Minimizing Was

I’m at the point in editing my new novel Faerie Tale where I’m searching for the word “was” with the idea of replacing it with an active verb. Here’s one example:

Original: The effect was to make him bend forward while running, pushing his butt up in the process so the second punch hit his right buttock instead of his back or kidney area.

Revision: He bent forward as he ran so the second punch hit his right buttock instead of his back or kidney area.

As a storyteller, I focus on the story itself while writing the first draft knowing I’ll catch the weak constructions during the editing process. Among other things, editing includes searching for weak words and replacing them with stronger writing. Sometimes this means a simple replacement such as replacing “walk” with “saunter.” Other times it involves a total revision of the sentence so the writing matches the power of the tale I’m telling. Editing – it’s not for the faint of heart, but it moves the serious writer farther along the path to excellence.

How Do You Create Suspense in a 2,000-Year-Old Story?

Here's my commentary on the writing challenge of creating suspense in a story that most readers are familiar with.

Launch into my new full-length novel
Mary is a teenage girl with a lot of moxie who's just a tad pregnant and has an ex-fiance who says, "Ain't no way that's my baby in there." What's a girl to do? What does she say to her dad? And how can she fight off Satan, the ultimate demon bent on killing her to keep the baby from being born? It's okay to read my scary story late at night with the rain pounding on your windows and thunder and lightning outside, but leave the light on. You’ll need it. Fulfillment makes a great stocking stuffer! Only $1.99 for your Amazon Kindle. Purchase by clicking here. You can obtain more information, read a sample of the book, and order the slightly higher priced PDF version or the whole lot more priced 288-page paperback version by clicking here.

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What Was the Inn Like in Jesus' Time?

This video describes the different types of inns at the time Jesus was born and how I chose to describe the inn at Bethlehem in my story.

Launch into my new full-length novel
Mary is a teenage girl with a lot of moxie who's just a tad pregnant and has an ex-fiance who says, "Ain't no way that's my baby in there." What's a girl to do? What does she say to her dad? And how can she fight off Satan, the ultimate demon bent on killing her to keep the baby from being born? It's okay to read my scary story late at night with the rain pounding on your windows and thunder and lightning outside, but leave the light on. You’ll need it. Fulfillment makes a great stocking stuffer! Only $1.99 for your Amazon Kindle. Purchase by clicking here. You can obtain more information, read a sample of the book, and order the slightly higher priced PDF version or the whole lot more priced 288-page paperback version by clicking here.

Enjoy this blog video? Be sure to share it with your friends by clicking the social networking links below. Thank you.

Did Mary and Joseph Live in Poverty?

Because Jesus was born in a stable, people sometimes assume Joseph and Mary must have been impoverished. But the Bible doesn't say they were poor people. Here's my take on this topic that formed the basis for my version of the first Christmas in my novel Fulfillment.

Launch into my new full-length novel
Mary is a teenage girl with a lot of moxie who's just a tad pregnant and has an ex-fiance who says, "Ain't no way that's my baby in there." What's a girl to do? What does she say to her dad? And how can she fight off Satan, the ultimate demon bent on killing her to keep the baby from being born? It's okay to read my scary story late at night with the rain pounding on your windows and thunder and lightning outside, but leave the light on. You’ll need it. Fulfillment makes a great stocking stuffer! Only $1.99 for your Amazon Kindle. Purchase by clicking here. You can obtain more information, read a sample of the book, and order the slightly higher priced PDF version or the whole lot more priced 288-page paperback version by clicking here.

Enjoy this blog video? Be sure to share it with your friends by clicking the social networking links below. Thank you.

How Come Mary Can Read in Your Novel Set in the First Century?

Here's another video about Fulfillment, my novel of the first Christmas. One of the issues I had to deal with as an author researching the first century AD was determining if the characters were able to read.

Launch into my new full-length novel
Mary is a teenage girl with a lot of moxie who's just a tad pregnant and has an ex-fiance who says, "Ain't no way that's my baby in there." What's a girl to do? What does she say to her dad? And how can she fight off Satan, the ultimate demon bent on killing her to keep the baby from being born? It's okay to read my scary story late at night with the rain pounding on your windows and thunder and lightning outside, but leave the light on. You’ll need it. Fulfillment makes a great stocking stuffer! Only $1.99 for your Amazon Kindle. Purchase by clicking here. You can obtain more information, read a sample of the book, and order the slightly higher priced PDF version or the whole lot more priced 288-page paperback version by clicking here.

Enjoy this blog video? Be sure to share it with your friends by clicking the social networking links below. Thank you.

Superstition in Fulfillment

Here's a video on how I used superstition to help tell my suspense version of the Christmas story in my novel Fulfillment.

Launch into my new full-length novel
Mary is a teenage girl with a lot of moxie who's just a tad pregnant and has an ex-fiance who says, "Ain't no way that's my baby in there." What's a girl to do? What does she say to her dad? And how can she fight off Satan, the ultimate demon bent on killing her to keep the baby from being born? It's okay to read my scary story late at night with the rain pounding on your windows and thunder and lightning outside, but leave the light on. You’ll need it. Fulfillment makes a great stocking stuffer! Only $1.99 for your Amazon Kindle. Purchase by clicking here. You can obtain more information, read a sample of the book, and order the slightly higher priced PDF version or the whole lot more priced 288-page paperback version by clicking here.

Enjoy this blog video? Be sure to share it with your friends by clicking the social networking links below. Thank you.

Why Did You Make Zechariah and Elizabeth So Old in Fulfillment?

As a writer, how do you set the age for a character? Too young and the audience has problems accepting the character's wisdom as beyond her years. Too old and the reader can't relate to his problems and challenges. But if the you set the age at the Goldilocks "just right" point, you risk boring the reader with a character who is predictable and not particularly interesting. In this video, I address the challenge for the characters of Zechariah and Elizabeth in my new novel Fulfillment.

Launch into my new full-length novel
Mary is a teenage girl with a lot of moxie who's just a tad pregnant and has an ex-fiance who says, "Ain't no way that's my baby in there." What's a girl to do? What does she say to her dad? And how can she fight off Satan, the ultimate demon bent on killing her to keep the baby from being born? It's okay to read my scary story late at night with the rain pounding on your windows and thunder and lightning outside, but leave the light on. You’ll need it. Fulfillment makes a great stocking stuffer! Only $1.99 for your Amazon Kindle. Purchase by clicking here. You can obtain more information, read a sample of the book, and order the slightly higher priced PDF version or the whole lot more priced 288-page paperback version by clicking here.