The Adventurous Author | Finish Book, Writing Discipline, Creative Writing, Character Development, Christian Podcast

Hey, Christian Author! Get ready to enjoy the third episode of the three-day, five-episode Why Believe the Bible event hosted by my dad, Harry Schaefer. In episode 66, we learned that one way to confirm the truth of any book, including the Bible, is to compare it to outside sources. We take what’s written, compare it to known facts, and see if it matches. If it lines up, it’s true. The Bible lines...

As a Christian author, have you ever wondered why you should believe the Bible? Or how you can know the Bible is true because you have proof as opposed to blind faith? Welcome to the second episode of the three-day, five-episode Why Believe the Bible event hosted by my dad, Harry Schaefer. In episode 66, we learned that one way to confirm the truth of any book, including the Bible, is to compare i...

As Christian authors, you and I have the awesome privilege of writing fantastic stories told from a godly perspective. And what’s the basis of that perspective? The Bible. The Bible should establish the foundation and framework for our lives and our stories. The Bible should be our ultimate source for absolute truth in the midst of a world that doesn’t want to believe such a thing as absolute trut...

It's Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I'll be reading chapter 31 of The Dragon Collector. Enjoy your trip to the Land of Zandador.  Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebies: D.K. Drake Starter Library Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Buy the Books Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like...

You've done the hard work. You've gotten your novella's foundation written, and now it's time to write that first draft. If you want to write that draft fast and get it done in six weeks or less, listen in to learn three things you should do and four things you shouldn't do.  Signature Links Your friend, DK Connect: dk@authordkdrake.com Next Steps: Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the P...

It's Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I'll be reading chapter 30 of The Dragon Collector. Enjoy your trip to the Land of Zandador.  Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebies: D.K. Drake Starter Library Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Buy the Books Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like...

Have you ever been slapped by a tree? I have. But it’s usually because someone in front of me on a hike in the woods moved a branch out of the way only to have it snap back and slap me. So annoying when that happens. That was the start of the inspiration for the action that happens in the chapter from The Dragon Collector that I’ll read for you today. I took that inspiration a few steps further wh...

When I decided I wanted to be a writer, I realized I needed some training. Since I learn best by reading, I did what made sense and what was within my budget to get that training. I bought a book. But it wasn’t a book about novel writing. Frankly, I didn’t think I had the patience to write a novel. I wanted to be able to write a manuscript fast that focused on the action without getting bogged dow...

It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday! After about a four month pause, it’s time to resume the reading of The Dragon Collector. Today I’ll be sharing chapter 28, Mertzer. In this chapter, you’ll get to witness a Dragon Stalker at work hunting his prey. You’ll also be introduced to new animals like raxens and gorzelles. I totally made these creatures up, and I can’t wait to share them with you.  It’s time to...

Today we’re continuing the Write a Novella in 18 Weeks series.  Here in week 5, the challenge is to write a full outline in 15 steps. In the past, I would write this step outline by jotting down the action steps in scene one, then the action steps in scene two, then the action steps in scene three.  I thus ended up with a lot of steps after this outline. But I’ve recently finished reading Save the...

The summer writing season is officially upon us! If your writing plans include busting out a novella this summer, then this episode is for you. I’m picking up where we left on in the write a novella series, and we are on week four. If you missed the action steps for weeks 1-3, check out episodes 43, 45 and 47. Those episodes focused on getting the foundation of your story in place regarding your m...

These two things I’m about to share with you don’t cost a dime but have the power to change the way you feel and how fast you write.   Ready for today’s fun episode to learn two weird things you can do to speed up your writing success?  Let’s get to it! Your friend, DK   Next Steps: Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publication Process Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love...

I've got a super short episode today to highlight the super simple overview of the publishing process. If you've ever wondered what it takes to get your book published, you can secure your super simple overview of the publishing process here .   Connect with me: dk@authordkdrake.com.

To succeed as an author, you do need to build the character muscles of diligence and discipline so that you sit and write at specific, consistent times each week.  How do you do that?  What do you work on during these weekly writing practices? Who will keep you accountable? You start by following a five step process that we’ll explore in today’s episode.  You break each step of that process into a...

From one author to another, I have a theory.  That theory is this: setting aside 30 minutes on Monday to debrief the week before and dream about the week ahead will help us reach our writing goals faster. But what do we review during the debrief?  How do we set achievable targets with actionable tasks for the week ahead?  How do we make sure what we work on each day and week takes us closer to our...

Today I have three quick tips to help you write stellar stories.   I didn’t learn these tips from a book or a course or a podcast or some random social media post.  I learned them while backpacking in South America. What does backpacking have to do with writing?  Tune in to find out!   Join the League of Adventurous Authors email list here!

Today I am bringing you some entertainment in the form of an interview.  This is the third and final piece of the chat between me and my friend Becky on night seven of our eight day hike.  We interviewed each other about the trek while in our tent on that cold night, and now I’m sharing it with you.  You can also watch it here . Listen in to find out how this trip will influence my next novel and...

I’ve got another just for fun episode for you today.  I’m sharing part 2 of the interview my friend Becky and I recorded while sitting in our tent in Torres del Paine in Chile.  It was night seven of our eight day hike.  We chat about food, friends and life lessons learned while on the trail.  If you ever want to go on a backpacking adventure of your own, hopefully this session will inspire you an...

If you are an adventurous author who likes to hike, I've got a fun treat for you today.  While on my own hiking adventure with my college buddy Becky, we interviewed each other about our trip.  This is part one of the interview where we discuss tips, tricks and highlights that can help you on your own hiking trips. You can also watch the video here if you want to see us bundled up in our tent whil...

Today I don’t want to talk to you about writing or publishing.  Don’t get me wrong.  Those topics are still close to my heart and will continue to be core topics of the show.  Just not today.  Or next week. You see, while on my two-month sabbatical, a lot happened in this magnificent little life of mine.   I went on an epic backpacking adventure, finished reading a book on writing that is changing...

Why do I want to take a break from producing this podcast in March? Listen in to find out.   I'll be back on April 5.  Until then, keep writing!   Connect: dk@authordkdrake.com

We’re in week three of our write a novella in 18 weeks series.   In week one and episode 43, we did some initial market research and sketched out our covers.   In week two and episode 45, we came up with our plot premise and purpose premise.  We also did some work on imagining our place or setting. This week, we’re going to start working on developing our main characters.  My guest host Bonnie Jea...

It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I’m bringing you chapter 27 of The Dragon Collector entitled The Zandadorian Portal. Do you ever wish you could transport yourself from one place to another with merely a thought? Think of the time you would save and the traffic you would avoid. Plus money would no longer be a barrier to travel, so you could experience endless adventures. Well, teleportation is a...

Here we are in week 2 of the novella writing process.  If you are one of those people who would prefer to speed up write your entire novella in a week or a month instead of the four-ish months it’s going to take me, go for it.  I applaud you.   In other words, I’m not leading a fast and furious writing challenge.  This is more of a slow-and-steady write-well-with-depth challenge.  Why?  Because it...

Hey friends! Chapter 26 of The Dragon Collector is coming your way today. In this chapter, I utilized the storytelling necessity of foreshadowing to plant some seeds for future books.  Pay special attention to the weather event that Astor describes to Javan as that will come into play in The Dragon Hunter, and the second seed makes Javan’s mission to win the throne even more vital. Listen now to T...