Some of the best writing advice I’ve ever received came from the editor of a small town newspaper: “Discover what’s going on in world or national news, then find that story on a local level.”

The problem was that the hottest story in world news at the time was a widespread accusation that trusted clergy had molested children, especially young boys, placed under their care.

How could I possibly write about that on a local level when no such thing had been alleged in my community and the area clergy were known as caring men and women of good repute?

It gradually dawned on me that I didn’t need to mirror the horrific details of the world news story to gain readers’ interest; I needed to make my story relevant to things my readers were concerned about-I needed to find the reader’s hook.

That realization led to my first investigative piece, part of a three part series covering issues of incest, molestation and rape-the viewpoints of victims, the responses of their alleged perpetrators, and the medical and social service workers who participated in the immediate response and long term healing process.

When I began writing historical fiction, I rephrased my editor’s advice: “Discover what’s going on in world or national news, or what is most important-then find that story in history.”

In every past age we can find a story that mirrors the issues and/or needed lessons of our day. That’s the beauty and universality of storytelling. It’s the reason Jesus’ stories are as to-the-point for us today as they were to his followers 2,000 years ago.

And that is why the setting and story of Titanic at this time of the ship’s 100th Anniversary made the perfect reader’s hook for Promise Me This and was the perfect vehicle for conveying Christ’s love story to the world-the story that is always headline news.

Titanic contained the “upper crust” of this world traveling alongside the working class and poor-all setting sail together-all facing imminent disaster that few could have imagined. That sounds like us.

In the midst of that story a man provides rescue-salvation in an imperfect picture, to be sure-but life, hope, and a future for someone undeserving-the very thing Christ does for us.

And what about our response to that unmerited gift? The story’s characters play out our good intentions, amid imperfection, and are ultimately changed by love, and by grace.

Was Promise Me This that intentional from its inception? Not clearly. But, like you, I’m praying to be an instrument for God in the world, the hands and feet of Christ to write the stories He would have me write, to tell the stories He would have me tell for reasons known only to Him. It’s the beauty of having a story laid on our hearts, a story that grows, then using the best this world offers-like finding the reader’s hook-to tell it.

Cathy Gohlke is the two-time Christy Award-winning author of William Henry is a Fine Name and I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires. Her second novel also won the Carol Award and was one of Library Journal’s picks for Best Books of 2008. Cathy and her husband live in Elkton, Maryland.

Let’s start off with an explanation of “influencing”. This is the practice of putting your name and address on a list to receive a copy of the book either directly from the publisher or from the author. The idea is that you will read said book, write reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, CBD, etc., or talk about it with your friends, and “influence” others to buy-or-not-buy that book.

A free book. Yes, you’ll take that opportunity to maybe try out a new author without any financial risk. Seems like a good deal all around.

You receive the book, love it, and post glowing reviews all over the Internet. Not a problem. You’re happy. The author is happy. It’s all good. You sign up to be an influencer for someone else.

And you dislike the novel.

You tell all your friends not to waste their money. You tell strangers through Amazon, Goodreads, CBD, etc. not to buy the book. After all, you have a right to say what you like.

But is your right the right thing to do?

This is the influencing dilemma we all face when we take on the responsibility of reading someone’s book for review-what is the right way to handle not liking that book? Some of the choices are:

A: If you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all.

B: Write the author with your concerns and don’t make them public.

C: Treat your review like a critique and sandwich the criticism in-between good things you found.

D: Write your perfectly honest and uncomplimentary opinion.

However you choose to review a book for which you’ve agreed to be an influencer, keep two things in mind: An editor, probably an entire committee, liked this book well enough to buy it, and this is the author’s hard work, her brain-child, and that harsh review might hurt her in more ways than sales.

Award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes wanted to be a writer since knowing what one was. Her first book won the National Readers Choice Award in 2007, and her third book was a Carol Award finalist in 2010. Having her first book with Baker/Revell, Lady in the Mist, picked up by Crossings Book Club, and six of her books have been chosen for large print editions by Thorndike Press. She has been a public speaker for as long as she can remember; thus, only suffers enough stage fright to keep her sharp. In 2002, while in graduate school for writing fiction, she began to teach fiction in person and online. She lives in Virginia with her husband, two dogs, and probably too many cats.

My editing world was turned upside down last week. I thought I knew what was best to deliver the “satisfying ending to a great story.” Hopefully, we want the reader, or movie-goer to sit back, hold on to the last moments and then let go a sigh. “Ohhh, that was good.” At the movies, the audience just sits for a moment and collects their thoughts as they quickly review what they’ve just seen. Last week, there was an audible gasp as the screen faded to black. People wanted more… a definitive scene where the couple pledged their love to each other and promised to stay together forever. And that didn’t happen. The movie ended with a promise of what was to come between the two characters, but instead of showing a little more, a few words typed on a black screen reveals how the story ends. What??

How do you know when you have satisfied your reader with a good ending? What emotions do you want the reader feel? Tears, laughter, contented, comforted-even tense or maybe a little scared? Sometimes I don’t think we consider that how you end the book is just as important as how you begin it. Imagine the reader–they turn the last page, close the book or turn off their e-reader, and take a moment to reflect. “That was good and satisfying.”

I could teach a whole workshop on The Perfect Ending (and will this May at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference), here are a few of my thoughts on good endings:

1. The type of fiction (genre) you write in will influence how you end a novel. Romance ends with a marriage and a happily ever after. If you really want to seal the deal, add an epilogue with some future of the couple and their child in a happy gathering.

2. Women’s fiction ends in hope, at least it does in Christian fiction. Hope that with God things will be better, that the protagonist has become stronger, and while they may have suffered, there is hope the future will be better. You don’t have to have all happy endings, but you do need to leave them with hope.

3. In suspense, the protagonist succeeds over the bad guy, and justice is satisfied. However, in this type of fiction, there is no “norm” on how you get to this place. Good characters die, bad characters sometimes get away and there is not necessarily a happily ever after. But satisfaction is in knowing the good usually wins in the end.

4. In a cliffhanger, the reader is definitely left wanting more. The good guy saves the day, the bad guy fades to the background leaving the opportunity to rise again. The romantic couple are set for a happy ever after, but a secondary character bemoans his/her singleness. Everything leads to the reader wanting to read more about these characters and tells them there is still more plot to resolve.

In the movie I saw last week, I think the viewer was disappointed because they were not convinced of the couple’s future. As I was editing the movie-okay don’t laugh, I just can’t help it-I would have had the writer work on the woman’s character so that she was more believable, that she was worthy of the man’s love. Then when they walk off hand-in-hand, you are convinced in that end that they will be together forever. The producers broke the cardinal rule of fiction…they told us how the story ends, they didn’t show us.

Happy Endings!

Sue Brower is the Executive Editor at Zondervan, focusing on fiction and inspiration (devotionals, memoirs, gift books). Prior to joining editorial team (2006), she spent 13 years marketing in the Christian Publishing industry. Among her many honors, Sue was also named ACFW’s Editor of the Year in 2010.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Gen. 1:2, NIV)

I’ve always loved that tiny pause right there in Genesis 1:2, were it says “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” It feels like a moment of rest before God’s explosion of creativity begins. The Amplified Bible expands on that word “hovering” and adds the word “brooding.”

What does it mean to brood? In a literal sense, it’s when a bird covers, warms and protects her eggs in preparation for their hatching. More metaphorically, we use the word brooding to refer to turning something over in our minds; pondering; dwelling continuously on a topic.

So I imagine God hovering over this vast nothingness, feeling warm and protective and even a little worried about this baby He’s about to hatch. I imagine Him pausing right before He is about to create everything that exists, and pondering it. Turning it over in His mind. Letting His subconscious work (does God have a subconscious?), unleashing His creativity to its fullest extent before making even one brush stroke in His actual creation.

And then I ask myself: Do I have enough “hovering” time in my life?

