Reviews (sharing thoughts about other people’s stories and story-telling devices)

Story-sharing is a communal activity. In hearing others’ stories, we are inspired to share our own; having shared our own and opened ourselves to criticism and praise, we understand the importance of honest, clear, specific feedback.

Join the community! Subscribe today! There’s a subscription field in the righthand column for your convenience.

Book review: Why We Get Fat

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith January 25, 2012 Reviews (sharing thoughts about other people's stories and story-telling devices)

In 2011, a friend introduced me to the Atkins diet. I had heard of it before, but I assumed it was a fad promising quick weight-loss results with little effort. I did try the diet, and it did work! After a week of the Atkins “Induction Phase,” I lost 7 pounds, which was all I [...]

Keep reading →

Lame Christian movies

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith October 26, 2011 Faith (sharing our part in God's story)
Thumbnail image for Lame Christian movies

“You’ve got to see this movie—it’s Hollywood quality, but it was made by Christians, and we have to support Christians as they witness in one of the darkest corners of our culture!” Why do I always fall for this line? Most recently, the Christian movie I “had” to see was The Genesis Code, which was [...]

Keep reading →

Are you thinking of freelancing?

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith May 11, 2011 Reviews (sharing thoughts about other people's stories and story-telling devices)

I am a big fan of Peter Bowerman. Not only is he an award-winning author and successful freelance writer, but he’s also a genuinely personable guy who is generous about helping other freelancers. So when he published an invitation to submit ideas for guest posts on his blog, I responded. And he said yes! Guest-posting [...]

Keep reading →

Thanksgiving Top 5

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith November 17, 2010 Faith (sharing our part in God's story)

Happy Thanksgiving! Last year’s Thanksgiving blog was a Top 10 list, but on looking back at it, I wondered if 10 top things might be a little overwhelming for readers. So this year, at the risk of leaving out even more people, I’ve shortened the list, so it will be known as— Top 5 Projects [...]

Keep reading →

4 things I need to know

by Melanie Jongsma, Wordsmith November 3, 2010 Diversity (sharing stories of race, culture, and travel)

Note: I originally posted this survey when I was thinking about changing my WordPress.com theme. The answers provided by my readers eventually convinced me to switch to WordPress.ORG, where I…

Keep reading →