Brilliant

Genre Happenings

Author By Night

Making A Scene

For Writers

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For Readers

Fall in Love with Romance

With Valentine’s Day falling squarely in the middle of February, let’s look at romance novels as this month’s focus. Not every reader enjoys a good romance, and, truly, some romantic works are directly opposed to Christian values. Inspirational fiction keeps the content pure while pursuing the intrigue of romance. Knowing there’s something for everybody, why not try romantic fiction for a February read? Here are a few categories to consider:

For Writers

Kimberly Stuart

I want to be clear from the start: I love my job. I really do. I can’t believe I get to make stuff up and get paid for it. Very few professions offer this luxury. Bernie Madoff, for example, might wish today that he’d had a healthier respect for keeping fiction in its proper place. We novelists, though, have the great privilege of creating pretend people, living with them in our heads for months on end, and then telling their fake stories to real people.

Making A Scene

Compression—Lean Yet Vivid Writing

In a nutshell, compression is using verbs, adjectives, and nouns packed with meaning. When your writing is effectively compressed, (1) your narrative and action will be more vivid, and (2) you’ll use fewer words. Pardon the analogy, but imagine a large bag filled with trash compared with a similar bag in a trash compactor. The latter packs in two to three times as much trash. And as a result, you’ll use...

Author By Night

The Life Of An Author

The life of an author is so glamorous. I usually wake up early in the morning and watch the sun rise. The deer graze as I sip a skinny latte and thumb through People magazine. After eating a light breakfast of egg whites and something else disgustingly healthy, I wander into my office, where I write for two solid hours, producing exactly one chapter of sheer brilliance. I spend the rest of my day counting dollar bills and...

Genre Happenings

A New Era for YA Fiction—and Why I’m Writing It Too

For years, book sales languished behind video games sales for kids. But then came Harry Potter, and suddenly, a new generation caught fiction fever. Rowling’s world for Harry weaved together a magical tapestry of elements: an orphaned child with a tremendous destiny; a parallel world filled with fascinating characters; good versus evil. It was classic storytelling. And the books are lengthy, proving that kids...