Do I allow myself the time to ponder my creative works, to brood over the challenges and obstacles in my life and my projects? Do I create space for simply allowing my mind to work and allowing God to speak?

These days, most of us are go-go-go from the moment we wake in the morning, and on top of that, we rarely have “radio silence” in which we don’t have input of some kind. The only way we can create hovering time is to intentionally leave times in which we are silent… open to the workings of our subconscious, open to the voice of the Spirit guiding us.

I find the best times for creative idea-generating and problem-solving are:

• First thing in the morning upon waking, before even rising out of bed. If you can allow yourself at least 15 minutes between waking and rising, you may find this to be one of the most creative times of the day

• While doing menial tasks such as dishes, laundry, vacuuming. If you’re alone and you keep the TV and radio off during these times, and you set your intention on a particular creative venture or problem in your life, you may find answers bubbling up.

• While outdoors: gardening, hiking, walking, bike riding.

• While driving (if your car isn’t full of kids and you keep the stereo off).

As a writer, your life is probably very full, and when you finally have “writing time” you drop into your chair, open up your WIP and try to get right to work. But I encourage you to consider your “brooding time” to be just as important as the actual writing time, and make sure you intentionally work it into your schedule.

“The best time for planning a book is when you’re doing the dishes.” -Agatha Christie

What are YOUR best brooding times?

***

Rachelle Gardner is a literary agent with Books & Such. If you’re interested in submitting a project, read her Submission Guidelines. Visit her popular blog for writers at RachelleGardner.com. You can also follow Rachelle on Facebook and Twitter.

Stealing Jake, Pam Hillman’s debut novel, reveals an evil situation prevalent in the 1800s. By 1874, child labor laws had been passed, but the practice of working children in sweatshops hadn’t been eradicated. Her book reveals the dangers in coal mining at that time as well, and her scenes set in the mines gave me claustrophobia.

The main characters, a deputy sheriff and a reformed, former child pickpocket from the streets of Chicago, meet in a small town not far from there. Of course, their histories make them distrust each other from the beginning.

I love the way Hillman reveals the evil, and at the same time, provides the answer to the problem. However, the road leading from the problem to the resolution is often a bumpy one. Readers will cheer for the underdogs, despise the villain, and want the hero and heroine to realize who they are in the Lord, so their relationship can move on.

Hillman also skillfully creates a vivid setting to frame the story.

Stealing Jake is a Tyndale Electronic First Initiative. With this book on my Kindle, I grabbed it up and read every chance I got, because the story captured my interest and my heart.

Lena Nelson Dooley won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico. She has more than 675,000 books in print, including Maggie’s Journey, McKenna’s Daughter series, book 1.

Corin, who carries a huge chip on his shoulder, is estranged from his only brother, divorced, and barely keeping his business afloat. If it weren’t for hang gliding and other dangerous sports he and his friends enjoy, life would be miserable. Then a customer with a life-threatening illness rests in Corin’s chair and is later declared cured.

Curiosity abounds. Corin moves the chair to safekeeping, studies it, and even takes a sample for dating. Meanwhile, life unfolds, and readers get insight into Shasta, his wheelchair-bound brother, and Mark Jefferies, a famous evangelist searching for an ancient relic with curative powers. Corin, a history major, visits his former professor to seek advice.

Clues continue to peel away and mystery is added as Corin tests the chair’s healing powers, stretching his long-dormant faith muscles. When bad things start happening, he doesn’t know who to trust.

Rubart crafts intriguing settings with emotionally charged characters in yet another curious, spiritual mystery designed to both test and explore matters of faith. The “guy talk” is spot on, clipped, and coded, but the constant use of dates and types of artifacts made me feel occasionally like I was watching an Antiques Road Show commercial. The Chair is a friendship story with a pinch of romance, family disintegration, some gruesome suspense, and a stab at society’s deepest fears, loneliness and emotional and spiritual bankruptcy.

Jim Rubart fans, and those who enjoy spiritual mysticism, will like The Chair, his third novel, and look forward to his next offering.

