Tag Archives: tips
Two Tips to Get Past “I Can’t Write”
By Beth K. Vogt I’m on deadline. Being on deadline means writing is mandatory for me. I’ve signed a contract that includes a due date to submit my manuscript to my publisher, which is an author’s ticking clock that creates … Continue reading
Keep the Energy Going
By Cathleen Armstrong Anyone who has ever attended a conference knows the feeling. You come home exhausted with a notebook full of workshop handouts and a head full of everything you’ll need to take your writing to new levels. You … Continue reading
New Genre Delights
By Ian Acheson Contest season is very much upon us and the majority of my fiction reading for the next six months will be consumed by judging entries in various competitions both local and abroad. One of the reasons I … Continue reading
The Reluctant Blogger
By JPC Allen Last summer as I prepared for my first ACFW conference, I couldn’t have been more depressed about my chances of finding an agent. I had registered for the conference with high hopes because I was a semi-finalist … Continue reading
Eureka! Finding Gold in Research
By Michelle Shocklee Writing historical fiction is a lot like digging for gold. No matter the era and setting an author chooses, enormous mountains of historical data loom over us, daring us to find those interesting nuggets and minute details … Continue reading
Tackling the Small Stuff
By Sarah Hamaker I’m a details person, which translated well into my chosen profession of writer and editor. I notice things like misplaced commas, wrong usage of apostrophes (don’t get me started on how years can’t be possessive!) and subject/verb … Continue reading
Teacher Tools for the Writer: How to Use Google Forms to Make the Writing Life a Bit Easier
By Hannah Conway After eight years away from the classroom, I went back to teaching full-time. World History with Seventh Graders y’all! Pray for me. My Google searches went from “what does a bullet hole wound look like?” to “Middle … Continue reading
Persist . . . or Play?
By Sarah Sundin Once again my life paralleled the lives of my characters. While writing my latest release, When Tides Turn, I’d promised to not become overwhelmed by work, but I had. Only one thing to do—power through. Or so … Continue reading
Time and Place: Researching Your Historical Fiction
By Liz Curtis Higgs When I asked my fiction readers to finish the sentence, “I love historical fiction because…”, my favorite response was this: “It’s like a history class and an adventure, all rolled into one.” Yes! I’ll leave spinning … Continue reading
Three Ways to Keep Your Writing on Track
By Lisa Jordan Recently I bought a new train set for my childcare program. One of my Little Darlings waited patiently while I assembled it, then proceeded to move the three-car train along the tracks. If he pushed too hard … Continue reading
Making Conversation
By Linda W. Yezak Ever since our vocabulary extended beyond “Mama” and “Dada,” most of us have been engaged in verbal communication, although true communication is rarely limited to voice alone. Human dialogue, human interaction, is a complex series of … Continue reading
Writing What You Don’t Know
By Deborah Raney My novels Beneath a Southern Sky and its sequel, After the Rains, are set in the Amazon rain forests of Colombia, South American. Beneath a Southern Sky was a RITA Award winner and went on to win … Continue reading
Writing with Children – For Moms and Dads
By Preslaysa Williams I once told another mom about my writing “hobby,” and she advised I put the writing on hold until my children were out of the house for good. I refused to put my dreams on hold, but … Continue reading
Don’t Quit Your Day Job: 3 Things to Help you Navigate Working and Writing
By Tamara D. Fickas Writing is such a glamorous life. Writers get to sleep in, play all day, write amazing pieces, and bring in the big bucks. Or not. If you, like me, are one of the those writers who … Continue reading
What to Do with a Negative Review
By Liz Curtis Higgs I’ve never been voted off the island, named the weakest link, or told what not to wear, but as a novelist I’ve weathered my share of criticism—constructive, destructive, and otherwise. A sharply-worded email from a disgruntled … Continue reading
