How to Practice Being a Writer of Hope

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Being a writer of hope is something I’m making a deliberate effort to become. Right now our world needs hope. There is so much in our world these days that can lead to hopelessness if we let it.

Because our passion (and business) is words, we have the ability to affect how others interpret the world. I’m not suggesting that we slant our viewpoint to something untrue, but rather that we take an honest look at the hope around us no matter what situation we’re viewing. 

Make the Story You Write Read Like A Film With First Person Cinematic POV

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

A writer’s most important job is to elicit emotion in the reader.

Beyond being the single issue most often fixed by editors, Point of View is possibly the most powerful tool used by a storyteller to evoke emotion in the reader.

First Person Cinematic is one of the nine forms of POV at a writer’s disposal. As the name implies, the Cinematic perspective narrates the story in manner that simulates the experience of a viewer watching a film. The author writes with the focus trained on the characters, reporting what they say and do. 

3 Ways to Encourage a Writer

by Ginny Cruz, MPA, PT

Ernest Hemingway once said, "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." In other words, you uncover and share those emotionally tender spots with strangers. 

To impact readers and be effective, writers must be emotionally vulnerable. This vulnerability requires a bucket of courage and a sprinkle of craziness. That's why writers need kindhearted understanding and frequent loving encouragement to continue along their lonely path. 

A Pattern on the Threshold for Writers, Part 2

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

Go here to read last month’s Part One: A Pattern on the Threshold for Writers 

Tempted in the Wilderness

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1).

There is an observable pattern in the lives of writers who stand on the threshold of God’s calling and purpose. Jesus asks us only to walk where He first has. On the eve of His public ministry, Jesus was compelled by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.

Pros and Cons for Writers Sharing a First Draft

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

You finish that first chapter or article you’ve been working on for so long, searching for every right word, and creating dialog that will send the grumpiest curmudgeon into laughing hysterics. And your first instinct is to share it with the nearest victim—I mean, friend.

But should you?

Genre Expectations: Writing All the Punks

by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author

When I was a kid, punk culture had really taken hold of the world. However, the idea of punk culture started in music, with punk rock and the idea that great music didn’t need a record label to succeed. I guess you could say it was the anti-establishment movement of the mid 70s and early 80s.

But “punk” in books really only showed up as a genre since 1987, although since then a host of classics and other works have been retroactively labeled with the punk genre. And since 1987, the punk culture of books has exploded. Maybe you’ve only heard of steampunk or cyberpunk, which are arguably the largest segment of the punk genre. But there are countless others, so as we bring this series on genre expectations to a close, I figured it was time to take a brief look at all the punks.

Face Your Worst Writing Fears with These 10 Tips

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Fall is upon us and with it come black cats and trick or treaters. Some cute and some . . . well . . . not so much. In this season of black and orange, I thought I'd highlight some fears all writers face and how to overcome them. 

At a recent writing conference, I was talking to a friend of mine and this person confided she was afraid she just didn’t have what it took to be a writer.