Category Archives: Writing Advice

How to Write a Classic Novel: 5 Elements That Will Turn Your Book into a Masterpiece

Want to write a novel that doesn’t just sell well but is also a classic, one that people are reading 100 years from now? Who doesn’t, right? Well, if you have some talent and try to include these 5 elements, your words—if not you yourself–might become immortal.

#1 Develop a strong narrative voice

You’ve got to have a powerful, sure-footed narrative voice. Your prose must percolate with life, full of energy and drive. Easy to say and easy to spot when you read it, but how exactly does a writer pull that off? How do you develop a unique, strong voice?

  • Read the classics and observe how the great ones did it. I don’t necessarily mean Plato, Virgil, and Shakespeare—though they couldn’t hurt you—but the more recent English language classic novelists, such as Faulkner, Hemingway, Wharton, Melville, Fitzgerald, Hawthorne…the list goes on. Throw in some late-20th century writers who may well pass the test of time, such as Updike, Bellow, Vonnegut, Cheever, and Malamud.
  • Just read good, solid novels in general. If you’re not sure which books are just good and which may be great, Google for lists of classics.
  • Study their techniques—their vocabulary, phrases, and sentences. See how they use point of view, tone, diction, figurative language, and the like.
  • If you’re not even sure who those writers or what those literary terms are, then you have a lot of homework to do.
  • Note that I said “develop a strong narrative voice.” Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have it right off the bat. Not many do. It takes total dedication to your writing craft and upwards of 10,000 hours of reading and writing before you get it.

#2 Dream up a new and interesting story—your story

Who wants to read the same old thing over and over again? Well, some people do, I guess, but most readers want to be surprised and delighted by a story that is unlike anything they’ve ever read before.

All the classics broke new ground. How can you tell a story no one’s ever read before? Why not look at your own life rather than, say, dragons and wizards and vampires? Those creatures populate some great books, but can you really tell a fresh, new story about subjects that have already been written about so often and so well? The really amazing fantasies, the truly wondrous stories left to be told are those about your own life.

You are a great story. Aren’t you? Haven’t you often thought and even told people, “My life would make a really strange (or great or weird or dope) book.” So…what are you waiting for? Sit down and tell some real life stories. Stories about you. Change the names, probably. Do some plotting and condensing and other essential novelistic tasks. And shape those episodic experiences of yours into a plotted novel, one with a conflict, a beginning, middle, and end, an arc, plot points, and resolutions.

Melville went to sea for years and wrote Moby Dick. Fitzgerald partied for years and wrote The Great Gatsby. Hemingway went to war and wrote A Farewell to Arms. Vonnegut was a prisoner-of-war and wrote Slaughterhouse-5. Almost all the classics were based on true stories—crafted, morphed, or mashed-up in one fantastic new way or another.

#3 Make it all fresh: style, plot, characters…everything as fresh as tomorrow’s tweets

Here’s what bores readers:

  • clichés or stereotypes
  • stock plots
  • a feeling that we’ve read or heard this all before
  • vague, lazy diction
  • one-dimensional, unsurprising characters and action

Here’s what thrills and amazes readers:

  • universality: a story that transcends time and place and could happen anywhere, anytime
  • being surprised by what characters say and do
  • defamiliarization: stories and characters that go against the grain, making the familiar seem strange. For Milan Kundera, one of the purposes of the novel is to question the commonplace, making it seem surprising, enigmatic: “It doesn’t just represent situations–jealousy, say, or tenderness or the taste for power–it arrests them, comes to a halt by them, looks closely at them, ponders them; interrogates them, asks questions of them, understands them as enigmas.”

# 4 Create metaphoric magic

Weave a tapestry of images, resonating motifs, tropes, and threads of figurative language throughout your novel. Again, if you don’t know what these terms mean, do your homework and learn. They’re essential elements of great fiction. Without them, your novel will seem dry, stale, somehow empty and unfulfilling. Readers might not even notice they’re missing, but they’ll feel that something is missing as they read.

#5 Think thematically: make it deep

Likewise with themes: without them, the readers will be left with a sense of “Is that all there is?” Books without rich, thematic content are like stomachs full of candy. What’s your point, moral, meaning, lesson? What did we learn, garner, get from the book? How did it enrich, teach, instruct us? What does it say about human nature, society, culture, issues, the world, the universe, life? Be sure to show the book’s theme through the plot points and characters’ trials. Don’t talk about the themes; don’t preach or pontificate. Make the story resonate with rich insights and moments of eureka-like crystallization. But never explain or draw blunt attention to the theme/s. Stop the readers in their tracks, making them pause to mull over and think about what just happened. If you can do that, you’ll have the makings of a classic.

5 Fabulous Takeaways for Writers from Robert Frost

Robert Frost has written some of the most quoted poems ever. What writer hasn’t heard of” “The Road Less Traveled By” (“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—/ I took the one less traveled by/And that has made all the difference”)?  Or “Stopping by Woods” (“But I have promises to keep/And miles to go before I sleep/And miles to go before I sleep”)? Or “Mending Wall” (“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall…”)?

His poetry is deceptively simple: simple because he’s easy to understand (on the surface) but deceptive because there’s a lot of undercurrents and crosscurrents going on. Lots of irony, sarcasm, paradox, and even bitter cynicism.

He created a nice grandfatherly image for himself, but some bios suggest he was far from the “nice grandfather.” But, bios aside, we’ll have a look at his attributes, ideas, and style. There’s a boatload of takeaways a writer can get from studying Frost. Here’s 5 main ones, each with many parts.

Frost’s appeal

Work on finding an “appeal”—making your writing “appealing” in some way, to some audience.

Frost aimed, as you can, to appeal to the masses and not the esoteric few. In simple, unaffected language he wrote of familiar objects and the “character” of New England.

