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The Sincerest Form Of Flattery

When we strum chords to accompany the song in our hearts, or sand a tabletop to release the wood’s beauty, or write a story that echoes God’s, I expect He’d call that the sincerest form of flattery. · Yvonne Anderson

The Christian And Stories

Should we seek to win the hard drinking and hard swearing jock by writing stories filled with drinking and swearing? Since real people do drink and swear and assault people and have affairs, since real people are prostitutes or frauds or terrorists, shouldn’t our stories show them in all their ugliness and need? · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Write In Pursuit Of Something. (A Blog Post and Pseudo Film Review Of Zero Dark Thirty)

I’m writing this post after having just returned from the theater for a late night showing of Zero Dark Thirty. It’s a film that has attracted a lot of attention for its portrayal of the events surrounding what is arguably […] · Christopher Miller

Every Bit Of My Heart

I no longer knew how to love God with the creative side of me. Life had changed. I was different, but part of my heart was dedicated to an old dream, a child’s dream. And I didn’t love it for God’s sake. · Shannon Dittemore

The Echoes Of Christmas

God is the Author of the Christmas story. I wonder how far its echoes can, and should, reach in all stories. What would a story look like, written in a spirit that, like Scrooge, honors Christmas and keeps it all the year? · Shannon McDermott

Writing In The Raw

Author Christopher Miller: Confession time. Writing doesn’t come easy for me. There, I’ve said it. So you can imagine my shock and surprise when asked to join as a regular contributor to the Speculative Faith blog. · Christopher Miller

In Which I Take The “Wrong Vehicle” Out For Another Spin

A week and a half ago, Mike Duran contended that fiction is the wrong vehicle for theology. That generated a wonderful discussion, but I didn’t enter into either conversation because I needed time to craft a careful response. Which I’ll attempt today. · Yvonne Anderson

What’s A Work Of Fiction To Accomplish–Revisited

The question is this. Does a piece of fiction impact a reader more by ambiguity and the ensuing discussion, or by clarity? I’ve never heard a discussion about whether or not Aslan was a redemptive character. Did Lewis create a less powerful character as a result of making him clearly good, clearly redemptive? · Rebecca LuElla Miller

The Point And Purpose Of Reading Fiction

We frequently discuss whether or not we should expose ourselves to “gritty” stories about the garbage dump of life. Must we wallow in the mud, or can we choose instead to read stories that evoke truth and beauty? A tangential issue that might help with that question is this: are truthful stories beautiful (artistic) simply because of their truth? · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Done To Death: Getting It Right

Last time, I wrote about the reason why I don’t think it’s a good idea to write “milk” in Christian fiction. And I also promised to talk about some books that I think “got it right,” so to speak. So here we go. · John Otte

Imagine There’s No Christian SF Writing Blogs

Either my perception is limited or magnified, or Christian-speculative-fiction blogs really are overly focused on writers. Shouldn’t the ratios of writers’ and readers’ material be reversed? · 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

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

Owned

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

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

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

‘The Next C. S. Lewis’?

There’s only one C.S. Lewis. So let’s stop comparing all debut or contemporary writers, especially ourselves, to him. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Will Fiction Last Forever? Part 4

Based on Scripture, we can know that God loves stories, we can worship Him now through stories, and we’re destined to worship Him for eternity in many of the same ways. Of course, we can’t take any thing with us after death. Yet our God is a God of resurrection. · E. Stephen Burnett

Will Fiction Last Forever? Part 1

“Your job and your hobbies have no eternal value.” Why do many Christians suspect that belief is true? · E. Stephen Burnett

Beyond Story Battles 1: Living For The Fight?

Christian visionary stories are not merely a means of fighting Christian novels with shallow themes, or without cusswords, violence, or dungeons and dragons. They are a means of worship, to praise and personally enjoy our Creator. · E. Stephen Burnett
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