More than anything else, I believe the book of Revelation is about relationship. It is about the relationship between Christ and His Church, between Christ and the individual believer. This is not merely a corporate body, but an individual friendship, a family bond between people that love each other. I believe this is the central them of the entire Bible, God loves us, and calls us to join Him in relationship. That’s also what the book The Vision From Patmos that I was blessed to write is about. The Vision From Patmos isn’t about prophecy, the focus isn’t on the events of tomorrow, but the events of each day with…

Today is the completion day of Nanowrimo, we talked yesterday about the different journeys people may be on in the challenge. This afternoon, I’d like to focus on celebrating where you are in your writing. Whether you are entering the words The End to your rough draft, or have a ways to go, I hope you take a moment and celebrate. While celebrating is both motivational, and helps with a positive outlook, it also has another purpose. It reminds you that, as a writer, you have built muscle, you’ve stretched yourself to a new capacity. You are also creating a body of work, as well as a library of ideas.…

Tomorrow is the last day of Nanowrimo, how has it went for you? Did you complete the rough draft of your writing project? If so that’s great, if not don’t worry, the end of Nanowrimo doesn’t establish your deadline. It’s meant to encourage you towards your goal, not to be a barrier. If you haven’t gotten as far as you would have liked, the good news is, you have other options. Looking for a moment at the average baseline goal of 1,667 words a day with Nanowrimo to write a 50,000 word novel. I’ve mentioned before, many famous novels are less than 50,000 words so that’s not a concern. However,…

It’s the cover of the book that causes you to pick it up, but for me it’s the back of the book that causes me to keep holding it. The blurb on the back of the book is so important to the reader. They are looking for a quick answer to the questions, “Does this book have want I want, need, or am looking for? Is it interesting?” To use the analogy of a tourism campaign, if the cover is the billboard advertising a city, the short description on the back is the available attractions sign ahead of the exit. If it doesn’t seem appealing, they won’t stop. As challenging…

Writing the cover of your book, sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? You would expect me to say design, or even draw the cover. The truth is, the cover should always be connected to the content of the words. This doesn’t mean it has to reflect every detail, but people should be able to mentally make the connection between the cover and the content, especially after reading the book. Right now, you are in the final writing stages of your book, so it’s not too early to start daydreaming about the finished product. Many times you can’t help it, and while it’s too early to edit, the cover is a…

With this being the last full week of Nanowrimo, or National Novel Writing Month, many will be beginning writing the last chapter of their book. There are a few things that you will want to do when completing your last chapter. I’d like to share three of them with you today. First, while you are going to start editing a few days after writing the rough draft, while writing ask yourself this question. “Did I say what I wanted to say when I started this project?” Meaning did you share the information you planned too, tell the story you intended, and answer the questions you put forth. If not, it’s…

For some of us Saturdays are days to rest, for others they’re the busiest days of the week. Continuing with the theme of keeping writing through challenging periods, I’d like to look at Writing Saturdays. First, as always, I’d like to recognize that some things are more important than writing. My wife, and our toddler are much more important to me than writing. However they are one of the reasons that I continue to write now. Because of that, as well as my love and passion for writing, I want to fit writing into an appropriate corner on Saturdays. If it helps, think of your writing on Saturdays like the…

Writing tired is not desirable, unless it’s all that your schedule will allow in a particular season of life. Please bare in mind, there is a difference between writing tired, and publishing that way. Writing tired may sometimes be necessary, publishing that way is rarely a good idea. If you have no choice but to write when tired, here are a few tips. The first and most obvious one is, if you can write at a different time, when more rested, find a way. Writing tired is like a ship filled with explosive cargo, it’s dangerous. Even if you have to risk saying I’ll write tomorrow, it’s usually better than…