His poetry paints pictures of an idyllic America of the past. It’s an escape from the overly complex, anxious, urbanized society of some of his peers, such as T.S. Eliot.

Frost has four attributes from the 19th century

It might seem strange to suggest to a 21st century writer that looking back at and modeling some 19th century strategies and ways of seeing the world would be helpful. But some ideas are timeless, some attributes universal.

  • As Emerson put it, Frost has “an original relation to the universe”
    • He stressed the benefits of physical labor
    • He communed with the environment
      • eg. “Two Tramps in Mud Time”; “After Apple Picking”; etc.
      • For other examples, read Whitman’s “To a Learned Astronomer”…
  • Use your intuition. Frost seldom proceeded from reasoning or thinking. As Melville said: “I stand for the heart. To the dogs with the head!”
  • Develop a sense of your own national identity in literature. Emerson had demanded that American poets seek independence. Frost knew he was good and knew he was carving out an American niche in his poetry.
  • Be self‑reliant. Emerson enthroned the complete mental and spiritual independence of each individual. Frost’s self‑reliance manifests itself in a total immersion in the daily activities of country life.

Frost’s theories of poetry

Never interrupt a master when he’s speaking. I’ll just post these quotes from Frost without elaborating. They should give you plenty of food for thought about your own poetry or writing in general.

  • “A poem must not begin with thought first. It begins with a lump in the throat.”
  • “Poetry provides the one permissible way of saying one thing and meaning another.”
  • Composition is a process of letting the poem take over: “like a piece of ice on a hot stove, the poem must ride on its own melting.”
  • “Art strips life to form.”
  • “Poetry makes you remember what you didn’t know that you knew.”
  • “A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.”
  • “A poem is a momentary stay against confusion.”

Frost’s style

  • Frost composes for the ear, loving the sound of words: “They are always there, living in the cave of the mouth. They are real cave things: they were before words were. They are as definitely things as images of sight.”
  • There’s a taut, muscle‑bound quality to his poetry. A real economy of expression.
  • He doesn’t write in free verse, saying that’s “like playing tennis without a net.” His blank verse provides the flavor of idiomatic American speech. He transposes accents at will, adding or subtracting feet whenever he likes. Frost’s blank verse is very regular and careful but appears casual.
  • He usually starts with a simple concrete event or action—such as apple picking, repairing a wall, swinging in a tree, or wielding an axe—that leads to a philosophical observation or insight.
  • He’s the modern master of dramatic narratives, such as “Home Burial” and “Death of the Hired Man.” He’s been compared to Chekov in how he captures subtle changes in emotion through dialogue.

Frost’s subjects and themes

Don’t approach Frost with any preconception of his system or overall vision of reality because he deconstructs himself.

  • Try deconstructing yourself:
    • Be unpredictable
    • Compose stories or poems with conflicting or multiple viewpoints
    • Never settle for clichés or stereotypes
    • Be fresh and original or don’t bother to write at all. Find another profession. Seriously.
    • Read my blog on deconstruction for more details.
  • Man in conflict with a chaotic world, searching for order while everything around him is changing and decaying.
  • Frost called himself a “synechdochist”: by exploring one representative corner of humanity, he was probing a sample of the larger crowd (ala Wm. Faulkner).
  • The individual’s relationship with himself, his fellow man, his world, and God. Man is an entity—one among many—yet alone with his fate.
  • Mutability: spring and autumn; new life, dying life; everything changes: “nothing gold can stay,” he wrote. And in his darkest, most troubling poem of all—”Out, Out‑‑”—an entire family brushes off a boy’s death almost immediately: “And they, since they/Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.” Life goes on for those still alive.

A Modernist to the core, Frost he found new ways to be new. So should you.

How the Gospel Writers Can Transform Your Writing

The Bible presents four Gospels, which despite their commonalities are four distinct presentations of Jesus as the Messiah. Looking a little closer at each one and seeing their unique traits can help transform your writing.

Matthew wrote his Gospel for his people, the Jews. He carefully connected Messianic passages to their fulfillment in the person of Jesus. He wanted Jews to see all the ways that Jesus fulfilled prophecies of the coming Messiah. In doing so, Matthew gives a carefully crafted argument why Jesus is the Messiah. Unique to Matthew is the genealogy through Joseph’s side of the family, connecting Jesus back to the lineage of David, including a unique nod to four women in his ancestry. Even at the end of Matthew, his resurrection account is careful to point out the earliest lies about the resurrection that had spread among the Jews of the day.

Matthew had a heart for his people as he tried to communicate the message of Jesus as Messiah. Matthew had learned of forgiveness and grace from Jesus. As a tax collector, Matthew likely would have been viewed as a sympathizer with Rome, the so-called Herodians of the day. Jesus extended a call to Matthew and others who were known as sinners and outcasts of that day, proving that Jesus’ message of salvation was for everyone. Matthew even ends his Gospel with the passage that we commonly call the Great Commission, commanding the disciples to carry the message of Christ throughout the world, teaching and baptizing as they do.

The heart of Matthew’s message was not just to convince the Jews, his own people, that Jesus is the Messiah but also to move them to fulfill their mission to bless the whole world through God’s special revelation to them. This blessing was revealed to Abraham in God’s covenant with him. But like Jonah, too often the chosen people ran the other way or refused to rejoice when God wanted to bless non-Jews. There are several stories in Matthew that surprisingly reveal God is ministering to non-Jews, including the only telling of the visit of the wise men to see Jesus.

Your passion will be evident in your writing, but are you willing to expand your message in other ways? Do you likewise limit your ministry and calling to those whom you feel most comfortable ministering? Or do you equally welcome and pursue all people? Does your writing empower people to live out their life’s purpose? If your writing liberates and frees others to carry out their life calling, you will have multiplied your effectiveness many times through your investment.

