by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales Have you taken yourself back to school with your self-editing methods? I often work with new writers who want to take their manuscripts to the next level, hoping to ace that query for an agent or catch that editor’s eye at the publishing house. And…

By Aaron Gansky @ADGansky Often, as writers, we tend to take the path of least resistance. We’ll throw in a tired, worn-out cliché because it’s easier than actually thinking of an original description. The result is a lot of the same stories with the same characters and the same “plot-twists.”…

by Julie Zine Coleman @JulieZColeman For many years, my friend Beth mentored middle-school girls at her church, with the intent of drawing them into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. One of their weekly activities, "I Spy God," was a time for sharing reported glimpses of Him they had in…

By Cherrilynn Bisbano @bisbanowrites As a writer, my companion is guilt. The cares of the world cause angst and keep me away from my desk. This “friend” needs to vacate the premises. I need to refocus on why I write, who called me, and who I belong to. So, I…

by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea Buffet strategies. I have them. Mostly they fail, but I have them. Stratagem one: load up the plate on the first go-round so I don’t have to go back. But guess what. I always have to go back. It’s a buffet. The beauty of the buffet is…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Oh, the curse of redundancy. It slashes through our writing with woes from our readers. The practice can cost a writer publication or lose readers. Expendable words and phrases don’t have to destroy our writing projects. A writer can master techniques to avoid them. Remember the…