Tag: Almost an Author

Categories
Genre Magazine and Freelance

Five Ways to Turn Off An Editor

Normally in these articles about magazine writing, I focus on positive ways to make a difference. From my years in the publishing world, I understand that sometimes a list of negatives can also make an impact. I’m taking a different slant (a magazine writing term).

While you probably don’t know it, if you violate one or several of these methods, your article or query will not be considered but quickly rejected. The reverse is also true: if you avoid all these ways you will give your submission a greater chance of acceptance and publication.

  1. Not Following the Submission Guidelines

Editors have made the effort to tell you what they want for their publication. This document is called the submission guidelines. They will mail it to you if requested or you can find it on the publication website. Use GOOGLE to located these guidelines, read and then follow the editor’s directions. These guidelines will highlight the different types of articles that are wanted and the specifics like word count or whether they want the full article or a query letter. They will also tell you whether they pay on assignment or on publication and how much they will pay. As you know these details and follow them, it will increase your possibilities of success with print magazines.

  1. Not Properly Formatting Your Article

Most word processors will come with a default font like Arial but magazine editors prefer a serif font like New Times Roman or Georgia. Also they prefer the top of the first page to include your name, mailing address, phone and word count and the rights you are offering (first rights or reprint rights). Also proper formatting includes sending a short bio at the end of the article.

If your submission is properly formatted then you gain a reading or hearing from the editor. If it is not formatted, you risk instant rejection.

  1. Wrong Word Count—Too Long or Too Short

Magazine writing is about strong communication in a limited amount of space. It’s not 140 characters like a tweet but it is restricted. It is all about meeting the expectations of the editor. If the editor wants 500 words on a topic, then send him 500 words. If you send 800 words and assume the editor will cut the 300 words he doesn’t need because editors edit. Then you are risking rejection or at best, a rewrite request from the editor.

  1. No Takeaway for the Reader

Every magazine article is ultimately about a single point for the reader. This single point is called a takeaway. If you have written a personal experience article, what is the point of that article that you want the reader to carry away from the article? From reviewing many magazine submissions, often articles are rejected because they did not include this single point or takeaway for the reader. When I worked at Decision magazine, 1.8 million copies an issue, sometimes as editors we added a sentence takeaway at the end of the article. Sometimes it was a statement and other times is was a provocative question. No matter what type of magazine article you are writing, every one has a takeaway. If your article does not, then you risk rejection.

  1. Missing a Key Element in the Story

Magazine articles must have a great opening story or question or quotation. They must also have a straightforward overall structure—a beginning, a middle and an ending. If your article wanders all around without a point or solid storytelling or structure, then again you risk rejection and not acceptance.

The magazine world is all about making a good and lasting impression and forming a relationship. You want to be the writer that the editor reaches out to and asks you to write a specific article (assignment). Every magazine has a “stable” of writers who contribute to the publication on a regular basis. Then when the editor has an idea for his publication, he turns to those writers who have been contributing regularly.

The journey of becoming one of those stable writers begins with a single step—consistent and professional action. Stay away from these turn offs.

________________________________________

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

 

 

Categories
Writers Chat

Ohio Christian Writers Conference Recap with Our Attendees

This week we have a recap of the inaugural Ohio Christian Writers Conference as the attendees discuss the ins and outs of the OHCWC!

https://youtu.be/PmvNJcsnJmc

Join us!

Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. Participants mute their audio and video during the filming, then we open up the room for anyone who wishes to participate with our guests. The “After Party” is a fifteen-minutes of off-the-record sharing and conversation.

Additionally, you can grow your network and add to the conversation by joining our Facebook Group.

Categories
Fantasy-Sci-Fi

The Highs and Lows of Fantasy Sub-Genres

“Oh, you’re a fantasy writer? I love ‘The Lord of the Rings.’”

“I don’t write that kind of fantasy.”

“What other kind of fantasy is there?”

Does this conversation sound familiar? To some fantasy writers, it might. Although High Fantasy—the category in which J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” falls under—is one of the most common sub-genres of the fantasy genre, there have been an abundance of sub-genres that have made an appearance over the past number of years. Because of this, it can sometimes be hard for a writer to decide which sub-genre their work actually falls under. Here are a few of the most common that might help make your decision clearer.

High Fantasy—As mentioned above, it is one of the most traditionally used. These works are often lengthy with large-scale quests and many characters. They sometimes include a world map, the classic “hero” character, possess fantastical creatures like dragons or unicorns, and may have magic. Other sub-genre categories that may cross over are Medieval Fantasy or Sword and Sorcery Fantasy. Example: J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

Low Fantasy—A story that takes place in the “real world” but has elements of supernatural magic would fall into this category. These can include the “normal kid” who discovers they, or those around them possess some sort of supernatural power. Other sub-genres that cross over are Portal Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, and Urban Fantasy. Example: J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series.

Steampunk Fantasy—This sub-genre is unique in that it marries a historic Gaslight Fantasy world (set during the time that gaslights were in use) but incorporates both fantasy and technology. The technology is often powered by magic, lifting the limits that the Historical sub-genre might place on this category. Example: Shelley Adina’s “Lady of Devices” series.

Dark Fantasy—Sometimes called Gothic Fantasy or Grimdark Fantasy, this sub-genre is meant to be scary. These are the stories that contain ghosts, zombies, and other creatures of the night. Again, this category crosses over into the Speculative realm by remaining close to the Horror genre, but it is still considered Fantasy by many writers. Example: Neil Gaiman’s “Coraline.”

Historical Fantasy—This sub-genre is any fantasy work that takes place in a historical time period. This makes it easy for many other fantasy sub-genres to identify within the Historical Fantasy sub-genre, as well. Example: Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series.

Medieval Fantasy—Inspired by the medieval period, this sub-genre can rely heavily on myths and legends. Depending on the depth and length of the work, this category could include High Fantasy. Another break off from this sub-genre is Arthurian Fantasy, which focuses specifically on the world of King Arthur. Example: George R.R. Martin’s “The Game of Thrones” series.

Paranormal Fantasy—This sub-genre evolved from the combination of the Low Fantasy and the Dark Fantasy categories. Many books in this genre often have a romantic element, as well. Strong themes within these novels are love triangles, vampires, faeries, werewolves and angels. Example: Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series.

Crossover Sub-genres—Many of these mentioned sub-genres can also have a romantic element or may be better defined as Young Adult. In this case, calling your work either Romance Fantasy or Young Adult Fantasy would work, too. There are also Children’s Fantasy, Comic Fantasy, and Science Fantasy, to name a few more. Keep searching and you will find dozens of sub-genres to describe the fantasy writing genre.

In the end, it’s up to you, the writer, to decide in which sub-genre you’d like to categorize your work. There is no doubt that your work will likely cross over into a few of these sub-genre categories, but calling your work a Young Adult Paranormal Urban Romance Fantasy will likely confuse the reader. (And make it difficult to market!) Choose one sub-genre to begin your marketing strategy and you can change or add additional categories down the road, as needed.

Categories
Create. Motivate. Inspire.

