"Writing Basics for Beginners" by Jeanne Marie Leach

Unpublished fiction writers, listen up! Have you wished for a simple, affordable, step-by-step guide to getting your work published? Well, your wish has been granted. Jeanne Marie Leach offers writing instruction and proposal-writing advice in one volume in her Writing Basics.

Leach first covers writing techniques, research, and editing in the opening section. Next, she delves into common mistakes made by novice fiction writers in the areas of grammar, style, and technique. Especially useful to word processing novices is the chapter on formatting your document in MS Word. She continues with details on writing the book proposal and includes sample documents. The book concludes with a Writer’s Helps section which includes a guide to using Christian Writers’ Market Guide.

Check out the book’s listing on Booklocker. It’s available in print or as an e-book. In my opinion, the book is well worth the price of the print version, but the $5.95 price of the e-book version makes it an absolute must for the unpublished writer.

Visit Jeanne's Web site for more about her writing and her editing service. She is also a writers' coach in case you need a mentor in fiction writing and publishing.



http://www.jeannemarieleach.com/

Common Ground by Keith Drury

The subtitle for this book is "What All Christians Believe and Why It Matters." Drury is a professor of practical ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University. He has authored a number of books, and I have read a few of them. Common Ground is my favorite so far.

Christians often disagree over doctrinal details, but we should be able to agree on the core beliefs contained in the Apostles' Creed. There are people "out there" today who call themselves Christians but really have no idea what a Christian is supposed to believe.

In the introduction, Drury states the reasons why Christians should know and study the creed. In subsequent chapters, he treats each element of the creed, explaining the Biblical basis and why the particular portion is important to today's Christian. He ends each chapter with a prayer which affirms his belief in the doctrine just described.

Drury has set up a Common Ground blog for those who use this book as a group study resource. I found the book very easy to understand, and I think it would make an excellent small group study.

Find out more about Drury by visiting his Web site.

Faith and Pop Culture: Christianity Today Study Series

“Can we find Jesus in popular entertainment?” That’s the question that this study attempts to answer. In a culture that values entertainment above all, Christians often just withdraw by turning off their TVs, home-schooling their children, or forbidding their families to participate in certain cultural activities that violate their moral standards.

Faith and Pop Culture, from Thomas Nelson Publishers, offers the opportunity for Christians to examine entertainment and evaluate it in light of scripture. Each of the eight chapters opens with an article from Christianity Today which deals with a single aspect of popular culture. The lessons include options for group discussion, a statement of the issue, and study questions. The “Let’s Explore” section provides Bible verses and discussion questions on what the Bible says about the chapter topic.

The study covers the visual arts, literature, sports, television, “family friendly” entertainment, violence, the Hollywood culture, and the role of entertainment in society. It is a good study to do on your own, but I think the real value would be in the discussion of these topics with others.

I recommend this study for anyone concerned about the effect of modern culture on society, but I think it would be especially valuable for parents attempting to make good decisions about raising their children in today’s culture. The cover price is $9.99, a reasonable price for a group study book.