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 …
All Things through Christ—Even Write
By Suzanne Bratcher Most of the writers I know personally are, like me, newly published. Almost all of us write in spite of daunting life challenges. One friend home schools her four small children. Another one works forty hours a week. A third friend provides full-time care for a grandmother suffering from dementia. My life challenge is medical: I live …
What Influenced You to Become a Writer?
By Patricia Bradley Most of us are writers here on the ACFW blog, but first we were readers, at least I was. I’ve read several blog posts lately that talked about what our favorite books as children were, and when I come across a book that was a favorite of mine, I’ve had a delightful stroll down memory lane. Every …
The Amish and Foster Care
By Suzanne Woods Fisher As I was researching the foster care system for a book called Stitches in Time, I came across all kinds of troubling statistics. Some you’d expect: In recent years, a surge of children in the foster care system that state officials attribute to the opioid crisis in our country. The average age of a child in …
Insert With Caution
By Lynn Hobbs A quote from Herbert Hoover: “The whole of the inspirations of our civilization springs from the teachings of Christ and the lessons of the prophets. To read the Bible for these fundamentals is a necessity of American life.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if his quote were shared in today’s public school system? No chance that quote will …
Conference Overload?
by Shannon Moore Redmon The conference is almost over. Only one more day left. We’ve packed information into every cranny of our mind and our hearts love the new friendships forged, but a bit of anxiety starts to fester. How am I ever going to apply everything I’ve learned once I arrive home? From social media marketing to deep point …
Called to Write
By Kathryn Haueisen I can still clearly remember one particular day when I was a teenager reading in a wingback chair. What I remember most clearly is that day I realized I want to be a writer. That idea planted a seed that has sprouted into a lifetime working with words in a wide range of contexts. At that point …
Honest Humor
By Preston Shires I don’t think of myself as a particularly funny guy, and I believe if you asked any one of my students, my opinion would be confirmed, especially after finals. However, I do like to write a story that is entertaining, and therefore I do make several attempts at humor in my writings. With a few readers, I …
Building Back the Walls
By Elizabeth Musser Lord, reading Nehemiah 3 this morning has brought me to tears. It’s basically just a list of names of people that I don’t recognize. There are not many who are superstars in the Word of God. Just a lot of ordinary people. Oh, but what they are doing is extraordinary. They’re rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. The …