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I recently had the honor of being named as a finalist in the ACFW Genesis contest, and had two days in which to make changes to my entry to resumbit for the finals.

That was a tense two days, as I agonized over every word, every sentence and every paragraph (and for that matter--every comma). My entry consisted of a one-page, single-spaced synopsis and the first fifteen pages of my manuscript.

The whole process underscored for me the importance of the first few pages of any novel. Here is the… Continue

We've all heard the expression: "Actions speak louder than words." I've always believed this. You can tell someone you love them time and time again, but unless your actions prove it, your words are wasted.

In my study of the craft, I realized that the same is true for our characters...

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As writers we need strong motivations for our character's actions. Guilt and shame are two complex emotions that can be used as character motivation. Join the discussion at http://wordvessel.blogspot.com.

Is curiosity an emotion, or is it a state of mind—part of the intellect? Just curious...

Synonyms: inquisitiveness, interest, questioning (think about a child), prying, snoopiness, intrusiveness, nosiness, intrigue

Once again, I believe there are degrees of curiosity, but this time from the synonyms that have a positive slant to those that are more negative: desire to learn, inquisitiveness, intrigue, interest, questioning, intrusiveness, snoopiness, nosiness, prying

Quote: "Curiosity is lyin… Continue

Ahh...contentment. There's nothing quite like it.

Let's dig into it with our brains and see if we can find fresh ways to convey it on the page.

Synonyms: satisfaction, gratification, happiness, pleasure, peace, ease, serenity, comfort

I happen to believe that there are ...

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