Part 3: Can a Christian Novelist Go Too Far? By Editor John David Kudrick And so we come to the pivotal point in this series on Christ followers who are novelists that want to share their stories with the world. It’s time to dive into the main question we’ve been driving toward by way of …
Part 2: So God’s Calling You to Write a Novel about (insert story idea here)? by Editor John David Kudrick In the first post of this series, I broached the idea that God might use a novel written by a Christ follower to knock on the door of someone’s heart, or maybe even give it …
by Editor John David Kudrick, Copy Editor Part 1: The Spectrum of Readers for a Christian Novelist Before his ascension, Jesus Christ told his disciples: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15) and “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). To any serious follower of Christ, …
by Editor John David Kudrick In my most recent post, I took a look at how details matter in a novel—to the degree that you may lose readers if you flub up the details in your story. It’s also possible to make sure you have all the details straight and then go too far with …
by Editor John David Kudrick Every so often, a novelist should make it a point to remember that most readers have about 54,000 other things they could be doing instead of reading a book. A novel will only hold your reader’s attention ahead of all those other things if it’s truly worth reading. Aside from …
By Editor John David Kudrick In my most recent post, I touched on why authors should attend a writers conference, focusing on two main reasons: First, it’s a great place to pitch your book to an agent or editor. And, second, it’s a place to be around other people who take writing seriously, allowing you …
By Editor John David Kudrick One question I encounter somewhat regularly from authors is: “Should I attend a writers conference?” Before I actually attended a writers conference myself, I would have likely responded with questions about what the author hoped to accomplish by attending, if it would be a financial burden for them, etc. Now, …
by Editor John David Kudrick I enjoy working with authors no matter how they approach the task of writing, whether it’s with bubbly joy and passion or steely grit and determination—or, more typically, a combination of both. In any case, these authors have done something that many other wishful writers have only talked and/or daydreamed …
by Editor John David Kudrick It will probably come as no surprise that editors enjoy the written word, which means that most of us wordsmiths not only work with words as a profession, but we also have our noses in books each day for the pure joy of reading. To wit, just the other night, …
by Editor John David Kudrick In the first part of this post, we took a look at an author who lived and died by the plotter/planner method of crafting a novel—a method that had served him well more than once. But when we last saw this author, he’d just read a book on fiction writing …
By Editor John David Kudrick Are you a pantser or a plotter/planner? If you’re a novelist and you’ve done even a little bit of reading about the craft of fiction, then you’ve likely come across the terms “pantser” and “plotter,” which is also called “planner.” Simply put, if someone asks which kind of fiction writer …
How to Solve the Appositive Problem by Editor John David Kudrick In the first part of this post, we looked at some basics of grammar, including the use of the appositive and how lengthy appositives can interrupt the reader’s flow. Near the end of Part 1, we looked at three examples of this: Jason, the …
By Editor John David Kudrick Stories, stories, stories … Whether it’s a historical tale of English pirates in the 1700s … or a sci-fi thriller about aliens invading Earth … or a military adventure featuring US Special Forces in the Middle East … or a murder mystery with a down-on-his-luck PI … my days are …
Get your story written, then think revision. By Editor John David Kudrick Recently, I was helping our youngest daughter with a writing assignment about medieval knights, and she told me she couldn’t think of an adjective to modify a certain noun. She offered a few ideas and then just sat there, stuck. I could …
Congratulations! So What Are Your Next Steps? By Editor John David Kudrick If you’ve finished writing a novel, then you know the great feeling that comes with typing THE END, making sure the file is saved (and hopefully backed up at least a couple other places), and pushing back from your desk with a smile. …
By Editor John David Kudrick “The sun-kissed, billowy-clouded azure sky overhead contrasted starkly with the terrifying obsidian-plated killer android that was sickeningly immune to the 7.62mm M61 150.5-grain armor-piercing rounds that we fired at it like there was no tomorrow.” In the past few months of reviewing and editing novel manuscripts, I wrote “You’ve got …
Avoid Passive Sentences for More Engaging Stories By Editor John David Kudrick If you’re a serious novelist, then you’ve likely heard the maxim, “Write active sentences and avoid the passive.” It’s a popular recommendation from editors for one simple reason: It’s true. Let’s take a look at a few examples of passive sentences: The dolphins …
Don’t Get Caught in the Trap of Writing for the Market By Editor John David Kudrick I recently had the opportunity to speak by phone with the publisher/owner of an indie publisher that specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. During the course of our call, he mentioned something that got my mental gears …
Lay Aside All Other Goals and Simply Aim to Tell a Good Tale By Editor John David Kudrick Hearing fingernails dragging across a chalkboard has never really bothered me. However, I can imagine how many folks feel about that particular sound every time I hear someone say something to the effect of, “Well, what’s the …
The Little Things Do Matter in Finishing Your Book By Editor John David Kudrick A close friend of mine recently told me he wanted to get serious about writing again, with the ultimate goal of finishing his nonfiction book. So I sent him some basic tips that come from an author I know personally, because …
By Editor John David Kudrick Stories, stories, stories … Whether it’s a spaceship full of pirates in a fight that will determine the fate of the universe … or a young magician who embraces his destiny and stands alongside dragons, elves, and the like in a battle against a dark legion … or even a …
By Editor John David Kudrick If you’ve read even a little about the craft of writing fiction, or had an editor like me review your story, then you’ve no doubt had someone tell you, “Get rid of those adverbs! They only weaken your story!” But we all learned how to use adverbs in grammar class …
By Editor John David Kudrick So far in this series, we’ve taken a look at the dangers of head-hopping and too much telling. In this final installment, I want to cover the third most common issue I see with manuscripts. So, as before, let’s start by reviewing a short passage: Dana pulled out her …
Part 1: Head-Hopping Hurts Readers’ Heads By Editor John David Kudrick Even in our fast-paced digital age, readers are still looking for stories that encourage, engage, and entertain them in the midst of a changing world. What makes a good story hasn’t changed, and on the flip side, what ruins a good story hasn’t changed, …