On Writing: 3 Antidotes to Fear

The writing life stands poised to strike fear into the most steadfast heart—launching arrows of self-doubt, rejection-terror, and insecurity. What if my work isn’t good enough? What will “real” writers think? There are others more talented and qualified…

What do we gain by remaining paralyzed with fear? Constant stress. Frustration. Loss of joy.

Enough. It’s time to be gutsy and fire our own arrows at those crippling voices—before we’re tempted to walk away from work that should bring passion and life.

Here are three ways to stand strong and keep perspective:

 

  1. Realize that rejection serves a purpose and pushing through fear makes us stronger.

I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship. –Louisa May Alcott

He who is not every day conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

  1. Recognize that fear suppresses creativity and productivity and hinders our growth as an artist.

Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear. –Corrie Ten Boom

It is better to make a thousand failures than to be too cowardly to ever undertake anything.  –Clovis G. Chappell

Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love.  –Rick Warren

 

  1. Rely on the faithfulness of the Creator and strive to be good stewards of our gifts.

It’s wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears.  –Helen Keller

Only he who can say, “The Lord is the strength of my life” can say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” –Alexander MacLaren

If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer – His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable. –John Newton

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6).

 

One more quote relevant to the writer’s journey:

The fear of man strangles us, because we can never please everybody; but the fear of the Lord frees us, because it challenges us to live and serve for an audience of One. –Paul Chappell

 

Fire the laptop. Prime the pen.

Remember the audience of One and keep writing!

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Categories
Guest post archive

Why Teen Writers are Spider-Man Stephanie Kehr

I started working as a professional writer when I was seventeen. So completely captured by the craft, I made the decision to make it a big part of my life. As exciting as it is to be a young author, I learned quickly that writing comes with a lot of unique responsibilities. Responsibilities I didn’t fully understand before I signed a contract.

Recently I went to see the new Spider-Man: Homecoming movie. As a chick flick girl, I didn’t expect the movie to touch me the way it did. But halfway through, I started to identify with Peter Parker in a way that surprised me. Outwardly, Peter was living the life of a normal high school kid, but inwardly he was carrying the burden of a heavier responsibility. Just like a teen writer.

Here are some ways that being a teen writer is like being Spider-Man:

  1. You’ll Miss Out on High School Fun

Peter Parker (Spider-Man) chose to skip out on parties and everyday teen life because he knew saving the world was more important. In the same way, writers choose to value their ambitions over a little teen fun. This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to relax now and then, but it does mean that sometimes you’ll have to meet that deadline instead of hanging out with friends.

(Your friends will understand.)

  1. Revealing Your Secret Identity Could be Devastating

Although I enjoy telling people about what I do, revealing my author identity isn’t always in my best interest. I am an introvert, after all. Many people don’t know a real author. When they find out who you are, they might crowd you. “What’s your book about?” “Is your character anything like you?” and “When can I read it?” are all common and predictable questions you’ll receive if you become a professional writer. Though these questions are genuinely appreciated, they might wear you out fast. You have a responsibility to yourself to make sure you don’t get overloaded by people’s opinions and expectations. Keep it simple. Be discerning. If you don’t feel comfortable telling someone the intimate details about your novel’s inner workings, it’s okay to cut the conversation short.

  1. You’ll be fighting More Than Bad Guys

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker isn’t only battling The Vulture. He’s also fighting against his own rebellious teenage heart, and he’s facing the world’s cruelty head-on. Every day, he looks at levels of evil that his peers don’t even know exist.

As Christian writers, our task is to ultimately share the gospel through our work. Believe me when I tell you the enemy will be attacking you like crazy. Especially during big events in your career, expect the adversity to be there. Not only will you be responsible for meeting those writing deadlines (fighting The Vulture), you’ll also be carrying the weight of the world at times (spiritual attack).

Do you remember in the beginning of this post when I said I was completely captured by writing?  I am. That’s something Spider-Man and I have in common, too. Peter Parker was so passionate about Spider-Man’s mission that he was willing to sacrifice everything for it. As a teen, I chose to be a writer because I know that despite the unique challenges and responsibilities, writing is something I’ll always be willing to sacrifice for.

Stephanie is a professional writer and journalist living outside of Buffalo, New York, where it probably snows a lot. She’s pursuing publication for her first novel, Reaching Home, and she spends her quiet moments writing poetry and blogging about her adventures with God. Stephanie has a heart for sharing real stories and encouraging authors to write for Jesus and love what they do. She’s a big believer in hard work, audiobooks, and chocolate, and can usually be found changing the world somewhere. 

Categories
Grammar and Grace

Ready for Another Serving of Prepositions?

Have you memorized the list of prepositions yet? Trust me, quickly recognizing prepositions will help you in the long run because we’ll be layering more grammar knowledge based on the use of prepositions.

In the last post, we studied prepositions and prepositional phrases. Remember, a phrase is a group of connected words that doesn’t contain a subject or a verb.

This time we’ll discuss subordinate clauses that begin with prepositions.

Continue reading “Ready for Another Serving of Prepositions?”
Categories
Guest post archive

Intro to Technical Writing

Technical writing is a different kind of writing. As a matter of fact, it is a very different kind of writing. It is different from fiction, which primarily focuses on entertaining the reader with intriguing stories and absorbing plots. It is different from non-fiction, which seeks to both entertain and educate by employing fact-based narratives. But unlike fiction and non-fiction, technical writing is never read for enjoyment.

Continue reading “Intro to Technical Writing”
Categories
Writers Chat

Personal Branding & Marketing Best Practices

In this Writers Chat episode, award-winning author and MFA student in Communications: New Media and Marketing Bethany Jett shares tips and best practices on how writers and authors can utilize marketing tips and create a stellar personal brand.

Join us!

Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. Participants mute their audio and video during the filming, then we open up the room for anyone who wishes to participate with our guests. The “After Party” is a fifteen-minutes of off-the-record sharing and conversation.

Additionally, you can grow your network and add to the conversation by joining our Facebook Group.

Categories
Literary Women in Histor

Hrotsvitha—Lessons from a Medieval Playwright

Until the last century, men dominated the realms of literature, letters, and learning. We read nothing of women exchanging rhetoric and positing thesis among the ancients and classic philosophers of Greece. In fact, the doors of academia and literature largely shut women out in Western culture, relegating them to second class citizenship for a variety of reasons not to be discussed here.

After the fall of Rome in the 5th century, the spread of Christianity allowed greater opportunities for women as readers and writers. Out of the chaos in the dark ages, ordered communities centered around the establishment of Christian monasteries and abbeys—the lifeline of literacy, scholarship, and intellectual life. Cloistered living afforded devout men and women a way to balance devotion, work, and study.

Into this world, Hrostvitha (rose-vee-tuh) was born in 935, a daughter of noble birth in Gandersheim, Germany. She could look forward to many privileges otherwise denied to the greater population of women, including education. Her faith, formed in childhood, put her on the path to the monastic life. She committed her life to the abbey as a “canoness,” a level allowing her free movement in and out of the cloister as a nun. She was schooled in reading and writing in a number of languages. A student of Greek and Roman classics, the plays of Terence captivated her imagination, even though she feared the subject matter would corrupt Christian readers.

