Tag: Almost an Author

The Difference Between Comedy and Humor

Post author By Jean Wilund - Writing with Humor
Post date February 26, 2017
5 Comments on The Difference Between Comedy and Humor

The Difference Between Comedy & Humor via www.AlmostAnAuthor.com

I read a statement once that stuck with me:

All comedy has humor, but not all humor is comedy.

I liked that. Partly because, ironically, it made me laugh. But also because I had never stopped to think about the differences.

Let’s do that now.

Comedy vs. Humor

Humor is whatever makes us laugh in any situation.

Comedy is planned entertainment. Every word and action is chosen for its ability to produce a laugh.

If comedy doesn’t get a laugh, it’s not really comedy. It’s just painful.

Humor pops up out of nowhere. It’s born the moment we laugh. Before that, it was just life.

If you’re walking along a riverbank with your sweetheart, that’s life. It’s a wonderful life, but it’s still just life—until one of you trips and falls into the river. Suddenly it’s humor.

Comedy is attempted. Humor happens.

In the following Carol Burnett Show sketch featuring Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, we see both comedy and humor.

The writers of the comedy sketch carefully planned each line and action to draw the most laughter from the audience. Because of Tim Conway’s brilliant acting, they succeeded. Their attempt at comedy worked.

The humor comes in when actor Harvey Korman is incapable of staying in character and starts chuckling at Tim Conway.

Now the audience is laughing at both the comedy sketch and the humor of Harvey Korman uncontrollably cracking up during the sketch.

Comedy and Humor in Writing

Comedy writers write for the sole purpose of getting a laugh—for the reader’s sheer entertainment. Laughter is their objective.

Writers who use humor will include funny anecdotes, stories, or phrases, but their true goal is to deliver a message. Laughter is merely one of their tools.

Both the comedy writer and the writer who uses humor may write about war — not typically a funny topic — but their goals will be different.

The comedy writer writes about war to get a laugh, as with this military joke:

The sergeant-major growled at the young soldier, “I didn’t see you at camouflage training this morning.”

“Thank you very much, sir.”

A writer who uses humor is more likely to write about war to reinforce a point. Suppose he’s writing about the world’s increasing dependence on GPS over paper maps. He might choose to share the humorous, but true, story of when Nicaragua claimed it invaded Costa Rica by accident because of a Google Maps mistake.

For the comedy writer, laughter is the point. For the writer who uses humor, laughter reinforces the point.

Which Should You Write? Comedy or Humor?

If you choose to become a comedy writer, be funny. Always be funny. There’s little room for anything less than hilarious from a comedy writer.

And don’t trust your mama or your sweetheart to tell you if you’re funny enough for comedy. Instead, perform at a comedy club or before an objective audience. If they don’t laugh, pick a different profession. Or go to comedy school. They actually exist.

If you choose to be a writer who uses humor, your humor can fall flat and you may get away with it, depending on how flat it fell. The reader may not even realize you were trying to be funny. Whew.

Whether you choose to write humor or comedy, getting your readers to laugh is a sure way to keep them reading—at least for another line or two.

Tags Almost an Author, Author, humor, Jean Wilund, Writing tips

The Writer's PenCase Uncategorized

Seamless Self–Editing––Part VIII

Post author By Donna L.H. Smith-Managing Editor
Post date February 21, 2017
No Comments on Seamless Self–Editing––Part VIII

As this series draws to a close, here are a couple practical exercises you can do at home to learn and practice your own seamless self-editing. Cutting word usage in half, and a proofreading exercise will assist you in learning more about how to edit your own manuscript. Because our object is to become “publish-ready.” #amwriting #publishready #seamlessediting

Tags Almost an Author, editing, Grammar, publish-ready, Seamless Self-Editing, writing, Writing Instruction, Writing tips

Grammar and Grace

Introducing the Eight Parts of Speech

Post author By Hope Toler Dougherty-Grammar and Grace
Post date February 17, 2017
2 Comments on Introducing the Eight Parts of Speech

For 2017, let’s understand the basics of English grammar by learning the eight parts of speech. They are the following:

Verb

Noun

Pronoun

Adjective

Adverb

Preposition

Conjunction

Interjection

All words are classified by the role they play in a sentence, or the work they do. Some words may be classified as two or three different parts of speech, but no word can be all eight. Some words will be classified as only one.

Here’s an example of one word in three different parts of speech. Brown can be an adjective, a noun, and a verb.

*The brown four-wheeler slid into the snow-covered ditch. (adjective)

*The brown in the painting overwhelmed the mood of the composition. (noun)

*Before placing the roast in the crock pot, brown the meat on all sides. (verb)

The word brown is used differently in all three sentences.

In the upcoming posts, we’ll learn about all the different parts of speech. Understanding the parts of speech will help in understanding future grammar and punctuation problems.

Happy writing!

Tags Almost an Author, editing, Grammar, grammar and grace, parts of speech, punctuation, write, writing, Writing Instruction

Storyworld

Anatomy of Grays: Sex

Post author By A.D. Shrum - Storyworld Columnist
Post date February 13, 2017
2 Comments on Anatomy of Grays: Sex

Jim held a gray spheroid up to the light. “So Doc, you’re saying the sex of this alien was actually female?”

“That is perhaps an overstatement. This is clearly an egg we retrieved from the deceased Sharalla pilot. While this may indicate a female of the species, their biology is unlike anything we’ve encountered. For all we know, the males carry the fertilized eggs, as in some of Earth’s aquatic wildlife.”

Jim lowered the egg, which had the size, heft, and texture of a softball. “You’re not saying this thing is fertilized are you?”

The doctor shook his head. “Our scientific team has concluded it most certainly is not. We wouldn’t let you handle it otherwise.”

The little rock wiggled itself in Jim’s hand, producing a breathless stare from Doctor Stein.

“Ahh,” Jim sighed in mock contentment, “ the certainty of science.”

What better way to spend the day before Valentine’s than talking about alien sex and reproduction? Seriously though, the method of reproduction in an alien species dictates much of its culture, so it bears at least some consideration in your storyworld.

Assuming your creatures have some form of sex to reproduce (and don’t just materialize or breed asexually), you’ll need to figure out how they do it. Generally, it will involve some form of fertilization, the method in which sex cells, containing half the genetic composition of each parent, unite to form a new, unique member of the species. This is broadly separated into two categories: external fertilization and internal fertilization.

External Fertilization

External fertilization is a form of sex that is mostly reserved to earth’s fish. While from our view, this seems impersonal, it doesn’t have to be. Granted, there doesn’t seem to be much intimacy between two fish, but there is sometimes a loyalty to the young. The male Siamese Fighting Fish will tirelessly guard over its eggs, ensuring they remain in a nest of bubbles until they hatch. Male seahorses will care for their fertilized eggs in a special pouch. Cichlids are fish that keep their eggs in their mouths, and continued to do so until they’ve not only hatched, but are old enough to fend for themselves.

If you introduce a sentient (and somewhat relatable) alien species with external fertilization, it would probably be best to model it after one of these more maternal or paternal species on earth. That is, unless you’re trying to create a heartless society of extraterrestrials. In that case, spawning massive numbers of progeny at random might fit better.

Internal Fertilization

This is the section that might get me fired from my position at A3. I’m kidding, I’m kidding – you can’t fire someone who works for free … I think. Anyway, internal fertilization is when male sex cells enter the female’s body and find the female sex cell(s). They combine and form a new life, starting as a zygote and eventually either hatching into the world, or emerging via the birth canal.

Which brings up the next distinction, whether or not the animal lays an egg or cares for the embryo in an internal placenta. Some examples of egg-laying creatures on earth are reptiles and birds. If your alien species lays an egg, you’ll have to decide the level of involvement you want the parents to have in guarding that egg. Some birds like the hornbill are very protective of their eggs. So much so that the female blocks herself off in a tree hole and entirely depends on her mate to bring her food. Others, like sea turtles, bury their eggs in the sand and then leave, hoping for the best (there may be a reason they’re so endangered). Rattlesnakes are odd egg layers though, since they don’t really lay eggs, but keep the eggs internally until they hatch. While that may sound like a live birth, the eggs are still self-sustaining, meaning no nutrients pass from mother to child.

And that’s actually one of the distinguishing features of sex and reproduction in a mammal – the placenta. When a mammal baby develops in the womb, it receives nutrients from its mother until ready for birth. Even then, female mammals provide milk for their young with their mammary glands (breasts in humans, udders in cows and pigs, etc.).

Sex Between Species

While forbidden in Leviticus 19, sex between two different species occasionally produces a hybrid creature. Probably most well known is the mule, a cross between a donkey and a horse. Additionally, ligers are crosses between tigers and lions, and according to liger scholar and artist Napoleon Dynamite, they’re bred for their skills in magic. There are a lot of different hybrids out there, including zonkeys , dzos, and other strange creatures. Usually the two parents need a similar number of chromosomes, and even then the result is typically a sterile creature. Sometimes though, intentionally breeding two species results in a very, very bad hybrid, such as the killer bee. Yes, thank science for producing a species of insect capable of killing thousands of humans and livestock … and then accidentally releasing them from quarantine -whoops.

Sometimes in sci-fi and fantasy literature you’ll see a hybrid race. The most obvious that comes to my mind is the Half-Elf. Born of human and elven parentage, these half-races display characteristics of each. But in a sci-fi or fantasy world, you can’t assume that every alien species can intermingle with every other. In Michael A. Stackpole’s X-Wing series, one of his protagonists humorously recounts a bad memory of having sex with an alien. The two hadn’t considered the delicate pH balance in that… region. And as a result, both partners developed severe rashes and some other, ahem, unpleasant side effects.

Sex and Culture

As I said in my intro, sex (and marriage) is a huge factor that dictates how a culture operates. How do two individuals in a species find a mate? How do they produce offspring? How do they care for their offspring? Is there sexual deviancy and abuse? While these are all major questions that deserve an entire column this column has mostly addressed biology. Fear not though, I will address them in the future. So if this article interests you, be on the watch for my sex and worldbuilding article in the next few months.