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives with her husband in a 160-year-old house, built by a Great Lakes ship captain. Surrounded by books and dragons, she writes inspiring fiction. Her published novels include mystery and romance, all with a twist of grace. She edits, writes book reviews and interviews, and has penned dozens of feature newspaper stories, short stories, magazine articles, and radio theater. She is the editor-in-chief of Creative Wisconsin magazine and OtherSheep, a Christian sci-fi/fantasy magazine. She loves to encourage new authors. The Map Quilt, coming April 2012.

The season of contests is upon us. There’s is nothing better than being nominated for an award, or even better winning an award to boost your chances of publication or selling your books.

But what if year after year your submission doesn’t even make it to the finals?

Just yesterday a friend said her submission wasn’t ready after she’d worked on it for months. She said she was going to pull out of the contest. This saddened me. I felt she wasn’t giving her submission a chance.

Because in my opinion, contests are not about winning.

I wrote back to my friend and suggested that by keeping her submission in the ring, she would at least receive back a solid critique. Judges in any contest are writers who have put many years into their own writing. Their comments are worth their weight in gold.

A few years ago I entered my debut novel, Shadowed in Silk, in the ACFW Genesis contest. The title was Unveiled at the time. I’d been writing for eight years by this time, and had enough rejections to make a collage to hang on my wall. But I entered the Genesis with the prayer that God would do only what He thought best for my writing career at this point in time.

Because after so many years with nothing to show for it but a tattered manuscript I thought maybe it was time to hang up my skates.

I made it to the finals that year, and then in September, Shadowed in Silk won the Gold. I couldn’t afford to attend the conference and Golden Keyes Parsons accepted on my behalf.

But winning that year was the shot in the arm that I needed to keep on writing. In spite of winning, it was another two years before Shadowed in Silk was published. But I learned something from that contest.

The issue is not about winning or losing.

The issue is that God doles out to each writer what they need in order to direct their path or encourage them to keep on going.

Maybe you didn’t make it to the finals-of whatever contest you entered-last year. Maybe you enter the race year after year and suffer disappointment.

But I have found that if I enter a contest with the prayer that the Lord will give to each participant something that he or she needs in their writing career, I am usually blessed in an extraordinary way. I don’t win every contest I enter, but I trust in a God who is loving and fair to each of His children.

Don’t think of just winning. Think of how God can encourage you or refine your writing through the process. Don’t allow fear to stop you from running the race, and take pride in the entering.

Christine Lindsay’s historical inspirational novel SHADOWED IN SILK won the Gold Genesis in 2009 for Historical, and is the January 2012 pick for ACFW Book Club. The Pacific coast of Canada, about 200 miles north of Seattle, is Christine’s home. Like a lot of writers, her cat is her chief editor.

Thank you so much for all your hard work, Carol. We appreciate you!

Margaret Daley
ACFW President

When I wrote my first novel, Into the Free, I didn’t write an outline. Instead, the story came to me organically, and I didn’t know what would happen until I typed the words on the page. I enjoyed every minute of the process from start to finish, and the element of surprise kept me returning to the computer night after night.

Of course, the editing phase was intense and I had to completely reshape the book to build a proper plot structure, but that part was fun too. In the end, I hope I created a page-turning work that leads readers through the story without losing their attention, but I admit it took more than a little tweaking to turn that original draft into the book it is today.

When I set out to pen the sequel, my fabulous editor, Nicci Jordan-Hubert, suggested I start with an outline (can you feel her pain?). The result? I’ve spent months staring at a blank page struggling to create a formulaic plan of attack. Finally, with deadlines looming and anxiety building, I gave up. I sat at my laptop and just started to write. After months of stagnant writer’s block, I dropped more than 20,000 words on the screen in one day. I had rediscovered my passion for fiction by accepting the fact that I am not going to use an outline. (Sorry, Nicci.)

I admire people who can plan their stories in an organized way. Maybe one day I’ll be able to perfect that technique. In the meantime, I’ll listen to the voice of my main character, Millie Reynolds, as she tells me her tales. I’ll capture those stories the best way I can – unfiltered. Then, I’ll return to fill in the details, lacing the sentences with research-based layers and perfecting each scene to leave readers wanting more.

