By Aaron Gansky @ADGansky You hear writers often mention the “fictive dream.” John Gardner called it a “vivid and continuous dream.” It’s a term used to describe a simple principle: no one wants to read a book. There, I said it. Man, it feels good to get that off my…

By Darlene L. Turner @darlenelturner Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4 (NIV)  What happens when our well-thought out plans for our writing journey start falling apart? We receive rejection upon rejection. We get to the point where we shudder every…

By Debb Hackett @debb_hackett Contests are a big deal. Aren’t they? I’ve crashed and burned, semi-finaled, finaled, and won in four different events. Truthfully, winning was way more fun than bombing. But was it more useful? Statistically, there is a tiny chance of entering a contest and winning, so why…

by Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes, Ed.D. @khutch0767 Recently, I set a timer in thirty-minute increments to begin an edit I was absolutely dreading. Three hours later I’d also rewarded myself with a pile of snacks, a hot cup of tea, music, and the promise of an epic Hallmark binge. We each have tactics…

By Larry Leech @LarryJLeechII My son recently got me hooked on a game that pits two factions of ships against each other in a cosmic battle. I love games that involve strategy. This one features that, as well as quick thinking and more options than I can wrap my mind…

by Lynn Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn  Holiday writing can be tough. Okay, that’s a huge understatement. Holiday writing can be BRUTAL. There. That’s more accurate. As someone who has been on a deadline every holiday season for the past four years, let me share some words of wisdom for those of you who…