March 2018 Around the Web

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Around the Web, Blogging, Faith, Inspiration, Reading, Sandra Ardoin, Writing, Writing Tips

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

I read many blog posts every month. Some stand out to me, and I include them here. Others stand out, but I can’t include them all. 🙂 I hope you’ll find inspiration from the ones below.

INSPIRATION

“The finished work of Christ has provided for my son and his safety.” Are you facing a fearful situation? What a great testimony to throw into the face of worry. “We Face It; He Graces It” by Ann Cooper McCauley

Seven reasons “Why We Need to Sing in Worship Even When We Don’t Know—Or Like—the Song” by Chuck Lawless. Yep!

“God isn’t looking for perfect people with perfect children, perfect marriages, and perfect lives.” What an inspiring story of “How to Be Enough, When It Feels Like All Eyes Are on You” by Sharon Jaynes on Ann Voskamp’s blog.

READING

I’m fascinated by the process in designing book covers, so I enjoyed “Ask BHP: How Do You Decide on Covers?“. It outlines the procedure Bethany House uses to come up with their gorgeous covers.

I loved this creative way of showing off book covers in a post! “Top Ten Tuesday: Cover Love, Spring Edition” on the Reading is My Superpower blog. Which color…uh…cover contains the story you can’t wait to read? For me? It’s the second book in Elizabeth Camden’s series—all the way, baby!

Audiobooks are on the rise. For those of you who love statistics, check out this Pew Research study into the ways people read. When it comes to your method of consuming a story, is it digital, audio, print, or a combination?

WRITING

“Christian publishing, like the rest of life, is all about relationships.” From Bob Hostetler’s post on the Steve Laube Agency blog, “It’s Not What You Know; It’s Who You Know.” 

Peter Leavell, a regular contributor to the Seriously Write blog, always has inspiring and challenging things to say in his posts. “Encouragement for the Downtrodden” will get you thinking about how, “[w]e write our pain, knowing our readers can never exhaust the story’s wisdom.”

As writers, we want our work to appeal to as many people as possible, don’t we? In fact, having a large platform is preached to us over and over. Well, what if our stories are meant for only one? I’ve often considered that question, so Marcia Lee Laycock’s post “Swimming in a Small Pond” on Novel Rocket spoke to me.

What post topic has inspired you the most this month?

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February 2018 Around the Web

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Around the Web, Blogging, Inspiration, Marketing, Reading, Sandra Ardoin, Writing

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

My schedule got a bit off-track for February, so the month’s Around the Web is coming out in…yes…March. But the posts are still as good.

INSPIRATION

“My fault lines have to rub up against Christ’s fault-less lines before the pressure is released and the tsunami of God’s love can flood the spaces that have resident fears and doubts.” ~ From a wonderful article of faith, fear, and a God who gives by Pearl Allard on Emily Conrad’s blog.

“How Keeping a List of Victories Can Help Gain Freedom Over Fear” by Cathy Baker provides the inspiration to note the little victories and encouragements God provides when fear paralyzes us.

READING

Sitting beside every writer is a cup filled with their favorite beverage. This fun post on Family Fiction gives readers an idea of eleven writers’ favorite order at their local coffee shop.

I know Valentine’s Day is over, but “Ten Book Lover Conversation Hearts (That Really Should Exist)” from Bethany House was too fun not to include. Which is your favorite?

What is your idea of a romance novel? Cammi Woodall gives her opinion in “Happily Ever After or Not?” on the Inspired Prompt blog.

WRITING

How do we find joy in our writing when there’s so much to do and so many who seem to be doing it better than us? “Finding the Joy,” a post on Seekerville from Cheryl St. John, is long but so on target.

It’s that age-old question. Which came first the chicken or the egg? Or in a writer’s case…which is more important, character or plot? James Scott Bell gives his opinion in “Why Plot is Essential to Character” from the Kill Zone blog.

Don’t let that “fictional bubble” pop! “Tips to Keep Your Readers Reading” from Cindy Sproles on The Write Conversation. Not much that we don’t already know, but I enjoyed the reminder.

“When you truly know your audience, writing from your faith should be hard…” Dan Balow wrote a thought-provoking post for Christian writers on the Steve Laube Agency blog, “Markets Are Different Than You Think.” What was your first thought while reading this one? Mine was that readers want emotional depth in a story. That depth comes from the characters’ struggles and how they react to them in more than a surface or fairy tale manner, just as readers (as we all) struggle to understand and deal with personal issues and cultural questions.

Was there a particular blog post/article you read in February that spoke to you? Share it in the comments.

January 2018 Around the Web

Tags

Around the Web, Blogging, Christian Fiction, Devotions, Faith, Inspiration, Journey of Faith, Marketing, Reading, Sandra Ardoin, Writing, Writing Tips

Sandra Ardoin @Sandra Ardoin

INSPIRATION:

I enjoyed this devotional post from author J.A. Marx as she talks about going from “weary” to “wonder.”

“Not coincidentally, ‘your’ word will seemingly appear everywhere and will pop up in various ways to keep it on your mind and heart.” Oh, how true is that sentence from a post by Jennifer Bunderle on the Heart”wings” blog. Did you choose a word to concentrate on this year? I did. Mine is courage. It’s been crazy how many times I’ve already come across that word and its mirror word “fear.”

