Weekend Worship—Letter of Love

Spring is here, and with it come the flurry of Easter activities. Spring break falls during this time for us, and we have extra services at church. And, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m frequently involved with my church’s Easter musical. This year is no different, and it would be easy to get lost in the business of the season and forget the reason behind it.

But instead, I’ve spent time studying that last week Jesus spent on the earth and I’m once again struck by the way God turned the world upside down in His loving pursuit of us…of me.

The thing that stood out for me this year, is the difference between the way the world views our short-comings and the way God sees us.

Once again, the words have come to me, begging to be placed a certain way. So I’ve written this version of a palindrome called, Letter of Love. A special thank you goes out to my friend, Cindy Sproles, creator of Tinkertime Productions for bringing it to life on YouTube.

Clash of the Titles Fiction Flash Clash

*guest post by Michelle Massaro and April Gardner Last week, COTT posted a "Flash Clash" in which readers had just 2 days to cast their votes between two 100-word excerpts. It was a fast one! But not so fast that voters didn't have time for their say. To add to the tension, the winner took the clash by a margin of one vote. That’s right. ONE vote difference. Both excerpts were so good, readers were split almost exactly down the middle. I love clashes that are this close!

The winner of our Flash Clash First Hundred is…

Rebecca Carey Lyle’s Winds of Wyoming.

 CONGRATULATIONS, BECKY!!

Winds of Wyoming clashed against Tom Blubaugh’s Night of the Cossack. It was a pleasure getting to know both authors during this fun, super-speedy clash. We wish many blessings on their writing paths!

Here's what readers had to say about both books:

*Great excerpts...both caught my interest immediately! *Wow - two really great flashes that sound like amazing stories! Love it! *Keep writing and don't give up! *Both excerpts were great, especially given the short time to convey what was happening in the story. Keep up the good work!

 

COTT is taking a spring break starting immediately. We will begin clashing again on April 2, 2012 when hostess Gail Pallotta brings us a brand new clash--Comparable Covers!

In the meantime, check out these other Splashdown Books…

Twitter FAQs

Many of the questions I get about Twitter involve etiquette issues. Today I want to go over some of the basics. If you have a question that doesn’t get addressed be sure to leave a comment and I’ll answer it there.

Which Should I Do, Reply or Retweet?

A REPLY is used when you answer a comment, or thank someone for mentioning you. 

It’s good form to reply to someone who retweets something you said. 

A RETWEET is used when you want to repeat someone else’s Tweet.

It’s poor form to retweet a tweet that mentions you. It’s not an unforgivable error, we’ve all accidentally hit the retweet button instead of reply, just try not to make it a habit.

Is There a Rule about How Often I Should or Shouldn’t Tweet?

Twitter has a 140 character limit for a reason and it’s considered bad form to Tweet 3 or more times right in a row. Doing this is called Hogging the Stream or Hijacking the Stream. When I schedule my tweets I try not to schedule them for closer than ten minute increments.

What’s Up With All Those @ Lists People Tweet?

There are several times you may see this. 

First, it’s polite to thank new followers, and some people group them together in lists. This isn’t a bad thing, if you don’t hog the Twitter stream doing it.

Second, there are certain designations for days of the week. For example, Friday is often designated as #FF. This stand for FOLLOW FRIDAY. It’s a time for people to recommend others as valuable people to follow. I’ve actually found some really cool folks to follow through this. And once again, it’s not a bad thing, if the person doing it doesn’t Hijack the Twitter stream with multiple #FF posts in a row.

Do I have to Follow Everyone Who Follows Me?

No, absolutely not. I try to follow the people I believe have something valuable to say. I DON’T follow those who look like spammers or sketchy accounts. Often times you can tell because they don’t have a picture, only that irritating egg avatar. Another way I check is to look at the description they give for themselves. If they don’t have a description, I’m always skeptical. 

What Does RT, MM, OH, HT Mean?

RT—means RETWEET.

MM—is MUSIC MONDAY, similar to Follow Friday.

OH—is OVERHEARD.

HT—is HEARD THROUGH.

Now it’s your turn. Be sure to post your questions in the comments section. And...

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie


Also, for those of you who've missed some of my earlier posts on Twitter, here's a list with links!

