› › The Art Craft Of Writing Christian Fiction

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Christian Fiction

Author : Ron Benrey

Publisher : Penguin

Page : 356 pages

File Size : 16,57 MB

Release : 2007

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 9781592576814

Get eBook

Book Description

They say there's nothing new under the sun, and the Christian fiction industry certainly didn't spring full blown with the advent of the Left Behindseries in 1996. Remember Christyby Catherine Marshall? Published in 1967, its inspiration was the life of Marshall's mother - and the Christy Award, presented annually since 1999 to recognize novelists and novels in several categories of Christian fiction, was named after it. What makes Christian fiction? There are several givens, despite the subgenres- the Christian worldview must be woven throughout both the book's plot and its character development. But must it put proselytizing before telling a good story? How much sex - if any! - is okay in a Christian romance? Is it all right to approach edgy subjects in a Christian mystery? Is it possible to seamlessly integrate a Christian message in a crackling good yarn? In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Christian FictionRon Benrey - himself the author of successful Christian fiction - offers readers chapter and verse of writing Christian women's, romance, thrillers and mysteries, warfare, historical, biblical, speculative, and young adult fiction that deliver strong, inspirational messages and sell!



The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction

Author : Jeff Gerke

Publisher : Penguin

Page : 360 pages

File Size : 11,19 MB

Release : 2012-06-01

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 1599636484

Get eBook

Book Description

Let's face it: Christian fiction is fun. Even if you're writing a serious-minded study of man's inhumanity to man, there is something exhilarating about story; about creating people and worlds and events; about telling a tale that keeps readers enraptured and maybe - just maybe - leaves them fortified in their walk with Jesus. But for all of the fun, it's also hard work. There is skill involved in writing excellent Christian fiction. There is craftsmanship to be learned. And there are the long hours pounding away on a manuscript that, by the time you're done with it, has you convinced it's the worst piece of garbage ever penned by man. That's not even talking about trying to get your book published. It's a wonder anyone would choose such a way to spend otherwise useful time. So maybe you put your novel away for awhile. You've tried to do more sensible things with your spare moments. You've attempted to be engaged with workaday matters, laundry, and bills. But one day, a new story idea will pop into your head or you won't be able to stop hearing the voice of a character demanding to be written about. On that day, you'll be right back where you were, counting the cost of writing Christian fiction â€" and loving it like nothing else.



The Art of Fiction

Author : John Gardner

Publisher : Vintage

Page : 242 pages

File Size : 45,62 MB

Release : 2010-08-18

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 0307756718

Get eBook

Book Description

This classic guide, from the renowned novelist and professor, has helped transform generations of aspiring writers into masterful writers—and will continue to do so for many years to come. John Gardner was almost as famous as a teacher of creative writing as he was for his own works. In this practical, instructive handbook, based on the courses and seminars that he gave, he explains, simply and cogently, the principles and techniques of good writing. Gardner’s lessons, exemplified with detailed excerpts from classic works of literature, sweep across a complete range of topics—from the nature of aesthetics to the shape of a refined sentence. Written with passion, precision, and a deep respect for the art of writing, Gardner’s book serves by turns as a critic, mentor, and friend. Anyone who has ever thought of taking the step from reader to writer should begin here.



Write Better

Author : Andrew T. Le Peau

Publisher : InterVarsity Press

Page : 284 pages

File Size : 18,82 MB

Release : 2019-10-08

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 0830865659

Get eBook

Book Description

In this primer on nonfiction writing, Andrew Le Peau offers insights he has learned as a published author and long-time editor. In this book you'll find practical advice on how to develop writing skills and strategies that can move writers toward fresher, more vital, and perhaps more beautiful expressions of the human condition. You'll also discover how the act of writing can affect your life in God.



Spiritual Quests

Author : Mary Gordon

Publisher :

Page : 196 pages

File Size : 36,82 MB

Release : 1988

Category : Literary Criticism

ISBN : 9780395515631

Get eBook

Book Description

Six acclaimed authors discuss the influence of religion on their writing. Includes comment by David Bradley, Allen Ginsberg, Mary Gordon and Jaroslav Pelikan. Third in the Writer's Craft series.



Letters and Life

Author : Bret Lott

Publisher : Crossway

Page : 194 pages

File Size : 15,3 MB

Release : 2013-06-30

Category : Religion

ISBN : 1433537869

Get eBook

Book Description

Writing lays bare the soul. All serious writers know that each word reveals something significant about themselves, granting outsiders a glimpse at their most cherished beliefs and foundational convictions. In this series of intimate reflections on life and writing, critically acclaimed and best-selling novelist Bret Lott explores the author's craft through five letters covering a range of fascinating topics, from exploring the value of literary fiction to discussing the humility of Flannery O'Connor. In the final and longest letter, Lott contemplates the death of his father and his struggle to convey his complicated thoughts and inexplicable emotions in words. Intensely personal and yet universally relatable, this powerful collection of essays will encourage and enrich writers and aspiring writers everywhere.



