Preparation Works
Earlier this month, I took my coldest bike ride in 28 years, with temperatures dropping below freezing. To be…
January 29, 2026
Earlier this month, I took my coldest bike ride in 28 years, with temperatures dropping below freezing. To be…
January 29, 2026
January arrives full of possibility, and the fresh, new year tinges the air with energy and hope. This always…
January 27, 2026
Within the publishing world, in general, if you get a response from an editor or literary agent, it can…
January 26, 2026
Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, you will likely use dialogue in your work. Let’s have a little…
January 22, 2026
On September 2, 2025, my Christmas book, Just Enough Room for Christmas, was published. That means on December 26,…
January 8, 2026
Here I sit at the dawn of the New Year (by the time you read this, the calendar will…
January 6, 2026
“Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?” 2 Kings 6:33 NIV I recognized the disappointment in the…
January 3, 2026
Writers Chat, hosted by Johnnie Alexander, Brandy Brow, Melissa Stroh, and Norma Poore. The place where craft connects community!…
December 31, 2025
For the past few months, I have really struggled with getting motivated to write and be creative. Not only…
December 30, 2025
The season for evaluating and organizing our lives and our work is upon us, but the idea of filling…
December 29, 2025
When I write about book proposal creation, I’m giving insights about how to make your proposal stand out to…
December 28, 2025
A torrent of new books comes out each holiday season, celebrating Christmas, both religious and secular. Some, sold to…
December 8, 2025
I recently attended a writers conference, and that typical question reared its head. “What do you write?” It’s a…
December 6, 2025
This month, I had to make the difficult decision to give up on trying to recover work and files…
November 29, 2025
Many new authors wonder why it takes so long for the editor (or literary agent) to process my submission?…
November 26, 2025
No matter how compelling a narrative is, poorly written dialogue can turn away countless readers. Flat conversations are like…
November 24, 2025
It’s a myth that symbolism and motifs are the sole property of literary writers. They are important tools in…
November 23, 2025
As an author, you have to carefully craft sentences that grab the reader’s attention. Part of that, as I…
November 19, 2025
This month, I interviewed an artist friend about how his mind works! Welcome, Jack Foster. Jack and I met…
November 8, 2025
I love quotes. You can’t beat little bits of wisdom from people in all walks of life. You can…
November 6, 2025
Editors and agents do a great deal more than read unsolicited manuscripts. As an acquisitions editor, I don’t passively…
November 4, 2025
Writers Chat, hosted by Johnnie Alexander, Brandy Brow, Melissa Stroh, and Norma Poore. The place where craft connects community!…
October 31, 2025
A few weeks ago, I accidentally corrupted the external hard drive where I keep all of my writing projects…
October 29, 2025
Melissa Knight is the author of two series, and a devotional for teens. She writes contemporary novels for teens…
October 27, 2025
Though not named BLOG until several years later, the practice of sharing personal writing and opinions online dates back…
October 8, 2025