Jerry B. Jenkins's Blog, page 30

‘I, Saul’: Chapters 1 and 2

Just for you, the first two chapters of I, Saul. Click on the chapters to read them now, and see if you don’t agree the novel might be the perfect Christmas gift for that hard-to-buy-for loved one. If you do …

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My Surprising Day with Stephen King

Several years ago my assistant buzzed me and said, “Stephen King on the line for you.”

I have any number of friends who would pull such a prank, but fortunately I fought the urge to pick up and say, “John Grisham here.”

Turns out it really was Stephen. We happened to have the same audio reader (a brilliant voice actor named Frank Muller) who performed our novels for the marketplace. In the fall of 2001 he’d had a horrible motorcycle accident and was left severely brain damaged. (Frank was about my age but had married late and had kids the age of my grandkids.)

I showed up on Stephen King’s radar because we were both trying to help out the family. Stephen had called to suggest other ways we might assist, including visiting Frank in rehab.

During the conversation I said, “It may surprise you to know that I’m a reader of yours.” I told him that while I wasn’t into horror fiction, I had read many of his short stories and that The Green Mile was one of my favorite novels.

He said, “It may surprise you to know that I’m a reader of yours.”

Surprised doesn’t begin to describe it. Frank had given him copies of some of the Left Behind titles.

We enjoyed a nice chat and then spent a day together a few months later at Frank’s rehab center.

Though Stephen doesn’t claim to be a man of personal faith, he grew up in a church-going home and is respectful of mine.

We began an email relationship that continues to this day, and we still laugh about having our driver swing through McDonald’s drive through so we could enjoy Big Macs on the way back to the airport.

The May/June 2009 issue of Writer’s Digest reunited us with a cover story titled “An Epic Conversation on Writing.” (Sadly, Frank Muller died that year.)

 

 

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Strange Bedfellows

Several years ago my assistant buzzed me and said, “Stephen King on the line for you.”

What’s Your Point?

I like movies that aren’t afraid to be quiet. The film adaptation of John Irving’s The Cider House Rules was a masterpiece, which I confess despite the fact it was a pro-abortion bromide. Why?

3 Secrets to Writing a More Powerful Story

Have you ever noticed that books and movies that make a powerful impact on you have one thing in common? They carry a distinct message, and they don’t pretend otherwise. They may be careful to not be obvious or preachy, but neither do they hide their worldview.

The film adaptation of John Irving’s novel The Cider House Rules was a masterpiece. And though it was a pro-choice bromide, as opposed as I am to abortion, I applauded Irving’s Academy Award acceptance speech for one reason:

He didn’t profess to be neutral or objective. He didn’t pretend he didn’t have a message.

And neither should you or I.

Don’t let anyone — especially someone who disagrees with your message — bully you into taking a neutral position. Know your view, then craft a power story that drives home your message without being pedantic (look it up). If you’re a novelist like Irving, do it with engaging characters, powerful prose, and a gripping tale.

3 Secrets to Crafting a Page-Turning Story

1. Get off the stage. The toughest challenge for any artistic creator is to resist the urge to show off. Our name will be on the cover, and we’d love to remind the reader with a turn of phrase or a choice word, “I’m the one fashioning this message.”

But the best writers, like the best composers and painters, know it’s not about them. It’s about the art, the content. Anything that comes between the story and the reader–yes, even you–is instrusive.

A reader aware of your technique, even of your talent, may miss your message. If the pianist dazzles with his technique, the composer’s art may be compromised.

A true classic transports the reader. Force yourself to get out of the way so the heart of the message reaches the soul of the reader.

2. Write clearly and concisely. Entice readers by making every word count, using ones they’ll understand rather than ones that will make them wonder.

3. Don’t compromise. Remain true to your message. Be able to express it in one sentence and post it where you can see it as you write. It will keep you on point throughout the process.

What is your toughest storytelling challenge? What holds you back?

 

The post 3 Secrets to Writing a More Powerful Story appeared first on Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild.

Are You a ‘No Matter What’ Writer?

One of the most common reasons writers stop writing is that they begin to view themselves as failures. Maybe they haven’t sold anything for a while. Maybe they’ve never sold anything. But the ones who keep writing—no matter what—look back one day and realize they are writers. They realize that the very kinds of pain that tempted them to quit have added texture and color to everything they write.

