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fiction author's responsibility
May 13

What is a fiction author’s responsibility to the world?

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

Do fiction authors (or any entertainer, for that matter) have any responsibility to the world?

It’s probably an age old question, and the answer you give probably depends on a number of factors (background, beliefs, political leanings, etc.).

I’m asking the question for the following reasons:

1 I’m an author of fiction.

I could simply write stories for the sake of writing stories. Purely entertainment, nothing more. If that were my approach (and if it were truly possible), I could conceivably write about anything – from dragon slayers, to witches, to serial murderers. The only litmus test of whether a subject was “fair game” for me would be whether or not I thought it would make for a good story. Would it be entertaining to the readers?

There are many, many fiction authors who appear to take this approach. Some purely for the sake of the story, others purely for the sake of building a huge catalog of books so they can make more money. Some even do the research to target whatever story niches are selling the most books, and that’s what they write.

Surely, I want my books to be entertaining. There’s nothing worse than a book that you have to slug through in order to get to the end. I’ve done that as a reader myself, sometimes out of duty, sometimes because I simply didn’t want to quit. It’s important to me that I write a story that is engaging, exciting, and leading the reader to a satisfactory conclusion. But for me, there has to be more than that. I want my stories to have an impact on the reader, in a positive way.

Surely, I want my books to be successful (profitable). But at what cost? Personally, I’m simply not willing to write things that are immoral, questionable, or outside the realm of my desires as an author, just for the bucks I could make.

2 I’m a Christian

As a follower of Christ, my books, like my life, come under His authority and Lordship. I am only “free” to write what I believe He desires. That rules out a lot of things for me that might be considered if point 1, above, was all I was concerned with.

As a Christ-follower, I also want my books to be a tool that is used of God in the lives of my readers. I want my stories to encourage, to challenge, and in the end, to build up the reader. If there are things in my novels that bring discouragement to an individual or group of people, I have to consider whether I’m being faithful to my calling as a Christian.

That leads to the last reason I’m concerned about this issue:

3 I recently got some thought-provoking feedback from a fellow author and reader of my book

donovanRecently, I became acquainted with a fellow author, Donovan M. Neal, who agreed to read and review my book. Donovan is a fellow believer in Christ, and like me, a retired minister of the gospel-turned fiction author. I’m still reading his novel (see the link above), and heartily recommend it to you.

His comments about my book were encouraging, but also challenging. Being an African-American, he had an interesting perspective on my book… including some issues that I’d never considered. Here’s part of what he shared with me (used by permission)…

WARNING: If you’ve not read the book… there are some minor spoilers in the next section

When you did finally introduce another antagonist in your book, Raj I think the name was, he was black, or at least a person of color. Your description of him seemed to indicate he was black, though. My first thought was, “Here we go again, another stereotypical black villain.” Your white readers might not pick this up. Your black readers will, and it can be a turn off, especially if a young person of color reads your book. It’s the classic case where the good guys are white and the bad guys are black (or a person of color).

I’m not saying you have to like this criticism. Nor am I saying there is any undercurrent of prejudice here. What I am saying is, recognize that for some readers of color it will be a turn off. Expect if you get more circulation at some point, to hear this from another person of color, in a review…

I’m raising these questions to you to sharpen you as you carry your series forward: to think deeper about your world creation. People will care about Hon, they will hate Silas. My guess is they will hate Raj too. You are a counselor, and you know people are impacted by what they read and see, especially young people who are will take away many messages from your work. But the little girl of color might not get your message, or worse be given a subtle message that black people are evil.

My reaction

At first, I was pretty put-off by Donovan’s comments because what he saw was not my intention at all. But when I gave it time to settle, and interacted with him a bit more. I came to see his point. He’s not being overly sensitive to the “race issue,” he’s being appropriately concerned… and he’s taking my responsibility as a Christian author of fiction, very seriously. I’m thankful for that. I want to take it seriously, too.

I don’t think the answer is for me to avoid using “people of color” as characters in my book. But I do need to be mindful of how my use of nationalities and races may impact my readers. I want them to be challenged and built up, encouraged in their faith or challenged toward new faith, and ready to move in a positive direction when they finish one of my books, no matter what ethnic background they are from. To that end, I need to make sure that my characterization of heroes and villains do not fall into stereotypical patterns that imply something negative where nothing negative is intended. Honestly, I didn’t even think about it being an issue… which shows why I needed Donovan’s kind email in the first place.

Thanks Donovan, for making me aware of an issue that is important to many, many people, and one that I want to handle well. You are a true brother in Christ.

Do fiction authors have a responsibility to the world?

