As a child, I didn't like writing the beginning of a story. To me, the beginning was a long, boring sequence of character introductions labeled exposition that I had to get out of the way before the fun could start. One book I wrote had random action sequences (staring different characters) that had almost nothing to do … Continue reading Prologues and Openings
I was reading an story the other day that imagined an alternate history in which President Kennedy survived his assassination attempt, but had severe brain damage, leaving him childlike. While the story was really good, I had to ask myself: is this respectful? Kennedy was a real person who really died not that long ago. He has living … Continue reading Please Write Responsibly
Do you ever stare at the books on your shelf and wonder how you get to there from where you are now--how to get to published. Recently, I interviewed Sara Wigal, the Senior Manager of JKS Communications and publishing professor at Belmont University. According to her, there are two routes for authors--traditional publishing and self … Continue reading Marketing and Publishing Tips for Authors from Expert Sara Wigal
Recently, I was looking back over a short story I wrote in high school and realized how slow the opening was. People don't have long attention spans, so grabbing them in the first couple sentences is critical. So what does this story do wrong, and what can I learn about good openings from its failure? … Continue reading Don’t Start With an Info Dump
Social media has never come naturally to me. In fact, I much prefer anti-social media like books. Maybe you know the feeling of staring at your Twitter or Facebook page (or your blog) and feeling like you have nothing important to say. My social media class has pushed me on this, and I recently went … Continue reading 13 Social Media Tips for Authors
There's C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy (highly recommended). There's Madeline L'Engle's books. A couple of Jerry Jenkins's book are dystopian. And that's about it. I'm sure there are wonderful science fiction books with Christian themes out there that I've just never heard of, but they seem to by a small, small minority. As a Christian … Continue reading Why is There so Little Christian Science Fiction?
Many authors want to grow a platform on social media, but if you're anything like me, social media is a struggle. Allison Harpole has worked with a variety of businesses to drastically improve their social media presence. In an interview with me, she revealed her tips for authors. Whether authors are trying to find a … Continue reading Social Media for Authors: Interview with Social Media Strategist Allison Harpole
Matt Litton, a professional collaborator whose work has appeared on the Wall Street Journal and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists, offered his thoughts on collaboration and writing in an interview. Litton, who’d published several of his own books, was asked by his literary agents friends to help another author with his book. “It was fun,” Litton … Continue reading Interview With Bestselling Collaborator, Matt Litton
Have you ever looked back at your old writing to see how you've grown? Recently, I was looking back through a novel I wrote in high school and was surprised by how much could be cut without changing the story. Characters stop to order drinks, engage in pleasantries, say things we say in real life … Continue reading Dialogue and Concision: A Writing Critique
In middle school, I was addicted to K. A. Applegate’s Animorphs series, especially its use of rotating first-person. I incorporated this technique into all my writing including my high school novel Grayscale. Let’s take a peek back to see what we can learn from this attempt. In rotating first-person, it's important to make each character's … Continue reading Rotating Perspective and Unreliable Narrator: A Writing Critique
