By Kenneth Bliss Over this past year of this writing curse…er…course, no, um…journey. Yeah, “journey.” That’s the right word. Anyway, it’s been quite a challenge. Those of you in the Scribes critiquing group know I have these creatures in my stories called “The Nameless.” They are the lowest form of devil. I imagine them as amorphic blobs with bat-like wings …
Subplot Sanity
By Amy Deardon I always found subplots confusing, so I took some time to look into them. We all know that subplots add depth and richness to a straight narrative. However, creating subplots can be REALLY HARD to imagine. One reason I believe this is so, ultimately, is that several types of story narratives are conflated into the term “subplot.” …
Limitless Words
By Susan Lyttek John 21:25 (NKJV) And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. Spring cleaning is in full force around my house. Part of the agenda this year is going through files and …
Writers Wearing Lab Coats
by Steven Rogers @SRBooksForHope When you get down to it, there’s no difference between a mad scientist and a fiction writer. First, there are physical similarities. If you believe the movies, a mad scientist sleeps three hours a night, their hair sticks out at all angles, their clothes look slept in, and their eyes are buried in caverns deeper than …
Building Suspense in Any Genre
by Elle E. Kay @ElleEKay777 Some genres lend themselves to suspense more than others, but every fiction genre requires it in one form or another. For those of us who write thrillers and romantic suspense, the concept of danger around the next bend or a ticking clock is an ever-present reality, but even if you write romance or fantasy, suspense …
The Secret to Creating a Story Experience
By Joni M. Fisher @authorjonimfisher Stories, when beautifully written, become experiences. Readers follow along with or become the hero and take in the story world through their senses. As if in a dream, readers suffer, fall in love, doubt, panic, fight, and rejoice as if the struggle is their own. Readers separate themselves from their reality to dive into a …
Questions to Ponder
by Mitchell S. Karnes I grew up loving to read. That love grew into a passion for writing. In the beginning, I was full of questions and voraciously searched for the answers. Thankfully, God placed many great mentors in my life. Without them, I would have given up, for there were just as many critics who discouraged me from using …
A Love Story Worth Reading
by Roxanne Hicks While sitting in church one Sunday morning, I was struck by the profound words of a hymn. I don’t remember the name, but the concept will never leave my thoughts. “No greater love has any man than when he lays down his life for another.” This, of course, is in reference to the love of our Savoir …
Your Book is Not Your Baby – And That’s Good News
At my very first ACFW conference—several years ago—I sat in a class with a well-known and much-loved author. When I asked her for her number one piece of advice for a green, newbie like me, she replied, “Always remember your books are not your babies.” Her admonition took me off guard. I had heard numerous writers, both fledgling and professional, …
Hooks & Cliffhangers Readers Can’t Resist
by Darlene L. Turner “Just one more chapter, Mom.” This is how I responded to my mother when she reminded me I had chores to finish, but Nancy Drew held me in her clutches. I couldn’t put the book down, especially when the chapter ended on a cliffhanger. Ugh! Sound familiar? This is how we want our readers to respond …