Dear Christian Indies,
It’s my turn to be “in the hot seat” this week, as Jen and Tina review the first chapter of my upcoming book, “Analog,” and offer suggestions for improvement.
It’s a difficult spot for me to be in.
I’m uncomfortable…but that discomfort hurts so good.
Allow me to explain:
[Read more…] about #191: Writing Groups 101: Critique Do’s and Don’ts: Jamie’s PieceDear Christian Indies,
Today on the podcast, Jen and Jamie will discuss self-editing. What do you need to do before your piece gets sent to an editor?
Jen has a system she uses that I’m betting you will find quite helpful, especially if you are new to it and don’t quite know how to get started.
We hope that you will find today’s topic useful and that you will enjoy the shenanigans and everybody’s favorite part of the podcast, the feeding of the backs.
Hope to see you there!
Tina
Dear Christian Indie,
Having Becca Syme on our podcast as our very first guest ever was an amazing honor. Now, she’s coming back, ready to present for us the idea that we as writers may be what is known as, “Intuitive.”
She’s written a book on the subject, “Dear Writer, Are You Intuitive?” and I’m going to share a bit of its premise here (from previous link):
Dear Christian Indies,
When it comes to writing fiction, there are so many possible perils and pitfalls for the new writer to succumb to. This week, we’re focusing on one of the biggies, dialogue.
[Read more…] about Episode 166: Essential Writing Tips: Banishing Boring DialogueDear Writer,
You open your email program, and see the weekly newsletter prepared by The Christian Indie Writers. You click on it, and it opens. You see that the topic for the upcoming episode is “point of view,” and suddenly you realize why the email seems like it “feels” different from the others; it has been written in what is called, “second person point of view”.
[Read more…] about Episode 165: Essential Writing Tips: Point of ViewDear Christian Indies,
Of late, we’ve been focusing quite a bit on the “after” bit of the writing process – a natural fit for us as three of the four of us have quite recently published. Now that we are all in the crafting phase of writing, the ladies and I are eager to get back to basics and begin delivering some essential writing tips to you, our awesome audience!
First up is plotting – we know it takes its various forms, but for our purposes, we’re talking “beats.” That’s right, I said, “beats” – just like you would hear in music. Folks who write to beats understand that, as with music, storytelling follows certain patterns that are universally considered pleasant to the human ear. Learning about plotting is a key component to understanding what makes a story “tick,” and by hitting all the “beats,” you can be sure your plot will be a true masterpiece.
As we have an expert on the subject as a co-host, we are going to explore the notion of plotting using “beats” and “beat sheets” on this week’s episode! That’s right, Rhonda Hagerman is one half of the awesome team that is the writer DD Bouman, who brought us the amazing, “Plot Your Novel: With This Workbook.”
So, whether you’re a plotter already, or a pantser challenging us to “just try and convince me to plot my novel,” you are sure to love this episode, full of the information and shenanigans you’ve come to expect from the Christian Indie Writers!
See you there,
Jamie
Hey Christian Indies,
When Christina Cattane set forth to choose a narrator for her number 1 bestselling book Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun, she was determined to get a voice as authentic to her narrator voice as possible. She didn’t think her odds were great – there were many dialects represented in the audiobook world, but not too many who claimed to read with an authentic Alaskan dialect.
[Read more…] about Episode 138: Self-Publishing Tips: How to Choose a Narrator for Your Audiobook
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
Dear Indie,
We’ve talked in the past about the challenges of writing about your faith, but there is more to pleasing a Christian reading audience than writing specifically within the Christian genre. In fact, there are a whole host of genres wherein a Christian can find readership. Thus, the dilemma – how much is “too” much of the “world” to sprinkle into your writing?
We’re going to take on this meaty subject. You won’t want to miss it.
See you there,
-Jamie
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
Dear Christian Indie,
This week, we have a tip for new authors; “spend some time self-editing.”
Why? You might ask.
Well, dear Indie, there is an old saying that goes, “great books are not written, they are edited.” Even more recently, best selling author Neil Gaiman has advised, “write down everything that happens in the story, and then in your second draft make it look like you knew what you were doing all along.”
[Read more…] about Episode 135: Essential Writing Tips: Our Top 10 Tips for Self-Editing
