I'm not talking about words or characters today. Not even Tolkien. And maybe you're wondering why I'm taking a break from the usual. It's because this is important right now. The thing is, I write primarily fiction, so you may be questioning why I'm writing on this topic at all. It's because truth transcends genre. … Continue reading When Truth Offends
STORY
Creating Stories within a Story
When I was around five or six, just getting proficient in reading and writing, I made my own books—I crayoned the words onto paper and then drew the pictures to go along with them. I did not make up my own stories, though. I borrowed other stories, maybe my favorite character from my favorite movie. … Continue reading Creating Stories within a Story
The Victory in Surrender
I wanted to make the title an oxymoron to grab your attention. If you're reading this, it worked. Now instead of my usual storytelling style, I'm going to begin with the end: When we surrender our lives to Christ, we are surrendering to the One who has already overcome the world. Surrender is an interesting … Continue reading The Victory in Surrender
…and a Happy New Year!
Here it is: the obligatory New Year's post about memories, lessons learned, and resolutions. Nope. Nope, nope, nope, not doing any of that, thank you very much. Today, I am here to tell you about a little word that I have come to love. Today, I am going to tell you about the magic contained … Continue reading …and a Happy New Year!
3 Common Clichés and Where They Came From
Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! (Depending on when you read this, it might be more like Happy almost-Thanksgiving.) Today, I am going to talk about three very common clichés in fiction. Surprisingly, all of them can also be found in the Bible. Not that that's a bad thing, because the Bible isn't fiction. It's Truth. But it's … Continue reading 3 Common Clichés and Where They Came From
The Writing Bubble
Ah, here we are, at the very end of summer. It sure went by fast. School's about to start (if it hasn't already), and it's almost the season for pumpkin spice and apples and crunchy orange leaves and NaNoWriMo. Perfect time for writing, if you ask me. It's very cozy to sit in Starbucks with … Continue reading The Writing Bubble
The Paradox of Free Will
Happy summer, everyone! Today I have something a bit out of the ordinary... This has very little to do with writing, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately, so I might as well share it with you all. Free will. It's the source of many debates, scholarly books, and carefully-formed opinions and worldviews. … Continue reading The Paradox of Free Will
Introducing: Inferno’s Melody
Happy December, everyone! I don't know about you, but I always get really excited about Christmas. I love picking out a Christmas tree, and decorating it with my family, and baking Christmas cookies and making a huge mess in the kitchen. It's the best. I like to use December to get a break from whatever … Continue reading Introducing: Inferno’s Melody
The Universal Truth
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. No, not that kind of universal truth. I'm pretty sure the above statement isn't even true. Mrs. Bennett thought it was, but most of what she says is nonsense anyway, so we … Continue reading The Universal Truth
The Difference between Salvation and Redemption
I've been doing a lot of character development lately. It's my new favorite aspect of writing. I've been reading a lot about the different Myers-Briggs types (and yes, each of my twelve main characters is a different type), delving into backstories, and figuring out their inner motivations. My latest endeavor is to answer this question: … Continue reading The Difference between Salvation and Redemption
For His Glory Alone 