With the re-launch of Kingdom Pen, we've discovered that there is quite a bit of confusion and misunderstanding around the difference between Kingdom Pen and Story Embers. We've received quite a lot of questions, and so I wanted to come on and clear up any confusion, as well as illustrate the focus and mission of Kingdom Pen.
To be clear, this article isn't going to pit the two websites against each other. Rather, I intend to highlight the main elements of each website and help answer your questions.
I love Story Embers, and many of the staff members there I have known and been friends with for years and years. They have a great site and publish great content.
But in this article, I am going clear up a few things, and lay out the key similarities and differences between Kingdom Pen and Story Embers.
Where is the Confusion Coming From?
While Kingdom Pen went on hiatus, Story Embers was created by a few former members of Kingdom Pen. This is where most of the confusion is coming from, and it is completely understandable.
However, Story Embers and Kingdom Pen are both two different websites run by different people.
Let's get into it.
How Kingdom Pen & Story Embers Are Similar & Different
I love Story Embers, and many of the staff members there I have known and been friends with for years and years. I think they have a great site and publish great content.
Similar
Both Support Storytellers
Story Embers supports storytellers, and so does Kingdom Pen!
Different
Kingdom Pen Is More Broad Than Story Embers
While Story Embers focuses specifically on writers, Kingdom Pen eventually wants to become a hub for Christian storytellers of all kinds (musicians, filmmakers, artists, and more).
We're not sure what this would look like, if we would launch other websites dedicated to these specific art forms or keep everything on one site, but we recognize that many in our audience aren't just writers, but also are passionate about one or more art forms.
We want to Kingdom Pen to help these multi-creative storytellers.
Similar
Both Support Christian Writers
Both Story Embers and Kingdom Pen are committed to helping and serving Christian writers grow and improve.
Different
Kingdom Pen Focuses on "Latent" Christian Stories, whereas Story Embers Focuses on "Active" Christian Stories.
This difference may seem small at first, but it's actually a pretty big one.
Story Embers is dedicated to reviving and improving Christian Fiction. On their website they declare that they "seek to raise Christian storytelling to new levels."
On their website you'll find articles like, "How to write stories that Christian Readers Actually Need", and how to write Christian Fantasy, etc. There is indeed a ton of terrible Christian Fiction out there, and Story Embers pursues to restore the Christian Fiction genre and make Christian Fiction as powerful as it can be.
As we would love to see more great Christian Fiction ourselves, we at Kingdom Pen whole-heartedly support this noble pursuit.
However, Kingdom Pen is a bit more broad in the sense that we don't focus specifically on "Christian" Fiction.
Instead, Kingdom Pen seeks to fulfill C.S. Lewis' call that what we need is...
"Not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects--with their Christianity latent."
In other words, Story Embers is focused on helping writers who are writing to a Christian audience.
Kingdom Pen is focused on helping writers who are NOT necessarily writing to a Christian audience.
Kingdom Pen wants to encourage Christian writers to write stories that aren't necessarily "Christian", but where their Christian worldview lies within the story nonetheless. As our about page says, we want to craft authentic and beautiful stories that challenge Christians and non-Christians alike to rethink how they view the world.
As a result, non-Christians could read their stories and be deeply impacted and moved toward Christ and His Kingdom whereas they might not have been had the book been under the "Christian" label.
This is what C.S. Lewis is referring to when he says we need more books where the Christianity is "latent". The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings are both great examples of what Kingdom Pen esteems.
Similar
Both Accept Submissions
You can get your work published on both Kingdom Pen & Story Embers!
Different
Kingdom Pen has a Less Rigorous Editing Process
Kingdom Pen wants to be a proving ground for Christian writers. We want this to be a place where you are free to learn, make mistakes, and catch a vision that sparks a life-long writing habit.
Too often "perfectionism" kills young writers, and they end up not writing for fear of writing poorly.
This is why a HUGE emphasis of Kingdom Pen is in making sure you have the freedom to write poorly...so that you can actually increase your writing output, and eventually become a great writer.
As a result, we aren't as preoccupied with publishing perfectly written content on our site. We'll definitely give you feedback and suggestions when you submit, but we aren't going to majorly edit your submissions.
Story Embers, on the other hand, is very committed to only publishing great writing since "Story Embers advocates excellence in writing."
As a result, "all accepted submissions are subject to a comprehensive editing process that involves macro as well as micro changes to strengthen the structure and sentences."
Overall, Story Embers is more focused on what is being published. They ensure that what they publish are polished "masterpieces" for an "optimal reading experience for [their] audience".
Whereas Kingdom Pen is more focused on making sure that writer's do get published, no matter what level. We believe that publishing your work is vital to getting your name out there and receiving encouragement from the Kingdom Pen community.
So Kingdom Pen is for you if you're looking to have your story or poem published as close to the original as possible.
But if you're wanting to polish your work through a very rigorous editing process that reveals the "underlying luster" of your writing, then Story Embers is the place for you.
To sum up, Kingdom Pen will meet you at your level. Story Embers will help push you towards the next level.
(Quotes are Taken from Story Ember's Submissions Page)
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Different
Kingdom Pen Focuses on Quantity. Story Embers Focuses on Quality.
Following up on the previous difference, I would say that Story Embers is a place for those writers who are focused on quality and refinement, as they place a strong emphasis on excellence in writing. Definitely a pursuit we at Kingdom Pen support!
