It’s been quite a while since I’ve read anything YA, but have pondered doing so for two reasons: (1) YA is hot, and (2) Many of my writer friends are hot for YA. In an attempt to remain culturally current (and solve the mystery of why this stuff is so popular with adults), I decided [...]
So I started reading The Terror by Dan Simmons and stalled almost halfway through. Yeah, I’ll finish it. I didn’t stop because the story wasn’t good, but because it’s so darned long — almost 800 pages. Long books have that effect on me. Take this one: Cervantes’ Don Quixote. I have the coolest version, an [...]
The mind cannot retain what the seat cannot endure. That’s one of those phrases preachers and professors learn, sometimes the hard way. Another is the value of a good story. Nothing breaks up the monotony of facts, information, and instruction like a good yarn. I’ve seen it over and over while teaching. Without some color, [...]
A list of the best blogs for writers in 2012 is going around. Writer’s Market editor Robert Lee Brewer compiles about 40 great blogs for writers to follow. It’s a great list. But sadly, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I say sadly not just because I’m one of the plethora of writing blogs [...]
After reading through a chapter of my WIP, a writer friend pointed out that I kept drifting into “passive voice.” I think I shouted “hallelujah!” Using passives is one of those bugaboos that new writers are encouraged to avoid. It’s really up there in the hierarchy of “writing rules.” And adherence to these rules is [...]
My article Why a Judeo-Christian Worldview Is Essential to Good Fiction, received a lot of traffic and made several atheist forums, most notably THIS ONE, where it landed under the heading: Writers: if you’re not Judeo-Christian, chances are you suck. For the record, I never said any writer “sucked” in that post (which I AM [...]
A funny thing happened on the way to publication… I lost a few writing friends. “Guy gets published and suddenly he thinks he’s an authority.” “Who’s he to say what’s good writing or bad writing?” “He’s no more qualified to teach at a writer’s conference than me.” Maybe they have a point. I mean, what [...]
It feels like a confession, but I’ve always been fascinated with the paranormal. Near Death Experiences (NDE’s), Telepathy, quantum consciousness, UFO’s, ghosts, etc., etc. The problem has always been finding objective sources to ponder such anomalies. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s extremists on both sides — those who will believe anything and those who [...]
After reading Andy Crouch’s Culture Making several years ago, I had this sinking feeling that Christians are way behind the eight ball regarding cultural engagement. “When it comes to cultural creativity,” Crouch writes, “innocence is not a virtue.” Innocence is a polite way to put it. In many sectors of the Church, “culture innocence” is [...]
