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Is Blogger A Relic Of The Past?

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After a couple years of fighting very low iron levels, and then learning I had breast cancer, and suffering from chemo fog to the place where I could no longer write or even think about my manuscript…I was thankful that at least I could still read. And very thankful for the kindle app on my iPad.
When the fog lifted, I searched for my blogger dashboard to update a couple of my blogs. And I could not pull them up. One came up but was immediately forwarded to a malicious site.
Many of my friends had used WordPress for their blogs, and I formed this one a few years ago. I didn’t find it user friendly or maybe I was just used to the blogger platform. But guess what? It was still here waiting for me to come back.

Finding Christian fiction the easy way

FictionFinder.com: Finding Christian fiction the easy way
ACFW launches new free online resource to search for titles

PALM BAY, Fla. — With over 500,000 books published each year, it is harder than ever to find a new book that’s just right. A simple Amazon search in the Christian literature and fiction category yields more than 17,000 results. Consumers wading through the exhaustive, seemingly endless list of choices now have a more manageable resource to help them purchase their next book.

American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), the nation’s leading Christian fiction writers’ organization, is launching FictionFinder.com, a new free resource for retailers, readers, media and other Christian fiction fans to search for authors and books. The search engine allows users to sort by author, title, genre, topic, publication date, and target audience.

Cynthia Ruchti, president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), believes this trusted, easy-to-use resource is a significant development in the search for Christian fiction authors and new titles.

”The idea rose from a roundtable discussion between the ACFW leadership team and Christian booksellers looking for a better way to connect their customers with great Christian fiction,” says Ruchti. “ACFW responded by rolling up our sleeves and creating a comprehensive database to serve readers, booksellers, publishers, authors, book club coordinators, librarians and others on the hunt for information and inspiration.”

The site also allows readers to learn about the nature of the content of each book. Each title is rated for action, conflict, humor, mystery, romance, spirituality and suspense, in addition to more sensitive issues like language, sensuality and violence. Users can also post reviews to the site and learn more about soon-to-be-released titles.

The database is the first of its kind and is not limited to books written by ACFW members. The organization is also working with publishers to ensure Christian novels by other authors are incorporated as well.

ACFW’s presence as the voice of Christian fiction and its industry prowess has long been recognized, and its authors are a mainstay on bestseller lists. FictionFinder.com is the organization’s latest effort to make finding the best in Christian fiction as easy as possible for fans around the world.

Quick facts about fictionfinder.com:
* Book information pages include facts about the publisher, main themes, setting and the author’s other titles.
* A special “similar books” section offers other titles the user may be interested in reading.
* Users can create an account with their preferences, making it easier to find new favorites.

With nearly 2,000 members and 19 chapters in 14 states nationwide, ACFW seeks to promote Christian Fiction through developing the skills of its authors, educating them in the market, and serving as an advocate in the industry. Founded in 2000 under the banner of American Christian Romance writers, in 2004 the organization was renamed American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) to reflect its dedication to Christian fiction writers of all genres.

ACFW is headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida. Their advisory and operating boards work to give writers the tools they need to develop their craft, grow ACFW’s extensive publishing knowledge and secure relationships with industry professionals. To learn more about ACFW and their authors, please visit http://www.acfw.com.

Welcome to Monday

I love Monday. It is the beginning of the work week. The day after I’ve been spiritually revived and the whole work week is spread before me. A clean new sheet of paper.

I am still waiting as characters auditon for the post of main character in my next manuscript.  Who will it be? What is her major problem?

Advice from a Pro

I had a telephone conference from a freelance editor today. After we went through all the issues with the current manuscript she had a prayer for my growth as a writer for Him.

My desire is to write for Him and to help hurting women.  Waiting on His timing.

Plot

We have a running debate on our writer loops about if we are a ploter or a panster, meaning we write by the seat of our pants.

It seems so great to plot. I have several books on plotting. I have read them all more than  one time. Hoping I will somehow “get it.”

And I do start to plot, have a rough idea of the path the story will take and then I start hearing voices. Voices I have to hurry and write down. Later I can go back and figure out where these characters were and what they were doing, maybe even what they were thinking when this conversation took place.

I was able to plot the beginning 1/4 of the story in  my last manuscript. I’d love to get further this time. So I have pulled out all my plotting books again.

I feel kind of lost since I finished both of the manuscripts I’d started. So now I need to get the next one or two going. 

I started with the main character in my first two novels. As soon as I found the character I knew what her basic problem was and was off and running.

And I don’t see a plot jumping out at me this time either.

My Writing Journey

We hear bad news about the publishing industry and writers are getting discouraged. But writers write. It is how we communicate. We write because we cannot not write.

I don’t know what God has in store for me. But I am going to enjoy the journey. When I went to my first writing conference I finally found people who could understand me. 

If you are a writer, I encourage you to find other writers. Not just for networking, but for friendship.

God Bless.

Rosanna And Me

At the ACFW Conference