There, I made it through an entire column dedicated to sex without once mentioning the words vagina or penis. Oh! Darn. Well, almost.

Next month we’ll continue our anatomy series and tackle the neuroendocrine system! Yeah, that’s basically just a fancy word for evaluating how an alien thinks and feels.

Photo Credits:

Birds and Bees Photo: http://www.evilenglish.net/the-birds-and-the-bees/

Siamese Fighting Fish Photo (Also great resource regarding these cool fish): http://dkphoto.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Siamese-Fighting-Fish-Life-Cycle/G0000_kRdp2qXrtk/I0000qlzVaRnV4Qw/C0000NHUtq8T1jVw

Napoleon Dynamite Inspired Liger Drawing: https://www.flickr.com/photos/51035597721@N01/5266903

Tags Almost an Author, Christian writer, Create Motivate Inspire, creativity, fiction, ideas, inspiration, novelist, sex, storyworld, write, writer, writers, writing, Writing Craft, writing ideas, Writing Inspiration, Writing tips

Grammar and Grace

Presents for the Writer

Post author By Hope Toler Dougherty-Grammar and Grace
Post date January 17, 2017
2 Comments on Presents for the Writer

For this post, I’m suggesting some books that you may want on your bookshelves or your may want to give as gifts to the other writers in your life.

William Strunk’s, The Elements of Style, has been a classic for almost a hundred years. Read it.

Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King is a must-have for writers. Read it, make notes, then read it again.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss shows grammar is necessary, but it can be fun. My copy came with a punctuation repair kit.

And just for fun, Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog by Kitty Burns Florey is a quirky history of the lost art of diagramming sentences. I always thought diagramming sentences was fun. After reading this book, I know other people like it, too.

Happy writing!

Tags Almost an Author, Author, Christian writer, editing, grammar and grace, Hope Toler Dougherty, punctuation, writer, writing

Storyworld

Anatomy of Grays: Alien Digest

Post author By A.D. Shrum - Storyworld Columnist
Post date January 16, 2017
1 Comment on Anatomy of Grays: Alien Digest

The autopsy window allowed Jim a clear view of the good doctor’s grim work. The gray-skinned corpse had been cut open from neck to … whatever was between its legs, and its internal workings were just as alien as its external ones. Over the speaker, Doctor Stein began commenting on how the ugly fellow might digest its food. Apparently the little gray invaders had multiple stomachs like cows. Jim sighed. So their world was being invaded by bipedal gray-skinned cud-chewers. Great. Just great.

This month we continue our series on alien anatomy, literally delving into the bowels of unusual creatures – specifically their appetites. I’ve already posted an article about food and its necessity to your characters, which are probably vertebrates. That means they ingest their food, break it down, absorb it, and then circulate it to every single living cell in their bodies (which is headache-inducing if you stop to ponder it – don’t). Unused consumables are then disposed of in the same way that publishers typically treat unsolicited manuscripts. But with an alien anatomy, it bears mentioning that exotic creatures might ingest, digest, and circulate food differently.

Self-producing

Take for example a typical plant. Its food is self-produced, using a special pigment called chlorophyll, plus sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. It still needs potassium, nitrogen, and various other nutrients found in the soil, but the energy the plant uses is the sugar it produces for itself. This may not sound extremely interesting as a plot device in a book, but wait until you read John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War. I won’t spoil who the green-skinned creatures are, but suffice to say Scalzi incorporates a creature that uses chlorophyll-infused skin to further enhance its energy (as a hint, they aren’t the Jolly Green Giants).

Externally Digesting

Other organisms like fungus and starfish actually digest their food externally. A fungus emits enzymes into the soil (or plant, organism, or whatever the fungus is feeding on), and its “food” breaks down around the root-like hyphae. The nutrients are then absorbed into those little tendrils. Try not to think of that the next time you get athlete’s foot. Arguably more gross is the starfish, which actually spits its entire stomach out of its mouth to digest its food externally. Creatures like this are likely to be pretty alien. Again, the world of Scalzi’s Old Man’s War is populated with interesting characters. Take the Gehaar for example, which are blue, tentacled extraterrestrials that inject their food with acid and slurp up the mostly-digested syrupy mess into their mouths. Yuck. But who knows what your space-faring adventurers or fame-seeking wizards will find in their world?

Otherworldly Appetites

But not all creatures need to follow the same rules as those in our own world. The second book in Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter series (incidentally, no relation to the Pokemon craze), includes some creatures called Oni, which feast off of souls to prolong their life. They do this in an almost literal way, because the souls are actually stored in a stomach-like bag inside the creature, where they are processed and provide energy for the evil beings. Apparently such a malevolent metabolism makes a monster very hard to kill too, since an entire section of Alabama interstate was virtually destroyed in the process. You’ll have to read Monster Hunter Vendetta to appreciate it though.

Picking up a Monster Manual from Pathfinder or 3^rd or 5^th edition D&D can also give you some interesting ideas for aliens and fantastic creatures (Note: 4^th edition is great to play, but the monsters typically lack back-stories). Examples from these books are Gelatinous cubes and oozes that tend to be mindless blobs of jello that are only semi-aware. If you touch one though, your skin will begin to decompose in their uniform acidic bodies. That’s because their digestive systems are little more than homogenous blobs of acid. Rust monsters are also interesting since they eat metal, including magic weapons. In one of the editions this meant that one of their waste products would sometimes be residuum, a magical substance used to enchant other weapons.

That’s all on the menu this month. Next month we’ll talk about alien sex and reproduction, but don’t worry, I’ll keep it PG. Still, you may not want to invite your grandma.

Gelatinous Cube Inspirational Photo from http://catsoftindalos.blogspot.com/2016/05/caverns-of-slime.html

Green Giant image from https://www.tellwut.com/surveys/lifestyle/food-drink/91881-jolly-green-giant.html

Tags aliens, Almost an Author, Christian writer, Christian writing, fiction, sci-fi, science fiction, storyworld, writer, writers, writing, writing ideas, Writing Inspiration, Writing tips

The Ministry of Writing

Know Your Manual — Seminary in 5: Old Testament Survey

Post author By Jake McCandless - The Ministry of Writing
Post date January 10, 2017
1 Comment on Know Your Manual — Seminary in 5: Old 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.

One of the beauties of being a Christian writer is that we have a manual for all the instruction we provide and all the stories we tell. This manual is, of course, the Bible. Yet, this beautiful resource should also reign us in. For our, writings should be based on an accurate use of that manual. The manual is authoritative and therefore we are not to manipulate it for our own ideas. Therefore, it vitally important that you know your manual. Even the first half of this manual — the Old Testament.

Knowing this manual begins with reading it — reading it all, but we must also go deeper into an intensive study of the Bible. Even when this deeper study occurs sometimes we tend to jump to the details of particular books, passages, narratives, principles, or persons; and, by doing so we miss the big picture. I urge everyone to take a “survey” class or pick up an Old Testament and New Testament survey book. A survey study gives a bird’s eye-view of the text. It helps see the greater picture of what God is up-to and how each individual book fits together. There are also Bible Studies out there that accomplish this task such as The Story and The Gospel Project. The Story focuses on the greater history narrative in how all of the Bible fits together. The Gospel Project aims to trace salvation history throughout Scripture. I highly recommend Paul House and Eric Mitchell’s survey of the Old Testament book. There may be books that give more details, but this book perfectly pieces the books in the Old Testament together.

Here are five key points that you would learn in a survey of the Old Testament.

The Bible (therefore, the Old Testament) is about God.

After reading this point, it’s likely you replied, “duh.” But before you skip to the next point, take a minute to think about how you utilize and approach the Bible. You may know the fact that the Bible is about God, but very few people actually approach this supernatural text in such a way. We read the Bible for inspiration, historic truth, or life principles. All of those things are there, but they are secondary.

First and foremost, the Bible is a revelation of the eternal God to his creation. The common cliché, that “It’s not history, but HIS STORY” is so true. The person and nature of God, along with His interaction with mankind is the purpose of His Word. We shouldn’t read “us” so much into the text, but rather look for God to reveal himself to us.

Throughout, the Bible and especially the Old Testament we learn characteristics of God. In the Old Testament, we learn He is the Creator and is sovereign over that Creation. We learn that He is just and punishes sin, but more than anything He desires to show grace, mercy, and love. The list could go on and on. By following, God’s relationship with Israel presented in this testament we receive a large sampling of how God works. The prophet Malachi instructs that God does not change. Our God is the same today as He was in the past.

The Bible (therefore, the Old Testament) is Supernaturally Composed .

This is a reiteration of my posts on bibliology and interpretation of the Bible, the Bible was inspired by God. Throughout, the Old Testament this is revealed in notes on each book’s composition. Often the prophets speak on behalf of the Lord when they say, “Thus says the Lord.” We get insight in how God’s people like Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Daniel, and others communicated with God.

This first testament in God’s Word was penned over 1,000 years by over 30 different authors from different backgrounds and locations. This is a task that is impossible by man alone.

I point out the supernatural nature because biblical scholarship has difficulty accepting the prophecy which has been fulfilled, the miracles, and the scientific knowledge displayed. Various explanations are made to undercut these supernatural aspects, but doing so goes against over a millennium of accepted understanding. Many books on the Old Testament that you might pick up would present ideas and conclusions that does discount its transcendent claims.

The Old Testament tells of the Special Calling of Israel.

If you read the Old Testament literally and straight-forwardly, it becomes unarguable that God has a special relationship with the nation of Israel. Drastic changes to how one interprets the Bible has to be made for anyone to believe anything on the contrary. For in the first 11 chapters of Genesis, the foundation of the world and all the nations are presented, but following chapter 12 the rest of the Old Testament zeros in on the descendants of Abraham — Israel.

In Zechariah 2:8 and in other similar passages, God declares directly this special relationship. Zechariah 2:8, “For this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye’.” This is also seen in the calling of Abraham found in Genesis 12. Then in following passages, this special relationship unfolds. The law is given to them, their history is shared, and prophets come to call them back to God and His law.

