FaithWriters.com-Christian Writers Forum

Seeing the reference to Grammarly on the Writing Resources post I decided to explore it further. I plugged in the first chapter of the book I'm working on - a personal testimony - and checked to see what they would come up with. I wasn't really surprised that they found a couple of grammar and punct...

Is the "no illustrations" just for the editing or should the MS be sent to a publisher that way?

"Avoid starting a piece with dialogue."
Why? What's wrong with using a bit of dialogue as a hook into a story?

I was reading my photography newsletter this morning (another field of interest) and they gave the following pointer: if you want an immediate connection to a person, have them look directly into the camera. If the story or action is what you want to emphasis, don't have them looking at the camera. ...

I started writing this many years ago when my kids were in school. As their language was not "rough", I didn't have a good model for normal teen slang. (I'm pretty much convinced that I was never a teenager - certainly never typical.) My writing was interrupted by my daughter's death and I...

This is a snippet from my story "I, Joshua", about a couple of teenagers and a suicide attempt. I've found the 1st person POV lets me create emotionally charged passages. In this section the MC has found a suicide note dropped by a fellow classmate as the school day ended. He has informed ...

So if I want to self publish instead of using a vanity press, how do I get it printed and bound?

Sometimes I write in 1st person - I like the power it can convey in for emotional content. I also like it for devotional/inspirational pieces because it's easier to avoid being "preachy" when you talk about the impact of something you rather than what someone else should feel. for the home...

Here is a small selection from a story I've been working on that I hope shows characterization of Jonas through his interaction with his younger brother. Benji wondered what Pa could have been thinking when he sent him here to help Jonas. His brother needed someone strong and capable, not a clumsy k...

I have a question on dialogue - are there resources for learning about dialects as related to historical time, culture, and age?

Alas, I didn't get my challenge piece written, but I still learned a lot! For instance, if research is involved, it takes double the amount of time as just writing something straight from your imagination! Organization is essential - with just 750 words there is no room for "spaghetti". An...

I suppose it is free verse, but when I look at it with meter in mind it seems like it could flow better if I used meter more effectively - perhaps just with a much looser format than a structured piece. I'll have to play around with it and see what works.

My poem is posted in the poet's corner http://www.faithwriters.com/Boards/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=38846 I really don't consider myself a poet, and it's hardly my genre of writing, but I do occasionally play around with it and my natural pride wants to do the job right when I do try to create...

I chose a poem I recently posted in the articles - poems section "The Badlands of My Soul". After looking at my screwed up meter, I saw so many flaws I didn't have the heart to continue with looking at the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables! I can see I need to take this poem out...

Not mine to manipulate - meaning I have spent many years working with children and encouraging them to improve their craft, be it writing or something else entirely. It's like editing - you don't want to change their thoughts or their style, just direct them to rework it in their own words. A good e...