By Edie Melson I don’t care if you’re a freelance writer, nonfiction writer, novelists or something of a hybrid. The truth is that you have to wear a lot of hats to find publishing success. You have to be able to write on a deadline, plan marketing campaigns, utilize social media, and of course, write. The increase pressure to do …
Unexpected Reasons to Be Thankful You’re a Writer
By Beth K. Vogt I read somewhere that Thanksgiving has become the holiday Americans skip over, cramming it between Halloween and Christmas. How hollow life becomes when we forget to be thankful. When we don’t stop long enough to consider all the reasons we have to be grateful. So today, I’m offering a few I-never-thought-I’d-be-thankful-for-this reasons that I’m glad I’m …
Blurriness
By Darlene L. Turner “Stay focused; do not lose sight of mercy and truth . . . ” (Proverb 3:3a VOICE) You know what they say . . . “A picture is worth a thousand words.” But what if the picture was blurry and out of focus? It’s worthless. Or is it? Have you noticed when you first press the …
Christian Fiction-No Wimps Allowed
By Cynthia Herron For readers not familiar with Christian fiction there’s the preconceived notion that if it’s Christian it must be wimpy. Or boring. Or something. For example, a friend once asked why I wanted to write for the Christian market and not the secular one. It was actually something I’d thought about a lot. “Well, a Christian is who …
Please Don’t Get Out of My Head
By Victoria Buck When I was a child I had an imaginary friend named Lobby Lou. She seemed real. After a year or so I outgrew her and she stopped playing with me. But did I lose the ability to concoct a friend? I’m sure I didn’t because a transhuman lives in my head now. Or at least in my …
In Celebration of Technique
By Michelle Arch A curious thing seems to be happening in MFA workshops and critique groups. Criticism regarding spelling, grammar, and punctuation is considered hypercritical and offered only with considerable apologies for nitpicking. “Your editor will catch and correct those problems” seems to be the widespread assumption, which disregards entirely the fact that, as unpublished, amateur writers, we don’t yet …
Never Too Old to Learn
By Martha Rogers Since I began writing from Deep POV, my writing has become tighter and much more efficient with much less telling and more showing. This proved once again that I’m never too old to learn more effective techniques for my writing. I refuse to be bound by “I’ve always done it that way” because a closed mind to …
Make Me Care
By Kathleen Y’Barbo Now that I commute for my job, I love listening to podcasts. I can thank my daughter for this habit, as she’s the one who told me I should give them a try. Most of the time, I listen to writing-related podcasts. My list isn’t particularly long, but I do have a few favorites. Joanna Penn’s The …
Writing the Spiritual Coming-of-Age Story for Teens
By Rondi Bauer Olson I was raised in a very conservation Christian denomination. Conservative, of course, means different things to different people. For me it meant rules. Lots and lots of rules. I had to wear a dress. I couldn’t watch TV or go to movies. And I couldn’t read novels. Or, at least, I wasn’t supposed to. There was …
Sometimes Real Life Can Become a Novel
By Ane Mulligan The second book in my Chapel Lake series, Chapel Springs Survival,came from a real life event-and became a mother’s retribution. Insert creepy music and evil laughter. The day started out normal, boring even. Then I got a phone call from our eldest son. “Hey, Mom. I emailed you some pictures. Take a look and call me back.” …