Story EmbersStory Embers is run by a group of Christian writers who are committed to glorifying God with excellent craftsmanship. We accept article, poetry, and short story submissions from a number of Christian storytellers around the world. You can peruse our latest posts from contributing audience members below.
Almost every piece of writing advice is served with a side of “keep your readers in mind,” but what exactly does that phrase mean? And how can writers practice it effectively? In today’s episode, Josiah, Brianna, and Gabrielle share tips for how to focus on your readers during the writing and editing process.
The eighth resolution of our Christian Storytellers Manifesto describes our commitment to “paint traces of hope in even the darkest situations.” However, this raises several questions. Why do Christian writers need to shine light into pitch-black moments? How do we achieve a balance between the two? And does this mean we shouldn’t write sad endings?
Dec. 24. Victim discovered 3 min. off San Pasqual Valley Road/Highway 78. Mile marker 12. Female. Mid 20s. Face down. Homicide suspected. No attempted burial. Thrown and discarded. Decomposition suggests 6 weeks since death. Wild animals got to body. Skeleton mostly intact. Left femur missing. No ID. Prostitute? Photograph in back pocket.
Green. Not eaten. Not trampled into the dust. Food, or maybe poison. It didn’t matter which. Prisoner 13358 hadn’t been actively searching for either. If he had, he would have passed over the spot. An inconspicuous clay lump shielded the leaves that cowered between the stack of lumber and the barracks wall.
Perhaps you’ve spent years drawing maps, creating languages, and brainstorming customs and cultures for your story world. Your worldbuilding document is packed with ideas, and you leave it open for reference as you write. However, worldbuilding can transform from a blessing into a curse if readers become so frustrated that they want to escape your world instead of exploring it. I’m going to help you reverse that curse with three tips for developing worlds that are both hospitable and richly detailed.
Producing a novel isn’t a one-man show. Today Josiah DeGraaf, Brianna Storm Hilvety, and Gabrielle Pollack discuss the hidden heroes who help an author give readers a fully fleshed-out and polished story.
At the end of last year, Story Embers sent out a survey to the Christian writing community. Nearly half of the respondents reported that their biggest challenge wasn’t plot, characters, theme, or style but finding time to write!
She has a bookshelf for a heart and a current of ink for veins. Her skilled insight and works of art are creativity’s sweet gain. She’ll write you into her story with the quick quill inside her brain.
From between dark cedars and whiskered pines, spring steps out. In the blush of redbud tree’s purple blooms, wildflowers burst forth from hidden winter tombs. Against the backdrop of elegant purple, trees about don their veils so white. Soft leaves appear, dotting green on the maple trees. The spring is here.
This is golden day: a single moment that lasts for hours. I am standing in this field of brown, crisp grass and stubborn wildflowers, where the scent of summer stays. My feet are rooted in the dark earth. My eyes are closed, but my mind is open, absorbing the liveliness of this world.
