~Wordsmithy Giveaway~

Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life by Douglas Wilson

Canon Press 2011

Mandatory Entry 

1. Leave a comment describing why you write and/or think writing is important. 

Additional Entries 

2. Follow the Erratic Muse.

3. Share the news on Facebook or your blog with a link back to The Erratic Muse. 

4. Share the single most important thing you've learned while writing.

5. Share the title of your favorite book on writing. 

Be sure to leave a comment for each individual entry!

This giveaway will end on May 29th.

My rough draft deadline of my current writing struggle.

See Wordsmithy review. 

This is a writing book for anyone who uses words and language. :-)

2012 Wordsmithy Conference

Moscow, Idaho

Why Christians must write and what they must write about.

A lecture from Doug Wilson

from the 2011 Wordsmithy.

Wordsmithy - Doug Wilson

Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life by Douglas Wilson

Canon Press 2011



Rating: 9
Readability: 9
Impact: We shall see!
Recommend it: Yes. Even if you only write for necessity.






What to Expect

Doug Wilson attacks the craft head on...by addressing the craftsman. Wordsmithy discusses how to be a person with your head on right--how to be a good writer not just good at writing.

The book is divided into seven tips with seven sub-tips, "a veritable Russian doll," as he puts it. From living to reading, from mechanics to language, from lousiness to skill, from sketching to stretching, Wilson moves with light-hearted seriousness from topic to topic while demonstrating his own subject matter.

Each portion has a bolded take-away-point and various recommended books (which I can't wait to attack). It spares no words, but at the same time feels slightly rollicking. Between the style and organization, the book is good for taking notes or glancing to refresh or re-inspire. Be careful if you're reading in a quiet library. You will laugh at some point or other.


My Squib

I started through for the third time to take notes and found myself writing down something out of almost every paragraph. This review has been in progress since the first week of January... My blog life is in ruins. ;-) But I'm glad I'm finishing now after reading it a few more times...

When I started Wordsmithy I was trying to make some heavy decisions about teaching, life, and all that. I think I could rightly blame chapter one for the mess of algebra and Latin I'm in. Wilson gives a strong argument for living like a human and tackling the difficult, and not just the difficult directly related to writing.

I had to explain enough chuckles that I ended up reading large portions out-loud. Also wonderful.

In short, Wordsmithy makes me want every soul to be a writer so I can force this book into their hands and head. But perhaps the rest of you already know all this stuff and don't need the encouragement and fun. :-)

Even so... there will be a giveaway of this slight tome happening here abouts. Watch carefully.

From the Book

These are all from the first chapter. You'll have to discover the rest for yourself. :-)

"Real life duties should be preferred over real life tourism. You are learning about the world and the people in it, about whom you will write, and you are learning how to do your job in the service of others, which is what you need to continue to do as you undertake the writing life. Knowledge of how to do your duty in one area transfers readily to another area."

"Live Ovid said, it is an art to conceal art, and I would add that it is art to half conceal the deep message. True artists know how to do this deftly, and message-mongers do not. But doing it deftly and with wisdom should never be confused with not doing it at all."

This quote is particularly good for me-
"If you enjoy living, you will enjoy writing about it. And if you enjoy writing about it, the chances are greatly increased that the readers will enjoying reading it."

"Love what you observe, love what you write, and love those who wrote it."

Book Addictions

I'm writing from Boise, because life ran away with me again. :-)

Did you know Borders is going out of business? Two book stores with sales in one day. Bad for my health (aka checkbook). But I did get some good books I've been wanting for a long time. :-)

Including Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee and The First Five Pages (both of which I've been wanting forever!).

By the way, the Next Generation Writer's Conference was amazing. :-) More writing stuff coming up...

Farewell,
Bethany

Book Covers

Recently I've been cooling my brain off from book edits thinking about book covers.

The working title of my book is Called to be Fruitful Now: A Mission for Young Women. It's a short Bible study on the calling of young ladies. My basic goal is to emphasis that we all have an intense job in every time of life, and that being a fruitful, productive, and serious Christian starts on day one.

I could go a lot of directions with the cover.