Mark, according to tradition, wrote from Peter’s perspective. It is the shortest of all the Gospels but communicates the heart of the Gospel in simple form to the Gentiles. Mark’s Gospel also uses words of action, such as immediately quite often in transition from story to story. Mark’s Gospel is fast paced, direct, and to the point. Mark also emphasizes the timing of God in revealing Jesus and His work of salvation. Jesus often told others not to tell about Him yet, emphasizing a special timing directed by God that Jesus, as Messiah would be revealed.

Mark shows that good writing can be direct and to the point, fast paced, and still effective. Peter’s work in Rome to Jews and Gentiles alike grew that congregation into the strongest church in the world. Mark was most certainly used in reaching people like these to the message of the Gospel.

Good writing can do the same for you: deliver concepts directly to the point in an effective way that presents others with information, allowing them to act upon it. Like Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, Mark presents readers with the Gospel directly and without apology, giving readers the opportunity to respond. Move your readers to action whenever possible. Present the calling that many will respond with action.

Luke, the physician who traveled with Paul, wrote the Gospel bearing his name. Luke’s Gospel is written to Theophilus and is described as a careful laying out of the facts and truth about Jesus. Luke references the earliest information about Jesus’ birth, the traditional Christmas story. Luke also presents the point of view of Mary regarding the birth of Jesus. There are numerous post-resurrections appearances in Luke as well. One of the fascinating theories about this document is that Luke may have written it as part of the documents representing Paul in his appeal to Caesar. Thus, Theophilus may have been a person involved in the court system of the day, hearing Paul’s appeal for Christ.

Writing that carefully lays out facts and one’s belief will appeal to those who have not heard your message or need encouragement. This approach appeals to those who like things presented systematically and logically. We don’t know if Theophilus or others who read the Gospel believed, but they heard the Gospel message and had opportunities to respond.

Luke also wrote a second volume that we know commonly as Acts. Luke carefully presents the expansion of the Gospel and early growth of the church, ending with Paul’s journey to Rome. Luke describes the early church growth in the face of persecution with missionaries like Paul who presented Christ to the Jews throughout the reach first and then to the Gentiles.

Good writing follows the same path that Luke describes in the beginning of his Gospel. It should carefully lay out the facts and truths about which you are writing. Good research is the foundation upon which your writing is built. Luke also was passionate about his writing and the truth it presented. He wanted others to respond to his writing. He was not afraid for it to break down barriers that stood between Jew and Gentile. Good writing also pushes boundaries and challenges individuals with your passion and truth.

John: The apostle John, the oldest surviving apostle of his day, wrote John. John features seven I Am Jesus taught and seven corresponding miracles. John says that he wrote his Gospel so that people would believe Jesus is the Christ and would have eternal life in Jesus’ name. John indicates that he carefully chose the stories he wrote to accomplish this purpose, remarking that all the books of the world could not contain all that Jesus had done.

John shows that good writing is focused. Like the other Gospels, it is focused on the reader and wants to move him to action. John likewise fills in gaps in some stories that are missing from the other Gospels. For example, we read the sermon Jesus preached after the feeding of the 5,000 plus. Good writing builds upon the knowledge people have and fills in missing gaps of information, motivation, and inspiration. It both informs and liberates.

Writing with a similar focus and passion as these Gospels can make your readers become lifelong followers of your work and the vision you are creating through it!

Write for Your Audience: Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development Can Help You Reach Your Readers

I have often been called a lifelong student: 4 years undergraduate work, 3 years of seminary, and 8 years from start to finish earning my Ph.D. Despite many differences in these programs of study, the work of Erik Erikson was part of each program. Erikson’s work touches on human development throughout the entire lifespan, focusing on key areas of conflict and resolution shaping both human identity and moral development. Educators, clergy, and psychologists use Erikson’s theories alike for his take on human and moral development achieved through key life stages and struggles. Even though these stages are focused on one stage of life, these conflicts continue to be part of the human identity or even ongoing struggles to resolve. Those struggles are listed below along with key insights for how to reach that audience and connect with them through your writing.

Trust vs. Mistrust is the first stage that infants resolve through the caring attention of parents as they meet the basic needs of the infant. If loving, attentive parents meet an infant’s needs, the infant will generally grow to trust those around him. If parents do not consistently meet the needs of an infant in a caring, attentive way, he will view the world with mistrust. The parent largely shapes this point of view of the child’s world according to Erikson.

According to Erikson, those who do not successfully resolve this issue of trust and mistrust will continue to deal with it. Even though many people will love your writing and hang on every word, you can expect some to read with skepticism and doubt. Your approach to your topic should acknowledge and honestly address questions others raise. Be up front in your writing, present clear facts, and give credit where credit is due. That will win over readers who otherwise would not easily become fans of your writing. In marketing there is often discussion about branding a product. Your writing will brand you in a similar way in the minds of your readers as a writer who is either trustworthy or not in how you approach your topic.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt refers to the stage of the toddler, exploring the world around him and emerging as his own self through words and action. The role of the parent is again crucial during this stage. Parents who smother their children—today’s helicopter parents accused of always hovering over their children—can frustrate the child. Hands off parents who don’t set limits can have an equally harmful impact. Children who grow up without structure may not have a clear sense of right and wrong and may even doubt whether they are loved.

Your writing should explore your world and wander as far as you would like into the depths of your imagination. Do not let the rules others impose on you hold you back. At the same time, utilize structure and form, not to smother you, but to transform your writing to reach your audience. Writing that empowers others to act and throw off what holds them back is writing that reflects this stage of development. Many incorrectly label this stage as a search for independence. Other scholars have pointed out that the goal is never truly independence but interdependence. People will need to depend on one another. Personal identity will develop and shapes who you are, but there is always a connection to others that is crucial.

