Genre Happenings

Do You Have Issues with Fiction?
(If Not, Maybe You Should!)

My first novel had scarcely been out for a year when I was asked to teach a class on fiction writing at a Christian writers’ conference in 1989. It wasn’t that my novel was selling so well, but my women’s devotional that had released at almost the same time was selling beyond our wildest expectations and being reprinted as fast as they could keep the presses rolling, so my name was hot at the moment.

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For Writers

Fishin’ for the Basics in Devotions

“Gross, Mom.” My son giggled. “You’re a girl and you baited a hook.”

I smiled at my boys lined in a row and waiting for me to squeal at the cup of worms.

“You bet. I love to fish and you can’t fish if you don’t bait the hook.” I swiped the slime on my shorts, popped the release on my reel, and...

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Making A Scene

Heightening Character Emotions

One of the hardest challenges we novelists face is portraying characters’ emotions fully and completely. Often we don’t go deep enough. Oh, the novel may be published. But the scenes don’t ring as true to life as they could, don’t grab the reader by the neck and pull him into the story.

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Author By Night

Time Management for the Soul

I am the self-proclaimed Queen of Time Management.

Don’t let my title fool you, however. In no way does it imply mastery! It is only that I have tried every system, every planner, every online task-scheduling program known to humankind.

As a freelance writer and self-employed business owner, my life does not divide simply into “day job” and “author by night.” 

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