By Kariss Lynch So we planned a lazy Sunday afternoon date with Netflix and quiet conversation. He scrolled through our options, interested in a documentary. As titles moved past, I noticed a low-rated show that blew my mind – Wife Swap. “Who would do that?” He shrugged and kept scrolling. “I honestly have no idea how anyone could do that.” …
“Repeat Reads”: How to Write Books Your Readers Will Read Again and Again
By Vikki Kestell I wrote in my last blog that producing great Christian fiction is, as Gollum said, “Tricksy.” I discussed redemptive fiction, the art of writing characters who encounter Jesus in organic situations. IMHO, redemptive storytelling is the most powerful and effective method of presenting the Gospel. In this follow-on article, I want to discuss the phenomenon of “repeat …
Stepping Out
By Tomi Leslie I questioned within. Me, take a line-dancing lesson? But I do love Country music. And so, I decided to try it. Then, I shopped for the perfect boots. Soon, I entered a resale store and on the shoe rack, I glanced at pumps, flats, sandals, and high-heeled shoes. I eventually asked the middle-aged saleswoman. “Do you have …
Don’t Forget These People
by Georgia Evans Guess what? I was born with a face that scared everybody. The doctors did seven surgeries within ten days, and that was just to keep me alive. When I was a month old, they worked very hard to make my huge cleft palate go away, only it just became smaller, not gone. Because my heart wasn’t supposed …
Take It
By Tomi Leslie Yogi Berra, a Hall of Fame baseball player, contributed much to the MLB. But I remember him more for his contribution to our American language? Berra was a sportswriters’ favorite mainly because he had numerous expressions and twists of phrase that were memorable. Many of his comments did not make any sense. At the same time, though, …
Crawling Into Your Character’s Brain
By Kariss Lynch Few things drive me to crazy story rants quite like shallow characters. I want to open a book and dive in, enjoying the dance of meeting new people. I want characters with depth that make me want to be them or marry them. I want characters with character, grit, vulnerability, and quirks. I want a little spice …
Real People
By Georgia Florey-Evans As you might guess from the title, we are looking at characters. Unless I stick with the “Real People” and host a gossip session like none other. When I started writing only three years ago, I was naïve. I would write this unbelievably excellent novel, and it would go right onto the shelf at every major bookstore. …
Quirky Sources to Add to Your Characterization
By DiAnn Mills I live and breathe story–most writers do. And we’re always looking for ways to ensure our characters and their predicaments are exciting and unique. Some of the places we look can be a bit . . . different. But the exploration is worth it. Here are a few areas that I’ve delved into to add idiosyncrasies to …
Sharing Your Heart
By Patti Shene They say you should write what you know. These past few months, my life has been draped in sadness and loss. (Please don’t stop reading! I’m not going to take you into a world of gloom and grief!). My mom passed away in February of this year and my husband in June. I was blessed to speak …
A Lot Like Life
By Kariss Lynch Four funerals in six weeks. Six weeks of grieving and celebrating and laughing and crying. Six weeks of wrestling with the Lord and wondering why. Six weeks without writing, because how do you write when you can’t iron out the journey or the answers to the journey in your own head? When you only have the emotional …