Writing & Books
Monday Quote: On Inspiration
Van Gogh painted for only ten years and knew almost no success, yet he laid the foundations of modern art. May we take heart and keep writing, whether or not we know success.
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Stories about everything from motherhood, faith, and grief, to classical-Christian education, current events, and the writing life.
Current Events Writing & Books
Friday Fact: On Publishing Books
Thirty years ago, there were half a million books on the market. Today, a new book may compete against fifteen million titles.
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Writing & Books
Monday Quote: On Writing Books
I never found the postpartum book I needed, so I wrote it. The best advice any writer can follow: write the book you wish you could read.
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Current Events
Friday Fact: For the Love of Michelangelo
The Pieta was the only work Michelangelo ever signed — and he carved it from a perfect block of marble before he turned thirty.
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Writing & Books
Monday Quote: On Remorse
Hemingway was complicated, but slivers of humility and remorse slip through his sealed prose — especially when it comes to the first wife he never stopped regretting.
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Writing & Books
Got concept? Without it, your fiction won't float.
Without a strong concept, your fiction won't float. Larry Brooks breaks down what separates a true concept from a mere idea — and how to know if yours is good enough.
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Writing & Books
Monday Quote: On Errant Apostrophes
Benjamin Dreyer's delightful take on the misused apostrophe — a charming excerpt from one of the best style manuals you'll ever read.
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Writing & Books
Monday Quote: On Omitting
Sometimes the best thing you can do for a story is cut. Hemingway reminds us that what we leave out can make readers feel something more than they understand.
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Friday Fact: For the Love of Chocolate
In 1659, Louis XIV granted the first known chocolatier in history the right to make and sell chocolate. Where might we be without the Sun King?
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Writing & Books
Monday Quote: On Clarity
A reflection on the endless pursuit of clarity in writing, inspired by the French writer Joseph Joubert.
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Current Events
Friday Fact: The Day the World Came to Town
After 9/11, a pharmacist in Gander, Newfoundland, worked forty-two hours straight to fill stranded passengers' prescriptions — all at no cost.
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The Six Core Competencies of Storytelling
Larry Brooks's six core competencies of storytelling offer writers a framework for crafting well-rounded, sellable fiction — no matter how you approach the page.
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