Twittering Away Your Time—Part One

Twittering Away Your Time—Part Two

Twittering Away Your Time—Part Three

Taking Twitter to the Next Level

So How Much Time Do I Really Have to Spend on Social Networking? 

Why I’ve Switched from Tweetdeck to Hootsuite

Tips to Finding Relevant Hashtags

Friends...Followers...What’s all the Fuss About?

Clash of the Titles

Guest blogger: Jennifer Slattery

Sometimes Clash of the Titles highlights great talent. Other times we get to "discover it." This is exactly what happened with our speculative fiction unpub'bed clash. 


Join me in welcoming Chawna Schroeder to the COTT family! There's nothing like discovering great talent before it goes to print! And I have a feeling we're going to see our latest COTT champion's books on bookshelves very soon. When we do, we can all say, "We saw her on COTT first!" And this clash--a battle for best speculative fiction unpub'bed--was even more exciting because the winner has been invited to submit a full proposal to Asraea Press for immediate review! 


Her winning excerpt was pulled from the pages of Metamorphosis, a gripping tale of a Beast and her master: Once upon a time there lived a Beast… Not in a shining castle, but among a pack of dogs. For as long as Beast can remember she has lived among her master’s dogs. With them she sleeps. With them she eats. With them she fights and struggles to survive. But through hunger and cold, she dreams of one day becoming Master’s favorite, earning bones with meat and a place beside the fire. Then strangers attack. Her pack scatters. Fire eats the village. And Beast knows: Master is no more. Alone and unprotected, Beast tries to defend herself against slavers scavenging for any leftovers. But she is only one, and they are strong. Tracked by men, sold as a monster, is Beast only prey to be hunted… …or something more?

A few comments from readers: "I enjoyed both excerpts! I am curious about the world created in A, but B really got me in the gut." "Great job! Keep writing!" "God has given you a gift. Your TRUE fans will always be there for you!! Never give up and follow your dreams!!! I am sending up a prayer for you and your family!!!" Join us March 19-23 for a fun Flash Clash!

Thursday Review—A Checklist for Blogs and Websites

One of the services I offer as a social media coach, is a blog or website evaluation. Now don’t panic, I’m not selling you my services. Quite the contrary, today I’m giving you the checklist I use to evaluate online sites. 

Why am I giving it away? Because it’s not the only thing I do as a coach, and because I think this checklist can help you improve your site. 

So I challenge you to go over your site and let us know what you find out! Be sure to post your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Edie's Blog Critique Checklist

Readability

Fonts:

• Size 
• Consistency
• Color Choice

Color Choices:

• Background
• Headers
• Footers
• Comments
• Date
• Tabs
• Misc

Navigability

• Does the order of gadgets make sense?
• Are the Lists/Links explained?
• Is the Blog easy to view on mobile/tablet devices?
• Is the Blog too busy or too stark to be effective?

Included Gadgets

• About Me
• Follow on Email
• Follow through RSS
• Facebook Link
• Twitter Link
• Pages/Pages Tabs
• Contact Me.

Individual Posts

Titles:

• Do they catch the reader’s attention? 
• Are they keyword rich?

Text Format:

• Length of Paragraphs
• Bullet Points and Lists
• Use of Photographs/Visual Images
• Use of Video
• Spacing in and around posts
• Open ended questions/application
• Labels used effectively
• Commenting
• Hyperlinks

Misc Thoughts & Suggestions

Learn How to Navigate Feedburner

A lot of people don’t realize they have a valuable service attached to their blogs. It’s Feedburner and it’s most commonly used feature is as a gadget to let people sign up to follow your blog through email. But there’s so much more to Feedburner and today I want to give you a guided tour.

In Blogger, Feedburner is default service for email subscriptions, since both are owned by Google. But it’s frequently used with other blogging platforms like WordPress and Typepad. 

Normally, when you want information about your blog, you begin by going to your dashboard. 

NOT this time. 

To access your Feedburner account you have to start on the front side of your blog. That’s the side that visitors see. This is also where you can access your Feedburner stats. Go to the Sign Up With Email gadget and click on the words, FEEDBURNER. 

NOTE: if you don't have a clickable FEEDBURNER link on the front side of your blog, type in Feedburner.google.com to your search engine. Don't type www before it. Google owns this service and they're messing around with access to it and it's finicky to get to it. Once there, click on the blog signups you want to access.

