Come Out of The Corner

ACFWAdvice, Encouragement, Rejection, writing 2 Comments

by Chandra Lynn Smith I am a professional dog trainer. Naturally, my manuscripts have canine characters. My current work in progress has a very special Swiss Mountain Dog, named Gretta. The “Gretta” in the manuscript is loosely based on a dog I trained several years ago. That dog’s first day with me was traumatic. She cowered in the corner and …

Seeing the Bright Side of Rejection

ACFWACFW, Advice, Agents, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Faith, Fear/Doubt, Rejection, Social Media, writing Leave a Comment

By Lori Domingo @loridomingo22 To say that I was beyond excited to be nearing the finish line of my MFA program would be an understatement. I had in my hands a completed, full-length novel – my first in my genre of choice, Christian fiction. Part of the requirements for one of my classes was to research a favorite author in …

Let It Go!

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Friends of ACFW, Reviews, tips, writing 3 Comments

By Darlene L. Turner Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4 (NIV)  Can’t you hear Elsa singing, “Let it go, let it go…”? Throughout my writing journey there were many times I found it hard to live those words let alone say them. I’d made the mistake and clung …

Battling the Chickenhawks of Writing

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Fear/Doubt, Friends of ACFW, Rejection, writing 14 Comments

by Laurel Blount Let’s talk about chickenhawks–and writing. My sister and her husband recently adopted a beautiful little girl, and our whole family fell in love. Hayleigh is spunky and and refreshingly honest–as three year olds tend to be. My sis, previously blessed with an adorable, rough-and-tumble little boy, has entered the world of pink dresses and oversized hair ornaments. …

Failure or Success – Our Choice

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Fear/Doubt, Friends of ACFW, Rejection, writing 4 Comments

By Henry McLaughlin I experienced two what might be called failures recently. In the space of three days. On Saturday, I received a rejection from an agent. On Monday, a publisher declined to consider my manuscript. It was the same book in both instances. To me they were failures. Something about my writing did not strike either the agent or …

Finding Acceptance in a Tough Writing Industry

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Friends of ACFW, Rejection, Reviews, writing 14 Comments

By Emily Conrad When responses to my debut novel started to come in from my launch team, a friend asked if the positive feedback encouraged me. Though, yes, the praise was a momentary boost, and no, I don’t want to consider what might’ve happened in my heart if the initial response had been the opposite, I had to confess that …

When “No, Thank You” is Really “Not Yet”

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Friends of ACFW, Publishing, Rejection, writing 2 Comments

By Kathleen Y’Barbo You keep track of my sorrows. You have collected my tears in your bottle. You record each one in your book. Psalm 56:8              The process from idea to publication is sometimes much more difficult than a writer expects. Fresh plots become words on a page. Those words are polished, deleted, and added back until the manuscript …

Fall down, get up. Again.

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By Davalynn Spencer When we hear that people have experience in a particular field or endeavor, we often equate that experience with success and only success. However, if that were the case, their experience would not be genuine. Experience bleeds. Last month at a multi-author event for the local college, I met a woman who is a licensed pilot. She’s …

Dealing with Ugly Envy

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Fellowship, Friends of ACFW, Rejection, writing 4 Comments

by Donna LH Smith Envy—according to Webster’s, it means feeling of discontent and ill will because of another’s advantages, possessions, etc., resentful disliked of another who has something that one desires. This goes back to Commandment #10: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house…etc. It’s natural to want things for ourselves. When we’re unpublished, we want to be published. When …