Last week, I started a series about mistakes commonly made by new writers (like me). The first entry focused on “information dumps.” Today, I’m going to discuss a related topic — backstory. Every character has history and we try often try to share every detail of it in the first chapter. You must know that she was born on a stormy … Read More
We’re heading into a new weekend and I hope that some of you can find a few hours to pick up a new book. Don’t miss this new title, A Distant Melody, by debut author, Sarah Sundin. At the risk of sounding like a complete romantic sap, I have to tell you that am head over heels for this … Read More
Over the next few weeks, I am going to post about some of the common mistakes that new writers make and how you can avoid them in your writing. Please send me any writing questions that you have and maybe I can direct a post toward your area of interest. These are not in any paticular order of importance, … Read More
Tomorrow I head home from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, exhausted and exhilarated. I have made some great connections with agents and publishers and now I get to go home and do some hard work. I had two different industry professionals express interest in seeing more of my manuscript. I’m walking on air. For … Read More
Today was another fantastic day at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference 2010. I woke up way too early (4 AM) because my room had been invaded by a mouse that seemed desperate to eat a fiber one bar wrapper that I had dropped in my trash can. Here are some other highlights: We had a … Read More
It’s the first official day of the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference (2010) and once again I am amazed and humbled by the marvelous blessings that God pours out during this event. Here are a few highlights (for me) so far. Last night I got the nerve to volunteer during a earlybird session for “pitching … Read More
I’m running around today, finishing all those last minute details before flying out tomorrow to attend the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference. This is my second year attending the conference. To keep my nerves in check, I keep reminding myself of the amazing things that happened last year. I kept my expectations low, but God blew my … Read More
Okay writers (and wanna-be writers), time to ‘fess up. What lies do you tell yourself that keep you from writing? The other day, I was listening to my MP3 recordings of workshops from the 2009 Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and I discovered a true gem. Author Joseph Bentz presented a workshop that he called, “Overcoming … Read More
My cats were quietly snoozing nearby when I checked my e-mail yesterday. In my inbox I found a pleasant note from the manuscript submission coordinator of the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference. She was informing me that my manuscripts had arrived and that I still have twelve days to relax before the conference begins. At first … Read More
Still looking for free e-book bargains? Another of my favorite books is being offered for free on Amazon (kindle) this week. Check out Sushi for One?, the first in Camy Tang’s Sushi series. This book was one of my Friday Book Picks last year and you can read my description of it here. Read this earlier post … Read More