Mallory O'Bier

@aratrea I’m going to have to follow the trend here, because like everyone else, my answer is the same as the last one: Pain. In the same way that it has deepened me and pushed me closer to God, I feel like I use it a LOT to deepen my characters and help them grow.

Hi, @r-j-wordsmith! Welcome to the bestistest place on the internet. And it just got even better because we got a new CoMC fanatic with us. (That is my all time favorite novel 😉 )

@aratrea Exactly. Sorry, I should have made that more clear.

@daeus I’m totally going to do something like that. 😛

@Kate-Flournoy Cellphones, is it? Not something exciting like a sword? *scowls* Ah well.

You get a voicemail on your phone. Someone is pleading for help and you can hear your own voice yelling in the background. When you check the time stamp, you see it is dated five years in the future.

@jenali Fantastic question. Secular stories can definitely have a theme just as much as Christian stories, and I think you’ll find that often the best secular stories out there are those that have strong themes.

I would distinguish secular and Christian stories on two fronts: with regards to the depth of their themes and with regards to the…[Read more]

@hope Nice! I like that a lot then. You do a really good job of weaving both Experiments in Living together in a way that, at least on paper, looks like a good, gradual transition.

@anna-brie That looks much better. And yes–the important thing is that you have it settled in your head. Some themes aren’t as easily analyzed in this format, but it sounds like you know where you’re headed, so all of that looks good.

@jenali Yeah–that looks great! I particularly like the contrast between moral strength and the strength that…[Read more]

@jenali Yeah–that looks great! I particularly like the contrast between moral strength and the strength that only God is able to provide. Moral strength is probably the most tempting answer to Christians, but it is definitely true that the only way to find enough strength is to rely on God’s strength.

@Daeus yes. *chokes again* I see.

@kate-flournoy But you see, now every time someone gets writer’s block, it will remind them to just look at things from a different angle.

@Daeus *chokes* Well that escalated quickly. :’D

@kate-flournoy You’re at a huge book signing when someone comes up to you and points a gun at your head, telling you to come up with a writing prompt or die. Your mind goes blank. The man fires, but the bullet get’s stuck in your writer’s block.

You’re at a huge book signing when someone comes up to you and points a gun at your head, telling you to come up with a writing prompt or die. Your mind goes blank. The man fires, but the bullet get’s stuck in your writer’s block.

@winter-rose nope, not a problem. And I like that one a lot.
Soooo… let’s say the new topic is cell phones, shall we? If any of you still have any brilliant train (or otherwise completely unrelated 😉 ) ideas feel free to share, of course. It just helps with focus if we have a topic.

@Jenali ooh, I love those too! Very nice work everyone.

lol! Those are hilarious @GracieGirl. They may indeed prove a bit too long, but I’ll try them, and regardless they’re hilarious. 😀

@jenali I really like that. The fact that you would normally think things like physical strength would be the most important thing in protecting you loved ones means you have a lot of potential for a deep theme.

@jenali No problem asking it here. Yes, many many secular books have a theme. A book doesn’t have to have a theme, but even if the author doesn’t intend it, most books do. Some of them can be very powerful, though that is rare. I personally believe that Christian books have an advantage when it comes to theme, because our world view is accurate.…[Read more]