By Neva Bodin With great fear and trepidation (how’s that for cliché?) I signed up to do two blogs for ACFW! I am a writer, although I swallow loudly, labeling myself as one. It feels like saying that sets me up for all kinds of expectations I might not be able to meet—expectations from others and myself. However, in searching …
The New Ending Interruption
by Janice Haburn Shober How would you write a new ending to your book? This question arrived in my inbox when an editor said, “I don’t like your ending. Change it.” Certain scenes are crucial to a book, and the ending is one of them. I can recall endings to many of the multitudes of books I’ve read, even if …
Make Your Metaphors Marvelous
by Leslie DeVooght Don’t waste a chance to make your writing flourish with weak metaphors or worse, clichés. As a writer of Southern Fiction, sometimes it’s hard for me to not use one of the tried and true phrases. I mean “bless your heart” and “she’s as pretty as a peach,” will work in a pinch, and they do scream …
What’s in a Name?
by Deborah Raney There are many different ways authors come up with names for their characters and even more stories surrounding character names. Here are just a few of my stories. I wanted 12 kids and had a list of 24 names for boys and girls long before my first baby was born. Some of those names that I didn’t …
Lessons from Birthing a Second Book
by Linda Dindzans My most recent blog compared the release of my first book A Certain Man with birthing a baby. The next book in the series, A Certain Mercy, is undergoing content edits. This manuscript has readily confirmed that writing a second book is like expanding your family by the birth of another child. When I was expecting my …
Be a Different Egg. Don’t Get Scrambled!
By Cynthia Herron @C_Herronauthor All of us have met people who are “different eggs.” Different eggs march (or roll) to the beat of a very distinct drum. They come from various walks of life and they have a unique approach to the world around them. Maybe you’re one of those eggs–a delightful creative who thinks in the abstract and acts …
God-Directed Fiction, Part 2 (Maakah)
by Mesu Andrews In yesterday’s post, I shared some of my research process to layer biblical Truth with historical facts. But what do I do when history seems to contradict Scripture? I fall on my knees and pray that the Lord will provide a creative fictional answer! In every book I’ve written so far, I’ve experienced at least one fact/Truth …
How To Research Biblical Fiction: Finding Truth & History – Part 1
by Mesu Andrews Do you read the Author’s Notes in the back of a book? I write them for my books and always read authors’ notes for biblical novels. My Author’s Notes often contain spoilers, but this post is spoiler free! Today’s post will give you a taste of my research process for my 8/19/25 release, Noble: The Story of …
Fighting for Peace
by Sarah Sundin @sarahsundin Today is the 80th anniversary of V-J Day, commemorating victory in Japan in World War II. At last, World War II had come to an end. Many rejoiced that the killing had stopped and peace would return. Many cried in relief that their loved ones would come home. Many mourned for those they had lost. For …
Something to Write About
by Suzanne Lee I was eight years old when I first put a poem on paper. I had sung and dreamed many before then, an unconscious imitator of Nash, Stephenson, and Walter de la Mare, of Shakespeare’s elegant conversational cadences, of the rich flavor of hymns and chants in Latin and English that had pervaded my childhood, and of the …