We love to speak “Christianese” don’t we? Chuck Lawless wrote a post called “10 Phrases I’d Like to Hear More Often in the Church.” Some of those stepped on my toes. 🙂

READING:

Beth Erin at Faithfully Bookish gives her list of “Highly Anticipated 2018 Reads.” Are any of these novels on yours?

Like any other business owners, authors must sell books to keep publishing. If you have a favorite author (or a list of them), here are 18 Ways to Support an Author (Besides Buying Their Book) from the The Write Life blog.

Family Fiction’s interview with Laura Frantz, author of The Lacemaker, reveals the background behind the story, some history, and what’s next for her fans. (Read my review of The Lacemaker.)

This article from Publishers Weekly is both for readers and writers and involves an agreement between Walmart and Kobo to offer ebooks in the U.S. As a reader, it’s an expanded source for ebooks. For indie writers, would this entice you to spread your story’s distribution, rather than going exclusively with Amazon? Do you see this as the beginning of stronger competition for Amazon?

WRITING:

On the Craftie Ladies blog, Lorraine Beatty describes how she goes about building the hero and heroine for her stories.

If you’re a Pinterest user, you might find this article on the Make a Living Writing blog helpful to market your work.

I’ll be honest, I cannot imagine myself writing five books in one year. But, then, I guess I’m not as disciplined as Jody Hedlund. 🙂 For her tips to accomplish that feat, including the “One Essential Tip to Creativity,” check out this post on the Inspired by Life blog.

Since I began writing full-time, I’ve noticed the negative effect working on the computer has had on my eyesight. (Okay, some of it is age.) The article “#5onFri: Five Eye Care Tips for Writers” on the DIY MFA blog caught my attention.

Let me know which internet articles you’ve found insightful this month!

December 2017 Around the Web

Tags

Around the Web, Encouragement, Faith, Inspiration, Reading, Sandra Ardoin, Writing, Writing Tips

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

INSPIRATION

This lovely devotion from Sandra Robbins encourages us to look around and see God’s creation, then open our mouths and praise Him to others.

“It was about delivering us from the lesser dreams of this world, so we are free to dream eternal dreams.” Another powerful article by Lori Stanley Roeleveld that provide perspective on those “dreams” we think we should provide at Christmas.

I think we tend to consider “sanctification” as one of those church'”y”-type words we don’t understand. This article in Christianity Today put it in a little different light for me.

My thanks to Robbye Faye for sharing this after-Christmas reminder on her Captive Dreams blog.

READING

The Mark of the King is on my to-read list, so I enjoyed this interview on the Family Fiction site with its author Jocelyn Green. In it, she talks about the difficulty of researching her era and setting.

“My goal is to show the exterior while drawing the reader into the interior.” What a great line from Francine Rivers with regard to the way she begins a story.

A fun and thought-provoking video from Krish Kandiah for his book God is Stranger. 

WRITING

Are you a “chronic starter?” I think I’ve been able to claim that title the past couple of years. On The Write Conversation, Cynthia Owens provided tips for goal setting and a suggested read to help us go from chronic starters to chronic finishers.

A great inspirational post from The Write Practice that includes four movie quotes you can apply to your writing life. 

For those of you who don’t yet follow K. M. Weiland’s writing advice, here are some of her most popular posts for 2017.

This past year, posts from my guest bloggers have centered on balancing life and writing (or any work). In 2018, we’ll talk about courage in the sense of what it takes to try something new. What have you done recently or will do in the next year that demands a certain amount of courage to try?

Happy New Year to you all!

November 2017 Around the Web

Tags

Around the Web, Blogging, Inspiration, Reading, Sandra Ardoin, Writing

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

I hope, like me, you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! (Yes, I also did the Black Friday outing, then wanted to sleep the rest of the weekend.)

Take a little time out from Christmas preparations to wind down with a little coffee and these worthy posts from various places on the web.

INSPIRATION

Do you have an attitude of praise whether you’re on the mountaintop or in the valley? Enjoy Sarah Ruut’s post on the Heart”wings” blog.

On the Wordsharpeners blog, Tamera Lynn Kraft provides five things we can do to remain thankful during those times when it’s hard.

Some of the most amazing and hope-filled scriptures in the Bible contain the words “but God.” This 2MeFromHim devotion on Norma Gail’s blog involves giving thanks during times of loss.

READING

On her blog, author Lisa Carter shares her reason for writing the Love Inspired novel The Christmas Baby.

Author Cathy Gohlke’s writes about “Passing the Torch”—how her books pay tribute to classics from the past—on Southern Writers Magazine’s Suite T.

The novel Christy by Catherine Marshall released in 1967. Fifty years later it’s being re-released in a hardcover version and now in e-book. Family Fiction Magazine has the story. 

WRITING

Reviews are a great way to get a librarian’s attention. This post on BookWorks shares resources for gaining those reviews.

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2017 Christy Award! You’ll find the full list here. They named this prestigious award after the 1967 novel by Catherine Marshall.

In this post from Writers in the Storm, Amy Impellizzeri implores writers not to worry over what’s to come. Just take the next step.

This thought-provoking, three-part series from Pelican Book Group came out in July of 2016, but I think it’s still relevant. It involves the publishing industry and it’s relationship to Amazon: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. What do you think?

Do any of the above speak especially to you?