Latest Blog Posts

The Bucket, by Guest Blogger Cindy M. Jones

Dear friends, you are in for a treat!  Today’s 5th Tuesday Guest Blogger is Cindy M. Jones, a writer and friend I met at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference several years ago. I can’t wait for you to read this article straight from her heart. And even though it’s a serious message, you’ll get a little chuckle along the way. Thanks for joining us, Cindy!

Read entire post »

 

Parting Words From The WORD…

Photo courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net

As writers and speakers and actors and filmmakers, we’re often faced with opportunities that don’t necessarily honor the Lord.

Many times people will defend their project by pointing to passages in the Bible as pictures of debauchery…and they certainly can be. But the Truth–the overarching goal of God’s Word–is to show His redemption in the midst of our sin. That’s a useful guide to use as we make our choices and walk this path of the creative arts.

Read entire post »

 

Writer’s Headlines: Opportunities for Creative Teens

Welcome to Thursday’s Writer’s Headlines…

Today we’re focusing on opportunities for teens interested in writing, acting, and film. Be sure to share these opportunities with the talented teens you know!

Read entire post »

 

Author Interview & Book Give-Away with Robin Bryce

What a joy to introduce Robin Bryce to you! Robin and I met back in 2005 (I think) and she has been a blessing to me ever since…just as I know she’ll be a blessing to you today.

Be sure to leave a comment for Robin and you’ll be in the drawing for a free book!

Robin founded iGETitLIFE as an extension of her speaking and writing ministry and developed a conference for women called Capture Me! She is a pastor’s wife and homeschooling mother of three with only one left to graduate. Robin speaks and writes while caring for her family and other critters on their Possum Walk “Ranch” in Texas. She blogs about life and ministry at and you can connect with her here.

Read entire post »

 

Parting Words From The WORD…

Photo courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net

Praise God for the written Word He spoke and men transcribed thousands of years ago.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

And praise Him that our words may be written today to encourage others in the future.

I pray God’s blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,

Vonda

Read entire post »

 

Writer’s Headlines: Writing Opps, Contests, & Conferences; MoGo7000 & Christian Communicators Conference

Welcome to Thursday’s Writer’s Headlines…

Today you get a bonus package of Writing Opportunities, Writer’s Contests, Writer’s Conferences, as well as the MoGo7000 Challenge to help you write your book and the Christian Communicators Conference to help you develop or expand your speaking ministry. Enjoy!

Read entire post »

 

Writing Contests: A Viable Route to Writing Success

Readers, you’re in for a treat today! Jennifer Slattery knows Writer’s Contests, and today she shares with us what she’s learned on her road to success. I originally found this post at my dear friend, Barbara Parentini’s blog, Gifts by Grace, back in November. I bookmarked it and waited for the right time to share it with you…and today’s the day!

Let’s hear what Jennifer has to say:

If you’re a newbie writer, there are a few ways to rise above the notorious slush pile: write a stellar query, meet with an editor or agent at a conference, or place in a prestigious contest. Although options one and two help add leverage, they leave a large number of “what ifs.” Like, what if cyberspace eats my

Read entire post »

 

Parting Words From The WORD…

Photo courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net

Although this writing journey is often filled with struggle and disappointment, we know we have a greater calling than to simply write.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. 1 John 1:3-4

See…know…fellowship…write…and be joyful.

I pray God’s blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,

Vonda

(Photo courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net)

Read entire post »

 

Writer’s Headlines: Kudos & MoGo7000 Winner!

Welcome to Thursday’s Writer’s Headlines!

Today we celebrate your kudos, announce December MoGo7000 totals, and find out who wins $100!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations to these Christian Writer’s Den Readers…


1.  Tracy Crump (MS): 1)I have seven devotions in the winter issue of Quiet Hour. 2)I will speak on “Writers’ Rights” at the Bartlett Christian Writers meeting. 3)My column on critique appears in the Southern Writers Magazine. This issue’s article is entitled “The Golden Rule of Critique.”

