make it fun. How, you ask? Maybe change your process up a …
When Research for Your Historical Novel Changes Your Understanding
By Glynn Young For more than a year, I’ve been researching / writing/ researching / writing a historical novel set during the American Civil War. It’s loosely based on the experiences of my great-grandfather, but the more I write and research, the looser it becomes. I thought I knew the basic story of the war. What I soon learned is …
Why We Write
By Terry Overton A google search for quotes about writing by famous authors will yield quotes from the likes of Winston Churchill, Earnest Hemmingway, Mary Higgins Clark, Stephen King, Maya Angelou, Agatha Christie, and J.K. Rowling, to name just a few. Some of the tidbits of wisdom these authors offer make us laugh while others are inspirational. Several of the …
Writing Contests
By Mel Hughes Many people write stories or journal entries that stay in a notebook or occasionally get read to a friend. But authors need to publish in order to get their words out to a wider audience. It’s easier to publish books now than ever before. But how do you get people to read what you wrote? There are …
Scattering the Seed
By Nancy Ellen Hird The Bible calls Satan the accuser of the brethren. And it is true. I’ve heard that sly, nasty voice—many, many times. I’m sure you have too. He wants to throw us off our game. He wants to convince us to leave the field—sit on the bench with our hands folded and our mouths shut. Well, I …
Common Writing Obstacles: TIME
By Henry McLaughlin Over the next few blogs, I’ll be exploring some of the most common obstacles every writer faces at least once in their career. I’ll begin with the obstacle of time. “I think I’ve got a book in me if I could only find the time to write.” We’ve all heard this statement from would-be writers. We’ve probably …
Starting from the Middle
By Cathleen Armstrong And we turn the calendar page, and suddenly it’s July 14 and summer is half over. How’s that to-do list you started in the cold of last winter coming along? Perhaps it wasn’t quite a list but more like little vignettes that floated through your mind as you bundled up against the icy wind: You sitting outside …
Worthy Words: Sacramental Settings
By Christine Sunderland Today is Palm Sunday, a major festival in the Christian year. It recalls and celebrates Christ’s humble and glorious entrance into Jerusalem on a colt, to begin the week leading to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. As Jesus entered the gates of the city, the “multitudes” waved palms in greeting. They spread their garments and …
Unmasking Righteousness
By Christine Sunderland In my recently released novel, Angel Mountain (Wipf and Stock Publishers), the hermit Abram calls for repentance, crying from a precipice, preaching to a gathering in the meadow below. He does not mask his words or his face. He tells the truth as he has been told to do. As Anglicans, we observed Ash Wednesday last week, …
Pay It Forward
By Mary Manners “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” ~ Colossians 3:12 ~ I have been writing since I was old enough to know that words tell a story…about four years old. I have such vivid memories of standing in my basement in Chicago, leaning against the washing …