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Podcast #67: A Writer’s Role in the Body of Christ
What role does a writer play as a member of Christ’s Body? How do we respect others and their gifts, even when their purpose looks vastly different from ours? And how do we respond when we feel like our value is misunderstood? Listen as Josiah, Gabby, and Daeus tease out where our identity comes from, how our actions involve much more than simply the task of writing, and how we can be a blessing to others both within the Body of Christ and outside it.
How Parents Can Build Sustainable Writing Habits
Writing at any stage of life can be difficult. Some stages present especially complex challenges, like raising children. Your time, resources, and even your body (if you’re nurturing an infant) are no longer your own. How do you craft characters and plots when you’re stepping on Duplos while cooking dinner and your toddler asks so many ponderous questions that you can’t concentrate? To all the parents whose coffee has gone cold, you’re not alone.
First Place Winner: New Samaria
I wake to the taste of saltwater on my tongue and throbbing behind my eyes. Heat sears my back as I bob in turquoise waves. Below and around me float crates imprinted with Japanese symbols, empty life vests, an object that looks like a severed pale arm…
Podcast #66: Short Stories as Preparation for Writing Novels
Famous writers throughout the ages attribute their growth to short stories. But is this literary form relevant to modern novelists? Listen as Lori, Mariposa, and Daeus discuss how short stories have (or haven’t) helped them, when a writer is ready to begin longer works, and how to hone your craft using short stories.
Announcing the Winners of Our Sixth (and Final) Short Story Contest
Thanks to everyone who made our last writing competition a success! We received entries spanning a wide range of genres—from historical fiction to romance to fantasy—and after many hours of reading, sorting, and discussing, Josiah and I chose our finalists. Please join us in showering them with accolades and confetti! They’ve earned it.
Podcast #65: Who Is Your Story for?
No matter what you’re writing, your book is meant for someone, whether yourself or a specific group of people. But at what point should you decide who your target audience is? And how does that choice affect your writing process? In today’s episode, Lori, Mariposa, and Daeus dive into these questions and discuss Christian vs. secular audiences, when writing for yourself is helpful, and more.
How to Write Emotionally Powerful Physical Pain without Coming Across as a Sadist
Writers are a brutal sect. We spend our free time inventing new methods of torturing characters, all while cackling like gremlins over the tears of heartbroken readers. “I’m off to kill someone” is a phrase tossed around like a tennis ball in writing communities. To the outside observer, our dark humor may seem psychotic. What normal person beats their brainchildren into a pulp only to quip about it later? Although the jokes are often in poor taste, suffering draws in writers, and readers, for better reasons than mental instability.
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