Thursday, May 31, 2018

Presenting Your Best Writing No Matter the Audience Size

Edie here. I'm excited to once again welcome Jennifer Slattery. The insight she shares for writers is always a welcome addition! Plus she has a new book. Be sure and take a look at the end of the post. 


Presenting Your Best Writing No Matter the Audience Size
by Jennifer Slattery @JenSlattery

Everyone’s short on time and tempted to compromise in numerous tasks and ways. Some, like opting to buy premade salad or MailChimp automate your giveaway downloads make perfect sense.

If you’re like me, you’ve become accustomed to evaluating your time based on outcome—always striving to get the highest return on your investment. 

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Monday, May 28, 2018

Skin Care for Writers in 3 Easy Steps

Edie here. Today I'm super excited to introduce you to the newest member of The Write Conversation blogging team. Ane Mulligan is an amazing author with the heart—and ability—to teach other writers. I know you'll enjoy her humor as much as wisdom!


Skin Care for Writers in 3 Easy Steps
by Ane Mulligan @AneMulligan

In preparation to publish your writing, you need to care for your skin. What, you ask? Skin care? What does that have to do with publishing or my writing for that matter? 

Everything, little scribe. 

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Writing: Love You, Love You Not


by Cathy Fyock @Cathy Fyock

I have a love-hate relationship with writing. I’m sure that might seem odd coming from someone who has written eight books and works as a book coach. 

But it’s true. I hate to write. Yet, I love what writing does for me and my readers.

Friday, May 25, 2018

3 Steps to Advance your Writing Career When You Can't Attend a Conference


By Lori Hatcher @LoriHatcher2

If you’ve been a part of the writing community for long, you know the value of attending a writers conference. Writer after writer sings their praises, testifying that if they hadn’t attended a writers conference, they’d have never gotten their first book contract, met their agent, or networked with someone who knew someone who knew someone who changed their writing life forever. 

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Is 'Write What You Know' Really Good Advice?



by Henry McLaughlin @RiverBendSagas

“Write what you know” is a piece of advice that just about every aspiring writer has heard. At first glance, it sounds really wise and profound. Until we try to apply it.  If we adhered to this maxim, very little would get written that would be worth reading. Because, when we get right down to it, we don’t know very much.

A much better way to put it is to know what you write, but even this doesn’t go far enough.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Why a Writer Needs Relationships


by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Writers spend hours perfecting their manuscripts. The time, sweat, and tears that go into a remarkable writing project can’t be measured because our ability to create is always working in us. We live and breathe the words filling our mind and transfer them onto the page.

Some say writing is an isolated profession, and the process appears solitary until we consider what all we need to be successful. 

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Monday, May 21, 2018

Big Social Media Numbers Aren’t Always Best

by Molly Jo Realy on @MollyJoRealy


It’s nice to be noticed, isn’t it? It’s fun when you get that little “ding” on your phone that tells you someone shared your post, or tagged you on Twitter. The best is when someone subscribes to your blog or email . . . Or is it? 

Sunday, May 20, 2018

How to Receive & Give Critique with Grace


by Andy Lee @WordsByAndyLee


I sat around the table with my critique group sharing our prayer needs concerning our writing. Open, honest, and vulnerable, I told mine. We’re like minded. Women of faith, and kindred spirits who’ve heard the call to write, so it seemed to be a safe place.

But it wasn’t.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Writers Can Learn a Lot From the Etiquette of Amy Vanderbilt


by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

I love rules. 

I love the smile that resonates from deep within when I reach beyond myself and live for others. It’s like escaping for a brief moment from the me generation to the otherworldly life of God, others, self. When I enter that enchanting world, I know that’s where I’m meant to be.

Friday, May 18, 2018

How Authors Can Build an Indie Empire—What Your Book Cover Looks Like Matters


by Traci Tyne Hilton @TraciTyneHilton

*disclaimer. This series is about following rules. I know that Indies don’t have to follow rules. That’s the whole point of being indie. But indies who pay attention to what rich and famous authors do, have a much better shot at fame and riches.*

What Your book Cover Looks Like Matters
1. Readers do judge a book by the cover. For $40 or less at times, you can get a professional quality stock cover. Unless you are experienced and trained as a graphic designer, do this. For $300 and up you can get a custom cover. Totally do that if you can afford it. It’s worth it.

Thursday, May 17, 2018

What is the GDPR and What Does It Mean for Authors?


by Cyle  Young @CyleYoung

On May 25th, 2018 the European Union’s new data privacy law goes into effect. The GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation applies to any person or business operating or storing information of EU citizens, and not only to EU-based companies and organizations.