Initiative vs. Guilt is a stage closely tied to the one before it. As a child learns to explore, he also will face obstacles. Toddlers are well known for saying No when they don’t want to do something. Or they are likely to say just the opposite when they are so inclined, “Me do it!” Or “By myself.” This stage is about a sense of accomplishment and pride in what he can do rather than carrying a sense of guilt for not meeting expectations of parents or being able to do things independently. Some parents do things for their children and not let them overcome obstacles or problem solve. These parents are not doing their children a favor by intervening and should let him deal with consequences involved.

This stage is all about the choices people make. We make tons of decision every day that we probably never stop to think about. Other decisions are life altering. The type of questions you raise in your writing will grip the attention of others, intrigue them, and draw them in to read more. Strong characters are defined by the choices they make. Working through complex situations brings realism into the process of decision making as well. Don’t let your writing avoid areas of conflict. Explore those gray areas. Ask the tough questions. Develop characters that are faced with dilemmas that intrigue and confound readers. No one wants to read about a character that has all his decisions made for him.

Industry vs. Inferiority refers to experiences of the school-age years. As children enter the classroom, they begin to see their own abilities, talents, looks, and so forth in light of that entire classroom of children of kids in the neighborhood. This comparison exists in schoolwork, on the playground, through popularity with friends, and in countless other ways. This can lead to children finding exactly what they like and are good at doing. Unfortunately, it also can lead to unfair comparisons, teasing, and bullying. One of the central tasks of this stage is to identify the things you are good at doing rather to feel constantly inferior to other children.

Hopefully, your writing will inspire others to action in a unique way, causing others to break the chains that hold them back from accomplishing what they desire. But those who feel inferior may need a champion who gives voice to what they are feeling. If your writing can help people find some of those ultimate questions about who he is and where his life fits into the grand scheme of things, it will bring another level of success to your readers.

Identity vs. Role Confusion is the one stage of Erikson’s theory that has gotten the most attention. This stage is the one associated with the adolescent years, in figuring out one’s identity as a person. This would include questions about one’s friendships, activities, place in the family, gender, and talents. Either he will form a clear understanding of who he is and what his purpose is in life or will be in a continuous place of role confusion until this conflict is resolved. Commonly people accuse adults of acting like a child or living out his own experience and wishes through his own child. This is evidence of this role confusion that probably has existed since these adolescent years.

You will speak to a segment of the population that will see eye to eye with you or who will be inspired and encouraged by your writing. Take time to nurture these fans, encourage them, and listen to their comments. Consider this your sweet spot and learn to live in it rather than try to be someone you are not. This does not mean avoid being stretched and challenged but know your talents, interests, and passions and live there. Your strong convictions and sense of purpose may awaken within your readers a sense of self that they have long ignored or not thought about in some time.

Intimacy vs. Isolation is the stage that refers to how people choose to invest themselves into the lives of others. Do they choose to marry and start a family? Or do they invest in the lives of others, such as future generations? People at heart are searching for relationship. This stage refers to one’s approach in connecting with others or to withdraw in isolation. Each adult has to decide how to approach and relate to others. Those who don’t have children often find ways to volunteer and invest their lives in others. In that regard, they are creating a legacy through their work and the time and love in the lives of others.

People want connection and closeness. Think of tips for your writing that brings couples, families, and multiple generations together. Build characters that feel like someone you could identify with, and you will have that reader for a lifetime. Encourage writers to take their ideas and vision and follow through to leave an impact and legacy.

Generativity vs. Stagnation involves crises of identity related to work, including the infamous mid-life crisis. This is where accomplishments and failures are examined in light of the person’s work and perhaps in light of the competition of facing a younger generation’s youth and expertise. This is such a difficult stage in so many ways, perhaps because I am personally located in this struggle. When you realize you are at midlife, you naturally want to examine how to spend the second half of your life.

There will always be someone younger, prettier, and more popular in life. As a person grows older, he depends even more on his life experiences and the wisdom gained along the way. In your writing, you should embrace your age, experiences, and wisdom. Pull from that well of experience, and it will add authenticity to your writing. Many people also choose to start over again in a new career. Empower others to follow these dreams and step out to take risks. Those forgotten dreams of yesteryear need not to lie dormant forever!

 

Ego Integrity vs. Despair is the stage of old age and through the end of life. When you reach retirement and beyond, will you despair and think of all the things you should have done or be satisfied with what you accomplished and how you have impacted future generations? That is the crucial struggle of this age.

Hopefully your writing can link younger and older generations together in amazing ways. It will lead people to reflect on a lifetime of accomplishments but also to make plans with confident to enjoy the gift of having another day to live. A sense of the joy of life can infuse any age! But interaction with and engagement in the lives of youth always seems to inspire the older generations. Don’t ever let your writing be limited by age or other ways we tend to separate people. The older generations hold valuable knowledge that needs to be communicated to both inspire and educate the generations to come.

Science & Religion: How Methodological Models Inspire New Ways of Thinking and Writing

In discussing science and religion, several typologies arise explaining how science and religion relate. These typologies often include conflict, independence, dialogue, and integration. This discussion has benefits for the fields of science and religion and gives insight into subsequent writing in those and related fields of study.

Conflict: Many people think of science and religion as being in a state of conflict. In fact, both scientists and people of faith have argued this to be true. Think of the sharp division in sides that emerged during the Scopes Trials for example. The prevailing thought of the conflict point of view is that science and religion contradict one another and are incompatible. Thus, one is right and the other is wrong.

I find that many incoming freshmen in my Introduction to the Bible courses tend to think in black and white terms regarding science and religion. Sometimes a student will speak with great passion, identifying himself as a man of science or a man of faith, implying that science and religion can’t exist together.