However, Kingdom Pen is more focused on quantity and practice. And we hope to make Kingdom Pen a place where you can publish and share your writing, at any level.
We want to encourage writers to write more, no matter how bad it seems. The more you write, the more helpful feedback you get, and the more you will improve.
We believe that the fastest way to get better is to write more. So you need to create a lot more bad writing and produce a lot more bad fiction before you can become good.
Certainly, writers need both quality and quantity. This is why we give you tips on how to improve, and why we support Story Embers so much.
But overall, we are less focused on the quality, and more focused on quantity.
Similar
Both Are Great Resources!
I know I may be biased since I own one of these platforms and I'm friends with many of the owners/contributors of the other platform, but I firmly believe in the value of both of these platforms.
I think they are both great platforms, and I believe you can get a lot of value from both!
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A Summary Of Similarities & Differences Between KP & SE
This article isn't intended to make a judgement as to which platform is better than the other, but rather to accurately point out the differences so you can understand how each platform is best suited to help you reach your goals. We think both are great, and that you can benefit from visiting both.
Similarities
Differences
Conclusion:
I know I may be biased since I own one of these platforms and I'm friends with many of the owners/contributors of the other platform, but I firmly believe in the value of both of these platforms.
Both Kingdom Pen & Story Embers are great resources for helping and supporting Christian storytellers!
I think they are both great platforms, and I believe you can get a lot of value from both!
Hopefully, this article helps you understand the two platforms better and decide which one will personally help you the most in whatever aspect you are trying to improve.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Since Kingdom Pen has returned, we've been asked things like...
"Now that Kingdom Pen is Back, does that mean Story Embers won't be in use anymore?"
The answer is not at all! ​
There is no reason the return of Kingdom Pen would mean that Story Embers is ending. Story Embers is a completely different organization that is owned and run by people separate from Kingdom Pen.
Yes, many of the staff members at SE used to be staff members at KP, but they have completely moved on to form their own venture which we at Kingdom Pen completely support and endorse.
We at Kingdom Pen are all fans of Story Embers ourselves, so Story Embers leaving would be nothing short of tragic!
Not at all!
We don't view Story Embers as competition whatsoever. Rather, we see them as allies in the same mission to advance the Kingdom of God through storytelling.
We both want to equip Christian storytellers, though we may go about it slightly differently.
We believe that both websites are valuable tools in helping Christian writers grow.
We wish to see Story Embers thrive, and are happy to see our community using their amazing resources.
So Let Us Know In The Comments Below...
How can we make Kingdom Pen the best it can possibly be? What would you like to see from Kingdom Pen in the near future?
I would definitely like to see those things mentioned on the KP roadmap in the future; however long it takes.
I’m right there with you, Leon! Just need Kingdom Pen to grow and we’ll achieve them together in no time!
Absolutely!
Great post, Reagan! I would heartily sign onto pretty much all of the points you made here and definitely agree that I don’t view us as competitors. Christian writers need as many solid resources out there as they can get and we certainly don’t want to be the only site people go to for writing instruction!
Just as a quick clarification, though, about your point regarding Christian fiction, we actually do aim to help both types of Christian writers–those showing their faith explicitly or implicitly in their work. By “Christian fiction,” we’re just referring to stories that Christians write, not a specific approach to the subject. This can sometimes be a confusing term in marketing–and we’re actually in the midst of revamping much of our messaging over this summer to more clearly communicate who we are and what we do–so I definitely get where that impression comes from, but we do want to provide resources for both types of writers. 🙂 I talked about that some in my initial post on the site here: https://storyembers.org/how-explicit-should-my-faith-be-in-my-stories/
Anyways, I can wholeheartedly sign on to everything else you said here, but thought I’d just drop a word clarifying this point. 🙂 Thanks for writing up this whole post!
Glad we’re on the same page!
And thank you for the clarification. That’s cool you’re revamping your messaging. I’ll edit the post and add your clarification when I get the chance. 🙂
Thanks for this article! I’m an active member of both KP and SE but I honestly wasn’t aware of what made them unique and different so I really enjoyed getting to see where each side was coming from. Both have been instrumental in my writing life and I really appreciate both 🙂
Thanks for the post! I have been a longtime fan of both Story Embers and Kingdom Pen, so it was nice to have the similarities and differences clearly highlighted. Both of you keep up the good work!
Super helpful! I enjoy and follow both websites, but wasn’t really sure about the specific differences.
That was certainly helpful and cleared up a lot of my confusion. Thanks for the article, Reagan!
This is good to know! I love the work that both of these sites are doing. 🙂
Is Kingdom Pen still geared toward young writers? I know Story Embers is intended for all age groups, so that could be another difference.
I’m wondering about this too. The tagline on the Kingdom Pen website header says, “Equipping teens to write for Christ.” Should I not join this site if I’m not a teen?
Hi MJ! KP is definitely geared more towards teens, but it’s not exclusive to teens. Although while making content we have in mind a younger audience, everything we provide is open and free to anyone of any age! I hope that makes sense. 🙂
Thank you, this helped a lot!! And I’m super excited y’all are planning on broadening your scope to other creatives! <3
I enjoy both SE and KP for different reasons, and this got them both pretty perfectly. They are different, but their differences make them great. KP couldn’t do everything that SE does, and SE couldn’t do everything that KP does.
Thank you so much for this article. Everything makes much more sense now. XD