by Larry Leech @LarryJLeechII Disappointment and Discouragement. Oh, how they love to bother and belittle us. Batter and bruise us.  The “D” brothers are henchmen of the enemy. If we are not careful, they can overwhelm us with invasive thoughts. “That’s a stupid idea.” “No one will read this. “Ha,…

By Penny Reeve A number of years ago, when I was just learning how to blog, I wrote a series of posts called ‘Whatever is lovely’ in which I made a deliberate effort to seek out, notice and write about the things that defied brokenness to represent the essence of…

by Ramona Richards  @RamonaRichards Here’s a question I hear a lot, usually from new conference goers—or in some case new writers: “If I don’t have anything to pitch, is an appointment with an editor or agent a waste of time?” Like so many answers in publishing, this one can be…

By Eva Marie Everson @EvaMarieEverson In the 1960s, Ivory soap produced a number of ads showing mother/daughter duos who looked so similar—or whose hands looked so young—the narrator tried to determine which was the mother and which was the daughter. Despite looking remarkably alike—and youthful—one, indeed was the mom and…

by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted The most important thing you can remember as your writing career progresses is “Do your homework.” Here’s why: “I can help you with this.” Ned slipped a business card onto Sally’s notepad. “I notice you’re talking tons of notes. No need. I can help you.” She…

By Sheila Alewine @AlewineSheila No one can dispute the power of words, and I believe written words are exponentially more powerful, if only because they last longer. If a friend or loved one says something encouraging to me, I may remember it for a few days, or if it was…