by Courtney Hilbert “We always believe our first love is our last, and our last love is our first.” Unknown As a writer, the palette of love provides innumerable shades of color with which to paint a story. Despite the rainbow of choices there is a preset pattern that all romance novels follow: Boy Meets Girl. Boy Falls for Girl. …
Writing for “The One”
By Kariss Lynch Every Tuesday night, three thousand young adults across Dallas come for a little get together we call The Porch. For three years now, I’ve volunteered, entering the worship center to fulfill my assigned task of shepherding people to seats and hopefully to a closer relationship with the Lord. Those of us who volunteer have a saying, a …
Breaking the Rules
by Laura McClellan Any novelist who studies craft reads a lot about the rules: Show, don’t tell. Avoid adverbs. No head-hopping. These rules have developed to help us create fiction that welcomes the reader in, with no barriers to the reader’s participation in the story. I recently reread Francine Rivers’s Redeeming Love, one of my favorite novels ever. The characters …
Are You Imprisoned?
By Donna K. Rice In Ephesians 3:1, Paul describes himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles. Paul was Jesus’ prisoner. The Apostle proclaimed himself void of options in career pursuits. His love for Jesus bound Paul to his calling as securely as if ropes bound his hands and feet. Paul understood his purpose, too. He was to …
Research Surprises
by Susan Lyttek One of the first things I do when I get an idea for a story is research. I enjoy the process. More often than not, its results surprise me, taking the story in a different direction or changing the focus. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I often approach a book project with preconceived …
Perseverance
By Loretta Eidson To win a race requires planning ahead, seeking out appropriate training methods, pacing yourself, and pressing toward the goal. It takes an inner drive to jump the hurdles of daily obstacles in order to build muscle and stamina. The dream of winning is exciting. But let’s face it—not everyone looks forward to the time and effort it …
Mystery or Suspense – Which is it?
By Gail Gaymer Martin People often ask the difference between a mystery and a suspense, and writers will provide varying answers. Have you ever tried to identify the difference between suspense and mystery? It’s not easy. A mystery is suspenseful, and a suspense is often mysterious with obscure criminals and difficult to understand why. These two genre have things in …
Playing it Safe
Playing it Safe By Katherine Reay Working on my third manuscript seems to be an exercise in conquering fear. Someone told me that my second would be the most difficult, but now that it’s behind me – and it will be to you in October – this third one has me in knots. Now it maybe because the process is …
Define Success
By Jennifer Sienes I am not a published author. Let me repeat that-I am not a published author. Okay, technically, I suppose that’s not true. I’ve had some short stories and an article published. But since the majority of my time is spent on novel writing, that’s truly where my heart is. And it’s taken me quite some time (six …
Finding Inspiration in the Oddest Places
by Connie Stevens Writers are asked all the time, “Where do you get your ideas?” The answers vary based on the genre. Some might hear a news report about an unsolved murder or a case of corruption. Others might gaze at the stars and dream of futuristic possibilities. Still other authors may find a fascinating tidbit of trivia and allow …