Books we've done in the past have always had comb bindings and watercolor artwork. I like it, but since my book is shorter I want a half page perfect binding look.
I also think my sister is going to do a photography cover. She'll to do an awesome job and Daniel will do a wonderful job with the lettering/formatting aspect.

I just want something that makes you curious.
I want it to be happy and colorful, but at the same time down-to-earth and gritty. I don't want it to be at all romantic. I want it to be very much hear and now...a modern girl in a modern world.

We've thought about a tree or blossoms or something, but that doesn't really get my idea across.

It would be very cool to do something with a girl and a tree. Sort of a "Eve in the Garden" look except the opposite. Have no clue how to do that.

The only option we've brainstormed at the moment that I even slightly like is a girl sort of hanging from a tree limb. lol. :-P

Have any ideas about book covers? What makes them good?

Thanks for reading my discombobulated thoughts.
Miss Pickwickian

Deep Comedy - Peter J. Leithart

Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, & Hope in Western Literature by Peter J. Leithart

Canon Press

This is another book I am totally unqualified to review. I'm going to try anyways because I want you to be inspired to read it. (If you haven't...I know I'm always shamefully behind.:-)

It's quite simply amazing.

We had a wonderful Sunday school class talking through David Bentley Hart's book on beauty. Deep Comedy was mentioned and I knew I wanted to read it. :-) I have an awesome mama and a brother who works at a book store, so it was diligently acquired. Thanks Mama! I know your going to like it as soon as you get done with Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl...already. ;-)

This book was both easier and harder than I anticipated.
Easier because Leithart is a gifted and hard working genius and can make the difficult clear and direct so people like me can understand.

Harder because I'm not very sharp and don't know very much about many of the people and stories he mentions.

Still, I could understand the concepts he was writing, even if I didn't always understand the people he was quoting or arguing against. I never felt completely lost, just vaguely stupid.

I loved the book. It wasn't a hard read. I read all but the last 10 pages in two sittings and I'll want to read it again.

It's direct and eye opening. It is laced with good humor (I literally LOLed in several parts). It is a book about story and about hope. By the end I was feeling disgustingly cheerful. :-) It was amazing.

Since I know I'll fail at trying to paraphrase I strongly suggest you pick the book up yourself. It's only 157 pages. Anyone can manage that.

Leithart crams a lot in. I really can't begin to summarize. He gave me a whole new dimension to understanding the way our faith in the Trinity shapes our world view. He gave me a clearer understanding of story and all that goes along with it. It was simply thrilling. :-)

I know I'm raving now, so I'm going to move on.

Here are two of my favorite quotes...

"If the Gospel is true, if new life was unleashed in the world on Easter morning, then we would expect there to be some signs that this is the case."

Unleashed. I love that. How often do we think of new life as unleashed?

"Satan digs a pit for the merry, but Satan falls into the very pit of merriment. And it tortures him forever."

And here was a quote that really got me thinking...

"Christian literature not only produces deep comedy but also, and for precisely that reason, deep tragedy. Christian tragedy can no longer mean what ancient tragedy meant. There are still sad stories, but Christians cannot believe the world is a sad story without abandoning their fundamental convictions about the triune God and the incarnation of the Son. So I should add to this book a companion book on deep tragedy."

I hope he does.

I particularly liked what he said about Christian tragedies. It seems like too much modern Christian thinking tries to ignore sad stories because it spooks them. We know that life isn't a tragedy but sometimes we can't understand why tragedies happen. We try to ignore them so we write fuzzy feel good fiction or try to shelter ourselves from reality.

He also mentions in passing that many "Christian" tragedy's are even sadder because there was an unrealized hope of redemption.

This helped me understand myself in relations to The Mayor of Casterbridge. I'm not sure where Thomas Hardy was when he wrote it. I know he was bi-polar when it came to his "faith" but I think the movie gives an interesting interpretation. It is so extremely sad because there was hope of redemption. He could have turned around.

Like Saul, which he resembles, Henchard is given a good life (numerous times) and good friends, but because of his sin and pride he will not repent and be reconciled. And it's absolutely, terribly heart rending!