2.  Johnna Stein (GA): My poem “Love Your Enemies” was published in the January issue of LIVE magazine.

3.  Susan Stilwell (VA): Article published with Open The Word in December, and another article on cell phone technology accepted by local parenting magazine is scheduled to publish in the spring.

4.  Glenda Mills (WV): ChristianDevotions.us recently accepted a devotional of mine entitled “The Rose of Sharon.” It will be my first published article and will be posted in July 2012, my birthday month.  I owe Cindy Sproles a debt of gratitude for helping me tweak this to fit their guidelines!

5.  Jean Davis (DE): “Happy Birthday, Jesus, and Other Things I Can’t Say” was published Dec. 4 in Sense and nonSense, an on-line weekly newsletter. And a true story, “Nelly’s Gift,” was published December 25 in Live.

Yay, writers! We’re so proud of you! Can you see us doing the happy dance? 🙂

Didn’t see your name on the list? Well, be sure to come back next week for a new list of writing opportunities, collected just for you! And who knows, maybe you’ll have something new to celebrate next time!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December’s MoGo7000 Qualifiers

These Christian Writer’s Den writers wrote at least 7000 new words on their book project, earning them another entry in the MoGo7000 drawing:

57.  Marcia Gaddis–9,104 words
58.  Cindy Patterson–7,125 words
59.  Patty Willett–8,539 words

Congratulations, ladies! Your names are entered into the drawing! Can’t wait to see who wins! 🙂

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And Now, the Announcement You’ve All Been Waiting For: Who Won the 2011 MoGo7000 Challenge and the $100 Prize?

But before I announce the winner, check out these amazing statistics:

**650,898 words were written this year in the challenge! Hoo-wee!

**21 Christian Writer’s Den readers/writers reached their goal and received at least one entry

**There were 59 total entries

**Cindy Patterson had the most entries, reaching her MoGo7000 goal all 12 months

**Eddie Snipes received the second highest number of entries, reaching his goal 10 times

**Eddie Snipes wrote the highest number of words–170,886 (that’s the equivalent of about TWO books!)

Congratulations to all the writers who participated. I’m impressed with your hard work and determination. And many of you told me the challenge encouraged you to write, even if you didn’t reach your goal. That encourages me!

Now, details about the drawing. (And just for the record, as I write this, I still have no idea who won, either!) You may have noticed that each writer who reached the monthly goal was given a sequential number throughout the year. I’m now going to the Random.org website and putting in a request for the numbers 1-59 to be listed in random order. The first number on the list will be the winner.

So here we go!

The winner of the 2011 MoGo7000 Challenge and recipient of the $100 cash prize is…

#50! Congratulations, #50!

Oh, I guess you need to know who #50 is…

It’s Cindy Patterson!!! Congratulations, Cindy! (Imagine horns blowing and confetti falling) I’m so thrilled for you and all the hard work you put in this year. Now just Contact Me and we’ll discuss how to get your $100 to you.

And thank you to all who participated. You’ve talked about how MoGo7000 encouraged you, but I want you to know how much it encouraged me that you would join in.

And don’t forget, the 2012 MoGo7000 Challenge has begun and it’s not too late to get started! Just check out the MoGo7000 Challenge Guidelines here, get your BIC, and start writing. You could win $100!

But whether you win or not, at the end of the year, you could have a book-length manuscript. So, what are you waiting for?

Write on!

Vonda

Read entire post »

 

Don’t Filter Out Good Writing

Photo courtesy of wandee700

Filtering.

Yes, I know we’ve talked about it before. But after critiquing our stuff last week, Edie Melson and I realized how easy it was for those filter words to sneak into our writing.

I first heard the term, filtering, from Cec Murphey. Until that moment, I’d never known what to call it, but intuitively felt it as a writer.

Read entire post »