by M.D. House @Real_HouseMD I’m no expert on the periods of Christian revival in North America (often spreading farther than that), but there have been at least three: In the 1730’s, in the American colonies In the early 19th century, centered in Western New York State During the late 19th and early 20th centuries Post WWII (this one is disputed, …
What Makes a Good Novel?
By B.D. Lawrence @BDLawrence3 “There are bad novels and good novels…but that is the only distinction in which I see any meaning…the only classification of the novel that I can understand is into the interesting and the uninteresting…it is of execution that we are talking — that being the only point of a novel that is open to contention.” Henry …
Why Poetry Can Make You a Better Writer
By Glynn Young @gyoung9751 Like most of my generation, I read poetry in English classes in high school. It wasn’t until I was a high school senior that I read poetry that stuck in my head. And it was T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and “Four Quartets.” I read poetry in college as well, but my …
Step Outside You Comfort Zone and Write
by Terry Overton Listening to my Bible Study leader speak in our recent study of Rahab, the point was made very clear to me. God asked Rahab to step out of her comfort zone and do something she probably never thought she would do. He had selected Rahab to take in two spies and to lie to the authorities when …
The Strength of Waiting
By Tara Johnson @TaraMinistry “A watched pot never boils.” I heard that phrase a hundred times while growing up, and every time I was chided for my impatience, I cringed. I confess, not much has changed over the years. I still pace when sending off a new manuscript to a potential publishing house. I still bite my nails when reviews …
How to Find Time to Write by Lapping the Couch
by Cindy Ervin Huff @Cindyhuff11Huff Getting start on your novel is like starting on an exercise routine. Some of us moan we don’t have time while others get off the couch and take a few steps, do a few stretches, stroll around the living room and lap the couch a few times. After a while they’ve gotten strong enough and …
Ten Tips to Help You Write More Words
by Carrie Turansky @carrieturansky Whether you’re an aspiring author or multi-published, it’s often a challenge to meet your writing goals. Here are ten tips that will help increase your writing productivity. 1. Write with instrumental music playing in the background. I recently saw an informal survey that found those who listened to music while writing were able to write more words …
God’s Nudges
By Patricia Collier I pray for each book I write: before, during, and after I finish it. The first book in my series, The Hornet’s Nest, seemed pretty much “follow the expected path for my characters.” Then I prayed about what I had written. I felt a nudge to make a change to the story path. I even consulted my …
Living the Story of Faith and Freedom
By Christine Sunderland Christian novelists are tasked with a great responsibility in today’s world. They must civilize the state with the church, freedom with faith, and the present with the past. They must tell the truth about man and God, as best they can, and do so in a manner layered with meaning, woven with texture. They have been given …
Bad Guys who Need Jesus
By Sara Davison As my pastor is fond of saying, the Bible is not a book about good guys and bad guys—it’s a book about bad guys who need Jesus. None of us is perfect. We are broken, sinful people living in a fallen world. Even for those of us who believe, the pull of our sinful, human nature is …