Why Long Lines Are Good for Writers & Everyone Else

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

My dad never met a stranger. He loved running into and meeting new people. When we would go on vacations, or take a day trip to the mountains, he always ended up talking to people he’d just met.

As a child, I was so embarrassed. I wasn’t like that at all. Meeting new people paralyzed me. My brain turned to mush and gaga was the extent of my vocabulary.

I was twenty-three.

Writing Dreams & Plans

by Henry McLaughlin @RiverBendSagas

2021. 

A year many of us longed for as 2020 dragged on and on and on. Now it’s here, and I suspect some of us are not all that thrilled with the way it’s started out. And it’s too late to reboot. We’re stuck with it.

But that doesn’t mean we’re stuck with our lives. Yes, things seem just as uncertain as they did last year or last month.

We have dreams, and we don’t have to give up or compromise on them. If we’ve been in relationship with God, he has dreams for us. They may be better than what we have in mind. In fact, they are better than anything we could think of. 

Saying Goodbye

by Martin Wiles @LinesFrom God

We fought to swallow the lumps in our throat, and we blinked away the tears. Then, we said goodbye.

5 Things to Make Your Story Sing

by Cindy K. Sproles @CindyDevoted

Most everyone has a story and believe it or not, the majority can tell their story beautifully. The problem comes when the translation of the story hits the page. 

What to Do When Another Writer Offers Help

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

SAY YES!

Have you ever been at a conference or in a writing group and had an author offer to help you in some way? Maybe they offer to look at a few chapters of your manuscript or to let you write for their blog. They may offer to loan you some of their books on writing craft, or to go to lunch with you and talk about your career.

Why A Writing Group Is Important

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

One of the best things I did when I decided to become a writer was to look for a tribe. A group of writers where I felt I fit in. I didn’t know of any writers in my family, or among my friends. I’ve always read a lot, including the 1964 World Book Encyclopedia. (My Mom was so proud of it. And it was near the heat register.) And when I taught I enjoyed writing my own Bible studies or course work.

To me, writing for income or for the public was merely a dream. Most of the writers I’d heard of were either dead, preachers or professors, or lived in New York City. (Cue the Pace Picante Sauce commercial.) It sure was something anyone from my community could hope to have any success at.

10 Ways to Keep Your Writing Passion Burning

by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Writers are encouraged to wrap themselves in passion for their projects. And rightfully so. The definition of passion is enthusiasm or zeal that places something as a priority. The passionate person is willing to make sacrifices, and in the religious sense, to die if necessary, for their commitment or belief. We might not be ready to die for our writing, but we certainly want the zeal and enthusiasm needed to complete our calling.

What does that mean for writers who have lost interest in their craft? How do they regain their passion? 

Look at the following ways to keep a writerly fire burning.

1. Recognize if your desire to continue writing is trending toward burnout and choose to do the work to find out why.

2. Take a break. Yes, step back from the writing. Give yourself permission for a vacation. A writer doesn’t create his/her best when operating on a weary body and mind.

3. Let your mind wander. There’s wisdom in kicking down the doors to our self-imposed box. Do new ideas spark your attention? Has your interest in the subject matter taken a new direction?

4. Journal your contemplations. Record the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of your thoughts. Does your writing need a fresh vision? Are you bored? Is time management an issue? Do you feel your writing is merely repetition of what you’ve previously done? Do you need a sabbatical? Would a class addressing a specific aspect of the writing and publishing industry rekindle your enthusiasm?

5. Spend time praying, thinking, and reflecting on what you listed in numbers 3 and 4. What thing or things do you perceive as the root of the problem?

6. Confide in a trusted friend or family member about your dilemma. Sometimes talking through a problem brings about valid solutions.

7. Decide the best course of action for you as a person, your personality, genre, style, voice, and stage in life. Contemplate the decision(s) for at least a day before taking action.

8. List solutions for your lack of passion. How can you implement the one(s) that serves you best? Do you require professional assistance?

9. Locate the resources necessary to help you move forward. Strive for balance.

10. Do the work. Courageous writing means finding answers to problems.

Have you ever lost your enthusiasm for writing? How did you regain your passion?

TWEETABLE

10 Ways to Keep Your Writing Passion Burning - @DiAnnMills on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. 

She is the director of the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Marketing Retreat, and Mountainside Novelist Retreat with social media specialist Edie Melson. Connect here: DiAnnMills.com

Can a Writer Ever Have Too Many Books?

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel

Tidying up guru Marie Kondo once wrote that after one particular purge, she ended up with only thirty books in her home. 

 

Why, that’s practically the number on my nightstand to-be-read stack alone!

 

My books are not just cardboard and paper. They are my friends. Each book contains not only unique stories and life lessons, but sometimes daring adventure, tender comfort, radical transformation, or courageous challenge.

Giving an Encouraging Word

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT

I ignored the call, imagining it just another spam call from someone who wanted to ruin my Saturday morning with their nonsense. 

Writers’ conferences present a double-edged sword. I hang on every word from speakers, authors, and editors who are more experienced than I. Experts who share their journeys and help me with mine. I hear their instructions and cautions. Be patient. The publishing world takes time. 

For Writers, Effective Communication…

by Henry McLaughlin @RiverBendSagas

…Or not so effective communication.

