By Angela D. Shelton The past month has been disheartening. Multiple problems have snarled up my idyllic life. My first ever published books had anemic sales, even though I invested in advertisements. A drought is decimating the pastures on our ranch, forcing us to buy hay in the spring, a first for us. The trifecta is that my husband now …
Act On It
By Davalynn Spencer “I’m drawing a blank,” said the caption beneath the girl’s empty cartoon frame. She smiled up at me. “Funny, huh?” I had to admit it was funny, but a cop-out, too. “The assignment is to draw a cartoon: single frame with caption below, or four-frame strip with bubbled dialogue inside.” What a great class, I thought as …
Treasuring People
By Barbara M. Britton Have you heard the word platform? Authors are told that they must have an electronic connection to readers in order to make their story a bestseller. Authors toil at increasing their newsletter followers, posting on several social media platforms, and are busy gathering these connections for reviews around launch day. There is reason behind this madness, …
Tithing Our Writing
By Susan Lyttek In the spring of 2020, I felt a nudge. Post your margin poems. Share them and expect nothing. It is the tithe of the talent I gave you. Uh, what? Was pretty much my response. My margin poems were personal responses to my Bible reading. Years ago, someone had given me a coloring Bible. Once I had colored …
Trust God’s Timing while Scaling the Mountain of your Publishing Journey
By Lana Christian Let’s face it—we yearn for mountaintops. A clearer view. A broader perspective. A milestone achievement. But we spend most of our life in valleys and on plains. In not-yet times. Working-while-waiting times. Alternately questioning and trusting God’s sovereignty. Especially when it comes to writing and publishing. Sometimes I wish both required less preparation and waiting. Don’t you? …
When Words Bring Life: It’s More than Your Story
By Tara Johnson “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” ~Proverbs 18:21 As writers, many of us crave that elusive book contract. We struggle to learn the craft. We go to conferences. We network, build a platform, grow social media…all with the idea that if our hard work pays …
Four Things to Give Up to Grow Your Writing Career
By Lisa Jordan How many times have you heard someone say, “I give up”? Those three simple words can destroy a writer’s dream. Maybe you’ve been trying to get that novel completed but your characters aren’t cooperating. Or you’ve been trying to get an agent’s or an editor’s attention to no avail. It’s so easy to give up, isn’t it? …
God’s Point of View for your Book
By Lana Christian Like many of you, I’ve been in the querying trenches for some time. So I was Snoopy-dance thrilled when a publisher reviewed my full manuscript and asked me to revise/resubmit it. I spent three weeks slaving over changes I thought the publisher was looking for, knowing full well I could do my best and still not garner …
Hidden Blessings of Writing
By Sarah Sundin Trying to get published can be painful and frustrating and disheartening. Can I hear an amen? It took ten years from when I began writing for publication until my first novel hit the shelves. I lost track of how many rejection letters I received during a time when historical fiction wasn’t selling—especially historical fiction set during World …
Does Writing Scare You? Here’s One Thing You Can Do Today to Overcome Your Fear
By Tammie Fickas Are there writing opportunities you regret not taking? How about dreams you’ve put aside? Do you ever wish your life was different? What’s holding you back from taking chances and fulfilling your God-given purpose? For me, the answer is fear and more questions. What if I fail? Or look like a fool? Sometimes I let the “what …