By Deb Haggerty As authors and speakers, we must always be alert to life. That is, we should always be paying attention to what goes on around us. You never know when an accidentally overheard conversation will give you your newest book idea, or a billboard will give you an important point for your next speech. When I was working …
Context, Context, Context
By Kimberley Woodhouse *disclaimer – this post may or may not include the word poop. You have been warned. If you’ve been to Bible College or Seminary, or even if you are just an avid studier of the Bible, you may have heard of the Concentric Circles of Context. Context is key. And not just in studying the Word. It’s …
A New Author’s Path to Publication
by Frank DiBianca Today, I am interviewing an author who is very well-known (at least to me): my wife, Kay DiBianca. Kay’s debut novel, The Watch on the Fencepost, is a cozy mystery/romance published by Crosslink Christian Publishers and released in 2019. Kay, thank you for participating. I’d like to ask you to summarize your learning experience for us in the …
Ten Things I’ve Learned in Ten Years
by Sarah Sundin Ten years ago, my first novel released. In many ways, I still feel like a wide-eyed debut novelist, stunned to have my books out there. In other ways, I feel like a mentor mama, passing out hugs and advice. Let me put on my mentor mama hat today and share ten lessons I’ve learned in the last …
Write What You Know
By Lynn Hobbs Have you ever read a book that kept your attention? Was it informative? I have been fortunate enough to read many and I can assure you, they will remain in my library to be shared and reread later. What are the writers secret to writing such terrific books? Simple. They are writing what they know. They may …
To Enter or Not to Enter: The Author Life and Awards
by Kimberley Woodhouse Writers ask me all the time about the benefit of entering book award contests. This is a tough one to talk about, because a lot of the contests require the author to enter their own work. And that’s just a bit weird. (Although there are contests that the publishers enter on our behalf.) Let’s go back to …
Put Out to Pasture—Or Not?
By Kristi Holl I just returned from a research trip in the Yorkshire Dales in northern England, the setting of my historical work-in-progress. It was my second time to stay in this small village, whose buildings date back to the 1600’s. I wrote, I visited museums, and I hiked the hills two or three times each day. I will never …
Nine Things You Learn when You Write (That You May Not Learn if You Don’t)
by Kathy Harris If we study the craft of fiction, we can learn a lot of important things, from how to write proper point-of-view to how to format a manuscript. And, while each of these skills is vital to becoming a great writer, there are other important lessons we can learn only through writing, i.e. putting words on paper and …
Why Do Imperfect Characters and Story Worlds Resonate with Readers?
By Cynthia Herron You might think because I write Heartfelt, Homespun Fiction my story worlds are a delightful Sunday-Go-to-Meeting escape. Well, I can’t fib. That’s somewhat true…to a point. However— As a conscientious writer whose goal is to share a great story, I strive to balance the delightful with reality-based conflict in a heartfelt, homespun way. Today’s readers want meat-and-potatoes stories that resonate. …
Managing the Post-Conference Checklist
By Kariss Lynch Right about now, many of you are chugging coffee, staying up late, and stressing out over your post-conference checklist. Many of you may have met new writing partners or received requests from agents and editors. And some of you are madly googling “How to Write a Proposal” or considering rewriting your entire manuscript because it no longer …