by Jill Chapman Writing has been an adventure for me in a multitude of ways. From the stories I wrote as a middle-school preteen to the weird stuff I drafted as a teenager, from newsletters, lesson plans, and Sunday school lessons to novels, my writing has been straight from my heart. When I began to write my middle-grade novel at age fifty-nine, I knew I wanted a mystery story with adventure that kids would love to read. The first drafts were not great. Several drafts later, I had the story ready. So, when I pitched it and sent the manuscript…
Tag: writing craft
This is our archive pageFascinating Friday Feature – The Big ‘Yes’ Continues
by Linda Wood Rondeau I am forever fascinated by how God continues to affirm our calling, even within the worst discouragement and doubt. “Lord, I can’t do this anymore. It hurts too much,” I cried. “I wasn’t meant to be a writer.” I looked up at the wall of award certificates for unpublished work and thought I heard the room laughing at me. How many times have I wanted to quit? Every time I view my royalty checks or realize the non-existence thereof. My first career had been in human services, but I wanted to reach people outside the government…
Fascinating Friday Feature – Why I Became a Professional Writer
by Lena Nelson Dooley In January 1984, several publishers came out with inspirational romances–Silhouette, Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Harvest House, Baker Books, Bethany House. At the time, I was an auxiliary rural mail carrier in Colleyville, Texas. While I was driving the mail route, I created a story in my head, like a motion picture. The first week of May 1984, I went to spend part of an afternoon with a good friend who thought romance novels were a waste of time. While we were talking that day, she asked me if I knew a particular woman who attended church with…
Fascinating Friday Feature – Interview with Diana Leagh Matthews
Q – What has God called you to do where your first thought may have been “Are you kidding me?” In 2004, I served a church as minister of music. Over the course of six months, three different people came to me and said, “You should be in the ministry.” I laughed it off. “Yeah right. God, I’m no preacher.” At the time, I thought being in the ministry meant being a minister. As a PK (preacher’s kid), I knew that wasn’t the life for me. For three years, I fought the calling but the Lord revealed to me that…
Fascinating Friday Feature with Karin Beery – Most Valuable Lesson Learned Through Writing
Writing a novel is easy. Writing a good novel that people enjoy and want to share with others is anything but. Based on TV shows and other novels, however, you’d never know that. Fictional novelist Richard Castle somehow managed to write best-selling novels without actually doing much writing. I can’t tell you how many novels I’ve read where a character’s debut novels sell millions, making them instant celebrities without any training or experience. But those authors know better—it’s never that fast or easy. Even though I know fiction isn’t reality, that didn’t stop me from imagining my first manuscript was…
Fascinating Friday Feature – The Mafia in America
Pre 1890s While researching my recent release, Claire, I uncovered several interesting facts about the mafia in America. In my book, Claire boards a train to flee New York after her mafia father is murdered and a contract is placed on her head. Toby, an undercover Pinkerton operative, heads for Denver, finding himself on a train with a woman who is vaguely familiar to him. Toby, to add to his cover story, has placed an ad for a mail-order bride. Claire replies to the ad, neither realizing their connection. Can they solve the mystery of who is trying to kill…
Who said I wanted to be an author?
I was in fifth grade when my teacher interrupted my daydream, “Linda, I don’t care if you do grow upto be a famous author, I’m going to teach you math so you can balance your royalty statements.” My classmates turned to stare at me, while I stared back at my teacher in shock, thinking, An author? Who ever said I wanted to be an author? Even though Mrs. Davis’ words foretold my future, I didn’t get it, dream about it, or add ‘writing abook’ to my life’s goals. Instead, when I graduated from college, I got a job in the…
How a Cat Changes its…um…Fur
Today’s edition of Fascinating Fridays comes from CAN member Robin Currie. Thank you for bringing us your animals’ eyewitness account of the Nativity story today, Robin! I published Eyewitness Animals, Christmas Story, (Standard Publishing, now out of print) in the summer of 1997 about the Nativity story though the eyes of seven different animals who may have been there. They did not talk to humans but observed them and made internal comments. The animals all had names that described them. The usual ones were Clomper, Donkey, Wooly Lamb, and Sandy Camel. Then I added Twitter Sparrow observing angel activity in Galilee,…
Start Your Morning Write
Today’s timely message of encouragement comes Linda Goldfarb–CAN member, author, speaker, coach and dear friend to many who shares from the heart on her morning practice of daily writing. Thank you, Linda! I’ve written short term pieces daily for more than a decade. I began for my eyes only, as I’m a speaker who writes, you see. Until I chose to heed the Spirit to share my writings and now it seems I’ve started a fire of sorts. Not too hot for pre-believers, yet challenging, I hope, for those who have ears to hear. Here’s a taste. I pray its…
Writing is Like Fighting…
Happy Friday! Today CAN member Carla Hoch inspires us with writing perspectives told from a fighter’s point of view. Mohammed Ali estimated that over the course of his career he had been hit about 29,000 times. Twenty-nine thousand! Now, I don’t know how many of you have been punched in the face, but it ain’t fun. A solid punch can rock you to your core. And, after the fact, you are sore in places you never thought you’d be. Including your spirit. Writing is a lot like fighting. You pour your heart into it and sometimes the “win” doesn’t come….
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