By Katherine Reay As I generate ideas for my next novel, I realize a certain theme in everything I write. If you’ve read anything of mine, you’d probably say “classic literature.” While you wouldn’t be wrong… Goodness knows, with titles like Dear Mr. Knightley, Lizzy and Jane and The Bronte Plot, how could you be? But there’s a deeper theme… …
Why it’s Important for Mystery/Suspense Writers to Consider Motive
By Janice Cantore In criminal court, ascertaining motive or intent is an integral part of the legal process and sets the tone for sentencing. The determination of a person’s motive can mean the difference between the death penalty, life in prison, a long sentence, a short sentence, and freedom. In the same way, the bad guy’s motive in a mystery …
Words Aptly Written
By Kathy Parish “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11 NIV) When I was growing up a beloved English teacher always had a beautifully leather-bound volume titled Apples of Gold. It was filled with inspirational quotes and verses on glossy pages, and selected students read from it over the school intercom at …
Honoring God’s Calling in Our Lives
By Rondi Bauer Olson A few months ago I was making small talk at a wedding reception when another guest, someone I did not know, asked me what I did for a living. Up to that point in my life, my answer had always been clear. I went to college to be a nurse. My job was as a nurse. …
Tips for Weary Writers in the Christmas Season
By DiAnn Mills No other time of the year can be more difficult to write than at Christmas. We writers are simply distracted with all the fun and preparations. Besides the season involves creativity, and we simply can’t resist the urge to simply BE in the moment. My excuses race from one exciting activity to the next- Time Shopping. Wrapping …
It’s Not Just About Me!
by Lillian Duncan As Christians, life is not supposed to be all about us. And yet as writers, we have to make it all about us-sometimes. OK, a lot of times, especially when we have a new release like I do right now, (No Home for the Holidays). We’re told to do good to others (Hebrews 13:16). Jesus even gave …
How Journaling Helps Me Juggle the Writer’s Life
By Elizabeth Musser A few years ago, I was asked by my Dutch publisher to write a novella for the Dutch ‘Week of the Christian Book’. (I wrote it in English-someone else translated it:). Christian bookstores throughout Holland put on this annual event where, for a week, any customer who purchases over 10 euros of merchandise in the store receives …
Overcoming the Failure Inside
By Elizabeth Ludwig Scarlett O’Hara. Katniss Everdeen. Michael Hosea. Jane Eyre. Do you recognize any of these names? Obviously, they are all characters from books. And yes, they are all heroes. But before they were heroic, they were flawed and fallible. These frail, imperfect, unlikely paragons struggled with weaknesses in their character—failures that sprang from something deep inside, such as …
Be Amazed by Listening
By Stan Crader I’m a novelist working on a non-fiction-it’s a stretch. The facts, once known, are easy to report. It’s the finding of facts, also called research, that’s painstaking, time consuming, and hard work; two of the three are okay. I’m working on the history of Stihl in America. Stihl, for those few who don’t know, is the largest …
Descriptions & Words
By Lynn Hobbs Besides writing, I love to read. Great descriptions in a book hook me every time. They show me a writer who continues learning the craft of writing and enjoys selecting the right words for the right situation. For me, it is a fun experience. It can be for you as well. How can you come up with …