Never Give In!

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Winston Churchill is famous for many things, but one of his most well-known claims to fame is the speech he gave at his alma mater, Harrow Academy, on October 29, 1941.  In this pivotal speech, Churchill spoke these words: “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

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Dealing with Overwhelm

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The 21st century with all of its technological discoveries has engendered a new disorder called Overwhelm. Grammatically speaking, “overwhelm” is a verb, not a noun.  But the case is strong for making it a noun as well.

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A Surefire Way to Fail at Writing

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If you want to avoid failing at writing, then this could be the most important blog post you will ever read. You see, I’ve failed at writing, so I’m highly qualified to tell you what caused me to fail. I’m also highly qualified to tell you how I turned my failure into success.

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Biting the Bullet

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Writing often comes by the sweat of one’s brow. Had I waited for inspiration throughout my writing career, I would have written few words. Most of what I’ve written over the years has come from sheer perseverance and a strong determination to get the job done.

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Only Believe!

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Belief is essential to writing success. Not just any belief, but belief in what God says about us. Far too many Christian writers believe what the world says about them instead of what God says about them. Here are a few wrong beliefs that I have heard in my work as a writing coach . 1) It takes luck to succeed as a writer. I dislike the word luck. It implies chance and happenstance. To believe that luck is essential to writing success is to believe a lie. What the world calls “luck” is really hard work and perseverance. 2) Only big…

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Encouraging Yourself in the Lord

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Perhaps more than any other profession, the writing life resembles a roller-coaster ride. We sit on the edge of our seats, excited about the climb to success when, suddenly, we are plunged into a valley of rejection slips, failed contracts, and a host of other discouraging events that threaten to destroy our resolve to keep on writing.

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Overcoming Overwhelm

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Warm greetings to all of my fellow CANers! This is my first post, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to share my heart with you and, I trust, to bless you. Thank you for blessing me! Today, I’d like to talk about an issue I’ve struggled with and some solutions I’ve discovered. If you’re like me, you may have experienced the same struggle, especially at this time of year. The 21st century with all of its technological discoveries has engendered a new disorder called Overwhelm. Grammatically speaking, "overwhelm" is a verb, not a noun. But the case is…

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Tips from the Pros: MaryAnn Diorio

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Almost-Thanksgiving greetings from Marti Pieper, posting today from Sevierville, Tenn. and the National Bible Bee. Through the magic of the Internet, author MaryAnn Diorio and I were able to set up today's interview in advance. I'm thankful to have met MaryAnn in person when we both taught at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference. She has some wise words to share, so without further ado, enjoy our Q & A session. MaryAnn, how did you get into writing? How many books do you have published? What are a few of your latest titles? I've been writing since I was a young…

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