I believe we do. We are responsible to add something good to the world, something that builds into the lives of real people (our readers). That doesn’t mean that every story has to have a happy ending, or that every character is “redeemed” somehow in the end. Neither does it mean that we have to avoid the harsher realities of life. Sterile is not synonymous with positive. What it does mean is that as we write, we must be thoughtful… of how our writing will impact our readers. Here are what I consider some simple, yet helpful questions toward that end…

  • Will my readers be helped or harmed by this book?
  • Does my book lead readers in the direction of hope or hopelessness?
  • Does my writing leave readers encouraged or depressed?
  • Is the average reader going to be challenged to examine their own life, in light of what the characters face?
  • Does my writing step outside the realm of my experience to consider that others may view what I’m portraying in a different light?
  • What can I do to build up all people, everywhere, no matter their background?

And I’m sure there are many, many other questions to be asked…

Thanks for reading these ramblings. I appreciate you. I hope to be an author who takes his role in the world seriously, for the sake of helping my readers weather life better, and find God in the midst of their storms.

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Below is a video that Donovan shared with me, that is worth your time. I hope you watch it and consider how YOU may need to be more aware of the place others come from, and how you can serve to bridge the gap between their world and yours, their experience, and the direction of the world.

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Categories : the writing process
Tags : fiction author's responsibility, writer's responsibility
writing prompts for christian authors
May 07

Writing prompts for Christian fiction authors

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

What is a writing prompt?

A writing prompt is an assignment or exercise designed to help a writer stimulate the creative juices to improve or increase writing skills.

Writing prompts come in all shapes and sizes, and I’ve found myself helped by them tremendously as I’ve worked on my first couple of novels.

Here is a writing prompt that I’ve found particularly helpful in developing characters:

Choose any two of the following items. Describe a human character that takes on a mix of the qualities of those two items.

canoe    lamp    axe    boulder    alligator    clamp    stone wall    wind

Do you see how that sort of exercise can help a writer begin to think of a character in a different light? It’s actually kind of fun when you begin applying writing prompts to the way you go about developing characters.

But writing prompts are not only helpful regarding characters, they are quite beneficial in writing about scenes or settings also.

Choose any two of the following scene elements and combine them into the same scene. The more “opposite” the items you choose, the more challenging the exercise will be.

fog    sunshine    mountainous    swamp    midnight    moonless    drought    blizzard

Many writing instructors put writing prompts like this into a “homework” sort of format, giving assignments that have nothing to do with the student’s current writing project. It’s kind of like giving a page full of math problems to a child, so they can become accustomed to completing the type of problems they’ve been studying.

I’ve tried to incorporate writing prompt exercises into my current projects, simply because I’ve not had the time to write about things that are not related to my books.

It might be a shortcut, but I think it’s been very helpful. I’ve particularly enjoyed it when developing characters. Some of the more colorful characters like Irwin, Hampton, and Quinn (in book two) have been influenced greatly by the things I’ve learned while using writing prompts.

Christian fiction authors have an added dimension of challenge, and writing prompts can help

Christian fiction authors, like any fiction authors, want their story to be alive with detail, contain engaging characters, and be memorable and engaging. But they want an additional component as well… the integration of biblical truth that will impact the reader far more than on an emotional level.

The Christian author wants to engage the reader on a spiritual level, incorporating the spiritual truths revealed in the scriptures in a way that causes the reader to think about life issues in a way they have not before.

Writing prompts are powerfully helpful in doing that. Here’s an example:

Write a scene or situation where a character is struggling with one or more of the following spiritual issues:

trusting God in the face of loss or suffering    the effectiveness of prayer    understanding when a scriptural promise seems to have not come true    remaining faithful to Jesus though facing persecution    approaching death without fear

Writing prompts of a spiritual nature force the author (and consequently, the reader) to face the realities of life in a fallen world and to struggle with what it means to have faith in God.

I think it makes the Christian author notice the temptation to “sterilize” their work in a way that avoids the difficulties of faith in a real world. When the writer notices the temptation, he/she is better able to avoid it and write a more realistic, life-integrated novel.

I’m curious what you think about this idea of “writing prompts.” How do you see them being beneficial?

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Categories : characters, the writing process
Tags : writing prompts
writing retreat
Apr 29

Heading off to another writing retreat

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

Yes, this beautiful scene is where I’ve been blessed to be able to go for my most recent writing retreats…

IMG_20140312_082324_940though I’m hoping for much less snow this time of year. I have some friends who are in transition and have been in need of a house-sitter, dog-sitter while they are making arrangements for a move… so I’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to get alone and write.

My last writing retreat wasn’t as successful as I’d have liked.

