by Josiah DeGraaf | Feb 11, 2019 | Articles |
Have you ever loved a book or TV series as a child, re-watched it as an adult, and realized how terrible it actually is? Several stories fall into this category for me—many of which are Christian and contain heavy-handed messages. Some I refuse to revisit...
by Josiah DeGraaf | Nov 12, 2018 | Articles |
Editor’s note: This article is the final installment in our five-part series on how to portray tricky subjects in Christian fiction. To learn why we did this series and how we’ve approached these topics, read our introductory post. “One day we two were reading...
by Josiah DeGraaf | Oct 15, 2018 | Articles |
“Is he quite safe?” “Safe? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” Mr. Beaver’s statement about Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe upends Lucy’s assumption that danger and goodness are...
by Josiah DeGraaf | Oct 9, 2018 | News |
Christian storytelling is facing a crisis. Though good intentions abound, many Christian stories in the 21st century are cheesy, unrealistic, and artistically bland. Publishers struggle to find a market for Christian stories. And readers are leaving the genre....
by Josiah DeGraaf | Aug 10, 2018 | News |
What are our goals here at Story Embers? I was at a writing conference a couple weeks ago and people asked me this question a lot. Given how many things we’re trying to accomplish, it’s not the easiest question to answer. That’s why at our...
by Josiah DeGraaf | Jul 9, 2018 | Articles |
“Do I need an editor?” I’ve seen this question countless times on blogs, forums, and Facebook posts. Authors considering self-publishing often wonder whether a professional edit is worth $1,000+ when they don’t “need” it to self-publish. I understand why...
by Josiah DeGraaf | May 14, 2018 | Articles |
Have you ever read a Christian novel with a message so preachy that you wanted to shut the book, walk away, and forget about it? Have you ever worried that you’re committing the same mistake in your writing? Preachiness is the Achilles’ heel of Christian...
by Josiah DeGraaf | May 3, 2018 | Stories |
Emiel was twice a heretic. When he rejected the Twelve Gods for Adolsin, the church labeled him a heretic. And when he held onto the Twelve Gods’ powers after pledging himself to Adolsin, even his fellow heretics called him a heretic. The numerous...
