Choose To Write

by Cathy Fyock @CathyFyock

Tips for when you struggle against sitting down to write.

The Struggle

Sometimes I feel like a petulant child when I sit down to write. “I don’t want to write,” the child complains. “I want to play games and have fun.”

4 Writing Boo Boos You Don’t Want to Make

by Lori Hatcher @LoriHatcher2

Don't make these grammar mistakes!

A writer friend gave me a t-shirt to celebrate my new job as editor of a regional magazine. Its message was short and sweet: I’m silently correcting your grammar.

Finding Unbiased Beta Readers for Your Manuscript

by Cyle Young @CyleYoung

Looking for Beta "Stranger" Readers for your manuscript.

Last year, I wrote a series of short stories. I wanted to self-publish them in order to build my newsletter mailing list, but I needed to find unbiased Beta readers who could give me “real” feedback.

I didn’t want to ask my friends and family, for fear they would give me the standard pat on the back or false approval.

Enhance the Wonderful in Your Writing

by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28

Use this valuable acronym to enhance your writing.

“Wonderful” sticks to the heart as much as it does to the mind. Memories of fun-filled travels, time with family and friends, and special moments make a home within us forever. Books can do that too.

Wonderful happens when a book speaks to us about a heartfelt need, when it answers a plaguing question or solves a challenging problem, when it refreshes ours spirits and reminds us that hope is alive and God is with us.

Use this acronym as a checklist to enhance the wonderful in your writing.

When You Feel Awkward Promoting Your New Book, Remember Glory!

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel

"Living so that ordinary graces are not only noticed and appreciated,
but passed along to others. That is our call." -Lucinda Secrest McDowell

As you read today’s blog I am knee-deep in launching a new book. With all that entails. Including the uneasy feeling of “self-promotion” which, frankly, is a struggle for me.

You too? Yeah, it’s that whole tension between being excited about sharing

our words with the world and being embarrassed to keep putting ourselves out there.

Encourage Conversation on Your Blog with These 7 Tips

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

7 Tips to Keep the Conversation Going on Your Blog

Blogging is a great way to build relationships with your audience. 

But a lot of people forget that, just like building relationship in person, we have to work at building bridges. It’s never a good idea to talk so much that others don’t have a chance to share their thoughts, and that holds true in blogging. 

There are things we can do to make sure our posts encourage conversation. And there are things we can do that discourage interaction.

Discouragement Can be a Good Thing For Writers

by Andy Lee @WordsByAndyLee

"Allow God to turn your writing discouragement meant around into something good ." ~Andy Lee

I poured my coffee, lit a candle, and curled up on the sofa to spend time with the Lord, and I found a treasure. In my devotional reading this morning I read:

Discouragement is disillusioned self-love, and self-love may be love for my devotion to Jesus–not my love for Jesus Himself. ~ Oswald Chambers

You might want to read that again. It took me a couple of times. Oswald never tip-toed around the hard stuff. He always called it as he saw it. When I comprehended this sentence above, the words went straight to my human heart.