As has become my tradition, at the beginning of each new year, I like to reflect on the books I’ve read in the year that’s just closed out (not necessarily books published in that year) and call out my favorite …
Fiction
How to Write Great Discussion Questions
by Janet Kobobel Grant
Some authors choose to write discussion questions that will appear at the back of a book or to be available on the writer’s website. Having written a slew of such questions and having been trained in …
Quick Character Labels
By Wendy Lawton
I was reading a fiction manuscript last week that quickly described a character as a cripple. I winced when I read the word and stopped to think about why I had such an immediate revulsion. After all, …
To Pitch or Not to Pitch
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
With a number of writers conferences on the horizon, I want to explore the question uppermost in many writers’ minds: to pitch or not to pitch?
What is pitching for a writer? There are scores of classes …
Fiction Techniques
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Today I’m just going to highlight a few techniques I love finding in fiction.
Beats— This is a technique the author uses to seamlessly substitute an action that identifies the character in place of the tired …
Writing Obsessions
Janet Kobobel Grant
What stimulates you to write a story or to compose a manuscript about a certain topic?
Writing Hints
I find it instructive to listen to interviews with highly successful authors. They often are asked–and love to talk …
Walking the CBA/ABA Tightrope
Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
I frequently receive questions from writers about whether their novel is a better fit for the Christian market (CBA) or the general market (ABA). The nature of their story, the language, and some of the content might …
Great Books to Buy for others this Christmas
Blogger: Rachel Kent
If you are shopping today, or planning to do any Christmas shopping this year, please consider adding a book or two to your gift list. I’m sure someone on your list loves reading and there are so …
The Agony and Ecstasy of Novel Writing
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
I’m not a novelist. I never will be. But on a regular basis I get to watch fiction writers spin their magic.
Well, it seems like magic to those of us who don’t have the gift …
Help a Good Cause and Your Author Platform
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Last week a client received a request to do an advertisement to help promote a good cause. She wondered if it would be wise because it didn’t appear to relate to the books she writes. She was …