by Ian Anderson My anxiety level increased as I approached the open door for the early-bird “writing skills” class. I hadn’t written anything for weeks and felt very unprepared for the session. Fortunately, when I walked into the large room 100+ people were already sitting down. I was happy that I could easily slip into anonymity. This class was just …
Seeking Soup Perfection
by Shelley Shepard Gray I made French Onion soup today. My husband has had bronchitis and feeling under the weather. I’ve felt so badly for him I ran to the store, picked up 5 yellow onions, and started slicing. Hours later, I brought him a bowl of something I’m inordinately proud of. There’s a story here. See, I really like …
Devotional for Deadliners
By Anne Baxter Campbell Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God (Psalm 69:1-3, NKJV) …
Pass It On
by Susan Lyttek Writing can be a lonely business. With exceptions of co-authored materials or group brainstorming, most writing and editing is done solo. That is the nature of it and that is a good thing. God designed the process with the authors and researchers of the Holy Scripture. The quiet aloneness takes us out of the immediacy of the …
The Fragrance of Fiction
By Carol Lerner I’ve been reading all kinds of fiction lately. This is a good thing, as for years I’ve had difficulty finding fiction that kept my interest. I’ve finally figured out what makes me stick with a story-it’s the overall aura, the “feeling” the words evoke, or, as I like to say, the fragrance. It’s that which moves something …
Are You Living Your Happily Ever After?
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 …
Permission to Noodle
by Anne Mateer Confession time. For all my aversion to math, I thrive on measurable productivity. A number of words written. A number of pages revised. The number of books read in a week, month or year. The amount of time spent research-or even cleaning house or running errands. It all signals productivity. A worthwhile expenditure of time. And yet, …