LanguaTalk

Story Embers Podcast

A podcast dedicated to guiding and inspiring Christian storytellers to glorify God with excellent craftsmanship. Tune in every third Monday of the month as podcast host James Noller and various members of the Story Embers staff discuss topics from all areas of story craft. Whether it’s writing habits, character development, complex themes, or plot gimmicks, we’ll be tackling all that and more from a Christian perspective on the Story Embers podcast!

Finale: Navigating Change as a Writer

37 mins; December 17, 2024

How to Craft Memorable Characters (with Amanda Dykes, Laurie Lucking, and Faith Blum)

56 mins; November 18, 2024

How to Craft Impactful Themes (with Kerry Nietz, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and Lori Z. Scott)

52 mins; October 28, 2024

Building Suspense that Grips Readers (with JJ Fischer, Ann Marie Stewart and CJ Milacci)

61 hours 1 min; September 23, 2024

How to Cultivate Deep Thinking as a Writer

34 mins; August 19, 2024

How to Create 3-Dimensional Characters

23 mins; July 15, 2024

How the Bible Inspires a Writer’s Creativity

29 mins; June 17, 2024

The Concept of Coming Home within Christian Fiction

22 mins; May 20, 2024

Creating Nail-Biting Cliffhangers

16 mins; April 15, 2024

How Should Christian Writers View Fame and Success?

24 mins; March 18, 2024

How to Become a Servant-Hearted Writer

22 mins; January 15, 2024

Writing Stories That Celebrate Wholeness and Human Flourishing

26 mins; December 18, 2023

A Writer's Role in the Body of Christ

32 mins; November 20, 2023

Short Stories as Preparation for Writing Novels

20 mins; October 17, 2023

Who Is Your Story for?

21 mins; September 18, 2023

Finding Unique and Surprising Plots

19 mins; August 21, 2023

Creating Tragic Heroes

18 mins; July 17, 2023

Can Christians Fit into Genre Boxes?

19 mins; June 19, 2023

Drawing Themes from Your Own Life

20 mins; May 15, 2023

April Update from the Story Embers Podcast

1 min; April 17, 2023

Chapters, Scenes, and Pacing

36 mins; March 20, 2023

Sympathetic Villains and Antiheroes

35 mins; February 20, 2023

Make Your Writing Goals for 2023

34 mins; January 16, 2023

Reflecting on Advent and the Season of Hope

30 mins; December 19, 2022

What Are You Consuming?

30 mins; November 21, 2022

How to Show and Not Tell the Gospel in Fiction

30 mins; October 17, 2022

Why Sacrifice Is Key to a Meaningful Story

31 mins; September 19, 2022

The Bible's Impact on Writing

27 mins; August 15, 2022

Interview with Sara Ella about Coral

31 mins; July 18, 2022

Making Large Changes During Revisions

25 mins; June 20, 2022

Reflecting on Four Years of Story Embers

28 mins; April 23, 2022

How to Avoid Forgettable Themes

27 mins; March 20, 2022

Embracing Your Inner Creativity

22 mins; February 20, 2022

Does God Call People to Write?

30 mins; January 16, 2022

Why Writers Should Read Widely

19 mins; December 19, 2021

How to Subtly and Effectively Speak Truth in Fiction

30 mins; November 14, 2021

Children’s Fiction

29 mins; October 17, 2021

Portraying Doubting or "Deconstructing" Christians in Stories

37 mins; September 20, 2021

Crafting Unique Villains

19 mins; August 15, 2021

What The Chosen Gets Right about Christian Storytelling

31 mins; July 18, 2021

The Power of Point of View

22 mins; June 20, 2021

Choosing the Right Themes to Write About

19 mins; May 16, 2021

Overcoming the Sagging Middle

13 mins; April 18, 2021

Crafting Irresistible Plot Conflicts

34 mins; March 14, 2021

Everything You Need to Know About Worldbuilding

23 mins; February 14, 2021

An In-Depth Look at Professional Editing

29 mins; January 17, 2021

Demystifying Subtext

25 mins; December 20, 2020

How to Keep the Reader in Mind

18 mins; November 15, 2020

Should Christians Write Dismal Endings?

31 mins; October 18, 2020

Unsung Heroes of the Writing Process

21 mins; September 20, 2020

Finding Time to Write with a Busy Schedule

21 mins; August 16, 2020

How to Tactfully Portray Sinful Thoughts

26 mins; July 19, 2020

What Happens After the Climax?

16 mins; June 14, 2020

Fireside Reading & Interview with the Author of “A Heretic's Sacrifice”

59 mins; June 06, 2020

Interview with Chris Fabry about The Promise of Jesse Woods

47 mins; May 30, 2020

Writing Realistic Children

15 mins; April 20, 2020

Writing Realistic Parents

14 mins; March 16, 2020

The Elements of a Satisfying Climax

25 mins; February 17, 2020

How to Keep Readers Up Until 2 AM

23 mins; January 20, 2020

Can We Craft Stories that Are Objectively Artistic?

19 mins; November 23, 2019

Writing for Others vs. Writing for Yourself

16 mins; November 02, 2019

Depicting Souls in Literature

16 mins; October 19, 2019

How to Battle Discouragement

20 mins; October 05, 2019

Common Sins Writers Struggle With

15 mins; September 21, 2019

The Many Applications of Show, Don't Tell

15 mins; September 07, 2019

Balancing Creativity and Orthodoxy as a Christian Storyteller, Part 2

16 mins; August 17, 2019

Balancing Creativity and Orthodoxy as a Christian Storyteller, Part 1

22 mins; August 03, 2019

Writing Virtuous Protagonists without Turning Off Readers

22 mins; July 20, 2019

How to Effectively Portray Prayer in Your Writing

13 mins; July 06, 2019

Discovering Your Writing Style

15 mins; June 15, 2019

Writing Flawed Protagonists without Turning Off Readers

17 mins; June 01, 2019

Interview with Nadine Brandes about Fawkes

31 mins; May 11, 2019

How Our Faith Impacts Our Storytelling

14 mins; April 27, 2019

LifeWay and the Future of Bookstores

11 mins; April 13, 2019

How to Accept Writing Feedback

17 mins; March 30, 2019

Writing Witty Characters

17 mins; March 16, 2019

Writing Habits and Disciplines

15 mins; March 02, 2019

Our Favorite Contemporary Christian Authors

20 mins; February 16, 2019

Christian Fantasy and Allegory - What We Like and Dislike

22 mins; January 31, 2019

The State of Christian Fiction Today

11 mins; January 17, 2019

Story Embers Podcast

Useful pages

Find a tutor

Languages