Category: Behind Your Creative Life

It’s a questions so often asked: How do I find or develop my style? In this two-part series, we will look at the secrets to finding your style in painting, writing, or any creative task.

Lately I have seen two types of problems creeping into fiction and non-fiction writing. Can you spot the problems? Try these two challenges.

If you haven’t read it, you’ll want to at least read “Tips for Creating Page-Turning Mysteries” first, and if you are keen to go even deeper, here are six bonus tips.

In my article, “The Dream that Changed Everything,” I told you the story of the dream that God used to open my eyes to the power of mystery, secrets and unanswered questions to hook a reader. But discovering the power of mystery to pull a reader was only the beginning. Mystery, like all writing techniques, must be done well.

My teen son, Tristan, sits on a comfortable reading chair in the corner of the room, the grey English autumn light illuminating the pages of his book. He is reading The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken.
I sit in the farthest corner to the window, my phone in hand, looking up something I need to research.

Last night, Tristan (my teenage son) and I were talking. He’s reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and he commented on how he loved the richness of the language, especially the way people spoke to one another.

Have you ever read a book where the characters were so real, you found yourself thinking about them long after the book was over? What is it that made them so memorable? Why do some characters stick in our brains for years, becoming our close friends, when others barely come to life even as we read?