By Lynn Hobbs A quote from Herbert Hoover: “The whole of the inspirations of our civilization springs from the teachings of Christ and the lessons of the prophets. To read the Bible for these fundamentals is a necessity of American life.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if his quote were shared in today’s public school system? No chance that quote will …
Building Back the Walls
By Elizabeth Musser Lord, reading Nehemiah 3 this morning has brought me to tears. It’s basically just a list of names of people that I don’t recognize. There are not many who are superstars in the Word of God. Just a lot of ordinary people. Oh, but what they are doing is extraordinary. They’re rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. The …
Get Closer to Your Story With the Power of “Why?”
by Carol Alwood Space exists between us and our stories. As much as we can imagine these fictional dreams, we can’t transcribe unfolding events. There’s a rift between what we imagine and what we write. This gap, depending on how wide it becomes, can be the victory or downfall of our books. It may be why readers continue or stop …
Inspiration in the Writing Life from D-Day
By Sarah Sundin This week we’re commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-day, the Allied landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944. As I’ve studied D-day from the sea, the air, and the ground for my Sunrise at Normandy series, I’ve become impressed with the scope and magnitude of Operation Overlord. Obviously, writing novels is a less complicated and far less …
The Power of Happy Moments
By Grace Hitchcock Sometimes it is tempting to allow drama and heartache to swamp our stories. Years ago, a favorite professor of mine would say over and over how “only trouble is interesting.” Today, I’d like to talk about how happiness can be just as moving/interesting as tragedy and that it is okay to let our characters be happy. Trouble …
Getting Naked on the Page
By Lenora Livingston In my lifetime, I have spent a lot of time, money, and effort trying to improve my writing skills. I have taken long courses, short courses, attended writing seminars, and joined writing groups. But the best advice ever given to me came absolutely free from Mark Weston. Who is Mark Weston? The younger generations probably wouldn’t have …
Be Dramatic
By Linda W. Yezak Ever read in your own work or others’ about life-changing events that don’t seem to change the character’s life? Usually, it’s because the event isn’t dramatic enough. I can think of two reasons for this: (1) while we write, we are so focused on the action that we forget how the action affects the character, and …
Making Personal Celebrations Impersonal
By Susan A.J. Lyttek I intentionally chose this date to write a blog because it’s the 35th anniversary of my (and my husband’s) church wedding. You might notice that I’m oddly specific. We had eloped in June of the same year, so it’s not technically our marriage anniversary, though we do celebrate both dates. Our story is almost strange enough …
Of Brides and Books
By Laurel Blount My daughter is getting married in October, so our family’s immersed in a chaotic whirl of wedding planning. Coincidentally, while I’m launching my oldest child into her “happily-ever-after,” I’m also celebrating the launch of an entirely different sort of “baby”! Love Inspired released my newest “book baby,” (aptly titled A Baby for the Minister), in September. So, …
Three Boredom-Busting Tips
By Linda W. Yezak “The only rule I have found to have any validity in writing is not to bore yourself”—John Mortimer. If you follow Mortimer’s rule not to bore yourself, chances are good you won’t bore your reader either. So how do you make certain your reader stays hooked throughout your novel? The basic answer is to have a …