I have been to all of the US FaithWriters’ conferences, and can tell you that it is a WONDERFUL experience. And, of course, the question usually comes up about this time of year: “Are we having a conference this year?”

The answer: We’re not sure. Right now, the FaithWriters’ folks are trying to gauge interest, to determine, especially in this economy, if it would be feasible.

There’s a poll on the FaithWriters boards (click here) – we’d appreciate you letting us know [...]

PUTTING OUR BABIES ON A DIET:
or How To Cut The Fat Out Of Your WIP (Part 2 of 2)

By Gina Conroy

(CLICK HERE FOR PART 1)

Resist the Urge to Explain (RUE)

In an effort to make my character’s motivations clear, I often tried to explain them through internal dialogue, external dialogue or both. Then I started asking myself “Does the reader need to know this now?” If the answer was no, I cut it and looked for a [...]

PLEASE READ:

We have recently encountered a problem with our payment processor, 2checkout.com. Without going into the complicated details about the issues, the bottom line is that if you are subscribed to any of our upgrade features, such as the Platinum 500 or Gold Memberships, Private Messenger, EZ Site Builder, etc., your access to these services may have been deactivated, or could be at any time. This is directly related to the payment processor, not [...]

Those of you who are challenge devotees probably noticed that we had a no-challenge week this past week that we weren’t expecting. But never fear, the Writing Challenge will be back tomorrow with a new topic.

A lot of people were struggling with the computer-related topics, and because of this, that theme has been cut short. Starting tomorrow, the challenge will be back (with non-tech topics), but with a WEEKLY format, as it used to be, rather than a two-week opportunity. [...]

It’s time to give a cheer for these awesome FaithWriters’ members and their writing accomplishments!

DAVE WALKER has just published God In The ICU. It is about his experiences, as an anaesthetist who prayed for his patients, in seeing God respond to prayer: Medical drama, personal drama and, chiefly, honoring our awesome God. WONDERFUL!

DAVID BUTLER’s historical novel The Poor Preachers (Penname Arthur D. Bardswell) has been published. It centers around reformer John Wycliffe’s time in 14th Century England. He began [...]

Praying your Christmas was wonderful and CHRIST-filled. Now a bit of food for thought

Intimate Details
By Sydney Avey

Corruption, depravity, desperation, sex, medical emergency: Is this not the stuff of great stories? Intimacy is the common element that creates a heartwarming or chilling tale.

Today I am pondering the connections between two writers’ explanations of what inspires readers.

Roger Rosenblatt concludes in Unless it Moves the Human Heart: “The heart that you must move is corrupt, depraved and desperate for [...]

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS: A WRITER’S WISH LIST

By Dorothy Love

The Christmas catalogs are arriving at my house in a flurry. The other day I noticed a page in one of them devoted to writers. The gift suggestions included an oversized coffee mug, a gift card to an office supply store, a box of chocolates, a tee shirt with the message: Ask Me About My Novel. Here’s what I think most writers, [...]

And now, what we’ve all been waiting for. Out of EIGHTY ONE entries, a winner and two runners up have been announced!

The winner of the 2011 FaithWriters/Finesse Fiction Page Turner is

The Powerful Odor of Mendacity by DEE YODER

Congrats, DEE! Enjoy your prize of:

A  cash prize of $800.

Free editing of their manuscript (up to 300 pages).

Free publicity and marketing of their book on all FaithWriters’ sites for twelve months following publication.

A special Page Turner Champion award plaque.

[...]

So, are you sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting to see who won the 2011 FaithWriters/Finesse Fiction Page Turner Contest?

Well, I hate to tell you this -  you’ll have to keep sitting for a bit longer.

Because of the overwhelming response to this year’s contest (There were a grand total of 81 entries, almost double the highest number of entries in the past), there was simply not enough time between October 31 and December 1 to read and judge [...]

Check out this post to enter a drawing to win a copy of Mind Over Madi by Lynda Schab. Drawing will be November 30 (enter by midnight November 29)!

AND THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE
BY STACI STALLINGS

All writers know the faith it takes to put words on paper. They’ve seen the faith required to search for the right word, the right phrase, the right nugget of truth that will mark their work as top-notch. Ultimately, they [...]