Reasons to View Writers as Athletes

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Fellowship, Learning, tips, writing 13 Comments

By Linda Dindzans, M.D Billions of people viewed the  Paris Olympics, and I enthusiastically joined them. While watching, it occurred to me that writers could be viewed as comparable to athletes and writing could be considered a sport. While most Olympians will not take home a medal, and most writers will not become worldwide best sellers, both groups have entered …

Shhh!

ACFWAgents, Authors and writing, Distraction, Encouragement, Faith, Fellowship, writing 3 Comments

by Angela Hunt Hello, ACFW!  I hope you’re enjoying your summer and planning for the conference coming up in September. It’s going to be a great time! Anna Quindlen once wrote an insightful column for Newsweek. She wrote about solitude and explained that though she loves her family, she also loves time alone: “I like solitude. I can spend days happily …

Standing Back-to-Back: New Writers Need Community

ACFWACFW, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Fellowship 2 Comments

By Ashley Worrell Does your ignorance ever get the better of you? Mine gets me all the time. As a new writer I have made many decisions based on whether something sounds fun. This mentality has sometimes worked out well, sometimes not. This blog, for instance, sounded like a fun way to help me meet fellow writers, so I signed …

How to Engage with the Writing Community: Join an ACFW Chapter

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By Jill K. Willis You’ve finally decided to write a novel. Yay! But you have so many questions about the publishing industry. What software do I use? Which editing guidelines are the standard? How many words should I write for my genre? You’ve taken your first step by connecting with the American Christian Fiction Writers. You may even have joined …

Heart to Heart Connection

ACFWAuthors and writing, Encouragement, Fellowship, Friends of ACFW 1 Comment

By Tracy Morgan “In seeking to reach the world, we must learn to connect with others.” Joy K. Massenburge September 18, 2020 (ACFW) The pandemic ushered in an array of changes in everyday life. It presented me with the opportunity to attend the ACFW Conference virtually. I prepared for the classes as if I were embarking to set sail on …

Find Your People

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By Suzie Waltner “Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you has a part in it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 We were built for relationships. For community. It’s the structure of the church in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Jesus surrounded Himself with twelve men during His earthly ministry. Paul and the other apostles established communities of churches to …

Treasuring People

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Fellowship, Friends of ACFW, writing 6 Comments

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, …

Invest in Others… Deep in the Trenches

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by Kimberley Woodhouse An author’s life can be very lonely. And the longer you’re at this business, it could easily get lonelier when there are deadlines stacked on top of deadlines in addition to regular family/church life. That’s why it’s so important to invest in other writers. ACFW is a beautiful picture of that. That’s why we’re here, right? More …

Combating the Solitary Life of Writers

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By Tema Banner Writing is a solitary activity – as writers we have heard this and known it from the beginning of our journey. Outside influences provide the niggling of an idea that can not be displaced, and from this will grow a story that we hope and pray touches other hearts and lives, for the Glory of God and …

Cyber-Praying with Sisters

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Fellowship, Friends of ACFW, Prayer, writing 3 Comments

by Elizabeth Musser In my other life, as a pastoral caregiver to missionaries, I had started an online Skype study with a small group of women from our mission using the Companion Guide to Sharon Garlough Brown’s novel, Sensible Shoes. Although I did not know Sharon personally, since we were both novelists, I got up my courage and asked her …