No matter which introductory course I teach, we invariably deal with this faith and science discussion near the beginning of the course as we jump into Genesis. I invariably ask the hard questions: Is the creation story incompatible with evolution? Is the only possible interpretation of Genesis 1 that of a 7-day creation? Are there limits to science? Does it take faith to believe in science? Sometimes the sparks fly in this discussion, showing a true unwillingness to budge from preconceived beliefs.

I oftentimes try to get students to examine and hopefully understand the other point of view, even if they are unwilling to change their own point of view. Thankfully, popular culture also provides many entry points into this discussion. Through the past several years, we have used television shows, such as Lost and Fringe, to talk about the nature of faith and belief as well as science and reason.

Benefits: There is nothing like discussion and conflict to help a person refine his beliefs, present his point of view in a thoughtful manner, and to take ownership of what he believes rather than mimicking what others have taught him. Conflict sharpens one’s understanding in many ways. A key is the level of respect and understanding that you show a person of an opposing viewpoint. Questions arise: can you understand and represent accurately a point of view that you do not hold and even oppose? Can you see another’s viewpoint? Can you agree to disagree?

In performing dissertation editing, I sometimes can see clearly the writer’s point of view in the midst of evaluating different viewpoints. Sometimes derogatory language gives that away. As a researcher and writer truly seek to understand an opposing viewpoint, even if you are unwilling to consider it as part of your personal belief system. It will help you grow in your research and writing skills and give you a better understanding of those who believe differently than you do.

Independence: Theories that fall into the independence category generally hold that religion and science are separate realms of enquiry and do not involve one another. Usually this line of thinking explains that science deals with observable facts gathered through the scientific method, developing theories that explain empirical data. Religion, on the other hand, deals with questions of ultimate meanings and moral and value questions that arise in life. These two realms of inquiry are not in opposition; they simply do not overlap and remain separate.

I often point to statements of personal belief that people use in conversation, citing evidence for their belief and how it differs in religious and scientific language.

On a basic level, scientists lean toward statements of “I observed the following” while people of faith make statements that begin with “I believe.” Thus, the fields of study sometimes mimic portions of the human experience and the language people commonly use. I once talked with a doctor who worked in the field of genetic engineering. He basically expressed an independence point of view by explaining that his job was to develop the technology, but that my job was to decide the moral use for that technology and where the limits are.

Benefits: Those who tend to think of religion and science as valuable fields of study, but addressing different areas of knowledge and experience, may be described as compartmentalizing each field of study. Sometimes this is portrayed negatively, especially in our age of quick media polls for or against topics.

The media tends to oversimplify complex issues into sound bytes and may spur on the general public to take sides. However, there is something to be said about letting each field flourish on its own and carry on investigations where the other field of study cannot. This approach to each field of study is much like the experience of a child becoming his own self in a family of other distinct personalities. Each child is unique and special.

As a writer, your voice is unique. You must develop and nurture it no matter your detractors or how much you differ from or are similar to key figures in your area of study. Dissertation writing is unique in many ways in that your writing must review the literature on a specific topic, tipping your dues to the giants whose shoulders your dissertation stands upon, but then to make your own unique contributions to the field through your work. We all tend to label others as to where we think their writing falls into an area or field of study. Resist the labels others try to affix upon you. Be your own unique voice in your field of study.

Dialogue: This typology acknowledges an overlap in interests and fields of study and allows their work be influenced through this dialogue. Thus, there is true conversation occurring between fields. A model of dialogue might say that both science and religion speak to the ultimate truths of human existence, having theories about the problems and answers to human existence and giving insight into that reality.

When I think of models of dialogue, David Tracy’s modified method of correlation always comes to mind. He took Paul Tillich’s method of correlation, where biblical truths speak to the philosophical questions of human existence, and makes the flow of questions and answers a true dialogue. Dialogue is not just one side asking a question, and the other answering it. As information is communicated, it literally changes the conversation, both the answers and questions. That is the true test of models of dialogue. Do fields of study truly allow questions from other fields and allow modification of theories and approaches based on those questions? Is there room for growth? This is the heart of dialogue.

Benefits: Having true dialogue of different beliefs and viewpoints is one of my goals every semester in my Introduction to the Bible courses. Each person, even if he is not of the Jewish or Christian faiths, offers different viewpoints based on his beliefs and experiences. These small class discussions are about topics like creation and evolution, the possibility of supernatural intervention in our natural world, and the central questions of human existence (such as Who am I? What is my purpose? What happens when I die?). This conversation mimics dialogue that occurs between other fields of study. As a writer, you have the opportunity to build bridges and tear down silos and break down barriers between fields of study and explanatory theories. Don’t back down from branching out into uncharted territory.

Integration: The integration typology describes those theories that attempt to unify both fields of study. These theories concentrate on similarities between the fields, focusing on how both fields speak about the world we live in and questions of ultimate concern.

Whether these theories start with the foundations of science or speak of all truth being God’s truth, this person has a predisposition that the two fields of study are interrelated on multiple complex levels. A theory of integration might say that science and religion are really getting at the same truths through different languages. Some say this approach has at its heart Anselm’s concept of faith seeking understanding. They begin with a belief that informs their worldview and shapes how they understand the data and interpret the world around them.

Benefits: When I think of people who are able to see connections that others don’t between fields of study, I think of one of my Ph.D. professors. He always clearly identified differing points of view and how many times people talk past one another by not understanding the other’s unique perspective.

There is a true talent in ignoring differences and focusing on areas of common ground. This professor often pointed out how humans are creatures of personal stories that explain the world around them, assigning meaning and purpose to events. It is natural to have a personal narrative that explains one’s history and background. Similarly people like to explain the history and background of how things came to be, why bad things happen to good people, and what their purpose is in life.

This tendency toward personal story allows people to work on unifying theories that bring together the fields of science and religion. Readers respond to stories in the same way. Don’t be afraid to share your personal story and let your passions influence the direction your research goes. How you put together the field of science and religion is important to your research and can inspire others to keep working through these important issues.

