Bird By Bird: A Timeless Writing Resource by Karley Conklin
“‘So why does our writing matter again?’ they ask. Because of the spirit, I say. Because of the heart. Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul.” –Anne Lamott, pp. 237 Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott should be on every […]
Self-Publishing Q & A: Interview with P. Diane Buie
Sixth in the Write2Ignite Self-publishing series by Debbie DeCiantis In 2016, Write2Ignite Conference began receiving a lot of questions about non-traditional options like hybrid-and self-publishing. When our spring conference that year had to be canceled (actually, postponed, because all our presenters signed on to give their keynotes and workshops in March of 2017), author and […]
Combat! A Teen Review by Ethan Blair
While a touch ponderous at times, Dennis Peterson’s Combat! Lessons on Spiritual Warfare from Military History gives a good overview of military history with a strong spiritual explanation of how God’s hand has shaped history. The book takes a deep look at historic battles and shows the ways that those victories (or defeats) can teach us […]
Punctuation: Spice Up Your Writing by Emily Babbitt
The English language has many interesting components to work with, and one of my favorite ways to add personality to my writing is through punctuation! In grade school, you learned about the different end marks: periods, exclamation marks, and question marks. You probably also learned about commas, colons, semicolons, and hyphens. There is a whole […]
3 Tips for Restoring Broken Writing Goals by Karley Conklin
“I ask again, ‘What are your Writing Goals?’ Now sit down and write them out and put them where you can see them every day,” (Lynette Hall Hampton, Writer to Writer, pp. 9) In the sum of the writing resources I’ve read, the importance of setting writing goals is a common theme. Advice for would-be […]
Maintaining Focus While Social-Distancing by Deborah DeCiantis
How can a social-distancing writer focus on 1) writing progress and 2) spiritual wellbeing? If you’re getting plenty of alone time, writing should be easy, right? But you’re still living in unfamiliar circumstances, perhaps removed from routines or places that inspire you. If you’re surrounded by children or other adults who suddenly find themselves without […]
Why You Should Write Your Book Proposal Now by Leah Jordan Meahl
If you are gung ho on getting a book published, be it your first or 20th, one essential component you’ll need is a book proposal. Whether you’re in the brainstorming process or just about to type “the end,” I suggest that writing the proposal sooner rather than later will help sharpen your manuscript in […]
Social-Distancing for Writers
This week has been a turning point for the COVID-19 crisis in the United States. Many governors have enacted stay-at-home-orders, New York is erecting temporary field hospitals, and American manufacturers have pledged to build ventilators and protective equipment. All of this made me wonder: what does social-distancing for writers look like? As writers, we […]
Get Organized! Helpful Tools for Writers by Emily Babbitt
One of the most difficult parts of any writing project is keeping your ideas, writings, and sources organized. Here a few tips and resources to help you organize your next project. Outlines Forget about the Roman-numeral-heavy outlines from grade school and think in lists, paragraphs, images, or phrases — whatever helps you organize your thoughts. […]
Do You Google? by Ava Pennington
When I was 14 years old, I won the grand prize in a contest: a set of encyclopedias. I know—not very exciting, is it? But this was in the ancient days before computers, personal or otherwise. You’d have thought I won London’s crown jewels! I was so proud of that prize. It replaced the 25-year-old […]