Continue reading “Hrotsvitha—Lessons from a Medieval Playwright”
Categories
Grammar and Grace

Prepositions?

We’re continuing with the parts of speech with a discussion about prepositions. These words never change their form. They link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words in a sentence. You may remember a hint from elementary school: a preposition is anything a squirrel can do to a log, or a plane can do to a cloud. It can go over, under, around, toward…

Here are some common prepositions:

about        behind        during            like            under
above        below          except            near           up
across       beneath      excluding       of               upon
after          beside         following        on              via
along         between     from               over            with
among      beyond       in                     since           within
as               by                including       through      without
at                despite       inside             to
before        down          into                 toward

(I wrote most of those prepositions by heart because my sixth grade teacher made her students memorize them.)

Some prepositions combine more than one word:

according to     except for              instead of               because of           in place of
along with         in addition to       on account of         by means of       in regard to
apart from         in case of              up to                         by way of           in spite of
as to                    in front of             with regard to        in place of          with reference to

A preposition along with its object and any modifiers become a prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases act as adjectives and adverbs.

We went swimming after the party.  In the previous sentence, after the party is the prepositional phrase that tells when. In this sentence, phrase is acting like an adverb.

The baby with the pink bow is Mary Wade. In the previous sentence, with the pink bow is the prepositional phrase that tells which baby. It’s acting like an adjective.

This post simply introduces prepositions. Spend some time learning them. Next time, we’ll uncover more layers of the preposition.

Happy writing!

Categories
Writing with Humor

Bob Hostettler – The Making of a Humorous Writer (And How You Can Become One Too)

Author, speaker, and overall funny man Bob Hostettler has cost me too much money. He keeps writing books. And I keep buying them. Not only because I enjoy them, but because I’m hoping to learn his secret to writing with both depth and humor.

Bob also speaks at a lot of writers conferences. Of course, I’m compelled to attend them when I see his name on the list. (He should write a book about speaking at writers conferences. I’d buy it.)

If you’d like to inspire people with a powerful message they’ll remember long after they’ve read your last line, glean from Bob’s wisdom and humor here. But first . . .

Who’s Bob?

Bob Hostetler is an award-winning author, agent, and speaker from southwestern Ohio. His 47 books, which include the award-winning Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door (co-authored with Josh McDowell) and The Bard and the Bible: A Shakespeare Devotional, have sold millions of copies. Bob is also the founding pastor of Cobblestone Community Church in Oxford, Ohio. He and his wife, the lovely Robin, have two grown children, Aubrey and Aaron, who have given them five beautiful grandchildren.

Now you know who Bob is. Here’s a glimpse into the making of this humorous writer, and how you can become one, too. 

Here’s Bob!

Jean: Hey, Bob! When did you first discover you’re funny or was it a skill you had to develop?

Bob: Wait. I’m funny? I seriously (get it?) don’t think of myself as funny. I like to laugh and I know what makes me laugh, so I guess that translates to “funny.” But I grew up with two older brothers (much, much older), and each of them has a great sense of humor, so I probably learned from them. But I do think of humor as a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets. That has been my experience, at least.

Jean: How does using humor help you in your writing? 

Bob: Oh, so many ways. Humor defuses tension and increases interest. It builds trust, affection, and loyalty. All of those things are critical for a writer. I think of Shakespeare, whose greatest tragedies featured his most memorable clowns and fools—the gravedigger in Hamlet and the porter in Macbeth, for example. His plays are examples of the wise and timely use of humor.

Jean: What are your favorite kinds of humor?

Bob: The funny kind. Oh, you want more than that? Okay, I admit to a fondness for puns, probably because I love words. I enjoy satire and parody. I love Steven Wright’s deadpan quips, and Jack Handey’s “Deep Thoughts.” I even find humor in the Bible, believe it or not, and hope to write about it soon.

Jean: What would you say to a writer who doesn’t think they’re funny but would like to use humor?

Bob: Three words: surprise, exaggeration, and unlikely combinations (see what I did there?). Also, consider what makes you laugh, and then try to understand why it makes you laugh. Then go and do likewise (Luke 10:37).

Jean: Who are some of your favorite humorous writers?

Bob: I guess I already started my answer by mentioning Steven Wright and Jack Handey. And Shakespeare. Feel free to tell those guys I mentioned them in the same breath as Shakespeare. Also, my friends Dennis Hensley, Liz Curtis Higgs, Rhonda Rhea, and Jim Watkins always make me laugh—sometimes even intentionally. I enjoy Steve Martin’s Twitter feed, and some others, like @LloydLegalist and @BackRowBaptist, often crack me up. More than I am already, that is.

Thanks, Bob, for a look into your life as a seriously (I got what you did there) humorous writer.

♦

Be sure to check out Bob’s website and order his books. Also, check his speaking schedule and register for a conference. In fact, you should do it right now: 

Bob Hostetler, Author, Agent, & More

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Categories
Grammar and Grace

Adverbs–How Do We Know?

 

Adverbs are words commonly used to describe or modify a verb, and adjective, or another adverb. To test whether or not a word is an adverb, ask these questions: “How? How often? To what degree? Where?”.

The following sentence shows four adverbs in Italics.

Earlier, Elsie had waited        there                very                             impatiently.

When?                                     Where?            To what degree?         How?

Earlier, there, and impatiently described the verb had waited. Very describes impatiently, another adverb.

Another common indicator of adverbs is the addition of  -ly at the end of a word.

             quietly, roughly, gingerly, softly, worldly

Many words that may function as adverbs do not end in –ly.  

often, sometimes, then, when, anywhere, anyplace, somewhere, somehow, somewhat
yesterday, Sunday, before, behind, ahead, seldom, never, not  

Also many adjectives do end in –ly.

womanly, manly, comely, costly

Confused yet?

Remember to ask questions about what the word is describing. If it describes a noun but ends in
-ly, it’s an adjective.

The comely cashier gave the crying toddler a lollypop. (Comely describes cashier, a noun.)

When writing fiction, relying on adverbs to show action is considered weak writing. Avoid using them. Replace with descriptive verbs instead.

The teenaged quarterback ran quickly up the front steps.    Weak

The teenaged quarterback bounded up the front steps.        Better

Happy writing!

Categories
Fantasy-Sci-Fi Storyworld

Entertainment in your Storyworld

Entertainment

We’ve spoken before about how little details can help color your storyworld. Societal habits, mating customs, dinner choices, and environmental aspects are all key to fleshing out a believable living space. Another aspect to consider is the way in which your characters entertain themselves.

Sometimes entertainment plays a central role in a book. The entire concept in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games is a deathsport reality show, partly to show the Capitol’s control over the Districts, but also partly to entertain the masses. Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One shows a world in which reality is miserable and everyone escapes into a massively multiplayer online game. This “game” supports commerce, education, and other activities, but entertainment is a major aspect, especially considering the bleak reality outside of the virtual reality “OASIS.” And Aaron Gansky’s Hand of Adonai series presents a World of Warcraft type game in which the protagonists get trapped, Tron-style, and must figure out how to escape.