 

Back in the 1960s, we had what’s called the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Russians placed missiles in Cuba, which could easily reach many cities in the United States. Our government could not tolerate such a threat and we demanded the Russians remove the weapons. The situation escalated to where war appeared imminent. Russian Premier Khrushchev sent President Kennedy a letter saying his country would comply. A short time later, Khrushchev sent another letter saying the exact opposite and almost dared us to come take his missiles.

A Writer Looks at Lent

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

As this posts we’re a little over four weeks into Lent—a penitential time in the Church year where Christians examine their lives and set aside time to reflect more fully on those sins and bad habits that often beset us. 

During Lent, believers prepare their hearts for Easter through prayer, repentance, and self-denial, so that we can more fully hear the voice of God. These acts of contrition do not and cannot earn us points with God for Jesus already paid the price for our sins when He gave His life for us on the cross and God raised Him from the dead to forever make intercession for us. The work was fully done for those of us who believe. We are His through grace, God’s unmerited favor.

When You Wonder If Your Writing Even Matters…

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel

Katherine was a human computer. 

A black woman in the mid-century America NASA space program. Among other responsibilities, she calculated the trajectories for both the Mercury and Apollo missions. 

But no one knew about her work. 

Until the book and movie “Hidden Figures” revealed the true story of the “West Computers” – women who were at the heart of NASA’s advancements. Yes, even Katherine G. Johnson.

Write What You Know, But Learn As You Go

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

Recently, I had the pleasure of contributing an article to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for their Raising an Entomologist theme. The acceptance took me back on a reminiscent journey of my writing.

The Dangers of Comparing Yourself to Other Writers

by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author

For my creative writing minor, my college required that I take a poetry workshop. Not going to lie, I dreaded it. I’d never been good at poetry. In fact, the only poetry I’d ever been able to write had been limericks. Light, fluffy, funny, usually irreverent. I’d been told that a person’s skill at poetry was a measurement of the depth of their soul, and that seemed to ring true quite honestly. (Even as a teenager, I wore mismatched socks, dreamed of fantasy civilizations, and choreographed my own lightsaber battles in the back pasture of our farm.)

The poetry workshop actually turned out to be fun, and, God bless her, my poor beleaguered professor extended me such grace and patience. I struggled under the weight of the tiny word count and the expectation of descriptive vocabulary that superseded anything I’d attempted previously. In that semester-long workshop, I confirmed that I was not, nor would I ever be, a poet, but I learned something else too. Something more important.

I learned that I wasn’t a poet. I learned that many of the other students in the room were. And I learned that the creative world was big enough for all of us to not only coexist but to partner alongside each other.

Developing a Business Growth Plan for Writers

by Susan U. Neal RN, MBA, MHS @SusanNealYoga

Your business’s growth plan outlines where you want your company to grow in the next few years. Growing your business, whether through increased book sales or additional publications, is a way to increase revenue. What goals do you have for growth, and how do you plan to get there? Those are the questions. By the end of this five-step process, you should have a clear idea of what goals you want your business to achieve this year. Visually documenting the plan to achieve your business goals will provide a concise growth strategy that is easy-to-follow.

May I Bless You Today? A Writer's Blessing

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel

There was too much noise for me as the New Year began, chaos both without and within.

So, I unplugged for a month. I stilled my soul. I listened to God. And sometimes I wrote down what I heard. 

I asked Him to help me learn how to be a blessing each day to all I encounter and thus live out my word-for-the-year – Blessing.

As I prayed, YOU came to mind – my fellow writers and speakers. Messengers of the Great Love Story.

Writing Rejection Doesn't Mean Writing Reject

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

Rejection stinks.

It hurts. 

I hate it.

And I deal with it all.the.time.

Grace for the Writer

by Tammy Karasek @TickledPinkTam

As we know, 2020 gave us more unscheduled time than we thought possible. I don’t need to tell you how many things were cancelled and stay-at-home orders placed on us countrywide as well as some countries around the world—you lived it. 

Often last year we found ourselves sitting around the TV waiting to hear when we could return to normal. We started this routine in March. I don’t know about you, but I’m still waiting to hear we’re ready to return to normal. Though I no longer sit by the TV news for that. We’ve slowly created new routines to get us by.

However, back in the spring I stopped writing. My critique groups and writing buddies couldn’t meet to work together. I became lazy. With no deadlines, or time schedule to meet with writing partners, my urgency—and desire—to write slowly flickered away. The candle flame went out and took all my mojo with it. I couldn’t string a sentence together, let alone an entire paragraph. 

Speaking Tips for Writers in 2021

by Yvonne Ortega @YvonneOrtega1

We may have decided to accept 2021 as it unfolds. We trust that what God has for us will come about in his way and timing. I sat each evening during the last week of December with a pen, a journal, and a Bible. On New Year’s Eve, I sat alone with God and asked again for direction. Here are open doors for me that may appeal to you.

The first speaking tip for writers in 2021 is to attend a speakers conference.

A Biblical Prayer for Writers

by Joshua J. Masters @JoshuaJMasters

After the struggles of the last year, many of us are rededicating ourselves to more productive writing schedules, a greater respect for deadlines, and an organized plan for our business. But if our last turbulent trip around the sun taught us anything, it’s that we should focus on the things that are most important and be grateful for the things we take for granted.