Your Best Writing Life

What did you think of this episode?
What if Facebook limited the links you can share as a writer? Would you have to pay to reach readers—or could a better conversation do more than another link ever did? Today, Edie Melson helps us sort through Meta One, check what actually applies to our accounts, and make it easier for interested readers to find us. 
Edie Melson is an author, speaker, and photographer. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands of writers and has been recognized among Writer’s Digest’s Top 101 Sites for Writers since 2017. She’s also the executive director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and serves on the board of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. Edie, welcome to Your Best Writing Life! 
Questions we cover:
When writers see a post saying Facebook is becoming “pay to play,” what should they understand before they panic or purchase a subscription? 
In your post, you distinguish Facebook Pages and Professional Mode profiles from ordinary personal profiles. What should a listener check on her own account, and what remains uncertain? Are groups part of the same reported test? 
What is happening with external links on Facebook, as far as you can verify today? If a writer sees a limit, does it affect posts, comments, or both on her particular account?
Your response was “I’m not panicking.” What have you been teaching writers about social media that helps you stay calm?
Walk us through a real example from The Write Conversation. How do you turn an article into a Facebook post that invites conversation and stands on its own?
You have often placed the link in the first comment. Does that still work for you? Why might a listener need a backup route if comments are restricted on her account?
You wrote that writers must watch their focus because “it’s never all about me.” How can we tell whether a post offers something useful to the reader or merely asks for a click?
You call social media “rented property.” For the writer who has never built a link hub, what is it, and why might a links page on her own website be useful? 
Read Edie's post on Meta One here
Edie Melson
Contact Edie Melson
Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast

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Writing a devotional is not for sissies! Gretchen Huesmann shares her story and offers great tips to help you on your creative journey.
Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. I’m your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring tips and strategies from writing and publishing industry experts to help you excel in your craft. It’s great to have you listening in. In this episode, we explore the story behind It’s a Good Day to Be a Teacher.
Our guest is Gretchen Huesmann. Gretchen has taught in private and public schools across seven states. Today, she mentors and encourages educators, ministry workers, and writers. Her book, It’s a Good Day to Be a Teacher, speaks to the teacher’s heart and soul. Her picture book, A Time for Everything, will be released in 2027.
We all want to know the story behind It’s a Good Day to Be a Teacher: 52 Devotions to Equip and Encourage Educators – give us some background.
I was a teacher before I became a pastor’s wife. The Lord called my husband to 5 churches over 35 years, during which I taught, substituted, and tutored. Each time, we left friends, our church family, and my job. Now I understand God was preparing me.
After a particularly difficult ministry shift­, I became frustrated and a bit angry at God. I mourned the loss of another fantastic teaching job and speaking career in the upper Midwest. Then COVID hit. Conferences were offered for free and online. With a bit of a “cold shoulder” toward God, I “decided” to pursue my dream of writing children’s picture books.
One closed door after another followed. God and I “made-up” and I continued learning, listening, and seeking direction from my Savior. Eventually, He didn’t just open doors; He swung them wide with neon signs.
Writer’s tips.
Know our Father’s good plan for us began long before we typed one word.
Believe that if He planted the seed (the dream), it will sprout and grow in His timing.
Trust Him with every open and closed door.
 
What Listeners Will Gain – 
Writers who want to write devotionals will need to study comparables and look for special elements, such as my “Live the Lesson” and “Extra Credit” portions, that will set their book apart.
Readers will find encouragement in any workplace. My topics address issues with bosses, coworkers, and more. Although the introductory narratives are placed in school settings, the concepts apply to all of us.
 
Book: https://www.gretchenhuesmann.com/book/ There, you can find links to Amazon, or, if readers prefer to avoid Amazon, you can order it directly from the publisher, Iron Stream Media.
A Time for Everything - Picture Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Everything-Paraphrase-Ecclesiastes-Children/dp/1640705554/ Publisher is Our Daily Bread.
Giveaway - Our Dreams His Plans: A Bite-Sized Bible Study for Writers
 
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: GretchenHuesmann.com
https://www.facebook.com/gretchen.huesmann
https://www.facebook.com/gretchenhuesmannwrites/
https://www.instagram.com/gretchenhuesmann/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-huesmann-60313751/
 
Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast

What did you think of this episode?
Did you know AI can help protect you from scammers trying to steal your digital identity?  Today’s guest shares how AI can be a helpful second set of eyes.
Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. I’m your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring tips and strategies from writing and publishing industry experts to help you excel in your craft. In this episode, you’ll learn how to stay safer online against scams. 
My industry expert is one of our favorite guests, Edie Melson. 
Edie is an author, speaker, and photographer. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands and has been on the Writer’s Digest Top 101 Sites for Writers since 2017. Her passion is to help others define their God-sized calling and follow that path. She’s the executive director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and a board member of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. Find her at EdieMelson.com 
5 Red Flags, 5 Simple AI Prompts, Edie’s 3-Question Rule 

LINKS
Stay Safer Online Handout
Edie Melson 
The Write Conversation 
Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast

What did you think of this episode?
I think we can all agree that our societies are struggling to thrive amidst today’s relational chaos. In Make Families Great Again, Dr. Mel Tavares offers insight into getting back on track. And she has great tips for writers.
Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. I’m your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring tips and strategies from writing and publishing industry experts to help you excel in your craft. It’s great to have you listening in. In this episode, we explore the story behind Make Families Great Again.
Dr. Mel Tavares is an award-winning author of books, articles, devotionals, and short stories. She is the Acquisitions and Managing Editor of Arise Daily, the award-winning devotional and ministry of the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association. Mel and her husband reside in Middletown, CT, and are parents to seven adult children and eleven grandchildren ranging in age from two to twenty.
We all want to know the story behind Make Families Great Again – give us some background
Make Families Great Again is a non-fiction book and first-place winner in the parenting/relationship category at the 2026 Christian Indie Awards. Equipping parents and grandparents by helping decode what is happening in today’s youth culture.
Today’s Christian families are facing crises in their homes. Parents are taking kids to church and raising them with Biblical values, yet ‘losing’ their kids to the world. I’ve worked with families for 40 years and did my doctoral work on the topic. Because of the crisis, I felt compelled to write a resource to help families. 
Writer’s tips. 
1.     Do adequate research for your topic and cite sources. I recommend using a variety of sources to build credibility. 
2.     Use Scrivener as a platform to organize, whether writing fiction or non-fiction. This is also where you can store research material, notes, graphics, etc. 
3.     Write down all of your random ideas and observations. Not every thought or idea is appropriate for a book, but might be a great option for a shorter piece such as a devotion, article, or short story.  
What Listeners Will Gain - As writers, we are also parents, grandparents, or extended family members. We all care about what is happening in youth culture and how it affects Christian families. This book offers the understanding, action steps, and resources you need to strengthen the family unit and protect youth from the societal woes they face.
You can find out more about Dr. Mel in our show notes.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://www.drmeltavares.com/
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/mel.j.tavares/
 
 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmeltavares/
Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B089T8FFR1?ingress=0&visitId=ca74d834-d79c-480c-9570-98bdeb7ec229&ccs_id=a2955576-3d4d-45a7-aa62-392f042ae2f7
Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast

What did you think of this episode?
Have you discovered hidden gifts during times of grieving? Raewyn Elsegood shares her story behind the story and offers tips to help you excel as a writer. Don’t go anywhere. Your Best Writing Life begins right now.
Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. I’m your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring tips and strategies from writing and publishing industry experts to help you excel in your craft. It’s great to have you listening in. During this episode, we experience The Story Behind 21 Gifts: A Sacred Dance Through Grief and Healing.
Today’s guest, Raewyn Elsegood, is an Australian chaplain, speaker, and award-winning author of 21 Gifts: A Sacred Dance Through Grief and Healing. Drawing on more than 30 years in ministry and a decade of chaplaincy, she equips people to walk compassionately beside those experiencing grief, helping them discover hope, faith, and purpose even in life's deepest losses.
Raewyn, welcome to Your Best Writing Life!
We all want to know the story behind 21 Gifts – give us some background
1. God wrote a different book than I intended.
I thought I was writing and journaling about surviving my daughter's death. Instead, God revealed that He was writing a book about discovering His gifts hidden within grief. The manuscript became as much my healing journey as it did a book for others. 
2. Writing became an act of discipleship.
Every chapter required me to sit with God before I could write for anyone else. Sometimes writing wasn't about producing words—it was about letting God reshape my heart first.
3. My greatest wound became my greatest ministry.
Losing Amy changed every part of my life and transformed my chaplaincy. The book helped me realize that God was inviting me to move from telling my story to equipping others to walk compassionately alongside grieving people.
4. Publication wasn't the finish line.
Publishing 21 Gifts opened unexpected doors to media, including teaching at conferences, YouTube, radio, podcasts, speaking engagements, disaster recovery chaplaincy, and a grief support program. The book is becoming the beginning of a much larger ministry.
5. God is still rewriting the author.
One conversation with a literary agent after a writers' conference completely changed the direction of my next book. Their feedback helped me realize God wasn't simply calling me to tell my story—He was calling me to teach from my experience as a chaplain. That shift is beautifully shaping my next book project, The Chaplain's Chair.
 
Writer’s tips. 
1. Write from transformation, not simply information.
Readers remember books that changed the author before they changed the audience.
2. Let God edit you before you edit your manuscript.
The deepest writing often comes after we've wrestled honestly with God.
Deep conversation----
3. Don't chase publication—pursue faithfulness.
Success isn't measured only by book sales. It's measured by obedience to the message God has entrusted to you.

What Listeners Will Gain - 
Although 21 Gifts was written for grieving people, writers will discover something equally valuable.
They'll learn that our deepest pain doesn't disqualify us from writing—it often becomes the place where God develops our most authentic voice.
Readers will gain practical, faith-filled tools for navigating grief, while writers will be encouraged to embrace vulnerability, write with courage, trust God's timing, and recognize that every story can become someone else's hope.
Ultimately, 21 Gifts reminds us that God rarely wastes our suffering; He often transforms it into the message we're uniquely called to share.
Link to Paula Mosher Wallace - Three Stages of Writing Your Pain
You can find out more about Raewyn Elsegood below.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website - www.raewynelsegood.com
Book
21 Gifts: A Sacred Dance Through Grief and Healing
Amazon and major online bookstores
Instagram - @raewynelsegood
YouTube - @ChaplainsGriefInsights
Email - raewyn@raewynelsegood.com
Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast