Leadership is tough work. It may look easy to the outsider but to the person in charge, challenges compete with, and sometimes threaten, success. Leading a writers critique group is one of the hardest yet most rewarding places to be. Hardest because at times it feels like you’re herding wet …
Recent Blog Posts
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Powerful Books
Recently, a discussion group I belong to raised the question: What books have affected me the most as a writer and a person? I had to think about this. Mostly because I’ve read thousands of books and enjoyed almost all of them. Did I mention I like to read? A …
Interview with Debut Author Julie Marx
J.A. Marx loves illustrating spiritual warfare through speculative suspense. In April, Write Integrity Press released her debut novel, Destiny Defied, the first book in The Destiny Series. She has published several articles and also edits for a healthcare e-zine. Her hobbies are fitness, nutrition, and dancing the Argentine tango. …
What Teaching Means to Me
I was recently asked: What is your goal when you teach at a conference? I usually have several goals when I teach. One is not to confuse anyone or, as the Hippocratic oath, in essence, states: First do no harm. My primary goal is to teach the craft of writing …
Are We Safe
Jude 1 (NLT) “I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus.” This verse struck me during my devotions, bringing me to a halt, making me stop and think. I’ve read it countless times, …
Still Working on This Patience Thing
My last posting on patience seems to have struck a chord based on the number of comments I received. There are times I still struggle with patience. Just ask my wife what it’s like to drive with me sometimes. Even in my writing, it’s hard sometimes to rest …
Dreamers
Minister Jerry Savelle once wrote: “Your dream will never come to pass until you get involved in helping someone else’s dream become a reality.” So many people have sowed into my dream of being a published author: Critique partners, conference teachers, agents, editors, other authors. Mentors like Jerry B. …
For a Good Read Check Out Mary DeMuth’sThe Muir House
Willa Muir has a dark hole in her memory–one year of her life, when she was four years old, is missing. Now in her mid-twenties, Willa is haunted by this lost year catching only glimpses of it in dreams, glimpses that don’t provide answers but only deepen the mystery. …
The 2:00 a.m. Friend
I was parked outside IHOP the other day waiting for my critique partners to arrive for our biweekly breakfast and critique meeting. I noticed a group of gentlemen standing outside. They appeared to be in their late sixties to early seventies. They are there every time we have our meeting. …
The Power of Words
Like most Christian authors, I pray over my writing; sometimes for inspiration; sometimes for ideas. At times, I’ve ask the Lord to help me take the jumble of thoughts in my head, a jumble that looks like a tangled fishing line and help me make some sense of …