I’ve been thinking of writing a novel after I retire. I’ve never written anything before. What advice would you give me?

First, to realize it will not be as easy as you’re thinking. To do it well will require a great deal of work and experience and feedback in developing a God-given talent—assuming God has given you that talent or aptitude in the first place, which is a BIG assumption. (On what do you base it? Given their thousands of good alternatives, why should anyone read a book you write? What power and excellence and uniqueness will your book offer?)

Some writers I know were discussing this recently and one of them used a good illustration. A neurosurgeon might ...

How long does it take you to create a fictional character?

Minor characters come quickly, usually, as they may have only a few distinguishable features. You usually don’t need to develop them too much, though you can certainly make them memorable. Major characters are different, because they must be complex, with depth and substance. You don’t want them to disappear when they turn sideways. The bad guys must be in some ways sympathetic, the good guys must be flawed.

How did you come up with the idea for Deadline?

Question from a reader:

I am an 8th grade student and my teacher has assigned us a reading project about any book of our choice. I have chosen to read your book Deadline. I am not the kind of person who enjoys reading very much, but your book has really caught my attention. As part of my assignment, I would like to ask you how did you come up with the idea for this story?

Help for Writers: Liz Curtis Higg’s Encouragement for Aspiring Writers

If you love to write and long to get published, here are a few tips to help you along your path toward publication.

The first step to getting published is becoming the very best writer you can be—obvious, I know, but it's the unavoidable truth (that is sometimes avoided!). Writing is both calling and craft. Once your calling is sure, it’s time to work on craft, those skills that always need improvement, even after a person is published many times over.

My own writer’s journey is so typical, I hope you won’t mind if I ...

How can I write an informative and challenging book?

Question from a reader:

I’m writing a book that I hope will both inform and challenge Christians. How do I speak the truth to people about this subject without coming across as condescending?

Answer from Randy Alcorn:

Something to watch for is whether you're tending to go over-the-top in your persuasion. While this style is appealing in that you're going for the jugular and laying the cards on the table, at the same time it could be argued, “Challenge your reader, but don't insult him.” Calling him stupid may be stating the truth, but it lacks ...

The Promise of Heaven: Stories behind the photos (video)

Randy Alcorn speaks with photographer John MacMurray about the stories behind some of his photos that were used in The Promise of Heaven.

Bring Me the Books

I am absolutely convinced that the books one reads possibly help mold one’s life more purposefully and eternally than we ever realize, and that it is the humiliation of the word in our time that has beggared us more than any other factor.

Budding Author Questionnaire

Tips from James Scott Bell and some writing friends.

1. What training does a career in writing require?

Mostly it is SELF training. You must teach yourself to write. You can read good books on writing, take courses, go to writing conferences, etc. But the most important thing you must do is WRITE, each day if possible, and APPLY what you are learning. You learn by writing, trying, seeing where you need to improve, and writing some more. There is no shortcut.

In college I wrote to an author I admired asking some of these same questions. He wrote back ...

What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

I enjoy hanging out with Nanci, my wife, and our kids and grandkids. I coach high school guys tennis, so I play three or four times a week. Running around on the tennis court with seventeen-year-olds is a great way to get exercise (I’m the singles coach, and we’ve won the district championship four years in a row, which is fun.) I love investing in the lives of these young men. I’ve had wonderful opportunities with them. Many of them read my books and we talk about them, and about the Lord. Just yesterday I gave one ...

When you write, do you try to work each day until you’re “done,” or do you have certain hours or a daily word count goal?

I have no certain hours or word count as a goal. Once I get going on the writing, which is always a monumental struggle because of all the other things vying for my attention, I work until my brain shuts down, or my fingers stop moving on the keyboard. This is the sign that I’m done. Often I work very late, into the wee hours of the morning.