Lecture Series Introduction

Okay, so you've said to yourself quite a few times, "Wouldn't it be cool to write a book?" You think that when you submit a book for publication that, all of a sudden, boom! You're famous! You see it as an easy way to get rich (and to reach people with the Gospel). Always happens, right?

Wrong. If you're thinking like this as we begin these lectures, we should take a moment and get all of those ideas out of your head. Sure, you could become famous instantly (on your first submission to a publisher) if you had an extraordinary (and I mean super, super extraordinary) gift for words, dialogue, description, characters, plot lines, setting, and research (not to mention having a firm understanding of assonance, onomatopeia, alliteration, and other poetic techniques to enhance your writing). That's a whole lot to be gifted at!

But my point here is that most authors learn the long, hard way. It can take anywhere from months to years to finish a single novel-length book. John Erickson, author of Hank the Cowdog submitted his books for fifteen years without receiving a single offer for publication. It may sound daunting now, but you'll be a lot less likely to quit if you have in mind at the beginning that writing is hard.

I'm not trying to discourage you. If you want to write, go for it! I actually find much of the process enjoyable. Yes, there will be days when your characters, your plot, or your thinking cap just won't cooperate. But, other than that (and the series of rejection slips from publishers), writing can be an absolute blast! Think of it; characters that you create with their own personalities, each unlike the rest, plot lines that excite you and pop up out of nowhere, learning your history while researching a time, creating dialogue that suites the era or country, making people cry over the death of a character, and laugh at a funny spot. All of it comes with writing.

But, as a beginner, you're most likely struggling. You don't know where to begin. So that's where I come in. I'm here to help you because I know how difficult it is to be a writer, especially a Christian writher when you want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ so badly. How do you write like this with interesting characters and plot, without sounding as if your theme is being shoved down your readers' throats?

It's a big demand, but a great calling. The world needs Christian writers. So, what do you say? Let's begin!