In my multimedia journalism class, our professor talked about “writing for the ear.†If you’re unfamiliar with the term, writing for the ear is when you write something that is meant to be spoken or performed rather than read silently. My Shakespeare professor taught me something similar. She said that Shakespeare’s plays were never meant … More Writing for the Ear
Sometimes, we might feel as if our writing efforts, and God’s favor on them, are stuck behind a cloud, hidden from view. … More Is Your Writing Hidden From View?
In Karen Ferguson’s newest picture book, Guess Who Is in God’s Family, Papa Joe once again opens God’s Word to satisfy Lucy’s curiosity about her family. Papa Joe explains God’s creation of the very first family, and that we all came from this first family in gentle, kid-friendly language. He reminds Lucy that God planned … More Review of Guess Who Is in God’s Family
There is nothing more painful as a writer, than staring at the blank page, with your mind even blanker. Some people call this writer’s block, some people say writer’s block doesn’t even exist. But neither of these offers a solution. Today, I’ll offer mine: prewriting. An umbrella term, prewriting can mean anything from brainstorming, drafting, … More The Craft of Prewriting
Last week started with the Super Bowl and ended with Valentine’s Day. This Super Bowl was the most watched one yet, and while Valentine’s Day is on a downward trajectory, it is still celebrated by more than half of Americans. This is good. As a country that can feel divided, we need those shared experiences … More Art Must be Communal
Last year I watched 52 movies, and read 48 books. But I didn’t like them all. Some movies I hated. Some books I rolled my eyes at, or finished with the thought of “Finally. Now, I can read something good!†As I finished the year reading A Christmas Carol, I was struck by this question: … More Why Can’t Everything be a Masterpiece?
Axe Throwing Have you ever participated in axe throwing? I have. Multiple times, and I love it. There’s even a World Axe Throwing League. Who knew? Hurling axes at a wooden target and scoring multiple bull’s eyes, what’s not to love? Of course, there are just as many, if not more, times the axe thuds … More Axe Throwing and Writers
It always bugged me that depictions of Christ’s birth show the wisemen there alongside the shepherds. It just isn’t very accurate. Matthew 2 says that “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea…Magi from the east came to Jerusalem†(emphasis added). While I understand the convenience of placing the wisemen at the climax of the … More What the Wisemen Can Teach us About the Epilogue
By the time you are reading this blog, I will officially be 30 years old. A lot has happened in the first three decades of my life. Some things haven’t happened as quickly as I wanted to. Others happened before I was ready. But’s that’s another blog for another time. Let’s just say me and … More I Have Been Writing for Half of my Life. Here’s What I Learned.
A Turkey for Thanksgiving, by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Diane de Groat, is the perfect picture book to read for Thanksgiving. … More A Turkey for Thanksgiving Book Review