Writing prompts can benefit every writer: from the plotter to the pantser (and everyone in between). From the rookie to the veteran author. From the novelist to the flash-fiction aficionado. But why? And how? Other than the fact that they’re fun, I’ve come up with three reasons you should be using writing prompts to level […]
Encouragement
Advice from Other Authors
Happy summer, everyone! I don’t know about you, but summer is a crazy busy time of the year for me with church camps, revival services, and Bible schools. That being said, July is insanely busy–am I the only one whose writing time has gone down? 😉 This weekend, I thought it would be fun to take […]
First Drafts: 5 Things That are OK and 1 That’s Not
First drafts are interesting creatures, aren’t they? They often start out in a blaze of glory and excitement, but at some point we start to wonder… is this awful? If things get really bad, we might even decide that it is the absolute worst bit of writing known to mankind. Eventually, we might come out […]
Celebrate Independence: Write Something!
Here in the U.S. we’re celebrating our founding today. It’s kind of a like a country-birthday. And we’re celebrating by shooting fireworks sky high (much to the chagrin of my poor dogs). This country has been around a little while now. We’ve been through a lot of changes and repeated a lot of history. But, […]
Haven’t I Learned Enough?
When I was teen writer, I was on top of things. I had quite strong opinions on what was right, what was wrong, what was accurate, and what was completely laughable. I knew how to write. Then I grew up. One of the most important steps of this “growing up” was realizing that nope, I […]
Working with Beta-Reader Comments
I’ve always enjoyed beta-reading, but this month I got to experience the other side of it–being beta-read! (Er, my book being beta-read, but it’s pretty much the same.) 😉 I had gathered my team and sent out numerous emails to get my metaphorical ducks in a row. Document access? Check. Email detailing what I […]
The Starving Christian Writer
Ah, don’t you love stereotypes? I don’t know about you, but I have found that, more often than not, when I tell someone new that I’m a writer, their first reaction goes something like, “You must be famous! A best-seller!” Oh if they only knew… But today I’m not actually thinking about the poverty […]
Christian Fiction Part 2: Self-Confidence
This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Christian FictionHow many times have you heard a fictional character given a pep talk to boost their self-confidence? “Believe in yourself” and “follow your heart” are oft-repeated phrases on film and paper. In a character’s darkest hour, where do they turn for help? How do […]
Making Goals and Sticking To Them
If you know me much, you’ll know that I am a goal-setter and a list-maker. If I don’t have a list of things to do for the day, I probably won’t really get much done. Even on my busiest days when “all” I have to do is Bible Study, Good News Club, and Prayer meeting, […]
Top Free Resources for Word Sprints
Word sprints (also known as word wars) can help you increase your word count by turning a small writing session into a race against the clock and potentially another writer. Here are some resources to facilitate your word sprints: Tools for Word Sprints NaNoWriMo’s word sprint tool: http://nanowrimo.org/word_sprints/ (I believe this tool is available at any […]