By Cindy Ervin Huff We are fiction writers, weavers of stories that share messages of hope with the world. But there are times when our bucket of story ideas goes dry. These are the times we can turn to writing non-fiction using our fiction skills to add interest to those projects. I’m assuming you are in the Word daily and …
Three Ways Theater Elevates Your Writing
By Tisha Martin We’re familiar with the Shakespeare quote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” For six years, I worked in college theater, behind the scenes as costume production assistant. What a thrill assembling costumes, makeup, and hairstyles to fit a character’s persona and then to watch the actor become that character on …
Do Readers Care about Point of View?
By B.D. Lawrence @BDLawrence3 Lately, I’ve read a lot of books with different variations of point of view. There are the traditional private eye novels that are always first person. I’ve read third-person point of view. No surprise. There are novels with multiple first-person points of view – by chapter. Multiple third-person points of view, usually by chapter, but not …
Why Does a Story Work?
By Cynthia Herron @C_Herronauthor Did you ever set out on a road trip or a vacation and somewhere along the way miss a turn and realize you were lost? Maybe that’s why I don’t drive in big cities (says the woman who recently moved to a suburb of a Midwest city that boasts an 800,000+ population). Turning around in the middle of …
The Problem with Fantasy
by Scott T. Barnes Christians writing fantasy literature face one unique challenge that most writers do not: how to deal with religion and spirituality in a made-up world? I provide here only partial answers and reflections, and would love to hear your opinions on this important topic. ‘Fantasy’ fiction comprises books as diverse as The Lord of the Rings; The …
The Essentials of a Well-Layered Opening
by Terri Reed When I first started on this writing journey, I attended many workshops where the speaker said to start your openings with dialogue. Other speakers touted that opening with action was best, while still others said setting is the way to go. Personally, I’ve opened books, scenes and chapters with a variety of different approaches. I don’t believe …
Your Author Voice, the Writing Rules, and—ACK!—Show vs. Tell
by Rachel Hauck @rachelhauck I’ve been at this writing game for over 30 years. This summer marked my 20th anniversary of writing full-time. Not to brag or anything, (Ha!) but I’ve learned a few things over the years, and top of the list is – I’m still learning! It never ends. As writers, we never stop learning, improving, and defining …
Writing a Heart Attack
By Jenny Powell MD Let’s talk about heart attacks! Or myocardial infarctions, if you prefer a term that doesn’t rhyme with ‘Cadillac-ac-ac-ac-ac-ac.’ While everybody may experience heart pain differently, there are some common signs that can help us distinguish between a heart-related incident or esophageal or lung issue. I’ve even had patients who were just on the verge of a …
Rejoice in Rejection
By Angela Hunt When I set out to be a writer, I wrote catalog copy, articles, and whatever-anyone-would-pay-me-to-write before I even dreamed of writing a book. Writing a book wasn’t even on my radar—I just wanted a job that would allow me to help my youth-pastor husband put food on the table. I wrote and wrote and wrote, and learned …
Using Foreshadowing to Increase Tension
By DiAnn Mills Foreshadowing is an ingenious literary tool that indicates something will happen in the story. It hints or suggests what is to come and becomes a promise to the reader, a promise that must be kept. Like a road sign that shows what is ahead, foreshadowing signals tension and suspense while alluding to fear, threat, humor, tragedy, or …