In college, research papers would make my stomach churn. It felt like a daunting task that hovered over the fun of learning something new. As important as research is when writing a novel, I have learned that I can approach it in a way that makes it more fun and engaging. If you use your … More Fun Ideas for Researching Your Novel
While you’re accumulating your list of blessings to share around the Thanksgiving table, don’t forget to include these features that make up your writing journey. You can find many reasons to be thankful for it this season. Be thankful for… A never-ending amount of writing resources. No matter what part of the process you’re … More Give Thanks for this Writing Season!
Writing takes up a lot of alone time. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that many other writers are facing the same questions and struggles over the keyboard that you are. If you take the time to broaden your circle of writing peers, I guarantee that you and your writing will be better for it. Here … More Ways to Connect with Writers
Whenever I come up with an idea, I immediately start planning my next novel. With my latest project however, I have learned to practice the art of shorter stories, or in my case, parables. A parable is “a simple story used to illustrate a moral or religious lesson.” As you know, the Bible is full … More Elements of Parable Writing
How would you explain the love of God? Or the grace of a savior? How would you describe life as a Christian to a believer vs. a non-believer? I typically revert to storytelling. Why? Because of illustrations. That’s what I set out to do with my new book, Pebbles: 31 days of faith enriching parables. … More Pebbles and the Importance of Illustrations
Writing dialogue is one of my favorite parts of the writing process. If done well, using dialogue can strengthen your manuscript and turn an average story into an engaging ride people will be talking about long after they read it. Here are 3 examples of how your story benefits from good dialogue. Dialogue puts … More How Dialogue Strengthens Your Manuscript
Presenting to a writing workshop or class always made me feel like I was about to ride a rollercoaster. Though I like rollercoasters, my heart and stomach do a sickening tango due to exhilaration and fear. Writing workshops are well worth the nausea, however, and you should be in one to take full advantage. Just … More Writing Workshops and Why You Should be in One!
If you are gung ho on getting a book published, be it your first or 20th, one essential component you’ll need is a book proposal. Whether you’re in the brainstorming process or just about to type “the end,” I suggest that writing the proposal sooner rather than later will help sharpen your manuscript in … More Why You Should Write Your Book Proposal Now by Leah Jordan Meahl
Last week, I was sitting around a conference table with an enthusiastic group of writers. They passed out their copies and we all took turns offering gentle but constructive feedback. Before I go on, consider joining a critique group; it’s key if you want your writing to grow and your story to be the … More Inside the Head of Your YA Protagonist: What You Need to Know by Leah Jordan Meahl
This past year has been a special one for the books (pun intended) because I published my first book! As you know, the process is anything but quick, but you can bet that the experience has been rich with lessons that will carry on into my future projects. My brief takeaways might just work … More 10 Reflections from a New Author by Leah Jordan Meahl