“Thunderstruck” by 2Cellos.
Re-imagine something and turn it into something of your own. Great artists and Great writers do this every day.
Who knew AC/DC could ever sound like this?
Fun Fridays – February 28, 2014
Blog
How Much Back Story?
Sometimes in my review of a novel, I find that the story doesn't pick up soon enough. I'm not sure what I'll be reading about and my interest may lag, though I can still eye great writing.
"But I wanted my readers to know about my characters," the author may protest.
Understandable, indeed.
However, I believe it's important to lay out the basic conflicts for the reader early on so she'll …
What Will You Give Up for Lent?
Believe it or not, Easter is just around the corner. Which means something else is almost upon us:
Lent.
I love the idea of a 40-day preparation for Easter, of refocusing our hearts and minds to spend more time in prayer and contemplation of what Christ has done for us. And I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of “giving up” something for those 40 days. Even more intriguing—and sometimes …
Basketball and Writing
Next week is March and that means basketball “March Madness” around the country. From high school to college, teams will compete in tournaments where excitement is at its peak.
One of my hobbies is to work as the official scorer for the Wheaton College (Illinois) men’s and women’s home basketball games. I started doing this back in the late 70’s, took some time away from it when our kids …
Fun Fridays – February 21, 2014
A parody of the song "Blurred Lines" now called "Church Signs."
Found at Jon Acuff's "Stuff Christians Like" blog. Blame him.
Do You Like to Cry While Reading?
I'll have to admit, I don't like to cry. I don't even like depressing songs. Instead I prefer things that are upbeat. For example, here are some of the lyrics to a song that helped me get through my teen years:
Flashlight.
Red Light.
Neon Light.
Spotlight.
Most of all you can funk. Help me find the funk....
Yoww
I think I found the funk!
["Flashlight" was written by Ronald R. Brooks, …
Spring is Here!
A picture of a beautiful flower I took this morning in our garden.
It started two weeks ago. Little green sprouts poking up through the frozen, barren ground. Ground that, thanks to a winter of record-breaking cold, was so hard just a month ago that not even my shovel made a dent in it. So you can imagine my delight when I spotted those bits of green pushing their way through that same, dead …
Adopt a Bookstore
Bookstores throughout the United States are going through the most challenging period in their history. The combination of online purchase of printed books and the dawn of the eBook have combined to deliver a one-two punch to the business of book retailing.
For Christian bookstores, the challenges started over a decade ago when a substantial part of their business (in some cases over a third) …
A Valentine’s Day Message
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George Eliot wrote in the novel Adam Bede:
What greater thing is there for two human souls,
than to feel that they are joined for life --
to strengthen each other in all labor,
to rest on each other in all sorrow,
to minister to each other in all pain,
to be one with each other
in silent unspeakable memories . . .
In …
Rooting for the Bad Guy?
Last week I blogged about amoral protagonists. But what about protagonists who are unquestionably immoral?
Some general market books make their readers root for the bad guy. Think about accounts of bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde, written from their points of view. Or a book written primarily from the point of view of a courtesan, such as Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement. These books set the …