Culture Archives -

Angel in the Details: How to Excel at Appreciating

By Tineke Bryson, Staff Writer I bet lots of you share my desire to enjoy language more. A love of words is how many of us got started writing! But how do we become the kind of people who value words over our own ability with them? How do we become excellent “noticers,” appreciators?

Turn Your Gift with Words Inside Out

April 30, 2018
Staff Writer
Culture, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tools
0 Comments

By Tineke Bryson, Staff Writer I don’t know about you, but when I first learned I had an ability with words, I immediately assumed it could only be for one reason: I was destined to publish books!

The Case for Religion in Your Novel

February 3, 2017
Student Contributor
Culture, Guest posts, Push Your Imagination, World building
2 Comments

By Jerah Miller, Guest Contributer Decisions are a necessary evil when it comes to writing fiction. There’s one choice, though, that is passed over with very little thought; it’s this very decision, however, that I would argue needs to be one of the hardest to make. To write religion or not to write religion, that is the question.

Story Diversity: Creating Complex Characters

January 19, 2017
Staff Writer
Culture, Help with Characters, Push Your Imagination, Self-editing Tips, Writing Tips and Tools
2 Comments

By Gabrielle Schwabauer, Staff Writer One of the most beautiful elements of being a writer is the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes, to imagine what it might be like to be someone with fears, challenges, and desires very different from your own.

Respecting the Past: A Philosophy for Historical Fiction

October 20, 2016
Staff Writer
Culture, The Writing Life, World building, Writing Tips and Tools
5 Comments

By Rachel Garner, Staff Writer If people ask me about nonfiction resources, I’m happy to oblige, cheerfully pelting England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings and other books or articles at them, forgetting that titles like that don’t sound exciting to most people. But when asked for fiction suggestions, I find myself in a sudden quandary.