writing class

Why Fiction Writing Matters in the Kingdom of God

July 1, 2020 by Ann Leave a Comment

It’s a truth I come back to over and over again: God created the human heart to resonate with story. We love to see a hero vanquish a villain, and we love to see a character reach her goal. Hallmark movies have off-the-charts audiences because we always know there’s a happy ending–and we want there to be one. Why? Because whether we realize it or not, we are all part of the epic story of the Kingdom of God—one that started in a garden and will end in a heavenly city.

It will end in victory for God’s people, with joy in His presence.

We long for happy endings because we were made for one. Thankfully, through Christ, we have the best ending we could ever dream of. It’s the best news we could ever imagine!

And for those of us who are writers, often we want to participate in telling the Truest Story through smaller stories–fiction stories. But how does writing fiction connect with the mission of God’s Kingdom on earth? It’s an honest question and one worth answering: why write fiction? And why write Christian fiction—stories that point our readers back to ultimate Truth?

Especially now, in a world that’s riddled with pain and fear, what good can fiction do for people who are asking big questions and struggling to make it through the day?

Fiction can do a world of good.

Think of the stories that have touched you deeply. These stories stay with us because they called us to something better—to something hopeful.

When we write fiction, we get to participate in this beautiful arc of narrative that is already written on the human heart and in the great epic of history. We get to point our readers to hope, and love, and Truth.

That’s why fiction matters—perhaps now more than ever. When readers are struggling, good fiction points them to the things that are worth getting out of bed for—it reminds them why life is valuable and treasured. It reminds them that there is a God who loves them, and that He has a plan and purpose for their lives.

That’s why, for the first time, I’m teaching the Writing with Grace: Fiction Writing Workshop. Registration is open through July 30th, and you can save 10% on the cost of the course by using the code WORTHIT, just for being a blog reader.

So even if you’ve never written fiction before, maybe this is your nudge to try. What stories are in your heart?

And if you’ve been writing fiction for years, maybe this is your opportunity to take your story-writing to the next level and share what’s been burning inside of you forever.

I hope that you’ll come and join me as we write stories with and for the Lord, aiming to point the hearts of our readers to Truth and hope and joy.

This world needs your story.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Ann Swindell, faith, fiction writing, how do I write a fiction story, how do I write a novel, Jesus and writing, Writing, writing class, writing for Christ's glory, writing for Christian publications, Writing with grace, writing workshop

This is the Year to Write Your Book

January 22, 2019 by Ann 1 Comment

Do you have a book inside of you?
Do you have a plan to make that book a reality?
To move from ideas and drafts to chapters and cover design?

If you’re writing a book, or if you want to write a book, I know what it takes to make that happen, and I also know that the road ahead is going to be both thrilling and overwhelming.

But how do you get from here to there? From idea to reality?

Personally and professionally, I know that crafting a powerful book proposal is the BEST tool for clarifying your book’s core message, solidifying your book’s structure, and moving forward to make your book a reality.

So how do you start?

You learn from others who know what you need to do.

Book proposals are huge undertakings. After having written four proposals, I know how intensive–and confusing–the process can feel. I remember trying to shuffle through multiple resources, and I kept hoping that I was doing things the right way. It became frustrating at times, but I knew that if I didn’t have a strong book proposal, my book idea would never actually become a reality. The proposal is necessary–and central to the process of writing a book.

If you know you're meant to write a book, this is for you. #amwriting Share on X

That’s why I’m teaching a Writing with Grace Book Proposal Workshop in just a few weeks! This will be a one-day, three-hour workshop in which we’ll cover the nonnegotiable elements of a powerful proposal AND how to execute those elements. Plus, we will hear from a Senior Editor in the Christian publishing industry.

If you’re aiming to write a book, you must write a book proposal, and this workshop is going to give you the tools that you need to make your proposal shine!

Registration is open now (for only a short time), and you can use the code WRITEMYBOOK10 to save 10% on the cost of the course!

We’re going to have a wonderful time together in February, and if you can’t come live, don’t worry–the recording will be available immediately afterwards for you to watch on your own time.

So, do you have a book inside of you? If you do, this is your next step.

Come join me over at Writing with Grace for all the details–I can’t wait to see you there!

Filed Under: God, Life, Teaching, Writing Tagged With: Ann Swindell, Christian writing class, Christian writing course, writing class, writing course, Writing with grace

Do You Have a Book Inside of You?

July 11, 2017 by Ann 3 Comments

The Writing with Grace: Book Proposal Workshop is open! I couldn’t be more excited!

Do you have a book inside of you?
Do you have a plan to make that book a reality?
To move from ideas and drafts to chapters and cover design?

If you’re writing a book, or if you want to write a book, crafting a powerful book proposal is possibly the BEST tool for clarifying your core message, solidifying your structure, and moving forward to make your book a reality.

But where do you start?

Book proposals are huge undertakings. After having written four proposals, I know how intensive–and confusing–the process can feel. I remember trying to shuffle through multiple resources, and I kept hoping that I was doing things the right way. It became overwhelming at times, but I knew that if I didn’t have a strong book proposal, my book idea would never actually become a reality. The proposal is necessary–and central to the process of writing a book.

Do you have a book inside of you? Don't miss this! #amwriting Share on X

That’s why I’m teaching a Writing with Grace Book Proposal Workshop at the end of this month! This will be a one-day, three-hour workshop in which we’ll cover the nonnegotiable elements of a powerful proposal AND how to execute those elements. Plus, we will hear from a literary agent in the Christian publishing industry.

