By Daniel P. Warner The tone of the story has more of a YA feel than a book marketed to adults. I stared at the words in the rejection email, trying to make sense of them. Even at that early stage in my writing journey, I recognized how valuable it was to get feedback deeper than a form letter. But …
The Stories We Echo
By Georgia Curtis Ling @GeorgiaCLing I thought I was marrying a city boy from Columbus, Ohio. It turned out his roots ran just as deep in Appalachia as my own, maybe deeper. Hanging in our entryway is the proof: a sepia portrait of a family dressed in their Sunday best, posed on the front porch of a white clapboard two-story, …
Accepting a Short Story Challenge
by Glynn Young Like most, if not all writers, I follow several writers who post and talk about the craft of writing. Like other writers, it’s helpful, encouraging, and instructive to see what others, Christian and non-Christian alike, are struggling with, learning, sharing, and figuring out. I published my last book in late 2024. What followed was a period of …
5 Ways to Manage Conference Sanity
By Lisa Jordan @lisajordan Yesterday I bought my airline ticket to Memphis for the 2026 ACFW conference, and I remembered my first ACFW in 2005—flying alone and walking into a hotel full of strangers. That initial conference was everything I’d hoped for and more. I formed friendships, realized how much I still had to learn about the writing industry, and …
I Can’t Write
by Cynthia Hickey My days have passed, my plans are shattered. Yet the desires of my heart 12 turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near. Job 17: 11-12 Writing is a tough business. Someone once told me you can learn the craft of writing, but to be a storyteller is a gift from God. …
Are You in the 16%?
by Linda Glaz (Linda S. Glaz Literary Agency) Well, are you? In 2026, the stats tell us that only 16% of the population reads for pleasure. This includes audiobooks. These dismal figures are down from 28% in 2004. And why is this important to know? All of us as writers are collectively seeking that same market—a market that is dwindling …
What Award-Winning Manuscripts Have in Common
By Tisha Martin One of the first stories I wrote won an editor’s choice award and was published in an anthology. But it probably wouldn’t have been considered if I hadn’t included one small but valuable ingredient. Fragrance. The theme of the contest was “fragrance,” but my story didn’t mention it at all. So, at the advice of an early …
Authoring Freedom
by Christine Sunderland @Chrisunderland Today is Independence Day, July 4. This year, 2026, is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, signed by Congressional representatives of the thirteen colonies on July 4, 1776. In this document, we celebrate our freedom from Great Britain, birthing our nation under God: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for …
To Write, or Not to Write
by Melissa Wardwell For most of my life, writing has been a constant companion. In middle school, a friend and I would craft poetry during science class, exchanging one-liners instead of focusing on the lesson—though somehow, we managed to pass. English class was another outlet, where “journal time” became a space for short stories about sea creatures, underwater adventures, and …
Headline News Meets Mountain Heart
by Georgia Curtis Ling @GeorgiaCLing Every morning, I climb out of one dream only to crawl into another—trading the velvet drip of sleep for the blue glow of my computer screen, where I spend my days dreaming up a story for my next novel. The surrounding bluegrass countryside is peaceful outside my window when I begin, coaxing storylines out of …