The story is not meaningless. It is not a story meant to depress you. It shows the stupidness of sin. The depravity of man. But also the mercy of God. Henchard is blessed over and over again, he just never gets it.

And in the end the long-suffering daughter gets a good life with a righteous man (whatever is ultra-weird, irrational behavior towards woman comes in).

My conclusion seemed to be this-- Christian stories can be sad (even sadder then non-Christian) but they can not be ultimately depressing.

I know I'm not explaining this very well, but it helped things line up in my mind...

Okay, one last quote (sorry about the longness, but it's worth it).

"The conclusion of the matter is this: for the ancients, for the moderns, and for postmoderns, human existence is fundamentally tragic. The world is built for tragedy. As a matter of sheer observation, we all die, and this is one of the few things that can be guaranteed about life. Time marches toward death and in the end we all die. Change can perhaps be good, but change is ultimately decay, because in the end we all die. Desire is either fulfilled in the motionless statis that might as well be death, or is never fulfilled leaving us frustereated, and in the end we all die. Law gives a semblance of order to the process of decay and the forces of chaos, but law is uncertain, and in the end we all die.
With their tragic narratives of human history, Hesiod and Ovid give mythical expressions to the story of the world that ancient, modern, and postmodern all tell.

Apart from the Gospel, what other story is there?"

I consider this book invaluable to readers, writers, and Christians.

Now, if you haven't, go read it. :-)

Thanks for reading.
Miss Pickwickian

Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Anchor Books a division of Random House

Rating: 8+

Readability: I thought it was very captivating.

Impact: I'm hoping it will greatly improve my writing.

Read it Again: Yes!

Recommend It: See review....

What to Expect

Anne Lamott gives priceless advice on the craft and life of a writer in a funny, sometimes cynical, manner.

My Squib

I've heard a lot of people rave about this book. I bought it in August, but I've been saving it.

On Tuesday I packed it in my computer bag, checked in at the PDX airport, climbed into a monstrous paper-towel tube, became airborne, and read for 5 hours strait.

There were a million awesome things about this book. I loved her style, most of her cynical humor, her perspective on writing and life, and all the writer's wisdom she had to offer. I certainly think it is an amazing (almost a must read) book for aspiring writers. Even if your not a writer, you'll enjoy it.

However, some of her world view is plain messed up. The book is not completely clean so be warned. She comes across as a bitter (almost anti-authority) and angry, and she's quite proud of it. She certainly doesn't seem to be interested in maturity.

So, it's an amazing book. Many of the chapters could stand alone beautifully. But keep your eyes open to when her odd outlook sneaks in.

I loved most of it. I'll be reading it again at a slower pace in a year or so. :-)
It has a lot to learn from and is an excellent encouragement and motivator.

Plus, the format of this book and the texture of the cover are yummy.

Thank you to all those who kept recommending it to me!

From the Book

Plot grows out of character. If you focus on who the people in your story are, if you sit and write about two people you know and are getting to know better day by day, something is bound to happen."

You are going to have to give and give and give, or there's no reason for you to be writing. You have to give from the deepest part of yourself, and you are going to have to go on giving, and the giving is going to be its own reward. There is no cosmic importance to your getting something published, but there is in learning to be a giver.

"So why our writing matter again?" they ask.

Because of spirit, I say. Because of heart.

Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored.

We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on the ship.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

On Writing Well - William Zinsser

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser

30th Anniversary Edition

Harper Collins

A friend had been telling me about this book, but I was turned off by the "nonfiction" in the title.
I did some research. Zinsser's book has survived through 7 editions and over 30 years. With is active pursuit and passion for better prose in America, he has effected hundreds of writers. He stands by old styles as well as experiencing new ways of writing and teaching. I decided it was pretty dumb of me not to find out what he had to say. :-)

My friend graciously loaned it to me. Thanks Shay!

This book is excellent for both non-fiction and fiction writers. He's a little condescending to fiction at times. If you can forgive him, the things he has to say can greatly improve your fiction writing.

The first two sections of the book (Principles and Methods) were some of the most direct and obviously applicable writing guidelines I've heard.