Hand of Adonai

In those three examples, the entertainment medium is actually the centerpiece of the novel, but it’s also the major point of tension. Specifically, each of the forms of entertainment is broken or twisted in some way, and the characters must overcome the challenges that arise.

Should entertainment play a major role in any other type of novel though? What if you have a story in the Wild West? Or a post-apocalyptic survivalist tale? A Space opera? I would argue that entertainment should be valued by your characters if you want them to feel like real people. That’s because all humans desire to have comfort and enjoyment at least part of the time (hopefully their lives aren’t always threatened by events like the ones in your novel!).

For example, John Scalzi’s The Ghost Brigades is a book about super soldiers defending humanity from a ghastly assortment of different alien species. And yet, Scalzi helps to make the storyworld feel alive with little windows of enjoyment. In one scene, a pilot is playing poker with some friends, in another, a father pirates a broadcast signal so his daughter can watch TV, and most importantly, an alien race is revealed to have no need for arts and entertainment. And this alien race realizes its lack of culture and strives to create it.

Or take Little House in the Big Woods. The novel chronicles the survival of a young girl and her family in the wilderness. Despite the struggles, there are times where she and her sister enjoy the musical talents of their father, or the two inflate and seal a pig bladder and kick it around like a ball. Personally that’s disgusting to me, but it really does help me picture the world in which little Laura Ingalls lived.


If your story is a non-stop adventure, you might feel like you don’t have time or space in your book to show scenes of enjoyment. That may be true. While not a book, the first season of the TV show 24 really pushed its story along with scant little room to explore its characters’ hobbies. Nevertheless, the first scene with the protagonist shows Jack, his wife, and his daughter finishing a late-night game. This one scene helps establish Jack’s normal life before the world started falling apart. It thus gives us an idea of what he’s fighting to get back through the whole first season.

Even if your story is very dark and the adventure extremely perilous, I would really encourage you to figure out some hobby or interest your character has to make him more personable. This is especially true if the world is very different from our own, because the character’s chosen entertainment could be used to show how foreign or similar that world is to ours. For example, a sorcerer in a fantasy adventure might enjoy magical sculpting – which might be a sort of enchanted pottery making. Or maybe he enjoys reading books of far-off adventure. In the first case, the hero has a hobby similar to one found in our world, but he clearly lives in a different reality. In the latter scenario, the sorcerer has an interest akin to that of your readers, making him relatable despite his extraordinary talents. Both are useful, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish.

That’s all for now, and possibly for a while. My wife and I are expecting our fourth child in a few weeks. Being a stay-at-home dad with four children ages 6 and under (and homeschooling the oldest two) will mean I won’t have much time to make regular updates at A3. So after two years of storyworld contributions, I’ll be taking a sabbatical for a little while. In the meantime, if there are any particular topics you’d like to see covered in the future, please leave a comment below and I can cover that subject when I return! Thanks guya and gals!

 

Ghost Brigades Image from: http://www.alisoneldred.com/imageJohnHarris-Illustration-2-58.html

Pig Bladder Kicking Picture from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/270638258827560791/

24 Family Picture from: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/24/hottest-tv-dads-jack-bauer-24-17503.aspx

 

Categories
Journeying through the Writer's Life

For Writers: 7 Tips to Silence the Negative Voices in Your Head

Following the dream of becoming a writer involves so much more than just learning how to write. Sure that’s a biggie and without learning the craft of writing we’re sunk. But not knowing the basics is just one thing that can defeat us before we get started. We also have to silence the negative voices.

Yep, one of the biggest obstacles writers face is found inside our own heads.

[bctt tweet=”One of the biggest obstacles #writers face is found inside our own heads #writing”]

We spend a lot of time alone—just us, ideas in our heads, words, and voices. Yep, we all have those little voices that whisper in our minds. They say all sorts of things, some positive, but the majority negative.

I’ve heard them say things like:

  • You know you can’t write, why are you even bothering?
  • Others more talented than you have already written that, what could you possible add?
  • You’re wasting your time and your family’s money.
  • You’re a failure.

If we listen to these voices and give them the opportunity, they can keep us from writing. They can defeat us before we even begin. Instead, we need to learn how to overcome them and become resilient.

Today I have some tips to silence the negative voices in your head.

[bctt tweet=”7 Tips to silence the voices in your head #writing #writer”]

  1. Remind yourself about the WHY. We all have a reason we want to write. That was what gave us the impetus to begin.
  1. Replace the negative with the positive. Studies continue to show that negative self-talk has a huge impact. Instead of reinforcing those negative voices, replace them with positive.
  1. Find yourself a writing tribe. We writers aren’t good at evaluating our own work. We need objective opinions from those we trust. Band together with other writers and reinforce your defense against those voices.
  1. Get out. Not out of the writing biz, out of your office. Take your computer (or pen and paper) on a field trip. Go to a coffee shop, a park, where ever you feel comfortable. So often just the act of changing locations can give us the boost we need.
  1. Let your tribe know you’re struggling. It’s not enough to be part of a writing tribe, you also have to reach out when you need help. Yes, they’re there to critique and read. But they’re also there to help one another succeed.
  1. Face the fear. So often those negative voices play off the fear we feel. Maybe we’re afraid what we write will be junk and unpublishable. I’ll let you in on a secret, even best-selling authors write junk. So go ahead and write the junk. Get it out of the way and keep writing.
  1. Write down what you’re hearing in your head. The voices whispering in our souls often seem big and powerful. When we write down what we hear, they are revealed as the ridiculous things they are.

If you’re trying to write, you’re hearing these voices. I know because I hear them, and so does every other writer on the planet. You aren’t alone and you can over come them. These are the things I do to silence the negative voices in my head. I’d love to hear how you cope. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Categories
Grammar and Grace

Adjectives are Cool!

This month at Grammar and Grace we’re studying adjectives. Adjectives are words that tell something about a noun or a pronoun.

An easy point to remember about adjectives is that they normally come right before or right after the noun or pronoun.

*The red wheelbarrow rests beside the path.

*The donkey–tired and stubborn–refused to finish plowing the field.

Adjectives that come after a verb (usually linking verbs) modify or describe the subject. These adjectives are called predicate adjectives.

*The pesto is yummy.

Adjectives can tell something about appearance–spectacular, nubby; color–black, gold; condition–bashful, intelligent; personality–victorious, ditzy; quantity–empty, packed; shape–snake-like, plump; time–early, retro; taste–sour, bland; touch–sizzling, velvety. (Yes, I agree. Some of these adjectives fit in more than one category.)

Do you notice anything about the adjectives? They don’t end with similar letters that shout, “Hey, I’m an adjective.” Just remember, if a word gives more information about a noun–how many fingers? Five–or if it makes a noun distinct from another noun–the red car, not the blue one–it’s an adjective.

Happy writing!