This special calling does not cease in the Old Testament, but that section of Scripture makes that calling crystal-clear.

The Old Testaments Show the Centrality of the Covenants.

There are many details and different narratives throughout the Old Testament, but this portion of the BIble cannot be understood apart from the covenants God makes with Israel. Three of these stand out. The Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants provide the background for the direction of history and the words of the prophets. The Mosaic Covenant is a thread that stitches each and every facet of the Old Testament together.

The Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants are unconditional promises God makes to both Abraham and David along with their descendants. We find the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:1-3. Paul House and Eric Mitchell write in their survey textbook that God promises three things to Abraham. God promises an heir, land, a relationship. It is promised that Abraham’s name would be made great and he would have many descendants. This would require an heir. Next, God swore to give the land in which he would lead Abraham to find. Lastly, this covenant stated that the people of Abraham would be blessed and those who blessed them would also receive that blessing.

The Davidic Covenant is recorded in 2 Samuel 7. This covenant guarantees the lineage of David to be the rightful kings of the nation of Israel. God promises to establish David’s throne forever. Through this covenant the promises to Abraham are reiterated and connected to David.

These covenants are like a computer app that continually runs in the background while the display on the screen frequently changes. The law taught the Israelites how to live in the land, the history books showed the unfolding of these promises, and the prophets constantly referred to these covenants as a source of hope.

The Mosaic Covenant is the law. This covenant is summarized and formalized in Deuteronomy 26 – 30. This covenant was conditional. If the law was obeyed blessings would follow, but if God’s law was broken there would be curses. In the pages of the Old Testament that follow this Mosaic Covenant is front and center. The history books showed this fleshed out. The wisdom books called the people to follow the law. The prophets preached judgment because the covenant had been broken.

The Old Testament Consists of Multiple Genres.

One of the key principles in interpreting the Bible is to realize the different genres that are used. Each genre has its own set of interpretative rules. The Old Testament is full of multiple genres. There are basically four divisions in this first half of Scripture.

Genesis – Deuteronomy presents the Law.

Understanding that these five books make up the Law helps in interpretation. This was the foundation on which Israel’s history was judged, and the basis for which the prophets preached.
These books are prose, but feature declarative statements of the actual law mixed with narratives of history.

Joshua – Esther are the history books.

These are narrative history of Israel.
All those these books are prose, they do contain elements of poetry at times.

Job – Song of Songs are the wisdom or poetry books.

These books are forms of poetry and lists of short proverbs.
It is important to understand their prominent poetry structure, as well as, the nature of wisdom proverbs.

Isaiah – Malachi are the prophets.

These are divided into two sections the major prophets and the minor prophets. The only distinction in this classification is their sizes. The 13 minor prophet books were one book in the Hebrew canon.
These books contain prose and poetry. Most of them are divided into “oracles” which were spoken messages by the prophets.

Understanding these different genres is vital for the correct interpretation.

Conclusion

These points fall flat in capturing all that needs to be known about the Old Testament, but one of the strongest concepts that needs to be taken to heart is that the Old Testament should not be neglected. The Apostle Paul stressed that he preached the “whole counsel” of God. [bctt tweet=”We need to include the “whole counsel” in our writing.” username=””]

So, first of all used the manual God has given us. Then don’t skip the first half, but know this part of your manual.

Tags Almost an Author, Author, Christian writing, Christian writing training, free Old Testament survey, inspiration, Jake McCandless, manual, Old Testament, Prophecy Simplified, seminary in 5, seminary in 5 points, Writing Instruction, writing manual, writing ministry, writing seminary, Writing tips

Write Justified

The Common Comma

Post author By Judy Hagey - Write Justified
Post date December 26, 2016
No Comments on The Common Comma

Plenty of ink has been spilled and battles fought over the necessity and superiority of the Oxford or serial comma. After the period, the comma is the most used and misused punctuation mark. No doubt, we’ve all heard and seen that commas can kill.

A comma’s uses are myriad, and there are many rules about its usage. Whereas a period is an end punctuation mark, a comma indicates a pause or small break. We’ll start with one of the more common uses: joining clauses.

Independent clauses: Complete thoughts that stand on their own can be joined with a conjunction (and, but, or, so, yet, etc.) and a comma.

EX: The game went fifteen innings, but the Cubs lost on a fluke error.

EX: Mary couldn’t walk out of a fabric shop without at least purchasing a fat quarter, and Anne was only too happy to introduce her to every shop on the East Coast.

However, when verbs share a subject (compound predicate) they are not separated with a comma.

EX: Mary returned to the store for thread and hurried home to begin another project.

EX: The third baseman caught the fly ball and threw it to second for a double play.

A rare exception to this rule would permit a comma between the verbs if there was a possibility of misunderstanding as in the following example:

EX: Mary recognized the woman who took her parking space and giggled.

Without a comma, it’s not clear who giggled—Mary or the other woman. For clarity, insert a comma:

Mary recognized the woman who took her parking space, and giggled.

Independent clauses may also be joined with a conjunction and an adverb. In those cases, both a semi-colon and comma are used—the semi-colon before the conjunction, the comma following.

EX: The new shop carried Mary’s favorite line of fabric; however, it cost more than her meager budget allowed.

Follow the same punctuation pattern when using a transitional expression between two independent clauses, such as for example, in addition, namely.

EX: The Cubs earned a trip to the World Series for the first time since 1945; in addition, the young team has the potential for winning seasons for the next few years.

Commas are often used to set off introductory phrases. It’s not grammatically necessary to set off short introductory phrases of two or three words, but neither is it incorrect. Be aware of the publishers preferences and note these guidelines:

An introductory phrase that functions as an adverb indicating time, manner, place or degree, does not need a comma, unless the reader could be confused.

At noon the whistle blows.
On her desk are pictures of her grandchildren.
At his leisure Bill read the morning paper.
Too often the best answer is the common sense one.

Longer adverbial and other introductory phrases, however, are set off with commas.

Adverbial phrase:

EX: On the last Saturday of every month, the quilt guild holds a sewing day.

Adjective phrase modifies the subject of the independent clause:

EX: Of all the quilts at the show, Mary’s won the most ribbons.

Phrase contains a present or past participle:

EX: Coming off injured reserve, Schwarber hit a grand slam to put the Cubs ahead.

However, when a sentence begins with a gerund, a present participle that functions as a noun, it is the subject and is not separated from the verb with a comma.

EX: Designing one’s own quilt using computer software is becoming more common, even among novice quilters.

Next month we’ll look at more common uses of commas.

Tags Almost an Author, Christian writer, comma, common comma uses, punctuation, Writing tips

Create. Motivate. Inspire.

A Note by Any Other Name

Three days before Christmas, a delivery man turned in our driveway, honked the horn, and requested my signature. Then he presented me with a certified letter, calling out “Merry Christmas” as he drove away.

A certified letter? This wasn’t something I received every day. Or ever.

The return address was stamped with the name of a publishing house where I had submitted a work of fiction. My knees wobbled and for a moment I forgot I was standing outside in 30-degree weather without a coat or shoes. My heart beating double-time, I flew into the house and stood staring at the envelope.

Could it be? After all this time? This was shaping up to be the best Christmas ever!

Heart still skipping, palms slightly moist, I began to read:

“Thank you for your submission. Our staff has looked over your manuscript, but we have decided not to pursue publication at this time.”

Wait, what?

Confused, I studied the envelope. But it came by certified mail.

Certified. Mail.

Some writers call them no-thank-you notes. But let’s call them what they are—rejection letters. Whatever we have attempted to submit for publication has been returned with the carefully pre-penned words: Thank you for your submission, but…

It’s the “but” that gets me every time.

The words following that but tend to blur into garbled script—it doesn’t meet our needs at this time…we have decided not to pursue publication…it doesn’t fit our editorial calendar…

I thought about finding a job writing the infamous rejection letters. Let’s see…I so appreciate your courage and hard work…and believe me, this is not personal…and, um, I don’t want you to give up your dreams of publication…but…

Oh well. I guess straight-and-to-the-point is best.

My certified rejection was unique, but there have been other no-thank-you notes containing glimpses of hope, and if I hadn’t been blinded by my poor attitude, I might have recognized what they offered.

Flipping through my rejection file, I paused to read a note from several years ago. It began typically enough…Thank you for your recent submission. Unfortunately…

And several years ago, that’s where I stopped reading.

But now, I continued: Unfortunately, it is too long for our children’s book format. If you would like to rework it and resubmit we would be happy to review it again.

Wait, what? Rework it and resubmit…?

Shame washed over me as I realized what my attitude may have cost me. This publisher had given me a touch of direction, an offer to review it again.

And I had thrown away the opportunity.

I am so thankful we serve a God who redeems our mess-ups and uses them for His glory. Romans 8:28 is a verse I tend to shy away from, but its power is unmistakable. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Some of the good from my mistakes and no-thank-you notes center on the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart. Through my faltering steps, God has worked to refine me and call me into a place of deeper trust and reliance on Him. Keeping my hand in His gives me the courage to keep those submissions out there, trusting the results to His purposes.

A writer’s life is a jumble of joy and despair, elation and misery. But everything in the life of a Christian writer can be used for the glory of God.

Even a certified no-thank-you.

What is the most unique no-thank-you you have received and how can you use it to encourage other writers?

[bctt tweet=”Thankful we serve a God who redeems our mess-ups and uses them for His glory. @lthomaswrites #amwriting” username=”@A3forMe”]

[bctt tweet=”What can we learn from rejection? @lthomaswrites #amwriting” username=”@A3forMe”]

Tags Almost an Author, Create Motivate Inspire, Learning from rejection, Leigh Ann Thomas, rejection letter, Thank you for your submission

History in the Making

Create Timeline of Novel’s Events

Post author By Sandra Hart - History in the Making
Post date December 21, 2016
No Comments on Create Timeline of Novel’s Events

By Sandra Merville Hart

Somewhere in the midst of writing my second novel my story started to get away from me. I couldn’t remember what day or week something happened in my plot, requiring me to reread earlier passages. This prompted me to create a timeline of my novel’s events.

