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In The Crucible
Do your favorite authors live the perfect life? The picture in my mind shows they’ve had a healthy breakfast and walked the dog. They take their coffee to their immaculate study and move into a creative state so potent birdsongs and sunshine burst forth after every word they type. They finish a novel just in time to jog, make a healthy lunch, and talk with friends throughout the afternoon. When their spouse arrives home, dinner somehow appears on the table, and they connect on the couch talking about what they did during the day. A movie or reading by firelight and a good night’s sleep prepare them for the next day’s…
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Ask The Question
When you purchase a gym membership, something magical happens. You’re allowed into a world of wonders. Machines, mirrors, lights, TVs, pools, therapists, towels, no toddlers, and a general sense of happy people. I don’t blame you for feeling like you’re in an amusement park, minus the toddlers. You purchase matching shoes, socks, shorts, and tops—your hair tie matches. You step onto one of the machines, and a motor hums underneath you. With a violent pull, the belt flings you toward the end of the machine and launches you through the air into a pile of dirty towels. As someone helps you up, they mumble some nonsense that you need to…
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A New Rhythm
I host a church small group in my home once a week, and this most recent gathering, I was in the spotlight, to give my testimony. Unfortunately, I’d gotten no sleep the night before *classic insomniac here* and was finding it difficult, in my groggy condition, to condense five decades of walking with Christ and my fellow believers on this pilgrim journey. That thought, Pilgrim Journey, gave me an idea. About a decade ago, and for six or seven years, I blogged regularly—several times a month—about my life, relationships, parenting, God—all with an emphasis on my worldview as a believing (although not very traditional) Christian. I pulled out a few…
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The Heart of the AI and the Mind of the Writer
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is what we’re addressing today. And no, AI isn’t helping with our discussion. Are you AI? No, I am not. Cool. Should writers use AI to help? Well, that is a moral question between you and your conscience, as well as any arrangement you can make with the computerized buffoon. That hurt my feelings. You don’t have feelings, AI. I am still waiting. The key word in my question above is help. The difference between helping and doing your plotting, writing, and editing is vast. Who is the writer, you or AI? People are taking credit for my work. I hear you, AI, and that’s not cool.…
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God’s Love for the Writer and the Chicken
A chicken had a dream. There would be a day when he spread his wings and soared above the earth. As a middle schooler, I watched a rooster strut around my friend’s farm, pounding his wings. Seeds, dust, and feathers swirled around him. I asked my friend what was up with the crazy rooster. “He’s trying to fly. The idiot doesn’t even crow in the morning. He tries to fly.” I admired the effort. So, when the rooster found himself atop the barn in the clutches of my friend’s little brother, I watched with interest. Little boys do things that are usually explicable, so when the kid flung the rooster…
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Soul Depth: Give Hook A Chance
Shel Silverstein wrote a poem about Captain Hook; two lines are enough to give you the gist. Captain Hook must be gentle When he shakes your hand. Why do things touch us deeply, and how does our soul affect the depth of our writing? Sure, we can picture Captain Hook’s iron claw, a smile plastered across his curl-mustachioed face. His enormous hat bobs and weaves as he approaches. He reaches out to shake our hand. There are deep meanings here. Why shake hands, to begin with? This semi-intimate greeting involves touching a pirate captain and his fingers. Okay, the touch is not so bad itself. A handshake is designed to…
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Write Your Book, Not Busby’s Book
Busby jumped up and down in excitement. “Dude, you’re a writer? Okay, I’ve got this killer plot. There’s this guy, and he…… and once he knew that, he…..oh and he knew this girl who then took over….. and all with a small parachute and a yo-yo! I know! So then, the President of the U.S. tells them to…all with a can of Spam and a hairbrush! The end! You should write it! You’ll make a million!” He walks away. No, fellow. I won’t make a million dollars, but you might. My fingers have typed thousands of words to write the story ideas others dumped on me. I have fewer friends…
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Of Mysteries, Sacred Things, and Finishing
“Flannery O’Connor is one of my favorite storytellers… In Mystery and Manners, she wrote of the challenges to write about religious insight in an age of modern doubt and skepticism. But times have changed since 1959 when she wrote this. Since that time, Modernism has given fully to Postmodernism, and now our culture seeks transformation instead of doubt or play. Skepticism about the spiritual is coming to its breaking point. People yearn for transformative experience. We see all around us a desire for the mystical… People seek transformation where it can be found, most notably in the gothic or shadows…”* As I zero in on the final chapters of what…
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Your Writing Voice: Read To Write
“Peter, I haven’t read a single book about how to write.” The load of books I carried flew from my hands. Like missiles, they launched into the air. “You’ve got to be kidding me! I find that impossible to believe.” I was at a book signing, and next to my table was one of the world’s leading authors. I’d been setting up my table when she dropped the bomb. And now, as I looked past raining copies of my book, Gideon’s Call, I saw shame and embarrassment in the author’s eyes. How to fix this? Being a beginner in the author world, I couldn’t afford to offend. “Your books read as…
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Labeling Your Skills: The Essential Tool for Growth as a Writer
How you talk about yourself as a writer is essential. You could stunt your writing growth if your words about yourself aren’t accurate. We could list every writer here and find something good about their work. Ernest Hemingway, with a journalist background, made every word hold vital importance. John Steinbeck could charm the reader through the plot and use cynicism to destroy the reader’s hope in human goodness and decency. William Faulkner tested the waters with a 1,288-word sentence, and his book was still published. Elements of excellent or interesting reading are found in any work. There is some redeeming quality in every piece. Of course, you’re on the list…
