By Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted Three successful novels and now a fourth on the way. What if I disappointed this time? Fear rose, and my self-confidence hit rock bottom. Suddenly, I lost my ability to put a story together. The first chapter came to me but, after that – what? Other…

By Barbara Latta @BarbaraLatta College football lover or not, a person can’t get away from the knowledge of Alabama Crimson Tide head coach, Nick Saban. Tide lover or not, one can’t deny they are a prize-winning organization. I live with a Tide fan. He was born into it. His family…

by Lindsey P. Brackett @lindsbrac People crack me up when they ask how I “do it all.” I’m pretty sure if these same people were a fly on my wall, they’d: a) have full run of the house because I’m too busy to buy a fly swatter. b) realize pretty…

by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28 We all want a happy ending. But no life reaches a happy ending without some conflict. That’s why we need novels and nonfiction books. We want to see someone overcome the odds and win the victory, find their true love, or solve the crime. We want…

@DiAnnMills Some of our character’s traits are easy to discover. Physical description, food preference, a career choice, favorite color or food, wants, goals, and other basic attributes that can be revealed in a non-threatening manner. Life experiences that had painful physical, mental, or emotional outcomes are often hidden beneath a…

@LisaCarter27 So you’ve got this idea for a story . . . What do you do now? Do you sit down and pound out something? Then encounter bewilderment five chapters later? There are 3 stages in novel writing—pre-writing, writing, and re-writing.But the writing will stutter-step to a halt if first…