Creating a Word document containing the timeline for our stories maintains accuracy, keeps us organized, and shows where the plot requires additional action.

I read a novel where two chapters spanned the summer only to find that the following chapter stated all those events happened in only two weeks. The author’s mistake on time jolted me out of the story. The things that happened early in the novel in a specific timeframe were incorrect. I continued reading though I had lost trust in the author. This discrepancy could have been easily fixed and monitored by maintaining a timeline.

Tracking this detail also keeps authors organized. My timeline is arranged in chapter paragraphs and contains the chapter’s major scenes. It begins with the character whose perspective the scene is written along with a brief description of the action and the date. The day of the week is also important because this detail grounds us. For instance, church is part of normal Sunday activities for Christians and in many historical novels whereas Monday begins the work week.

The time of day matters a great deal in suspense and mystery genres so tracking this detail saves the author constant rereading of prior scenes.

Timelines note every change of character perspective or date.

Historical novelists writing about particular events such as a Revolutionary War battle, the assassination of President Lincoln, or the San Francisco earthquake pay close attention to details. Tracking dates and historic occurrences within the novel keeps us focused and organized.

Another advantage of maintaining a novel’s timeline in the midst of writing is that it shows where the plot needs strengthening. Authors will see where the story’s action slows and picks up again.[bctt tweet=”Creating a novel timeline helps #writers track story details in each chapter. #writing #history” username=”Sandra_M_Hart”]

Tracking which scenes are in a particular character’s perspective helps to evaluate who gets the most “air time.” This can be important for specific genres like romance.

Authors may refer to timelines when writing novel proposals as a springboard for writing summaries, synopsis, or back cover copy.

I generally update my timeline upon completion of chapters. It you possess a forgetful nature like me, consider adding this organizational tool to your writing routine. It has saved my sanity countless times.

Tags Almost an Author, Almost An Author blog, Author, historical authors, Historical writing, novelist, Sandra Merville Hart, writing

The Ministry of Writing

You are a Bible Interpreter — Seminary in 5: Interpretation of the Bible

Post author By Jake McCandless - The Ministry of Writing
Post date December 10, 2016
No Comments on You are a Bible Interpreter — Seminary in 5: Interpretation of the Bible

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.

I skipped a month of posting in “The Ministry of Writing” (I hope you noticed and missed it!) because I struggled how to share this subject. I struggled writing on this subject because I believe the most important skill all Christians and especially Christian writers need to develop is interpreting the Bible. I am so thankful that my college and seminary schedules were often out of my control because in my first semester things out of my control forced me to take a class called “Hermeneutics” which was on interpreting the Bible. I like so many though the idea of such a course was ridiculous. After all we just needed to just simply read and obey Scripture. Making that task so complicated just causes problems, right? Wrong, it’s just the opposite. As the first point of this post states, every reader of the Bible is an interpreter, and since we are thousands of years removed from the original writing of this special Book it takes a skill to interpret it correctly and well.

The Apostle Paul expressed this being a skill in 2 Timothy 2:15 where Timothy is instructed to “rightly divide” the Word. Rightly dividing just does not happen by chance, but is a skill developed and mastered. In Dr. Robert McQuilkin’s textbook, he asks a question: “Do a good attitude and a commitment to hard work alone enable a person to build a beautiful piece of furniture? No, for there is a right way and a wrong way to build. Furthermore, certain skill must be developed before a person, though using the right method, can build properly. So, it is with understanding the Bible.”

There is a right way, a right method, and a skill. This is not out of the reach of any Christian, but does call for intentionality rather than a haphazard approach to the text.

Every Reader is an Interpreter.

I realize that the idea that one needs to approach the Bible through rules and methods causes infuriation or at least disagreement, but every time you read something you interpret those words. And though not consciously you decipher meaning based on a certain approach. My wife and I passed a beautiful landscape painting the other day. Immediately, it took me back to my fourth-grade teacher reading Bridge to Terabithia. My wife had also read the book, both as a student and then as a teacher. We began to talk about it and realized we understood the book quite differently. We had interpreted the book quite differently. This was over a contemporary book, and with us possessing similar experiences and values. I’m sure our “interpretations” would differ with others. So, every reader interprets. Therefore, every reader interprets the Bible. If this can happen with contemporary books how much more differently would we interpret an ancient text like Scripture.

So, for anyone who feels the subject of hermeneutics is not necessary they must wrestle with the face that we interpret the Bible every time we pick it up. Beyond that our translations are actual interpretations. We further promote our interpretations then to our writings. Therefore, as a writer it is dangerous for us to have a wrong interpretation. Different interpretations are much of the cause of the different denominations and traditions within Christianity today.

Every Interpreter has a Presupposition.

Along with realizing we are interpreters whether we want to be or not, we also bring a presupposition into that interpretation whether we want to do so or not. Everyone comes to the Bible with a presupposition which is a belief or view that one holds before approaching something. This includes our past experiences, values, worldview, personal theology, etc. It is impossible for one not to have a presupposition, but it is important that we identify what we bring to our reading.

Certain presuppositions are important in reading the Holy text. It is important that we understand it is God’s Word. That it is authoritative, etc.

It is important to realize this filer in which we study the Bible because our presupposition greatly impacts our interpretation.

Bible Interpreters Must Study the “Then and There”

As was covered in the previous post that you can read here, the Bible has a dual nature. It is a combination of divine nature being the Word of God, and human authorship. In a masterpiece on the subject, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, write that the dual nature in terms of hermeneutics as “the Word of God given in human words in history.” They go on to state that this concept expresses a tension between “eternal relevance and its historical particularity.”

Since the Bible is God’s special revelation of Himself and His Will to mankind the meaning of the text applies to the ancient world, the first century, the middle ages, today, and the future; but, each part of the Bible was written in a particular-historical setting. It is in this original setting where the original meaning was given to the original audience.

The first task of the interpreter is to identify this original intent. This work is called exegesis — which is the careful, systematic study of the Scripture to discover the original intended meaning. Bible interpreters are not to go straight from the words of the sacred Scriptures to a contemporary meaning, but first they need to do exegetical work. This work requires looking at historical context of that time and culture of the authors and readers. In doing so it requires knowing the geographical, topographical, political, and cultural aspects of that original writing. This also calls for considering the occasion and purpose for the biblical book, the specific genre, and the passage.

The literary context must also be examined which goes back to the original language and syntax in which the Autographa copies were written in. This is a timely task often, but it is not out of our reach. It requires going to experts in the field of history and language. There are great resources available, but one must be careful to find the best sources and experts.

Bible Interpreters Must Follow Rules for Specific Genres

I had a very hard time limiting this post to five points, but I must stay true to my parameters. The reason is that I want to make clear the principles and rules of biblical interpretation. There are general rules such as was mentioned under the third point, but there are specific rules with each different genre.

Since the Bible was written by human hands and for human understanding — all forms of written communication were used. There is prose, poetry, prophetic oracles, letters, sermons, parables, proverbs, and others. Each of these literary forms call for specific principles of interpretation. As you know you don’t work through poetry the same you do a list of rules. It is vital to grasp the genre you are reading to begin to accurately interpret the text.

Bible Interpreters Must Use the Original Meaning for the Contemporary Meaning.

The goal of biblical interpretation is to find what this divine work speaks to us today. As a writer, we are writing to transform lives in this present world. So, interpretation is not completed by simply coming to terms with the original intent of the human author.

The exegetical work of recreating the historical setting and the literary context is the first step, but the results from that then serves as the launching pad to bridge to today’s world. Fee and Douglas write, “the reason we must not begin with the here and now is that the only proper control for [contemporary relevance] is to be found in the original intent of the biblical text.” They go on to write, “a text cannot mean what it never meant.” Going further they write, “the true meaning of the biblical text for us is what God originally intended it to mean when it was first spoken.”

Our exegesis of the historical purpose of a passage creates the guardrails in which guide us in teaching those Bible verses in our writings. If this work was taken in all times of biblical interpretation there would not be the disunity in modern Christianity.

Conclusion

Five points on interpretation of the Bible just scratches the surface of this subject. I hope your heart was prodded to study this deeper, and then apply it to your own Bible study. For we need to “rightly divide” the Bible as Paul instructed Timothy. I encourage you to first check out, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. Next I recommend, Grasping God’s Word by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays. There are many other great resources out there as well.

Tags Almost an Author, Author, Christian writer, Christian writing, inspiration, Jake McCandless, Prophecy Simplified, seminary, seminary for writers, seminary in 5, writing seminary, Writing tips

Craft Writing with Humor

Malapropisms — The Insanely Successful Yogi Berra Technique of Humor

Post author By Jean Wilund - Writing with Humor
Post date November 24, 2016
2 Comments on Malapropisms — The Insanely Successful Yogi Berra Technique of Humor

Malapropisms

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Say what?

A malapropism sounds more like a contagious disease than a humor technique, but it’s actually a safe and effective way to catch your reader off guard.

The late baseball catcher Yogi Berra was known as much for his malapropisms as for his skill behind the batter’s box.

A malapropism is the mistaken use of words often in place of similar-sounding ones. It can also be a nonsensical phrase — one that seems to make sense at first but leaves you scratching your head, such as these Yogi Berra malapropisms:

Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.

We made too many wrong mistakes.

It’s like déjà vu all over again.

Yogi created so many malapropisms they became known as Yogi-isms.

Yogi-isms have cropped up everywhere. In fact, he’s been given credit for more malapropisms than he actually created. This led him to utter one more: I didn’t really say everything I said.

He may not have said all he said, but he did say, 90% of the game is half mental, and You can observe a lot by watching.

Most Effective Malapropisms

A malapropism is most effective is when it’s unintentional.

My 10-year-old daughter created one when she tried to quote a favorite line from the 1996 version of 101 Dalmatians.

She meant to say, “It’s not hatred that’s important. It’s the desire to annihilate.“

She accidentally said, “It’s not hatred that’s important. It’s the desire to laminate.”

