Lorne Oke, former head men’s and women’s golf coach at Taylor University, used to type his mother’s manuscripts to help her prepare them for submission to a publisher. His mother began her writing career later in life and continues to create novels for her loyal and widespread fan base at age 90. Lorne once told … Read more
Even if you’re still in the earliest stages of writing a novel, it pays to think ahead. If your plan is to become a career author, it’s never too soon to begin laying the groundwork for success. Imagine that you’ve completed your manuscript and have “gone through the wringer” of the editing process. In the … Read more
Most novels do not include illustrations. Much is left to the reader’s imagination. There are several reasons, however, why authors should describe their characters’ appearance early on in a story. Creative writing skills enable authors to “show” a character’s physical appearance rather than using static, descriptive text. Rather than writing “He was a tall man,” … Read more
Not every protagonist in the Christian fiction genre is a black-and-white, cut-and-dry, upstanding, stellar character. Many heroes and heroines are flawed. In fact, most should have some type of noticeable fault to make them more believable. A flawed protagonist, however, must have some way to become endearing to your readers. This is where “Save the … Read more
As a Christian fiction author, you want to leave your readers feeling uplifted, inspired and entertained. In short, when they close the cover after reading the final paragraph, you want them to be satisfied. You also want them to want to read more of your writing. Endings are often one of the most challenging parts … Read more
Becoming an author in the “fiction” space can be both challenging and rewarding. The most prolific writers typically focus on a specific genre, although some have been known to branch out and test other waters. If you’re thinking about trying your hand at a Christian romance novel, there are several key features you’ll want to … Read more
You could probably scroll online for days when searching for resources to help improve your writing skills. Even if you learn from the best, however, as an author, you must ultimately be “true to yourself.” That is, you must discover your own uniqueness, writing style, means of telling a story that sets you apart from … Read more
In the software development industry, products typically go through several phases before reaching their final status. Developers first create a prototype, which is a preliminary model that demonstrates the overall idea. They often refer to this as the “alpha” phase. At some point, before releasing a final version of a product, it passes through the … Read more
As an author, you might be going about your everyday life when thoughts come to mind, laying the groundwork for your next (or first) novel. Such thoughts might be a bit vague or so detailed that you can see, smell and hear the story unfolding in your mind. Turning your latest book idea into a … Read more
When you think about novels you’ve read, various genres may be relevant. Avid readers often tackle a broad spectrum, ranging from Sci-fi or fantasy to mystery, romance or historical fiction. It’s probably somewhat rare, however, to read novels that make you laugh out loud; don’t you think? Writing a funny story can be challenging. Several … Read more