Musings of a Sparrow….
My thoughts about God, writing, and life in general….
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Story Structure Series: The Fichtean Curve
In today’s post, we will explore a structure commonly used in various genres, including satire, speculative fiction, crime, and thrillers/suspense: the Fichtean Curve….
Story Structure Series: What is Story Structure?
Story structure, or narrative structure, makes up the basic foundation of storytelling. With a sound structure, a story rambles and makes no sense. So, what is story structure? It is the order in which events in a story are relayed to the reader or audience. It can be thought of as the scaffolding of storytelling, which holds the narrative together in a logical sequence or order from the beginning to the end....
Character Series: The Antagonist
Equally important to the story as the Protagonist is the subject of this week’s post: the Antagonist. Without an Antagonist or Antagonistic Force causing opposition to or conflict for the Protagonist’s efforts to reach their goal, there is no plot. No plot, no story....
Reading List for September/October 2024
Fall is quickly approaching, and with cooler weather comes the idea of cuddling with a blanket, sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte or tea, and enjoying a good book....
Character Series: The Protagonist
In earlier blog posts, we explored the five main elements of a story. One of those main elements was character. Over the next few weeks, we will examine the types of characters commonly found in literature. Specifically, we will explore the roles of the Protagonist, the Antagonist, the Deuterogamist, the Love Interest, the Confidant, and the Foil. This week, our focus will be on the Protagonist: the role of this character type, the characteristics that define it, and ways to create a strong example of a Protagonist in a story….
My Review of The Last Exchange by Charles Martin
When I first chose to write a review of Charles Martin’s novel, The Last Exchange, I intended to write a traditional review discussing all the literary and thematic elements of the novel. However, after reading it a few times in preparation, I knew I had to change things. This book moved me and hit tender spots in my soul, and there is no way I could do it justice in a ‘normal’ review….
Why Writers Need to Travel—Thoughts from My Trip to Ontario
For two weeks this month, I traveled by car from Leduc, Alberta, to Port Dover, Ontario, and back with my husband and mother-in-law to visit my younger daughter. It was a pleasure trip to see the country and spend time with a loved one, but as I rode some long and lonely stretches of road in northern Ontario, it occurred to me that travel is one of the best things a writer can do to spur creativity and add depth to one’s projects….
Waiting on God: My Renewed Vision for My Writing
As I wrote in a previous post, I attended the Story Embers 2024 Summit and took away many valuable lessons to help me improve as a writer. Still, perhaps the most important lesson was this: My writing belongs to God—I’ve committed it to Him for His use and glory….
My Painting Hobby-How I Paint Flowers from a Photograph
As a creative soul, I recognize the need for downtime to allow my ADHD brain to rest and recuperate. I enjoy expressing my creativity predominantly through the written word. However, I enjoy crafting, cross-stitching, and making country-style décor signs. I’ve recently taken up acrylic painting.
What I Learned at the Story Embers 2024 Summit
I attended my first Story Embers 2024 Summit this year. Story Embers is an organization to “help Christian writers enthrall readers with honest storytelling that depicts both beauty & brokenness.” (storyembers.org) Each year, they host a virtual summit with several keynote speakers and workshops over three days. I was fortunate to attend all but one live session over three days in late May. Fantastic presenters offered a great deal of valuable and encouraging information, and I learned too many things to cover in one blog post, but one main thought impacted me, which I will share with you.
Finding Strength in Faith: Resetting After Loss Through Christ
In times of loss, when the shifting sands under our feet threaten to cause us to flounder and fall, we can find solace in the rock-solid love and grace of Jesus Christ.
The Fifth Element of a Story: Theme
Every story contains five essential elements. Previously, we explored character, setting, plot, and conflict. In this post, we will look at what is at the heart of every compelling story: the theme….
The Fourth Element of a Story: Conflict
A compelling story is made up of five essential elements. Previously, we looked at the first three elements of a story: Character, Setting, and Plot. If character is whom or what drives the plot the plot and plot is the skeleton on which the rest of the elements are supported, Conflict is the heartbeat of storytelling, the driving force that propels characters through their journey. It captivates audiences with its dynamic interplay of tension and resolution….
The Third Element of a Story: Plot
Over the past two weeks, we explored two of a story's five crucial elements: Character and Setting. The character answers who the story is about and the people who act out the sequence of events in the story. The Setting, a character, a symbol, or both fixes the story in a time and place and answers the social and cultural context of what goes on. In this post, we will explore the third element of a story: Plot….
The Second Element of a Story: Setting
Stories are made up of elements necessary for them to work, make sense, and exist. There are many elements, but five main elements include character, setting, plot, conflict, and theme. In my last post, we explored the first element of a story: character. In this post, we will examine the second element of a story: setting….
The First Element of a Story: Character
As defined in my last post, “A Character is someone or something that does something in the plot of a story. Sometimes, they don’t do much at all. Some are only referred to by other characters. They can be a person, animal, or other being. In some stories, objects, groups, forces of nature, and settings can take on the character role….
The Five Elements of a Story
We read them all the time or watch them on TV: Stories. But what elements make up a good story, be it a short story, novella, novel, play, or screenplay? What major components make up a story and hold it together?
My Struggle to Choose a Path
As a rule, I write posts that are less personal and more focused on a specific topic related to writing or publishing. I planned to post something else this week, but that didn’t pan out. Instead, I’ve decided to open up a little about my current struggle with deciding what my future career path or paths should be. Bear with me as I get a little personal….
Three Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Queried Literary Agents
It’s been quite the learning curve for me since I decided to take my writing to a higher level in April 2023 and began querying literary agents for the first manuscript of my Ashes trilogy. I did no research and very little casual reading about what was required to query an agent properly, so I made many mistakes—more than three. But in today’s post, I will present the three most important things I wish I’d known before sending query letters to agents in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom….
8 Great TV Shows and Movies in the Romantic Thriller Genre
I love several TV shows and movies that fall within the above definition of a “romantic thriller.” In this post, I will list my favorite TV shows and movies within this designation….