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On The Back Cover 2

Do you ever pick up a good-looking novel to read its back cover, and find only endorsements? I prefer reading something about the actual story. · E. Stephen Burnett

Not A Waste Of Time

I wasted my childhood. Also the first half of my teenage years. At least, I thought I did. After all, practically all I did for all those years was read fiction. · Rachel Starr Thomson

Spec-Faith Flashback: Jill Williamson

From our archives: Author Jill Williamson recalls how she actually wrote her YA sci-fi novel “Replication” before her fantasy “Blood of Kings” series. · Jill Williamson

Sex In The Story 6: Heroes and Heroines

Amidst belching sitcom dads, raging feminists, over-angsty teen-boy “chosen ones,” or inhuman “warrior princesses,” we find God-glorifying men and women in many stories. Here are a few. · E. Stephen Burnett

Sex In The Story 5: More Male Mythologies

We may always have sex caricatures in stories, and they may balance each other out. But how do we cure stock males, gender-neutrals, bad boys, men-children, faith-based supermen, and Prophesied Heroes™? · E. Stephen Burnett

Dark Is The Stain: The Fast

Just as I’ve learned there’s many ways to fast, so there are many ways to prioritize so as to focus on writing productivity. · Kaci Hill

Bringing The Personal To The Universal

Great fiction is made up of themes: Love and longing, coming of age, voyage and return, fathers, sons, daughters, mothers, overcoming the monster, death, birth, and more. These are universals, themes that can be, on one level or another, understood by any man or woman. · Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Sex In The Story 3: Trans-Gender Issues

“The Church is too feministic!” “The Church is too chauvinistic!” Either extreme will affect our real-life thinking, and will infect Christian stories’ characters, replacing them with caricature-icons. · E. Stephen Burnett

Dark Is The Stain: The Song & Dance

Jesus was frustrated because whether he calls his people in a spirit of celebration or comes weeping, they reject him. Christian storytellers can likely relate, when despite their efforts and pleas, they can’t please the audience. · Kaci Hill

Advice From “The Story Of My Heart” Part II

So it seems that I stirred up a little bit of discussion two weeks ago with my odd little pyramid based on something I learned from the “story of my heart,” a tale of aliens searching for grace that I […] · John Otte

Owned

I got “owned” by a grandmother this weekend. · Fred Warren

Readers And Writers

Special thanks to all those who participated in Spec Faith’s Shredding, Round Two. I couldn’t help but think as I read through what everyone had to say, how vital it is for writers to hear from readers, not just other writers. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Genesis Of A Winning Novel

With the 2012 ACFW Genesis Contest now open (until March 2) for unpublished novelists, Matt Jones, winner of last year’s contest for best speculative novel, shares his experience. · Matt Jones

Give ‘Em The Hook

A hook isn’t so much a trick to ensnare a reader as an invitation for them to enter the story. · Fred Warren

Spec Faith Shredding, Round 2

Now comes the “shredding” part. In the comments tell us why you made your selections, or why you did not find a submission compelling. Please make your remarks constructive, but at the same time be honest. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Secrets Of The Pyramid Scheme

Do most Christian speculative readers enjoy those stories because of their intrinsic value? Or do the majority of readers enjoy such reading mainly because of their own hopes to climb the pyramid and write their own novels? · E. Stephen Burnett

Advice From “The Story Of My Heart” Part I

Okay, so my last six articles have been about aliens. Maybe I should explain why a Lutheran pastor has little green men on the brain so badly. · John Otte
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