Though I was away for 4 straight days, I only got 10,000 words done. Some of the reason was other work responsibilities that kept jumping onto my plate during that time, but I also ate something that was bad and fell ill one night.

Man, that was the worst… being sick, and not at home.

This time, I’m pretty optimistic that barring any circumstances like those, I should be able to crank out at least 40,000 works on the rough draft of my second novel in the Dragon Slayer series, which would put me pretty close to the end of that book.

Then would come the second draft, personal editing, etc. before I send it out to beta readers. By the way, if you’re interested in being a beta reader for the next novel, you can contact me about that possibility.

I’d appreciate your prayers for my retreat…

Yes, I pray about my retreats. I see the fiction that I’m producing as being much more than stories. They are opportunities to put the truth of God into an engaging format that can push folks to think about the very real circumstances of life, in light of God and His truth. I find it to be a combination of creative and teaching gifts the LORD has entrusted to me, and it’s a lot of fun.

  • Pray for me to have the diligence and discipline needed to sit down and write.
  • Ask the LORD to give me His desires for the story arc and plot, as well as the theological issues the story should bring up.
  • Pray for me not to miss my family too much (and vice versa). These retreats are great for writing, but hard on relationships.

Thanks for your support and help. I couldn’t do this without you.

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Categories : the writing process
Tags : christian author, christian fantasy, christian fiction author, writing retreat
why i am writing fiction
Apr 25

Why I am writing fiction

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

Writing fiction is a fairly new experience for me…

and I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying it.

To this point, with the exception of one children’s book (it’s kind of like Dr. Seuss, only not as good), I’ve leaned heavily on my pastoral ministry experience, and the teaching gifts that go along with it, to produce non-fiction, instructional books for Christians. You can see everything I’ve created so far, here.

So, why would a pastor/teacher turn to the realm of fiction?

Isn’t fiction just entertainment?

Isn’t it just a bunch of made-up stuff?

Isn’t it an escape from reality?

How could someone who believes he’s been called to teach the word of God waste his time writing fiction?

Good questions…

The reason I’m writing fiction stems from an observation I’ve made about myself, and my own life, in relation to the power of the written word.

Here’s what I’ve discovered…

writing fiction - well crafted stories quote

Many people who have rocked the world for good have known this to be true.

Martin Luther King, Jr. told stories of the “dreams” he had of a just society.

Charles Dickens has long been one of my favorites because he used the power of a well-crafted story to penetrate the calloused attitudes of his day, with hopes toward seeing change come about.

And the Master story-teller, though you may not think of Him in this light at first, is Jesus Christ. He used the power of parables, using everyday, common things, to pull His readers into a place of contemplation about spiritual truth that had the power to change their lives for eternity.

Jesus was a fiction writer, in that sense. He cloaked truth in the clothes of everyday life, and in doing so, gave people a desire to consider things on a deeper level.

That is an example I want to follow.

Why do I spend my time writing fiction?

Because I believe that stories, filled with engaging characters, like Hon, Gerrard, Silas, and Camille, are adventures that reveal to the reader that there is a story going on in real life, a story that is greater than they are. It helps them to see that they are players, participants in that story, the story of God’s work in the world.

The things that happen to the characters in my stories are the same kinds of things that happen to my readers. Loved ones die. Love springs to life between two young adults. Babies are born. Tragedies happen.

I believe that the way that my characters respond to those types of “made-up” events, good and bad, help readers consider how they would respond to the same events that happen in their lives. The struggles my characters have with faith, trust, and hope, while living in a very broken down world, push readers to face their own struggles with the same things.

A good story is able to touch the heart in a way that causes it to engage with the important concerns of real life in a fallen world. In that way, the “made-up” scenarios and people become real examples for us, showing us both wise and unwise ways to deal with the hardships and joys of life.

That’s why I’m writing fiction (besides the fact that it’s fun for me).

I want to create personalities and situations that make real people deal with real life, in a real way.

I’m curious what you think. What value do YOU see in fiction?

Feel free to leave your comments below…

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Categories : the writing process
Tags : christian fiction, christian speculative fiction, fiction writing, writing fiction
WRITING THE DRAGONSLAYER BOOK
Mar 19

Book 2 of the Dragon Slayer Chronicles is well under way!

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

BOOK 2: Dragon Slayer: Rising – writing now!

DSTB PosterI recently took a writing retreat to get a jump start on the next book in the series, and got a TON done! By the end of the 4 days I had almost 20,000 words written… and they were not just fluff words that will be edited out later. If you don’t mind me saying so, I think these 10 chapters are pretty much “keepers.” Since then I’ve added a couple thousand more words – so we’re looking at 22,482 words to date!

