Fiction writing
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“Every hour you spend writing is an hour you don’t spend worrying about your writing.” –James Scott Bell, at the 2009 Christian Writers Seminar, as quoted by Beth Thompson here. Bell is the No. 1 bestselling author of Plot & Structure, and thrillers like Deceived, Try Dying, and One More Lie. Under the pen name…
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A couple of days ago, I reviewed Peter Leavell’s novel Gideon’s Call (Worthy Publishing). See that review. Today, over on Novel Rocket, I talk with Peter about his love for history and how it impacted not only the way he wrote the book, but also his relationship with his family. Come and visit me there–and…
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First Impressions, a new contest for unpublished authors from the American Christian Fiction Writers, is now accepting entries! With First Impressions, you submit only the first five pages of your manuscript to have them evaluated by experienced judges and industry professionals. Agents and editors agree the first five pages are crucial in getting them to…
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Title: Gideon’s Call Author: Peter Leavell Publisher: Worthy Publishing ISBN: 978-1617951176 Category: Historical Fiction I don’t read historical fiction. Never liked it, never cared much for history at all. Not since school when it was the most deadly dull course I had to suffer through. George Santanya had me in mind when he said, “Those…
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I’ve been in waiting mode for years with this novel I’m writing. Waiting for me to commit the time to it (note I didn’t say find the time). Waiting for inspiration to strike. Waiting for God to extend His finger from the sky and emblazon my manuscript with the perfect words. Waiting. Yes, for these…
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Curious about how the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference went last weekend in Dallas TX? Catch a glimpse of some of the knowledge shared in my post today on Novel Rocket. Then, come back later today when Peter Leavell steps Into The Edit with me–right here on this blog. Michael Ehret, for Writing on the…
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Recently, I attended the American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference in Dallas TX. I always come away from these gatherings with renewed creativity and an appreciation for just how tough this business is. But I also come away with a glow. If you’ve been to a writer’s conference, you probably understand. If not, and if…
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With the American Christian Fiction Writers conference just around the corner, I am reminded of The Wizard of Oz. Like almost every child who grew up in the 1960s and 70s, I never missed the opportunity to watch that movie on TV. It was shown annually for almost three decades. As a result, the movie…
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Enter the Way Back Machine with me. In 2005, a newbie fiction writer (though well into a communications career as a corporate editor) wrote to the e-mail loop of American Christian Fiction Writers seeking a freelance editor to look at his manuscript, pat him on the back, and provide an immediate connection to the perfect…
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If you’re a writer who is serious about writing, you know that in order to be successful you have to be able to pitch your book—and no, I don’t mean throw it across the room in exasperation because “it’s just not working!” (Though that will likely happen, too.) Since I was rejected—actually laughed at—in a…
Writing On The Fine Line 