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To help the author develop and create the best book possible. Material that has both commercial appeal and long-term value.
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Recent Posts
Just the Facts
With the omnipresence of social media and other ways for people to directly express opinions, Christian writers should take extra care to be aware of the facts when it comes to both theology and society.
Since Christians actually believe there is truth and it is knowable, Christian writers should be a lot more like classic journalists, researching, studying, and reporting truth, rather than simply expressing opinions.
Over five years ago, I wrote this piece on the agency blog addressing fake news and the Christian writer. The issue isn’t new to 2022.
If we were to use a courtroom comparison to some Christian writing, it would be deemed invalid because it is hearsay. I am sure some people reading this post are much more versed in legal issues than I am, but every Christian writer should work to use original sources and quotes and not quote someone quoting someone or giving an opinion of data and information from someone else, rather than discerning it themselves.
Despite all the craziness of media in today’s world, you can find a lot of information about society, the church, and our world today by looking.
For sure, doing your own search of the Scriptures and using tools to help navigate them yourself is a preferred method of writing about its contents. Certainly, a well-placed quote about a passage is always a good idea; but like pastors, Christian writers need to know what they are talking about firsthand. When in doubt, let the Scriptures speak for themselves and take them at face value.
Many Christian writers find they must be students of the Scriptures to keep them on track, either through formal education or less formal methods. Regardless, good Christian writing starts and ends with the Bible.
Every person in the world is a theologian of one kind or another, some with biblically accurate views on the meaning of life and our relationship to God, but many with completely inaccurate perspectives based on their opinions, sprinkled with Bible verses, and a healthy dose of evil influences, combined to make them feel good.
Knowledge about the world is also available, generally not on social media or cable news though. It is probably only me, but US census data is an interesting read.
Now that I think again, it likely is only me.
Another interesting source of societal data can be found at USAFacts.org. Go ahead and bookmark this site; and I guarantee you will find something interesting on everything from population data to abortion, marriage, divorce, finances, and even slavery. You can subscribe to a regular email reminding you of various new reports and updates of existing reports.
News of the world will keep you informed on the global church. Premiere Christian News out of the UK is very informative. Ministries like Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs are great sources of information and reminders of the daily battle of Christian brothers and sisters around the world. You could probably add more sources that you particularly enjoy.
The point here is that Christian writers should be diligent searchers and explorers of the truth. It is too easy to fall into the trap of writing from memory or, worse, from our flawed human perspective.
Leave a CommentRejection: A Fact of the Writing Life
Rejection is a fact of life. Especially the writing life. As one crusty publishing veteran said: “Welcome to the industry that will break your heart.” Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? But let me put a little perspective on it. I admire writers. You put your souls on a few pages and send them to strangers and pray for acceptance. How do you do that, day in and day out for your entire career? And then, how do you maintain any sort of sanity and dignity in the process? Some claim that the day their book hits …
Fun Fridays – August 12, 2022
World’s fastest typist. Watch this lady type 185 words a minute and the awe of the students. Put it this way. Stella Pajunas in 1946 set, and still holds, the world record for typing at 216 words per minute. The average person types around 40 words per minute. (See the infographic on this page.) My high-school typing teacher could do 80 wpm on a manual typewriter, the kind I learned on. If you are younger than 40, I suspect you have very little concept of the sheer revolution the computer and word processor had on communication. Enjoy the video! Share21Tweet
You Can Be the Best
I’m not the best. At anything, it seems. I flunked out of C Ball in Little League. I squeezed four years of high school into five. I’ve written a lot and even won a few awards, but many others are far better writers than I am. I strive for excellence in virtually everything I do; but as a writer, speaker, preacher, literary agent, and blogger, I fall short of “the best.” Maybe you can identify. “The best” is a “hard row to hoe,” as someone more “country” than I might say. And no matter how gifted or blessed you might …
God’s Unique Provision
Years ago, when I wrote books as work-for-hire projects, I joked with my husband, “I got another contract. Wonder which appliance will break down now?” The comment wasn’t entirely in jest. Proceeds from book contracts did indeed replace most of our kitchen appliances. Writers usually think of God’s provision as receiving a new contract. But the Lord provides in other ways too. One example happened to me with my computer a few days ago. We discovered we needed a new Internet router about the same time my computer died. Using my tablet, I searched online for remedies for my sputtering …