Many times, when I meditate on God’s Word, my eyes are drawn to encouraging and uplifting verses like John 3:16, or “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” or “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” And sometimes, as only God can do, He whacks …
Recent Blog Posts
critique
The Critique Group Part 2
Okay. You’ve made the plunge and decided to join a critique group. What should you expect? One is respect for each of us as a person and as a group. Be on time at the beginning and at the end. Respect each other as people and as colleagues striving to be …
The Dreaded Critique Group – Part 1
You’re about to submit your writing to a critique group for the first time. You haven’t felt this nervous since your first job interview. Or the time you proposed to your spouse. Or the time Old Aunt Mary visited and the dog was using the sweater she knitted you as …
Receiving Correction
If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored. Psalm 13:18 NLT One of the hardest things a writer learns is to receive criticism and correction. Unfortunately, some never do. James Scott Bell refers to it as growing a rhino skin. …
Are You Being Tossed About by Every Wind
Today, I am guest blogging at ACFW. Let me know what you think about critiquing. http://www.acfw.com/blog/are-you-being-tossed-about-by-every-wind/
Two Different Worlds: Solitude versus Community
In a recent post, I wrote about the different worlds of creating our stories and marketing them. Today, let’s take look at another aspect of the two worlds of writing: the world of our writing community. Solitude versus Community To be successful in our writing, we need to meld these …
The Test of Praise
No matter our line of work or ministry, we’ve all been criticized and received feedback. Sometimes it’s an annual employment evaluation. Sometimes, we’re criticized for something we did or didn’t do, either on the job or in our church or around the house. We’re human and we’re going to mess …
How Do I Know When My Manuscript Is Ready to Submit?
This is a question writers face every day. Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut answer. It’s like the quote attributed to a Supreme Court judge about a case dealing with censorship and art, “I may not know much about art, but I know what I like.” The answer …
Facing Your Goliath: Publication
Are you a frustrated writer? You’ve been working at your craft for a while, but success eludes you. An agent or a publisher seems to be just out of reach. Self-publishing is not your thing. It’s expensive and the idea of marketing and promoting your own work exclusively is another …
Are You Being Tossed About by Every Wind?
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Ephesians 4:14 NLT In my small group recently, …