As an English lit major, poems are familiar friends to me. But some people find them strange and off-putting. Today I want to encourage you, regardless where you fall on the spectrum of appreciating poetry, to sit with a poem …
Writing Craft
Art is risk
Seth Godin writes, “Free doesn’t make something a gift. Free might be a marketing strategy, free might make a generous present, but free doesn’t automatically make something a gift. Gil Scott Heron’s album isn’t free, but it’s a gift. …
What is a “Christian” Book?
“What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects– with their Christianity latent.” -C. S. Lewis
That’s a quote I’ve always loved. It’s more than a quote, it’s a challenge.…
Concluding Your Book Well
Concluding your book well is a challenge. It’s one thing to start off with gusto, another thing to make it through a potentially drooping middle, and still another to finish with flair.
Missing the Mark
One example of a book …
20 truths I wish I would’ve known when I started publishing
If I were able to time travel (those of you who write time travel books make it look so easy!), I would find younger writer me, prior to publishing, and tell her these hard-won truths I’ve learned. I hope these …
20 truths I wish I would’ve known when I started publishingRead More
Your Annual Must-Read
During our weekly Books & Such staff meeting last Friday, I mentioned that there are two books that should be considered a must-read for all of our clients. I confessed that for thirteen or fourteen years I reread these books …
Five Ways to Wrangle Dialect
I almost stopped reading the book that eventually opened my eyes to the power of inspirational fiction and set me on a path to author and agent. Almost set the book aside after a few pages.
Why? Because the dialect …
Reading vs. Listening to Books
I recently discovered Hoopla (thanks, Michelle!), and borrowed the audio version of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. It was a book that I knew I didn’t want to own, but wanted to read to stay current …
Sacrificial Writing
Today is the start of Holy Week. I think it’s an important time to talk about sacrificial gifts. Here is a blog I wrote five years ago. I can’t think of a more fitting one for this week. 
Many years …
What Is Over-Editing and What to Do About It
Author Dies While Reading Edited Manuscript
Such a headline might well echo the feelings an author experiences when, much to his horror, he discovers his editor has–ahem–done some pretty creative work on the manuscript sent into the publishing house. (An …