by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28 “What is the felt need of your target audience?” I heard that question again and again at writers’ conferences. “Know what the felt need is, and write about it.” Great advice. But the phrase “felt need” seemed fuzzy in my brain. What exactly is it, and…

by Ane Mulligan  @AneMulligan Brand and voice. Two words tossed about the industry with regularity. Yet, what are they actually, and how do you go about finding your voice and establish a brand? Finding Voice When I read Finding Your Voice, by Les Edgerton, a light bulb turned on for…

by Lynn 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. And then…

By Aaron Gansky @ADGansky You hear writers often mention the “fictive dream.” John Gardner called it a “vivid and continuous dream.” It’s a term used to describe a simple principle: no one wants to read a book. There, I said it. Man, it feels good to get that off my…

By Cherrilynn Bisbano @bisbanowrites I don’t usually make New Year’s Resolutions but this year I commit to pray for each of you daily.  I also will post a weekly prayer on the Blue Ridge Writers Facebook page. Why do I storm the gates of heaven on your behalf? I pray…

by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea Things I would be immediately compelled to tell a time traveler popping in from the past: *Prepare to watch doorbell videos of delivery guys and their encounters with bees and porch pranks and whatnot. *Ready yourself to read hundreds—maybe thousands—of comments about yet another meeting that should’ve…