Category: Writing

How Should Christians Write About… LGBT Issues

How Should Christians Write About… LGBT Issues

This post topic has been on my “to-write” list for a long time now because, frankly, it’s a scary topic to broach. I expect it will offend people (possibly those from multiple directions), and I don’t prefer to intentionally make people uncomfortable. That said, I believe this is an important topic that Christian authors should be addressing, one that Christian authors have largely ignored and abdicated the conversation around, and since it recently came up again I decided it was time to actually post about it.

As always in this series, this post is meant to be food-for-thought, to lay out the scriptural guidelines for a particular topic and what we do or don’t have the freedom to include in our stories (or how we do or don’t have the freedom to portray it) based on that scripture. I’ll put forth my interpretation, but all of these topics are ultimately between you and God and the intention is not to bind or to violate your conscience.

The Biblical View on Homosexuality

The most important question to ask is (as always): What does the Bible say about homosexuality?

(Verses are in NKJV, and I encourage you to read the broader context as well, on your own.)

While we have Continue reading “How Should Christians Write About… LGBT Issues”

Developing Your Own Best Marketing Practices

Developing Your Own Best Marketing Practices

There is no single “right way” to market your books. As with most things in the writing realm, marketing differs from author to author–and sometimes even from book to book. All the same, there is a lot of advice out there claiming to be “necessary” for your marketing to succeed, and it can be hard to know which tips are actually going to be useful. It’s overwhelming sometimes!

My intention with this post is twofold: First, I want to assure you that you can market the way you want to; marketing doesn’t have to be high-pressure if you don’t want it to be, and it doesn’t have to look a certain way. Secondly, I want to help you figure out the foundations of your marketing “personality,” as it were, so that you can filter marketing advice accordingly–keeping what fits your purposes and ignoring the rest.

Ready? Let’s get into it.

This post contains affiliate links, marked with an asterisk. Purchases made through these links earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Determine Your Priorities

The first thing to know Continue reading “Developing Your Own Best Marketing Practices”

How to Stick with a Project (Past the First Draft)

How to Stick with a Project (Past the First Draft)

While I’ve previously written on the topic of sticking with a project–and the principles from that post do apply beyond the first draft into revisions, edits, etc.–it was recently brought to my attention that I don’t have a post addressing some of the obstacles that can arise specifically after the first draft is complete, so that is what I will be discussing today!

Obstacle #1: Feeling Inadequate

As you shift from the writing process into the process of identifying problems and rewriting to remedy those problems, it’s easy to feel unequal to the task at first–especially if this is your first time stepping into the rewriting stage. It can be daunting. I get it!

It’s important to remember that even Continue reading “How to Stick with a Project (Past the First Draft)”

How to Choose a Good Editor

How to Choose a Good Editor

If you’re an indie author, in particular, you likely know that a professional editor is part of the investment. But it can be hard to know which editor to choose. How do you know who is going to be a high-quality editor, and how do you know they’ll be the right fit for your book? This post will address both the traits of a good editor, as well as how to assess whether or not an editor has these qualities and whether or not s/he is a good fit for you specifically.

Traits of a good editor

Timeliness

Especially if you’re working with a particular schedule for a given project–whether you’ve announced a release date, plan to submit a project somewhere by a certain date, etc.–it is important to have an editor who can and will get your project scheduled and edited in a timely manner. Many editors will have an average turnaround time posted Continue reading “How to Choose a Good Editor”

2024 Know the Novel: Part 3 – Words Written

2024 Know the Novel: Part 3 – Words Written

Welcome to the final installment of the Know the Novel link-up, hosted by Christine Smith! This installment usually goes up in December, but I’ll be taking a hiatus through the month of December (and Thunder is already finished) so I’m getting an early start on Part 3.

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1. How did writing this novel go all around?

The first half was difficult; I dove right in after finishing Lightning and burned out not too far into Thunder, then kept trying to push on anyway until Sarah Grimm talked sense into me at Realm Makers and gave me permission to shift gears for a while. Once I did that–setting Thunder aside to work toward finishing my worldbuilding book instead–I was able to Continue reading “2024 Know the Novel: Part 3 – Words Written”