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an Affiliate of American Christian Fiction Writers

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Free Editing Software

Just discovered this great FREE editing tool - SmartEdit Lite.

Just copy a secion of your manuscript, paste it into the SmartEdit program and it will check it for adverb usage, over-used words and phrases, clichés, and improper use of dialog tags. SmartEdit Lite works with RTF files and offers a great start for any writer when editing their work.

They also have a much more robust version of the program which runs about $50 if you want to take the next step in editing your novel.

You can check out and download both the Lite version and the Full version at Bad Wolf Software.

They also have several other programs with free versions that could be of benefit to writer.  Check them out.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Write before you Write

Have you ever sat down at the keyboard, fingers poised to work on your novel and the words just won't come?  I'm not talking writer's block, here. I'm talking about your mind being so full of stuff (thoughts whirling around in your head) that you can't focus on the next scene you want to write?

I've think I've found a solution - write before you write!

Say what?

That's right, write before you write. Open up a blank document. Don't put a title, just close your eyes (if you touch type) and start writing. Spill all those whirling, swirling, jumbled thoughts inside your head onto the page. Don't worry about spelling, typos, punctuation, order - nothing...just write. Keep typing until you've said it all. (I usually find about 750-1000 words does it for me.)

When you're through and you've spilled it all out - delete it.

Yes, delete it. 
Erase it. 
Get rid of it.

Now, start working on your novel. Your fingers are loosened up, your mind is clear and you can focus on getting your characters into or out of some trouble. You can join them in their world and forget about yours for a little while. You can always go back and fix things later, but for now, your mind is ready to pour the words onto the "paper," so just let your fingers fly!.

That's my tip for the day. Let me know how it works out for you.

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Written by Jan Christiansen

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Upcoming Guest Speaker - Mona Hodgson

We're all looking forward to our September 28th meeting with guest speaker, Mona Hodgson.

Author, Mona Hodgson
Mona is the author of nearly 40 books, historical novels for adults and children's books, including her popular Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series, The Quilted Heart novellas, and upcoming Hearts Seeking Home Series. Her children's books include bestseller, Bedtime in the Southwest, six desert and princess Zonderkidz I Can Read books, Real Girls of the Bible: A 31-Day Devotional, and her six I Wonder books. Mona's writing credits also include several hundred articles, poems and short stories, which have appeared in 50 different publications. Mona is a speaker for women's groups, Christian women's retreats, book clubs and reading groups, schools, and conferences for writers and librarians.

Her topic for our meeting will be...

Researching History for the Story Historical research involves so much more than digging into a setting or time period for historical accuracy. Learn how to research the history of your chosen setting and time period for characterization, plotting, and so much more.

You can visit Mona online at www.monahodgson.com

We welcome visitors to our meetings. There is a $5.00 fee for visitors. You may visit twice to see if we're a good fit for you before you join. (You must be a member of ACFW to join CWOW)

Our next meeting is...

September 28th  2013
1:00 - 3:00
Coco's Restaurant
4514 E Cactus Road
Phoenix, AZ 85032, USA
 
Hope to see you there! 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Writing Tips from Karen Kingsbury

 USA Today and #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s #1 inspirational novelist. There are more than 20 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 50 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists. So, when Karen Kingsbury gives writer's tips - we take notes!

You can find Karen Kingsbury's Ten Tips for Aspiring Authors on her web site. Here are the first two and a link to the rest on her site. Get your notepad out - or get ready to hit the print button!

 
1. Keep Writing
If God has given you a book to write, or if you feel He has placed a story on your heart that needs to be told...write, write, write. Get it finished, and make sure it is written to the best of your ability.

2. Join a Writer's Group
There are many Christian writers groups for aspiring authors. In order to make your manuscript the best book it can be, you should join one of these groups and learn from others. A couple to try are Christian Writers Guild and Faithwriters.com

Read the rest of the article - HERE