Scribes & Archers

Portraying Characters When Your Worldviews Clash

Posted on September 23, 2025May 13, 2025 by R.M. Archer

As authors, we want our stories to reflect the values that we believe in. We want to write with integrity, discouraging those things we believe to be wrong and championing those things we believe to be right. But our characters don’t always believe the same things we do (nor should they; we write stories, not sermons!), which can lead to a tricky balancing act: being true to the characters and their stories without compromising what we believe or endorsing behavior we believe to be wrong. How do you handle that tension? Here are some tips.

This question was originally brought up by an email subscriber. Thanks to Joshua for the question!

There are two things I try to show in my writing when characters are Continue reading “Portraying Characters When Your Worldviews Clash” →

How to Avoid 5 Common Worldbuilding Pitfalls

Posted on September 16, 2025July 31, 2025 by R.M. Archer

Like any element of storytelling, worldbuilding has the potential to greatly elevate the quality of a project. But, also like any element of storytelling, it can be easy to fall into common pitfalls and fail to tap into the full potential of your worldbuilding. Today I’m addressing some common pitfalls that authors can fall into when it comes to worldbuilding, and how to avoid them.

*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.

Under-Valuing the World

One pitfall I see fairly often is that authors don’t value worldbuilding in the first place. They see their world as Continue reading “How to Avoid 5 Common Worldbuilding Pitfalls” →

What Does it Mean to “Read with Discernment”?

Posted on September 9, 2025May 13, 2025 by R.M. Archer

If you’re a Christian reader, you may have heard the term “reading with discernment” tossed around, or something like it. Read carefully. Choose your books wisely. And this is good advice. The problem is… it’s vague. What does it mean to read with discernment?

Ultimately, I think reading with discernment will lead to different readers choosing different books. There is no one-size-fits-all result when it comes to reading with discernment. But there are a few principles to keep in mind as you consider what reading with discernment means for you and how you can choose your reads wisely.

Expose the Works of Darkness

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” – Eph. 5:11, NKJV

The world is broken, and fiction Continue reading “What Does it Mean to “Read with Discernment”?” →

4 Tips for Revisiting Goals

Posted on September 2, 2025May 13, 2025 by R.M. Archer

I’m back! At least, I’m easing into being back. And as we near the final portion of the year, it seems an appropriate time to discuss how to effectively revisit and renew progress on the goals we set at the beginning of the year. Pull out those goals you set for this year, brush the dust off if you need to, and let’s get started!

Assess Progress

The first step to a productive Continue reading “4 Tips for Revisiting Goals” →

8-Year Blog Anniversary – Celebratory Q&A!

Posted on August 5, 2025July 31, 2025 by R.M. Archer

I momentarily interrupt the blog’s summer hiatus to celebrate that Scribes & Archers had its 8-year anniversary on Saturday! I asked my newsletter subscribers what I should do to celebrate and a Q&A was the top-voted option, so here’s this year’s celebratory Q&A post! Thank you to Amelie, Jocelyn, Cate, and Aaliyah for sending in questions!

Writing Questions

Do you use block scheduling? A planner where you do a little each day? Or how do you organize your schedule for maximum productivity?

I’ve tried block scheduling before and it’s never worked for me because I personally need a more flexible system that can adjust for differences between days and between larger seasons in terms of energy levels, other activities, what projects I’m interested in, etc. Continue reading “8-Year Blog Anniversary – Celebratory Q&A!” →