As you can tell from the top line of this post, I’ve settled on a name for the second book, it’s Dragon Slayer: Rising! I’ll be connecting with my graphic arts guy in the next few months to get the cover for the book started.

The name alludes to the overall plot of the book… both the dragon masters and the dragon slayers are on the rise, developing plans, engaging in treachery (the bad guys, of course), and discovering things that are going on behind the scenes that will throw the entire conflict into high gear!

My favorite characters… so far…

As you might imagine, there are some character developments that I’m really excited about.

Cedrick: Cedrick is not actually “new” to the series. Up until this point, he’s only been mentioned. But Lord Kendrick and Lady Patrice’s second child will rise to the occasion in this installment, even though he’s only 11 years old when the story begins!

Lord Hugo Champlain: OK, sorry for the spoiler there, because until now you’ve only known him as “Hugo.” He’s one of the dragon masters and appeared to fill, what appeared to be a “wimpy” role in the first book. But in the second book, look out! That’s all I can say…

Quinn: This is an entirely new character who’s quirks and personality has already grabbed me. (Yes, it is possible for an author to be surprised by his own characters). He’s Kendrick’s “spymaster,” and will have a huge impact on the rise of the dragon slayers.

Queen Amla: Another new character that is going to add a lot of intrigue on the dragon master’s side. All I can tell you for now is that she’s Rajic’s wife/queen… and she’s more than she appears.

Another writing retreat begins!

My last retreat to focus on the book was at the home of some friends who were out of town and needed a dog-sitter. Well, they are leaving again – TOMORROW – so I’m going to be focusing on my writing again for a concentrated burst. I expect to get even more done than last time… if I can avoid getting a full-blow flu that my daughter so generously shared with me. I would appreciate your prayers about that!

I’d love to interact with you, the fans of my dragon slayer series…

The internet provides us some amazing benefits, and one that I’ve not seen many authors take the greatest advantage of, is the ability to connect with fans. I think savvy authors can enter into great conversations with fans about plot, characters, story flow, and even grammatical/typo stuff, and I’m not at all threatened by that prospect.

So… if you’d like to connect on that level, feel free! Use the comments section below this post to try it out. Who knows… I might even start a Facebook or Google+ Community to make the conversation more “private.” We don’t want to let out any spoilers to people who haven’t gotten into the series yet, do we? Let me know what you think of this idea… and which platform you’d be more likely to use!

Thanks… God bless!

1stname

 

 

 

Categories : characters, plot, release information, the writing process
Tags : building an author community, dragon slayer book 2, new characters, writing retreat
how to write a novel using writing retreats
Mar 17

How to write a novel using writing retreats

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

I just self-published my very first novel, Dragon Slayer: Beginnings. Given my relative inexperience, I’m probably not the best person to listen to when it comes to learning how to write a  novel.

But… I’ve found a very helpful way to crank out the words and get the book written in record time. I’d like to share it with you.

It’s through what I call a “Writing Retreat.”

Ready? Let’s dive in.

How can a writing retreat help me get my novel written?

Here’s how I define a writing retreat: A time you set aside to get away from the “normal” aspects of your life, to focus solely on your writing. It can be “special” or not, long or short, in an “inspiring” setting or not. The main point is that you isolate yourself from other responsibilities and distractions so that you can focus solely on your writing. Here’s some of what helped me…

Find the right place

I suggest, if at all possible, that you go away from your regular routine for your writing retreat. A hotel room, a friend’s house while they are on vacation, or a local B&B are all possible options. But you don’t have to do it that way. You can write it in your basement, or in a coffee shop (if you’re able to write in such a busy place). The place doesn’t really matter, as long as you’re able to maintain a singular focus. The point is to find a place that you are intentionally designating as a “writing space” for that period of time. Most recently, I had the opportunity to dog-sit for some friends, and I decided to make that time, alone at their house, into a writing retreat.

Make it a set time frame

It’s helpful for me to know that I have a specific period of time that is set aside just for writing. I give myself permission to “take time off” from other responsibilities. I prefer a longer period of time. My most recent retreat was for 5 days, while my friends were out of town. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can do a shorter retreat, perhaps blocking out an entire day one week, or six hours one afternoon. What matters is that I’m able to get into a productive frame of mind when I know that I have a significant chunk of time set aside just for writing.

Work with the people in your household to maximize the opportunity

I am married and have 4 kids still at home. That means, there’s a lot of responsibility I’m leaving behind when I go on a writing retreat. In order to do it, I’ve got to come to an agreement about the time with my wife, in order to make sure that things at home are taken care of while I’m gone. We prepare for my absence together, making sure we get adequate time together before I leave. We also make sure that I have time with all of the kids before I go. This step helps all of us feel like the retreat is not taking too much from the family. If I’m doing my retreat at home, say for an afternoon, we make sure everybody knows about it, so that I can be undisturbed.

