Very Good.

Great info.

Loved it Johne. Thanks for the info.

Good advise as always.

Best selling authors can get away with more because of reputation.

Doing research there appears to be a few different methods of crucifixion. In the one instance they were able to examine a person, the ankles were nailed on the sides of the post not in front and the arms were tied, but not nailed. We have to go by what the Bible describes and we know Jesus did carry the top beam. This was common practice. While some say he had to be nailed in the wrists for support I'm not so sure. They could have used rope to support the weight. We do know Jesus was nailed in hands and feet, but other than that I'm not sure it is clear where the nails went. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/crucifixion/roman-crucifixion-methods-reveal-the-history-of-crucifixion/ This shows the method used on the person they found.

How did writers like Tolkien handle it? He has lot's of characters. Each has a role in the story, but each is identifiable. How do you make each character stand out in some way so the reader loves or hates them. The million dollar question, right. I entered the story late, so perhaps I would know some of the characters already. In my mind it will be tough to introduce them late after we have already fallen in love with other characters. As we get into the story, we as readers want order, not chaos. If I fall in love with someone, I want to follow them and not be pushed away to someone I have not developed an interest in. I have quit reading some books, because it got difficult to follow. I don't often read for hours straight so it may affect me even more, because I have to remember what happened from days before. If the plot gets confusing I will find it difficult to finish.

Sometimes hints are better than outright telling the reader what's up. It makes them curious and want to continue to read to find out. In my first WIP my daughter told me I'd spilled the beans way to much right in the first pages. https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/creating-setting-and-subtext-in-your-fiction

The emotions I felt reading this are the emotions I would want my readers to have while reading my work

Interesting.

I'm reading one now where a character appeared seemingly out of nowhere and it confused me a bit. I like the story so I've kept reading, but into day's climate of readers some might put a book down if they have to think to much.

Seen plenty of stories, even block busters that are in no way perfect in style and prose, but they tell a story that resonates with the reader. Having a story that makes the reader laugh, cry, not want to put the book down, that is perfection.

I think we must still realize some books were meant for entertainment and not as a guide for our lives. I believe the shack is one such book. Don't look at every "Christian book" as being doctrinally pure. Heck we read non-christian stuff and don't question the authors moral compass. If it is fiction we can't take it as a how to for christian living. Fiction means just that. Osteen books, now that is a different story and I would agree he is using new age stuff to get rich.

I often get in a circle of endless critique where I just keep going back trying to make things better. Anyone else do that. I haven't finished the book, but I keep going back to edit what I have.

A few things I got from the video. Each chapter you should tell the reader how the character is doing. Don’t leave them hanging from what might have occurred at the end of the previous chapter. Orient your reader even it there is no real time break between chapters. Make promises to the reader you will deliver on later. Making characters sound different. Dialogue is action not exposition. Rarely inform the reader of new facts through dialogue. People aren’t that eloquent. Dialogue is about getting another Character to do or feel something. Try to keep narration out of the dialogue. Give most of your character one single emotion that the express every time they speak. People are pretty predictable. The less appropriate the emotion the better.