What’s in a Name?

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Characters, Encouragement, writing 3 Comments

by Janice Cantore This might be a rambling blog post. I’m not sure if every writer struggles with this subject like I do. I’ve written 14 books and I think I’ve struggled with this at some level with every single one. How do you pick names for your characters? I write suspense fiction, plot driven, not character driven, still, in …

How a Troublesome Manuscript Was Saved

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Characters, Encouragement, Perseverance, revisions, writing 2 Comments

by Glynn Young Hold on to those unfinished or problematic manuscripts. You never know when they’re due for a rebirth. You pour everything into creating a manuscript. You type “The End.” You smile and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. It’s done. You finished it. You set it aside for a few days, and then you reread it. …

Troublesome Characters

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Characters, writing 2 Comments

by Susan A. J. Lyttek  @SusanLyttek Several years ago, I took a course on character development from a well-known Christian writer. Through the multiple session course, we were taught to create a psychological profile for our character, find pictures that looked like him or her, and create brief histories for prior to the story’s commencement. It was all good and …

Writing a Character with a Disability

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by Kathy Maresca @so_tweet Lieutenant Dan. Would Forrest Gump have become an iconic movie without this fictional character? Because I am a rehabilitation counselor and a veteran, it is easy for me to understand why Lieutenant Dan has resonated with millions. Including a character who has a disability might make our novels even more relatable. When one out of five …

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? A Rebel Writer’s Guide to Breaking the Rules of Writing

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Characters, Encouragement, tips, writing 2 Comments

By Kathleen Y’Barbo Turner @KathleenYBarbo When my daughter was in kindergarten, her teacher asked the children to interview an adult about his or her job and come back to class the next day with a report on what they learned. Hannah grilled me about my job as a writer, and I answered her questions about how I constructed my stories. …

Reflecting the Gospel Through Our Characters

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by M.D. House @Real_HouseMD At first blush, this doesn’t seem like such a difficult task. But when we examine the recent success of The Chosen—and all of the painstaking work which has gone into not just the cinematography but the storytelling itself—we realize the steep challenge involved in securing the sweet promise of that goal. Such stories and their characters …

The Smell, Taste, Sound, and Feel of Christmas

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By Lisa Schnedler My novel, Bentonsport: A Christmas Story, is about two people, from two eras, who meet two weeks before Christmas. When I sat down to write this novel, I did not plan for it to involve time travel. I intended the story to reflect the emotions I had experienced when I moved from the city I had lived …

Worthy Words: Creative and Compelling Characters

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By Christine Sunderland As I reflect on my next novel, The Music of the Mountain, I return to the importance of creative and compelling characters. In some way my characters must change in the timeline of the plot, and this arc is determined by their own ability to change, their creative ability to learn, turn, confess, repent, and be reborn …