By Loretta Eidson While reading Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer, it occurred to me the irony of how well that title describes the multitude of thoughts in a writer’s mind. We enter a mental battlefield every time we sit down to write. While our thoughts press against a pliable wall of ideas, we must filter through them before …
Paralysis of Perfection
By Karen H. Richardson It happens to the experienced and the inexperienced among us. It happens when we least expect it or have time for it. We desire to put words on a page to tell a story, share an emotion, or express some great truth. We have a list of topics and an outline. We want each syllable to …
Go in Strength
by Eddie Jones On the last day of a recent writers’ conference I mentioned to Ann Tatlock that I should start a new imprint called, Dry Bones Publishing because, as I explained to Ann, “So many books have no chance of surviving in this desert wasteland called book publishing.” I was kidding, of course. Last thing I need to manage …
Whatever Is Good
By Ramona Richards “Employ whatever God has entrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, in every possible kind and degree.” -John Wesley This quotation from John Wesley may have been inspired by 1 Peter 4:10, which instructs us in a similar fashion: “And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of …
Journaling Our Journeys
By Shirley Gould In a valiant quest to describe human emotions in our prose, we as writers scan lists of nouns and adjectives in an attempt to make them real to our readers. It is a tedious and time consuming process. Gleaning from my personal journey, emotions experienced in our lives evoke the most vivid descriptions possible…if we journal them …
How to Get Better With Every Book
By Lindsay Harrel As someone who suffers from perfectionism, I want everything I do to be the picture of…well, perfection. That includes the books I write. But the reality is – and I’m sure all of you know this – writing books is just plain hard. It takes time to learn the best ways to develop a character, to take …
A New Adventure in Publishing: Strength in Numbers
By Roxanne Rustand Though I continue to enjoy writing traditionally published novels, I spent part of this past year working on some self-published novels for Kindle, Nook, and other e-formats. It has been both an adventure, and a challenge, for it means finding ways to market to readers who enjoy digitial format–and become visible in that ocean of other indie …
10 Promises Every Writer Should Make to Themselves
by Edie Melson The writing life isn’t an easy one. It’s one filled with joy, but also has its painful side. With any lifestyle that requires the courage to follow a dream, there are frequent roadblocks and obstacles. Many of these are imposed from others. Just announce that you’re following your heart and people seem to come out of the …
His Face or His Hand?
By Ian Acheson I think one of the things I pray the most about is seeking direction; or for confirmation that I’m doing the right thing. Do you do that? My work life tends to be lumpy. The life of a consultant is like that, however, in recent times there have been less lumps, meaning less projects and less income. …
Running and Writing…
By Katherine Reay My second novel, Lizzy & Jane, released three days ago – and while helping the sisters find their way into the world is a top priority for me, it’s not for you. Writing that next great read is and that’s what we’re here to discuss… And that, for me, is where running comes in. I’m taking it …