Dr. Laurel Shaler was one of the winners of the Promising Beginnings contest last year. She chose to attend the SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference. I’m thrilled to see the ways that her writing journey has continued to grow. Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed on my blog, Laurel. What blessings did you […]
Because I believe in the power, impact, and influence of Christian writers’ conferences, I hold an annual contest in which two prizes are awarded: a full scholarship to the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference(including meals and economy lodging) and a full scholarship to the SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference(including meals and dorm lodging plus reimbursement of travel expenses […]
A few months ago, my laptop started making buzzing noises. Afraid that it was about to die (no doubt in the middle of an important project), I switched to a new laptop. My old laptop had Windows 7; the new one has Windows 10. I knew there would be a learning curve (which I hate […]
Rules have changed. At one time, authors were respected for their long sentences and paragraphs that consumed half the page. Not anymore. Today, we want the picture in as few words as possible, with shifts of dialogue and observations put into separate paragraphs. In school, you may have learned that a paragraph begins with a […]
Having been a professional freelance editor since 1998, I believe in the power of a well-written and well-edited book. With all the self-publishing and small-press publishing going on these days, it seems there’s a plethora of books out there that aren’t as well edited as what the big traditional publishers have put out in years past. However, […]
Boom! Your lungs deflate as the acquisitions editor across the table responds to your humble and hopeful offering of your life’s work. Your proposal is written and your book is ready. You arrived at the writer’s conference in search of a publisher who would believe in you and your story. Your meeting with the editor […]
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 […]
