Jars of Words

Purple Moon made me appreciate YA contemporary Christian fiction. I like science fiction, but there’s something enchanting about a normal boy and girl meeting and falling in love. Back cover:         Selena's life isn't turning out to be the fairy tale she imagined as a kid. That hope seemed to vanish long ago when her dad kicked her and her mom out of the house. This summer might finally hold the chance of a new beginning for Selena ... but having to live with her snobby cousin in Lake Lure, NC while waiting for her mom to get out of rehab wasn't how Selena was planning on spending her summer. She soon begins to wonder why she committed to giving up her "bad habits" for this. Things don't seem too bad, though. Especially when Selena gains the attention of the cute neighbor next door. But when her best friend back home in Brooklyn desperately needs her, a secret that's been hidden from Selena for years is revealed, and when she bec...

I finished my first draft two months ago and have been looking for things to write about during my break. It was tough at first, and I’m still working through it. If you, too, are struggling to find a story idea, I’m here to help. Asking God for guidance in your search could lead to something greater than you expected. Here’s a quick prayer before you get started:           Abba, thank You for this great calling to write. I appreciate this gift and thank You for every blessing in my life. Please let me glorify You with my next project. Guide my heart to the right story idea, one that is fruitful, pleasing to You, and satisfying to work on. In Jesus’s name, Amen. Let’s begin! 1. Journaling gets creative juices flowing. Knowing your own unique worldview can help you write your character’s. Take note of simple things that interest you, like a funny anecdote or an inside joke. 2. Word sprints are great because you don’t...

Character creation is among the toughest skills to master. Readers will spend hours with your characters, so you want them to be good. It’s helpful to know what readers want before beginning the creation process. Mostly, readers want to see themselves reflected in your characters. They want people who get what they’re going through but also fascinate them. How I Create Characters 1. Journal. Readers sympathize with characters when they have a worldview that touches on hidden truths we all forget. So practice writing honest characters by keeping a journal of details you notice about the world. 2. Who is your character? What quirks, stances, flaws, habits, preferences, contrasts, beliefs, and attitudes (even towards small things) make her unique? This is where journaling is important. Take interesting details about other people and give them to your character. Character Bios are useful, too. 3. Dig deeper. What does she fear most, and what happens when she must face it? What ...

I love reading spooky books during the Halloween season. To get in the spirit, I reviewed A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Here is the back cover: At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting - he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd - whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself - Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined. The idea of A Monster Calls was conceived by Siobhan Dowd who did not finish it before dying of cancer. However, the idea was so brillian...

A story is primarily about entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, our books produce messages that change readers’ views and teach them. But people read fiction for the entertainment value, otherwise, they’d read a self-help book. The best way to add entertainment value to your novel is through plot twists. End each scene in a way that catches readers off-guard but is more satisfying than any alternative ending. It can’t just be an attention grab; it must be better than readers’ expectations, logical, and add meaning to the story. There are generally three kinds of twists. 1. Something believable out of nowhere. Make readers uncertain about the direction of the story, then give them an ending that is not what they would have guessed, but is the only possible solution in retrospect. 2. Turn expectations against the reader. Lead the reader into certainty of an event or culprit (if you’re writing a mystery), then reveal that things weren’t going in that direction at all. They were g...