The Intentional Novelist

This past April when I was attending the DFW Conference, I met a fellow writer who told me about a new website he was about to kick-off. His name was Henry McLaughlin and the site he was talking about was called The Intentional Novelist.  The sole purpose of the site was to provide information for aspiring writers regarding all aspects of writing, from articles about improving your craft, to tips on how to break into the publishing world. Much of the content provided would come from fellow writers, and he was hoping it would grow into a community where ideas and resources would be shared openly and freely, with no strings attached.  To help launch the site he was looking for people who would be willing to write a blog article which would help get the ball rolling, and since he was so impressed with the success WRiTE CLUB he was wondering if I'd considered penning one for them.

My answer....where do I sign up? :)

I didn't know Henry before that day, so I did a little checking. He completed four years of courses with the Christian Writers Guild and is currently a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and North Texas Christian Writers where he serves also as Associate Director. He has been a voracious seeker of writing knowledge, attending numerous conferences, workshops, and retreats. Henry also leads online and local critique groups. I discovered that one of the areas he most enjoys most is mentoring and coaching other writers, helping them to become the best writers they can be, which is one of the reasons The Intentional Novelist came about. Henry is also a winner of the Operation First Novel contest for his first novel Journey to Riverbend.

Shortly after I met Henry, I was contacted by the websites co-founder, Rachelle Harp. I learned that Rachelle spent many years teaching music and social studies in the public schools before pursuing a writing career. Over the years, she studied and honed her writing craft through various workshops, conferences, and books. She has taught at writing workshops and clinics and is an active member of her local writing organization.

Rachelle is a Writers of the Future Contest finalist and two-time Silver Honorable Mention winner with her short stories. Her novels have earned recognition as a NovelRocket.com Launch Pad Grand Prize winner, as a Zebulon Fiction Contest winner, and as a San Francisco Writers Conference Contest winner.

The website has been up and running since early July, and the article I wrote for them entitled -- "How to be a Hooker (A Novelist One, Of Course!)" -- will run on Monday, August 8th, if you're interested. Here's the link to use that day, http://wp.me/p6QUsH-4s - along with a snippet.

Even if you're not interested in reading my article, you owe it to yourself to check out The Intentional Novelist. It really delivers on the promise Henry hoped for!

DL