Any author with an international following, fan base, or email subscriber list needs to take notice. The GDPR will change the way that you do business as an author. Most companies who service emails on the behalf of authors—think companies like MailChimp and ConvertKit—have taken steps over the last few months that will enable compliance to the GDPR.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

When You Feel Overwhelmed with Writing, Keep Paving


by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28

I like to take pictures of my shoes. I don’t have a shoe fetish, just a travel one. When I go somewhere new, I like to take a picture of my feet on the unique paths I discover—cobblestone streets, mosaic sidewalks, bricked walkways, and hiking trails. A path is a promise of adventure and discovery. When we write, we are paving a path for our readers.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Moms Matter


by Sarah Van Diest @SarahVanDiest

There are important issues coming forward these days. People are being brave, saying what needs to be said, and doing what needs to be done. On my mind today: Beth Moore talking about the treatment of women in Christian ministry. 

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Be Optimistic


by Beth Vogt @BethVogt

Helen Keller was an amazing woman.

Born in 1880,  an illness left her deaf and blind when she was all of 19 months old. Helen had limited communication with her family until she was 7 years old — when Annie Sullivan arrived and worked with her to teach her sign language. Fast forward to 1904, when Helen was 24 years old and graduated from college, the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

And yes, there’s so much more to her life story.

Friday, May 11, 2018

A Writer's Mighty Metaphor: Is Life Really “A Bowl of Cherries?”


by Marcia Moston @MarciaMoston

“Metaphors hold the most truth in the least amount of space”—Orson Scott Card

Metaphors. Poets use them. So do special arms of U.S. intelligence. Aristotle said mastering them was a sign of genius. He also said they couldn’t be learned from others. Far be it for me to take on Aristotle, but I think there are ways we can hone our skills to incorporate this powerful literary element into our writing.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Healthy Writer Tips: Clarity of Mind

Edie here. Today I'm thrilled to introduce you to a woman whom I greatly admire and respect. Not only is she an amazing writer, she's also incredibly gifted in helping someone like me learn how to take care of myself. Her encouragement has meant the world to me and her most recent book, 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates is never far from my side. I'm thrilled I was able to convince her to share some of her wisdom with us.



Healthy Writer Tips: Clarity of Mind
by Susan Neal @SusanNealYoga


Being tired and foggy brained was not what I needed the day I finished my submission to the BRMCWC contest. As I muddled through the contest directions, I contemplated what could have caused my lack of mental clarity. It was the delicious tiramisu I ate yesterday. Dairy, wheat, and sugar—not a good combination for my brain.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

The Value to a Writer of Learning Difficult Lessons


by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

You’ve heard it—bloody knees. Some use the phrase in regards to prayer while others share it as hard life experiences. In the world of writing, it’s a tool for guidance and growth.

Sunday, May 6, 2018

The Writer's Path


by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

The path of the righteous is like the bright morning light, growing brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4:18, NET

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Don't Let Fear Stop Your Writing


by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

Whenever I go to a writers’ conference, workshop, or critique group, I get to meet writers at all points in their writing journey. It always surprises me the doubts and the lack of confidence that many, if not most, of us have. No matter how successful I would label them. And the amazing thing is, they don’t have to say a word. It can be read in their facial expressions and body language. (See, show don’t tell.)

Friday, May 4, 2018

Three Final Ways to Live Your Best Creative Life, Part 3


by Cathy Baker @CathySBaker

Today, let’s close out this three-part series on specific ways to combat resistance and maximize our creative power. If you missed the previous installments of this series you can read the first Three Ways to Live Your Best Creative Life Part 1 and Three More Ways to Live Your Best Creative Life, Part 2

“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and he unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” – Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Thursday, May 3, 2018

A Writer's FOMO—Fear Of Missing Out


by Lynn Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

Have you heard this term? It stands for 
Fear OMissing Out
And if you’re a writer, you probably have it. 

I know I do.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

The Triangle of Structure for Writers


by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer


Ah, structure. A word that strikes fear in many a pantster’s heart. 

What IS structure, exactly? 

Maybe it would be better to talk about what structure is not.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Book Launch Teams – What Authors Need to Know, Part 1


by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict


I love it when I get to talk with people who are a few steps (or many) down a road I want to travel. Last month I had the privilege of interviewing four authors about their experiences with book launch teams, and over the next few posts, I’ll be sharing their top insights with you.

There’s a lot that goes into building a book launch team.