by Dr. Ronda Wells @RondaWellsBooks Have you ever read a novel or watched a show or movie and said, “Wait a minute! That’s not right. In real life, we would do this . . . .” You only need to be a hobbyist, or have real life experience, or be a professional to encounter this. Mistakes happen—a lot. As a …
Do You Outline, or Do You Write into the Dark?
By Glynn Young @ gyoung9751 A problem developed while I was writing my fifth novel. The problem had to do with what I conceived as a minor character – a four-year-old boy who would grow to adulthood during the story. But he wasn’t the main character; far from it, in fact. He was supposed to have a bit role. Unfortunately, …
Why Write a Biblical Novel?
By Linda Dindzans @lindadindzans First… What is a biblical novel? The vast cast of biblical characters is both historic and religious. They are not fictional. Their lives, faith, and teachings are accurately recorded in scripture. A biblical novel is not scripture. The tale is generated in the “offstage space” of the settings and characters of the sixty-six books of the …
Take Aim: Finding Your Target Audience
by John Matthew Walker @jdubmd If you’ve ever been to a writers conference or critique group, you’ve heard the phrase “target audience.” But what does it really mean? Who is your target audience? And why is it so important? Imagine yourself taking up a new hobby. It sounded crazy. You didn’t really want to do it, but you reconnected with …
Singing the Song of Life
by Christine Sunderland @Chrisunderland One of the great mysteries of life is that we must pass through death to live life eternal. And so Christians follow Christ through the gates of Jerusalem, break bread with him in the upper room, pray with him in the garden, follow him to his death on the cross, and mourn with his mother Mary, …
How to Write a Detective Team
by JPC Allen I’ll state the obvious: if you want to write a mystery, you must have a detective. But detectives come in all shapes and sizes, so you have a lot of room to develop an interesting main character. As you write, you might find your story is better if you have a duo of detectives. When I began …
Be Yourself
By Loretta Eidson @lorettajedison Did you ever think you could become an author? I didn’t. Well, not until the tug in my heart pulled me in that direction. Who was I to join the team of such an overwhelming, impressive profession? Who knew the journey would be so challenging? Starting at the bottom forced me to face my fears of …
Stealing the Heart of the Reader
By Marie E. Bast @mariebast1 To steal the heart of the reader, a story must have a solid plot line and the protagonist must believe a lie about him or herself, which will cause obstacles and hinder them achieving their plot goal. This problem will become obvious at the inciting incident and first plot point. Each chapter, like a golf …
I love that about you!
by Julia Fenstermacher Growing up without my mother was hard. I did not realize how much I needed affirmation and acknowledgement until it came to me in my teen years. My Dad did his best to raise us three kids single-handedly. He was a purpose driven corporate ex-military man who traveled for work. When he was home, he cooked gourmet …
Mesmerizing Mysteries and How to Master Them
By Sarah Sundin @sarahsundin What makes a satisfying mystery? As in all novels, we need intriguing lead characters, a captivating premise, and a setting that supports the story on both a physical and emotional level. But mysteries also have a cast of suspects and an interwoven plot with suspects and investigators acting and reacting to each other. Ideally, the reader …