I think all fiction writers should also know how to write clear non-fiction. Even if they didn't, this can help with any sort of writing.

(Obviously it hasn't helped much with my review...I feel like I'm blithering.)

The idea that probably effected me the most was what he said about writing simply. We should write simply (not stupidly, but directly) and to do so, we must know how to think simply. This was a big idea for me. Sometimes I like to just wonder about something. (Which is probably good about some things.) But we should learn how to think directly about complicated issues too.

This made me think of G.K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis. They tackle hard subjects and make them simple and direct. That's why they are so quotable.

I also thought of Elisabeth Elliot and some other contemporary authors.

They reach the audiences because of their simply, directness.

It gave me a lot to think about...hopefully, simply. ;-)

Here are a few quotes....

"Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in the moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it's because it is hard."

"Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is."

"You learn to write by writing. It's a truism, but what makes it a truism is that it's true. The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis."

I have a lot of non-fiction writing projects and this inspired me and directed me.

I highly, highly recommend it for any person wanting to write anything. :-)

I'll be hosting a giveaway soon that will include this book.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Getting Into Character - Brandilyn Collins

Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors by Brandilyn Collins
Wiley

Rating: 8
Readability: 7- It took me longer then most writing books simply because I needed to keep stopping and applying it.

Impact: I hope very high. Hopefully it will show in my writing!

Read it Again: Yes. It's an excellent reference book and I would probably benefit from going strait through a couple more times.
Recommend it: Yes.

What to Expect

Brandilyn Collins delves into different stages of bringing out character and understanding people.

She bases her seven points on the great Constantin Stanislavsky's books on acting.

My Squib

I really enjoyed this book, partly because it was just amazing for building characters and partly because it was explores human character and the way we think.

I especially appreciated what she taught about subtexting and inner rhythm. She uses examples from well known books to illustrate her points, which really helped me actually understand the concepts.

The only thing I didn't like was wordiness and sometimes she had some sort of unnecessary content.

I don't always agree with every little thing she said, but it always made me think. An extremely good book if you are interested in writing or just what goes on and the human head and how it translates into actions. I highly recommend it.

She has an amazing list of writing books in the back with short, explanatory squibs. More to add to my list of book wants. ;-)

From the Book

"The novelist's challenge of 'getting into character' is indeed never-ending.

Ultimate characterization is an art that requires our lifetime pursuit--a pursuit that rests upon fervent, continual studying and recording of the human condition. When we blend new observations with those techniques that we've borrowed from our acting cousins, we will continue to see fresh, vibrant life breathed into our characters.

Even more important, we'll learn about ourselves--

Which leads to greater understanding of character--

And the cycle goes on."

Let me know what you thought if you read it. Do you have any favorite character books?
Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Writing and Reading

This last week we had a three day writing and planning trip. I was able to get a lot done and it helped me refocus and work out some concrete goals. Very productive.

Besides writing, obviously, I got a lot of reading done. I'm hopelessly behind in reviews, so here are a few quick squibs.





I finished His Rules by Christopher L. Burge & Pamela Toussaint.


This book was an extremely good one that really covers any age or predicament for someone who is single.




Really enjoyed it and it was an easy read. The main thing that bothered me was their use of the MSG and sometimes their strange use of Scripture totally out of context...but really, an excellent book!

You can read my sister's squib on it here.

I read two Elie Wiesel novels, which I have mixed feelings about... I felt like his writing style wasn't as deep as Night. (If that makes any sense.) Of course, his personal memoir will probably remain the deepest.





I also think that because he wrote these novels in French (at least not his first or second or third language) which was then translated to English by two different translators, they might have lost some of their potency.
Night was written in Yiddish and the version I read was translated to English by his wife. I imagine she probably has a better understanding of what he wanted to say then a normal translator.

Interesting and thought provoking, but certainly not easy, warm-fuzzy reads.

I finished On Writing by Stephen King. I had some extremely mixed feelings about it. I would not recommend it because of language and crudeness, which is really to bad because King has a lot of excellent things to say about writing.





