Twenty years ago, italics was a popular means to indicate unspoken thoughts. That’s still acceptable, but we now have another approach that can be more engaging. Writing in “deep point of view” doesn’t require italics. In this style, the point-of-view character’s thoughts are brought into the narrative, so italics are no longer necessary. Many acquisition editors […]
As an agent, I spend a lot of time reading and evaluating the projects that show up in my inbox. Most of the submissions I receive are good—a lot of them even great—but I don’t have the capacity to say yes to everything. So I’ve developed a series of tools I can use to evaluate […]
Because I believe in the power, impact, and influence of Christian writers’ conferences, I am holding a contest again this year in which the prize is a full scholarship to a conference. This year, the winner will be given a choice between two options: Full scholarship to the 2019 Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, including […]
The second annual SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference has come and gone, and I’ve had a few weeks to catch my breath and mull over the experience. I was fortunate to be able to teach a few workshops and attend a bunch as well. I thought I’d share my top highlights. Highlight #1: Dorm life! It […]
I was so blessed to feature Jeanette Hanscome on the faculty for this year’s SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference, which I direct. I hope you enjoy this lovely guest post from her as much as I did! I’ve lost track of how many writers’ conference I’ve attended. But teaching at the SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference still […]
I’m honored to share this insightful post from Frank Ball with you all. The SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference in June was a delightful time and I hope to see many of you again next year… What is Writer’s Block? Merriam-Webster calls writer’s block “a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece.” While that definition is […]
I’m honored to share this fantastic post from Aurora Gregory with you all. The SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference last month was a wonderful time and I hope to see many of you again next year… I’m a writer and I love to write but I don’t necessarily consider myself an author. Even though I co-authored a book, I don’t […]
As a professional editor for the past twenty years, I’m always looking up guidelines in the industry-standard resources—which, for published books, is The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. So much of writing is subjective, up to author and publisher preference as well as educated guesswork as to what will be most effective […]
