Learn from Great Writers by taking this Quiz! — Ramona Heikel

Many, many authors in blogs, books, magazines, writers’ groups and conferences have taken me up one step after another on my writing journey. For example, in the book No one Cares what you had for Lunch, the author includes 100 ideas for blog posts, and one suggestion was a quiz.

I am motivated by fun, so here's a quiz for you, based on information I’ve collected in my binders of writing tips, tools and inspiration. (Don't worry, answers are at the bottom.) 

Have fun!

1. The literary organization Calgary READS handed out a bookmark at their fundraiser, entitled “50 books to read before you are 8”. Could you name 10 of these children's books?

2. What is the name of the recently published Inscribe anthology (including such topics as Time with God, Healthy Living and Marketing)?

3. Who wrote Writing the Breakout Novel? Who wrote Writing the Blockbuster Novel?

4. Which of the following authors would NOT be considered a Christian writer?

Francine Rivers

Penelope Stokes

Margaret Mitchell

Kristin Billerbeck

5. Which artist is the Bible referring to in Exodus 31 when it tells that he was “given the spirit of God to devise artistic designs... for work on every skilled craft”?

6. Name the author of one of the most successful children's novels ever written, who gave this advice: “Write... and improve as you go on. Read the best books and they will improve your style. Work for twenty years and you may someday find that you have a style and place of your own…I give you for a motto Michelangelo’s wise words: ‘Genius is infinite patience.’”

7. Fill in the letters with two authors’ names:
_ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ ‘s novel Jewel came out in 1991... But then people pretty much forgot about it...until 1999 when Oprah selected it for her book club… [He] says “ _ . _ .  _ _ _ _ _ once said that we don't need more books about Christians. We need more books with Christian values built into them.”

8. Fill in the blanks with the missing words in these titles from Chuck Colson's favorite books for summer reading:


The Brothers _______ , by F.D.
Out of the Silent _______ , by C.S.L.
Lost in the _______ , by W. P.
The Father _______ Mysteries , by G. K. C.
 _______ Progress , by J.B.

9. James Scott Bell wrote an article entitled “10 Disciplines for Fiction Writers.” Can you guess what the first two disciplines are ? Mo _______ and Mo _______.

10. At my first Inscribe fall conference in 2008, the keynote speaker joked that she heard the harpies on my shoulder saying negative, discouraging words about my writing (in a voice that sounded like Woody Allen), and I should just knock them off and keep on writing. What is the name of this keynote speaker, an author of award-winning historical Christian fiction set in the American West?

11. Poet John Milton composed a sonnet expressing his grief that he could no longer serve God with his creative writing. The poem ended “... God does not need either man's work or his own gifts. Who best bear his mild yoke, they serve him best... They also serve who only stand and wait.”  Why did Milton think he could no longer write? (Was he correct in thinking this?)

Congratulations! You finished!

How did you do?

I hope you got some inspiration and info from these quiz questions, and had some fun!

* * * * * * * * * *

Answers:

1.[See the image below of the 50 books] ; 2.7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers; 3. Donald Maass, Albert Zuckerman; 4.Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind; 5. Bezalel; 6.Louisa May Alcott; 7.Bret Lott, C.S.Lewis; 8.Karamozov, Planet, Cosmos, Brown, Pilgrim’s; 9. Motivation, Momentum; 10. Jane Kirkpatrick; 11. He was blind; No, he was wrong, he actually created the masterpieces he is most famous for after he went blind.

Posted by Ramona

www.happilywriting.com  

Photo credit

“Jo Seated on the Old Sofa” courtesy of Cliff at Flickr 5223922465_ca5947bbb2_o