April 2026 Master Class
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Guest blogger, Big Bertha here, straight from the hen house with some tips to help further your writing career. Today’s topic? Setting up that perfect writing spot. Look for limited distractions I don’t know about you, but sharing a chicken coop with 22 hens and 2 up...
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....
It’s finally happened! You landed the writing assignment you’ve been waiting for. Now the stress is on. Not only do you want to produce a piece that is amazing and memorable (to be a good steward of the talent God has blessed you with and in case there is other work...
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...
I have a Spotify playlist called “In Case of Emergency, Hit Play.” These aren’t Christian songs for when my heart is in anguish. That’s a different playlist. No, this kind of emergency is strictly a writer’s problem. Whether it is writer’s block, or just a tight...
I’ve got about a dozen unfinished stories. When I look back to see why I gave up on the story (sometimes mid-sentence), I discovered most of them died out around chapter three. I was shocked. What was so hard about chapter three? Why would I give up so easily? As I...
If you have ever researched rules in storytelling, you may have come across the famous Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. This came from a 2011 tweet from a Pixar employee who realized there were 22 written (and unwritten) rules they implemented on every story. While...
Okay, you may have been hesitant with my article What Writers Can Learn from Walt Disney. You may have seen the Peanuts comic strip in a new light with What Writers Can Learn from Charles Schulz. But Dolly Parton? Surely, Kyle, you’re taking this thing too far! But...
There was a man who worked at a factory who made some stuff. Let’s be honest. If this was an opening line, you’d close the book, put it back on the shelf and ask, “How did THAT ever get published?” But what if I told you this line could be fixed by using one simple...
One question I am often asked when I give talks on writing is, “Where do you get your ideas?” Ideas for writing come from a plethora of areas: through prayer (my number one resource), from situations I’ve experienced, from things I’ve read or heard about, through...
My first five books for children were all released as picture books. Three of those were later released as board books. That got me interested in exploring the differences between the two formats and a few summers ago I decided to try my hand at writing for the board...
How can poetry writing tips improve your children’s books? Join Karley Conklin for 5 ways poetry can strengthen your fiction writing.
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...
The English language has many interesting components to work with, and one of my favorite ways to add personality to my writing is through punctuation! In grade school, you learned about the different end marks: periods, exclamation marks, and question marks. You...
Ultimately, to have a productive writing session, you need to have self-control. I can give you all the best tips in the world, but unless you have zero self-control, it won't help. Here's my tip: open your document and write. And don't stop. Need something more...