Writing is our passion and purpose. Helping other writers stretch beyond their present ability brings personal joy and fulfillment. We are writers. For that reason, we bring knowledge and experience to each writer we help.

Your host, Derrell B. Thomas, is Founder and Director of Novel Idea, Christian Writer's Swarm in Southern California. The Thomas Writer's Center slowly developed from his passion to help others, plus his writing and editing experience. He will personally help you in any way he can. He has years of experience editing, writing and helping others. If for whatever reason he feels he can't help you, Derrell will try hard to connect you with another professional writer and/or editor within his network of professionals.

Integrity is our highest standard. We understand that trust speaks for itself. Professionalism is our next criteria. We want to see writers achieve the highest standard of writing possible — to advance beginning writers to levels that surprise them, and to stretch experienced writers to higher planes of professionalism for greater reader experience.

Neil Gaiman ( Neverwhere; American Gods; Smoke and Mirrors) , said “Fantasy — and all fiction is fantasy of one kind or another — is a mirror. A distorting mirror, to be sure, and a concealing mirror, set at forty-five degrees to reality, but it's a mirror nonetheless which we can use to tell ourselves things we might not otherwise see.”

“Fiction is real because it pierces your heart.” — Derrell

“Fairy tales are more than true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be defeated.” — G. K. Chesterton

Why write fiction? To simply entertain readers; but more, we write fiction to pierce the reader's heart with reflections of life; to provide an escape from the realities of life by transporting readers to reflections of their real dragons, that they may learn they can defeat them.

As a writer, you cannot move readers unless you know the skills. That's where we can help. Weave readers a good yarn, and they'll wrap themselves up in it.