Discipline yourself to write, and write, and write

For me, this is part of the benefit of having an actual get-away retreat. Being outside my regular environment creates a “special” feeling to the time. It helps me stay in the mindset of diligence that I need to be in, in order to get the most done. If it’s a longer retreat, I create a daily retreat schedule, which for me, consists of at least 3 writing blocks per day. Each block is anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, depending on how the writing is going. I set my mind to be committed to that block of time, and write, no matter how difficult it seems. I push through obstacles, ignore writer’s block, and make myself get words onto the page. At this point, I’m not at all concerned about editing, or polishing sentences and structure. My only goal is to get the basic story out of my head and onto paper (actually, into the computer).

Take breaks

I know myself; if I don’t have breaks during a retreat like this, I’ll wear myself out and never get the book completed. So, between my writing blocks, I do things that help to refresh me. I eat. I watch a movie. I take a nap. I read something. I poke around on social media. Whatever it is that helps you relax your mind, plug that in to your break times, so that you can be refreshed when it’s time to get back to writing.

I’m flexible with my schedule, but only when it benefits my writing

I allow myself to be flexible, but only as a benefit to my writing. What I mean by that is that I’ll go over my scheduled writing blocks if I’m really doing well at writing (rather than cutting if off because my time is up). But I won’t flex the schedule just because I am tired, or have brain-lock, or would prefer to do something else. For example: on my last last writing retreat, the words were flowing so well, I didn’t want to disrupt the creative juices that were flowing, so I just kept writing. I was having so much fun, it was 4AM before I realized it! Naturally, my schedule the next day had to change, so that I wouldn’t be like the walking dead, but it was worth it because I had accomplished so much the night before.

If you are looking for an effective way to write a novel, a series of writing retreats are one tool that I highly recommend.

On my last retreat, I was able to write 20,000 words over a 5 day period. I have another retreat scheduled already and am expected to get even more done then. When you’re trying to figure out how to write a novel, make sure you consider writing retreats!

Categories : the writing process
Tags : become a fiction author, daily word count, how to write a novel, self publishing, writing prompts
Feb 28

How to edit a novel… or at least how I am editing my novel

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

Editing a fiction manuscript is hard work.

If you’re a writer of any kind, not just fiction, you need to know that. From what I’ve seen, most writers who don’t do “professional” quality work, fail in the area of editing. For a published work, there’s no excuse for typos, improper punctuation and formatting, etc. Now that I’ve said that, I’m sure there will be some things in my upcoming novel that I’ve missed. Oh well, live and learn.

how to edit a novelI thought I’d take a few minutes to give you the low-down on how to edit a novel, or at least how I’m going about the editing process for my book.

#1 – Beta Readers

Everyone who agreed to take on the “beta reader” role for my novel, agreed to give me feedback about typos, punctuation, word usage, and things that simply didn’t make sense. Some of them did a great job at this. Others didn’t even try. But that’s OK. Everyone contributed valuable insights on one level or another. I had a few readers that you might consider to be “grammar nazis” – but I found myself being EXTREMELY thankful for those people. They had an eye that caught things I missed multiple times. I found myself being so grateful that I’d be able to avoid such obvious mistakes, all because of those beta readers.

#2 – My first round of corrections

After getting back the comments from my readers, I went through the electronic version of my novel, and made the corrections that were brought to my attention. It was a pretty time-intensive, laborious process, but I made it through.

#3 – Some “hand-picked” editors

You know these kind of people… folks who are able to give constructive criticism with an eye toward perfection. These are the “type” of people from my circle of friend and acquaintances, that I asked to help me go through a second round of edits. My two teenage daughters, and my teenage son were in this group, as well as some others. This was like a fine-toothed comb, helping me weed out even more mistakes.

#4 – My personal editing, with a hard-copy printout of the manuscript

To me, it was vital to get a paper copy of the manuscript in my hand. I was able to pay closer attention and see more details that way. It’s amazing how many punctuation, word usage, and spelling errors STILL existed in my manuscript, even after two rounds of editing had already been done. I used a colored pen (green was my choice) to mark things needing adjustment or change. As I’m writing this post, I’m in the middle of this 4th step, and it’s tough. It requires attention to detail and a high degree of perseverance. And, I have to fight the urge to become lazy with it. You know… you’ve been working through the pages word by word for hours, and just want to quit, or skip it altogether. But, I can’t let myself do that, because I want my finished product to be of the highest quality possible.

