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A Christian Guide for Writing Fiction for Adults

10/12/2023

Writing fiction for Christian readers can be incredibly rewarding. First of all, your content can be inspiring and soul-searching, and secondly, it’s a great privilege and a challenge to write a book that is both honouring God and satisfying to readers. Many Christian writers base their books on a much-loved historical figure, so they are […]

Why forgiveness is essential to the Christian life

26/11/2023

Are you part of a Christian community? Do you call yourself a Christian? Is your Christian faith truly genuine? Then, forgiving others is non-negotiable. There are many times in your Christian walk that you will feel wronged, hard done by and even betrayed. Yet you cannot afford to keep breeding resentment. It is absolutely essential […]

The Importance of Book Fairs

12/11/2023

Writing is a solitary profession. You settle down in your favourite place to work, you practise the discipline of writing for so many hours a day, but you’re not DOING it with anyone. You’re in a place, by yourself, getting on with the task. You may have fellow writer friends whom you consult every now […]

ONE GENRE OR MANY?

29/10/2023

Ever wanted to write something new? Completely different from anything you’ve written before. A piece of writing that will energise you. Inspire you. And yes. Keep you right on your toes. If this is you – TRY WRITING IN A DIFFERENT GENRE And – DON’T ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS! They might say: […]

The Power of Prayer

15/10/2023

More than 2,000 years ago, in the religious heartland of the world, iconic events occurred which were to change the course of history. So significant are these events that they have the power to change peoples’ destinies. Yet so divisive are these same events that they separate right down the middle those who will live […]

An Author’s Guide to Coping with Rejection Emails

01/10/2023

‘Not another one! That’s the fifth time I’ve been rejected this month.’ ‘Try 30 times. These rejection emails just keep pouring in. I’ve had enough.’ ‘Giving up?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Don’t!’ ‘I’ll never get my book published.’ ‘Tried self-publishing?’ ‘Too expensive.’ ‘Well, just keep going. One of these days…’ Sound familiar? Had your own manuscript rejected […]

The Power of the Imagination

17/09/2023

Authors, particularly of fiction, are hopefully all blessed with vivid imaginations. They can be resourceful, creative and inventive. They can dream up new ideas, invent fantastical stories and visualise scenes in 3D technicolour. The imagination is certainly a powerful tool for any writer. Without it, a piece of writing would be robbed of its interest. […]

Four Ways to Approach Non-Fiction Writing

03/09/2023

Non-fiction writing, of course, covers a range of sub-genres…blogs, web articles, journals, amongst others, but for the purposes of this blog, I will be focusing on just three: memoirs, biographies and autobiographies. I have selected just four tips for writing these three genres. Here they are: 1. Draw on your memories Your memories are a […]

The Power of Gratitude

13/08/2023

Grumble. Moan. Groan. “Everything’s going wrong.” Does that sound familiar? When life sends us curved balls, do we start to complain and blame everyone around us, including God? What about when life’s going well? When blessings pour down from heaven. We’re happy, then. We rejoice. We stop grumbling, groaning and moaning. But do we take […]

The Joys of Writing Children’s Books

30/07/2023

For me, writing children’s books, especially picture books, is a sheer joy and a pleasure. It’s delightful to find the child in myself as I explore the wonder and excitement of being a child. Everything seems so new, so fresh, so amazing. I surprise myself with discoveries the child in me is making, and initially, […]

The Importance of Love in the Christian Life

16/07/2023

Do you sometimes find it hard to tell the difference between real and fake? The commercial world is full of examples of genuine, custom-designed, branded merchandise and fake, copied, most definitely unbranded merchandise. Can you always tell the difference? A real Christian? Fake or authentic? What about genuine or fake Christians? How can you tell […]

Some tips for writers beginning their careers

02/07/2023

You’ve dreamt of being a writer but haven’t done anything about it. You’ve attended plenty of book fairs and festivals in an attempt to glean how other writers do it. But you’re still not sure where to start. Why do you want to write? Firstly, it’s worth asking yourself why you want to write. For […]

The Importance of Community in the Christian Life

18/06/2023

The church is not a building but a community of people. Without this Christian community, I would argue that there is no church at all. There are many examples in the Western world of former church buildings converted into theatres, restaurants, or entertainment centres. Sadly, some of these places where the Christian community used to […]

Five ways to overcome writer's block

04/06/2023

Whether your mind behaves like a blank screen or a kaleidoscope, the effect is the same: you can’t write a thing. You have the dreaded writer’s block. How do you even begin to overcome it? You’re staring at a computer screen. Your mind is blank. NOTHING is coming to you. You feel no inspiration whatsoever. […]

