>Another discussion of the Faith in Fiction board deals with "safe" fiction.I'm of the opinion that Christians can write "safe" fiction, but they ought not feel obligated to avoid certain words or situations--if those words or situations are necessary for effectively telling the story. They need to tell the story truly and for God's glory.I … Continue reading >"Safe" fiction

>Can all good fiction be defined as Christian? That's the discussion on the Faith in Fiction discussion board today.I prefer not to compartmentalize fiction into Christian and non-Christian categories. I would rather think in terms of the worldview reflected by the author.I'm of the opinion that there's a difference between good and excellent fiction. Good … Continue reading >Excellence

>Yesterday I received a gift. While I was showering, I had an idea for a short story. I got dressed and--since my computer was already turned off--I grabbed a notebook, sat down with wet hair, and wrote over 900 words of a short story.Once in a while, some poetry or a story idea will come … Continue reading >The Gift

>This morning I've been working on a poem called "Fine Line" that's about the delicate balance between genious and insanity. It seems to be a fine line that many writers have crossed, if the high incidence of suicide among highly creative types is any indication (Hemingway, London, Plath, and a host of others).The instructor for … Continue reading >Fine Line

>Latin is a language of great economy. Strunk and White probably loved it; it omits unnecessary words. It not only dispenses with articles, but it also avoids all kinds of conjunctions. Its participles exemplify its terseness. A two-word Latin participle is often best translated as a new clause containing several words. Dale Grote calls it … Continue reading >Latin

>The concept of balance has occupied my mind a lot lately. I not only balance many different commitments, but I have also been contemplating balance in genre and register. Why must a writer be fenced into either a fiction or non-fiction track? Isn't it possible for someone to write well in both genres? I know … Continue reading >Balance

>My dream has never been to write the Great American Novel. My dream has always been to write the covertly Christian Great American Novel, and to write it with literary excellence.On the off chance that the above statement may lead some of my many readers to question what I mean by "covertly Christian" and "literary … Continue reading >Covert Christianity

>In all my courses on poetry and all the books I've read on writing poetry, I had never run across the term centro until yesterday. Apparently a centro is a type of poem constructed entirely of borrowings from other poems. My current creative writing assignment is to write a centro based on borrowings from assigned … Continue reading >Assigned Plagiarism

>One of the most difficult things about blogging is to keep the writing from degenerating into a self-centered whine. Especially when one is hosting a bridal shower on Saturday afternoon and organizing a family reunion for Saturday evening. Yes, the same Saturday. And, yes, there is a reason. But somehow, right now, the reason doesn't … Continue reading >Do Not Panic

>When it comes to the sins of the children, there's a paradox in parenting. Part of what upsets a parent who views sinful behavior in a child, especially an adult child, is the surprise. The parent has tried to inculcate godly beliefs and behaviors and seems, for the most part, to have succeeded. That flash … Continue reading >Mirrored Sin