by Crystal Bowman Back in the day—like thirty years ago—I met with a children’s editor who was interested in my idea for a beginning reader series. He liked the first two stories I had submitted and said they had potential. Then he passed me off to his assistant who worked with me for several months to make the stories worthy of bringing to the publishing board. My rewritten stories finally went before the “powers that be” who liked them enough to offer a contract for a four-book series. The books were published years later, and another four-book contract followed.  Sounds wonderful ..read more

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson Can you believe it? Writer's Digest Magazine just announced their 26th Annual 101 Best Websites for Writers List. Thanks to all of you, we made the list again! The Write Conversation has been on the list since 2017. I'm humbled and excited by the inclusion. It's hard to believe this blog began just over 15 years ago.  There have been some detours and dips in the road, but it's been an amazing journey and I can't wait to see what the next 15 years bring! To celebrate, I thought I'd share a little of what I've learned. 11 Lessons Learned on the Blogging Ro ..read more

by Karen Whiting @KarenHWhiting It's a myth that authors all make lots of money and yet PR people and others who offer to help with ask for hundreds and even thousands of dollars against the little per book made. Let's consider ways to save on money, swap services for money, sell articles to cover expenses, free promotion to do, and how to spend money wisely. Start local Contact or visit local media stations and newspapers for interviews. opportunities. Volunteer for telethons so they want to help you. Get to know store owners who might carry your book. Check local banks or other place ..read more

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod “Don’t take this the wrong way because I don’t mean it ugly, but where do you get your clothes?” The conversation occurred during one of our teachers’ monthly birthday breakfast celebrations. As I prepared my plate, a teacher from the elementary section asked the question. She seemed hesitant to ask, but I wasn’t offended.  “My wife orders them from Amazon, but I’m not sure what company,” I replied.  The clothes she referred to weren’t my pants, but my shirts. My shirts of choice are flowery, paisley shirts—the kind hippies wore in the 1960s and 1 ..read more

by Beth K. Vogt @BethVogt “Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens.” Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), American author & screenwriter If you’ve been a writer for any length of time at all—say six months or more—you’ve probably heard some version of the “a writer is someone who writes” mantra.  I’ve been writing for decades. Here’s the truth: I don’t write every day.  Gasp! Guess what? I’m still a writer. I’ve just had to figure out what process works for me. My husband Rob was in the U.S. Air Force for years. A favorite mantra of his is: “Flexibi ..read more

by Lilka Raphael @LilkaRaphael You can make anything by writing—C. S. Lewis I find it easier to answer the question of what I write rather than why I write? This is primarily because my why evolves as I do. What prompted my writing a decade ago no longer entices me now. Perhaps, when we acknowledge the motivation behind our words, we can deliver them effectively. Writers use words to sway opinion. Charitable organizations, hobbies, and politics also spur us into action. Some of us entertain and deliver the gift of laughter with our words. There is writing that educates. With the birth of ..read more

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites Do you have a hard time being idle or is this just me?  I recently returned from a writers conference that required an almost-seven hour drive through back country roads—and the speed limit on most of those county roads topped out at a whopping forty-five miles per hour! Because I’d attended this conference before, I knew the arduous journey ahead of me. Therefore, I left my house prepared to multitask—safely—on my trek.  The night before I left, I downloaded a couple of writing classes from a previous writers conference, downloaded a children ..read more

by Linda Gilden @LindaGilden As a fulltime freelance writer, people are often surprised when I say I love to write articles. “Articles?” they say. “How did you learn to do that? Why do you want to write articles?” When I hear that I am amazed. I cut my writing teeth on articles. They were shorter therefore my research took less time. I could write on many different subjects and learn about things I never knew existed. In fact, when I started out the idea of writing an entire book was overwhelming because I had small children who were not nap lovers. There are a few things to keep in mind ..read more

by Cindy K. Sproles @CindyDevoted Being raised in the mountains of East Tennessee, I didn’t have access to a great choice of classes in high school. Many small county school systems were and still are financially challenged, so these writing classes simply were not a part of the school curriculum. Schools inside the cities have a greater financial advantage over smaller county schools that don’t have access to additional tax funding that provides a greater school curriculum.  When I attended my first conference, I had no idea about POV (Point of View) or even what it was. I didn’t ha ..read more

by Larry J. Leech II @LarryJLeechII One sunny day I sat on my couch and decided to take a trip. I figured I would just jump into my vehicle, head out onto the highway, and see where I might end up.  After hours and hours of driving, ignoring road signs, and ultimately in need of gas, I had no clue where I was or how I got there. What I thought would be a good idea of taking a trip without any planning became a nightmare that I hope to never repeat.  And the same applies to writing.  Embarking on what could be a wonderful writing journey without a plan certainly will lead ..read more