#5 – A final, read-through

Once I’m finished with all the edits I’ve discovered in step #4, I’ll be printing out another copy to read through on my own. I want to do this as much in “one sitting” as possible, so I get a good feel for the flow and pacing of the story. I’ll mark things that I still feel need to be changed, change them, and then be done with it. I know I will have to make that conscious decision, because I could potentially continue making changes for eons if I don’t set a deadline.

What? No professional editor?

You’ve no doubt noticed that I’ve mentioned that I wanted to have my final manuscript as professional as possible… yet, I’ve not listed hiring an professional editor in any of my steps. Why would I do that?

One reason: Cash (or lack of it).

I’m doing this the self-publishing route, so I’m having to cut as many corners as I legitimately can. I know a professional edit is important, but it’s one of the things I haven’t been able to do, financially. I’m hoping that I make enough on this novel that I can afford to do professional edits on future books in the series. And… if YOU are a professional editor, or one who’s just getting started, I’d love to talk with you about doing a “trade” deal. Maybe I could give you a glowing testimonial to add to your professional portfolio, and you could provide some editing services in return? Maybe? What do you think?

Categories : the writing process
Tags : how to edit a book, how to edit a novel, how to edit your book, manuscript editing, professional editor, what does an editor do
Dragon Slayer Beginnings fantasy fiction
Feb 07

How I decided to write a YA/Adult Christian fantasy fiction novel

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

WHERE DID DRAGON SLAYER STORY IDEA COME FROM?

The Dragon Slayer Chronicles are stories I told to my kids years ago, made up on the spot for evening story time.

They’ve encouraged me for years to write them out, which has proved challenging, since they were made up in the first place. But, the more I’ve thought about the idea, the more appealing and compelling it has become. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at fiction, so this is my chance!

It’s been fun to get to know the characters that have only floated around in my head in the past. It’s also fun developing them, and the storyline, as I go. Yes, that’s how I write. I only have a rough outline in my mind when I begin… and it changed many times due to what came out as I wrote. Strange, I know… but it worked for me.

WHY FANTASY FICTION?

The genre choice comes in part from the fact that these are stories I made up for my kids. But it also probably stems from the fact that I read lots of fantasy fiction novels growing up. I just like the genre. Buy it’s not a “true” fantasy novel. Here’s why…

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT THESE BOOKS?

Three main things:

1) Unlike most fantasy, I’m trying to keep these books as firmly based in reality as possible. No magic, sorcerers, or eerie, unearthly things going on. The only exception to that might be the reality of the spiritual realm (God, angels, demons), which definitely exist in my books, but I haven’t decided yet if I’ll make it overt (ala Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti). We’ll see.

You might say, “But the main character fights dragons. DRAGONS! That’s not very realistic.”

I beg to differ (sort of).  The book of JOB (in the Bible, Job 41) describes a creature that spits fire and puffs smoke and sounds like, well, a dragon. I believe the Bible to be true (not mythical) and therefore believe that these creatures did exist at one time. I mean come on, we have a Bombardier Beetles that can shoot boiling hot liquid out its backside…. why not dragons that can spit fire?

2) I believe good fiction helps us think about and respond to real life. I’m seeking to make these books about the journey of a boy into the realm of manhood, including the element of personal faith. Though the world in which Hon does his thing is entirely fictional (even geographically), I’ve tried to base the circumstances and events along the lines of what happens in the real world.

I am creating characters who are real, flawed, have struggles, and feel the weight and pain of their own losses, failings, and sins. Hon is no different. In the struggle with his own humanity he’ll also battle to have faith in God through Christ, in the very real circumstances of his life – good and bad. It might be helpful to think of Hon as a “real person” in a “different time.” The same needs we have are the needs he has.

I’m not going to be formulaic in how I present faith-based topics (a sign of “bad” Christian fiction, in my opinion) but I’m not going to shy away from the need to struggle through the issue of personal faith either. I’m also very clear about the gospel, every person’s need for it, and the reality of God.

3) Over the course of the series I want to use these fictional accounts to address biblical real-life issues that are important to the family. Life. Death. Relationships. Communication. Courage. Manhood. Womanhood. Parenting. PTSD… and the list goes on.

WHEN IS THE FIRST DRAGON SLAYER BOOK GOING TO BE AVAILABLE?

The first book, “Beginnings” should be available for purchase March 15, 2014. Right now I have it in the hands of a “writing coach” and am taking a break from even looking at the book.

WHAT FORMATS ARE YOU GOING TO PROVIDE?

I’ll be providing MOBI (Kindle) and hard copy (paperback) at first… possibly EPUB as well. I’ll likely move it into other electronic formats over time. The books will be for sale on Amazon, with links to Amazon here on the website.

