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Jump-Starting Your Creativity

Hi, Dave Fessenden here for a discussion on creativity and idea implementation.

There’s an old story that a beginning writer once asked a veteran author how he kept coming up with writing ideas. The veteran grabbed the young man by the shoulders, shook him fervently, and said with a tone of desperation, “How do you stop coming up with ideas?!”

Are You Stuck? Be Counterintuitive!

Hi, Dave Fessenden here to talk to you writers out there for this Friday’s blog. One of the most painful experiences a writer can have is the feeling that your writing instincts have betrayed you. You encounter a writing problem, such as a nonfiction concept that seems to defy explanation, or a fictional character that is hard to describe. All your standard, tried-and-true writing techniques seem to fall flat, leaving you frustrated.

While it often helps to set this kind of problem aside for a few days, if you are on a deadline you may not have that luxury. Even worse is when you have set it aside, and still cannot make it work. At that point it is probably time to be counterintuitive.

What to Do with a First Draft

Hi, Dave Fessenden here to talk to you writers out there for this Friday’s blog. If you have completed your first draft, let me be the first to say it: Congratulations! Go ahead and celebrate. Bask in the glow of accomplishment. Take the tribe out for a nice dinner.

Are you done celebrating now? Good, because you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you!

Are You a Scribe of the Kingdom?

Hi, writers! Dave Fessenden here to ask you a question: Are you a scribe of the Kingdom?

Tucked away in the last chapter of Romans is a seemingly obscure verse: “I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord” (16:22).

Tertius was a scribe, and the ministry he performed was an important one. Though his function was little more than that of a secretary, Tertius stands as an example to Christian writers: he faithfully committed to paper the things he heard from the Apostle Paul.

The Safire Principle—or, How to Avoid Head-Scratching

Hi, folks, Dave Fessenden here with a bit of writing advice, brought to you by my friend Steve Dunham.

A brilliant veteran of the publishing world, Steve has edited books, magazines, newsletters, and even technical manuals, bringing a fresh wind of clarity into the morass of modern verbiage. I often consult him when I am stuck on an editorial issue, and he never fails to help.

I recently brought the following conundrum to him, a problem that (surprisingly) I had never encountered before. An author had just sent me a manuscript with this phrase: “Matthew 6:14–16 define . . .”

 

Fail Your Way to Success

Hi, Dave Fessenden here with some thoughts on writing for this Friday blog. Right now, I’m working on the sequel to my first novel (The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy), and having to remind myself of some of the things I’ve told others about writer’s block.

One thing I’ve learned about tackling a new project is this: don’t expect to succeed.

 

Go Back to Your Roots

Hi, Dave Fessenden here, with something for you Christian writers out there to ponder. Have you ever thought about the roots of your writing? No, don’t go out in the back yard with a shovel (unless maybe you buried a manuscript out there!). I’m talking about the chronological roots of the material you write.

 

Backstory Is a Whole Other Story

Hi, Dave Fessenden here with some thoughts on writing for this Friday blog.

I am experienced in nonfiction—I wrote a book on the subject, in fact—but when it comes to fiction, I still have a lot to learn. My first novel is coming out this month (The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy), and though I’m getting a lot of good reviews, I am not sure I’m ready to teach about fiction.

With that disclaimer, let me share an observation I had when reviewing a potential client’s fiction manuscript.

Tips From the Pros: David E. Fessenden

Greetings from Colorado this colorful season. Davalynn Spencer here to introduce David E. Fessenden, author, editor, and teacher.

Welcome, David. Tell us how you got into writing?

I have always loved words and been good at expressing myself in written form. So when I prayed about what major to pursue in college, I sensed God saying, “How about a writer?” and so I studied journalism.

Are You Stretching Yourself?

Hi, Dave Fessenden here, with a question for my fellow Christian writers: Are you stretching yourself? There are many times in my ministry as a Christian writer in which I feel like I’m becoming stagnant, like I’m writing with my eyes closed. When I feel that way, I try to counteract it by delving into a genre of writing with which I am unfamiliar. Though this is hard, it can be be a great growing experience.

No, I don’t always come up with something publishable that way, but that’s OK; the purpose of the exercise is not to produce great writing, but to retrain your writing muscles in a new way — to stretch yourself.