This will take you to the Feedburner site. Once there, you’ll see all your blogs listed. Click on the one you want to work with. This will take you to a page with lots of different menus--some at the top and some down the side. 

Across the top is:

ANALYZE

OPTIMIZE

PUBLICIZE

MONETIZE

TROUBLESHOOTIZE (I think they got a little carried away here)

Most of the things you’ll want to do will be accessed from the PUBLICIZE tab. Click on that and you’ll see a new menu appear on the left side of the screen. Click on Email Subscriptions first. 

NOTE: if you want your subscriber details, scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on SUBSCRIBER DETAILS.

Now you’ll see even more options appear. Before you click on one, look at the bottom center of the screen and you’ll see the number of email subscribers you currently have for your blog. This is also where you’ll see the HTML codes to plug into websites and blogs (if you don’t use Blogger). 

A lot of people ask me if it’s possible to set the time when their blog is emailed to people. It definitely is and this is the menu that allows you to do that. Look back on the left side of the screen and click on Delivery Options. 

The first thing you’ll want to do here is select your timezone. After that, you can schedule email delivery of your blog updates. Your options are in two hour increments. This is good to know about if you ever happen to post your blog a couple of hours late. You can come here, change your delivery time and then change it back after your subscribers have been notified. Just be sure to click SAVE after you’ve made any changes. 

I recommend you take some time and get acquainted with all the different things you can do through Feedburner. Also be sre to post any questions or comments you have in the comments section below.

And don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Clash of the Titles

*guest post by COTT Sr. Editor, April W Gardner

This week, it was my privilege to spend a few extra minutes with author Gail Pollatto. Gail is one of the blog alliance correspondents at Clash of the Titles.

Her husband, Rick, says she’s the only person he knows who can go in the grocery for a loaf of bread and come out with someone’s life story. That’s probably because she inherited her mother’s love of people and enjoys talking to them. Working as an editor and freelance writer, Gail published a couple hundred articles. While some of them are in anthologies, two ended up in museums. In 2004, the American Christian Writers Association named Gail a regional writer of the year. She recently published her first romance, Love Turns the Tide. When she isn’t writing she likes reading, swimming, and getting together with friends and family. Gail wants to write books of faith that show God’s love. She and Rick live in Georgia. Just a couple hours north of me, actually! We’re practically neighbors. :-) Every COTT staff member is a professed child of God. Gail, can you tell us about your relationship with Christ? I can’t remember when I didn’t love Jesus. My father’s father was a minister, so I grew up listening to Bible verses and references to Jesus. But my mother played a huge part in helping me establish a relationship with Christ. At bedtime she said prayers with me and told me stories from the Bible. First, she taught me “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep,” but even then I had a copy of “The Lord’s Prayer” hanging on the wall above the headboard of my bed. She taught it to me a few lines at a time. We soon started saying it instead of “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.” She also told me about the Crucifixion in her own words, explaining how much Jesus had to love me to die for me. She taught me to talk to Jesus, to say the things I was thankful for, to praise Him, and ask for things I needed. I did the same with my daughter. I’m so grateful for the many blessings Jesus has given me and that He’s always there for me. I don’t always get the answers I want to my prayers, but I get the answers I need to fulfill God’s plan for my life. Whenever I’ve needed a miracle, Jesus has supplied one. There are several hymns that touch on how I feel about my relationship with Christ. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” and “He Leadeth Me” are two. My daughter recently gave me a CD, Elvis, An Evening Prayer. The first song on it, “His Hand in Mine,” conveys how I feel about my relationship with Christ. It’s an old gospel song written by Mossie Lister. It’s on YouTube. The URL is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulTtL_YaC-w Beautiful testimony! A mother’s faith is essential in a child’s life, and you’re proof of that! None of us are perfect though, so what’s the craziest thing you did as a teenager? 