I’ve heard it said that if a writer isn’t surprised by her own story, then readers won’t be either. There’s something magical about a traditional three-act plot structure, and there’s certainly a lot of power behind a tale with proper pacing and character development. All of those aspects matter tremendously. However, too many authors try to fill in the blanks using a standard template. This only results in a dry, stale piece of literature with a predictable ending and limited emotional return.

I am not ruling out the possibility of outlining future works, but for me, at this point in my journey, I am abandoning the desire to outline my sequel. I want to find the roots of the story first. I want to see where my characters take me. I want to return to the computer surprised each night and write the last page with tears in my eyes. I want to feel those peaks and plummets of emotion and end the story wishing Millie was still with me.

In the end, I will chop and sauté and simmer until a well-balanced meal is served. But for now, I will gather the freshest, most delicious ingredients I can pluck from my imagination. Bon appétit!

Julie Cantrell was the editor-in-chief of the Southern Literary Review and has been a freelance writer for ten years. She has contributed to more than a dozen books and her first novel, Into the Free, was released February 1 (David C Cook). She is represented by Greg Johnson of WordServe Literary.

John Lennon’s iconic self-portrait hung on my cubical wall for years. His whimsical art was a wink to my arty inner-poet. But I have turned a corner recently. I’m wearing my (virtual) Paul McCartney jersey now. Here’s why.

Paul McCartney wrote “Silly Love Songs” in response to critics’ accusation that he wrote lightweight songs-and there’s speculation that for “critics” here we could substitute the name John Lennon. But that’s conjecture. As a Beatles fan,I’m loathe to stir the pot.

My point is that “Silly Love Songs” is confessional. In it, McCartney sings of his belief in love and that ultimately “love isn’t silly at all.” When I hear this song, something in me cries, “Yes! This is our anthem!”

Because, Dear Christian Writers, we are a people of love songs. For we serve a God who is Love! Everything we write and publish proclaims that love matters.

Sure, there’s a place in this world for novels critics call “provocative.” But I often wonder, provocative to what end? As for me, I want novels that show me what Love looks like, incarnate. Show me familial love, agape love, romantic love– all kinds! That’s what I need. It’s what the world needs. Nothing satisfies as does love.

Readers and critics won’t always understand what you’re about, Dear Writer, so please remember the Apostle Paul’s encouraging words: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

So to those of you penning “silly love songs” today, I applaud you. Please oh please, write on.

AMI MCCONNELL is Senior Acquisitions Editor for Thomas Nelson’s fiction division. Her editing credits include New York Times Bestsellers, RITA finalists, and several Christy Award winners. In 2009, ACFW named McConnell Editor of the Year. She’s the proud mother of five children and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Fear, like a ghostly apparition haunts all of us as writers. For some it is a memory of a parent’s or teachers deprecating comment, like “Don’t ever consider becoming a writer.” For others it’s the ghost of past failures that produced an involuntary response-shelving a project. For some it haunts the writer as the ghost of writer’s block.

Helping a psychiatrist with his book on what it means to be a Christian counselor introduced me to a ghost-revealing verse of Scripture-and a ghost-defying approach. This psychiatrist’s discovery of Hebrews 2:15 opened up a dramatically improved counseling approach and for me a new understanding of the role of fear in a writer’s life. Here’s the verse in three versions:

“and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (NKJV)
“and deliver all those who through the fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” (ESV)
“Only in that way could he deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant dread.” (Living Bible)

At the root of all pathologies, this psychiatrist insisted, is the fear of death. Applying it to writers, I recognize it in dealing with the ghosts of the past, present and future:

• An inadequate education killing opportunities as a writer
• Ever putting to death the voice that said, “You’ll never be a writer.”
• Overcoming rejections by those holding the power of editor
• Tackling the daunting task of delivering a 90,000-word novel
• Overcoming the seemingly impossible task of cutting a 150,000 word novel to 100,000 words
• Wrestling down the fear of ever having a bestseller

The psychiatrist found that when he introduced counselees to Heb. 2:15 and explained how every facet of their life was being controlled by the fear of death, the aha moment produced a healing process. He introduced his clients to the secret of dealing with the ghost of death in verse 14: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (NKJV). That establishes two realities, that of death because of the devil and victory because of Jesus’ death.

