by Ruby Cline Lee Has God ever used a tedious or “dry” part of the Bible to speak to you about writing? For me, it was Exodus. This book shoots out of the gate with exciting visual pictures: the Jews in captivity. Plagues. Disaster. Thousands of slaves marching triumphantly then pining for garlic. God parting the Red Sea. Manna and …
The Promised Land of a Writer
by Ruby Cline Lee In Numbers 13, the Lord told Moses to send spies into the promised land, which resulted in conflicting reports: the land flowed with milk, honey, and . . . giants? Sadly, the undercover agents felt like tiny grasshoppers compared to the Canaanites. Not to mention, their fortified cities loomed—large and impregnable. In Chapter 14, the Israelites …
A New Headshot?
by Marilyn Turk At a recent writers’ conference, one of the speakers advised the attendees to get new headshots to keep their profiles up to date. A headshot, in case you didn’t know, is the photo of just your head, the picture of you that goes on the back of a book or on your website, Facebook page, etc. It …
An Odd Verse about Writing
by Dwight David Croy Let me share with you a verse that you may think is counterintuitive to fiction writing. II John 1:12 says, “Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.” This …
Who’s Driving?
by Steven Rogers @SRBooksForHope Writing a novel is like climbing into a car, pulling onto a long road, and driving until you reach what you think is the end. Along the way you will maneuver around twists, turns, unexpected side routes, and too many potholes to count. My guess is that most writers, even those who meticulously plan, are not …
The Writer in the Corner
by Chandra Lynn Smith I’ve been a professional dog trainer since 1988. A few years ago I trained a German Shepherd who had some dangerous fear issues. I stood at the kennel, leash in hand and greeted her. She growled. For those of you who read my opening sentence and thought what a fun job, well, not always. You know …
ACCEPTED!
by Marilyn Turk As writers, we long to hear or see that word. Our writing has been accepted – by an editor who wants to read it, a publisher who wants to publish it, or a reader who wants to read it. Too often, though, we hear the opposite along this path to publication. “Rejected” is not used so often …
Embracing YOUR Path
By Elle E. Kay @ElleEKay777 We’ve all been there. Whether we’re watching a virtual webinar, attending a conference, reading a craft book, or chatting with a fellow writer, we hear all about the BEST way to write a book. One person may tell us to throw out the plot, while another insists we plan every scene in detail. Some say …
You Have the Write to Remain Writing
by John Zelenski @johnzelenski As an author, sometimes I am told by fellow writers, “I just can’t find the time to work on my writing craft.” The truth is, we do live in a society where time is often in short supply. We have jobs (possibly more than one), families, responsibilities, church, etc. And while the list can go on, …
Of Giving Up and Letting Go
By Melanie Rigney Is there a difference between giving up and letting go? That question was posed at a retreat I attended recently. The conversation was of particular interest to me. While others were spending the retreat in prayer, working on faith journey scrapbooks, or taking long walks, I was researching a nonfiction book that’s due to a Catholic publisher …