Jan 20, 2008 Posted by mike

Help From Above: The Christian Mystery

I swallowed my fear and walked right up to Ralph McInerny, author of the Father Brown mysteries. He was shorter than I had imagined. I picture all successful authors to be skyscrapers. He was delivering a speech on writing the Catholic mystery at the first conference for Catholic writers at Franciscan University at Steubenville. Being stuck manning the a table for the conference, I would not be able to... read more

Jan 20, 2008 Posted by mike

“Heaven Help the Christian Writer”

by Kathryn Lively During the formative stages of judging for the 2003 EPPIE Awards, members were called to construct succinct definitions of fiction and non-fiction categories. Most categories, of course, are quite self-explanatory – how much more does one need to say about science fiction or historical fiction in order for an author to choose his/her respective category for entry? If only it had... read more

Jan 20, 2008 Posted by mike

Writing Powerful Endings

by Laura Backes The first few lines of any story are the most important — and often most difficult — words you’ll write. The next most challenging piece of writing is the ending. Once you draw your readers in and take them through your story, you need to leave them with a satisfying conclusion. Here, then, are some tips for writing powerful endings: Fiction picture books: The story in a... read more

Jan 20, 2008 Posted by mike

PROOFREADING 101

by Tanja Rosteck While proofreading isn’t the most enjoyable part of writing, it’s the most important. A document full of typos, grammatical glitches, and glaring errors reflects badly on your business and can create more problems than it solves. Don’t rely on the spell-checker, as it can’t catch certain types of errors. It’s best to proofread the document with your own eyes... read more

Jan 20, 2008 Posted by mike

Writing And Illustrating Fantasy Stories For Children

by Wendy Peterson Writing The Text Many popular children’s stories are really wish fulfillment for the reader. Escaping to a world where magical adventures and fantastic creatures are only a page away, appeals to the child in all of us. Enid Blyton wrote her series of Faraway Tree books decades ago, becoming one of the most popular children’s authors ever. J.K. Rowling’s world of wizards... read more