A Writer's Pen

     We've read the practical descriptions that tell us when the wind is icy or the room is airy. We've read the flashy descriptions that dazzle us with flamboyant words and elaborate designs.       And then we've read the magical descriptions.       The kind that breathes the life into listless scrawls of ink and gives sight a reader's "mind's eye". A story laid neatly on a page in fine black print but flaring with color and dancing with light when it meets thought.       How can a writer create imagery such as this? How can their depictions engage readers rather than bore them?     Today, in part one of How to Captivate Readers With Magical Descriptions, I'll be sharing with you one of the tactics that will add a gleam of magic to your descriptions.     That tactic is... Connection To the Character     All elements of a good story bleed into one another. The world affects the...

       Have you made the acquaintance of inspiration? I'm sure you have, for it is often the very thing that sends an unsuspecting person down the path to authorship. It's a funny little creature, really, that pops in and out of each thought and flickers at the edges of your vision.  A wild, untamable beast that roams the storybook world. We see it simmering in the pages of books, teasing us on the tip of the pen, and vanishing like the Cheshire Cat when we need it the most. Nearly a whimsical sort of character, but perhaps with more cunning than good intentions. But, despite its rather untimely habits, we all appreciate the spark that it adds to our writing.    Yet, this begs the question, d oes a writer need to be inspired to write?  And how can a writer find inspiration? These are the topics I'll be discussing in this two-part series on inspiration.            The first stop on our adventure is the w...

     Hello, and good day!      This week I sent out a survey to many of my followers entitled "The Readers’ Survey". I posed questions to readers about what makes a good book and how it can be accomplished. I was overwhelmed with the insightful responses that I received! I would like to thank my respondents for their help. This would not be possible without them!! So, thank you: Luna, Hannah, Maddy K., Brin, Grace, and Rachel!      I had planned on compiling the results of this survey into an article.      One article.      However, when I began to compile the answers and make notes, I found that this article would be far too long for anyone to comfortably read in one sitting. Thus, there has been a change in plans. I will be releasing these survey results in four articles, based on the sections of the survey. General  Characters  Prose  Plot       I hope that you ...

      See the Introduction to the Caution in Reading series if you have not already.       Welcome to part one of the Caution in Reading series!  Today, we'll be looking at  how reading sin-glorifying fiction affects your thoughts.       I’m sure that you’ve experienced something pricking your conscience before. Something that struck you wrong and went against what you knew to be true and honorable. But did you continue to read, listen to, watch, or partake in it? I hope you didn’t. But if you have, you may have noticed that the more you continued in it, the more that your mind invented excuses for it, and the wrong of it lightened in your eyes. Letting sinful things continue in your mind is exceedingly dangerous, as it can dull your conscience and affect your judgment.         2 Corinthians 10:5, “We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”       T...