The Power of Positive Prose

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  Hello! Maureen Pratt, back again, for my monthly CAN Blog post. I’m very happy to be blogging today about the craft of writing and, specifically, the huge difference "writing positive prose" can make in describing characters, painting pictures, and conveying the heart of a story, be it fiction or non-fiction. What do I mean by "positive?" Given two possible ways of writing the same sentence, the more positive can be the strongest one to choose. Consider this description: "Amy didn’t necessarily think she was beautiful, but she couldn’t believe that the casting director put her in secondary roles that…

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Help! Where’s my story?!

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  Hello, again! Maureen Pratt here with my monthly CAN blog about the art and craft of writing. This month’s topic is, “Help! Where’s my story?!” or, “What to do when your story goes one way while you go another.” Whether we write fiction or non-fiction, plotting or outlining is often an essential part of the publication process. From the first query to the last book cover blurb, most of us try to envision the beginning, middle and end of a work before we dive in. But, as we authors know, as hard as we might work on those early…

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When Something Happens

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Hello, again!  Maureen Pratt here for my monthly blog post. And what a month it’s becoming! No doubt many of you have multiple works in progress gracing your keyboards, computer screens, notebooks, and imaginations. Some deadlines, too. The life of a working writer. And then…something happens. How do we handle health and other emergencies and keep our writing in mind and heart, too? We are writers, after all, and writers, well, we write. As I write this, I am in the midst of a significant family emergency. One minute, I was working on a new magazine article, and hours later,…

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In the Trenches, Part 2

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Hey, writers! Jan here, writing once again with a focus on nonfiction–though the topic today could apply to fiction writers as well. Last month I offered In the Trenches, Part 1, where we looked at how crucial it is to get into our reader’s skin and keep them in mind while we write. We looked at ways we can get closer to our reader—intentional about knowing who they are from multiple angles, including through real conversations. We’re going to take that deeper in this post. Begin by imagining being trapped in a room . . .

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A Lenten Challenge for Our Writing and Speaking

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Jan here. I’m enjoying a quiet day of reflection and challenge, especially around the idea of Lent. Lent is not a tradition that I grew up with, but I’ve enjoyed watching and hearing how individuals and various faith communities observe it. I like its call to be intentional about letting go of earthly distractions and drawing closer to God—particularly in relationship to preparing our hearts for taking in the passion of Christ, his suffering and resurrection, and what that means to each of us personally as his children in living this life in him. So I’ve felt stirred to consider ways to incorporate the parts…

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How Old am I Again?

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  Happy New Year from Jeanette! I’m just getting back into my routine after a fun week with family and a wonderful Christmas. I think it seemed even more wonderful because it almost wasn’t.

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Staying Prayed Up

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Hey, friends! Jennifer Devlin here with a CAN Board member post. Today, I want to focus on the importance of staying “prayed up” as we serve God through writing and speaking. Prayer is not only the foundation of everything we do in life and ministry; it is absolutely essential to our success and survival as we endure struggles, disappointments, triumphs and victories.

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