C.F.E. Black's Blog

Ever considered becoming an indie author, but you weren’t sure if it was for you?

I assume, if you're reading this, you're at least considering it. I also assume you love to write. As in, you love it so much that obstacles, setbacks, and stress won’t keep you from doing it. Am I right? If yes, move on to the questions below.

I’ve compiled a list of questions to ask yourself to evaluate whether or not self-publishing is a good fit for you.

Should you self-publish?

1. Do you enjoy having c...

Ever wondered what it's like to choose to leave traditional publishing for indie publishing? That's what I chose to do. I'm so glad I did.

Here's a brief rundown of my author career: I queried for years, finally got a "yes" via a Twitter post (of all things!), signed a contract with a small publishing house, and saw my debut novel hit the shelves in 2019.

In 2020, I got my rights back on that novel. I won't go into why in this article, but maybe I will in later post. Suffice it to say, tradit...

Hey folks. Do you say “folks” where you live? Honestly, even though I live in the south, I don’t really use this word when speaking. But I use it when writing. Because . . . I just do.

What is unique about the written word that separates it from the spoken word? Why aren’t they always the same thing? In my former English teacher days, I’d always have to remind my students that they couldn’t write an essay the way they’d speak it.

A spoken story is way different than a novel, the same way a ...

Hello there. I know I have some explaining to do regarding my long absence. I'll do my best, and I ask your mercy.

First, I want to apologize. I left this blog alone for a while. A long while. And you are my tribe. I can't believe I let you down, when you have been nothing but supportive to me.

Second, here's why I disappeared: I got discouraged. As someone who fears failure, I retreated into the dark rather than admit my own failures. Yes, I've written about this concept before, and I've mad...

"Confirm for us the work of our hands." - Psalm 90:17 Ever wonder if you spend too much time doing things that truly don’t matter? Do you, like me, tumble into pits of fear that you’ve wasted time you’ll never get back? One of the most convicting statements in scripture to me is this: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). If you’ve read my debut novel, you know this statement strikes me at my very core. Every day that I wake up is a day that I’ve been...

1. Signing the publishing contract is the BEGINNING of the work, not the end. 2. Deadlines might feel easy to meet at first. They are not. 3. You will miss typos on a page you’ve read over 100 times. 4. Be flexible. Stretch and stretch and stretch until you’re limber-gymnast flexible. 5. Be okay with disappointment. Publishing is for big girls. The dream may not happen the way you always imagined. That’s okay. 6. Publication is a team sport. Your book is no longer in your hands only. 7. Your...

I had my first official book signing two days ago (yahoo!). I had no idea what to expect, and for a few moments before the event began, I sat wondering, what if no one comes? I resolved to keep a smile on my face and enjoy the opportunity no matter the outcome. One thing that is particularly hard for me (as an introverted writer) is to engage with total strangers. It is much easier to say nothing. However, after watching with a broad smile as one, then two people walked right by my book displ...

Where do authors get their ideas? If you are a writer, you either gush with excitement when people ask you this, or you look at them with confusion and don’t know where to begin. Ideas are everywhere for writers. I get them from overheard conversations, dreams, a line in a book, or they just hit me while I’m driving down the road. The idea for Mind of Mine bubbled up one day from a memory of an event I participated in while in college. And part of it wandered into my head while sitting at a c...

Social media. We’re all part of it. We’re all connected by it. And many of us (myself included) are poisoned by it. Yes, I said it. Poisoned. “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing” (James 3:16). “They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded the...

Teacher. Writer. Both of my jobs have one purpose: to influence teens in a positive way. And both of my jobs provide ample evidence of the ways in which I fail at this. But failure comes with anything we try. No one starts out good at writing. And every teacher knows no one starts out good at that either. Ask your teachers: were you good at teaching your first year? I imagine they will laugh. Or maybe cry. And ask your friends who write (or maybe you are the one who writes) if their first sto...