 

Categories
The Ministry of Writing

Writers Must Keep Their Foot on the Gas

So, I guess it’s ok for a writer to be a NASCAR fan—especially a Southern writer, right? I’m a race fan, but last year one of my favorite drivers retired. At one point, in his career he was a perennial winner and champion, but he had struggled the past few years. As a fan, it perplexed me how someone who once dominated could lose pace. His equipment had gotten better, competition had fallen off, and he had gained lots of experience, therefore, why would he regularly finish in the back of the pack?

In one of his final races, a commentator shared how it was common for past champion drivers to lose speed the older they got. He went on and explained, “In a sport where each competitor is only separated by tenths of a second and the winners are often the ones who let off the gas the last in the turns. Past champions struggle as they get older and become more cautious. They tend to pull off the gas pedal sooner in those curves.” He went on to say how that when drivers begin their careers they are pushed by a singular vision and often they don’t have families. As they grow older, their interests vary beyond the track and they have children who are relying on them. This caution brings them to dial it back and not push as hard.

This was a clear explanation, but it also resonated with me because I have been describing one of my pastoral ministry failures as occurring because I took my foot off the gas. We had a long-term plan to grow our church through creating new Bible study classes with a DNA to multiply. Right out of the blocks we found success then we hit a difficult stretch. I was convinced of our strategy, but I became discouraged. And I let the voices of caution around me lead me to take my proverbial foot off the gas pedal. I aborted the plan and went back to the way things were before. I gave up. And the ministry suffered.

Now looking back, I wish I had stayed the course and continued. Now as I’m chiefly ministering through writing now, I’m tempted to do the same thing. Like the older race car driver who brakes earlier than they did in the past due to worries of life around them, I hear the concerns and stop. But we must not waver from our call.

[bctt tweet=”Christian writers you’ve been given a mission and you must keep your foot on the gas even in the scary turns” via=”@soldoutjake”]and the mundane straight-a-ways.

In however you have been called of God to write and complete a particular project, it was for a reason. Your task is important, and no matter how difficult or depressing it might be—God will come through. He will keep you on the track even if the mission turns your knuckles white.

We can’t give up. We can’t be hesitant. Our pedal needs to be to the metal.

This “gas pedal” you must not let up could be your calling to write, your vocation to be a writer, the leading to relay a message, or the call to create a certain resource. Whichever one or ones applies to you needs to be followed through.

If you have been called to write—write. Don’t start and stop. Don’t wait. Do it. For years, I felt called to do so. I put it off forever. Then when I finally started I would write for a little bit and then stop. I got nowhere. It was only when I plowed on through the writer’s block, rejection, and stress that things began to come together.

If you have been called to write as a vocation, do it. Learn the craft. Get the training. Quit your job, whatever it takes to be obedient. Don’t wait—press the hammer down. Even if you are broke and starving, stay the course.

If you have been called to share a message with the world and that involves writing about it—share it. Learn to write. But don’t put it off, share the message. Even if no one listens, keep sharing that message. If the message is the hill you are prompted to die on—die.

If you have been called to create a particular resource—create it. Get to work and don’t stop until its done. Shop it until it sells. Never put it in the trash or let it collect dust.

Christian writer there are some scary turns in this writing journey. Unlike NASCAR there are even right turns. There are also silent depressing seasons that make you want to shut it down. [bctt tweet=”But whatever you do put your foot on that Christian writing gas pedal,” username=”@soldoutjake”] push it through the bottom of the race car, and do not let it off.

 

Categories
Write Justified

The Times They Are A-Changin’

As languages go, English is fairly young. It’s been about 1400 years since the Anglo-Saxons imported English into Great Britain. And the struggle to adapt continues because language is dynamic. The English language continues to adjust to changes in word usage and new words that make their way into the vernacular. Just this year, Merriam-Webster added 1000 new words to its dictionary.

It’s our job as writers and editors to keep abreast of such changes and accepted usages. While we may not adapt every new coinage, we need to know what is acceptable usage in the publishing world—thanks to authorities like Merriam-Webster and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS). With the 17th edition of CMoS due out in September, here’s a heads up on three changes that are likely to have the greatest impact on your writing/editing.

  • E-mail will become email—no hyphen. This is a progression that many additions to the language make—moving from a hyphenated to closed compound. While some style guides have been rendering email as closed for some time already, when CMoS does so, it’s official.
  • Internet becomes internet—lower cased.
  • Singular they is acceptable in some cases. Although the pronoun they usually refers to a plural antecedent, CMoS acknowledges it can also refer to a singular antecedent. In cases where the gender of the antecedent is not known, the singular they is acceptable, rather than the generic he or the cumbersome he/she. Truth is, this is the way most of us speak. So, in informal writing the following is permitted:

Whoever ratted out the thieves should get an award for their honesty.

Who wants cheese on their burger?

              Keep in mind that singular they, like singular you is treated as a grammatical plural and takes a plural verb:

They have seven PhDs among them.

Their degrees are in the sciences.

Never let anyone tell you English is a staid language. Sometimes, it’s all an editor can do to keep up with the changes.

Categories
Grammar and Grace

What are Pronouns?

 

A pronoun is a word that can take the place of a noun in a sentence which means pronouns can work as subjects, objects, and complements. Pronouns come in different forms and are used for different purposes.

Pronouns can be personal, indefinite, reflexive and intensive, demonstrative, relative, possessive, and interrogative. For this post, we’ll focus on personal pronouns.

Compared to nouns that can be descriptive on their own and especially with an added adjective, pronouns might seem bland. Without them, however, sentences would be boring, awkward, and maybe a tad silly. Take a look at the following sentences.

With pronouns: Anna designed the pattern, cut it out, fitted it to her mom, and sewed it.

Without pronouns: Anna designed the pattern, cut out the pattern, fitted the pattern to Anna’s mom, and sewed the pattern.

Personal pronouns refer to one or more people and are classified according to case: subjective, objective, or possessive.

Subjective Case                     Objective Case                       Possessive Case
I                       We                       Me                   Us                          My, Mine                    Ours
You                 You                      You                 You                         Your, Yours                Your, Yours
He, She, It     They                   Him, Her, It   Them                    His, Her, Hers, Its    Their, Theirs

*Remember that subjective case pronouns are used as subjects or subject complements. Objective case pronouns are used as indirect objects, direct objects, and objects of prepositions. (They can also be subjects or objects of infinitives, but that’s a subject for a future post.)

*Remember to make certain that pronouns refer clearly to their antecedents, the word they’re replacing. Keep them as close as possible to the antecedent.

*Remember to make pronouns agree in number with the antecedents.

Check out this earlier post for more information about pronoun usage and agreement http://www.almostanauthor.com/choose-correct-pronoun/.

Do you have questions about pronouns?

Happy writing!

Categories
Write Justified

Can You Hear It Now?

A number of grammatical faux pas can be attributed to faulty hearing. I’m not implying that any of you are going deaf, only that when we speak we tend to run our words together. Lyrics and common phrases are often misunderstood. Remember the child who thought John was Jesus’s earthly dad? What else was Round John doing at the manger? A mondegreen of the phrase “round yon virgin” from “Silent Night” sounded like Round John to his young ears.

