Jesus, the Word of God: Boundaries as Blessings

From Edie: Audrey Frank shares how God can use boundaries, rejection, delays, and interruptions in your writing life for your good—and how trusting His counsel can change your perspective.

Jesus, the Word of God: Boundaries as Blessings

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me (Psalm 16:5-7).

A boundary is a way of saying “no.”

I used to watch our youngest son fly down the driveway on his scooter, so enamored with the thrill of speed that he forgot again and again to stop before dashing into the street. I tried putting cones up, and he crashed through them. I tied a rope from a tree to the mailbox. He bent the tree. I finally put myself there, squaring up my feet and blowing a whistle when he got close. It took only three blasts to startle him into trained attention.

When Your Writing Career Feels Stuck: What to Do When Other Writers Are Moving Ahead

From Edie: Feeling stuck in your writing career? Discover how to stop comparing your journey to other writers and find purpose and progress in the waiting.

When Your Writing Career Feels Stuck: What to Do When Other Writers Are Moving Ahead

By Edie Melson @EdieMelson

I don’t think there are many (actually any) people who read this blog who think publishing is easy. But within that difficulty, there’s a particular kind of hard that comes with watching someone else get the thing you’ve been praying for.

Especially when that someone is a friend.

We really are happy for them. We celebrate when they sign with an agent. We cheer when they announce their first book contract. We whole heartedly share their cover reveal and buy their book.

And we mean every bit of it.

Why Publishers Reject Books: 5 Reasons That Have Nothing to Do with Your Writing

From Edie: A.C. Williams shares five reasons publishers reject books that have nothing to do with writing quality, from marketability and audience to production costs and timelines.

Why Publishers Reject Books: 5 Reasons That Have Nothing to Do with Your Writing

by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author

Are you ever frustrated with publishers?

It’s okay. You can be honest. How can publishers keep putting out the same kinds of books over and over? Don’t they understand how many fresh, new authors are producing compelling, original stories? It’s easy to take rejection personally, and the more you pitch to different publishers, the more it feels like none of them are grasping your vision, your capacity, or your potential. 

How Christian Writers Can Find Joy When Writing Feels Like Work: The Fruit of the Spirit in Publishing

From Edie: Lynn Blackburn shares how Christian writers can hold on to joy when deadlines, expectations, and exhaustion make the writing life feel more like work than a calling.

How Christian Writers Can Find Joy When Writing Feels Like Work: The Fruit of the Spirit in Publishing

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

Fruit Under Pressure: Deadlines, reviews, comparison, the silence after you hit send. We’re on month two of a nine-month exploration into what it looks like to live out the fruit of the Spirit as we navigate the pressure system of publishing.

This month, we’re talking about Joy.

How to Share a Message in Fiction Without Sounding Preachy

From Edie: Sarah Sally Hamer shares how to share meaningful themes in fiction without sounding preachy—and trust your story and your readers to discover the message naturally.

How to Share a Message in Fiction Without Sounding Preachy

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer

A conversation I had with a writer a while back has stayed with me, partly because we both have experienced a particular type of situation.

She was talking about a manuscript she'd been working on and mentioned that several of her critique partners had used the same word when describing parts of the story. They all felt certain scenes were becoming preachy. She wasn't upset because they were criticizing her work. She was upset because that had never been her intention.

Self-Editing for Writers: How to Know If Your Book Really Works

From Edie: PeggySue Wells shows writers how to self-edit your manuscript for structure, flow, clarity, character development, and reader impact before polishing the words.

Self-Editing for Writers: How to Know If Your Book Really Works

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

“Great writing. Great story. But what’s it about?”

That priceless feedback came from a skilled fellow author who kindly read my completed novel.

I spent so much time inside the manuscript that I understood connections the reader would not. There was what I meant, and there was what I wrote. Self-editing is the process of making sure what you meant and what you wrote are the same.

How to Use AI to Stay Safe Online (Part 2): Fact-Check Images, Posts, and Online Claims

From Edie: Learn how to use AI to fact-check images, social media posts, and online claims while protecting your personal information and verifying trusted sources.

How to Use AI to Stay Safe Online (Part 2): Fact-Check Images, Posts, and Online Claims

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Last time, we looked at using AI as a safety tool to help identify possible online scams.

But suspicious messages are only part of the problem.

Today we also need to deal with fake photographs, misleading social media posts, impersonation accounts, recycled stories, manipulated information, and posts that contain just enough truth to make the lie believable.

And I'll confess something. Sometimes I want the message to be true. Often the words confirm something I already believe. Maybe what I’ve written is a great story. Whatever emotion the message triggers, that reaction makes me more vulnerable.