By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin Every writer faces this question: which do I write first—a magazine article or a book?  It’s almost like asking which comes first: the chicken or the egg? As a former magazine editor who has published in more than 50 magazines (gave up counting them a while…

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn I recently returned from a vacation where for three days I didn’t do much of anything but read. It was glorious. I loved the books I brought with me. I inhaled them. I fell in love with the characters and the places and the ideas.…

 By JP Robinson @JPRobinsonBooks “Ah! I’ve had too many sales!” said no author ever. The truth is, sales are directly tied to what marketers call your reach. Your reach is basically your sphere of influence. Whether traditionally or indie published, authors must consistently strive to increase their reach in order…

by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales As many of you know, my 19-year-old son, Caleb, died this past January. It was sudden and unexpected, and that has entirely affected the months following. Especially my writing. I pray every November and December and ask God to give me a word for the upcoming…

by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28 God had to change my mind about editing. I used to think of it as an overwhelming process with almost no end in sight. Now I think of it as a treasure hunt. I may be looking for grammatical mistakes and typos—not exactly treasures. But there…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A reader asked me how I discover the antagonist when I write a story. The short answer is: discovering the bad guy or guys is as much a surprise to me as the characters and the reader. For those of you who know me … and…