Recently, a retired pastor posed a question to a denominational network about the best way to dispose of his sizable library. “Do you give your books away,” he asked. “Or sell them in mass?”

The wiseacre in me wanted to respond, “Hmmm, not sure how open the Catholics would be to your hawking your Protestant tomes in their service, but you could give it a go.”

My better nature realized the pastor was writing what he’d heard, when what he meant was en masse—the adverb meaning in a body or as a whole. Borrowed from the French, en masse, does literally mean in a group, but English renders it en masse. In addition, the correct pronunciation is on mass.

You’ll want to avoid this and other eggcorns—misunderstanding and therefore miswriting of common phrases—in your writing. So here are a few others to watch out for:

  • Not intensive purposes, but intents and purposes
  • Not doggy dog world, but dog eat dog world
  • Not butt naked, but buck naked
  • Not beckon call, but beck and call
  • Not road to hoe, but row to hoe

While this doesn’t technically qualify as an eggcorn, it’s not unusual to see someone write something like: “I coulda been there on time, if I woulda started earlier.” Sometimes the offense is written could of. While your ear may hear coulda or could of, the correct rendition is could have or more likely the contracted form could’ve.

Could, would, should, and must belong to the family of verbs. As auxiliary or helping verbs, they always occur in a phrase, along with other verbs. Of is a preposition, not a verb, so does not properly belong in a verb phrase with could, would or should.

Here’s to better hearing and error-free writing.

You can find more eggcorns at http://grammarist.com/mondegreens/

Categories
Grammar and Grace

What are Nouns?

This time we’ll discuss nouns. Nouns can be common or proper. A common noun is a person, place, or thing. A noun also includes a quality, an idea, or an action. A proper noun is a specific person, place, or thing.

  1. A church sits at the curve of the road. We have three common nouns in that sentence—church, curve, and road.
  2. Love Memorial Church sits on the curve of Rains Mill Road. Notice the changes in this sentence. Church has become specific by being named. When it is specific, it’s capitalized. The same thing happens to road. Curve is still common and doesn’t take a capital letter.

Nouns are typically used in a sentence as the subject, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition. In the first sentence, church is the subject. Curve and road are objects of the prepositions at and of.

  1. We ate the chocolate mousse before dinner. In this sentence, mousse is the object of ate.

An important thing to remember is to capitalize proper nouns.

  1. I took a math class. Math or class isn’t capitalized because it’s not specific.
  2. Breanna almost failed Calculus III in high school. Calculus is capitalized because it’s the specific name of a class.

Exceptions to capitalizing courses are language classes. Always capitalize language classes like English, Chinese, and Arabic.

Nouns are pretty easy to understand, but they’re also very important in a sentence. Having a handle on what nouns do will help you understand more complex grammar points later.

Happy writing!

 

 

 

 

Categories
Storyworld

The End of Civilization

Recently, a friend of mine asked me if western civilization was at the end of its life cycle. It’s a loaded question, and its answer will largely be dependent on how you define western culture. I’ll answer the question in a minute (or because I hate click-bait as much you do, you can skip to the last few paragraphs – I won’t tell on you), but this got me thinking of good storyworld ideas. Specifically civilizations in decline and how to preserve culture.

Cultural Preservation in Fiction

First of all, what I am not talking about is the French Resistance or Napier’s band of anti-Neo sappers in ExoSquad. Those are fine stories of fighting an oppressive government, but preserving culture usually means peacefully (if possible) living in one society, while preserving the spirit of another.

In Asimov’s Foundation, Harry Seldon foresaw the collapse of the Galactic Empire long before it happened. He knew that once that downfall began in earnest, it would take millennia to reestablish the same level of culture and technology. His solution? Create a colony with a massive library of all information necessary to recreate society. The colony of mostly scientists would feverishly work to teach successive generations all of known literature, science, and culture. It worked. The bloated galactic empire fell to the point where nuclear power was no longer known, space travel was rare, and control of different regions was usurped by local warlords. Meanwhile, Seldon’s world of Terminus carried on and even made advances.

The premise was borrowed by the storyworld of Battletech, where a semi-religious cult on earth maintained what was called “losttech.” They were decades more advanced than the other thousands of planets, but not because of scientific breakthroughs, but scientific preservation. The five main houses controlling known space had lost even the ability to create new battlemechs, their principle method of warfare.

 

In various fantasy settings, sometimes the arts of magic are preserved in a similar way. While the rest of the people beat each other senseless, mages will isolate themselves to preserve their craft. And they always seem to do so in dangerously tall and remotely situated towers. I can’t think of any specific novels, but I know I’ve rolled dice in at least one role-playing game with a similar backstory.

Cultural Preservation in History

These fictional tales are believable because they are based on actual events that happened in history. Over a thousand years ago, a man named Benedict created enclaves of culture, science, and literature to preserve the best of Roman, Greek, and Judeo-Christian culture. These little enclaves became known as monasteries, and monasticism was born. And we can all thank God for it, since monasticism effectively maintained a light in the dark ages and allowed culture to rebound once a degree of political and legal stability resumed in Europe.

My wife is currently reading a book called The Benedict Option, which looks at what Benedict did and evaluates if a similar method ought to be employed in present times. I’m not a huge non-fiction reader, (I believe truth is sometimes best conveyed in fiction) but the topic sounds interesting enough that I’ll probably pick it up when she’s done.

Cultural Preservation in Present

In a larger context, Christians know this idea resonates, and not just because of recent law-changes or disruption on college campuses. As Christians, we preserve a way of life – a relationship with God – that was lost soon after creation. Despite my tendency to avoid nonfiction, I’ve been reading Jake McCandless’ book Spiritual Prepper (I mean check out the cover, how could I not?). It is a good reminder that although the world is increasingly antagonistic toward us, we are called to preserve our faith. Each of us are little monasteries that preserve a Christian value system foreign to those around us. One might even call us temples. And in large groups, like at a church or a community gathering, we represent a subculture.

So is Western Culture really dying?

That depends how you define it. Some see western civilization’s foundation as secularism and liberalism. And before my conservative friends balk at that, remember that classical liberalism (the idea of disagreeing politely, discussing rather than shutting down ideas, encouraging freedom as long as it doesn’t impede the freedom of others, etc.) has nothing to do with the Democrat party. Just watch the news to see how the so-called Resistance treats people who disagree with their “open-minded” views. Also see Dave Ruben’s video here.

In modern times, the term “Liberal” has been perverted, but secularism has been reigning for quite some time. If western culture was built on a secular ideal, then I’d say it is reaching its natural conclusion. That’s because secularism holds to no higher authority. One cannot claim that murder is wrong (since there is no higher authority to cite), only that one feels murder is wrong. Or that the largest group opinion is that murder is wrong. Or the most vocal group opinion is such.

As for me, I think Western Civilization is best described as an intersection of Greek, Roman, and Jewish cultures. The Greeks brought the idea of logic and reason over emotion, the Romans provided an evenly enforced set of universal laws, and the Jews had a unique value system which valued life, property (even slaves had rights in Jewish culture), and a respect for a higher power to which all people, even kings, were subject. And Christianity was birthed at this same intersection point. For this reason, Christianity and Western Culture are intertwined, each shaping the other.