Theological Writing: 6 Ways Tillich’s Method of Correlation Can Approach the Deep Questions

1) Begin with existential questions that flow out of human experience. Some people have different names for these questions, but they are the basic questions of human existence: Who am I? What is my purpose? What happens to me after death? Tillich’s method starts with the questions of ultimate concern that reach to the heart of one’s being.

If your writing can identify first the questions that people are asking and keep your writing in line with those questions, then you will have a greater opportunity to touch the hearts and minds of individuals everywhere. Theological writing in particular has to make sense to an individual’s daily life and provide answers that are practically applicable to the life of the reader. Otherwise your writing may be insightful but not transformational.

So don’t be afraid to ask your deepest questions. Too many times Christian traditions even hinder and discourage people from asking questions, as if they are somehow signs of a weak faith. In reality, the questions always coexist with faith and make faith stronger, durable, real, and life changing.

2) Answer questions of human existence with the revelation of God. Traditionally revelation has been described in two different ways: general and special revelation. General revelation includes one’s conscience, the mark of God’s creative handiwork in the world, and the image of God that all humans carry. Special revelation includes God’s revelation through the Bible and through Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection. Tillich’s method of correlation urges readers to let revelation speak to the deep questions of human experience. Revelation provides answers, comfort, healing, salvation, and encouragement.

In your theological writing, start with and integrate biblical passages throughout your work. If your writing can address questions of human existence in the same way biblical revelation does—bringing healing, releasing from bondage, empowering, encouraging, comforting, and answering—then your work will resonate with a large audience in powerful ways.

3) Human experience is the filter through which God’s truth is understood. This basic concept gives explanation to the great variety of interpretation between people of faith and allows each person to experience God’s revelation in a way that is life changing and practical for his specific life circumstances.

Some writers are so prescriptive or limiting in their writing that it automatically limits or even alienates key audience segments. Writing that is best applies in different ways to different individuals. What are some practical ways to accomplish this? Present illustrations from your experience with which others can identify. This will bring practical application to your writing as well. Also, pull out practical applications from your theoretical discussion. Takeaways like this are valuable for readers and make writing come alive.

4) The form is important in answering the questions with God’s revelation. We all know examples of people who carry biblical answers but do so with vindictiveness or other approaches that cause others distance rather than reconciliation. The form is important in answering questions of ultimate concern. To Tillich, the content of God’s revelation is given but the form changes. Many churches deal with these questions on a weekly basis: How do we continue to appeal to the younger generation? Do we adopt newer, contemporary forms of worship? Do we change traditions completely or update them? Do we modify old forms of ministry and outreach in favor of new ones?

Form is important in your writing as well. Sometimes theological truth comes in unlikely places. Think of the impact that the book The Shack had on the general American public as well as the church. There is no doubt that the author addressed theological issues throughout, but in the context of a novel that held readers’ attention. Look at the impact of popular Christian books such as Randy Alcorn’s Heaven or Dan Piper’s 90 Minutes in Heaven had on those longing to know what lies on the other side of death or what happened to loved ones when they die. They appealed to readers in a way that caused them to think theologically and deal with questions of ultimate concern but not in a traditional theological treatise.

The most important aspect of this teaching is that answers must address the real questions people ask. Standard, pet answers do not work nor do they satisfy the true longing for knowledge and truth that people have. Seek to deal with the real questions with real answers.

 

5) Revelation changes one’s state of being. In the words of Isaiah 55:11: “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Likewise, Hebrews 4:12 describes God’s Word as “living and active.” God’s Word changes, shapes, molds, and brings to God the hearts and souls of people. It accomplishes God’s salvation work. Therefore, this model is not a reaction or accommodation to the fact that life changes. Revelation is an agent of change in and of itself.

Writing that changes lives, not just one’s actions, but who a person is. Now that’s valuable writing! Aim for theological writing that changes the lives of people. In our current culture, academia and the church are sometimes seen at odds, as if their conversations are not about the same topics or ideas. That should never be the case. All people think and speak theologically when addressing questions of ultimate concern. Writing at a theoretical level but does not touch church practice or daily life is missing the mark.

 

6) Questions change as life changes. There is a reason why some people observe that change appears to be the only constant in life. Change happens. People grow. That’s why a model of questions and answers is consistently needed. Since revelation changes people, their questions naturally change as well.

Writing that lasts is writing that changes people, causing emotional reactions, invoking life change, and challenging presuppositions. Writing that grows as people grown and change will last and continue to be applicable for years to come. Scripture has a way of speaking in different ways to different situations and people.

Want to really dive into Paul Tillich’s Method of Correlation? Pick up Systematic Theology Volume 1 for a fascinating read!

Marketing Your Book (Part 2): Where?

In focusing your marketing efforts, consider where your readers spend time. Showcase your book, your expertise, and yourself in those places your readers are most likely to frequent.

Online retailers Obviously book buyers shop at online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com. Amazon offers various tools for authors who want to gain exposure for their books, such as author profile pages, where you can let customers know a little more about yourself, and the Search Inside!™ tool.

The more material you make available to potential readers, the more likely they are to purchase your book (especially if you’re a first-time author), so be sure to take advantage of features like Amazon’s Search Inside tool, Barnes & Noble.com’s See Inside feature, and Google Books.

Facebook: That social networking site With a population of users larger than many countries, Facebook is a perfect place to promote yourself and your book. Set up a personal profile and a page for your book, create and join groups, and actively update your pages. While you’re in a social mood, set up accounts on other popular sites like LinkedIn and Twitter. With growing usage (13% of online Americans use Twitter as of 2011) and integration with Apple’s iOS 5 mobile operating system, Twitter is another platform for reaching potential readers in large numbers.

