Blog

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THE CRAFT OF WRITING – NOVEMBER 2023

An interview with Chautona Havig.

 

 

 THE CRAFT OF WRITING – OCTOBER 2023

An interview with Regency Romance author Linore Burkard.

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – SEPTEMBER 2023

Kay DiBianca talks about writing, flying, and the always fascinating subject of time.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – AUGUST 2023

Patricia Bradley talks about her multiple series.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JULY 2023

Dale Ivan talks about the first book in his new series.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — JUNE 2023

Writing the series with Randy Ingermanson.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MAY 2023

Dr. Steve Hooley talks about his Mad River Magic fantasy series.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — APRIL 2023

Debbie Burke, award-winning author of the Tawny Lindholm thriller series.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MARCH 2023

Reavis Wortham, award-winning author of western mysteries and thrillers.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — FEBRUARY 2023

P.J. Parrish discusses her Louis Kincaid series.

 

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JANUARY 2023

James Scott Bell shares his wisdom on writing a series.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — NOVEMBER 2022

Elaine Viets shares her writing journey and advises new mystery writers.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — OCTOBER 2022

Andrew McClurg shares about his Emily Calby Thriller Series.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — SEPTEMBER 2022

Sue Coletta shares her writing journey and her new novel, Haloed.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – AUGUST 2022

Patricia Bradley shares her writing journey and talks about her new novel, Deception.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JULY 2022

Garry Rodgers shares his experience as a detective with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the crime novels he writes now.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — JUNE 2022

Frank DiBianca shares his long and happy journey to publication of his debut novel, Laser Trap.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – MAY 2022

Terry Odell, author of over 30 romantic mystery novels, discusses her writing journey.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – APRIL 2022

Thriller author John Gilstrap discusses his novels.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MARCH 2022

Debbie Burke talks about her Tawny Lindholm Thrillers with Passion series.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — FEBRUARY 2022

Dr. Steve Hooley discusses his Mad River Magic YA fantasy series.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — JANUARY 2022

James Scott Bell talks about his popular Mike Romeo Series.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — DECEMBER 2021

Social Media expert Edie Melson joins us for a conversation about the platforms that have enormous influence on our lives and writing.

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — NOVEMBER 2021

A conversation with Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi about their new thesaurus, The Conflict Thesaurus. And a fun and interactive game, The Conflict Challenge!

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — OCTOBER 2021

A conversation with Lisa Simonds, author of the award-winning novel, Stork Bite.

 

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — SEPTEMBER 2021

The Plot Whisperer, aka Martha Alderson, give insight into the Universal Story, scene trackers, and more.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — AUGUST 2021

NOW and THEN and ALWAYS with Melissa Tagg

 

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — JULY 2021

 

VISION AND REVISION with Jodie Renner.

 

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — JUNE 2021

A fascinating interview with award-winning author and craft expert, Steven James.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MAY 2021

Join publishing industry expert Steve Laube for an interview about all things publishing.

 

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — APRIL 2021

Christy Award-winning author David Rawlings shares his writing journey and talks about the uses of writing contests.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MARCH 2021

Learn from an expert: Randy Ingermanson uses his famous Snowflake Method to tell us about writing dynamite scenes.

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — FEBRUARY 2021

James L. Rubart discusses several of his award-winning novels and the value of writing contests and awards.

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JANUARY 2021

James Scott Bell discusses his craft book “Write Your Novel from the Middle.”

 

 

 

THE GIFT – DECEMBER 2020

We receive many gifts in life. But how do we use them?

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – NOVEMBER 2020

Learn the craft of writing a Christian non-fiction book with Dave Fessenden.

 

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – OCTOBER 2020

Get inspiration and information from debut author Daniel Overdorf about his novel A Death Well Lived.

 

 

 

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING — SEPTEMBER 2020

Join the conversation with author, editor, and mentor Kathy Ide and take the Punctuation Test!

 

 

 

 

Fifth-Favorite-Front-Cover

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – AUGUST 2020

Join the conversation with Gale Sears and learn about her new YA novel, The Fifth Favorite.

 

 

 

EmotionThesaurus

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JULY 2020

Play The Emotion Game and enjoy a conversation with Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi about their best-selling craft book The Emotion Thesaurus.

 

 

Staying on the Vine

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JUNE 2020

Join Gordon Castelnero to learn about his debut novel Staying on the Vine.

 

 

 

10PublishingMyths

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – MAY 2020

Join Terry Whalin to learn all about publishing as he discusses his book 10 Publishing Myths.

 

 

 

 

AFirmPlaceToStand

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – APRIL 2020

Join the conversation as Lori Altebaumer talks about her debut novel, A Firm Place to Stand. What a wonderful opportunity to learn from a new author about her journey to publication.

 

 

 

HowToMakeALivingAsAWriter

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – MARCH 2020

Learn about the business of writing from one of the industry’s leading authorities, James Scott Bell. Click the image and become a more successful author!

 

 

 

AllInImage

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – FEBRUARY 2020: All In

L.K. (Lisa) Simonds talks about her debut novel, All In. Join Lisa and learn about her journey to publication.

