Writing Through Life’s Hard Seasons: Finding God’s Strength When Creativity Feels Impossible

From Edie: Discover how writers can navigate life’s hardest seasons with faith, resilience, and creativity. Learn how caregiving, grief, and unexpected challenges can shape your writing, deepen your spiritual growth, and reveal God’s strength when words feel impossible.

Writing Through Life’s Hard Seasons: Finding God’s Strength When Creativity Feels Impossible

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

Seasons pass, but one of ours has hung around longer than we anticipated. But no one ever said writing through the seasons would be easy. 

The spring of our season arrived, and Mom fell, breaking her wrist. Since my stepfather had Alzheimer’s and could barely care for himself, we made plans to place Mom in a skilled nursing facility. She wasn’t excited, and neither were we, but we had no choice. Neither she nor my stepfather could afford round-the-clock care.

Writers, Focus on Your One Significant Word in 2026

From Edie: Discover how choosing One Significant Word for 2026 can refocus your writing life and deepen your spiritual walk. Learn practical tips for selecting your word, anchoring it in Scripture, and using it to inspire your creativity, discipline, and purpose throughout the new year.

Writers, Focus on Your One Significant Word in 2026

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt

Writers, do you know what your word count is?

“Umm, Beth,” you’re probably wondering, “which word count do you mean?”

Whether we write fiction or nonfiction—or both—we’re all about word count, right? We track it day by day, celebrating when we hit the magic number. We keep an eye on our manuscripts’ overall word count. 

Discovering Your Writing Gifts: Why Writers Must Stop Comparing and Start Creating with Purpose

From Edie: Learn how to recognize and embrace your unique writing gifts instead of comparing yourself to others. This encouraging reflection helps writers rediscover purpose, use their talents to serve others, and create with confidence during the season of giving.

Discovering Your Writing Gifts: Why Writers Must Stop Comparing and Start Creating with Purpose

by Lilka Raphael @Lilka_Raphael

How sad that we often diminish our best gifts by struggling valiantly to develop in someone else's area of ability. It is better to focus on your uniqueness and do that with excellence than to end up with mediocrity in several areas." ~ Dan Miller

Advent for Christian Writers: Turning Luke 1 into Powerful Writing Ideas

From Edie: Discover how Christian writers can use the Advent season and Luke 1 to spark meaningful writing ideas. Explore an ADVENT acrostic, a 20-day Scripture journey, and practical inspiration for creating Christmas articles, devotionals, and stories for the year ahead.

Advent for Christian Writers: Turning Luke 1 into Powerful Writing Ideas

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

What does ADVENT mean to you? What do you think of when you hear the word? Have you incorporated advent into your writing this season?

My 2026 Writing Bucket List: How My Creative Goals Have Evolved Over a Decade

From Edie: Explore how a writer’s creative goals evolve over time in this updated 2026 writing bucket list. Discover inspiration, process-focused insights, and practical encouragement for shaping your own writing dreams in the year ahead.

My 2026 Writing Bucket List: How My Creative Goals Have Evolved Over a Decade

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Do you have a writing bucket list?

I do. I started one back in 2014, and I even wrote about it here on The Write Conversation in a post titled One Writer’s Bucket List. I’ve kept up with my list over the years, but until recently, I’d forgotten that I’d actually shared it publicly.

So why write a new one?

Understanding the Editing Process: What Every Writer Should Know About Working With Editors

From Edie: Discover the essential stages of the publishing edit and learn how writers can work effectively with content, copy, and proof editors. Gain practical tips for meeting deadlines, improving clarity, and building strong editor partnerships to help your manuscript shine.

Understanding the Editing Process: What Every Writer Should Know About Working With Editors

by Cindy K. Sproles @CindyDevoted

They came. I wondered when they would arrive, and they finally came—my proofing edits from the publisher. Once your book is contracted and begins its journey down the publishing pipeline, you’ll meet up with several different editors. 

Let’s take a second to familiarize ourselves with the types of editors (and these are just a few). The content editor will review your manuscript, identifying any plot discrepancies or areas that require clarification. They’ll note when descriptions are not working, or characters may become lost in the story. Content editors are responsible for ensuring the story flows smoothly from beginning to end and that all the plot points work together effectively. 

After content, you’ll meet up with a general editor who’ll begin to clean up grammar, make sure all your sentence construction is in order, and that everything is clear. 

Depending on the need, you may be assigned to a sensitivity editor whose role is to ensure that cultural and racial implications are appropriately addressed and corrected if necessary.

How Writers Can Set Achievable Goals for 2026: A Practical Guide to Planning, Deadlines, and Finishing Your Book

From Edie: Learn how to set achievable writing goals for 2026 with practical strategies for planning your writing life, breaking big projects into manageable steps, creating deadlines, and finally finishing your book. A clear, encouraging guide to help writers build consistency and confidence in the new year.

How Writers Can Set Achievable Goals for 2026: A Practical Guide to Planning, Deadlines, and Finishing Your Book

by Larry J. Leech, II @LarryJLeechII

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”—Pablo Picasso

I first learned about goals when I married Wendy more than two decades ago. This time of the year, like many others, she starts thinking about goals for the following year. I thought it was silly. Probably because in my journalism career I spent most of the time living in the day-to-day. But I watched Wendy succeed in her personal life by setting goals. 

Now, after weeks of thinking and jotting down notes, we spend a day at a coffee shop writing our goals for the coming year in various categories. For me, that includes spiritual, health, husband, father, now grandfather, to name a few, and, of course, my professional path.