Posts
Publishing Doesn’t Validate My Life
With the results of the Genesis contest semi-finalists still fresh in everyone’s mind, I think this post from Mary DeMuth is a good reminder about perspective and validation in our writing. -Gina Mary DeMuth’s articles have appeared in Marriage Partnership, In Touch, HomeLife, Discipleship Journal. Her books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005), Sister Freaks…
Fiction Friday: More tips for cutting a synopsis
Tip#4 to cut a synopsis—relevance Cut absolutely anything that does not have direct impact on the main storyline. Be ruthless. Don’t leave things in because they pertain to a subplot. Don’t go off for too long (more than a few sentences) on a red herring. Don’t include character backstory that doesn’t absolutely need to be…
Interrupted by the End of the World
by Ron Estrada Admit it, it’s okay. As a writer you know your craft requires years of, early mornings over a keyboard, and approximately 6000 gallons of coffee before you even get your first hand written rejection letter. But as a Christian, you know that our tour of duty here on terra firma is temporary…
Rejection Doesn’t Make You a Loser
From the Archives and worth a revisit! Every year emotions run high after the Genesis contest results are discovered. I’ve experienced the disappointment of not finaling and hard critiques and want to offer you hope and encouragement through my story. I never finaled in the Genesis or any other contest, unless you count the time I…
Writing Your Novel Idea
Tuesday Teachings from the archives: I’ve been going back through the wonderful content on Writer…Interrupted and wanted to share the relevant teaching from past posts! Hope you enjoy this new Tuesday feature! This month’s feature: From Idea to The End I wrote fiction unsuccessfully for many years. What boosted me to publication was a class…
Quick Tips for How to Write a Synopsis
Tuesday Teachings from the archives: I’ve been going back through the wonderful content on Writer…Interrupted and wanted to share the relevant teaching from past posts! Hope you enjoy this new Tuesday feature!- Gina This is a really quick, easy way to write your synopsis. This is especially easy if you only need to write a chapter-by-chapter…
Fiction Friday: Synopsis writing – spiritual arc/internal conflict
An editor will want to know how your character changes over the course of the book. These days, even characters who remain relatively static—like Stephanie Plum or Hercule Poirot—show some sort of change by the end of the book, maybe in new information or a changed relationship with another character. It’s important to include…
On Writing and Pursuing Your Passion
Writers produce through passion. Everyone is happier when pursuing a passion. “I’ve boiled life down to two ways you can live,” Palmer Chinchen writes in True Religion. “One, you can live optimistically and full of passion; or, two, you can live pessimistically and full of apathy. I’m convinced that if God has your heart, you will…
Tips for cutting a synopsis
Tip#1 to cut a synopsis—formatting Check your formatting. Make sure all your margins are 1 inch. Make your header ½ inch from the top. Make your header only one line with the manuscript title, the word “synopsis,” and your last name (e-mail address optional) on the left side, and then the page number (optional) on…
Mackinac Island: The Perfect Setting for Romance
The website for Mackinac Island, Michigan, contains this fun question: “Is romance in your soul?” On this small island nestled in Lake Huron in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, you can step back in time and tap into a slower pace that allows your inner romantic to escape. The island has the magical quality that I love…