Resources by Topic: Writing

Randy Alcorn answers the question, "How did your study of Heaven influence the scenes in your novel?"

First of all, go to any Christian bookstore and look in the front of books related to the subject you’re writing on and gather names and addresses of the publishers you want to pursue. I suggest you send two or three sample chapters, not the whole book.

I spent a lot of time with black men and women in the background research for Dominion, relying heavily on their personal accounts and paying particular attention to the recurring stories.

It’s true that those with gang and other criminal backgrounds who wish to become cops go through a lot of screening and probation and often outright rejection, but in fact a number of ex-gang members do become cops, including gang specialists.

As long as people know that fiction is fiction, we shouldn’t apologize for using our God-given imaginations to create worlds for characters to inhabit, and for readers to enjoy and learn from.

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.

Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to get something professionally published. In fact, one publisher recently told us they don’t even accept unsolicited manuscripts any longer, they simply mail them back unopened. 

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.

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?

Much of the confusion about what will take place in heaven is because most people don't think of heaven as the "New Earth." It's on the new earth that we will do earthly things. Unless teaching and writing are evil (part of the curse) or scripture says there will be no teaching or writing on the new earth, then there will be. Human beings who have bodies do things to the glory of God such as eat, drink, talk, think, communicate, rest, work, etc. so there would be writing books, reading books and teaching.

I learned to love reading through comic books Archie and Richie, Rich and Marvel (esp. Fantastic Four). But I was a DC fan, my favorites being The Justice League of America (Green Lantern was my hero) and The Legion of Super Heroes (go, Lightning Lad). From there I dove into science fiction and fantasy, spending my nights looking through my telescope, then coming to bed freezing cold and reading science fiction by flashlight under my covers, so Mom wouldn’t see the light on. I vividly remember forty years ago looking through the kids fiction section in the local ...

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

Like most authors, I receive a fair number of letters dealing with fine points of grammar, and whether a word I’ve used actually qualifies as a word.

Something to watch for is whether you're tending to go over-the-top in your persuasion.