 

 

 

StoryStakes

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JANUARY 2020: Story Stakes

What does the London Marathon have to do with Story Stakes? Join us to find out how to engage your readers. (And you don’t have to run a marathon to do it!)

 

 

 

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CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN IN 2020!

Ready to take on the next level in your writing? Click the image of the mountain to get inspiration on accomplishing your goals in 2020. Happy New Year!

 

 

wisdom

 

WALKING WITH THE WISE

We’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to walk with so many accomplished guests this year to discuss the Craft of Writing. Click the image of the owl to see a summary of interviews with James Scott Bell, Kathy Ide, Steve Laube, Randy Ingermanson, Renni Browne, Dave King, and K.M. Weiland.

 

 

Creating Character Arcs

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 6

K.M. Weiland, author of Creating Character Arcs, shares her perspective on getting those characters from “Once upon a time” to “The End.” Join the conversation today!

 

 

 

 

 

Self-EditingForFictionWriters

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 5

Renni Browne and Dave King, co-authors of Self-editing for Fiction Writers, share their insights and expertise in this delightful interview. Join the conversation today!

 

 

 

 

Snowflake

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 4: How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method

Join us for a lesson in the Snowflake Method from award-winning author Randy Ingermanson.

 

 

 

 

ChristianWritersMarketGuide

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 3: The Christian Writers Market Guide

The Christian Writers Market Guide is chock-full of information that is valuable to writers. Learn about it here!

 

 

 

ProofReadingSecrets

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 2: Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors

What does the Valley of Elah in Israel have to do with Kathy Ide’s book on Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors? Click here to find out!

 

 

 

 

PlotAndStructure

 

THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 1: Plot & Structure

Have you ever wanted to learn to fly? I did. And my experience flying by instruments taught me a lot about the need to follow expert advice when you’re a novice. Read the article and the interview with James Scott Bell here.

 

 

 

LoriAltebaumer

BRING ME WHAT YOU DO HAVE

I’m delighted to introduce Lori Altebaumer. Lori’s guest post entitled “Bring Me What You Do Have” will inspire and challenge us all.

 

 

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LAUNCH!

The Watch on the Fencepost launches on February 22, 2019.

 

 

 

San Diego Half Marathon 2016 Last Mile copy

 

THE JOURNEY

“But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,”
From “The Road to Ithaka” by C.P. Cavafy

 

 

 

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MEMORIES

Our memories help define us. I recently commented on a blog post about hometown memories, and I’ve included that one here. What memories do you have to share?

 

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BOOK CLUBS

Book clubs provide meaningful times of intellectual growth and relationship building. Vicki Fioranelli has written a delightful post on the Cherryhill Book Club. Read and enjoy!

 

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REFLECTIONS ON LIGHT (PART 2)

“I was once in darkness, now my eyes can see.”

 

 

 

lightREFLECTIONS ON LIGHT (PART 1)

“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” — Matthew 5:15-16

 

JudyKarge2HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

At this time of year when we are remembering our multitude of blessings, I am honored that Judy Karge, author of A Light in the Dark: Reflections on Proverbs is my guest. Judy has provided a delightful look at holiday traditions.  Read and enjoy!

 

 

Mel

WHAT DO EDITORS DO?

I’m thrilled that Mel Hughes has written this guest post for my blog. Many of us were confused by all the different editorial functions, but Mel provides us with a clear and readable definition of each type.

(And, yes, that’s Mel on her motorcycle!)

 

 

 

EarthImage2

IF YOU RULED THE WORLD

What would you do if you had the power to legislate one simple rule to help the world take care of our language?

 

 

 

PlotArc3Plot Review: Is It Necessary?

Is your plot ready for prime time? Rachel Hills offers her expert advice on this critical part of your writing craft.

 

 

Prayer2

An Author’s Prayer

After reading a blog post by Bob Hostetler entitled “A Literary Agent’s Prayer,” I was inspired to write my own prayer as an author.

 

 

kathyinblue

 

God’s Calling to Write

Has God called you to write? Read Kathy Ide’s inspirational article on the power of God to direct our steps.

 

 

 

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RUNNING AND WRITING

What does running a marathon have to do with writing a book? A lot. This post could have been titled “What I learned about writing through running.”

 

 

 

Beth Lottig 2I WROTE MY BOOK — NOW WHAT?

I’m honored that Beth Lottig has agreed to guest post on my blog. Beth is the co-founder of AuthorSource, a full-service self-publishing company, and has helped hundreds of authors bring their works to publication.

Whether you’re just beginning to think about writing or you’ve finished that manuscript, Beth’s words of wisdom will be a valuable resource.

 

detectiveIT’S A MYSTERY!

It’s been said that everybody loves a mystery. But why? What mysteries do you love?

 

 

 

 

Pile of books

 

YOUR FAVORITE BOOK

Share your favorite reading matter with the rest of us. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction. Romance, mystery, history, whatever.

 

 

 

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 YOUR FAVORITE WORD

“Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne