James Scott Bell recently posted a blog called Don’t Ever Mail It In where he wrote about the attitude that we’ve reached a certain point in our writing where we don’t have to improve. What struck me most is his definition of a real writer. It’s someone who honors the …
Recent Blog Posts
Using My Writing Mistakes
One of the issues I see writers struggle with is the idea they make writing mistakes. A day’s worth of writing is tossed because, in our judgment, it stinks. The characters are dull. The dialogue is boring. The plot twists aren’t working. There’s no tension, no conflict. Recently I spent …
The Restorer – A Journey into Adventure
The Restorer by Sharon Hinck is excellent speculative fiction from a Christian perspective. This story begins with an intriguing hook. An every-day housewife is magically transported to a strange new world where she is expected to lead an oppressed people to victory while others try to kill her. And she …
Are you a pantser or an outliner?
Are you a pantser or an outliner? This question seems to get asked whenever two or more writers come together. Implied in the phrasing is that it’s an either or proposition. And if you disagree, the other person is obviously wrong. Outliners are viewed as control freaks who sacrifice creative …
On Being a More Productive Writer
Want to be more productive as a writer? Commit to it. Even if you’re not published yet, identify yourself as a writer. Repeat after me, “I am a writer.” Now, look in the mirror and declare, “I am a writer.” Put Post It notes on your computer and every other …
Making Time Versus Finding Time
Okay. So you’ve made the decision you are a writer, or a golfer, a concert violinist, a lawyer. Whatever your heart’s desire is. And you’re ready to take the next step: making time to become the best you can be. And you stop, stumped, scratching your head. “How do I do …
Is Your To-Do List an Idol?
If you’ve been around me very long—say more than ten minutes—you know I have this tendency to be somewhat organized. More accurately, I tend to be super-organized. At times, it seems like I’ve added an eleventh commandment: Thou shalt be organized. I’ve written blogs and taught classes on managing our …
Failing My Way to Success
Another rejection. The email glares at me. The words of the magazine editor are a thousand pinpricks. “Doesn’t meet the theme of our issue.” This came right after an agent responded to a query with “not interested.” Which came after several no responses at all from other agents and a …
Journey to Munich: A 5 Star Must Read
Journey to Munich is Jacqueline Winspear’s latest Maisie Dobbs novel. In this thrilling addition to the series, it’s 1938 and Maisie takes an undercover assignment to help in the rescue of a valuable businessman and inventor held in one of Hitler’s concentration camps. Nazi suspicions lurk at every turn. Her …
Truth Through Story
Did you ever wonder why Jesus used parables so often to convey the basic truths he had come to teach? Stories like the faithful servant and the farmer sowing in different kinds of soil. Have you ever read a novel where the author’s agenda was so blatant the story suffered? …