Choose Wisely

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

I didn’t win NaNo. I could have won, but I didn’t, and I’m not sorry.

In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, NaNo is short for NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month. The goal of NaNo is to write 50K in one month. I have no idea what a typical writing month looks like for writers who write full time, but for this writer, 50K is a lot. By a lot, we’re talking double what I would normally consider a very good month.

I got close. I could have done it.

But I chose not to, and I think the choosing is why I don’t feel bad about it. 

Start Writing Your Book in the Right Place

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer

What a silly question! It starts at the beginning, right? Or does it? Where exactly IS that beginning?

Believe it or not, most people (especially newbies), start in the wrong place. Do you?

Don’t Throw Away Your Writing

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

Peabody Award winner, Paul McCusker is a screenwriter (Beyond the Mask), scriptwriter, director of multiple award-winning audio dramatizations, Dove-nominated song writer, and author. If you’ve listened to Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey, now in its 30^th year, you are familiar with a quarter of a century of Paul McCusker’s excellent and prolific writing. 

Writing Holidays in Speculative Fiction

by Ralene Burke @RaleneB

We’re right smack dab in the middle of holiday season! Halloween and Thanksgiving are behind us, and Christmas and New Year’s are both less than a month away. Welcome to my favorite time of the year!

Many writers of fiction that takes place in our world don’t have to worry too much about holidays. They only need to be aware of what they are and where they fall in their story timeline. If a writer is writing a historical novel set in winter in 19^th century England, but they don’t have the character’s celebrating Christmas in some way? Well, that’s a little weird. 

I Must Not Allow My Life to Become a Discordant Distraction

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

I love listening to praise music. It can send my soul soaring as I reconnect with the healing truth that comes only from God. It also anchors that truth in my brain in a way that few other mediums can do. When I hear truth sung, I recall it quicker when a situation arises, even when I don’t feel like singing.

Is Your Social Media Ready for the Holidays?

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

December will be here tomorrow and with it, Christmas. 

It only takes a little advance planning to cut down on the marketing stress that can come during the holidays. 

Now is the time to get your social media ready for the holidays.

Seizing the Day—Writing When Life Spirals

by Henry McLaughlin @RiverBendSagas

Are you like me? Every day starts with a list of things that have to be done? Many people can get through their day with a mental list. I’m not one of them. I need my written list. After it’s written, it needs to be prioritized.

And then stuff happens. Some are simple distractions like Facebook, Free Cell, Instagram, Twitter.