Really? It’s the desire to cover in plastic? I’m still laughing over that one.

Whenever you hear a good malapropism, put it in your “Humor File.”

Feel free to add this one to your file:

My friend Carol was easy to trick and was a good sport about it. Once, when she caught on that I was tricking her, she laughed and meant to say either, “You’re teasing me,” or “You’re pulling my leg.” What came out, though, was, “You’re teasing my leg.”

Could Your Novel Use a Malapropism?

Malapropisms create not only a touch of humor, they can provide a needed comic relief in a mystery or drama. Or you could weave them throughout your entire piece and create a spoof, like the play “Murdered to Death.”

Malapropisms are also a good tool for making a character more lovable, like the animated character Dory of the movies Finding Nemo and Finding Dory .

“I suffer from short-term remembery loss.”

Malapropisms will catch your reader off guard and may hold them to the last page. Try adding some into your writing today.

[bctt tweet=”Malapropisms – The insanely successful Yogi Berra technique of humor #AmWriting #Humor” username=”A3forme “]

Now it’s your turn.

What are some of your favorite malapropisms?

Share them in the Condiments section at the bottom of the page.

Tags Almost an Author, Christian writer, humor, Jean Wilund, Writing tips, Writing with Humor

Create. Motivate. Inspire.

On Writing: 5 Insights from C. S. Lewis

Post author By Leigh Ann Thomas
Post date November 23, 2016
No Comments on On Writing: 5 Insights from C. S. Lewis

Need a bit of insight as you ready the pen or laptop today? Consider the following from one of the greatest writers of all time:

“Take great pains to be clear. Remember that though you start by knowing what you mean, the reader doesn’t, and a single ill-chosen word may lead him to a total misunderstanding. In a story it is terribly easy just to forget that you have not told the reader something that he needs to know—the whole picture is so clear in your own mind that you forget that it isn’t the same in his.”
“When you give up a bit of work don’t (unless it is hopelessly bad) throw it away. Put it in a drawer. It may come in useful later. Much of my best work, or what I think my best, is the re-writing of things begun and abandoned years earlier.”
“Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t implement promises, but keep them.”
“Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us the thing is ‘terrible’ describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers ‘Please, will you do my job for me.’”
“We must not of course write anything that will flatter lust, pride or ambition. But we needn’t all write patently moral or theological work. Indeed, work whose Christianity is latent may do quite as much good and may reach some whom the more obvious religious work would scare away. The first business of a story is to be a good story. When Our Lord made a wheel in the carpenter shop, depend upon it: It was first and foremost a good wheel. Don’t try to ‘bring in’ specifically Christian bits: if God wants you to serve him in that way (He may not: there are different vocations) you will find it coming in of its own accord. If not, well—a good story which will give innocent pleasure is a good thing, just like cooking a good nourishing meal. . . . Any honest workmanship (whether making stories, shoes, or rabbit hutches) can be done to the glory of God.”

Who is your go-to author for inspiration?

Get inspired and keep writing!

[bctt tweet=”5 Writing Tips from C. S. Lewis @A3forMe #amwriting #writer” via=”no”]

[bctt tweet=”Any honest workmanship (whether making stories, shoes, or rabbit hutches) can be done to the glory of God.” C.S. Lewis @A3forMe @lthomaswrites” via=”no”]

(1, 2) C. S. Lewis letter to a girl named Thomasine (December 14, 1959).

(3, 4) C. S. Lewis letter to Joan Lancaster (June 26, 1956).

(5) C. S. Lewis letter to Cynthia Donnelly (August 14, 1954).

More insight from Lewis: https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2016/03/26/15-pieces-of-writing-advice-from-c-s-lewis/

Tags Almost an Author, Christian writer, Christian writing, Create Motivate Inspire, encouragement, inspiration, Leigh Ann Thomas, Writing Instruction, Writing tips

The Writer's PenCase

Seamless Self-Editing––Part V

Post author By Donna L.H. Smith-Managing Editor
Post date November 22, 2016
No Comments on Seamless Self-Editing––Part V

Writers write because we love to use words, but let’s face it––even though we say we write for ourselves, we all want to be published and have many others read what we’ve written, for the mutual benefit of ourselves and our readers. That’s why self-editing is important. [bctt tweet=”We must do everything we can to get our manuscripts ready for publication.” username=”@a3forme @donnalhsmith”] #amwriting #publishready

Tags Almost an Author, Christian writing, editing, Seamless Self-Editing, the Writer's Pencase, writing, Writing Instruction, Writing tips

Grammar and Grace

How to Pluralize Names for Christmas Cards–Re-Mix

Post author By Hope Toler Dougherty-Grammar and Grace
Post date November 17, 2016
4 Comments on How to Pluralize Names for Christmas Cards–Re-Mix

We’re still a few days away from Thanksgiving, but we sometimes receive Christmas cards a few days after celebrating with turkey and dressing. For all the super organized people who like to get things done early, I’m re-posting the following blog from last year–and because I’m still seeing names with apostrophes in all the wrong places.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas. I especially love sending and receiving Christmas cards. We send out a lot from our house, and we receive a lot in return. We always include a picture of the whole family. The pictures we receive from our friends find a place on our refrigerator and adorn it all year.

I don’t, however, love the envelopes addressed to The Dougherty’s or closings that read, Love from the Jones’. Ack!! I’m happy to hear from old friends, but I can’t stop my toes from curling when I see those errant apostrophes.

Here are some simple rules to follow so that you can write names correctly and make sure your cards convey the happy messages you intend.

Add an s to a proper noun that doesn’t end in s to make it plural.

Langston = Langstons
Maurer = Maurers
Tate = Tates

Don’t change the spelling of a proper noun to make the plural.

Dougherty = Doughertys (not Dougherties)

3. Add es to a name that ends in s, x, z, ch, or sh to make it plural.

Capps = Cappses ( I know it looks strange, but trust me.)
Edwards = Edwardses
Fox = Foxes
Rakiewicz = Rakiewiczes

Notice that at no time have I used an apostrophe. I haven’t used one because I’m making the names plural, not possessive.

Three rules.

That’s all you need to write your Christmas cards correctly. If you can’t bring yourself to add the es to someone’s name or you can’t bring yourself to leave off the apostrophe, there’s always an easy fallback…Love from The Dougherty Family.

Tags Almost an Author, Christmas, Christmas Cards, editing, grammar and grace, Hope Toler Dougherty, Pluralizing Names, writing, Writing Instruction

Fantasy-Sci-Fi Storyworld

World-building From the Eyes of a Character

Post author By A.D. Shrum - Storyworld Columnist
Post date November 9, 2016
No Comments on World-building From the Eyes of a Character

The carbine was still jammed and Jim couldn’t do anything to fix it. He finally tossed it aside and cursed the shoddy Adronni weapon manufacturers – maybe their world would be next on the alien invasion tour. A shrill whine filled the air, and Jim pressed himself tighter against the debris-covered groundcar. A scant thirty feet away the earth erupted in blue smoke. As the remains of a prefab shelter rained harmlessly over his powersuit, Jim took inventory. A Gilgamesh repeater pistol, a single frag, and a suit of armor with a busted rebreather. As long as the reptilians didn’t gas him first, he’d probably live long enough for one of their walker units to plasma-blast him in the chest. He sighed. No, there was one last thing he possessed – the souls of his charred comrades pushing him on to avenge them. Jim unholstered the pistol and peered around the corner. Time to move – vengeance would be his!

On the surface, the above paragraph looks like an action scene. It’s dripping with tension, and Jim’s fate looks pretty bleak. But even an action-packed paragraph can be used to build your world. In fact, study it a minute and try to identify some of the foreign storyworld elements.

We’re not sure what kind of weaponry Jim has (laser? projectile?), but his attackers clearly have plasma weapons that explode in puffs of blue gas. And we can guess based on the grisly state of his allies that either the plasma weapons burned them alive or that the aliens have some other kind of burning weapon.

Let’s look at some of the subtler elements though. Take the use of the word “groundcar.” What is the implication there? Obviously a “groundcar” is a type of vehicle distinguished from some other type. An aircar? A hover car? We don’t know specifics, but use of that word reveals that methods other than ground-based vehicles are used for transportation in this world.

We also get a glimpse into the intergalactic relations. First of all, these reptilians are not only invading Jim’s planet but have apparently been on “tour,” invading many planets. We don’t know if “Adronni” is a company or a race of aliens, but we do know that either Jim or his military outfit purchased firearms from otherworldly suppliers. This establishes that the storyworld has interplanetary trade.

All of this could be done from a detached, third-person omniscient perspective, but the story is told from a deep, although third-person, POV. This not only conveys the gobs of storyworld information above, but it also does two other things: 1) it gives the action emotional impact. Sure, the battle scene is only a paragraph long, but you’re emotionally involved in the character. It inspires you to read onward and learn Jim’s fate, even as your imagination processes the alien elements. And 2) the world is shown with Jim’s particular biases. A comment like “shoddy Adronni weapon manufacturers” shows us Jim has preferences in firearms and the Adronni-supplied weapons are apparently not among them. This doesn’t mean his preferences are necessarily right, and a different character’s POV may reveal a different perspective on the carbine and its manufacturer. Your storyworld’s inhabitants, like those in the real world, won’t always agree on things.

This isn’t to say that every paragraph in your 90,000-word manuscript must be packed with exotic storyworld elements, but the first few chapters should do so as much as possible. And if you’re trying to get your audience attached to your characters in that same timeframe, doing so from a close, ground-level perspective can really help.

Last year, my favorite novel was Monster Hunter International written by Larry Correia. A contemporary fantasy novel like this doesn’t need as much storyworld explanation as a distant-future sci-fi novel, but the author does equally amazing jobs at world-building and deep character exploration. I’ve also just started Marc Turner’s When the Heavens Fall, an epic novel with some well-developed fantasy elements and several great POVs. A final verdict will have to wait since I haven’t finished it yet, but thus far it’s a great read and exemplifies some of what we’ve discussed here.