If you’re aiming to write a book, you must write a book proposal, and this workshop is going to give you the tools that you need to make your proposal shine!

Registration is open now, and you can use the code BLOGREADER to save 10% on the cost of the course!

We’re going to have a wonderful time together on July 29th, and if you can’t come live, don’t worry–the recording will be available immediately afterwards for you to watch on your own time.

So, do you have a book inside of you? If you do, this is your next step.

Come join me over at Writing with Grace for all the details–I can’t wait to see you there!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Ann Swindell, book propsal, Christian book proposal, Christian writer, how do I write a book proposal, I want to write a Christian book, what do I need for a book proposal, writing class, Writing with grace

Write Your Story, Change Your Life

September 20, 2016 by Ann Leave a Comment

I started writing my story years ago; long before I was anywhere near a book contract or a marketing team, I felt that the Lord was inviting me into a process of writing my story down and–in the process–meeting him in the middle of it. I’m not sure I’ve done anything more powerful in my personal spiritual journey than write my memoir.

Memoir is the genre that I love the most, because it’s the genre that allows us–even gently forces us–to re-examine the lives that we have been living as we write them down on the page. A good memoir isn’t autobiography, and it isn’t a personal journal. It’s the true story of our lives written in such a way that others can understand, access, and be changed by it.

I’m not sure there’s a more dynamic form of the written word.

Our God is the God of story, and he loves making himself known through our stories; it’s how he’s wired us. We start loving stories as children, and we inherently know when a story has a satisfying or unacceptable ending, because we were made to long for resolution, peace, and hope.

Our God is the God of story, and he loves making himself known through our stories. Share on X

If you’ve always wanted to write your story, or if you’ve been wondering how you can tell your story in a meaningful way, I’m going to suggest that writing your memoir might be one of the most powerful things you can do in your personal journey with Jesus. Down the road, might your story impact hundreds or thousands of people? I hope so! But in these days and months, writing your story will transform you most of all. I know that it has transformed me; I got to see Jesus at work all over again as I’ve written my memoir over the past years.

I just opened registration for the Writing with Grace Memoir course that I’ll be teaching this fall. To say that I’m thrilled about this class is an understatement; I’m practically jumping out of my chair!

Registration is open for Writing with Grace: Memoir! www.writingwithgrace.com #amwriting Share on X

I’d love for you to join me over at Writing with Grace–you can even see the new video that we created just for this course.

If you’ve been aching to write your story, this is your time. I can’t wait to see you there!

Filed Under: Book Writing, God, Writing Tagged With: Ann Swindell, Ann Swindell memoir, Christian writing class, Christianity, memoir, Still Waiting, write your story, writing class, Writing with grace

Don’t Write to Get Published

August 5, 2016 by Ann 2 Comments

I have a deep respect for The Gospel Coalition and the work that they are doing online and in the “real” world as an organization that unabashedly proclaims the truth of the Bible. I was able to attend The Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference in June, and just this week I had the opportunity to write for their blog. It was an honor to write for TGC about one of my favorite topics! You can link to the full article here.

And, if you’re a fellow writer, make sure to read all the way to the end of the article at TGC, where I offer a discount code for my Writing with Grace course–registration is open until the 17th of August (and don’t forget to check out the site and the brand-new video I released)!

Here’s the start of the article for The Gospel Coalition:

For those of us who love words, we’re drawn to the clack of the keyboard and the parsing of meaning on the page. We feel alive as we wrangle words into sentences; some of us even feel closer to God as we work out our faith by writing about it. Time spent writing feels important, even holy.

For those of us who love words, we’re drawn to the clack of the keyboard. We feel alive as we wrangle words into sentences. #amwriting Share on X

But for many of us, running parallel with our love of writing is the desire to get published. This desire can be fueled by the culture at large, which says our writing only matters if our readership is huge and our byline well known. Publication is commonly assumed to be the goal of the writing life, and seeing our words in print the truest form of validation for our work.

As an author and teacher of writing, I often have conversations with other writers fixated on publication. They’re desperate to see their work published somewhere. They want to know how to start a writing career, or how to get the inside scoop on writing for a top magazine.

In response to their questions, I have to ask: Do you want to be published? Or do you want to write?

Do you want to be published? Or do you want to write? Share on X

These aren’t the same question, although many of us confuse one for the other. For as much as writing is tethered to publishing, getting published doesn’t make a writer. Writing makes a writer.

Read the rest of the article over at The Gospel Coalition, and don’t miss out on open registration for Writing with Grace!

Filed Under: God, Guest Post, Writing Tagged With: am writing, amwriting, Christian writing, I want to be a Christian writer, I want to be a writer, I want to get published, The Gospel Coalition, Writing, writing class, writing for the Gospel Coalition, Writing with grace

I’m Speaking at #BlogHer16!

March 28, 2016 by Ann Leave a Comment

Today, I’m honored and excited to share that I’ll be speaking at #BlogHer16: Experts Among Us, the annual conference for the BlogHer Network!

The conference will be held in LA this coming August, and I have the privilege of speaking at an Open Lab about one of my favorite topics: writing!

Specifically, I’ll be teaching about sensory writing, offering attendees the opportunity to engage in powerful writing tactics to help catapult their work to the next level. Speaking and teaching are near and dear to my heart, and I can’t wait to talk at the conference in August!

Let me know if you’re attending–I’d love to see you there in the sunshine as we talk about writing together.

Filed Under: Speaking Tagged With: Ann Swindell, Ann Swindell speaker, Blogher, BlogHer16, Influence Conference, speaking, Writer, writing class, writing instructor, writing teacher