By Lori Hatcher If you’ve ever attended a writing conference, you’ve likely met one or all of these five people. Sadie: Sadie has loved writing since she was a teenager scribbling her thoughts into a college-ruled spiral bound notebook. She processes life through her pen and her keyboard. While her friends are talking it out, she’s writing it out—fast and furious—until she’s made sense or peace of it. Whatever it is. She knows God has wired her to write, and she’s wondering if He might want to use her writing to help someone else. She’s at the conference seeking God’s direction and the in ..read more

by Henry McLaughlin @RiverBendSagas We’ve all heard story is about conflict and tension. And that is definitely true. Stories about happy people living in Happy Valley don’t excite readers. Frankly, they can be boring.  The story becomes a story when something disrupts the status quo. As John LeCarré once said, “The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the dog’s mat—now that’s a story.”  Here’s another way to look at it: Stories are about the pursuit of happiness. It’s even in the Declaration of Independence. Happiness is unique to each individual.  Story is ..read more

by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Writers enjoy creating a cast of characters. The process of developing distinct story players with unusual physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual traits fills us with satisfaction. But how do we know when we have too many? The dilemma of too many characters often occurs on the first page when more than two story players struggle for the point of view. We want the reader to identify with one character and establish a sympathetic bond. The writer invites the reader to invest hours and energy to walk the same journey as a story player. Using more than two chara ..read more

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson I’ve been in the writing industry for a while (about a quarter century *gulp*). And two small habit I developed early on have been absolutely invaluable to my career. These two things have kept me from missing opportunities, provided valuable contacts, and enabled me to head off some cloning and hacking situations.  What are they? First, I check my email spam folder every single day and second, at least once a month, I search for spam accounts that have cloned me on social media. You should make these habits part of your regular routine and here’s why ..read more

by Tammy Karasek @TickledPinkTam I’m not sure where your mind is in regard to your writing at this point in the year, but I know many writers around me are struggling with the good enoughs. I know, that’s not a real word—but it sure is a real issue. I’ve heard too many times lately—I’m not good enough, I don’t know if I should be writing or who do I think I am calling myself a writer? I’m not excluding myself from this problem, either. Those words have flashed through my mind on occasion.  Writer friends, that’s exactly where the enemy would have us, too. Self-doubt. It must be one o ..read more

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson We all have times when life spirals out of control. Maybe it’s too many writing deadlines, a family crisis or holiday madness. Whatever it is, it can drain us dry. I’ve learned that these dry times come when I don’t the luxury of taking a couple of weeks off to rest and recover. I’ve had to figure out how to keep going and recover while I'm doing it. How to Feed A Writer's Creative Spirit 1. I take a spiritual inventory. I make sure my time with God hasn't slipped in priority. Even if it hasn't, I look for more time to spend with Him. He is the source of all m ..read more

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