That’s all for now. Next month we’ll kick off a series on alien and fantastic biology. Until then, let me know if there are any other storyworld elements you’d like me to explore in this space. Thanks for reading!

Grammar and Grace

Compliment or Complement?

Post author By Hope Toler Dougherty-Grammar and Grace
Post date October 18, 2016
2 Comments on Compliment or Complement?

Earlier this week I wrote a post for my own blog and was reminded about two things: the difference between compliment and complement and the definition of a subjective complement.

Compliment and complement sound exactly alike. They’re homophones. They are spelled differently and have different meanings, however.

A compliment is a flattering statement. Your dinner guest might say, “This pesto is delicious. I’d love your recipe.” He’s complimented your cooking.

A complement is a thing that completes something else or brings it to perfection. A nice complement to angel hair pasta with pesto is a ripe tomato.

The tricky thing is remembering how to spell the correct form. Try this mnemonic device. I like compliments ( because don’t we love compliments?). The I in the previous statement can remind you to use the word with the i in it.

A subjective complement is one of those phrases you learned about in grade school. It’s a word or phrase that follows a linking verb (be, am, is, are, was, were,…) and renames or describes the subject.

My high school English teacher was a monster. (Not true, by the way.) Monster is the subjective complement because it renames teacher.

I have another example of a subjective complement, but I’m not sure it’s appropriate for this blog. I used it in the post I mentioned in the first paragraph. If you want to read it, go here. Read all the way to the end.

Now, go give someone a compliment!

Tags Almost an Author, blogging, Christian writer, Grammar, grammar and grace, Hope Toler Dougherty, writing

Storyworld

Board Games that Inspire Writing

Post author By A.D. Shrum - Storyworld Columnist
Post date October 11, 2016
2 Comments on Board Games that Inspire Writing

The murmur of countless alien tongues subsided as the chairman of the interstellar council called for order. The delegates to Mecatol Rex were unusually nervous tonight, and with good reason. By the end of the week, congress might put forth a motion to ban bio-technology, a move that would devastate the inhabitants of New Moscow. The young ambassador from the Federation of Sol held his breath as the insectoid chancellor of Sardakk N’orr took to the stage, violently shaking a proposal in his foreclaw. The political games had begun.

When you think of storyworld ideas, your typical sources are probably other books, movies, and TV shows. But have you considered board games? No, I’m not talking about Monopoly, Risk, or Sorry. Modern games provide a wealth of imaginative fodder for the aspiring novelist.

The example in my opening paragraph comes from a truly epic game called Twilight Imperium. In it, various alien races compete for galactic supremacy through military force, shrewd diplomacy, and delicate trade arrangements. While there are similarities to any conquest-type game, from a writing perspective the real gem is the character development of the individual races and the manner in which they interact in the galaxy. In addition to battles and alliances, the actual rules of the game get voted on regularly at the council event. It’s an intriguing concept for a game, and any sc-fi writer is sure to enjoy the political debates between each of the six players. Trade deals and a variety of starships round the game out and should provide an abundance of ideas for anyone hoping to write a space opera.

Smaller in scope but not in story, the game Love Letter is a simple game where each player has only a single-card hand. Easy to learn, but sophisticated enough to keep gamers coming back, Love Letter serves as a wonderful gateway for those unfamiliar with modern games. But even the included back story is captivating. Basically, the queen of the kingdom has died and various suitors are trying to win the hand of the princess. The king won’t just let anyone speak with his daughter, so he carefully guards the young woman. Her only hope – that some handsome prince might find a way to deliver a message through the castle staff. Filled with intrigue and amusing characters, you might be surprised at the writing inspiration you can draw from this simple game.

I recently had the opportunity to play the game Imperial Assault, a cooperative strategy game of heroes set in the Star Wars universe. While you might think you already know that Galaxy Far, Far Away pretty well, you should think again as you play this. Set in the period of the rebellion, each character possesses a deep history and exciting side quests. My character, a force-sensitive operative dressed somewhat like Mortal Kombat’s Sub Zero, is on the hunt for his former employer who might be selling secrets to the Empire. The set-up is similar to a Jason Bourne movie, but with enough interesting twists to keep me engaged. But the story isn’t just about my character, as each of the main characters has his own story that further fleshes out the universe. The elements of the world (blasters, walkers, etc.) may feel familiar, but the scenarios are unique enough that they may inspire you in ways that George Lucas’ films haven’t.

Set in the Wild West, Shadows of Brimstone puts you in the role of a sheriff, preacher, rancher, or any number of assorted other professions of the period, and pits you against a wide array of Cthulu-inspired critters. The blending of monsters with a gold-rush era landscape is a great and fresh setting. The individual missions are all twists on old west concepts, whether exploring an abandoned (and now demonically reoccupied) mine, rescuing a child who fell down a well (and is now surrounded by evil critters), or finding the source of a town’s disturbances (which happen to be in another dimension). The amount of storyworld built here is stunning. Many of the ideas could inspire a hopeful steampunk or fantasy writer.

This is just a small sampling of various games I’ve played, but the wealth of ideas that have gone cardboard is legion, and many host quirky and fun stories to boot. If you get a chance, stop by your local boardgame store and scope out the market. From the 16^th century piracy of Merchants and Marauders to the superhero battles of Sentinels of the Multiverse, you’re sure to find something that captures your imagination. Granted, you can’t lift their storyworlds directly without a copyright lawsuit, but if you’re searching for inspiration, this might be the ticket. Ooh, did I mention Ticket-to-Ride?

Twilight Imperium image from http://www.swordsandspace.com/2013/08/twilight-imperium-after-action-report_31.html

Love Letter image from https://lordoftheboard.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/love-letters/

Imperial Assault image from https://deathwatchstudios.com/2016/07/11/imperial-assault-heroes-of-the-bespin-gambit/

Shadows of Brimstone image from https://wediealotblog.wordpress.com/

Tags Almost an Author, Board Games, character motivation, Christian writer, Christian writing, Create Motivate Inspire, creative writing, creativity, fiction, Games, ideas, inspiration, novel, novelist, write, writing, writing ideas, Writing Inspiration

The Ministry of Writing

What do you believe about the Bible? — Seminary in 5: Bibliology

Post author By Jake McCandless - The Ministry of Writing
Post date October 10, 2016
6 Comments on What do you believe about the Bible? — Seminary in 5: Bibliology

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. This is why growing and learning in biblical and theological knowledge is vital to your writing ministry.

As Christian writers, we are constantly Scripture is front and center in all we do. Our Bibles stay open — as we teach it by writing Bible studies, devotionals, and Christian living books. We study the text to frame-in our worldviews and take-a-ways in our fiction. It is used to reinforce what we believe, but what do you believe about the Bible.

It’s highly likely that you are like me and you’ve taken for granted the nature of the Bible, but I am so thankful for professors like Dr. Ron Mitchell of Central Baptist College who began his theology and apologetics courses with a study of Bibliology (the doctrine of the Bible). Along with writers like Dr. Norman Geisler, who began his systematic theology with the doctrine of the Bible.

Since Scripture is the launch pad not only for our writing, but also our calling — we need to secure in our minds and hearts the framing of that platform.

The Bible has a divine origin.

We refer to the Bible often as the “Holy” Bible. The word “holy” means to be set apart — special. The Bible is special, and it’s not because it is merely a good book, but because it is the Word of God. It has a divine origin even though actually penned by human hands, those writers were directed by God.

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we read that the Bible writers were inspired by God. The actual Greek word for “inspired” means God-breathed. These men were not merely motivated by God as we think of inspiration, but they were moved by him. This inspiration went further than an idea of something good to do. Peter describes this vividly in 2 Peter 1:21, when he writes they were “carried along” by the Spirit.

The origin and the preservation of the Bible belong to God. Jesus instructed that the Bible does not merely contain portions that can be considered God’s Word, but every word is His Word. In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus states that every jot and tittle of Scripture was important. These represented the smallest of pen strokes in the Hebrew language. Elsewhere in the Gospels we find Jesus recognizing the Bible as God’s Word.

The Bible has a human origin.

Most of you reading this are already convinced of the divine origin of Scripture, but those who do not hold the Bible in high esteem focus on the fact that people actually penned it. Many have found it hard to wrap their mind around how something that claimed to be God-breathed, but written by fallible people could be the perfect guide for us. Yet, the Bible is not the only revelation from God to show such a paradox. The Bible actually parallels the nature of Jesus. While on earth He was 100% God and 100% man all wrapped up in physical flesh.

The Bible, too, shares that tension. Even without trusting the claim from Scripture that it is God’s Word, the book displays a miracle within its own pages. On the human end over 40 authors wrote in a span of 1,500 years. Those 40 authors were drastically different from one another. Some were kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesman, or scholars. They wrote in different places spanning across three different continents.

The fact that the Bible would have any cohesive thread is a miracle in of itself. To illustrate this while teaching I have had a roomful students from the same time period and walk in life try to write a cohesive story independently. The result would be a train wreck.

The nature of Scripture is this tension of being written by God through men. This understanding is essential when we seek to understand and teach the text. Those who focus only on the divine aspect view the book as supernatural and search out hidden meanings unique to their own time period. While those who focus merely on the human authorship treat it as only history or a list of good ideas. The two must be blended.

The Bible is inerrant and infallible in its original manuscript (Autographa).

Although since in the creation of the Bible God used human authorship in a way that allowed the writers’ personalities and styles to be expressed rather than mechanically dictating to them in a robotic form, we must still understand it to be perfect. When we talk about the Bible being perfect it is in reference not to the leather-bond translation sitting on our desk, but rather the original manuscripts penned thousands of years ago. Manuscripts that no longer exist, but have been translated with great accuracy. There have been few scribal errors in translations, but the claim of God being the author calls for perfection. In that perfection, Scripture is without error — in factual and spiritual. Also being God-breathed means that the message and promises from Scripture are incapable of failing.

