by Ann H. Gabhart “When you start writing, the magic comes when the characters seem to take on a life of their own and write the words themselves.” — Alice Hoffman One of the questions writers often get when talking about their books and writing is what comes first when you are ready to start out on a new story …
A World of Inspiration
by Deborah Raney Last Wednesday I returned from the dream trip of a lifetime, one I wasn’t sure would actually happen before I died. It was our first time to travel overseas and we spent three glorious days in Paris, then wound our way through the United Kingdom—England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland—over the next ten days before returning to London to …
Ideas Are Everywhere…
By Janetta Fudge Messmer All writers have ideas floating around in their heads. And like everyone else, I write them down because I don’t want to forget them. Never know, I might want to use them for a book at a later date. In my case, our dog gave me the grand idea for a novel. She “told” my hubby …
Cooking Up Story Ideas
by Ann H. Gabhart Where do you get your ideas? That’s a question most writers are asked at one time or another. Here’s an answer one writer, Sarah Zette, gave that might make you smile. My joking answer to this question is that I leave a bowl of milk out on the back porch every night for the Idea Fairy. …
The Amish and Foster Care
By Suzanne Woods Fisher As I was researching the foster care system for a book called Stitches in Time, I came across all kinds of troubling statistics. Some you’d expect: In recent years, a surge of children in the foster care system that state officials attribute to the opioid crisis in our country. The average age of a child in …
Vacations Can Stimulate Novel Writing
By Gail Gaymer Martin Anything we experience that’s new to us is something we can keep an eye on and tuck into our mind and memories. As a novelist, I tend to view my surroundings with creativity and story possibilities. It’s amazing what can come from visiting new places using all of one’s senses to capture the aura and experience …
Decluttering Your Writing Life
By Jan Drexler Writing a book is a difficult task with thousands of details to keep track of. Just as we find it nearly impossible to navigate in a cluttered room, it’s hard to bring a story out of a cluttered mind. If you have problems concentrating on your story or sticking to your task, you may need to down-size …
Novel Preparation 101
By DiAnn Mills We writers have habits, some quirky, that help us get started on new writing projects. Today I’d like to share with you how I organize my thoughts and preparations before writing chapter one, line one of a new novel. I’m mostly an organic/pantster writer, but some things I have to know before I begin. Idea. Oh, these …
What Inspires a Writer
By Elizabeth Musser I often get asked the question by readers, “What inspired you to write this novel?” And my answer is usually the same each time. “Life.” So, so many things in life have inspired my novels. My first novels, a trilogy, were inspired by the Huguenot cross, the first Protestant cross made in France in the late 1600s. …
What Inspires a Writer
By Elizabeth Musser I often get asked the question by readers, “What inspired you to write this novel?” And my answer is usually the same each time. “Life.” So, so many things in life have inspired my novels. My first novels, a trilogy, were inspired by the Huguenot cross, the first Protestant cross made in France in the late 1600s. …