Books on writing are written by writers who feel like writing about writing. Duh? Yes, but I have a point.
I think these writers in general tend to be plot-first novelist and learn a certain way (I know I'm greatly generalizing here, but this has been my experience.) They don't cover everything.

I honestly don't think Stephen King would have woken up one morning thinking he'd love to write a book on writing. His publisher or agent told him to.

He has a unique perspective and writes from the hip, which is something most writers that have written books on writing don't do. He actually bashes plotting (which I do not entirely agree with). He emphasises more of the feel and rhythm of writing.

While I didn't agree with some of what he said I could feel the balance this book helped me take. I was very inspired to write and it felt more carefree again.

I know a lot of this book was things I needed to hear. Unfortunately some of it was things I really didn't need to hear too. So...yeah, what a bummer to have objectionable content in such a good book!

One specific thing he talked about was writing as telepathy, which was something I'd never heard before.

Here are a few quotes. There was so many good ones, but I'm only including two.

"All arts depend upon telepathy to some degree, but I believe that writing offers the purest distillation. Perhaps I'm prejudiced, but even if I am we may as well stick with writing, since it's what we came her to think about."

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut."





I read The Chosen by Chaim Potok which is something that has been sitting on my desk-shelf for some time. Mama has been telling me for awhile that I would like this book and I've finally got around to reading it!




We were able to watch a live play version earlier this year, which was very good and already gave me a grasp of the story. Reading this book was certainly an interesting experience.

I'll be giving this novel it's own post soon. :-)



So, yeah. That's what I've been doing.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

One Winner...and a Bunch of Losers

You know, I really wish you all could win. This book is so amazing and I want you all to have it! If you didn't win, which most of you didn't, I strongly suggest buying the book. If that means eating beans and potatoes for the next month...it will be well worth it. ;-) Order The Art and Craft of Christian Fiction on Amazon Order the Art and Craft of Christian Fiction directly from Marcher Lord Press When you read it, let me know what you think. :-) Now to business. I hope you've all be waiting expectantly. Thank you to all those who entered! We had 83 entries, 82 of which did not get picked. Sorry guys, but thank you for your support and help in spreading the word. The randomly selected winning number was... Entry 75 - Shayleen at She Drinks Coffee at Midnight (If you all did not skip directly to this declaration, I am extremely proud of you.)

Shayleen, I hope this is a great encouragement to you and really helps you advance in fiction writing.
I shall be contacting you personally very soon! :-)
Congratulations!

For all of you who are not Shayleen. Sorry. But it's not to late to win a giveaway and an awesome book!
Rosanne E Lortz, authoress, is giving away a signed copy of her historical fiction work, I Serve. Check it out. Entry is easy!

Special thanks to all of you who posted about the giveaway on your blog or placed my link in your sidebar. It is greatly appreciated.

If you write a blog that relates to anything I type here and feel the urge, please contact me about trading links. You can email me at pickwickian.forever(at)gmail(dot)come.

Thanks again,
Miss Pickwickian

P.S. I have no idea what is going on with formating. I've tried to make this post pretty a hundred times, but it's time to move on. I have been beaten.

Book Giveaway!

The time has come!

The Book: The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction by Jeff Gerke
Value: $15.29 (based on Amazon)
When: August 21st-September 10th
How to Enter:
1. Comment on this Post
2. Become a follower of The Erratic Muse (or already be one).
3. Post about the giveaway on your blog
4. Post the giveaway in your sidebar on your blog
Then comment and tell me what you did. Thanks!

More about this book:

My Review

Some Quotes from the Book

Amazon Reviews

About Jeff Gerke

Back cover...

"Jeff Gerke is so full of great writing advice that you just want to beat him up."
~Randall Ingermanson, "The Snowflake Guy"

Artist and Craftsman--as a Christian novelist, you're both.

You know the soaring creativity of the Creator and the serious discipline of the artisan. And you feel the impulse to excel in each.

So grab a steaming mug of your favorite hot drink and come learn the art and craft of Christian fiction from one of its master teachers.

You'll learn:

• How to find your story amidst all your ideas
• How to bring your characters onstage the first time
• How to convert your telling to showing
• How to handle profane characters in Christian fiction
• How to use the dumb puppet trick
• How to write for the (approving) Audience of One
• And much more.