Do I think that Western Civilization, as I define it, is falling? Yes. Emotion is far more important to most than logic and reason; FBI director James Comey has proved that we no longer have a set of laws universally enforced between ruling class and commoner; and the only religious part of the constitution that progressives cling to is the line about “separation of church and state.” Never mind that that particular phrase isn’t even in the document.

However, there is hope. As I’ve already said, within each Christian is a preserved culture, different from the world. As long as we continue to meet together, encourage one another, and help each other in the faith, then the best development of Western Culture, one that now transcends all local cultures – the restored relationship between God and man – will be preserved.

 

Battletech Galactic Map from: http://operationbulldog.blogspot.com/2010_08_29_archive.html

Benedict Picture from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_of_Nursia

Wizard Tower image copyright Shaun Williams: https://www.3dartistonline.com/image/10248/wizards_tower

Categories
Write Justified

The Common Comma – Part 3

 

Bryan Garner, author of A Dictionary of Modern American Usage, and a raft of other books on English language usage and style, calls the comma the least emphatic punctuation mark of all. While it may not have the impact of a period or semi-colon, marks that call for a full stop or pause, the comma’s primary role is a separator. And when it comes to clarity, that’s an important role.

Garner identifies nine uses for a comma. We’ve covered

We’ll finish this series with Garner’s final five.

  • Qualifying adjectives

When more than one adjective is describing a noun, separate them with commas if both can be true of the noun.

John’s worn, red sweater won the award for the company’s annual Ugly Christmas Sweater contest.

Since John’s sweater is both worn and red, the qualifying adjectives are separated with a comma. Note the tip here. If the comma could be replaced with and, the comma is needed.

When the adjectives describe the noun in different ways, or one adjective describes the other no comma is needed.

Repainting the bright pink walls was the first item on the new homeowners to do list.

Bright modifies pink, not walls. No comma.

  • Direct vs. indirect speech

When writing dialogue, use a comma to separate direct speech from indirect speech.

“My goodness,” Marjorie exclaimed, “look how that child has grown.”

  • Participial phrase

Introductory participial phrases are set off with a comma.

Famished after their ten-mile hike, the scouts lined up early for dinner.

Waiting for the bank to open, Margaret caught up on Facebook.

No comma is needed if the sentence is inverted and the phrase immediately precedes the verb.

Facing down the monster was the prince himself.

  • Salutation

I know it’s becoming a lost art—letter writing—that is. But should you have occasion to write a note or informal letter, insert a comma after the salutation. Dear John, Dear Sally,

That’s not a bad practice to carry over into those emails you dash off, either.

  • Parts of an address

Separate the elements of an address, as well as dates, when they are run in the text.

The package was shipped to 758 Potter Street, Hamlin, Missouri, by mistake.

The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 3, 1776, not July 4.

Punctuation, like language itself, evolves over time. What was once a preference for more commas— “close” style, has given way to an “open” approach using fewer commas. Some have gone as far as saying, “When in doubt, leave it out.” Keep in mind that[bctt tweet=” the whole reason we use punctuation is to make our writing as clear as possible” username=””]. You’ll be on the right path if you adhere to Bryan’s nine uses.

 

Categories
Write Justified

Before You Hire an Editor

 

You’ve written your masterpiece. Or at least a short story, novel, or essay you believe worthy of publication. But is it? Other than your mother, who thinks everything you write is perfect, has anyone else laid eyes on your work? Is it really submission-ready?

Writers need editors. As a freelance editor, I hope that doesn’t conjure up an image of a stern-faced, red pen-wielding person whose only purpose in life is to make yours miserable. Far from it. Would you be surprised to learn that editors face each project with as much trepidation as you do when submitting a piece for their review? Though I can’t speak for others, I know that to be true for me. [bctt tweet=”My goal is to help you make your writing say exactly what you mean in as clear and understandable language as possible.” username=””] Peter Fallon describes the relationship between writer and editor as more of a duet than a duel. It ought to be a collaborative, not adversarial relationship, intended to make your writing sing.

Assuming I’ve convinced you that you need an editor, here are three things to do before passing your work off to a professional.

  1. Format:    Standard publishing format calls for one-inch margins, 12 point font, typically Times New Roman, double-spaced with one space between sentences. Yes, if you learned to type on a typewriter, you learned to put two spaces between sentences. And habits die hard. But in the computer age with proportional fonts, just hit that space bar once after a period or other end punctuation.
  2. Spell-check:    Do run spell-check, even though it won’t catch all the errors. Spell-check won’t find homophone errors or actual words used incorrectly. But it can eliminate extra spaces, double periods, and other kinds of errors that creep in when you’re in the zone and the fingers are moving faster than the brain.
  3. Critique:   One of the best things a writer can do is seek out other writers who will honestly critique her work. Whether you join a group such as Word Weavers or search out an accountability partner who can also offer meaningful feedback, you need someone to look at your work with unbiased eyes. As a reader would. A good critique will point out the positive and negative aspects of your writing and suggest ways to clarify the language or engage the reader more effectively.

Aside from the value of the honest feedback of a critique, the camaraderie of other writers is essential for the often-lonely exercise of writing. It may be just the motivation you need to keep putting pen to paper.

These simple steps will save your editor time and frustration, save you money, and ensure the writer-editor relationship gets off to a good start. It may just be the beginning of a life-long friendship.

Categories
Grammar and Grace

Let’s Talk About Verbs

Last time, I introduced the eight parts of speech. This time, we’ll focus on verbs.

I’m beginning with the verb because to be a complete sentence and not just a phrase or a fragment, a group of words has to have a verb. A verb is the action part of the sentence or the part that talks about being.

I am. That’s a sentence.

Steelers won. That’s a sentence, too. Of course, a better, more descriptive sentence might be something like—The fantastic Pittsburgh Steelers shut out the stinkin’ New England Patriots and won the Super Bowl.

To understand verbs, we must understand more than just the definition that a verb is a word that describes a state of action or being.

Agreement—A verb must agree with its subject. We’ll discuss this idea more in later posts once I introduce nouns.

Tenses—A verb tense tells the time of the action. To keep things simple, we’ll discuss past, present, and future tenses.

Present—I enjoy avocado on toast.

Past—I enjoyed avocado on toast yesterday.

Future—I will eat avocado on toast tomorrow.

Notice that the spelling of the verb changes for the past tense. Usually, adding the suffix -ed to a verb makes it past tense. For the future tense, I added a helping verb will.

Linking verbs—These verbs join a subject to its complement. Common linking verbs are be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being—forms of the verb to be. Verbs of the senses are also linking verbs—feel, smell, sound, look, seem, and taste.

Her voice sounded shrill. (Sounded links voice to shrill.)

She is the Olympic swimmer. (Is links she to swimmer.)

Helping verbs—These verbs are also called auxiliary verbs. They help form proper tenses. Common helping verses include the linking verbs as well as have, has, had, shall, will, may might, can, would, should, could, must, and ought.