The Autographa or original manuscripts are long gone, but there is remarkable evidence of today’s translation being accurate. For example in looking only at the New Testament there remains more than 24,000 ancient manuscripts. These manuscripts take us back as close to 250 years from the Greek originals. Syriac and Latin versions place us only 120 years from the autographa In those, only 40 lines are in question. This is remarkable when compared to the ancient work with the second most ancient manuscripts which is the Illiad by Homer. There only over 600 ancient manuscripts. It appears God not only authored the Sacred Text, but He is preserving it.

The Bible was canonized.

Reading between the lines in this post, you have probably realized a final form of the Bible did not fall out of the sky. It took a 1,500 years for the book to be written. This ran from possibly Job, then Moses writing the Pentateuch, and closed with John penning Revelation. The Bible is a collection of multiple books. Throughout history, these books were pulled together. Ezra is credited with compiling the Old Testament. The Old Testament was in a canonized form by the time of Jesus, and had been translated into Greek in what we know as the Septuagint.

The New Testament also began as individual books and letters. These works circulated through the early church. Eventually they were collected and compiled into the New Testament. There is evidence that at least by 367 AD canon was complete. It would be made official in later church councils.

The term used for the complete “line-up” of the books in the Bible is canon. Canon means “standard”. Therefore, we have the standard of those books believed to be Scripture.

The Bible should be authoritative to our lives.

It is vital for our use of the Bible to realize it is this miraculous blend of divinity and humanity, but as we seek to apply the interpretation to our life the understanding of God’s inspiration should guide us. Since this is God’s special revelation to us, since it is His very words — they should not be merely suggestions or advice. Scripture is to transform our lives. We bow our lives before the text and respond in obedience. The Bible should be authoritative. It is the last word on how we should live and on matters of truth.

Tags Almost an Author, Author, author seminary, bibliology, Christian writer, Christian writing, hermenutics, interpretation of the bible, Jake McCandless, Prophecy Simplified, seminary for authors, seminary for writers, seminary in 5, Writing Instruction, writing seminary, Writing tips

Craft Writing with Humor

5 Easy Steps To Make Readers Laugh Using The Absurd

Post author By Jean Wilund - Writing with Humor
Post date September 24, 2016
No Comments on 5 Easy Steps To Make Readers Laugh Using The Absurd

Ever laughed in an absurd situation or at an absurd time?

Sure you have. We’ve all done it.

Our friend trips over his feet, falls flat on his face, and instead of helping him up, we fall over laughing, lamenting we didn’t get it on video.

America’s Funniest Home Videos makes a living on our laughing when we “shouldn’t.”

They knew we’d laugh — and we do.

Why do we laugh at the absurd?

The absurd is unexpected, and the unexpected is funny. It’s that simple.

You can find more scientific answers to explain it, but that’s the bottom line.

We’ll laugh at the absurd as long as it doesn’t offend our sensibilities, such as laughing about 911. Not funny. Period.

But even in the midst of turmoil, we like to laugh. We need to laugh.

Comic relief eases pain and sadness.

The absurd makes for great humor material when done right.

Imagine laughing at a funeral. Who would do that?

The writers of the 1970’s TV series The Mary Tyler Moore Show thought it was a great idea. And it was because they did it right.

Using five easy steps, they reaped reruns of laughter even from a funeral.

5 Easy Steps to Make Your Reader Laugh Using the Absurd:

Let’s look at how the writers of The Mary Tyler Moore Show incorporated the five steps into their heralded episode Chuckles Bites the Dust.

1. Know Your Audience.

What’s funny to some may be offensive to others.

The writers of The Mary Tyler Moore Show knew their audience tuned in to watch comedy and expected absurd situations, but they never crossed the line into callousness.

Had their audience been a group of grieving parents, it would’ve fallen flat, even with a clown for a character.

2. Think of an Absurd Situation.

Absurd situations make us laugh. The more common to humanity the situation is, the wider the audience you’ll reach and the more they’ll relate, leading to bigger laughs.

A humorous situation about parenting may be funny to all, but they strike a parent’s funny bone harder.

Find a situation that’s common to the vast majority.

Death.

Then find a way to make it absurd.

The death of a clown named Chuckles, who was dressed as a peanut when an elephant tried to shell it.

You now know the premise of the Chuckles Bites the Dust episode. And you see how a common situation can suddenly become uncommon and absurd.

3. Add ridiculous timing.

Ridiculous timing can raise the absurdity to a higher level.

This step is similar to the idea in writing of building tension by thinking of the worst thing that can happen to your main character and then making it worse.

Without conflict there’s no story. Ridiculous timing increases conflict and laughter.

The writers of The Mary Tyler Moore Show raised the stakes and the laughter by placing the climax of the episode in the middle of Chuckles the clown’s funeral.

4. Place your characters smack in the middle of it.

Place your main characters into the middle of the absurdity and let them react.

If they react opposite of how the audience would expect, even better. That’s called juxtaposition, and it’s a great humor technique.

The main characters of this episode sit together at Chuckles the Clown’s funeral. Once the pastor begins the eulogy, Mary–the only character to have shown respect throughout the episode–suddenly finds the situation unbearably humorous. Despite her best efforts, she can’t contain her laughter.

5. Have fun, but don’t cross the line.

Even if some audience will laugh at anything, writers should behave with decency.

Some subjects should remain off limits as objects of humor. (Child pornography for instance.)

Other subjects need only be handled with care. (Sickness and death.)

Throughout the episode, various characters respond with appropriate sadness by the news of Chuckles the Clown’s death.

Mary consistently responds in the most appropriate manner. Thus when she loses self-control at the funeral, the audiences’ sensitivities aren’t offended.

If she’d been known to be a callous jerk, the audience wouldn’t have been surprised by her laughter and again wouldn’t have been unduly offended.

Chuckles Bites the Dust

The entire Chuckles Bites the Dust episode is a fun lesson for writers on how to use absurd situations and timing without crossing the line. The fabulous twist at the end (the juxtaposition I mentioned earlier) pulls it all together.

Watch the full episode by clicking the link above, or watch the short clip below: Laugh for Chuckles

Notice how the writers incorporated these five easy steps and made their audience laugh using absurd timing and situations:

Tags Almost an Author, humor, Jean Wilund, writing, Writing Instruction, Writing tips

Grammar and Grace

Misheard, Misused, Misspelled Words

Post author By Hope Toler Dougherty-Grammar and Grace
Post date September 17, 2016
No Comments on Misheard, Misused, Misspelled Words

This month’s post is all about words you might be hearing and saying and, consequently, writing improperly. We’re not talking about homophones this time. We’re talking about misheard, misused, and misspelled words.

The idea occurred to me when I received a message from whom—before this ill-typed group of sentences appeared in my inbox—I considered an educated, real adult.

Here’s the problem. She used prolly instead of probably. This construction is not a typo. It’s a made up, wrong word. Maybe that’s how she pronounces it, but it’s still wrong, wrong, wrong. And the little red squiggly line that shows up underneath—even in Facebook messages—indicates a warning people—especially writers—should heed. (I apologize if my old English teacher, persnickety self is shining through here.) (A little bit.)

What about should of? NO! The correct use is should have. The problem probably stems from the contraction, should’ve. I agree. It sounds like should of when we speak. When writing, however, use should have or should’ve. Have is a helping verb: I should have paid attention in English class.

Suppose/supposed has a couple of problems. Here are the correct usages:
I suppose I can cook dinner tonight if you wash the dishes.

I am supposed to cook dinner tonight if I have time. (Don’t forget the d on the end.)

Supposedly, I am a good cook. Not, not, not supposably. Supposably is not correct—even if you hear everyone you know say it this way.

All of a sudden is correct. Years ago when I was teaching, a student wrote, “all of the sudden.” I stopped reading. I shook my head. I’d never heard that phrase before. I marked it as wrong. The student was irritated. A wiser colleague mentioned that all of the sudden was a colloquialism. At its worst, it’s wrong. At its best, it’s informal. Use the accepted all of a sudden in your writing.

Finally, here’s one just for fun. One of my students wrote chester drawers in an essay. I don’t believe she capitalized the C either. Again, even if in quick, slurred speech, the words sound like chester, they really should be written chest of drawers.

Now that I’m thinking about it, chester drawers could make for some interesting dialog in my next work in progress.

Happy writing!

Tags Almost an Author, editing, grammar and grace, Misspelled words, Writing Inspiration, Writing Instruction, Writing tips

Grammar and Grace

Confusing Words…Again!

Post author By Hope Toler Dougherty-Grammar and Grace
Post date September 17, 2016
No Comments on Confusing Words…Again!

Yes, we’re continuing to visit confusing words because the English language abounds with them. Here are a few more examples to look for when you’re proofing your writing. Some are homophones while others are confusing because of their close spellings.

1. Sensuous/Sensual

Sensuous means relating to the five senses, strong sensory appeal. If used correctly, the word does not have a sexual connotation.

The chocolate and hint of chili pepper combined to make a sensuous experience.

Sensual means relating to gratification of senses or the indulgence of the appetite, physically pleasing, and it comes with a hint of sex.

Many advertisements today rely on sensual images instead of clever copy.

2. Pallet/Palate/Palette

A pallet is a temporary bed or a portable platform.

My grandmother used to make a pallet of quilts for me on her floor.

A palate is the roof of the mouth.

The hot soup scorched my palate.

A palette is an artist’s board of paint.

All the colors mingled on the artist’s palette.

3. Carat/Karat

A carat is the unit of measure for precious stones.

Her engagement ring is a 2-carat diamond.

A karat is used to measure gold.

Her wedding band is comprised of 24 karat gold.

4. Homey/Homely

Homey relates to the home.

The abundance of candid photos and plump throw pillows added to the room’s homey ambiance.

Homely is used to describe things that are thought to be unattractive or simple.

The homely hound licked his spotted paw.

Take time to check on suspect words—the spelling as well as the definition.

Happy writing!

Tags Almost an Author, Christian writing, confusing word pairs, editing, grammar and grace, writing, Writing tips

The Ministry of Writing

Remember Your Christian Foundation: Seminary in 5 – Spiritual Formation

Post author By Jake McCandless - The Ministry of Writing
Post date September 12, 2016
No Comments on Remember Your Christian Foundation: Seminary in 5 – Spiritual Formation

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. This is why growing and learning in biblical and theological knowledge is vital to your writing ministry.

