Hmmm . . . after my blog on agents, many of you had questions. Tracy asked, “This is helpful! As a newbie to all this, are there resources to help me identify which agents are taking new writers/if they prefer fiction or non-fiction, etc.?” Great question, Tracy. The best resource is The Christian Writers Market Guide… [Continue Reading]
secrets from the writer's chair
The Truth about Having an Agent
Fifteen years ago, my friend Robin Jones Gunn told me about her editor, Janet Grant, who was becoming an agent. I’d been attending Mt. Hermon Writer’s conferences for a few years, and having an agent seemed cool and very important. It took a few tries for Janet to welcome me into her flock. This was… [Continue Reading]
Three Words: Location, Location, Location
I’ve written more than thirty novels and for most of them, I’ve traveled on location for research. It takes time. It takes money, and folks may wonder if it’s worth it. It’s possible to accurate novels without traveling on location, but sometimes the location forms the story. This happened with my co-written novel Love Finds You… [Continue Reading]
My Writing Desk | Dorothy Love
On my desk are reference books for my work in progress, a couple of my Shaker boxes, photos of Ron and me arriving in Hawaii for our honeymoon, sweetgrass basket from South Carolina, a small sample of my seashell collection taken from beaches all over the world, a wooden travel box from out trip to… [Continue Reading]
10 Unexpected Ways to Improve Your Writing Productivity
1. Choose your friends wisely. Surround yourself with encouraging and inspiring people who believe in your dream.2. Consider what you read and what you watch. Is it uplifting, inspiring? (Catching the theme?) Do you feel energized after reading/watching or depressed and drain. (I don’t watch the news for the very reason it fills me with… [Continue Reading]
I Finished My Novel During NaNoWriMo—Now What?!
Many people I know are participating in the National Novel Writing Month. Never heard of it? You can find out more info here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/ If you have heard of it and indeed are writing a novel, you might be wondering, What’s next? What do I do after I get my novel done?! I have a few… [Continue Reading]
The Story behind the Story | Guest Post by Colleen Oakes
After I got married in 2003, my wonderful husband, Ryan, and I moved to St. Louis, where he was attended Concordia Seminary for the next four years. I had gone from living in Colorado, surrounded by family and friends, to living in a very bad neighborhood in St. Louis where I knew nobody aside from… [Continue Reading]
Get to Know Tricia | My Writing
What has been challenging your writing career? What I find most challenging balancing kids and writing. I’ve been a homeschooling mom since 1995 when I first started getting published. Two years ago we adopted a baby, who is now a very active toddler (and if you don’t believe me, just check out my Facebook page… [Continue Reading]
Start Your Own Writers’ Club
One of my favorite extracurricular homeschool activities was leading a monthly home-school writers’ club. We called ourselves “Writing Nerds” because that’s what we were: a group who loved reading and were interested in writing. Our group was made up of junior high and high school homeschoolers. We met for an hour and a half each month…. [Continue Reading]
Writing Historical Fiction | You Don’t Need as Many Facts as You Think
When I first started writing, the last thing I wanted to write was historical fiction. I thought it would be tooooo much research. The truth is . . . it is! But I also discovered I LOVE research, and writing historical fiction has become a love of mine. A few things I’ve done while… [Continue Reading]
Your Writing can Benefit Your Kids | Your Kids can Benefit Your Writing
Keeping “family first” is tough when it comes to writing. The hardest part is not getting frustrated trying to do it all! Sometimes I get impatient with my family when I have a deadline. Other times, I’m sluggish because I have to work when I want to be having fun with my family. It’s a… [Continue Reading]