Expressing Grief/2 Mistakes/Cash/Devo/Spring Garden Tips

1.  There are times when we experience great loss. The need to express ourselves in written form can become a torrent of words. Audrey Frank, at The Write Conversation, shares her experience with writing from this hard place. She has some good insights on how to make sure those words are helpful and not harsh.

2.  We haven't had many links recently on marketing. I found this article by Jane Friedman, at Publisher's Weekly. on two mistakes to avoid if you want support for your book.

3.  WND reports on a woman's cash being confiscated for no reason. There was no crime, no allegations, nothing. However, they deemed the fact she was traveling with a large amount of money "suspicious." The family is suing for the return of the money. There have been other instances of the TSA and DEA confiscating innocent people's money.

4.  Rhonda Rhea posts a devotional at The Write Conversation entitled, "Now That's Alarming." I enjoy her humorous take on things and how she leads into a more serious truth.

5.  Spring and visions of flowers dance toward our doorstep. I can see them approaching in the distance.  Here are 10 spring garden tips to prepare for those stunning blooms.

Writers:  Have you used writing to express your grief? What form did it take? Please share.

Readers:  What prompts you to help an author?

Photo Credit: Anders Engelbel

Overstating/Visual/China/Aging/Christian Fiction

1.  Karen Lange, at Write Now, did a helpful article on, "Are You Guilty of Overstating?" It's tempting to pepper our readers with exclamation points, all caps, and extreme pronouncements.

2.  Margie Lawson guest posts at Writers in the Storm. Sometimes we think we're showing, but we're really telling. Margie asks, "What's the visual?" Wow! This is a workshop in a blog post

3.  China has oppressed Christians for many years. Here's their latest action, giving rise to speculation more stringent regulation is on the horizon. See this report by the NY Times. At the rate we're going in the U.S., we could be facing some of this ourselves.

4.  Dena Netherton, at My Father's World, My Father's Words, writes about the words, "At Your Age..."

5.  Publisher's Weekly has an interesting article on the Business of Christian Fiction. There's a quote from Gilead Publishing that surprised me both as an author and reader.

Writers:  Were you surprised by the number of Christian Fiction titles put out annually? What are your thoughts?

Readers:  Do you relate to Dena Netherton's observations on how younger people treat older people? (You don't have to be older to comment on this. It would be interesting to have younger people's reactions to her post.)

Photo Credit: Colin de kroon