Category: On Writing Fiction (page 8)

The 2008 ACFW Conference Review

I just got back from the 2008 American Christian Fiction Writer’s conference, and my daughter Adele and I had a wonderful time.

The great thing is that we were able to be in the Twin Cities (MN) area, where I grew up and most of my extended family lives. Because of that, every time we had a few hours free we drove up to Brooklyn Park to visit my mother, who broke her foot the day before the conference. I consider it a privilege to have been able to help her out during this time.

Personally, I met with two agents, while my daughter met with three. I have one request for a proposal, and my daughter has two. This was excellent, especially considering three of those agents don’t generally represent fantasy.

But I find myself pausing.

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We’re Going To The ACFW Conference!

Well, after months of back and forth decisions on whether or not we were going to the fall ACFW Conference, it finally came down to finances.

The manuscript questions fell to the wayside with Marcus Goodyear and Randy Ingermanson’s encouragement that even a first draft is good enough to pitch.

But the money dried up and there was nothing for the conference, travel, or hotel. Nothing.

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How To Survive With Less Editorial Support

Curtis Brown, Ltd.

Nathan Bransford, literary agent for Curtis Brown, Ltd. blogged yesterday about the book imprint “12″ which only publishes 12 books a year—one per month—and attempts to make each one a bestseller.

As part of this, he points to Moon Rat’s blog, who has some interesting advice for novelists. This advice stems from the fact that most publishers DO NOT follow the “12″ model and instead may attempt to fill a quota, and often give very little editorial support to books prior to them being published. This inattention sometimes means:

  • The agent hasn’t read the entire manuscript
  • Editors don’t have time to work on your “perfect” manuscript
  • The publicist has little time to devote to your book
  • Salespeople haven’t read your book before they sell it

What is the advice in light of this situation? (text simplified by me)

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A Confusing Stance In Christian Fantasy?

Becky Miller has recently covered the topic of “In [Christian] Fantasy’s Defense” (Part 2 here), and in spirit I agree with her, but I also wonder if we have brought on some of our own criticism.

These are difficult topics, and I can see why people hold differing opinions.

Questions:

If a demon repented, would he still be a demon, or would he go back to being an angel? If a witch repented, would she still be called a witch? Can someone be a “good” witch? Is there such a thing as a “good” demon?

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