Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “encouragement”
by Cynthia Hickey I’ve enjoyed mysteries from a young age, devouring every Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Hardy Boys book I could find. There’s something irresistible about pitting your wits against a thief or killer that kept me turning pages long past bedtime. Now, mysteries have given me the joy of staying home and writing what I’ve always loved to …
by Allie Pleiter The past three months served up the most challenging workload of my 20+ year career. For the first time, I experienced what most people might call “writer’s block” because so much was being asked of me by so many people that it spawned a sort of creative paralysis in my brain. I was acutely aware of what …
by Glynn Young Since the time I was a reporter for my college newspaper, longer ago than I care to admit, writing has been an integral part of my life. I’ve been a reporter, editor, newsletter editor, speechwriter, public relations manager, novelist, short story writer, non-fiction book author, blogger, book reviewer, essayist, poet, and more. Writing has been central in …
By Dave Pratt My first novel evolved from an introductory novel-writing correspondence course. At about that time, I met a well-published romance writer who agreed to take a look once I completed the manuscript. When I mailed her the hard copy, I was so excited! Those were the days of snail-mail hardcopy editors. It was that long ago! So, when …
By Kenneth Bliss Over this past year of this writing curse…er…course, no, um…journey. Yeah, “journey.” That’s the right word. Anyway, it’s been quite a challenge. Those of you in the Scribes critiquing group know I have these creatures in my stories called “The Nameless.” They are the lowest form of devil. I imagine them as amorphic blobs with bat-like wings …
by Dr. Dwight David Croy My first impulse to write was to provide books to boys 13-17 with a male perspective after teaching in a Juvenile Department of Safety and Justice program. Their limitless anger, broken families, lack of fathers, mentors, and narrow view of success catapulted me to write. Each writer has a springboard to write. Our central motivation …
By Susan Lyttek John 21:25 (NKJV) And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. Spring cleaning is in full force around my house. Part of the agenda this year is going through files and …
by Steven Rogers @SRBooksForHope When you get down to it, there’s no difference between a mad scientist and a fiction writer. First, there are physical similarities. If you believe the movies, a mad scientist sleeps three hours a night, their hair sticks out at all angles, their clothes look slept in, and their eyes are buried in caverns deeper than …
by Mitchell S. Karnes I grew up loving to read. That love grew into a passion for writing. In the beginning, I was full of questions and voraciously searched for the answers. Thankfully, God placed many great mentors in my life. Without them, I would have given up, for there were just as many critics who discouraged me from using …
At my very first ACFW conference—several years ago—I sat in a class with a well-known and much-loved author. When I asked her for her number one piece of advice for a green, newbie like me, she replied, “Always remember your books are not your babies.” Her admonition took me off guard. I had heard numerous writers, both fledgling and professional, …
