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ResourcesFor Writers

Writing is my first love. But travel is a close second.
Amalfi Coast, Italy, 2014

Writing How-To's

Write the Journal Article
1. Read three issues of the journal for which you wish to write so you become familiar with the style. Also, verify that your subject has not recently been covered. Reading back issues will also help you familiarize yourself with the “hot” topics and “comments to avoid” that might detract from your main point.

Keep Food on the Table: Write a Critical Review
Perhaps you’ve seen the Erasmus quote on a T-shirt: “When I get a little money I buy books; if any is left, I buy food and clothes.” One way to assure you’re well fed and clothed is to get the publisher to send you new books (and other products) so you’ll write critical reviews.

Ten Commandments for Writing Op-Eds
In her national bestseller, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott notes, “You don’t always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it, too.” One way to do so is by writing an op-ed. “Op-ed” means “opposite the editorial page,” which is generally where these commentaries on current events run.

Write Devotionals
Looking to write devotionals? Check out these markets…

Write a Letter to the Editor
Just starting out as a writer? A good place to start is by writing letters to the editor. Here’s a quick course on how…

Notes on Writing Poetry
Some magazines automatically reject rhymed, even if it’s good. (They call it a jingle.). Many classic poets unrhymed. 14-16th century English mostly rhymed.

Breaking into Publishing
I am interested in writing a book. How do I go about contacting a publisher? I suggest that you begin by going down to your local Half Price Books (or the equivalent) and see if you can find an old copy of one of the annual Writer’s Market books. You don’t need the most recent year.

Punctuation, Grammar, and Other Cures for Insomnia
Try to limit yourself to a maximum of two commas per sentence. After that, it gets confusing. Limiting the number of commas keeps you from saying too many things at one time. It also prevents overuse of adjectives. (Editors loathe overuse of adjectives and adverbs.)

Resources For Writers

Writing the Technical Book Review
The Writing Life
Mary DeMuth’s Web Site
Mary DeMuth: Writing the Query Letter (.pdf)
Mary DeMuth: Wannabe Published Blog
Right Writing Site
American Christian Writers
James Scott Bell on Writing Dialogue
Writers Write: The Internet Writing Journal
Hot Markets
For Songwriters
Sample Book Proposals
Write a Winning Fiction Proposal by Mary DeMuth
Write a Winning Nonfiction Proposal by Mary DeMuth
Fiction: Randy Ingermanson’s Oxygen
TIPS FROM THE PROS: DR. SANDRA GLAHN

Subscriptions I Recommend for Writers
Publishers Weekly daily (PW Daily), especially Religion Bookline. It’s free.
daily Publisher’s Lunch
Advanced Fiction Writer ezine
Join the Yahoo group, The Writers View for Christian writers
William Zinsser’s Friday column on writing

Blog Interviews with Writers

We Still Need Sinai: An interview with Carmen Joy Imes

By Blog Interviews With Writers, BooksOne Comment

Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament and program coordinator for Bible and Theology at Prairie College in Alberta, Canada. Today her book Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters releases from IVP. Here we talk about her work. Welcome! So let’s dive right in. Why did you write this book? The church today desperately needs to understand what to do with the Old Testament (OT). We vacillate between two extremes—either neglecting the OT entirely or fixating on it in unhelpful ways. With my book I’m trying to address the need for Christians to recover the OT and read it well. What’s the big idea you want to get across? We cannot fully understand our vocation as Christians without understanding what happened at Sinai. We tend to think of the OT law as a negative thing that didn’t work, but if we read it in context,…

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December 10, 2019
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How the Tamar Narrative Functions in the Judah and Joseph Narratives

By Blog Interviews With Writers, Books, Gender & Faith, Justice, WomenNo Comments

I’m happy to have Carolyn Custis James as my guest today. In Vindicating the Vixens, she contributed the chapter on Tamar. In November she served on a panel of contributors who talked about narrative analysis at the national meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, Rhode Island. Here are some quotes from her remarks:  [In the Genesis narrative] just as the Joseph story reaches a fever pitch and readers are on the edge of their seats, instead of following Joseph into Egypt, the narrator follows Judah away from his family into Canaanite territory and into a salacious R-rated story involving prostitution with his daughter-in-law Tamar. From a literary perspective, the narrator’s choice seems counterproductive. From a pastoral perspective, this sordid story is problematic, unsuitable for a G audience, and devoid of any spiritual value. Pastors often skip it…. Far from being a literary gaffe, the narrator’s decision to include…

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December 22, 2017
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Fathom Magazine interview w/ me about Vixens

By Arts, Blog Interviews With Writers, Books, Gender & Faith, Life In The Body, Women, WritingNo Comments

This interview with me ran in the latest issue of Fathom Magazine.  Today we’re happy to have as our guest Dr. Sandra Glahn. Sandi earned her ThM at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and her PhD at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in Humanities–Aesthetic Studies. A professor in the Media Arts and Worship department at DTS, she teaches courses in writing, medieval art/spirituality, gender, and sexual ethics. She is the author of more than twenty books, including the Coffee Cup Bible Study series. But today we want to talk with her about her latest book Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting the Sexualized, Vilified, Marginalized Women of the Bible (Kregel Academic), which just came out. Tell us about Vindicating the Vixens. Vindicating the Vixens has been on my heart and mind for more than a decade. As I studied history and cultural backgrounds at the doctoral level, I ended up revisiting some…

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November 25, 2017
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