by Barbara M. Britton @BarbaraMBritton America celebrated her 250th birthday, and the Constitution was the topic of conversation. The document that formed our government and protected rights gave a nod to artists. Were you aware that our Founding Fathers cared about your writing? In Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, we are told that Congress shall have power to: promote the …
Meeting with Readers
by Mitchell S. Karnes Meeting with my readers is my second favorite part of being an author. Don’t get me wrong, creating the story and watching it grow is fascinating, but seeing how my readers react to the books keeps me going. I wish I could hear from all of you. This month, I had the opportunity to meet with …
God’s Nudges
By Patricia Collier I pray for each book I write: before, during, and after I finish it. The first book in my series, The Hornet’s Nest, seemed pretty much “follow the expected path for my characters.” Then I prayed about what I had written. I felt a nudge to make a change to the story path. I even consulted my …
A Fresh Start
By Darlene L. Turner Every writer loves to type “THE END” on their latest work-in-progress, but that dreaded flashing cursor on a blank “Chapter One” page sends tremors down our spines. Can I get an amen? However, starting a new manuscript doesn’t have to be daunting. Authors can make it fun. How, you ask? Maybe change your process up a …
When Research for Your Historical Novel Changes Your Understanding
By Glynn Young For more than a year, I’ve been researching / writing/ researching / writing a historical novel set during the American Civil War. It’s loosely based on the experiences of my great-grandfather, but the more I write and research, the looser it becomes. I thought I knew the basic story of the war. What I soon learned is …
Living the Story of Faith and Freedom
By Christine Sunderland Christian novelists are tasked with a great responsibility in today’s world. They must civilize the state with the church, freedom with faith, and the present with the past. They must tell the truth about man and God, as best they can, and do so in a manner layered with meaning, woven with texture. They have been given …
Bad Guys who Need Jesus
By Sara Davison As my pastor is fond of saying, the Bible is not a book about good guys and bad guys—it’s a book about bad guys who need Jesus. None of us is perfect. We are broken, sinful people living in a fallen world. Even for those of us who believe, the pull of our sinful, human nature is …
Historical Research and Fiction
By Marguerite Gray My life long journey and love of historical research began with a solid foundation within my family. My father is an architect with a preservation and historical emphasis. We spent a few years in England when I was a preteen while he studied for an advanced university degree. My sisters and I had the unique experience of …
From To-Do to Ta-Da!
By Sarah Sundin We work hard to craft excellent novels. We nurture relationships with editors, agents, and fellow writers. But one common way writers undo years of reputation building is by missing deadlines. We don’t want to do that! So how can we avoid missing deadlines, little and big? How can we wrestle that overwhelming, overflowing to-do list into submission? …
Stretch Your Brain for Creativity
By Terry Overton As a new writer curious about the craft of writing, I aspired to learn all aspects of writing fiction. Authors’ voices, writing styles, and uniquely developed characters are fascinating. How was Hemmingway’s writing different from Fitzgerald or Austin? How are the styles of contemporary fiction authors different from writers of years past? How can authors have such …