Finding joy in the midst of hardship

21/05/2023

Have you often thought about what gives you joy –genuine joy? Not superficial happiness, like a well-cooked meal, a visit to a family member or a trip to a theatre. But a deep-seated, abiding joy that wells up inside you and is present even when times are hard. Finding joy in the midst of hardship […]

Angel Protagonist in a Christian novel? Explorations of a fictitious angel

17/08/2021

When I wrote the novel, ‘Headlines in Heaven’, I had long wanted to explore the world of Christian adult fiction. I felt passionate about planting some good seeds out there, so I thought carefully about what messages I particularly wanted to share with the world. I realised that the most important question I wanted my […]

Writing Christian Contemporary Fiction. What a Challenge!

29/03/2021

When I decided to write my Christian contemporary novel, Crystal Island, I knew I was embarking on a challenging adventure. Not only was I intending to write about ten very different characters who, for seventy whole days, would live in close proximity to each other on an isolated island; but I was also planning to weave […]

Wonder How to Spend Your Time During Lockdown?

29/03/2021

2020. A year of hard lockdowns – and not-so-hard lockdowns. If you were fortunate, you were allowed to venture out of your home for essential groceries and for vital medical supplies. But: No visitors allowed. No trips to the theatre, to cinemas or to any entertainment venues. All sporting events cancelled. Even your personal exercize […]

Christian Fiction for All Ages

18/11/2020

It has been my great joy to write Christian fiction for all ages during the past decade. From delving into the delights of Christian picture books for young children – in Star Bright, The Greatest Treasure, The Master Builder and the soon to be released Josh’s Impossible Journey – to exploring the Christian possibilities for […]

An Adult Christian Novel – Firm Foundations

27/10/2020

Walk with the characters through challenges and trials, successes and victories. Discover the mystery of their ‘firm foundation’. As no life is a bed of roses, most readers can identify with stories about characters who face, deal with and try to overcome the many obstacles, hardships and problems that cross their paths. Life, on the whole, can guarantee […]

Want to Change Your Picture Book into a Short Story?

23/09/2020

Here’s How – In 5 Brief, Basic Steps Picture Book Short Story Picture created by artist Scene visualised by reader Scene graphic/visual Words conjure up scene in reader’s mind Reader instantly enjoys scene Reader must imagine the scene Strong – often single thread of a story line Although […]

Multi-genred or Single-genred?

14/09/2020

Many authors try their hand at a variety of genres during the course of their writing careers; others specialise in one or two genres as they seek to perfect their craft. Like Robert Frost’s two diverging roads (in his well-known poem, Two roads diverged in a yellow wood), there are advantages and disadvantages to choosing […]

To Write Topical Or Not to Write Topical? That is the question!

31/08/2020

The Corona virus. Covid 19. International pandemic. Infections spreading. The curve flattening. Lockdowns imposed. Lockdowns lifted. Vaccine research. An effective vaccine rolled out. New information instantly available at the click of a button from all the continents and all the countries on a daily basis. Who would step in where angels fear to tread! Who […]

Issue-driven YA Fiction

21/08/2020

Just how big and bad and ugly is the world out there? Unfortunately, this is a question many young adults have to face. As teenagers try to forge their own identity in a confusing world, they are faced with many unpredictable events, disappointments and changes which can rip their worlds apart. Many experienced authors have […]

The Power of the Picture Book

17/08/2020

What a powerful medium the picture book is. There is so much young children can learn from turning the pages of a beautifully illustrated story. Most picture books have fascinating plots, strong characters and a good moral message. Readers can laugh, they can worry, they can be happy as the character they are rooting for […]

Christian Fiction: The Bible as a Source

17/08/2020

Whether you are writing Christian novels, YA fiction or picture books, it goes without saying that the bible is a rich source of material for your ideas. Of course, if you’re writing Christian non-fiction, you will be continually exploring themes and issues from the bible which, according to the 1995 Guinness book of records, is […]

The Therapeutic Effectiveness of Memoir Writing

17/08/2020

In memoir writing, more than in any other genre, it is not only legitimate to pour out your feelings on the page; it is also expected of you. Your reader wants to travel with you along the arc of your emotional journey, to empathise with you, to feel the same emotions as you, especially if […]

A Christian Spin on YA Fantasy

14/08/2020

One of my most satisfying writing adventures was creating the plot, characters, settings and themes for my Young Adult trilogy, The Golden Highway, The Diamond Pathway and The Emerald Treasure Chamber. When I wrote the first book in the trilogy, I implemented some good advice from the AFDA film studio: when creating the plot for […]

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