On The Back Cover 2
E. Stephen Burnett, Mar 29, 2012
Do you ever pick up a good-looking novel to read its back cover, and find only endorsements? I prefer reading something about the actual story.
Done To Death: Who Are We Trying To Reach?
John Otte, Mar 28, 2012
Who is it that actually reads Christian fiction? I’ll give you a hint by re-asking the question: Who is it that actually reads CHRISTIAN fiction? I know, it’s a stumper.
Not A Waste Of Time
Rachel Starr Thomson, Mar 23, 2012
I wasted my childhood. Also the first half of my teenage years. At least, I thought I did. After all, practically all I did for all those years was read fiction.
Speculative Death: Death on Hold
Fred Warren, Mar 20, 2012
I planned to culminate my series on the topic of death in speculative fiction this week with a discussion of the various approaches to life after death, but for a variety of reasons, I don’t have it in me to write that […]
Spec-Faith Flashback: Jill Williamson
Jill Williamson, Mar 16, 2012
From our archives: Author Jill Williamson recalls how she actually wrote her YA sci-fi novel “Replication” before her fantasy “Blood of Kings” series.
Sex In The Story 6: Heroes and Heroines
E. Stephen Burnett, Mar 15, 2012
Amidst belching sitcom dads, raging feminists, over-angsty teen-boy “chosen ones,” or inhuman “warrior princesses,” we find God-glorifying men and women in many stories. Here are a few.
Done To Death: A New Trope
John Otte, Mar 14, 2012
As a wise person said, there’s nothing new under the sun. Similarly, it’s difficult to find a truly unique and original idea. The key, it would seem, is to find a new way to present that trope.
Speculative Death: Life and Death Among The Immortals
Fred Warren, Mar 13, 2012
Immortality would be paradise, right?
Books For Speculative Readers
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Mar 12, 2012
As much as I love our library and love seeing the progress we’re making, thanks to Stephens hard work, I think it’s helpful from time to time, to look at what books are coming out soon or have just come out. It’s in the first few months of a book’s release that buzz can influence the most. But who can buzz if they don’t even know a book exists?
Why Speculative, Now?
Lisa T. Bergren, Mar 9, 2012
I love that I’m providing an option that offers a little light, in a very dark sector of publishing. Seriously, head to B&N and you’ll see the shelves. There are vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, half-angels, half-demons, dark angels, trolls, etc. Why are kids drawn to these characters?
Sex In The Story 5: More Male Mythologies
E. Stephen Burnett, Mar 8, 2012
We may always have sex caricatures in stories, and they may balance each other out. But how do we cure stock males, gender-neutrals, bad boys, men-children, faith-based supermen, and Prophesied Heroes™?
Dark Is The Stain: The Fast
Kaci Hill, Mar 7, 2012
Just as I’ve learned there’s many ways to fast, so there are many ways to prioritize so as to focus on writing productivity.
Bringing The Personal To The Universal
Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Mar 2, 2012
Great fiction is made up of themes: Love and longing, coming of age, voyage and return, fathers, sons, daughters, mothers, overcoming the monster, death, birth, and more. These are universals, themes that can be, on one level or another, understood by any man or woman.
Done To Death
John Otte, Feb 29, 2012
Tropes can pop up just about anywhere, even in Christian speculative fiction: hackneyed plots, characters, and themes. What do our readers think has been “done to death”?
Sex In The Story 3: Trans-Gender Issues
E. Stephen Burnett, Feb 23, 2012
“The Church is too feministic!” “The Church is too chauvinistic!” Either extreme will affect our real-life thinking, and will infect Christian stories’ characters, replacing them with caricature-icons.
Dark Is The Stain: The Song & Dance
Kaci Hill, Feb 22, 2012
Jesus was frustrated because whether he calls his people in a spirit of celebration or comes weeping, they reject him. Christian storytellers can likely relate, when despite their efforts and pleas, they can’t please the audience.
Advice From “The Story Of My Heart” Part II
John Otte, Feb 15, 2012
So it seems that I stirred up a little bit of discussion two weeks ago with my odd little pyramid based on something I learned from the “story of my heart,” a tale of aliens searching for grace that I […]
Readers And Writers
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Feb 13, 2012
Special thanks to all those who participated in Spec Faith’s Shredding, Round Two. I couldn’t help but think as I read through what everyone had to say, how vital it is for writers to hear from readers, not just other writers.
Genesis Of A Winning Novel
Matt Jones, Feb 10, 2012
With the 2012 ACFW Genesis Contest now open (until March 2) for unpublished novelists, Matt Jones, winner of last year’s contest for best speculative novel, shares his experience.
Sex In The Story 1: Shooting Up Heroine
E. Stephen Burnett, Feb 9, 2012
Action heroine Black Widow is annoying some fans of the forthcoming “Avengers” film. How come? Is a story’s female character only strong if she is fighting men or bad guys?
Dark Is The Stain: Impassioned
Kaci Hill, Feb 8, 2012
The controversy surrounding the Planned Parenthood/Susan B. Komen connection brought this subject to mind. I knew a couple years ago about it, because my mom participated in the Race for the Cure 3-day event and afterward learned about said connection. […]
Give ‘Em The Hook
Fred Warren, Feb 7, 2012
A hook isn’t so much a trick to ensnare a reader as an invitation for them to enter the story.
Spec Faith Shredding, Round 2
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Feb 6, 2012
Now comes the “shredding” part. In the comments tell us why you made your selections, or why you did not find a submission compelling. Please make your remarks constructive, but at the same time be honest.
Magic Realism, Part 4
C.L. Dyck, Feb 3, 2012
A writer cannot achieve his purpose. The reader must. So the purpose must be well communicated, then endorsed by readers. So why put a seeming out-of-place event in a story, or even base a story around one?
Secrets Of The Pyramid Scheme
E. Stephen Burnett, Feb 2, 2012
Do most Christian speculative readers enjoy those stories because of their intrinsic value? Or do the majority of readers enjoy such reading mainly because of their own hopes to climb the pyramid and write their own novels?
Advice From “The Story Of My Heart” Part I
John Otte, Feb 1, 2012
Okay, so my last six articles have been about aliens. Maybe I should explain why a Lutheran pastor has little green men on the brain so badly.
Notes From All Over
Fred Warren, Jan 31, 2012
My fuel gauge is bumping against empty today after a couple of weeks on the road for work, so in lieu of my usual half-baked meandering, here are a few links to recent articles touching on the intersection of faith and fiction, from blogs I enjoy.
Let’s Look At Openings – Round Two
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Jan 30, 2012
Back in September we gave five different writers the opportunity to have the openings of their work posted here at Spec Faith and to receive feedback from you, the Spec Faith community. It’s time for Round Two.
The Indie Fork
Rachel Marks, Jan 27, 2012
Seven years ago, I would have told you: I’ll never self-publish. It seemed pretty clear to me. I wasn’t impressed with the products that usually emerged in that sector of publishing and it seemed, in so many ways, a cop-out–giving […]
