E.B. Roshan's Blog: This, That and the Other, page 21

What Inspires You To Write?

What inspires you to write? That’s the question I asked several young Christian writers. I enjoyed their thoughtful and creative responses, and I hope you will, too.

Here’s what ARINDOWN (@arindown.art) had to say:

“Writing, for me, I think, boils down to two things. One, sharing the desperate beauty of this fallen world, and two, the recognition of my place as a character in God’s master-piece story.

Inspiration is something that’s hard to pin down, but I think it usually goes back to something beautiful I see. The last ray of sunshine breaking through storm-clouds. That heart-tearing scene of sacrifice in a movie. A horse trotting, tossing her mane in the wind. A soldier, standing tall, with blood, and dirt and camouflage smeared across his face. My kitten, running to me, climbing on my lap, and purring against my chin. A vulture soaring on the wind above autumn trees. The light is never so beautiful as when it’s contrasted with the dark.

My writing is also a way of praise, and even worship sometimes, to the God of the universe who created me, a unique character, and gave me a place in His epic story. As one of His characters, I get the privilege to be like Him as an artist and smith of words. I also get to re-imagine His tale of forgiveness, love, grace, and beauty, and tell that tale again to others.”

Random Writing Tip #6

Well, the middle of your story is really not just the middle—it’s everything between the first few chapters and the end. In fact, it’s probably the majority of your story.

The middle of your story is where you develop the promise of your first paragraphs (or chapters.) You can think of the middle as containing all the dots, and lines between the dots, that get you from “Start” to “Finish” on your story map. The dots are important events–the introduction of a new character, an unforeseen complication, a battle, a party, a trip–the lines are the parts of your narrative that move your readers from one key happening to the next.

You can have a lot of fun here, but don’t forget, every story you write needs to end sooner or later, and the events of the middle should be moving you toward that final goal—the moment when the reader closes the book, or turns off the Kindle, and says, “Ahhh. That was a good story.”

Sometimes…

…there are no words. Or maybe there are; you just haven’t learned them yet.

The Interpreter

The way I’ve imagined Radoslav, he’s often tongue-tied. He has strong feelings and opinions, but struggles to express them in words. Thus, it’s a bit ironic that he is an interpreter—whose job depends on being able to clearly communicate what another person is saying. It’s a challenging job at the best of times, and in a war zone like the city of Dor, where lives may depend on quickly, respectfully and accurately sharing what people are saying to each other, it can be downright terrifying.

I tried to create a balance between making Radoslav so inarticulate that readers wouldn’t believe he’d ever be hired to work with the IPF troops who are occupying Sevia, and also portray his struggle to bridge two worlds with the right words. Because of this, he’s been an interesting challenge to create. Because of his communication struggles, of all the characters I’ve written so far, he’s the one I most easily see myself in, despite the fact he happens to be male.

Book Spotlight: Redemption by Stephanie Walton

Sophia is a young woman whose life has gone flat, and she isn’t entirely sure why. When she decides an exotic holiday is what she needs to revitalize herself, things go terribly wrong, and she finds herself victim of a kidnapping that is somehow both farfetched and alarmingly plausible.
In “Redemption” Stephanie Walton has created a tense, fast-paced adventure story, but she’s also done a fine job of showing us Sophia’s inner growth as she struggles with her uncertainties about life and her relationship with God.
I have to say I enjoyed the first two-thirds of the story most, where Sophia stars as a strong, compassionate, and brave young woman. The author does a fine job of capturing the fear and uncertainty a woman would feel in the terrifying circumstances Sophia finds herself in through no fault of her own.
In the last third of the book, events spiral out of control quickly and I felt that I began to lose connection with Sophia, the driving force of the story, and got lost in a web of international intrigue. I found characters’ motivations and actions increasingly confusing, and lost interest a bit—not that the action slows down. The ending returns to Sophia and her friends, but it still left me with many questions. I’m glad there will be a sequel to continue her story.

You can find the book on Amazon here: Redemption

Quotable Quotes

The telling of stories is arguably the oldest, most beloved and most powerful art form. Below are what some of the best storytellers of (relatively) recent years have to say about the process of writing their stories down:

“If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Toni Morrison

“The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter. ‘Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” Mark Twain

“Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.” Isaac Asimov

“Ideas are cheap. It’s the execution that is all-important.” George R.R. Martin

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” Robert Frost

“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs is making a chore for the reader who reads.” Dr. Seuss

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” Anton Chekhov

Never Say Wolf

Check out this article for an intriguing linguistic puzzle:

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/never-say-wolf?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Christian Fiction Deals

Today I’m happy to offer a collection of Christian Fiction ebooks, all discounted to .99 cents or free through the month of September. To check it out, follow the link below:

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/U27lyFa

Book Spotlight: Loving God

I was excited to read and review “Loving God” because its premise promised a great story of love and redemption, but unfortunately, it didn’t measure up. On one level, I enjoyed it, because it was a quick, easy read—the author has an entertaining style, and even though the story seemed a little scattered at times, there were no glaring grammatical or punctuation flaws.

However, for a story dealing with dark themes like rape, atheism, PTSD, and suicide, to name a few, it was over far too quickly—tied up neatly with a bow on top before the characters had time to develop into real people, let alone really wrestle with, and overcome, their life problems. For some reason, the author spent as much time describing what his characters ate as he did showing how they felt about the life-altering challenges they faced. I do have to say he does a mouth-wateringly good job of describing food, though!

The three main characters, Carl, Susan and Maria all had the potential to be rich, fascinating characters. I think if the author had given them more time, they would have. Instead, they seemed more like puppets rushed through a performance by someone with a point to prove.

Note: I was given a free copy of “Loving God” in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Anna Belko

Anna Belko, one of the two main characters in my first novel, Wrong Place, Right Time, just was featured in an interview on “The Protagonist Speaks,” a fun and creative website where, instead of the author, the characters are interviewed. You can check it out here:

Anna Belko (of Wrong Place, Right Time, by E.B. Roshan)