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@zee We published an article series a couple years ago that might help you wrestle through this question. 🙂 You can read the first installment here: https://storyembers.org/dear-christian-novelists-cleanness-is-not-next-to-godliness/
@arindown As Josiah explained, we don’t have any current plans to branch into merchandise, but if we ever do, either I (as graphics director) or Mariposa (as the graphic designer under me) would likely create the items. Thanks for the offer, though.
I’ll tag @daeus-lamb for the forum application question.
Regarding the blog, the mobile version does have a search bar. You just have to scroll down to the bottom (it’s right under the Older Entries button). 🙂 You’ll find article categories down there too (as well as in the menu at the top).
I haven’t worked much with book proposals myself, but I found a good article by Jerry B. Jenkins on the subject (which does mention formatting): https://jerryjenkins.com/how-to-write-a-book-proposal/
And if you’d like a visual example, here is a proposal Jill Williamson created for one of her books: http://jillwilliamson.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Captives_Proposal_Example.pdf
Keep in mind, though, that even with traditional publishing you’ll be expected to do a lot of the marketing yourself. Many publishers prefer that authors have a following before they’ll accept a book (because they want to make sure you have an audience who will buy it). This article from Writer’s Digest helps explain why that’s the case: https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/do-you-have-what-publishers-really-want
I hope those links are helpful! Best wishes to you as you embark on this journey. 🙂
The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi might be helpful to you. It doesn’t cover tone, but it gives suggestions for how to effectively convey emotions through a character’s body language. I’m wondering if the problem is that you’re not infusing enough emotions into the scene and that’s why it feels sterile. These posts from C. S. Lakin’s blog might prove useful as well:
https://www.livewritethrive.com/2015/10/28/infusing-your-settings-with-emotions/
https://www.livewritethrive.com/2015/10/07/writing-personal-description-through-your-pov-character/
https://www.livewritethrive.com/2015/09/23/how-writers-can-avoid-underwriting-emotions/
I love how I knew where Josiah hid the clue and am leading the writing team on this quest. 😂👍🏻👍🏻 (That’s actually a fairly accurate representation of how I interact with our publishing personnel…which is probably information I should not be disclosing to the public. 😛 So shhhh.)
@briannajean I noticed that we share the same first name (and spelling!), so I had to pop in to say hello! 😉 I’m glad your friend steered you our way, and I hope that you find our content to be edifying.
Sounds like you lead a busy life and have several fun projects in the works! I’m a homeschool grad, and many others around here come from that background as well. Fantasy and YA are popular genres among our audience too, so you’ll fit right in. 😋
@bekah @evelyn @taylorclogston Christian Manuscript Submissions is a legitimate business, so it’s not a scam, but also probably not worthwhile except as a last resort if you haven’t been able to get an agent/publisher on your own. This post gives some helpful advice about manuscript submission services: https://rachellegardner.com/manuscript-submission-services/
Here’s a post from Writer’s Digest that answers this question rather straightforwardly: http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/long-novel-chapters
And here’s an article that covers the issue in more depth: https://wordcounter.net/blog/2017/02/15/102944_how-many-words-chapter.html
Basically, you want to let your content dictate the length instead of constraining yourself to a set amount of words. 😉
@nuetrobolt Hope nailed it, but I will add that the more revisions you perform, the better your chances of success (either at getting traditionally published or gaining an audience of readers who respect, value, and enjoy your books). Writing multiple drafts, recruiting beta readers, and then hiring a professional editor to help you with your weakest points (whether sentence-level issues or plot-related problems) will provide the best results. 🙂
Each writer has different methods and preferences for how they whip their manuscripts into shape, but generally you’ll need to create a system where you tend to the big-picture issues first and work your way down to fixing typos and grammar. The latter isn’t less important, but fussing over small errors doesn’t make sense when an entire chapter needs gutted and rewritten. 😉
@ellen-blanc @scribbles *Peeks out of my hermitage* Did I hear someone mention introversion, purple, and sarcasm? Do I have a clone? 😉
Welcome to Story Embers, Ellen! I love the poem you shared! 💜 You’re the only person here who has introduced herself with a poem, so kudos for being creative. 👍🏻
Since no one has asked you the pivotal question yet, what personality type are you? I’m an INFJ who tests as an INTJ when I’m stressed or have spent too much time editing and running my brain in analytical mode. 😛 You’ll find that the halls of SE are packed with introverts, so you should feel right at home.
@wordsmith The definition of proficient is “well advanced in an art, occupation, or branch of knowledge.” This doesn’t mean a writer is perfect or that they have no more room to grow, but that they have a solid grasp on fundamental writing principles and techniques, as well as a fair amount of experience (by getting published at various places or winning a contest, for example).
@scarletimmortalized Welcome to Story Embers!
If you hang around here very long, someone will start talking about MBTI, so I’ll go ahead and ask you the pivotal question: what is your personality type? I’m an INFJ who frequently tests as an INTJ, but that can’t be accurate because I’m too emotional. 😜 So I like to tell people I can switch between being a thinker and a feeler, which strikes fear into their hearts.
What other fantasy books do you enjoy reading besides LOTR?
@karthmin Thank you for the clarification. 🙂 And no worries—I’m a night owl myself, so I’ve written some things in the wee hours of the morning that I’ve had to disentangle the next day because my point got misplaced. 😉
@hope-ann I would classify proofreading as a technical skill since it only involves correcting errors, but other levels of editing are not. No two editors will revise a book exactly the same way. They may flag several of the same issues, but they may not suggest the same solutions. Editing is a creative endeavor, and editors have unique areas of strength, voices, and styles—just like writers. In order for an editor to do a good job, she has to be invested in the project and know the story inside and out.