I LOVE WHAT YOU’RE DOING. HOW CAN I HELP?

If you like the idea of what I’m trying to create, you can help by spreading the word. I’d love to see the book-launch week get an overwhelming response… and that can’t happen without you.

What that means is:

  • PRAY that God will guide me and bless me as I write. It’s hard work and I want to do it as unto Him.
  • Use the social media buttons at the bottom of this post or on the share page to, well,  share this page with others in every social media channel you use.
  • If you see me  post about the book on Facebook, Google Plus, or Twitter, please repost it, like it, plus 1 it, retweet it, whatever applies.
  • Share the posts you see on social media channels. The more you share it the more people will see it to make the book launch in the Fall a success.
  • Email your friends and share this link (www.dragonslayerbook.com).
  • Encourage them to sign up for the “Fan list” at the top of this page so that I can let them know when the book comes out. Everyone who does will be entered to win a signed copy of the book (paperback). Feel free to enter yourself as well!
  • Do you know of anyone who would be interested in reviewing this book on their blog or podcast or radio show? Make the introduction!
  • Do you know anyone who might be interested in interviewing me about the book (podcast, radio, TV)? I’d love the opportunity, and would be forever grateful!
  • PRAY that the LORD will propel this book into a place of prominence in the Christian fiction marketplace so that I can lead others to think about the real issues of life through these stories.

Thanks for your support, enthusiasm, encouragement, and prayers regarding this project. Your comments are welcome below!

Categories : about the series
Tags : Christian adventure, christian fiction, Christian novel, christian YA, How did I write my book, how to write a book, story ideas
beta reader
Feb 06

BETA READERS: What are they? How did I use them? Lessons learned.

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

BETA READER: It sounds like a science-fiction being from another world…

But it’s really a great strategy for independent or self-published authors to use, in order to get feedback, proofing help, and editorial comments on their book before it actually publishes. It’s also great for promotion… keep reading.

I found out about independent authors leaning on “beta readers,” from being a beta reader for another author, myself. It was a fun process. I read the guy’s book, gave him my comments about it (editorial and proofing), and he was very grateful. I was one of many people who helped him.

His particular book wasn’t the kind of thing I typically read, but it was something I wanted to do so that I could know more about the process and how it works. It was a great learning experience and helped me prep myself for my own beta reader process.

In this post I want to tell you about my experience of recruiting, utilizing, and interacting with beta readers, as well as my lessons learned and mistakes made.

How I found my beta readers

I’ve read other authors, and those in the publishing industry who insist that you have to screen your beta-readers. The main reason they insist on it, is to keep you from wasting your time and interactions. You want people who are serious about reading and serious about helping you tweak your book for the best results. I totally understand that.

They also insist that you need to select people who can help you promote the book effectively, once they are done with the beta reader process. The rationale is that those people who have read your book and have gotten excited about it, are going to be your first “fans.” To take the greatest advantage of those fans (in a good way), you want them to be people of great(er) influence. Wide social media networks and prominent websites would be great avenues for promotion, so you want to find people who have those, and are willing to serve as your beta readers.

But I didn’t do that.

I wasn’t being rebellious or pride-filled (I don’t think), I just didn’t have the time to do that. So here’s what I did… pretty simple, really.

  • I began announcing (on my various blogs and on Facebook and Google+) that I was looking for beta readers. I described the role clearly and asked for volunteers. I wound up with over 20 people. Most of them were very helpful. Some never commented on the book at all. There’s a mistake I made that contributed to that to some degree, though (I think). I’ll cover that a bit later.
  •  I contacted specific people that I wanted to be a beta reader. These included people I respect, people whose opinions about literature I valued, and people who I thought might be able to help me promote the book effectively. From those efforts, I think I only had 2 people (out of 10, or so) who told me they couldn’t or wouldn’t like to do it. Generally, people want to be of help and are just waiting to be asked.

My first mistake

The first issue that came up, was a result of me doing something, well, unwise. I set up my beta reader program to work like this:

  • I enlisted my beta readers while I was still writing the book.
  • I planned, and arranged with them, to send the book out chapter at a time, one per week.

That decision was not a good one. People were too busy, and my life snowballed at one point and I wasn’t very consistent in sending out the chapters, as a result. People lost enthusiasm for the project because they experienced repeated “let downs” when something exciting happened in the story, but then they had to wait a week (sometimes much more) for the next chapter. I think I discouraged and frustrated that first group of volunteers. Not a good thing.

