As unpublished novelists writing our stories with no contract in sight, we sometimes wonder. Will all this dreaming and effort take us to the land of published books? And then, along comes ... The Unexpected Am I getting close, Lord? That Spring, I decided to find out and entered my novel in the American Christian Fiction Writers' Genesis Contest for unpublished novelists. Weeks later, the scores from three judges arrived. What would one day become… Read More
Really? I'm not done yet? Like any other writer, we want our words to sing right out of the gate. Well, at least after a few revisons. But what happens when we've done all we can, and it's still not enough to get published? The Dreaded Fog But, Lord ... I thought it was finished! I recalled the moment I wrote the final word of my novel and breathed such a sigh of satisfaction! Heroine and hero… Read More
Writing is hard work! And sometimes, as we try to find those just-right words or that other element to take us to where we know we've nailed it, frustration builds up. An awful place to be. So here we are, continuing the aspiring writer's journey to publication--mine actually--but not so different from many others. I'm told that even well-published writers working on a new project wrestle with it. The Frustration I slumped at my desk and… Read More
Fear gripped me in the pre-dawn dimness! Had I tackled a writhing anaconda? What made me think I could weave all the intriguing elements of fiction into flowing perfection? What made me think I could capture readers' attention ... entertain them ... inspire them ... make them feel my characters' passions as they pursued their dreams? I squeezed my eyelids shut and burrowed my head into my pillow. Even if--by some fluke--I managed to do… Read More