You may assume I made significant progress on my novel. I did the opposite—I didn’t write.

Notice the details
But I did read. I read a book, not to critique it or study it, but to just enjoy it. And after I finished that one, I read another.

I watched moonbeams split snow clouds and enjoyed the white silence without man-made illumination. I wondered how I had become so busy I’d failed to notice the little things I saw now—like a squirrel disappearing up a sugar pine or a robin welcoming the icy dawn with a lusty two-step.

Staying connected to God
Being productive is great, essential, but in the rush of pursuit I often lose the sense of balance that comes from being still. As a Christian writer, I should know better. My Father didn’t create the universe in a rush and then move on to the next project. He took the time to enjoy each creative step along the way, and then He rested.

My purpose as a writer is to bring glory to God, so it’s important I take time to sit in His presence without dwelling on my work in progress. It’s in those moments of stillness that I rediscover my connection with the Master Creator and find new purpose in my craft.

Jennifer Lindsay began the Guild’s Apprentice course while earning her bachelor’s degree in English and has since completed the Journeyman and Craftsman courses. She works as an editor for a hobby magazine and serves as the youth leader at her church. In 2011 she started The Writer’s Wellspring, a blog.

Villa image: Bernadeta Szanto-Ozimec / stock.xchang

Some fledgling writers fantasize about using a romantic-sounding pseudonym . Others crave a more literary pen name.

Writers may have valid reasons for not wanting to use their own names.

Arguments for pseudonyms

1. Protection: Perhaps you’re writing something sensitive and don’t want to be identified.
2. Diversity: If you’re writing in two disparate genres, say vampire novels and Christian romances, you may want to use a pseudonym for one of them. For example, legal thriller author James Scott Bell writes about zombie lawyer Mallory Caine under the pen name K. Bennett.
3. Editor’s request: Years ago, I wrote sports stories under a masculine pen name because the editor thought readers would find a male byline more credible.
4. Avoid confusion: Maybe you have the same name as a famous author. You want to distinguish yourself from the famous author, but you don’t want to lose your priceless identity. Women could incorporate their maiden name. Men might consider using a nickname or their middle name.

Joyce K. Ellis, an award-winning author, has published more than a dozen books, including three novels, and hundreds of articles and short stories. In addition to serving as a Christian Writers Guild mentor and assistant director of the Write-to-Publish Conference, she loves encouraging women at retreats across the country.

Pen image: nattavut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The first four commandments focus on our relationship with God.

No gods before Me
How do you keep God first? What happens to your relationship with God when your life gets out of balance? How do you maintain a vibrant relationship with God? These are just a few ideas you could pursue for the anecdotal articles readers enjoy.

No carved image
What competes with God for your attention? Share with readers how, with God’s help, you overcame those distractions—TV, work, money, possessions, relationships. What are the signs another god is taking over your life? How have you learned to put those carved images in their proper perspective?

Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain
Share with readers ways to make sure their speech honors God. What are some productive ways to respond when other people use the Lord’s name in vain? How can we teach our children to honor God with their speech?

Keep the Sabbath holy
What are some unique ways to keep the Sabbath? What priorities have you set in that regard? What obstacles have you encountered and how have you overcome them?

If you struggle in these areas, other people do too. When you write about your struggles, they will know they’re not alone.

What if you write fiction? Your experiences may provide the perfect theme for a novel or a children’s book.

In Part 2 we’ll discuss the last 6 of the 10 Commandments.

Deborah Christensen has been freelancing since 1989. She works as a writer/editor for Lighthouse Christian Products and serves as a mentor for The Guild. She writes the blog Plowing the Fields to help writers glean ideas from everyday life.

“I like solitude. I can spend days happily alone, eating Raisin Bran for dinner on the porch instead of bothering with a starch, a stove, and a napkin. Eldest of five, mother of three, veteran of noisy newsrooms: it is any wonder that I like the sound of silence? It has a good beat, and you can dance to it.

“I can be the life of the party when necessary, but sometimes I just need to hear myself think. After all, if we can’t hear ourselves thinking, is any thinking truly going on?”

