If You’re an Author, You’re Multilingual—Whether You Know it or Not

ACFWAuthors and writing, Characters, Dialogue, Friends of ACFW, Speaking, Voice, writing Leave a Comment

By Lana Christian     How many languages do you speak? I speak English and German. English is my dominant (first) language, but sometimes German pops into my thoughts, dreams, and writing without my bidding. That can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. My handwritten notes combine English, German, and a personal shorthand—whichever is shorter …

I Have a Voice!

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Encouragement, Fear/Doubt, Friends of ACFW, tips, Voice, writing 6 Comments

by Kathy Harris If you’re going to get heard, you can’t just raise your voice. You’ve got to set yourself apart, showing you have something special to say, and that you have a unique way of saying it. — Jeff Goins, author, blogger, speaker  I could barely squeak out my words much less raise my voice over the holidays after …

Your Character’s Voice

ACFWAdvice, Authors and writing, Characters, Friends of ACFW, tips, writing 8 Comments

by Sarah Sundin (@sarahsundin) I’m a California girl. I’m ashamed to admit I use the word like as filler on a regular basis. My young-adult children use vocabulary not even known in the rest of the country. If I were to write all my novels in my natural voice, I’d be very limited in geography and era. When we speak …