Wholesome Books for the Whole Family
Before you can create conflict, you must determine what your protagonist wants most. What are his or her goals? Basic Survival (Safety, food, water, air, sleep) Emotional (Love, self-esteem, achievement, respect….) Relational (Family, friends, spouse, ….) Spiritual (Salvation, spiritual, growth, spiritual battles, ….) Clarify the stakes: What is at risk? What are the rewards? How …
Continue reading “For Writers: Show Don’t Tell – Conflict and Stakes”
Many years ago, I boarded a ship The boat was christened Life’s Journey It seemed a fairly worthy vessel A ship custom-built for me. I was headed to a land far way My destination heaven’s shore I knew my Savior waited there And loved-ones I yearned to see once more At times the seas were …
Workshop #6: Setting Setting is your story’s stage – Show your reader what you want them to see, narrow the camera lens from panoramic to single shot Her skiff lay in its slip, near the end of the dock. Its hull had faded to a sickly hue of green. A pair of oars hung …
Continue reading “For Writers: Show, Don’t Tell workshop – Setting”
Showing emotins adds depth to a character, draws readers into the story, and allows the reader to share in the character’s experience.
Choices; they impact who I am as a person. Some can change the course of my life for a moment or forever. I can struggle against them or welcome them as God-given assignments intended to develop within me a teachable mind and a gracious spirit.
Our story would also end very differently had Christ, the Light of the world, not come to rescue us from spiritual darkness for light and obscurity cannot coexist. Where light enters, darkness must flee. Without Christ, we would be lost forever. Only He can offer the salvation we so desperately need.
I am so thankful we do not serve a God who sits on His heavenly throne, watching us muddle through each day. He came to our world as a baby, lived among us, and died for us. Jesus loves us, He cares about every struggle. He sees each tear we shed and makes note of them in His tearbook. He knows how many hairs we have on our heads. He knows our thoughts and our words before we even speak. It doesn’t get any more personal than that.
Every day is Christmas for those who have placed their trust in Christ. His mercies are new every single morning, packaged and waiting for you to unwrap and claim them as your own. So go on, thank God, then open your gift. It’s everything you need for today plus a tad more.
Are you watching, waiting for God to answer your prayers? Be patient. Hang on to His promises. Don’t give up. God is never late. He will answer according to His will and His perfect timing.
We don’t need a special star to guide us to Jesus. We have His Word to guide us and His Spirit to lead us. When our earthly journey is over, we will end up right where we were always meant to be; in the presence of Jesus.