Craft the Next Great Christian Story.
We help Christian writers enthrall readers with honest storytelling that depicts both beauty & brokenness.
Take our quiz to discover where you need to grow to be able to delight and impact readers.
Kim Vandel
Author of the Under Fire Series
“Story Embers will be instrumental in helping encourage and train many writers over the years to come.”
Gillian Bronte Adams
Author of the Songkeeper Chronicles
Do Your Stories Captivate Readers?
With each word you type, you have the opportunity to impact the world for Christ.
Unfortunately, writing clichéd or heavy-handed novels is so easy that you may not even realize you’re failing to move readers.
What if you could find a more effective approach to crafting stories as a Christian?
The Story Embers Principles
Writing Is a Craft
Five-star stories don’t happen overnight. You don’t need get-rich-quick schemes shoved in your face. You need training and support that sets you up for the long haul.
Storytelling Must Be Genuine
Novels should be about more than a faith-based message. Storytellers honor God by imitating the way He tells stories, not by bland sermonizing.
Quality Matters
You don’t need beginner’s advice you’ve read on a dozen other blogs. We put every piece we publish through intensive edits to give you comprehensive advice on niche topics.
Our Process for Helping Storytellers
Step #1: Diagnose Your Biggest Weakness & Get Resources to Overcome It
When you don’t know where to focus your energy, improving your storytelling can be difficult. That’s why we created the Writing Weakness Quiz. It identifies which area of writing you struggle with the most and then matches you with resources designed to help you strengthen that skill.
Meet Your Guides
We’re a group of outside-the-box thinkers who want to help you ask tough questions through stories that are rich with meaning.
Josiah DeGraaf
Editor-in-Chief
Fiction Manager at The Young Writer
Founder of Ink Slinger Academy
Brianna Storm Hilvety
Managing Editor
Certified by the Christian Editor Connection
Gold Member of The Christian PEN
Daeus Lamb
Community Manager
Author of God of Manna
Founder of Excelsior Writing School
Rolena Hatfield
Outreach Manager
Blogger at The Author’s Attic
Host of the MNBS Writing Group
Step #2: Join Our Commitment to Excellent Storytelling
Shortly after founding the site, we published the Christian Storytellers Manifesto in order to…
- Declare our resolve to aim for excellence instead of being content with subpar literature.
- Offer a different perspective on the standard we should use to judge our proficiency as storytellers.
- Unite like-minded writers to support each other and elevate the quality of Christian fiction.
Join the movement by reading our 15 resolutions and signing the Christian Storytellers Manifesto today.
Step #3: Grow Weekly through the Blog
Every Monday and Thursday, we publish articles on story craft and showcase talented writers in the realms of short stories and poetry. Below are a few of our recent posts.
Mosaic
They say these years are where you find yourself— but mind yourself, they don’t tell you where to look. I tried to search in mirrors, but I fear they seem far fiercer when scattered scars and freckles are the only baited hooks. I’ve watched the windows of my soul to...
The Scene Goal Playbook: 4 Ways to Drive Your Plot Forward
Offensive line coaches in football think strategically. While they may love a quick score, they don’t expect a touchdown without a fight. Instead, they develop a series of plays with a singular goal: to advance the ball up the field. Football is a game of inches, and...
SE Podcast #41: What The Chosen Gets Right about Christian Storytelling
Last summer, several Story Embers staff members watched the first season of The Chosen together. In this episode, Josiah, Rolena, and Daeus discuss what they loved about the series and the techniques Christian storytellers can draw from it. What made the show’s...
Mosaic
They say these years are where you find yourself— but mind yourself, they don’t tell you where to look. I tried to search in mirrors, but I fear they seem far fiercer when scattered scars and freckles are the only baited hooks. I’ve watched the windows of my soul to...
The Scene Goal Playbook: 4 Ways to Drive Your Plot Forward
Offensive line coaches in football think strategically. While they may love a quick score, they don’t expect a touchdown without a fight. Instead, they develop a series of plays with a singular goal: to advance the ball up the field. Football is a game of inches, and...
Step #4: Get Intensive Training through Our Annual Summits
Every year we host a virtual writing conference where we take a deep dive into a specific topic and teach you how to ace it. Join our 2021 summit to heighten your skills.
The 2021 Engaging Plots Summit
Unlock your God-given imagination.
The 2020 Authentic Characters Summit
God doesn’t create flat stereotypes.
Neither should we.
Don’t Settle for Second-Rate Storytelling
We’re not here to tell you that great storytelling is effortless or that one weird trick will solve all your problems (it won’t).
Instead, we’re here to equip you with weekly training and support so you can write stories that make a difference.
Are you ready to take the first step?