If you are a Christian writer this post may seem unnecessary, but I want to help you remember your Christian foundation. Believe me, Spiritual Formation class in seminary seemed unnecessary to me. I’d been a Christian for over ten years and in ministry for half that, and there I was in a class that taught the basics. The basics I knew. The basics I had experienced, but it was the basics I needed to remember. And I imagine it wouldn’t hurt you to remember them.

As Christian writers we can get so wrapped up in our projects and the message we are trying to get across that we can easily forget that original joy of our salvation. We can forget the basics that each one of our readers need to know.

So let’s go back to the basics, to the foundations of our faith.

We Need a Savior

I trusted Christ as Savior and became a Christian at age 12. Some of you it may have been much younger, while for some of you it was when you were older. After a long time of conviction, I placed my faith in His sacrifice on the cross for our sins, but it wasn’t until I was studying theology that I realized my dire need for that salvation.

No matter how long you have been a Christian it is vital that you see the absolute need we have for a Savior. Matthew 5:48 states that we must be perfect to enter Heaven. This is impossible because as we know too well, and Romans 3:23 tells us — we all have sinned. In Ephesians 2:1, we read that we are dead spiritually because of our sins. Therefore, we can not be saved by any merit of our on.

When I was in early elementary grade I almost drown at a cousin’s birthday party. I couldn’t swim well and I ventured into the deep end. Fortunately, someone saw me and jumped in.

I couldn’t rescue myself — I had to be rescued. We, too, need to be rescued in light of our sins and in regards to eternity.

So no matter how much we grow in Christ, we can’t forget we are still completely reliant on His grace and mercy for salvation.

We Can Be Born Again

As I stated it is vital we realize that the core of our Christian walk and then our expression of that in writing is that we were spiritual dead. Romans 6:23 states that this spiritual deadness results in a spiritual death for eternity. Although a strong punishment is foretold, it is followed by a “but”. Paul records in Romans that although our sin leads to death, a gift of eternal life is available. We also read in Romans 5:8, that although we are sinners Jesus came and died for those sins. The price has been paid. An acquittal is available. Jesus has done all the work. The rope of eternal rescue has been let down, then by faith we can take that rope. When we place our trust in Jesus, repent of our sins, and commit to follow Him we are born again.

In that new birth, we receive the promised new heart. A large part of us being made new is that we are given the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. The power of Christ becomes a guide, counselor, comforter, and convictor in our lives.

We Can have a Relationship with God

When we celebrate our salvation in Christ, we think of the forgiveness of sin, but what I believe is the most amazing part is that we’re able to have a personal relationship with God. We’re no longer separated from Him by sin. We can walk with Him.

The Christian walk is not following a list of rules, but living in a relationship with Christ. It is not following the prescribed steps A and B, but rather staying in step with the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul instructs the believers in Galatia to walk in the Spirit.

We Need to Use Spiritual Disciplines

In our western mindset we actually would prefer that set of rules to follow as Christians. We prefer the methodology of science over the ebbs and flow of art, but walking in the Spirit is an art. It is a practice in which we grow into. It is in this frame work we must understand the spiritual disciplines. It’s said that if one was to ask a puritan preacher for counsel, he would reply, “Put yourself in the way of the Lord.” The preacher would mean for that parishioner to read their Bible, pray, meditate, fast, attend church, etc. Then in seeking God the parishioner would then encounter God. This is taking God at His word when He promised in James 4:8, “If we draw near to Him He will draw near to us.”

The believer actually already has God near since they possess the Holy Spirit. So spiritual disciplines are tools to help us stay in step with Spirit, so that the He can show us how to live.

We Need to have a Regular Quiet Time

Each morning I begin with what I call a quiet time which includes prayer, a devotional reading, and Scripture reading. I know others call that time by different names. Whatever you call it, you need to have it. Basically, it is a regular time in which you seek the Lord. It’s through a regular time that we are able to have our steps directed by the Holy Spirit. It is through hearing the direction from Him, that we are able to live out our lives as a follower of Christ.

Tags Almost an Author, Christian foundation, Christian writer, Christian writing, following Jesus, following the Holy Spirit, foundation of faith, Jake McCandless, seminary for writers, seminary in 5, spiritual formation, writer, writing, Writing Inspiration, Writing Instruction, writing seminary, Writing tips

Storyworld

Fantastic Geographical Influences on Cultures

Post author By A.D. Shrum - Storyworld Columnist
Post date September 11, 2016

As Tatooine’s twin suns slowly inch to the sand dunes in the horizon, a lone figure strains his eyes as he scans the endless wastes to the west. Some of us are so familiar with Star Wars that we can’t remember the first time we saw young Skywalker against the backdrop of the two setting suns, but this scene is anchored in my mind as a brilliantly subtle method of showing a vastly different world.

Not every sci-fi or fantasy story has fantastic geographical elements, but some of the most memorable do. If you’ve considered writing a speculative fiction book, you’ve probably already considered a number of its aspects, but you’ll need to consider how the world’s geography shapes the culture of your storyworld.

The titular world described in the novel Dune by Frank Herbert served as a great inspiration to George Lucas’s Tatooine. Windswept sands and arid climates make for eye candy, whether reading about them or watching them, but the real gem in Dune is seeing how the local people survive in their environment. Water is such a scarce resource that it becomes a trade commodity and advanced suits are used to recycle their liquid wastes. But dehydration isn’t the only concern, since deadly storms whip up frequently and massive worms seek to devour anything that makes vibrations on the sands. The setting is incredibly perilous and consequently the indigenous people live a Spartan, nomadic lifestyle. I think because of the climate and the culture, Herbert models the people like a romanticized version of 19^th Century Arabs, though with a sort of mysticism uniquely their own.

Closer to home but no less exotic, Homer Hickham’s novel Crater takes place on our own moon. If the author’s name sounds familiar to you in a non-literary sense, that’s because Hickham was the real life main character in the movie October Sky. After a successful career at NASA, he’s taken up writing Christian Science-Fiction situated on a lunar landscape. Crater, the first novel in his series, deals with the difficulties of lunar survival on a well-established colony. The book is geographically interesting, from the ubiquitous low-gravity to the commerce routes used by space age delivery trucks. Starting in his home in a rugged Helium-3 mining town, the main character must trek across craters, canyons, and rocky plains to obtain a mysterious package at the moon’s main port of call. Because of the harsh setting and the rugged independence of these colonists, Hickham portrays the men and women of the moon similar to Appalachian miners.

While my first two examples take place in environments naturally devoid of water, the complete opposite is seen in Howard Andrew Jones’ Pathfinder Tales: Beyond the Pool of Stars. In it, Miriam Raas is pulled back into her family business of deep sea salvaging and must fight off monsters, pirates, and evil sorceresses along the way. But she isn’t without her tools of the trade: a magical version of scuba gear, complete with underwater breathing and enhanced mobility. The society that has grown up around her home in Desperation Bay is one of commerce and shipping, complete with nobles and merchants vying for importance through petty political squabbles you could expect in such an environment. The culture is probably most similar to that of Britain during the peak of its naval might, but the magical influence sets the tone as something distinctly different.

When you think of your storyworld, consider its unique geographical features and how civilizations might develop around them. As in these examples, you don’t have to invent environment-culture interactions from scratch. Readers expect people (and all sentient beings) to naturally develop functional cultures around their environment, and they expect these interactions to have elements similar to what we’ve historically seen on earth. So the more you borrow and tweak elements from our own diverse world for your own purposes, the more your settings will feel realistic.

Tags Almost an Author, fantasy, novel, sci-fi, science fiction, storyworld, teen writers, writer, writing, Writing Inspiration, Writing tips

Platform and Branding

3 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Writer Platform

Post author By Susan Stilwell - Platforming
Post date September 3, 2016
1 Comment on 3 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Writer Platform

When building a writer platform, few of us consider hiring a virtual assistant, or VA. Most of us are DIYers, learning the ropes so we can understand what’s happening in the online world.

Not everyone, however, has the desire, time or ability to continue doing it themselves. In those cases it’s wise to enlist the help of someone with experience. A virtual assistant can be a godsend for a busy writer struggling to grow their platform.

3 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Writer Platform

Saves time.

Creating social media content, formatting blog posts, responding to comments and messages, facilitating online discussions, etc. takes time and focus. A virtual assistant can perform many of these tasks for you, leaving you with time to write and engage in the places you enjoy.

Saves money.

Some content requires premium images and designer fonts, and that content often needs to be formatted for different social media networks. Many virtual assistants have access to these types of and can work with you to create a custom look that enhances your brand.

Some VAs are also savvy with WordPress and Blogger, and may be able to help with minor website modifications.

Saves sanity.

Sometimes you need a social media respite due to travel, health, family demands, or deadlines. A VA can help keep things moving forward when you need to take a break.

Other times you may need help because of changes in social media networks. Not only do the networks change, but your audience also changes. What works one year may not engage your audience the next. An experienced VA may also help you brainstorm new strategies.

Where can I find a virtual assistant?

Finding a good virtual assistant can be challenging but it’s not impossible. Beware of economy sites as many of their sources live outside the US and may not have good English skills. Premium sites do a better job of pairing you with a VA who’s a good fit, but many require you to schedule interviews and pay fees.

A reliable way for a writer to find a VA is to crowdsource. Post the question in a Facebook or LinkedIn group. Ask your writer friends if they’ve worked with a VA or can recommend a VA.

Being able to outsource the things you dislike will not only reduce your frustration level but it will also give you margin. Hiring a virtual assistant can enable you to do what only you can do—write and share your message.

If you’re a writer who loves social media, has good content creation skills, and enjoys keeping up with trends, maybe YOU should be a VA! It’s a great way to hone your skills, help your fellow writers AND earn a little money!

Shareables:

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Tags Almost an Author, Author Platforms, build a platform, Christian writer, platform, steady platform growth, susan stilwell, virtual assistant