Life has always contained a series of opportunities for death to disturb our life. So how can we deal with the fear produced by the ghost of death?

• Meditate on Bible verses with promise in them.
• Gain a sense of calling through listening to the master of the universe, Jesus Christ, in meditation and prayer.
• Tackle your fears head-on in the power of the Holy Spirit and keep on writing.

The ghostly apparition of death pushed by the devil need not increase your fear of death. Jesus died our death for us to not only give us life eternal, beginning now, but also the courage to face our daily fears.

An active Literary Agent for 19 years and Executive Editor of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, Les Stobbe also serves as director of International Christian Writers. He has been denominational editor, newsletter editor, book editor, book club vice-president, curriculum managing editor, and president of a book publishing house. He has written curriculum, journalism lessons, 14 books and hundreds of magazine articles. He loves working with writers of both non-fiction and fiction. His website is at www.stobbeliterary.com

Last Sunday I went to a church I sometimes visit that’s closer to where I live. It’s been a particularly cold winter so far and the night before we had about 3 or 4 inches of snow. That may not be much to people living in other parts of the world, but for London that’s a lot. That was one of the reasons why I chose to go this other church as opposed to my regular church which is farther away.

I was so glad I did. The Lord knows exactly what we need to hear, when we need to hear it and when we can handle it. The message was about getting your voice back and singing again. The pastor talked about reviving your dreams; getting back your creativity. There are some of us who have let life, circumstances and fear sap our productivity and stop us from moving forward or making progress. This resonated within me because after a great start, I’d been struggling with my writing for a while.

Three years ago I completed the first draft of my first manuscript. After the joys of being creative without thinking about the technical and business side of the craft I got stuck and overwhelmed with seemingly contradictory advice, so I started writing and re-writing and then let ‘life’ get in the way. At a few junctures I began to doubt my call and felt so inferior reading the various emails on the loop that I retreated even further into myself.

But the desire to write, though buried, wouldn’t leave me. I learned to ignore it somewhat, but then family, close friends and even casual acquaintances began to ‘bug’ me about it. I just couldn’t run from it. So when I went to church and really listened to the ministration of the Holy Spirit, I felt a weight lift off me. You know how some of us sometimes get overly emotional and excited when we hear a ‘good’ message at church? And then when all the emotion has drained from us, we leave feeling empty? Well this wasn’t like that. It was emotional for sure, but from the words the pastor used it seemed that he’d been reading my thoughts from the last week or so!

I made so many notes but one set of instructions I noted stood out, “You have to start changing before the situation changes.” Hmm. That’s a thinker. I realise that it’s my responsibility to push through regardless of what else may be happening in my life. I have tremendous respect for such an august group of people in ACFW, not just because of the brilliant works you’ve collectively written and published, although that is impressive, but because you get a lot done despite the challenges you face in your own lives, running businesses, taking care of your families, through sickness and financial hardships. Kudos to you all! I have no excuse.

Yes, I’m still a bit shaky, but I’m getting on with it. By His grace (and my effort), I will finish editing my manuscript in a timely manner and move forward.

Daniella Ojo is a Technical Author and Software Trainer living in London. She is editing her first manuscript and working on some new stories about relationships and is trusting God for connections leading to publication.

I am a New Englander by birth and proud of it. I didn’t make it west of the Mississippi River until I was twenty-two. Nor did I watch many Westerns on television. My heroes were the Minutemen and the leaders of the civil rights movement. Mythology belonged to the Ancient Greeks and Romans; with a healthy dose of the Norse gods.