I love that. I also love teaching at writers’ conferences and helping train writers.

But I also love solitude. I have a mountain of books to read, scores of plots rattling in my head, and there is always something to do around the house. I could happily live alone (with a dog) in the woods. Through the magic of the Internet, my friends are just keystrokes away.

Not enough
But God has also called me to live and worship in family and community. By rubbing against others we smooth our rough edges. In family and communal living we learn we’re not the center of the universe.

Quindlen is right about needing silence to think—it’s a spiritual discipline writers often neglect. Because we’re not listening, how many times do we fail to hear God speak?

Practice silence. Get alone, get quiet—and listen. What do you hear?

Reprinted from Angela Hunt’s blog .

Angela Hunt is blessed to be a writer—especially when alone at her desk. Celebrate with her by visiting her online.

Solitude image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We know Poe’s mystery stories, such as The Murders in the Rue Morgue. This, historians tell us, was the original detective mystery, the inspiration for many writers. Poe is also said to have influenced a new genre that became known as science fiction.

But who was he?

A man with two sides
Poe was a drunk, but was also a friendly and gentle man. He had a dark side that enabled him to write some gruesome stories, such as The Cask of Amontillado, in which a man is chained into a niche in the wine cellar and entombed behind a brick wall to die a slow death, and The Tell-Tale Heart, in which the heart of a murder victim continues to beat beneath the floor of a house.

But Poe was not dark all the time. He enjoyed close friends and dearly loved his wife, Virginia, a cousin he married when she was 13 and he was 26. She died young, of tuberculosis, in 1847 and he began to drink more. Maybe that is why many found him irritable and self-centered.

Some medical people believe Poe may have had a brain lesion that caused his dual personality and may also have driven him to drink. But in his lucid moments he is credited with a skilled sense of rhythm, meter, and story structure. As an editor, he promoted rules for the short story that still stand.

Ability unquestioned
Whatever drove Poe, he was an extremely able writer.

Isn’t that true for us? We are bundles of emotions and feelings. We have struggles, sometimes emotionally, sometimes physically. But, like Poe, we write on. And maybe, like Poe, a few stories or a spectacular poem among the many pieces we write will influence not only our readers, but also other writers for years .

Roger Palms, a long-time Guild mentor, is the former editor of Decision magazine and the author of 15 books and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.

A much more interesting way to tell readers who is speaking is to have your characters do something before they speak.

Tag, you’re it
Try replacing dialogue tags (attribution) with action that puts your character on stage. These are called action tags or beats. Example:

1. Dialogue tag: “Papa, can you hear me?” Charlie said. “Is it Christmas in heaven, too?”
2. Action tag: Charlie looked into the early morning sky. “Papa, can you hear me? Is it Christmas in heaven, too?” He blinked back tears. “I miss you.”

The second example more completely captures the reader. The actions show rather than tell, and they keep the story moving.

The name game
Some writers clutter dialogue by repeating characters’ names too frequently. When only two people populate a scene, this is unnecessary.

1. “Charlie, is that you?” Mama said as she stood in the doorway in a frayed bathrobe.

   “Yes, Mama, it’s me,” Charlie said.

   “Charlie, I know you’re sad. I am too.” She opened her arms. “It’s our first Christmas without your father.”

   “I really miss him,” Charlie said. “Mama,” he added, as he ran to his mother, “Christmas isn’t the same without Papa.”

2. “Charlie, is that you?” Mama said, standing in the doorway in a frayed bathrobe.

   “Yes, it’s me.” He blinked back tears.

   “I’m sad, too.” She opened her arms. “It’s our first Christmas without your father.”

   Charlie ran to her. “I really miss him. Christmas isn’t the same without him.”

Try these options to quickly improve your dialogue.

Karen O’Connor is an award-winning author of 60 books and hundreds of magazine articles for children and adults, a retreat and conference speaker, and a writing instructor with 25 years of experience. Her most recent books are It’s Taken Years to Get This Old and 365 Reasons Why Gettin’ Old Ain’t So Bad (Harvest House 2010). Visit her online.

Dialogue image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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