Lillie If you asked writers whether they would want to write obituaries, most would probably not choose that as some of their favorite writing. But I’m blessed every time I write an obituary for someone in my church family. Writing the obituary for the funeral bulletin and the church newsletter is my memorial to the deceased and … Read more
I get as excited about good reviews for books I’ve edited as the authors do, and I’m pleased to report that my clients have received a number of excellent reviews. This week, David Bowles received a wonderful fan letter and a fabulous review of Spring House. The Jonesborough (TN) Herald & Tribune carried a full page review … Read more
Fr. Jerry Sherbourne, the former rector of my church, who became a military chaplain, is home from a year’s deployment in Iraq. Read about his homecoming. I’m so happy for him and his lovely family!
In my last post, I shared the positive experience I had with a critique group. But not every critique group works so well. One of my writer friends almost gave up writing because she had such a negative experience in a critique group. How can you avoid the pitfalls of a bad critique group? First, … Read more
Who reads your work-in-progress? I recently read some advice – rules of life – from a famous writer. Sorry, I forgot who it was! This great writer said he never let anyone read his works-in-progress, and he advised other writers to follow his example. He said most people don’t know enough about writing to recognize … Read more
Robert Bennett, who recently contacted me for advice on finding a publisher for his book, sent me a link to a blog post at Sibby Online entitled “Three lives conceived through rape.” Robert, conceived through incest, joined two women who were conceived through rape to share their stories at the South Dakota Right to Life … Read more
Although I’ve written only a couple of short stories, available free on my Web site, I enjoy stories I can read in one sitting. One of my favorite places to find short fiction is More Than Novellas. The site has Christian short stories, novellas (usually posted a chapter at a time), and interactive fiction (where … Read more
Have you discovered blog carnivals? I’ve discovered carnivals recently … and discovered how addictive they can become! A blog carnival is a collection of posts on a particular theme from a number of different blogs. Many carnivals are ongoing, with new editions posted each week or month. Carnival hosts search to find great posts to share, and bloggers can submit posts … Read more
I received an e-mail from a writer asking if I could give him advice on catching the attention of a publisher. He has been working with an agent for about a year on a nonfiction proposal and doesn’t have a contract yet. I don’t know anything about the proposal or the market for the subject … Read more
I’ve been helping a writer find an agent or publisher for his novel. He’s received several rejections, so I’ve been giving rejection a lot of thought. None of us like rejection, of course, and since I edited the novel for this writer, I feel the rejection as much as he does. But having been at … Read more