Gail Pallotta

I grew up at the foothills of the mountains. At a reunion a few years ago, many of us told our beloved biology teacher how much she meant to us. She replied, “Well, I had to teach biology. There was no one else in town that could.” Teachers were scarce. We had a very old algebra teacher. He couldn’t stay awake during class. Nope. He took the roll and told us to turn to the next chapter and work the problems. Then he pushed back his seat and propped his feet on the trash can. We’d give him about ten minutes, and he was out like a light. His classroom was in the basement with a window level to the ground. In the spring as soon as he started snoring, we went out the window, got in my friend’s convertible (she had the only car) and went to the lake. No way! That’s so funny!! How long were you gone? What is something else people would be surprised to know about you?  At age twenty-two when I graduated from college, I packed my clothes in a medium-sized suitcase and moved to a large city with eighty dollars in my pocket. Had no car, no job, and nowhere to live.  Wow! You can’t leave us hanging, lol! How did that work out for you? On a slightly more serious note, what is the nearest book to where you’re sitting?  I love to read anything, non-fiction, fiction, any genre, Christian and many secular. But the book closest to me, probably because I also write as well as read, is Essentials of English. I’d imagine that covers grammar? Forms of writing? Sounds like a must-have for every writer! What are three things you can’t live without?    Faith, family, fun Three very important f’s! Makes me wonder though, when I say the word “fun,” what’s the first thing to pop into your mind? What is the message you most want to convey to readers with your writing? God loves you. Accept His love and let the greatness of it overcome the imperfections of this world.  That brings to mind. John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." NAS (©1995) Anything else you’d like to add?  I was honored when asked to be part of the Clash of the Titles Staff. I love helping to promote Christian books and writers. And we love having you!! *** Get to know Gail better by visiting her website or her blog.

Weekend Worship - A Modern Day Fairy Tale

This devotion is one I wrote as a guest blog for a dear friend of mine, Jamie Britt. I'd love to invite you to visit her blog, Encouraging Women. This is an unusual post for me because it's written directly to women, although still applicable to men. 

A Modern Day Fairy Tale

by Edie Melson

There once was a poor girl who wanted to be loved. But she was a slave, completely under another’s domination. One day a young man appeared on a white horse, he was a prince and she hid in shame of who she was, dirty and unimportant. But she was the one he sought. 

He came to her, like she was someone important, someone worthy to be loved.  And he pledged that love to her, forever. Then, before he could take her away, her master pulled her back, refusing to let her leave. Her prince didn’t give up easily. He fought for her and won her and carried her off to reign with him and live happily ever after.

Sounds like many fairy tales we grew up with, doesn’t it?  But guess what, this is my story and it’s all true.

I once was that slave, and sin was my master. My prince came for me, with love and hope and a promise. He fought for me and paid a terrible price to win my freedom. He comes after all of us, no matter where we are, pursuing us with a love do deep he paid with his life. 

All he asks is that we accept his love, his sacrifice on our behalf.

Ladies, your prince is calling you.

Maybe you have strayed, he’s still pursuing you, come back to him.

Maybe you have never answered his call, you’re still hiding, unworthy and unloved, believing a lie.  Now is the time, run into his arms, experience the joy of happily ever after.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believed in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16.

Writing Opportunity—Why Aren’t You Writing for DevoKids

A guest post by Terri Kelly

Wait. Don’t shut down your computer. You can write for children.

I’ve listened to writers’ excuses and watched them dash away after they learned I represented the children’s market. Could their excuses be the same reasons you aren’t writing for DevoKids, yet?

Reason Number 1: You’ve never heard of DevoKids.

In July of 2012, DevoKids.com will celebrate its third birthday as a children’s ministry. DevoKids is a branch of our adult ministry, Christian Devotions.us. In addition to a weekly devotion, we publish monthly posts on music, nature, food, history, writing, science, crafts, book reviews, and author/occupational interviews.

Writing for DevoKids is an experience you don’t want to miss.

Reason Number 2: Kids make your palms sweat.

An audience four-feet tall and under (give or take a few inches), that demands concise and creative text, sounds scary. You write strictly for adults—not . . . those . . . little people.

How do you relate to an audience of eight to twelve-year-olds? Even if it’s been a century since you were a kid, sit down and retrieve your childhood memories. Delve deep and write about what made you cry, wonder, get angry, or become ecstatic.

The experience will help you write from your core.

Reason Number 3: Writing 75-250 word count (300 at the most) is impossible.

Okay, everything sounded better until I mentioned the word count. You write 100,000 word adult fiction—sci-fi-fantasy-with-a-romantic-amish-twist-novels. Writing with a 300 word limit causes heart palpitations worse than when you read a Steven James thriller. 

