Do you ever have to learn things the hard way? Unfortunately, I’ve had to do this a number of times in my fortysomething number of years. You’d think I would have learned by now. But no. I just did it again. Recently, a company that sends me editing projects offered me one on the “Holy Trinity.” I assumed it was a typical theological book describing the three persons of the Trinity, as recognized by Christian theology. I admit it. I’m guilty. I saw the print print. It was smack-dab in front of my face. I should have read it. But I didn’t. The book is about Buddhism. It’s all about absolute reality and dharma and locality and nonlocality and reincarnation. Pretty confusing stuff I know absolutely nothing about. Oh boy. Granted, there is much one can learn by editing a book like this—and yes, one should always be learning. But…
See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, and Part 9. Note: This installment deals with some specific crude words found in the King James Version of the Bible. Secondary Considerations: But Doesn’t God Use Vulgarities in the Bible? Some Christian authors who defend the use of mild cussing and/or vulgar words in Christian novels point to the Bible as their defense. Unbelievable as this may seem, they claim vulgar language appears in the Old Testament. And if God used vulgar language in His Word, they say, they have every right to use it in their novels. Here are just a couple of the Bible verses they cite: 2 Kings 18:27; and Malachi 2:1-3. Here I list the verses in question (quoted in the King James Version [KJV], the translation at the heart of the debate): But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to…
Yes, the release date of my second suspense novel, The Tenth Plague, is January 29, just four days away. This has been a lengthy journey but not one that takes God by surprise. I’m glad all things are beautiful in His time (Eccles. 3:11). As I look back at the last few hectic months and years of balancing writing with work and family, I can’t help but reflect on some of the important truths I’ve learned through this whole experience. I hope this little pep talk is encouraging to you; it applies to so many areas of life. 1. It’s okay to feel good about completing a task. “A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul” (Prov. 13:19 ESV). The finish line. Yes! 2. But every good task I do is a product of God’s grace in my life. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).…
I live in a very tiny but blessed minority. For some reason, known only to God, I get to work from home and do what I love most: work with words. Over the last few years, I’ve worked more with novel writing than with anything else, and I’ve seen a lot of common mistakes. Here are a few of the most common ones, along with solutions. 1. The Info Dump Often insecure authors feel they need to dump a lot of back story at a novel’s beginning before readers will “get” the main story. It’s logical thinking: “Before you get this, you need to understand this.” But the problem is, they tend to give the info dump in the first five pages or so, those precious pages acquisition editors look at first. (Check out The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman.) While back story is often important for character and plot…