Then I went to graduate school in Texas, moved to Oklahoma with my husband, and later made it to Colorado. When I began writing, the heroine in my first book followed a similar path: she left Maine to go to medical school in Denver.

Along the way of falling in love with living in the West, I learned that the legend of the Wild West forms the basis of American mythology. Consider the following stock characters:

o Saloon girl: forced into prostitution against her will but with a heart of gold
o Mountain man: loner, fiercely independent, explorer
o Miner: always looking for the next strike
o Gambler: charming cad, willing to risk it all on the turn of a card
o Cowboy: Rough on the outside but a gentleman and a protector
o Texas Ranger: committed to justice. One Ranger is equal to a hundred of the enemy

Buffalo Bill introduced the Wild West to the world through his show; and artists such as Remington and Russell captured it with paint. It lives on in small mining and ranching towns. When we watch or read a western, we expect certain things. Think about it. Could How different would J.R. and Bobby Ewing be if they lived in Boston instead of Dallas? Of course a team called “Cowboys” became known as America’s team! No wonder Olympic uniforms often include Stetsons.

When Janette Oke wrote her first prairie romance, she opened the door for all of us. Christians, in particular, seem to have an insatiable desire for those larger-than-life characters. I have dipped into that fascination for several of my books, including my latest, A Ranger’s Trail in the Texas Trails series.

As writers, we may want to write about an earlier time (shout out to all of our colonial writers!) or a later time (anyone else there want to write about the 1950s?) We’d like to choose a different setting than Montana or Texas (or whatever state is the current flavor of the year).

But our readers hunger for the Wild West for good reason: They want faith-based stories during a time that brought out the best-and worst-of Americans.

Let us applaud and enjoy our heritage as we write about that most American of all heroes: the cowboy.


Darlene Franklin is a Christian, mother, grandmother, and oh, yes, makes her living by writing books. She recently moved to Oklahoma City to be near her grandbabies. Her lynx point Siamese proudly claims Darlene as her human. She has written twenty books and had short articles published in twenty others.

You all know her as the woman (TOTW coordinator) who posts every week with a topic of the week centered around something to do with the craft of writing. She has done this for years and still comes up with great topics for the main loop to discuss.

She contacts published authors about the topics and gets responses from them ahead of time to post on the loop. She canvasses the main loop to see what you want to discuss concerning writing and she participates in the discussion.

Syndi, you have done a wonderful job and ACFW appreciates your dedication.

Margaret Daley
ACFW President

Writers write!

For most of us, we don’t make a living from our writing. For you that do, congratulations. For the rest of us, what happens when a crisis comes? Can we justify the time, money, and emotional effort writing takes away from your family and/or the current crisis?

To answer that question, it’s important to remember there will always be another crisis, another problem, another reason to take you away from your writing.

Since I’ve joined ACFW, I’ve seen this topic come up in different forms numerous times on the loop. How do I respond when family or friends treat my writing time as unimportant? How do I find the time to write? How do I meet deadlines when life gets messy? How do I get past writer’s block? How do I deal with the first or the hundredth rejection?

For me the answer is simple.

Ignore _________ and keep writing.
(fill in the blank with your reason)

To become a writer means making a commitment. To become a published writer means making a bigger commitment. And the first commitment has to be to take time to do it. Of course, there are times when writing gets pushed aside for a day or two and that’s perfectly acceptable.

But writers write.

As I write this, my husband is facing a triple bypass in a few days. We only found out yesterday and it came as quite a shock. But I spent the morning writing guest blogs that I’d already committed to doing. I knew if I could not do them, everyone would be gracious.

But writers write.

God gives us the desire and talent to be writers but to become a writer we must not only make the commitment but follow through on it. Most people won’t understand my advice and some may even disagree vehemently, but writers will get it. It’s not always easy or fun….

But writer’s write.

Lillian Duncan writes stories of faith mingled with murder and mayhem. To learn more about her writing and her books, visit her at www.lillianduncan.net or www.lillianduncan.wordpress.com. DECEPTION (published by HarbourLight Books) is her latest release.