By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Every novelist reaches a plateau in which the perfect story idea isn’t coming together. The plot germ is there, but the theme, setting, characters, and storyline seem to spin out of control. By using the acronym, BRAINSTORM, you can bring the whirling to a halt and…

by Hope Welborn @WriteawayHope Writers Conference. These two words can strike fear into the souls of every introverted writer hiding behind her hipster glasses, organic green tea, and laptop. Or maybe that's just me. Meeting new people, meals with strangers, and the dreaded 15-minute appointments with faculty. These things can…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills If you’re like me, writing can be a war zone. Every day I march to my computer and battle with words. Sometime I carry the flag and stand on my desk and scream victory. And other times I hide under my desk and cower like a…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills While writing my latest novel, a shocking realization punched me hard in the stomach. My manuscript was littered with worn out and overused words. Originality had been replaced with a nasty disease called redundancy. Creativity slumped into a corner and buried her head. My disease had…

[tweet_box design="default" float="none" inject="@EvaMarieEverson on @BRMCWC #writing"]Complete list of the Blue Ridge Mtns. Christian Writers Conf awards[/tweet_box] Selah Awards NONFICTION GENERAL Finalist, Nonfiction General, Jill Lynn Buteyn & Kara Tippets—JUST SHOW UP (David  C. Cook) Amanda Ludeke & Bill Jenson, agents,  Ingrid Beck & John Blasé, Editors — Finalist, Nonfiction…

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson The publishing industry is like any other—fraught with unwritten rules and etiquette norms.  Add to that the wild wild west of social media and the new writer can commit faux pas that spell career disaster. [tweet_box design="default" float="none" inject="@EdieMelson on @BRMCWC #writing #BRMCWC"]The Dos & Don’ts…