I’ll be off the air for a while…

Starting this week, I will be taking a sabbatical from my usual weekly/biweekly blog to consider new directions. I have have been writing this blog more or less continuously since 2015, and that's given me a chance to cover a lot of ground and consider the ways that art and faith connect on various levels. …

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Make It Complicated (Building a Better Christian Novel Pt. 9)

I review Christian books, mostly nonfiction ones but I do get a Christian Fiction novel or two each month. Occasionally I’ll get one that I enjoy, and frequently I’ll give 3 or 4 stars just because I know the author means well and it’s not too terrible. However, most of the time I’m just not …

The Long Strange Road to God (Building A Better Christian Novel Pt. 8)

I review Christian books, mostly nonfiction ones but I do get a Christian Fiction novel or two each month. Occasionally I’ll get one that I enjoy, and frequently I’ll give 3 or 4 stars just because I know the author means well and it’s not too terrible. However, most of the time I’m just not …

Good (and Foolish) Country People (Building a Better Christian Novel Pt. 7)

I review Christian books, mostly nonfiction ones but I do get a Christian Fiction novel or two each month. Occasionally I’ll get one that I enjoy, and frequently I’ll give 3 or 4 stars just because I know the author means well and it’s not too terrible. However, most of the time I’m just not …

Beyond Words (Building A Better Christian Novel Pt. 6)

I review Christian books, mostly nonfiction ones but I do get a Christian Fiction novel or two each month. Occasionally I’ll get one that I enjoy, and frequently I’ll give 3 or 4 stars just because I know the author means well and it’s not too terrible. However, most of the time I’m just not …

Talk Like You’re in a Book (Building a Better Christian Novel Pt 5)

I review Christian books, mostly nonfiction ones but I do get a Christian Fiction novel or two each month. Occasionally I’ll get one that I enjoy, and frequently I’ll give 3 or 4 stars just because I know the author means well and it’s not too terrible. However, most of the time I’m just not …

Create Wonder (Building a Better Christian Novel Pt 4)

I review Christian books, mostly nonfiction ones but I do get a Christian Fiction novel or two each month. Occasionally I’ll get one that I enjoy, and frequently I’ll give 3 or 4 stars just because I know the author means well and it’s not too terrible. However, most of the time I’m just not …

In Search of the Common Good by Jake Meador

What does it mean to have a community? What does one do when it becomes clear that one needs community and isn't sure where to start? Jake Meador gets into those questions and related ones in his book In Search of the Common Good. It's an interesting mix of memoir about living in a small …

5 Tips for Getting Through NaNoWriMo

November is coming up, which means NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month) has come again. In this an annual event, you take a month to write a story that’s 50,000 words long, the equivalent of a good-sized novel. This is a big task, so here are five strategies that may help you get through NaNoWriMo: …

Scooby-Doo, Plot Holes and Why They’re Needed

Some time ago, I wrote an article on the idea that plot holes are necessary. That is, spend enough time looking at any given creative product and you'll find some plot hole that logically should keep the story from working. Recently I finished binge watching the first two seasons of the original Scooby-Doo series, and …