When Backstory Can Kill a Good Thing

As an aspiring fiction writer, I have learned the value of backstory. My current novel, The Ledgers, is built on the backstory of characters who die (or were already dead) in the first act. I can’t possibly tell their entire stories.Like most authors, I’ve...

Please Click

Friends,I’m amazed. According to SiteMeter, more than 300 of you visited my site during the last seven days. According to ClusterMaps, you are coming from ALL over the world.Thanks for visiting.I recently became a writer for Suite101. My first article appeared...

A Brutal 16

The last week of running has been difficult. We ran a fantastic–almost refreshing–15 miles last Saturday. The midweek runs were distances of 4, 8, and 4. I chose not to run the second 4-miler due to intense calf pain in my left leg. Stretch, massage, ice,...

Why Tiger Isn’t an Accountant

Have you ever tried to figure out the difference between gifts, talents, and abilities? The three are so closely related. We take inventories on spiritual gifts, strengths (like StrengthsFinder), aptitude tests, personalities, and more hoping for an objective voice to...

Scary Stats for Prepping Parents of Future Freshmen

Protestant churches are losing young adults in “sobering” numbers, a survey finds. Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30—both evangelical and mainline—who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23, according to the survey...