Trust your personal plot twists

My parents gave me a subscription to Sports Illustrated when I was in elementary school, and I’ve read it religiously for decades. You’ll find in S.I. some of the best writing published today. I couldn’t have asked for better instructors.

After a football injury I started covering high school sports for a local newspaper. This was even before I was old enough to drive, so my parents had to cart me to the games, then to the newspaper office, where they waited for me in the parking lot as I fashioned my stories for a dollar per printed inch of copy.

Almost immediately I realized I’d found my niche. While my early articles were painfully amateurish, I had a certain flair for sports writing because of all my reading and my passion for sports.

I healed in time for baseball season, and I eagerly returned to what I considered the center of my life. Then I injured my knee — before the advent of reconstructive surgery. Any future I might have had in baseball was gone. But God had a better idea, as He always does.

‘Never, never, never give up’

You’ll need to channel Winston Churchill’s famous quote often if you want to be a write.

That second injury shook my life back into balance. I was a Christian but had put baseball far ahead of my faith. Now I understand that I had to forfeit the game I loved to put God back in His proper place in my life.

Still, that shattered dream caused deep pain. Setting my sights on a career in sports writing assuaged some of the loss. Multiple decades and a whole bunch of books later (many of them on sports), my aim is to teach others to write.

I’m glad you landed on this site and that you care about all that goes into improving your craft. I can’t tell you the twists and turns of your journey will be any easier than mine, but I can tell you, they could prove just as rewarding.

What’s been the biggest challenge or plot twist in your life, and how can you use it in your writing?

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Early Breaks

One of the greatest gifts my parents ever gave me was a subscription to Sports Illustrated. I’ve read it religiously for decades. You’ll find in S.I. some of the best writing published. I couldn’t have asked for better …

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3 Basic Decisions Every New Writer Needs to Make

I don’t believe in luck.

I believe in faithfully, steadily paying your dues. You grow as a writer, that’s how it’s done, and one assignment leads to another.

Sorry, but there are rarely shortcuts.

Here’s the truth, which also happens to be great news for a new writer: After a few rejections, a few ego scrapings, someone’s going to publish something you’ve written. You might not make much money, but pretty soon you’ll hear from others: “You ought to interview my sister; she has a story,” or “My brother has a blog and, and he’s looking for this kind of story.” People will notice your writing.

If you are a young or emerging writer, don’t despise this season of beginning. Paying your dues is critical—it’s where the guts of your writing will emerge.

Decisions Every Beginning Writer Should Make 

Decide what matters to you. Regardless where you are in your writing journey, strive for the freedom to write about what really matters to you. Nothing compares with the reality of changing lives with your words.
Decide what you stand for. If you plan to make a life of writing, you must stand for something, have a carefully considered and lived-out worldview. The road will get rough. You will fight doubts. That’s why it’s critical to discover what can keep you in front of that keyboard day after day. If it’s money, fame, and power, you’ll find yourself quitting once you have achieved those — or once you’ve found you can’t achieve those. Write because you believe in something. I write because I believe God wants me to.
Decide on your priorities. I was recently asked, “What did you have to sacrifice for your writing career?” I had to think about that, because the rewards have far outweighed any sacrifices. But one thing I was not willing to give up was my family — time with my kids and my wife.

I’ve seen people do that. Until they have enough work or success to write full time, they work full time and write part time. Something has to give, and usually it’s the family. The writer sits behind a closed door, or a book, or a computer screen, in essence telling the family they rank lower than writing.

So what did I give up by relegating my freelance career to late nights? A little privacy. Some television. Some sleep. Was it worth it? You bet.

How can you rearrange your life to maximize the benefits to your family—and your career?

The post 3 Basic Decisions Every New Writer Needs to Make appeared first on Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild.

Paying Your Dues

I don’t believe in luck.

I believe in faithfully, steadily paying your dues. You grow as a writer, and one assignment leads to another. Sorry, but there are rarely shortcuts.

After a few rejections, a few ego scrapings, someone’s going …

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Operation First Novel

I’m looking for fresh, new talent in Christian fiction. Might you be the next as-yet-unpublished novelist to burst onto the scene?

At the Christian Writers Guild, we host Operation First Novel, an annual contest that pays the winner $20,000 and …

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