By Lynn Hobbs Usually, I write and edit one book or one short story at a time before beginning another. Like some authors, I have a lot of interruptions. In trying to allow for a smooth transition to ‘jump back to where I left off’ in whatever I am writing, I list ideas I want to consider before I stop. …
What I learned about writing from Samson’s Dad
By Melissa Tagg When I was a kid we had these VHS tapes of animated Bible stories. We watched them over and over. The one I remember most? Samson. And I think the reason I remember it so well is every time I watched it I had a crazy hope that it’d turn out differently. That Samson would be smarter. …
Distractions and Curiosity
by Ramona Richards I ran late with this blog post because distractions seem to be a rule of thumb at work right now. We’ve had a lot of transitions, and I’ve taken over the Christian Living line as well as the fiction line. Finding my way with new projects, many already in progress, has been slightly chaotic. In addition, I’ve …
Telling vs. Showing
By Bonnie S. Calhoun Telling vs. showing has always been one of the great debates of modern fiction writing. Telling an emotion feels detached and impersonal, and keeps the reader at arms length, by not sharing the emotion with them. To draw your readers into the new world, to make them feel what the characters feel is the goal of …
Mzungu
By Shirley Gould As a missionary in Kenya, East Africa, I was affectionately called an mzungu. (To say it properly, hum the m, then say zoon goo.) When I asked my Kenyan guard what that meant, he would laugh nervously and shy away. When he would pass by, I would ask again, “What is an mzungu?” He would say “Oh …
How to Create and Cultivate Community
By Emilie Hendryx I can’t help but draw similarities between life as a Christ follower and life as a writer. They both take dedication, belief, creativity, and community among other things. It’s that last one that I really want to draw out though. Community: A group of people holding a particular characteristic in common. I’m part of a church plant …
Using Story One-Liners to Set Tone and Reveal Tropes
By Cheryl Wyatt Writers excel at wrangling words. For most of us, condensing the gist of our story into one line proves challenging. However, we need to be able to say in one sentence the plot summary of our story, the hook that sets the book apart, and provide potential readers (editors and agents included) a picture of who the …
Epistemology of Collective Individualism
by Stan Crader I’m working on two books simultaneously; aren’t we all? One project is non-fiction and the other fiction. Non-fiction is new to me. While I’m passionate about the subject, a biography of the people instrumental in establishing the Stihl brand in America, I find the research and accountability to fact tedious. As for the novel, I love the …
Go For a Walk
by Judythe Morgan Walking is a great, easy form of exercise. No additional athletic skill, no training, or special equipment required. Well, you do need a good pair of walking shoes, but then you need good shoes anyway. I walk because I enjoy placing one foot in front of the other and taking in the sights around me. I love …
Three Ways to Distance Your Reader From Your Novel
by Becky Wade #1: Give your character an unsympathetic goal. In one of my early manuscripts, my heroine’s story goal was to become an outlaw. Yep. I gave her all kinds of backstory to support this goal. She was an outlaw’s daughter. She’d been raised on the run. She loved the freedom of an outlaw’s life and chafed at the …