Blitz

Life-Transforming Fiction

Life-Transforming Fiction

At the End of Your Rope?

Have you ever wondered where the phrase at the end of your rope came from? According to a late friend and former mentor of mine, the phrase originated around the beginning of World War II. This friend had been an instructor responsible for training soldiers in mountain warfare/survival skills. One of the first lessons was to train the men to harness themselves to a rope and repel down a sheer cliff. The instructors stressed to the soldiers that they must pay strict attention to how much line remained beneath them.

Diary Of A Crazy Writer

Buzzing over a New Manuscript

Excitement flowed through my veins when I finished the draft of my first novel. I’m in the money. Hey, maybe someone will want to purchase the film rights for this. Woo! Hoo!

Okay, you can stop laughing now. A gal can dream, can’t she? Anyway, my grandiose thoughts of fame didn’t last very long. A few days later, I sat in front of the TV, eating lunch when a preview for an upcoming movie flashed across the screen.

Quantum Marketing

Making Your Dream Connection At Conferences

As you know, I’m fond of saying that we market (ourselves) in every moment. At writing conferences we market ourselves to agents, editors, and readers.

I attended the ACFW conference last month and want to ruminate on what I thought was masterful marketing-in-every-moment from a conferee.

Character Therapy

Importance of Your Character’s Family of Origin

Unless you’re writing young adult novels, authors don’t always give a lot of thought to the intricacies of an adult hero or heroine’s family of origin. After all, if she’s already left home when the book starts, what’s the big deal about her mom and dad? Below are five questions from the family APGAR assessment (acronym explained below) that will measure important concepts about your character’s family of origin. I’ll explain why these concepts are important, even for adult MCs.

She Reads

A Visit with Alison Strobel, author of Composing Amelia

I've been writing since I was a child. I wrote my first novel in junior high! But I was too dubious of my abilities to ever consider pursuing it professionally and too entrenched in responsible firstborn thinking, so I went into education instead and viewed my writing as nothing more than a hobby.