By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Starting 2026 with expectations says THIS IS THE 50TH YEAR THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE has served writers. The blessings of God have helped the thousands who have gained writerly confidence, growth, and the meaning of God in our lives. What an incredible birthday…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 ESV  The four weeks of Advent that lead up to Christmas are symbolic of a writer’s…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Many of us memorized Psalm 100 as children. But have we considered what these beautiful words mean to the writer? Psalm 100 ESV  Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2     Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God!…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Most writers think they can handle life’s challenges on their own. I’m not one of those, but I know who to turn to when I need self-help. The world offers lots of resources to “fix” us in the quest to produce quality writing. Want to sell…

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…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Writing effective dialogue means being true to our premise, theme, setting, characters, and genre. Let’s examine the guidelines and characteristics for popular genres. Romance The story is about two people who are romantically involved. The plot focus is love—the characters must overcome differences, obstacles, and make…