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Joshua Barrera

  • Hey E. C.! Thanks for your comment and thoughtful question! It’s a good one, and I’ll try to be brief in my response.

    Firstly, I love the theme for your story. It is an increasingly important message that we as Christians can be providing to others, the hope and comfort and peace that we have in Christ despite our struggles.

    Secondly, this…[Read more]

  • Anxiety has become increasingly common with all of the turmoil in the world today, affecting a wide variety of people regardless of age, gender, or lifestyle. Since identifying the problems readers are facing is […]

    • Hey E. C.! Thanks for your comment and thoughtful question! It’s a good one, and I’ll try to be brief in my response.

      Firstly, I love the theme for your story. It is an increasingly important message that we as Christians can be providing to others, the hope and comfort and peace that we have in Christ despite our struggles.

      Secondly, this article was really geared a bit more towards clinical anxiety (in other words, there is something going on in a person’s body/brain that affects their ability to process stressful situations). If your character is dealing with worry only, then we are talking about slightly different things.

      Thirdly, my biggest recommendation for you would be to dig deep into your protagonist’s past if you haven’t already. People don’t tend to worry for no reason. In MOST cases, something about their past or childhood influenced them in such a way that worry becomes their norm. It doesn’t have to be a traumatic instance or even anything abusive. For example, it could be that your protagonist’s father was anxious and worried while she was growing up. Perhaps he had a traumatic experience. As a result, he as a parent worries about everything – is their home safe, does his family have enough food, what if he fails to provide, or what if he becomes as cruel as his own parents. He worries constantly.

      Your protagonist, since she was a little child, grows up with a parent who was always worrying. Kids learn and adopt lifestyles and beliefs of their parents despite how hard a parent may try to shield them from it. Perhaps she bore the anxiety of her parents. Or maybe her parents were never outright abusive, but instead made remarks to her growing up that shattered her confidence. Destroying the confidence and security of a child, whether it be intentional or not, can have drastic results – like anxiety.

      That was a long explanation to say: your protagonist needs to have a reason that she struggles with worry and anxiety. Maybe she doesn’t know what’s causing it at the beginning of the story. But the path to healing includes identifying the root cause. Did she feel safe as a child? Did her parents always worry? Why is she so anxious? Why?

      I’m sorry for the lengthy response! I hope this is at least a little helpful! Good luck in your writing, and don’t give up!

  • Writing historical fiction requires a level of thoroughness that exceeds other genres. Instead of constructing new worlds, you’re representing bygone people and places. You might pore over book after book in y […]

  • Hey Daeus! Yeah, you’re right – it ends up being a ton of notes for a novel. I do one of two things:

    1) I used to just have an entire wall open for me to stick the notes up there and move them around at will. So I could sit at my desk in my office space and see the whole story in Post-Its at a glance. It works better for some people to be able…[Read more]

  • You settle into your desk for a writing session, but instead you end up hopping from chapter to chapter, trying to remind yourself what happens and when. You notice that a character’s earlier actions don’t ali […]

    • This sounds worth trying, though I’m worried I would use a gazillion post it notes. How many do you use for a novel?

      • Hey Daeus! Yeah, you’re right – it ends up being a ton of notes for a novel. I do one of two things:

        1) I used to just have an entire wall open for me to stick the notes up there and move them around at will. So I could sit at my desk in my office space and see the whole story in Post-Its at a glance. It works better for some people to be able to touch the Post-Its and physically move them around. But yes, I’ve used over 100 Post-Its to outline the complete story. However, I think it really just depends on how detailed you want your visual storyboard to be.

        2) I’ve shifted more to using Miro lately. It helps with space constraints (if you don’t have a whole wall free to stick your notes) as well as with buying a million Post-Its. I really like that it just sits in the digital world and doesn’t take up any physical space in my house. But I also like that the Post-It notes supply in Miro is endless!

    • Thank you for writing this, it’s so helpful!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Thanks for the encouragement! Hope it helped!

  • Glad it helped, Sara! A lot of these are mistakes that I made in past writing and trying to avoid now!

  • Although Christian readers enjoy consuming material from authors who share their faith, a handful of it can be difficult to digest. Maybe a turning point in the protagonist’s arc fails to evoke any emotion, or t […]

  • Awesome timing! Good luck as you start incorporating some epic songs into your writing!

  • I agree with your love of writing songs for stories! I think it is an under-used tool nowadays. I’m glad the advice was helpful!

  • That’s awesome that you wrote a national anthem for your work! I’m glad that this article was helpful for you!

  • Hundreds of years before the printing press revolutionized communication, orators and musicians bore the responsibility of passing down their heritage to the next generation. Like Jaskier promoting the legend of […]

  • Hey Sarah, I’m glad that you found this article so helpful! Some of my favorite characters of all time are really smart, and I’ve always wanted to replicate those types in my writing. I’ve found these tips super helpful in my writing since I’m not nearly as skilled or intelligent as half the characters I’m trying to write about! Thanks for the…[Read more]

  • As writers, we habitually draw from our own experiences to develop and relate to the characters in our stories. If our protagonist needs to learn bravery, we reflect on moments when we managed to overcome fear. If […]

    • My sickly brain cells are blessing you for these words of wisdom. My characters are blessing you for not having to inherit their author’s lacking intellect. This is a fabulous article. 🎉

      • Hey Sarah, I’m glad that you found this article so helpful! Some of my favorite characters of all time are really smart, and I’ve always wanted to replicate those types in my writing. I’ve found these tips super helpful in my writing since I’m not nearly as skilled or intelligent as half the characters I’m trying to write about! Thanks for the encouragement!

  • @storysmith

    How’s it going fellow Josh? You are correct. We absolutely need to stick together lol.

    That’s awesome that you applied for the Pinterest Manager position. Let me know if you get it!

    Your work sounds super intriguing, especially since you have the combination of genres all mixed together. How far along are you in the work?

    J.R.R.…[Read more]

  • Hey @erynne,

    First of all, I love how you spell your name. It looks like you come from a fantasy world (my favorite genre). Second, your profile picture is amazing lol.

    That’s awesome that you started a newsletter! What’s it about? Is it something for Story Embers or something else?

    My WIP is a fantasy novel that involves everything you’d…[Read more]

  • Hello everyone!

    My name is Josh Barrera, and I just joined the team as an Article Writer! I’m super excited to be a part of this movement and invest in one another. I focus my writing primarily in fantasy and science fiction. I love poetry (though I’m terrible at writing it!). I look forward to meeting each of you and working together!

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