Online communities These virtual communities allow you to interact directly with people who love books. Some sites cater to a general population of book enthusiasts, such as Goodreads and Shelfari, and others are more specific, such as Figment.com, a site that is popular with writers and readers of young adult books. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  • Target your search. Look for online communities that are as specific as possible to your genre. Not only will you have more to contribute, but people who are passionate about a subject may participate in several online communities, and so you may find yourself developing relationships across multiple sites.
  • Participate. Set up a profile page, find or start groups, join in discussions, and comment on others’ blog postings.
  • Don’t focus on selling. Not every interaction in an online community has to (or should) be about promoting your book. Be yourself and make a real contribution. By participating in relevant communities, potential readers can get to know you and you can learn more about your readers and what they are looking for.
  • Practice reciprocity. As you develop relationships with group members, consider asking particularly active ones if you can send them a copy of your book to review on Amazon or (if applicable) their blog. If they like your book, see if they will provide blurbs for your website or recommend your book to other members of the group. Be prepared to do the same for others. Good relationships are never one-sided.

Your local media There is a lot of competition out there for coverage in big newspapers; unfortunately, not everyone can make it into the pages of the New York Times or the Philadelphia Inquirer. However, editors of local newspapers and producers of local TV and radio shows are frequently looking for interesting stories about residents.

  • Publishing a book can be a great local interest story. Send a press kit to local editors and producers, and be sure to follow up. Let them know if there’s a story idea that would be of particular interest to the community. For example, if you’ve written a book on parenting tips, and you’re heading into a cold suburban winter, offer to write a piece on fun things to do with your child at home.
  • To reach local readers, also consider location-specific news sites such as Patch.com, which reports on local news and events in towns and cities around the country.

–Meredith Hale, Marketing Manager, Baldwin Book Publishing & Edit911, Inc.

 

How to Write a Novel Book Review (Part 2): The Friction of Fiction

Try to Get It

It helps if a reviewer gets what a novel’s all about. I just experienced someone criticizing one of my novels, An Uprising of Angels, by saying, “This is pure fiction!” As if I’d committed a crime. And she hadn’t even read it.

She was basing her criticism on a press release of the novel. She was apparently expecting the book to be a piece of journalism, and it’s not. It’s a novel.

So I replied, “Yes and no. It’s real people, real life, real events interpreted, dramatized, and shaped into a story.” This reader is a very competent professional journalist, but apparently not enamored of literary fiction. When I admitted it’s fiction and explained some of its literary attributes, her entire tone and attitude changed. We ended up having a very nice email exchange.

Break It Down Into its Component Parts

The essence of analysis is just that: breaking something—a system, a contract, a problem, or a novel—into its component parts.

Here are some of the basic elements of a novel—each with my own quick take on why and how to analyze them:

• The Plot is what happens in the story. In some stories, the plot’s easy to follow. In others, it’s not. Neither approach is right or wrong. Remember, ambiguity is a virtue in fiction.
• The Characters are the people in the story. A useful way to look at the characters is from a psychological stance: What makes them tick? What motivates them? What do they want? What do they lack? Do you like them or not? Does that matter or not?
• Narrative Point of View: Who’s telling the story? The author or the characters? Close or distant? Inside or outside? Action or thinking? How would the story be different if it were told differently?
• The Conflict is the story’s problem or set of opposing forces. You don’t have a story without a conflict. It’s the friction of fiction—if the narrative doesn’t grate, it ain’t great. It’s gotta drive you nuts, enchant you, give you nightmares, or sweet dreams. If it has no emotional effect on you, either it’s no good or you don’t get it. (See section one.)
• The Themes are the “meanings,” morals, lessons, or “messages” we can infer from the story. How can we universalize the story, applying its plot and resolution, its characters’ growth, change, or stasis, to our lives? No theme, no novel. What the hell are you wasting my time for?
• The Setting is the time and place. The most important thing to notice is whether the story could have taken place in other times and places, or whether the setting of this story is the only possible setting for such a story to happen. Then, so what? Point being: where are you in relation to the story?
• Then there’s symbols, tone, style, and numerous other aspects to consider. Gotta do your homework if you’re writing about fiction.

Know What You’re Talking About

Okay, so you’ve gotten at least an M.A. in literature and you’re ready to read the novel carefully and compose a literary analysis (in the form of a book review) that does justice to the hard drive space and printer ink it’s using up.

Yes, that’s right: there’s a lot to learn to really write a good review of a novel. And you’re at a serious disadvantage without the formal education.

I could go on a long tangent here—and I will in another essay—but suffice to say, knowledge is power. That’s Bacon talking. As in Francis. And he was right.

So let’s assume you’ve done your homework.  Or if you haven’t, you want to try anyway. Fair enough? Fair enough.

Get a “Read” on the Novel

Regardless of your educational preparation and credentials, you have the right to write what you want to write. So, start, proceed, and finish strongly—by establishing your own “read” on the book. Find an angle and triangulate it: craft a thesis and nail it down with evidence from the novel to support it.

How best to do that?

• Read carefully, taking notes, paying attention to your own gut reactions.

• Trace those gut reactions. Do you feel tense, angry, indignant at any particular scene or line? STOP. Think. Dig deep. What in your life, in your past or present, may be affecting that emotion you’re feeling?

• There’s a funny line in the very funny movie called “Best in Show” when one character, reflecting quietly upon her life, says, “I’m waiting for another message from myself.” As you’re reading the story, is your “self” sending you any messages in the shape of emotional reactions to what you are reading?

• Formulate a tentative thesis statement and refer to specific scenes, lines, action, dialogue, plot points, descriptions—anything and everything from the story to hang your hat on.

Triangulation: Author/Text/Reader

In this empowered environment of Reader-response, the triangular dynamic of the author-text-reader clearly implies that we, the readers, play an equal role in the assignation of significance, or meaning.