Some of my good decisions

A new beta reader program

I learned from my mistakes, apologized to my first round of beta readers, and invited them to be a part of an “all at once” reading period of two weeks, once the book was completed. Less than half of my original crew agreed to read again. That was a bummer, but it allowed me to do the recruitment again. I got some great readers the second round who were eager to read the book rapidly and give comments. It was a wonderful but intense few weeks. I got so much great information and suggestions about plot, characters, typos, punctuation, etc. It was helpful, and very encouraging.

line numbersLine numbers

I decided to use MS Word’s built-in functionality to create a pdf document of the book to send out to my beta readers. Doing it that way I was able to set up line numbers that ran throughout the book. In my instructions to my readers, I asked them to refer to the specific line number(s) where they saw a problem or typo, as well as a quotation of the sentence where the problem existed. This helped me to hone in on the issues more easily. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to try to process pages of editing suggestions, without line numbers. It would have been miserable. One “glitch” with the line numbers is this: After you begin making edits, the line numbers are going to change. Most of the time you can find the issue within 5 to 10 lines of the referenced line, but other times, you can’t. That leads to my next lesson learned.

Find/replace function

findMS Word also has a wonderful function called “find/replace.” It enables you to search for a particular word, and check for its frequency throughout the entire document. There were times, especially after I’d begun adjusting things, due to editing suggestions I’d already received, when I couldn’t find the exact line number a reader mentioned. Find/replace saved my bacon. It was especially helpful in situations where I had been inconsistent in the spelling of a name or place. I could find and correct those situations with a click of a button.

Don’t let the edits sit

I determined at the outset, when my readers sent me comments, I was going to get to them right away. That way I could avoid the comments and suggestions piling up on me, and could have the opportunity to respond to my readers gratefully when they first send their comments to me. That proved to be a great thing. I was able to have some good conversations (over email) about the book, generate more excitement about it, and solicit testimonials from those readers to put on my website.

Asking beta readers to help publicize

I mentioned this earlier, but it’s important to focus on for a bit. Many of my beta readers have existing or growing web presences and reputations. That is great, because if they like the book and are excited about it, they will be eager to help me promote it when the time comes. Many of my readers have asked me if they can help promote. It’s going to be great when I get there (almost a month away).

Making it easy for readers to share

I’ve created a page on my webpage where my readers can use built-in tools to share about the book. When the time for promotion comes, I’ll point them there and instruct them exactly what I’d like them to do. Remember, they agreed to help promote at the outset, so I’m not pressuring them to do anything they are not expecting. I’ll also send them tools, embedded into an email, to make it easier for them to share about the book directly from their email.

Reviews on Amazon, etc.

I will also be sending my beta readers a request to review the book publicly on Amazon. When I do, I’ll send them a direct link to the review page. Reviews are huge on Amazon, serving to boost the book’s influence and popularity in the search function of the site. Naturally, your beta readers who are excited about your book are going to leave you some great reviews. I know that will be the case for my book because I already have some great “testimonials” that my beta readers have sent me.

Asking your beta readers to refer you

The last thing I’m thinking is this: I’m going to ask my readers to refer me or my book to bloggers, podcasters, other authors, etc., people they think might be interested in doing a book review, interview, Q&A, or whatever. I don’t know the people that my readers know. They may have a connection that will send my book through the stratosphere, simply by reviewing it or interviewing me. I want to take advantage of that possibility (in a good way). I’ll personally ask every one of my beta readers to give that issue some thought, and help me out if they are willing and able.

That’s it… so far. I’m not done with the process. The book will release on Amazon March 15, 2014, so I’ll be updating the progress as time goes on.

Thanks for your support, interest, and partnership. It’s been a wild ride so far.

Categories : the writing process
Tags : beta reader, beta reader program, how to use beta readers, managing beta readers
ywriter
Jan 21

Novel editing software, writing, and what I found that works for me (and it’s FREE)

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 

Novel editing software – there is such a thing.

I’ve had some folks ask me some “technical” stuff about the writing process. They want to know if I’m using MS Word or something else to do my writing.

The answer is, I began with Word but became frustrated very quickly. Cut and paste is not good for chapters, scenes, etc. because it becomes increasingly difficult to find the right location for your “cut” text as the manuscript gets longer.

So I went looking for software that was custom built for writers.

I found what seems to be the industry standard – Scrivener – but it cost $40. Yeah, I know, it’s not very much… but I like to go FREE if at all possible. So I kept looking.

That’s when I found yWriter – a FREE novel editing software designed for novel writers. It’s from www.spacejock.com. Below is a quick video I shot to show you the program and how I used it. It’s really an amazing tool that I couldn’t do without.

Categories : the writing process
Tags : free novel software, novel editing software, ywriter
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