Relax my friend. My assistant editors and I don’t use knives to cut your words. As you’ve heard before . . . make every word count.

The experience will sharpen your write tight muscles. 

Reason Number 4: You have to earn a living.

True, our ministry does not pay in green dollar bills but in God’s economy, your talent will be a tithe of your time. If you write for DevoKids, we’ll link to your website, blog, and published books.

The experience will bulk your writing vitae.

Ready? Writing for kids isn’t easier, but it is “specialer.” Jesus wants us to bring the children to Him . . . suffer the little children. There’s a crop of kids thirsty for truth.

Right now, I am most in need of devotions and eager to read your submissions to DevoKids.

Why are you waiting? Open your computer. You can write for children.

Send your submissions to: terri@devokids.com.

Terri Kelly is the Editor of www.DevoKids.com, and works with a staff of writers who keep DevoKids alive and well on the web. She also serves as a staff writer for www.ChristianDevotions.us and is a featured faculty member at conferences, teaching the art of writing for children. She has a Masters Degree in Education and is published in Spirit and Heart: A Devotional Journey and Faith and Family: A Devotional Pathway for Families.

Small Steps…Giant Gain! Blog Follower or Blog Subscriber—What is the Difference and Does it Matter?

It’s time for another, Small Steps…Giant Gain! post.

Today I want to clear up an issue many are confused about—the difference between a blog Follower and a blog Subscriber.

Often times the two are used interchangeably. They are NOT the same, and beyond that, one is extremely valuable and the other less so. It's also likely that the two numbers differ greatly. For example, I have 137 followers on Google Friend Connect and well over 400 subscribers. But before we go any further, here are the definitions.

A Follower

This is unique to Blogger sites and looks like this:

If you wanted to become one of my followers, you'd click the join this site icon. Then, if you have a Google account with a picture, your face shows up on my blog. It’s nice to see that people like my blog and this is a way to see that others like my blog.

Also, if you’re familiar with your Google Reader, my blog shows up there. But, and this is critical, those who follow my blog this way do NOT receive any kind of email notification when I post something new on my site.

A Subscriber

These are people who sign up to get notification of new posts on my blog through their email account or through RSS. The most common way of doing this is through FeedBurner. This type of sign-up looks like this:

These people are infinitely more likely to visit my blog on a regular basis. And beyond that, they're willing to have my notifications clutter up their inbox. In these days of email overload this is a BIG commitment.

Bottom Line

While there’s nothing wrong with Google Friend Connect, I still have it on my blog, it’s important to make certain you also have a place for people to receive notifications through email and RSS. These are your subscribers and, when a publisher is looking at your platform, these will be the numbers they’re interested in.

Now it’s your turn to share your experiences with following and/or subscribing to a blog. Do you have any criteria to decide your level of commitment?

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Clash of the Titles

*Guest post by--COTT Sr. Editor, April W Gardner

*This clash sponsored by WhiteFire Publishing

The first five hundred words of any story are usually enough to clue us is as to the author's style, the tone the book will take, and whether or not the story will hold our interest. It's those five hundred from two different unpublished novels that Clash of the Titles presented to you last week. 

Will Ramirez's Soul Yearning

and

Nancy Kimball's Chasing the Lion ****

We asked our readers which they would be most likely to continue reading and this is how they voted:

CHASING THE LION

by Nancy Kimball

In addition to a hearty welcome to the COTT family, as announced yesterday, Nancy was invited by Astraea Press to submit a complete proposal for immediate review. Maybe one day very soon, we'll see Chasing the Lion come back to Clash of the Titles to compete as a published novel!

This is what our readers had to say about Chasing the Lion:

*The first excerpt really grabbed my attention- especially since it stirred my emotions... and my love of mystery. 

*What was the answer his mother gave that caused this strong boy to run away? Very well done!

* Who's the dad?!?! I'm hanging off a cliff wondering!

