by Maureen Miller Why’s it taking so long? This was my frequent cry. My frustration regarding my WIP’s publication process spilled over like coffee in a Starbucks cup sloshing over speedbumps. Similar to crickets from my content coach, God, too, often seemed silent. Over time, my inquiry changed. Is there a greater lesson to apply to my writing life? That’s …
Forgetting All the Illustration I Studied for a Non-Illustrated Book
by Glynn Young My historical novel Brookhaven has no illustrations. I spent an estimated third of my research time hunting for them. The novel is set in two different time periods – the Civil War and immediately after, and then 50 years later, in 1915. From the beginning of the first draft, I quickly learned that I had to see …
Speed Writing
By Joni M. Fisher @authorjonimfisher I challenge you to write a novel in a month. It sounds impossible, but hear me out. How many best-selling authors publish a book every year? Barbara Cartland, the Queen of Romance, wrote over 700 novels. Isaac Asimov wrote 500. Nora Roberts has written 225. James Patterson has 100. John Grisham has over 50. Calculate …
Four Tips for Creating a Teen Detective
by JPC Allen Since 2018, I’ve spent every day with my teen detective Rae Riley. She’s had a cameo in one short story and been featured in another as well as three novels. After working with her for so long, here are four tips for creating an engaging teen detective. A Reason to be a Teen Detective It’s better for …
Tracking Your Progress
by D’Ann Mateer Almost 25 years ago, I attended my first writers conference at Mt. Hermon. It was the second big step toward my writing dream—the first being finishing my first full-length novel. Of course, I soaked in all the classes and interactions with editors and agents and fellow writers, but probably the most lasting thing I took home was …
Keeping the Muse
By Neva Bodin I spoke at a writers conference a couple of years ago about keeping the muse. I’m thinking all writers must have one. What is a muse? One source said the word originated in Greek literature and was introduced by Chaucer in his writings. It is “Any of the nine daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, each of whom …
Comparison – The Thief of Joy
by Steven Rogers @SRBooksForHope For the last fifteen years, I’ve been a member of a men’s Bible study group. During our meetings, a common theme often emerges—comparison. Based on the contributions we see from others, we worry that we’re not doing enough. For example, we might be reading about the Apostle Paul, marvel at this commitment and accomplishments, and then …
Curveballs
By Martha Boswell Scripture: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways…” ~Isaiah 55:8 (NKJV) Growing up, I had three brothers who played baseball. Since my dad was a pastor and a sports enthusiast, our lives revolved around worship services and practice schedules. My first word—after ‘Mama and Daddy’—was ‘ballgame.’ Most afternoons my stroller was …
Who Does the World Say You Are?
By Tara Johnson Writers, let me ask you a question today: Who does the world say you are? In her book The Wind in the Door, Madeline L’Engle explores a powerful truth: names matter. In the story, she shows that when someone misnames you, when they call you something other than who you really are, it diminishes you. It strips …
The Runaway Character
By Joni M. Fisher @authorjonimfisher Did you ever have a character demand a bigger part in the story? Luigi Pirandello wrote a play titled Six Characters in Search of an Author in which characters, who were created but never used, barge into a rehearsal and demand to be included in a production. That reality-twisting, groundbreaking play premiered in 1921. While …