(A discussion of my own approach to developing character goals, part 2) Short Story Character Goals I take a big-picture, plotter approach to developing the goals of characters within novels. But for shorter fiction, my character goal formation is more relaxed and possibly more creative. I keep in mind my basic novel order of author goal (message) first, […]
Character, Plot, or Message-Based Novels? (part 2) Read More »
(A discussion of my own approach to developing character goals, part 1) In the audience of a long-ago Christian writers’ conference, I sat entranced before a panel of book editors describing the types of manuscripts they were looking to acquire: character-driven novels and plot-based books, but never, ever stories written primarily for message. I knew right then I
Character, Plot, or Message-Based Novels? (part 1) Read More »
Back in 2010, when my newly acquired agent asked for the genre of my debut novel (The Third Grace), I identified it as literary fiction. He immediately corrected me: “No, no. We’ll call it contemporary women’s fiction. No one today reads literary fiction.” I almost gasped. Was it true? My own library was full of literary titles, my
FICTION: LITERARY OR GENRE? Read More »
Symbols of the Old, Old Story Reused in Literature When you read a novel or short story, do you sometimes suspect the author is trying to say a whole lot more than the words on the page? I’m no expert by any stretch, either as reader or writer (much less as scholarly analyst or philosophical
In The Third Grace, my character Ebenezer MacAdam owns Incognito Costume Shop and individually recommends rentals based on a client’s personal character. He says, I’d like to think the purpose of my costumes has been to reveal the real in this masked and disguised generation. But on a grander scale, I myself am being unmasked and my
MASQUERADE – Am I a Friend Read More »
My favourite destination is known as the “City of Lights,” and God is called the “Father of Lights.” Merely coincidence? Hmmm, I think not . . . Paris, to me, is heaven on earth! I invite you to observe the following steps if you’re planning a trip to the capital of France: SEEK OUT NATURE: Paris
FIND THE DIVINE IN PARIS Read More »
I was born for uptown living. True, the view from the maternity ward of the Mennonite village that first heard me squawk showed only flat Canadian prairie—not a mall in sight. But my parents soon moved me and my sibs to the big city, and, by the time I was a teen, I could shop
HOW TO TAME A CITY-SLICKER Read More »
Let’s have a conversation with Aglaia (aka Mary Grace Klassen), main character in the book The Third Grace. She’s a designer at Incognito Costume Shop (rentals for parties, stage, and screen) in Denver, but she grew up in small-town Nebraska and her author (Deb Elkink) has finally allowed her to visit Paris . . . Thank you so
Character Interview AGLAIA Read More »
Greek mythology tells of ambrosia, the food of the gods bestowing immortality, but I’d give up my place at Zeus’s eternal table for a bite of French gastronomy any day. My salivary glands activate just thinking about my next trip to Paris. Here are some foodie tips I’ve picked up that guarantee a nonstop feast
HOW TO TASTE PARIS Read More »
Are you planning a day trip to the countryside or visiting a farm? Go prepared! I was a bred-in-the-bone uptown city girl, attended a large Canadian high school, studied in the Twin Cities, shopped in San Francisco, and fearlessly strolled Tokyo’s Ginza at midnight. All the while I wouldn’t have been able to tell you