Hey Andi!

It’s my hope that as more and more Christian writers simply set out to write impactful fiction that can change people’s lives, instead of trying to stick within the artificial constraints of a genre that exists for no other reason than marketing, that some of the issues you bring up in this comment will begin to lessen. There’s…[Read more]

Hey Sarah! I’ve always felt that shy children get the short end of the stick in fiction. I suppose they don’t lend themselves very well to riveting action and things of the like, but maybe that’s just an expectation that we can change, eh?

Why, thank you!

Absolutely! It was a fun idea to tackle.

You’re right – it’s so easy to just create an abstract idea of what people are (or should) be like, especially when we don’t have a close personal connection to their experience and point of view. It’s always a tremendous asset to look at the people right around us for inspiration on how to make our…[Read more]

Thank you, Abigail! Worldbuilding is also a weakness of mine, but in the other direction… once I get started, I can’t stop! And then I have to pare things down more and more until I get to the details that are relevant to the story.

So glad you found this helpful! May it be ever at the ready for quick deployment in you future endeavors.

Really love this advice! The real tricks of the trade right here.

Also, side note: It’s fascinating to hear this from someone who experiences stories so viscerally. My imagination is not very vivid, oddly enough. I tend to identify with the emotional states of characters much more strongly than I have ever experienced/identified with their…[Read more]

Nice work! This might be the best summary of what a log line is, and how to make it, that I’ve seen in – well, long enough that I can’t remember a better one. XD

Also, your writing style is so robust. It’s a pleasure to read. Compliments to the chef!

Thanks! I feel this so deeply. Every time I see a beautiful landscape I am baffled how I could possibly cram all that goodness into words. They feel so inadequate! But it helps to remember that our readers have a bank full of memories of the same beautiful things, and all we have to do is trigger those memories to bring the beauty into their minds. 🙂

Thank you!

You’re absolutely right. Biblical meditation is about learning to align our mind with God’s. We have to still our own mental chatter to do this, but the goal is not to stay emptied, it is to be filled with the Spirit instead!

I’m considering attending at least one writing conference in the upcoming year, so this is good stuff to be thinking about!

Love this! I’ve found this true in the past, but feel like I’ve more recently lost the skill of cultivating silence. A great and timely reminder!

Thank you, Jaydyn! It’s always such a reward to hear that something I’ve written is helping light the imagination!

Great question! The original idea for Endbringer came from an image prompt of a golden-yellow eye with the numbers of a clock around the iris. The eye looked tired and sad to me, and the image immediately seized my imagination.…[Read more]

Hi Annabel!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m glad you enjoyed this article, and hope you find many more encouraging and helpful things on the Story Embers blog, both in the archives and in future articles!

Thanks again for your kind words,

Martin

I’m glad you enjoyed this article, Joshua! I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts about this! It’s a complex issue, and sometimes character death is the right choice for your story. It all depends on the story you’re trying to tell, and the consequences of that death for the rest of the cast. At the end of the day, it’s up to you…[Read more]

I’m glad you appreciated this, Michael!

I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you for this comment, Brian!

Lots of good thoughts here. Thank you taking the time to share your thought processes and what you want to see in Christian fiction. Hopefully articles like this, in additional to everything else we do at Story Embers will help trigger the kind of storytelling that you’re looking for. And who knows, maybe it’s…[Read more]