by Susan Lyttek @SusanLyttek On the day I’m writing this, I just wrote a personal blog post about our poetic God and how God uses poetry to communicate with us and through us. But the day this will be posting, I will be boarding a cruise ship with my husband to celebrate our fortieth anniversary and unable to see this …
What’s In Your Corner?
by Chandra Lynn Smith Writers are a different sort. If you disagree with me, ask your family what they think. In our family of six, my oldest son, the actor, is often the one who ‘gets it.’ The rest of the family gives me the deer-in-the-headlights stare. Writers use a specific type of pen, notebook, size lead or ink. WE …
Unexpected Perks (or Blessings) from being an Author
by Marilyn Turk @MarilynTurk Someone once said, “I don’t enjoy writing, but I enjoy having written.” I have to agree with that statement. While I find it miraculous the way a story develops while I write, I didn’t expect the process to be so hard. At least for me, the perfectionist over-achiever pantser, it is. And part of the added …
Step Outside You Comfort Zone and Write
by Terry Overton Listening to my Bible Study leader speak in our recent study of Rahab, the point was made very clear to me. God asked Rahab to step out of her comfort zone and do something she probably never thought she would do. He had selected Rahab to take in two spies and to lie to the authorities when …
The Strength of Waiting
By Tara Johnson @TaraMinistry “A watched pot never boils.” I heard that phrase a hundred times while growing up, and every time I was chided for my impatience, I cringed. I confess, not much has changed over the years. I still pace when sending off a new manuscript to a potential publishing house. I still bite my nails when reviews …
There Is A Cause
By Shirley Gould This year is finally coming to a close. Can you say Praise the Lord? With Christmas behind us and a new year around the corner, it is a good time to reassess where we’ve been and make goals for the future. 2020 has numbed us into a stagnant state with its quarantines, mask-wearing, and social distancing. As …
The Wait
by Loretta Eidson The moment months of character building, plotting, and creativity end, anticipation builds. The novel is complete. With outstretched arms, take in a deep breath, shout for joy, and celebrate the success of a long writing journey. The sense of accomplishment feels grand. The next step is writing a lengthy synopsis and proposal. You tap away at the …
Beauty and Beholders
by Linda Brooks Davis Beauty is as subjective as beholders themselves. As writers, we’re tasked with showing, not telling, our characters’ traits—what we consider the good, the bad, and the ugly—-by how they speak, behave, interact with others, etc. But as readers, we may not determine what’s good, bad, and ugly. But the same images rarely emerge for both writers …
Diving into Writing
By Bettie Boswell My birthday is today and it’s a big one. I’ll be officially diving into the senior category as I turn sixty-five and look forward to retirement from teaching. As an educator of over thirty two years I’ve also learned to be a student, since keeping ahead of the changing tide of education can often be like trying …
In Everything Give Thanks—Even in “Plot Twists”
by Linda Thompson As authors, we love to hand our characters plot twists. And we expect them to face them with resilience and fortitude. But what about those times when life hands us our own wild cards? Something we expected doesn’t turn out like…we expected. 2020 has dished out plenty of those. Amen? For many, this past Thanksgiving weekend epitomized …