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 …
Writing that moment when faith comes alive
By Allie Pleiter I don’t always write characters who come to faith in the course of a novel. Some of my novels have been romances between two people who already have faith as a crucial part of their lives. Others have one character helping to open up the heart of another to God’s love. I admit, those are my particular …
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 …
Reading Outside Your Genre
By Lisa Jordan Recently I had a conversation with my sister, who is a language arts teacher at our local middle school, about the importance of reading outside our favorite genres. She reads a lot of non-fiction, particularly biographies. I read a lot of contemporary romance novels. As a happily ever after girl who writes contemporary Christian romances that promise …
The Art of Fighting and Making Up with Fake People
By Melissa Tagg Several weeks ago I turned in the rewrites on my third book. If I were to describe the process of writing From the Start, um, I might slip into slight melodramatic territory. Or I’d straight up tell you it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever written. Which is the truth, no matter how drama queen-ish it sounds. I …
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. …
Of Writers, Romance, and Weddings
By Beth K. Vogt I’ve been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately. Being craft-challenged, I’m not pinning seasonal craft ideas onto various holiday boards. And I’m also not pinning recipes or decorating ideas. After I conquer this current deadline, I need to clean my house, not think about redecorating it. No, my browsing Pinterest is all about weddings. …