About the novel

Author Nancy Kimball

From the blood-soaked sand of the Roman arena, a divine destiny will rise. For as long as Jonathan Tarquinius can remember, everyone has wanted something from him. His brothers want him dead. His master’s wife wants his innocence. The gladiator dealers want him to fight, and die, for their greed. The humble slave girl who tends the wounds on his body and the hidden ones on his soul yearns for him to return to his faith in God. God wants something from Jonathan, too. Something more than anyone could ever imagine. What Jonathan wants is simple—freedom. The young warrior’s journey will push him to the very limits of human endurance and teach him the only true freedom is found in Christ. The greatest battle Jonathan ever fights will not come in the arena, but deep within himself, when he is forced to choose between vengeance and forgiveness, knowing the fate of all he holds dear hangs in the balance.

***

Monday, March 5, COTT will see the start of yet another unpublished clash. This one however, carries the theme of speculative fiction, a newer genre that's taken the market by storm. Come on by for another opportunity to vote and win a copy of previous COTT Champ Diane M Graham's new novel, I Am Ocilla!

A Divine Obsession

by Edie Melson

I write because I must.

A spark jumps, something begging be shared.

A time of silence, without words,

Icy darkness.

And then the flame flickers, the words pour forth.

Divine inspiration on paper.

As I write I touch the One who wrote the world into existence.

A God of words, Creator.

I am made in His image.

My soul communes with the divine when the words break free.

I write to touch others, I write to touch myself.

Thoughts inside begging to be expressed.

Sometimes falling like lead, painful—without echoes.

At times, feathers—floating from my grasp.

Then, they rush forth like water, a torrent, satisfying

A worth of their own.

The drops become a river, inviting others to drink.

They take life and speak.

I write because I must.

Painful times, when the words don’t come

The icy silence of the an empty page

Glorious times when the words flow with grace, sweeping across the pages,

Answering divine echoes deep within my soul.

Words are my craft, they are my blood, poured out.

Meter, rhyme, cadence, rhythm.

The words live, with a heartbeat all their own

I write because I must.

My soul longs for expression.

I want to touch others the way I’ve been touched.

Reaching out, offering hope and comfort.

A writer’s soul is deep.

The thoughts have roots

Sharing is painful, a nakedness of self, exposed.

Vulnerable, shy,

Driven.

The words express who I am and who I want to be.

My words are my becoming.

Thursday Review—Unleash the Writer Within

A guest post by Lynn Blackburn

For my first guest post here at The Write Conversation, I reviewed a talk given by Cec Murphey at our local Cross Way Christian Supply. I was impressed by his approachable manner and his willingness to share his writing knowledge with us.

He’s written more than 120 books and they’ve sold millions of copies. So when he turned his attention to writing a book for writers, it would be reasonable to expect him to provide us with a treasure trove of technique. A masterpiece of method. A page-by-page plan for writing a best seller.

But that’s not what he did.

He did something far better.

He opened the door, not to his writing methods, but to his writer’s soul. Unleash the Writer Within is twenty-seven brief chapters, each ending with a different aphorism for writers.

(Side note: I’ll be honest. I consider myself to be a person with an above-average vocabulary, but I had no clue what an aphorism was. So, just in case anyone else is wondering, an aphorism is a “pithy observation that contains a general truth”).

Here are a few…

#16 - My daydreams teach me what’s important to me. My first task is to pay attention to them.

#12 - The more I know who I am and like who I am, the truer my writing voice and the more faithfully I honor that voice.

#22 - I’ve spent much of my life being like others. Now I want to spend time being like the real me.

With stunning transparency, Cec Murphey covers topics near and dear to the writer’s heart. How do I handle writer’s block and my inner critic? What do I do when my writer friends are experiencing success and I’m not? What if no one likes what I write? Am I a real writer if I don’t write every day?

There are chapters on daydreaming, fear, finding your voice, and discovering your rhythm.

Unleash the Writer Within reads more like conversation than textbook. It’s a chat with Cec—a chat where he asks probing questions and shares his experience, not so you’ll write the way he does, but so you can be free to write the story God has given you.

He begins with a question—Why do you write?

Do you know?

The answer is important, and it’s the first step on your journey to Unleash the Writer Within.

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Lynn

Lynn Huggins Blackburn has been telling herself stories since she was five and finally started writing them down. She blogs about faith, family, and her writing journey on her blog Out of the Boat. Lynn is a member of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and the Word Weavers, Greenville. She lives in South Carolina where she hangs out with three lively children, one fabulous man, and a cast of imaginary characters who find their way onto the pages of her still unpublished novels. She drinks a lot of coffee.