Fawkes

Author : Nadine Brandes

Publisher : Thomas Nelson

Page : 448 pages

File Size : 47,97 MB

Release : 2018-07-10

Category : Young Adult Fiction

ISBN : 0785217355

Get eBook

Book Description

Guy Fawkes’s son must join his father’s plot to kill the king in this magical retelling of the Gunpowder Plot that will sweep you back in time to a divided England where plagues turn victims to stone. In 17th-century London two forces rule the people: the color powers and the Stone Plague. Brown masks can manipulate wood. Black masks control the night. And red masks . . . Well, red is the color of blood. Thomas Fawkes’s Color Test is upon him, and he is sure his father, the infamous Guy Fawkes, will present him with a mask and Thomas will finally bond with a color. He desperately hopes for a gray mask so he can remove the stone that has invaded his body and will ultimately take his life. But when Guy refuses to give Thomas his mask or even his presence, Thomas has no place in school or society. His only hope is to track down his father and demand a mask to regain what he’s lost. But his father has other plans: to kill the king. Thomas must join forces with his father if he wants to save his own life. When his errands for the cause bring him time and again to Emma Areben, a former classmate, Thomas is exposed to a whole new brand of magic. And Emma doesn’t control just one color—she controls them all. Emma wants to show Thomas the full power of color magic, but it goes against everything his father is fighting for. If Thomas sides with his father, he could save his own life—which would destroy Emma and her family. To save one, he must sacrifice the other. No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back. Praise for Fawkes: “An imaginative, colorful tale about choosing for yourself between what's right and what others insist is the truth.” —Cynthia Hand, New York Times bestselling author of My Lady Jane “Hold on to your heart as this slow burning adventure quickly escalates into an explosion of magic, love, and the truth about loyalty.” —Mary Weber, bestselling author of the Storm Siren Trilogy and To Best the Boys Full-length young adult historical fantasy Includes discussion questions for book clubs Also by Nadine Brandes: Romanov and Wishtress, coming September 2022



Art, Craft, and Theology in Fourth-Century Christian Authors

Author : Morwenna Ludlow

Publisher : Oxford University Press

Page : 288 pages

File Size : 15,15 MB

Release : 2020-09-29

Category : Literary Criticism

ISBN : 0192588656

Get eBook

Book Description

Ancient authors commonly compared writing with painting. The sculpting of the soul was also a common philosophical theme. Art, Craft, and Theology in Fourth-Century Christian Authors takes its starting-point from such figures to recover a sense of ancient authorship as craft. The ancient concept of craft (ars, techne) spans 'high' or 'fine' art and practical or applied arts. It unites the beautiful and the useful. It includes both skills or practices (like medicine and music) and productive arts like painting, sculpting and the composition of texts. By using craft as a guiding concept for understanding fourth Christian authorship, this book recovers a sense of them engaged in a shared practice which is both beautiful and theologically useful, which shapes souls but which is also engaged in the production of texts. It focuses on Greek writers, especially the Cappadocians (Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nysa) and John Chrysostom, all of whom were trained in rhetoric. Through a detailed examination of their use of two particular literary techniques—ekphrasis and prosōpopoeia—it shows how they adapt and experiment with them, in order to make theological arguments and in order to evoke a response from their readership.



The Art of Memoir

Author : Mary Karr

Publisher : HarperCollins

Page : 256 pages

File Size : 16,26 MB

Release : 2015-09-15

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 0062223089

Get eBook

Book Description

Credited with sparking the current memoir explosion, Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club spent more than a year at the top of the New York Times list. She followed with two other smash bestsellers: Cherry and Lit, which were critical hits as well. For thirty years Karr has also taught the form, winning teaching prizes at Syracuse. (The writing program there produced such acclaimed authors as Cheryl Strayed, Keith Gessen, and Koren Zailckas.) In The Art of Memoir, she synthesizes her expertise as professor and therapy patient, writer and spiritual seeker, recovered alcoholic and “black belt sinner,” providing a unique window into the mechanics and art of the form that is as irreverent, insightful, and entertaining as her own work in the genre. Anchored by excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers’ experience, The Art of Memoir lays bare Karr’s own process. (Plus all those inside stories about how she dealt with family and friends get told— and the dark spaces in her own skull probed in depth.) As she breaks down the key elements of great literary memoir, she breaks open our concepts of memory and identity, and illuminates the cathartic power of reflecting on the past; anybody with an inner life or complicated history, whether writer or reader, will relate. Joining such classics as Stephen King’s On Writing and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, The Art of Memoir is an elegant and accessible exploration of one of today’s most popular literary forms—a tour de force from an accomplished master pulling back the curtain on her craft.



The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching

Author : Zondervan,

Publisher : Zondervan

Page : 737 pages

File Size : 46,54 MB

Release : 2009-05-26

Category : Religion

ISBN : 0310296404

Get eBook

Book Description

A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Christian Communicators. This extensive encyclopedia is the most complete and practical work ever published on the art and craft of biblical preaching. Its 11 major sections contain nearly 200 articles, comprehensively covering topics on preaching and methodology, including: Sermon structure and “the big idea.” The art of introductions, transitions, and conclusions. Methods for sermon prep, from outlining to exercising. Approaches to different types of preaching: topical, expository, evangelistic, and more. Best practices for sermon delivery, speaking with authority, and using humor. Leveraging effective illustrations and stories. Understanding audience. and much more. Entries are characterized by intensely practical and vivid writing designed to help preachers deepen their understanding and sharpen their communication skills. The contributors include a virtual Who’s Who of preaching from a cross section of denominations and traditions, such as Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, Rick Warren, Warren Wiersbe, Alice Mathews, John Piper, Andy Stanley, and many others. Haddon Robinson and Craig Brian Larson—two of today’s most respected voices in preaching—provide editorial oversight. Includes audio CD with preaching technique examples from the book.