After the author writes the story, the text then exists on its own—like a child who grew up and left home. The reader is the world the text entered, never to be the same again.

The Intentional Fallacy

The significance of a piece of writing is not entirely what the author intended. That way of thinking even has a name: it’s called the Intentional Fallacy. The author wrote the text and cut it loose, like a child cut loose from his parents. Therefore, the text stands on its own merit, a free agent, if you will.

Further, the author may not have even been fully aware of everything he was writing or suggesting in his text. We often say more or other than we intend to say. Thus, we, the readers, are full partners in determining the significance of a piece of writing, the text.

Look at it this way, the text means nothing by itself. Until it is read by an engaged, active intellect, it is just inanimate words on a page or computer screen. You, the reader, bring it to life. So, don’t be timid about inserting yourself into the text or insisting upon your meanings.

A Cautionary Word

Despite all of the preceding glowing advocacy for the Reader-Response approach and the triangular dynamic of signification, a cautionary aspect of these philosophies must be noted.

These empowering critical approaches assume a sane, fairly well-balanced, fairly well-informed intellect doing the reading, reacting, responding, and analyzing. In other words, some interpretations are better than others.

Simply because you see it in the text, does not necessarily mean that what you see in isolation or through the lens of your limited knowledge can be universally applied or defended.

Make sure you can support your views with solid textual evidence.

Focus Your Review with a Strong Thesis Statement

That said, don’t back down from a good idea or insight, just be sure there’s more than one “clue” in the text to support your point.

A good, solid academic and scholarly thesis—as well as a commercial or general book review–is a debatable inference about a narrow aspect of the subject—in this case, the novel you’re reviewing

So narrow your subject. The entire story is too much. You weren’t planning on writing a mere synopsis, were you? That’s not a review.

Even narrowing it down to a short summary and a psychological profile of the main character is still too much. A limited statement about the main character is better.

And make it debatable. For example, “In Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, the main character is an Englishman who learns many things in many foreign lands.” That’s a true, factual statement, and that’s why it’s not a good thesis. Why bother to write about a fact?

“In his travels, Gulliver learns that rationalism is overrated and humans must tap into their intuitive emotions in order to survive.” Now that’s a good thesis statement precisely because it is not a fact about the story. It’s an interpretation, an angle, an argument that needs to be supported.

Be a Proactive, Scholarly Book Reviewer

As you’re reading, be formulating tentative thesis statements, looking for evidence to support them. But also, note carefully if there is any evidence in the story that may refute your theses. You cannot ignore opposing arguments. That’s shoddy and dishonest scholarship.

It happens every day, in every business and walk of life, of course. People often ignore evidence, data, or arguments that refute or disprove their own sacred beliefs. Don’t they? But they’re not being honest with themselves or the world when they do. They certainly aren’t scholars. Which is what a good book reviewer really aspires to be: someone who knows a few things and who imparts them with total integrity.

So, try to be a true scholar. Get in the habit, if you aren’t already, of being intellectually honest, with yourself and others. Don’t fall in love with your opinions. Be ready to shed them fast, if and when you find evidence that they are faulty, incomplete, or misinformed.

If you embrace that notion of being a scholar, you’ll read better, analyze better, and write better. And readers of your reviews will quickly come to recognize the difference between you and the charlatans operating with smoke and mirrors, dazzle and flair—all style and no substance.

Naming Private Ryan

For those of you who write novels or short stories, a great number of resources and how-to guides exist that can help in plotting, characterization, and the other elements of the craft of fiction.

The help is very limited, though, when it comes to choosing the most effective names for your characters. Granted, the choice of characters’ names won’t make a good story bad or a bad one good. What they can do, however, is add significantly to the “feel” of your characters.

Names Affect Reader Buy-In

A name that just seems to fit the protagonist can make a difference in how well your readers buy in to the whole story.

And reader buy-in is what you’re after, isn’t it? Getting your readers to feel like the story is reality even when they know it’s fiction is the fundamental challenge we all face, whether we’re producing another War and Peace or an 800-word short-short for a weekly tabloid. We want our readers to lose themselves in the story and forget for awhile that it’s all made up.

A good name for a character is a small but important part of that. On the flip side, few things can break the spell quicker than an ill-chosen name.

Let’s take an example from the title of this blog. Why was Ryan a good choice for the character? Would Saving Private Jones have worked as well? How aboutSaving Private Martinelli? Ryan has no inherent superiority over the other two names. Jones is such a common name that it would reduce the distinctiveness of the title. Martinelli, although distinctive, has too many syllables for optimum flow. Using Ryan gives the title a cadence that Martinelli, or for that matter Jones, would not.

Different, Pronounceable, Symbolic

There are a number of other techniques useful in getting good names for your characters. In order to avoid reader confusion, it’s usually best to avoid giving two characters similar names or even names beginning with the same letter.

Likewise, make sure character names leave no great ambiguity about their pronunciation. We’re ill at ease when we don’t know how to pronounce a person’s name. Readers are, too.

Some good tools for choosing character names are telephone books (for last names) and baby books (for first names).

You may or may not want to christen your characters with names that either are symbolic or seem to “fit” the character’s personality or occupation.

David Morrell, in his excellent novel on the Punitive Expedition in 1916, Last Reveille, named the older protagonist Miles Calendar to symbolize the man’s age and experience, and named his younger protégé Prentice, alluding to his position as a kind of apprentice to the seasoned Calendar.

If you decide to do something similar with a character of yours, just don’t make it obvious. A policeman named Dick Copper might lead to reader rebellion.

The Extra Edge of a Name

All these ideas, of course, are just my suggestions. Fiction has few hard and fast rules. Finding effective names for your characters, though, can be one of the little things that give your story the edge over its competition.

 

–Dr. Loyd, Staff Editor, Edit911 Editing Service