Beth has invited several people to the Parade of Tables, but only two have accepted.

Irregular verbs—These verbs do not take an addition of the suffix -ed to form the simple past tense. Some irregular verbs include the following: eat/ate/eaten, see/saw/seen, come/came/come, drink/drank/drunk, drive/drove/driven.

This post is an attempt to remind readers about the function of verbs. Understanding the function will help make your writing clear, correct, and concise.

Do you have questions about verbs?

Happy writing!

Categories
The Ministry of Writing

Correctly Know the Familiar — Seminary in 5: New Testament Survey

Save money. Learn theology. Become a better writer. Minister more effective. That’s my hope for you. In this second year of my column, The Ministry of Writing, I want to take you to seminary — writing seminary. If you have had the chance to go to seminary, then let this be a refresher. If you haven’t please soak up this tuition free theological education given each month in 5 points. God has called you to write. You want to glorify Him and reach the world, but the problem is that we can easily be false teachers and not know it. Therefore, growing and learning in biblical and theological knowledge is vital to your writing ministry.

In the previous Seminary in 5 post, I urged that as Christian writers we would not forget about the Old Testament. You can find that article here. Just as the Bible instructs pastors to preach the whole counsel of God, so should writers. I spend time each week with multiple pastors around the country. One of the issues I have begun to see consistently from pastors and especially members of their churches is that most contemporary Christian preaching focuses on the New Testament. On several occasions I have been told that Old Testament is obsolete all that matters now is the latest half of Scripture. This is far from the truth — unbiblical. We will deal with how the two parts of the Bible interact in the first point, but I believe my findings prove that the New Testament is familiar.

Familiarity often breeds misuse. We feel we have such a handle on interpreting familiar passages and aspects of Scripture that we often fail to adequately study them thoroughly. I realize due to being accustomed to later testament a basic survey is not necessary, so these five points on the New Testament are to point areas in which we can easily develop incorrect views. Please take a moment a consider these points and let them strengthen your writing ministry.

 

  1. The New Testament Did Not Replace the Old Testament.

One common assumption about the New Testament is that it replaced the Old Testament. This far, far from the truth. I could present lots of arguments to express how that is not the case, but I believe one is sufficient. Jesus said that He and His ministry was not a replacement, but a fulfillment of the Old Testament. Jesus’ words are recorded in Matthew 5:17-19, he said,

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:17–19 (NIV84)

“The Law” Jesus refers to is the Old Testament especially the first five books. He says what He was doing and going to do did not replace the first half of the Bible.

Not only did Jesus explicitly give us this insight, but the writers of the New Testament and those who first received those writings understood that the Old Testament under-girded everything in these newer passages. The New Testament is deeply saturated with allusions and direct quotes from the Old Testament. The Book of Revelation can not be understood without having a strong foundation from the major and minor prophets.

Understanding this point helps provide credibility to the Old Testament in present times, but more than that I hope it would provide a framework for interacting with both testaments.

 

  1. The New Testament Does Not Teach the Church Has Replaced Israel.

Following suit with the previous point is this idea that the Christian church in the New Testament has replaced Israel in the Old Testament. The implications to this theological miscue has a huge reach. By taking this view one completely throws away the promises God has given the nation of Israel. Yes, many things that happened with Israel can be applied to our personal walk with the Lord, but God is in no way done with the Jews. He will keep the unconditional covenants that He made with Abraham about the land, and with David about having a descendant on the throne. These will be realized in the coming Millennial Kingdom.

One of the factors that cause people to believe this is that Jesus states that He is making a New Covenant. He does, but this was not a surprise to anyone in His day. The Old Testament prophesized that God would make a New Covenant. This New Covenant would allow them to possess and enjoy the previously made Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants. This New Covenant also miraculously involves the Gentiles who had been outside looking in on the promises of God.

In Romans 11:25-27, the Apostle Paul explicitly explains the present relationship between Israel and the Gentiles. The church has not replaced Israel rather the gentiles within the church have been invited to participate in the promises still to be fulfilled to Israel. Here are Paul’s words,

 

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” – Romans 11:25–27 (NIV84)

 

  1. The New Testament Was Canonized.

To fully appreciate the Bible we hold in our hands we must realize that the inspiration of the actual writing of the New Testament books are not the only level of inspiration of this latest testament. But the early church sought the Lord and followed a set of principles to select what writings actually were placed in the New Testament. This process was called canonization. We find even in the readings of the New Testament that there were other letters at that time. There are other works that have survived that time period. All though these other works exist we can confidentially trust that not only were the words guided by the Holy Spirit, but so was the composition of Scripture as a whole.

 

  1. The New Testament Has at Least 4 Divisions.

In the five points from Old Testament Survey, I stressed the importance of recognizing the different genres in that first half of the Bible. Recognizing the style of writing is vital to its interpretation. The New Testament also contains different genres, although these books may share a closer resemblance in style than those in the Old Testament. Many would list more divisions in the New Testament, but I believe there are four to view as essential.

The first four books are called Gospels. They are accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus. I will say more about their connection to one another in the final point, but these should be recognized as histories or eye-witness accounts of Jesus’ time on earth. The book of Acts is the history division of the New Testament. It follows from where the Gospels end until the end of Paul’s ministry. The rest of the books are considered epistles and most of them were penned by the Apostle Paul. An epistle was a letter that was circulated throughout multiple churches or multiple home churches. These would have been brought to the church by messenger and then read in its entirety before the body.

I am nearly alone among Bible teachers to include Revelation in the epistles. Most classify the final book as an Apocalyptic book. In that time period there was a “genre” of apocalyptic books. There were certain characteristics that described that type of writings. Revelation definitely fits, but it was circulated as a letter at least to seven particular churches. I find it helpful to approach Revelation as an epistle that way one is encouraged to interpret it more straightforwardly.

 

  1. The Gospels in the New Testament Do Not Contradict Each Other.

There are four books that tell about Jesus’ time on earth — Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. They are the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, & Luke are very similar and are referred to as the synoptic Gospels. John provides a stark difference. Because each Gospel covers the same time period, but do so differently many have felt they are contradictory. This is far from the case. One of the most helpful tools a student of the Gospels can have is a Harmony of the Gospels. I prefer the classic written by A.T. Roberson. A harmony seeks to show how the events in each Gospel fit with one another.

Although the subject is the same in all four books, they are told from four different eye witnesses. So there are variations, but no contradiction. Also each writer has a different purpose. Matthew writes to prove Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. So he involves a lot of the Old Testament prophecies. Mark seems to stick with just the facts and events. He provides the most action packed Gospel. Luke is focused on sharing with Gentiles Jesus’ humanity. John writes to prove that Jesus is the Son of God. With such different purposes, one can easily see how they would be different.

Conclusion

The Bible has two testaments, but it is one book. It is awe striking how that across so many centuries the Holy Spirit could move human writers to write these works that vitally connect. I can not stress enough how amazing God’s Word is for us. We have in print the reality of this world from its Maker. We need to know it, and then teach it correctly.