I love stories. I particularly love the stories of the Bible’s Old Testament. During our worship time at the office where I work, we are reflecting on the life of David. His life reads like a contemporary drama series, including wrongful persecution, a king’s abuse of power, and thrilling pursuits. The stories of the Bible …
Continue reading “Devotion: One Step Back, Two Steps Forward”
I’ve been using the word pause often after recently experiencing the sudden loss of my mother. Over the Christmas holiday, I gathered with my family to make funeral arrangements, and I entered the new year surrounded by the struggle of bereavement. Because of this, January brought the need for a pause from work, socializing, and …
Walking causes a repetitive, spontaneous poetry to rise naturally to the lips, words as simple as the sound of footsteps on the road. L.M. Browning Creativity thrives when we break out of our same old routine. Even the smallest changes can help get us out of a rut and encourage creative thinking. Part of my …
As I write, I’ve just completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching Creative Writing. I used to be an English teacher and I know how to teach creative writing, but in this course, I focused on my work as a writing mentor. The last few years have seen me develop workshops for beginning writers who …
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”
Have you ever been on a writer’s retreat? I’ve been on eight, so there must be something that keeps bringing me back. Is it the time to write? The networking? The input and mentoring? The fun and fellowship? The pool? Well, it’s all of those and more. What is a Writer’s Retreat? A writer’s retreat …
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”
One Christmas, I received a book many writers may have in their library of writing resources. Between the covers of Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, Christopher Booker pours a wealth of knowledge into 700 pages about crafting the perfect plot and creating satisfying storytelling. A plot is a sequence in which a story …
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”
