Journal for Writing Creativity

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Some people have journaled since they received their first notebook or diary. They entered information daily, weekly, or whenever the whim urged them to complete an empty page. Some of them used a lock to prevent others from reading their inner thoughts, while others hid their recollections where no one could find them. Many people today …

How Publishing a Book is Like a Wedding

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills While reading a wedding invitation, my thoughts took a journey of comparing the writer’s road to releasing a new book like planning a wedding. The project brought a few giggles and a few sobering analogies. Read the following 7 likenesses of publishing a book to a wedding. Note the #7 is the number of completion. The …

DiAnn Teaches @ 2024 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference

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I’m thrilled to have been asked to teach during the 2024 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference at the beautiful Ridgecrest Conference Center from Sunday, May 26, thru Thursday, May 30th – over the Memorial Day Weekend. Here’s what I’ll be teaching in 2024: Class Title: Writing Personal Tragedies with Grace Class Type: Workshop Class Description: ACTI/II/III Surviving life’s challenges …

Does Our Writing Encourage Others?

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills We writers thrive on our projects entering a theater of encouragement, an area in which readers react and respond to what we’ve written. And we hope positively. In the true sense of the word, a theater uses a stage to present a real or fictionalized event to those who crave an emotional experience. Thus, our characters …

Room to Breathe

DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Guest Post by Linda Lyle Do you ever find yourself going down the anxiety rabbit hole? Like many businesses, writing is a feast or famine. I am either waiting to hear back from editors, agents, and publishers, or I am overwhelmed by deadlines and details. Either way I feel anxious as I wonder how it will all …

Finding the Perfect Novel Title

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills It’s been said that “a book’s title is its most important marketing strategy.” I shouldn’t be surprised when I consider how long it takes me to create a title for a book. I keep a file of titles, and still I end up in a dilemma. My purpose is to think of my title as a …

Christmas Quotes by Writers

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Have you ever read what other writers have said about Christmas? Curiosity, like a writerly-child (I made that up), propelled me to explore several quotes. These are so special that I wanted to share twelve of them with you. —“Do give books—religious or otherwise—for Christmas. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.” – Lenore Hershey —”Christmas! …

November 1 – National Author’s Day – Winner Announced

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Today is National Author’s Day, and whether you are a reader, writer, or both, it’s a good reason to show an author that you care. Books thrill, inform, inspire, educate, entertain, show us new cultures, and how people lived in historical eras. We can do none of this unless we have authors who will learn how …

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How to Effectively Brainstorm a Novel

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Writers of all genres welcome brainstorming sessions. The opportunity to discuss new ideas and solve problems in a creative environment is an amazing resource. Our minds kick down the doors that hold our imaginations captive, and the result is a collective stroke of genius. By using the acronym, BRAINSTORMING, you can bring the whirling to a …

The Challenges and Opportunities of a Writer’s Life

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A writer’s life doesn’t fit the 9-5 mold of most of the working world. Challenges smack us in the face, and we must be ready to evaluate what we are doing right and what we are doing less-than-best. An attitude of looking at life’s hiccups as an opportunity puts an optimistic spin on our mental and …