What is the inspiration that started you writing? Have you been a storyteller since your youth, or did you write your first novel as an older adult with many years of life perspective? How does our history influence the kind of stories that play in our minds before we turn them into words on screen …
Continue reading “Reflections on a Decade of Writing Fiction: How It All Began”
As Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.” (Ecc. 3:1 NKJV) As I’ve grown older, I’ve seen the truth of that in so many areas of life. Lately, I’ve been pondering my own seasons of writing: where I’ve been as an author, where I am …
Continue reading “Seasons of Writing: Lessons from the Farm”
Every one of us is here for a reason beyond ourselves. It’s easy to forget that sometimes. We get so caught up in the demands of daily life that it’s easy to lose sight of the longer timeline, the broader view, the deeper perspective. Time is precious. There’s a set limit to how much we …
When I set aside working on the next book in my Roman-era Light in the Empire series to write this ACW blog post, I found myself thinking about the gifts God gives us so we can serve Him well. Like many Christian writers, I know in my heart that this is a calling from God, …
Characters, setting, plot―these are the three main building blocks of a great story. In my last blog post here, I shared how I find the characters for my next story. Today, I’d like to share some things I do to create memorable settings for my historical novels. Some of these tips could work just as …
Continue reading “How to make your story’s setting feel real”
Does anything satisfy more than writing “The End”? In my case, it’s writing “Finis” for my Roman-era stories. It’s time for a celebratory cup of tea, a special dinner, a relaxing stroll…and planning the next story. How do we know what that next story should be? The characters, the setting, the plot, the theme…how do …
Continue reading “Writing the next story: how to choose the right characters”
When we create a novel for our readers to enjoy, we might start with the first sentence of chapter one, but we shouldn’t consider it finished when we type “The End” after the last sentence of the story. It’s time to write the front and back matter to give our readers more. We can add …
Continue reading “Adding Front and Back Matter to Give Our Readers More”
For a man to check out a book online or in a store, the cover must hold the promise of a story men would enjoy. Historical novels where romance isn’t the most important plot focus are often enjoyed by both men and women. So, how can our choice of cover let men know our story …
Continue reading “How to Design Covers Both Men and Women Love”
Historical fiction lovers are also lovers of history. Every time we write a novel, we’re creating a special place for our readers to visit. We build a world for our characters to live in. The details of that world are up to us, but whatever we create, it must be believable. Even fantasy and sci-fi …
Continue reading “Writing Historical Fiction That Readers Will Love”
One thing that distinguishes Christian fiction from general market is the role of faith in our characters’ lives and the realistic spiritual arcs in their story. Some know what they believe and why, and they try to live accordingly. Others were raised in Christian homes so they’ve heard the Gospel. They might call themselves Christians, …
