Ask me what my favorite Pixar movie is, I'd say The Incredibles. Twist my nipples really, really hard and I'll tell you it's Ratatouille. Hey, I like food movies. But Ratatouille really is a grand film, and one of the reasons is the way it sets up, and knocks down, its opponents. I thought of … Continue reading Ratatouille: How to Write Good Opponents/Villains
It's not enough to say there's a problem, as I and many others have. If anything's going to change, we have to offer advice and help, too. So today I'd like to offer an alternative to the one of the greatest dilemmas of Christian books and films: preachiness. Christians want to teach morals and lessons. … Continue reading How Christian Writers Can Teach Without Preaching
Some people are heroes, some are villains, and some occupy this spine-tingling middle ground. Not all stories are about good guys standing against the world. Some are about bad people who are able to do bad things and get away with them, even for a while. But no, I'm not talking about villains. These aren't … Continue reading How to Write a Hate-Worthy Hero
Ah, my horrible, awful, vomit-inducing, virginity-protecting, cancerous first book. A 77-page Legend of Dragoon fanfiction. You can decide which part of that sentence makes you squirm the most. Did I mention there was a self-insert in there? Anywho, if by some herculean effort and non-existent gag reflex you should slog through the bulk of this … Continue reading One Sure Sign of Bad Writing
"I could write a book." How many times have people told me that? And I'm not famous; these are just people who hear I'm a writer and think they can be, too. Because that's not insulting at all. Let's put aside that megalomaniacal assumption of "can" and ask another question no one asks: "should." "Should … Continue reading Should You Write a Novel?
Never seek fame. With it comes haters. The more people see you, the more they can despise you. Seek art, enjoyment, change in peoples' lives, any other goal, and the hate won't bother you so much. However, if you get any recognition on the internet, vile things will come your way. Okay, no joke, AS … Continue reading Tips from Jesus on Dealing with Bad Comments
It's not the criticism for your faith, it's not the market, it's not even the clashing views on what is Christian. It's knowing that God can and will take your writing away from you. Unless you give it to him first. Many of you just breathed a sigh of relief, I bet. "Oh, well that's … Continue reading The #1 Hardest Thing About Being a Christian Writer
Go ahead and laugh. I know fanfiction is often regarded as Real Writing's ugly step-cousin. It's the dregs of the written word, where art and creativity go to be brutally murdered. If you don't know, fanfiction is any story written in or about an existing piece of art. Like writing a new episode of Lost. … Continue reading Why Fanfiction Is a Great Place to Start a Writing Career
I've once again run into the enemy of all writers: employment. Granted, it's only temporary employment, but it's amazing how much less time you have to write when you're contributing to society and feeding your family. But whether you're a full-time writer or a hopeful on Wattpad, if you want to be a serious writer, … Continue reading A Creator’s Journey #21–How Much Should A Writer Write Every Day?
Some tropes we just love. We've seen them 8 million times and we'll happily see them again...if they're done right. This series explores good and bad tropes in books, film, anime, and video games. What was the very first twist ending? I'm guessing it was the whole Jesus-came-back-to-life moment, but plot twists are some of … Continue reading Trope Teardown: Good Twist, Bad Twist, Cheap Twist, Seuss Joke
