Writers receive lots of conflicting advice. One such piece of advice involves following your heart or following trends. Do we write the story we are passionate about, or do we write the story we think will best interest the reading public? Do we build the field of our dreams, or try to speak to the [...]
Deciding to publish your novel is just the first step. After that, a writer must decide where to publish that novel. This decision is not easy. It involves determining two things: (1) The audience you’re aiming at and (2) The publishing route to reach that audience. For some, the first part of that decision is [...]
I recently re-watched David Fincher’s Seven (1995) and was reminded how influential the movie was. Part atmospheric horror, part serial killer CSI, part existential lamentation, with a surprise ending to boot, Fincher used his grunge, commercial background to not only create a cinematic collage that wormed under your skin, but to forever stamp filmdom with [...]
I recently asked this simple question on Facebook: The single most defining characteristic of Christian fiction should be… what? The comments were varied. Stephen said that Christian fiction should be about, “Glorifying God and enjoying him,” Susan singled out “transformation,” John specified “redemption,” Evan “truth,” Mike “hope,” Dave “quality,” and Sally concluded, “Christian fiction would [...]
Craft and creativity are not synonymous, although both are required for a career in the arts. Many creative individuals do not possess the discipline to successfully craft their ideas. On the other hand are those who are adept at craft, but who lack true originality. The more I interact with authors, the more I learn [...]
Care to hear how I got the idea for my first novel? This 3 minute video reveals the story’s odd origins. http://www.youtube.com/v/5e6v3wBzWrk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0
I’m currently reading J. Mark Bertrand’s latest novel Back on Murder and thoroughly enjoying it. Not only is it a compelling police procedural that pulls you right in, Mark’s craft is exceptional. The story is written in first person present tense, a stylistic POV choice that makes everything real-time. The method can be off-putting to [...]
Regrettably, I had to abandon my post as an editor for The Midnight Diner‘s third edition. Nevertheless, I’ve kept a close eye on the proceedings and am happy to inform you that the latest installment is AWESOME. Self described as “a hardboiled genre anthology with a Christian slant,” the Diner specializes in all things weird [...]
The “horror” label brings a lot of baggage with it. Like it or not, films like Saw, Hostel and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre have come to define the genre. Which is one reason why religious publishers tend to avoid the “horror” label and why supporters of a Christian Horror genre are fighting an uphill battle. [...]
In his Letter to Artists, Pope John Paul II said this, “Even when they explore the darkest depths of the soul or the most unsettling aspects of evil, artists give voice in a way to the universal desire for redemption.” Two things stand out to me about this quote. One is the close proximity of [...]