The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction is the complete school of fiction from Jeff Gerke, popular writer's conference teacher, professional book doctor, and Christian novelist. It includes and expands upon his influential Fiction Writing Tip of the Week column at WhereTheMapEnds.com.


If you have any more questions, feel free to go ahead an contact me. My email is Pickwickian.Forever(at)gmail.com

I am very eager to get this book in the hands of more aspiring authors!

Please tell your friends about this giveaway! Spread the word to the writers for the world.
And thanks for participating,
Miss Pickwickian

The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction - Jeff Gerke

The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction: The Complete Guide to Finding Your Story, Honing Your Skills, & Glorifying God in Your Novel by Jeff Gerke
Marcher Lord Press 2009


Rating: 9
Readability: 9
Impact: 10

Read it Again: I should refer to it every day. ;-)
Recommend it: YES!


What to Expect

The title is pretty self explanatory. :-)

Very applicable, funny, engaging, and practical this is probably the most influential writing book I've read (and I collect them).
Jeff Gerke is organized and direct, tackling difficult topics. This is a book for the twenty-first century! So much of Christian writing is riddled with problems or preachiness. Lets dig it out and have it lead the way, not follow the pack.
(There is some great Christian fiction out there, don't get me wrong!)

There is wisdom for newbie and experienced writers from beginning of the idea to the publication of the novel.

The book is divided into three sections.
Part 1: The Spiritual Heart of Writing Christian Fiction
Part 2: Strategizing Yourself, Strategizing Your Novel
Part 3: Writing Your Novel
Each of these sections is broken up into what he calls "Masteries", basically points, skills, or aspects to get under your belt.

My Squib

Loved this book! Can't recommend it enough.
It had so much I needed and was ready to hear. I'm extremely eager to apply it. He's directness and humor really made it an amazing read.

The only thing that slowed me down at all was the fact that he uses Star Wars for so many examples. Nothing wrong with that. Time for a confession...I've never watched Star Wars. So, yeah, sometimes I was lost.
He also uses "she" most of the time instead of "him". Just throws me off.

Confession number two...I had this book recommended to me before but I didn't buy it. And it was a pretty lame reason. The cover.
First, the capitalization oddities through me off, and then the color (orange is not my fav...but it sure looks nice with my blog, doesn't it?), and then the cup of dark liquid. I have mild allergies to chocolate and coffee, so seeing something so tasty on a book cover I couldn't have made me sad.
Lesson = I was dumb.

Read the book! It is AMAZING!

From the Book

"What you want is a reader who is so into the story that she forgets she's reading words and turning pages. You want her breathlessly moving beyond the sentences and directly onto the front row of the story. Your words cease to be ends in and of themselves and instead become the vehicle that conveys her into the reality you've created."

"Writing fiction is pretty much the coolest job in the world. And writing Christian fiction takes a cool job and turns it into a ministry and privileged. To serve God by imagining wonderful story people and telling amazing tales of adventure, woe, romance, and truth.
It doesn't get any better than that."

Look back for the give away of this awesome book!

More on Character...

So, if you've been around you know I've been thinking about characters and character development. (See Character vs. Plot.)

I've also been reading Jeff Gerke's amazing book The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction. He's had some excellent chapters on character.
As a self proclaimed plot-first writer he starts and the basics and really gets into the depths of character creation. It has really made me think. I believe I've found some of the weak points in mine and its helping me mend them.

Here are some really cool quotes out of the book...

"Long after we forget the good feelings a work of fiction produces in us, after we forget the great special effects or the magnificent cinematography or the stirring soundtrack, we are left with the resonance of great characters.
Strong, believable, fully realized characters will make your fiction memorable. Even if you have the most brilliant premise and the best craftsmanship and the most wonderful cover design in the world, what will separate your fiction from the pack will be your characters."

"The only thing that will make your fiction endure will be excellent characters."

~The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction by Jeff Gerke


I'm going to do a give-a-way of this book, so check back. :-)
Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian