Writing in Midst of Floods and Other Disasters

 by Jeanette O'Hagan

I spent much of today sweeping water off our back patio, building impromptu ersatz-sandbags (of sorts) to channel the water away from our backdoor, moving my precious book stock away from the water leaking into my bedroom and finding towels and containers to catch the leaks.  Another slab of my day consisted of scrolling through Facebook posts from friends and family with images of flooded houses, flooded yards, flooded roads, raging rivers and creeks and waterfalls, destroyed ferry terminals or checking up on family and friends  as well as keeping up with the latest news of the tragedy unfolding in the Ukraine and the latest Covid updates.  

It seemed surreal seeing posts from friends who don't live in the rain-drenched areas of southeast Queensland or northern New South Wales (or war-torn Ukraine) where life proceeded as normal.  

Even so, the last couple of years feel like an B-grade Apocalyptic movie in which the director couldn't decide which disaster to go with - drought, bushfires, global pandemic, tornados, mouse plagues, earthquakes, tsunami, flood, war, climate change - so threw them all into one crazy mix.  So far, it seems an asteroid strike and alien attack may have been overlooked- and, no, that is not a scheduling suggestion or a request before anyone gets even more crazy ideas. 

Not that other eras haven't experienced similar craziness (the first half of the twentieth century, the years of the medieval eras of bubonic plaque, wars, famine and fire) but we've grown to expect peace and prosperity with maybe the occasional hiccough. The last couple years have turned that expectation upside down. 

And in the midst of all that, I begin to wonder what significance do my stories have in a world that seems to be teetering on the brink.  

A few days ago, I pummelled my brain for something to say in this post. Something new and fresh. Something relevant and inspiring.  

Nada, nothing, zilch. 

Then, after four days and four nights of incessant, insane crazy rain, the parallels of what was happening in my city to 2011 reminded me of a reflective post I wrote (on Jenny's Thread) and it just seemed right for this time. 

The God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus is not indifferent or removed from our plight. He listens to those who turn to him for help and helps at times subtly and, at other times, in astounding ways. More than this, he works in the middle of disastrous situations and redeems them for good as he did with the death of Jesus, God-Son, on the cross. If we give him our selves, he takes all the elements of our life and like a master weaver expertly combines the light and dark threads to make a glorious tapestry (though his design will not be completely understood until the pattern is finished). Nor does he remain aloof to human suffering and pain. Rather, he enters into our pain, walks with us and carries us through the angst and anguish. This is seem most supremely in the incarnation, when the Son (eternal God) genuinely entered the human condition by becoming a human being, living a life of goodness and controversy and willingly enduring one of the most painful and humiliating deaths ever invented so that we might be restored to a relationship with the triune God.

The Christian answer to natural disaster and human suffering is not without its tensions and its imponderables. There have been times in my life even in recent times when it has been sorely put to the test. Yet it has sustained me and continues to sustain and steer me through pain and anguish. It provides both comforts and challenges, gives serenity and stimulus to act. Life is not without meaning or responsibility, nor is it fatalistic. And by no means is it just about me and my spiritual fulfilment. Rather it is an adventure, in which we partner with God to make a difference, to act compassionately and to live boldly.

Jesus challenges us to build our lives on the bedrock of faith – in God’s goodness and love and his plan of restoration of a fractured world through the life, death and resurrection of his Son. He says, “I’ll show what it’s like when someone comes to me, hears my words, and puts them into practice. It’s like a person building a house by digging deep and laying the foundation on bedrock. When the flood came, the rising water smashed against that house, but the water couldn’t shake the house because it was well built.” Luke 6:47-48 CEB

No matter what the force of the wind and waves, no matter how hot the fire, not even death itself is a match for the Creator of more than a hundred billion galaxies, of the vastness of space and of time itself.  (You can read the much longer blogpost Building on Bedrock here.)

As I read these words, words I wrote just over ten years ago, reflecting on another crisis, they ring just as true today. 

And even as I write, silence has fallen (apart from the drip, drip of my leaking room).  First for a few minutes, every so often, the constant percussion of water on roofs and gutters and pavements and plants, the chatter of water flowing and the swish of car tyres on wet roads ceases to be the constant unceasing backdrop to my days and hours. And each small break has grown longer, has grown more frequent and now even a cleansing wind sings and whistles in the rain-free night. Who knows what the morning will bring - but we can be sure that our God will still be with us. 

And as for my stories, the ones that won't let me go - God called me to write and he hasn't rescinded that call yet.  And while my stories are set in another universe, they are entwined with the sounds and echoes of the storm and the rainbow and the God who gives meaning to it all. 

Jeanette O'Hagan has spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight. She enjoys writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs.

She has published over forty stories and poems, including the Under the Mountain Series (5 books), Ruhanna's Flight and Other Stories, Akrad's Children and Rasel's Song, the first two books in the Akrad's Legacy series.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and a Master of Arts (Writing). She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life.

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CWD—Admin Exit… Stage Right!

 

The start of 2022 brings a change to CWD's hard-working Admin team with the stepping down of Sue Jeffrey (aka Susan J. Bruce) after 3 years on the job.

Here is what she has to say.

"It has been a privilege to be one of the administrators of the Christian Writers Downunder Facebook group. CWD is a fantastic community of diverse writers, united by one thing—we all love Jesus and want to create in his name. Hey—that’s two things. Oh, well… J

Seriously, it has been an honour. When you’re an admin, you get to be first to welcome new writers, you get to run blog rosters (so many willing and wonderful volunteers), and you get to watch over the group to protect the community.

 I stepped back from being a front-line admin a few months ago because life was getting busy, but I wanted to hear from God before I resigned from the role. When I took a copywriting job with a marketing agency last December, I knew I wouldn’t be able to continue as an admin. I’ve got a lot to learn in my new position and I’m still trying to write fiction. Or should I say, trying to find a way to write fiction amid all the busyness!

 I’m also releasing a book soon—my YA novel Running Scared. LOL – I keep forgetting that. You can read the blurb here.

The good news is I’ll still be around in CWD. It’s a great group and I have so many friends here. I mentioned the diversity of the group above and I love how all kinds of writers are welcome. Some write for Christian audiences; some write for the mainstream, yet we share in what the Bible calls Koinonia.

Most Bibles translate this Greek word as fellowship, but it means more than just spending time together. Koinonia refers to the deep unity Christian people have when we share together in the Spirit of God and have a common purpose. When Christian people are in fellowship with one another and with the Holy Spirit, and write in the name of Jesus, we have koinonia.

 We may come from different Christian traditions, we may have radically different political views, and the content that’s acceptable to one may be anathema to another. But we are one! I think that’s glorious.

I also think it’s glorious that we each reflect different facets of Christ’s nature through our creative work. White light is made up of an entire array of colours—as can be seen when it’s refracted through a prism. When God’s light is refracted through the community of believers, we have a kaleidoscope of colour, pointing the world to Jesus.

So, while I’m stepping down from the admin role, I’ll still be stepping out together with all of you in CWD. One in the Spirit, one in the Lord – and helping create a riot of Christ-inspired colour!'

Susan Jeffrey 

Thanks Sue. What a lovely reflection of Koinonia and the refraction of God's light through us as a Spirit and Christ-connected community. 

We on the Admin team have appreciated your energy, enthusiasm and dedication over the last three years we will miss you on the team. All the best for your future projects and the blessings and ministry that God has in store for you. 

Susan J Bruce is a former veterinarian, turned award-winning author and artist. Susan’s veterinary background invades her writing and animals run, fly, or crawl into nearly all of her tales. When Susan’s writing group challenged her to write a story that didn’t mention any animals—she failed! Susan lives in sunny South Australia with her husband, Marc, and their furred and feathered family. This currently includes a fat tortoiseshell cat, a rescue cockatiel, and an irrepressible ShiChi (Shih Tzu x Chihuahua) who thinks her mission in life is to stop Susan writing. Susan’s first novel, Running Scared was awarded the 2018 Caleb Prize for an unpublished manuscript. You can check out Susan’s stories and artwork at www.susanjbruce.com

The CWD Admin Team 

Jeanette spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight. She enjoys writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs. She has published over forty stories and poems including Akrad's Children and Rasel's Song (Book 1 & 2 of the Akrad's Legacy series) & the 5 book Under the Mountain series. Jeanette lives in Brisbane with her husband and children. Facebook |Jeanette O'Hagan Writes | Twitter

 

Kirsten (aka K.A. Hart) is a born and bred Territorian who moved to Queensland and had no choice but to stay after her assimilation into the Toowoomba's infamous, collective known as Quirky Quills. Since then, K.A. Hart has had two short stories published. Stone Bearer, appears in Glimpses of Light and Tedious Tresses, in the As Time Goes By Mixed Blessings anthology. She is currently writing a fantasy trilogy. 

Mazzy Adams is a published author of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. she is a Genre Rebel, writing Intrigue and Inspiration with an Upmarket DownUnder Vibe. A contented Aussie wife, mother, grandmother, business manager, creative and academic writing tutor, and encourager, Mazzy maintains her passion for words, pictures, and the positive potential in people. www.mazzyadams.com

Omega Writers | Call for Judges for 2022 CALEB Award

 

 It Takes a Village to Publish a Novel

One of the many myths about writing and writers is that we work alone. We sit in our attic room, scratching away for weeks and months and years, and eventually produce a work of staggering genius that has the publishers beating a path to our door, each one waving a larger cheque (or check) than the one before.

If only.

Writing is a team effort. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a team to write a novel. If you don’t believe me, check the acknowledgements page in the novel you’re currently reading and count how many people the author has thanked. For example:

• God
• Family
• Friends
• Critique partners
• Beta readers
• Specialists who’ve offered advice
• Agent
• Editors
• Cover designer
• Marketing team
• Prayer warriors

And those are only the people the author can name.

There are also dozens of unsung helpers who contributed to that novel—maybe hundreds. These might be:

• Fiction authors who’ve written helpful craft books.
• Non-fiction authors who’ve written useful technical books.
• Marketing experts who’ve written marketing books.
• Writers who’ve shared their knowledge for free on various blogs and websites.
• Speakers who’ve presented at national or local conferences.
• Reviewers who help spread the word about the author’s book.
• Contest judges who’ve provided useful feedback.
• Organisations which bring writers together to network and learn.

The list goes on.

Sure, some authors making writing all about them. But the best writers recognise the village who contributed to their success, and ensure they give back to the community which has given them so much.

But how can we give back … especially as unpublished writers?

One easy way to give back is by judging a writing contest.

I will admit: this isn’t entirely altruistic. I usually judge several contests each year, and I’ve learned a lot about writing and editing from judging writing contests. I covered some of these lessons in a recent blog post at Australasian Christian Writers.

And this post isn’t entirely altruistic either: I have a motive.

I am looking for volunteers to judge the 2022 CALEB Award from Omega Writers.

Omega Writers is a Christian writing organisation serving writers from across Australia and New Zealand. CALEB stands for Christian Authors Lifting Each other’s Books, and the award considers published books and unpublished manuscripts.

You don’t need to be a writer!

We’d love to have more readers volunteer to judge our published books. You can choose how many entries you’d like to judge, and in what categories and genres. The categories for the 2022 CALEB Award are:

• Adult Fiction (Published and Unpublished
• Young Adult Fiction (Published and Unpublished)
• Adult Nonfiction (Published and Unpublished)

If you’d like to find out more about why judging is a great idea, then check out this blog post: Introducing the CALEB Award.

And click here to volunteer as a judge.

The CALEB Award will open for entries next month, so if you’re an unpublished Christian writer from Australia or New Zealand, it's time to polish your manuscript!

Click here to check out how to join Omega Writers.

Have you ever judged a writing contest? What did you learn from judging?

Is God in Valentine's Day? by Jo Wanmer

‘I hate Valentine’s Day.’ Mandy twisted crepe paper to make flowers – red of course – to decorate cards. Polly, her daughter wanted to give them away at school. Some of the flowers were strangled, rather than twisted. How had she allowed herself to be cajoled into such an activity? Polly flopped on the chair beside her and started to arrange flowers on the front of a card, lettered with eight-year-old precision.

‘Can I have more, Mum. I want my card to be ‘stravagant.’

Gulping back a retort, she turned back to the task. Cut, roll and strangle, cut,
roll and strangle.

Later she fell into bed alone, for single mothers are always alone, unless a mini person sneaks in. Lights out. House quiet. Sleep elusive, she gazed at the dark ceiling. ‘Are you listening tonight, Lord?’

In the ensuing silence she adjusted her greeting. ‘Okay, Lord. That was a silly question. You are always listening. You’ve never failed me yet…but its nearly Valentine’s Day. The shops covered in red and hearts and cupids. Gross. Facebook ads are suggesting I spoil my Valentine. Which is ridiculous. Surely, they know I don’t have a Valentine, will never again have one. Just another year sitting at my desk, smiling at everyone, taking flowers and delivering them to some blonde bimbo in the back office. Always delivered with fake excitement and false enthusiasm. Yuk. I don’t think I can do it another year.’

She rolled over, allowed herself a few self-pity tears, and succumbed to sleep.

To the side the angels huddled together to consult. ‘Isn’t Jesus her beloved? Maybe we can spoil her this year? Send her heavenly gifts, heal her heart. We will have to ask the boss.’

Valentine’s day dawned clear, with a few clouds scattered to the east. The sunrise lit the sky with vibrant reds, golds and pinks . Polly, jumping with excitement, called Mandy from the kitchen so show her.

‘Polly, we don’t have time today. Do you have your shoes on?’

‘Ooh, Mummy. Now there is a big rainbow, a double one…’

‘Pack your bag, Polly. I’ve got a tough day and I don’t need to be running late. Have you got your cards?’

‘Decided not to give Boris one. He’s boring.’

‘Well find someone else to give it to. I haven’t gone to all that trouble for nothing.’

The angels were scrambling. Two of their gifts were unseen, unopened. They spotlighted the tree trunk near the letter box, where Jesus had carved a heart, ages ago. Maybe today she would see it.

Mandy blinked at the tree trunk. ‘Are you
mocking me God? There’s even a heart in my own yard now.’

The work carpark was full. Frustrated, Mandy yanked her car into the back up park and took a short cut through the garden. She stubbed her toe on a tree stump, but missed its message, and rushed inside. ‘God give me your grace. You say it is sufficient. It will need to be today.’

That afternoon she walked out of the office with several flowers. A red rose, a pink carnation with curled petals, a stem of purple iris and a potted fern that her boss sent with her, claiming it would die at her place. Mandy placed the flowers on the car seat and nestled the fern between a couple of bags so it wouldn’t fall. All second-hand, leftover, unwanted gifts that had been passed on to her - poor jilted, forgotten Mandy. She released her hair clip, allowing her hair to fall as a curtain to hide her tears.

Polly had gone home with a friend after school so Mandy stopped at the river and wandered down to the stony little beach under the bridge. Sitting on a rock she smoothed the sandy surface and doodled.

'God, I wish I could pray but I feel so let down today. Did you even hear my prayers?

Who did you bless today?

The random thought set her back? Her hackles rose and she spoke to the river. ‘I wished everyone a Happy day.’ The river sang in response. The leaves danced above her. Looking down, she realized she was tracing hearts in the sand. Her hand destroyed them with one sweep. Hot tears wet the sand. ‘I’m sorry Lord. I’ve been so busy worshiping my own pain, I didn’t do anything for anyone. And I’ve been given so much.  Even Christy shared from the bouquet her fiancé sent.’

Her hand smoothed the sand and drew a large slightly-wonky heart. Feeling a little foolish, she scribed her initials and below added ‘Jesus’. 

The angels danced with joy around her. She couldn’t see them, or even discern them, but her heart filled with warmth and she relaxed beneath the green canopy.

In the car, the flowers grinned at her. The fern was the exact one she'd wanted for ages. The carnation was the same as the one  her grandmother grew. Maybe God had been in her day.

Holly rushed out to the car, thrusting a huge big Camelia at her. ‘Callie’s mum said I could pick it for you.’ She dug in her bag and held out the crushed valentine card. ‘I saved it specially for you. Mummy.’

At her front gate, balancing flowers and the card, Mandy stopped at the tree and traced her finger over the heart. 'I’m sorry, I missed it Lord. Thanks for giving me a wonderful day.’

In this simple story, God is Mandy’s lover, her friend. But she was slow to see Him, to hear Him, to understand.

When I’m writing I can do the same. He presents an idea to my thinking. I miss it or discard as a terrible idea, only to appreciate it some time later. In one book, my protagonist was locked in a remote hut. I had plans to progress the plot while she was there, but the whole book was written from her point of view. I spent 3 days, stuck, not a word written as I seemed to be at a dead end. In desperation, I decided to get her out of the hut by using the delete button. Rewrite. Just before I did, I asked God. He showed me the information to advance the plot was in the hut. It was brilliant. If only I wasn’t so slow to understand.

How about you? Does He lead you, or sometimes do you too miss it?

Jo Wanmer loves to watch for God everywhere, for he is everywhere! She lives with her husband, Steve, her granddaughter and a young man who has joined them recently. They have home church every Friday evening with about 12 others and their poodle, Barclay.

Jo recently won the Stories of Life writing competition for 2021 with her short story, 'Mum, meet my mother.' Her award winning novel, Though the Bud be Bruised was published in 2012, but still blesses people today. Her passion is to inspire others to walk deeper with God and hence reach their full potential.

CWD Member Interview – Simon Kennedy

 

Most Thursdays this year we will be interviewing one of the members of Christian Writers Downunder – to find out a little bit more about them and their writing/editing goals.

Today’s interview - Simon Kennedy

Question 1: Tells us three things about who you are and where you come from. 

Since graduating from physiotherapy at the University of Queensland in 1998, I’ve had three main careers: physiotherapist, music and film.

I continue to practice physiotherapy, filling in at the army or air force with the odd casual shift. My highlights were working with the Queensland Academy of Sport soccer team and visiting the State of Origin camp (my boss was the Qld team’s physio).

Music took me to some strange stages, including the top of skyscrapers, the back of a semi-trailer, and under the shark tank at Sea World. I was in a rock band while also serving as a worship pastor so would often play in pubs and clubs on Friday and Saturday nights and then in church on Sundays.

Like the Wiggles, I also changed from adult to kids’ performer, and my YouTube channel of kids’ songs, Songs with Simon, now has over half a billion views. That was part of my transition from music to film and has opened up several opportunities to write spec scripts for animated kids shows.

But my biggest success in film/TV so far was to be co-creator of Safe Harbour, an Emmy award winning show.

Safe Harbour

Question 2: Tell us about your writing (or editing/illustrating etc).  What do you write and why?

I often spend more time writing emails and pitch documents than I do on scripts! Meetings with graphic designers, producers and animation studios are also a big part of the process, and though I enjoy it all (usually!), writing the script is my favourite bit. After all the planning and talking, it’s great to see the story come to life on the page.

I’ve been blessed with opportunities to work with wonderful people and have written for factual feature films, kids comedy/adventure, adult thriller and drama TV shows and movies. For most projects, I look for an underlying kingdom heart, even though I tend to work on general market shows and movies. What kind of themes can I explore underneath the surface action?

Question 3: Who has read your work? Who would you like to read it? 

My wife is usually the first person to read my work. She’s not in the industry but I value her encouragement and gentle feedback before sending it out to co-writers, producers and distributors.

One producer I’m excited to be working with is Brian Bird. He made Touched by an Angel and When Calls the Heart and is a perfect fit for a historical adventure/romance show that we pitched to him. Ultimately, I’m looking forward to the audience viewing more of the stories I write but I’ve learned that budgets in the millions tend to lead to a slow development process.

Question 4: Tell us something about your process. What challenges do you face? What helps you the most?

The hardest thing for me is juggling the several projects I have on the go. This month I’ll do a couple of drafts for a kids’ animation show, start pre-production on another series of Songs with Simon, take feedback on my first draft for a medical show set in the outback, and prepare pitches for three or four factual TV shows.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

If I have time, I’ll write the first draft of a low budget feature and finish post-production on another YouTube series, but I think they might have to wait till March!

Every morning I pray through the day and ask God for guidance. I have regular chats with other friends in the industry, often to be reminded that they’re facing similar challenges and that I’m not alone. And at least once a week, I check in with my wife, a very wise woman, who helps to keep me on track (and sane!).

Question 5: What is your favourite Writing Craft Book and why? 

The first book on screenwriting I recommend is Save the Cat. It introduces the three-act structure and a fresh take on genre in a light and easy-to-read way. Theme and character aren’t strong points though, so if you want something deeper, feel free to drop me a line.

Question 6: If you were to give a shout-out to a CWD author, writer, editor or illustrator – who would they be?

There are so many! When I started to take writing seriously, Anne Hamilton’s advice was invaluable in helping me to see how superfluous most adjectives and adverbs are. Rochelle from Wombat opened my eyes to how tough a writer’s life can be without scaring me too much!

Anne, Jo Wanmer and Ruth Bonetti graciously welcomed and encouraged me when I joined the Omega Writers committee with big ideas, Amanda Deed helped us to keep everything in the black and Susan Barnes kept everything running smoothly. Raewyn Elsegood runs an amazing conference, and I’m probably most grateful to Meredith Resce for taking over as Omega President!

Question 7: What are your writing goals for this year? How will you achieve them?

I’m prayerfully pondering whether I cut back on writing to put more effort into getting the things I’ve already written onto screens. My first step has been to organise my projects into genres and formats so I can take several similar shows or movies to market at once. Then I need to go to a few markets and meet the money people.

Question 8: How does your faith impact and shape your writing?

God guided me to writing with a few amazing incidents acting as signposts to confirm my inner desires. I started out chasing every opportunity and entering any writing competition I could find until a friend shared a vision with me.

He pictured me in a room full of doors, but instead of considering what was on the other side of each one, I was simply running through them all. From that, I felt God prompting me to ask about the kingdom merit of each concept before chasing after it.

I followed that thought a bit too far and ended up only doing “worthy” projects for a couple of years until He reminded me that joy is meant to be an integral part of our journey. Recently I’ve adopted a Paul Colman album title to summarise my approach: Serious Fun. I’m more balanced and am enjoying my day to day practice a lot more while still feeling like I can contribute to deeper and thought-provoking discussions through much of my art.

Keep Going! by Susan J Bruce

Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash

How are you faring? Do you feel as if you are soaring in your writing life? 

Photo by Pete Nuij on Unsplash

Or sinking?

Photo by Joel Durkee on Unsplash

Is the rain pounding against your window, is the ceiling leaking, or are you sitting in the shade on a warm day, sipping a cool drink of lemon squash? 

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

I wanted to write a more reflective post today. I’m in the last stages of preparing my first novel, Running Scared, for publication and I’m feeling both extremes. The process of birthing this baby began over twelve years ago when I wrote the first draft as part of my MA in Creative Writing at Tabor, Adelaide. 

Yep, that’s a long gestation. There have been lots of labour pains. There was the agent in 2012 who told me they were loving my book, only to decide a week later not to take it. Then there were the publishers who liked the book and said it had commercial appeal—but then said the manuscript didn’t fit their list. It wasn’t quite what they were looking for, but it was a really good book, and they couldn’t stop reading it! 

Yes, really.

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!

That is what the publishing world is like. Your book has to be in the right place at the right time. Eventually I got tired of waiting. I rewrote the book to please myself rather than a publisher and decided to independently publish it. 

Yes, you say. Much easier. Well, it might have been if I didn’t decide to do everything myself, including design my own cover. That process is for another blog article. My husband Marc is an excellent copyeditor, so he helped. But the learning curve was huge – especially as I want the finished product to equal that of any traditionally published book.

Now, when I’m nearly there, it feels as if I’m climbing a mountain, certain that the finish line is just around the next bend in the track. The problem is when I get to that bend, there’s another bend, and another, and another. There’s always something else to do. How do some people publish a book a month?

But the excitement is beginning to brew. It. Is. Nearly. There.

Of course, then there’s the marketing. Another mountain …

Photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash

The writing life is full of exaltation and despair, joy and disappointment. 

How are you going? 

Do you need encouragement?

Here’s some.

God is with you – always (Mathew 28:20). He loves you and you can trust him. 

We’d nearly run out of money. I hadn’t been able to find a job and I should have just trusted God and kept my head down writing. But just at the right time he gave me a job. A stretching when-am-I-ever-going-to-have-time-to-write-my-own-stuff kind of job. But it came when I needed it. 

How are you going financially? Do you need a financial miracle? Keep following Jesus and he will help. Don’t worry (Matthew 6:25-34). If his word says it, we can believe it.

Do you need wisdom? Are you not sure where to go, be it with a major life decision or a plot point in your book? God will always give us the wisdom we need. But when he does, we need to trust him (James 1:5).

Are you feeling that everyone else is moving forward and doing amazing things with their writing careers, and you are still at the start, putting along faithfully but never getting anywhere?

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve felt like that. 

But Marc reminded the CWD community in his blog the other week that Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). 

Our story isn’t over, but we sometimes need to remind ourselves that we are the hero, not the victim. When life throws plot twists in our way, what do we do?

The important thing is to keep going.

I think this was what I was meant to write today. Whatever God has put on your heart to do, do it with all your might. Don’t give up.

Trust. Rest. Believe.

My book is being born soon – and there will be much rejoicing in my household.

What are you believing God for this week? Why not share in the comments. I’ll pray. So will others. Keep going!

Susan J Bruce, aka Sue Jeffrey, spent her childhood reading, drawing, and collecting stray animals. Now she’s grown up, she does the same kinds of things. Susan worked for many years as a veterinarian, and now writes stories filled with mystery, suspense, heart and hope. Susan also loves to paint animals. Susan won the ‘Short’ section of the inaugural Stories of Life writing competition and won the 'Unpublished Manuscript' section of the 2018 Caleb prize. Susan is the editor of 'If They Could Talk: Bible Stories Told By the Animals' (Morning Star Publishing) and her stories and poems have appeared in multiple anthologies. Click here to check out Susan’s writing and artwork on her website.

It's Not Always 'Cancel Culture'

 

In recent decades, we’ve seen a push towards political correctness. In some ways, I’m all for it. I don’t want to inadvertently use a term that is offensive to particular groups of people. However, it can sometimes be a minefield for writers. We want to be true to what we believe, and write about the things God has laid on our hearts, but what if those words result in a backlash from readers? Do we just put it down to spiritual attack and plough on, or could something else be going on?

There was a case last year where a Christian author won a prestigious award for best inspirational fiction. However, the award was rescinded a couple of days later after an outcry over her handling of a true historical event that was deeply wounding for First Nations people. Most of the criticism seemed to resolve around the fact that the ‘hero’ of the story was a white man who had taken part in atrocities (albeit unwittingly), but later found redemption. (I’ve chosen not to name the book or author here, as I wanted to make a more general point in this post about how we deal with such issues. However, if you want to find out specifics, there's a link to my review later in this post.)

All writers will receive negative feedback at times, whether that’s a rejection letter from a publisher, a sea of red ink from an editor, or a negative review on a public forum. Even some of our best-loved books have one- and two-star reviews on sites like Goodreads and Amazon. You’ll never please everyone, no matter how hard you try. If you’re expressing a Christian viewpoint in your book, there will also be people who will rate the book negatively just because it is a Christian book and they disagree with the content. But what do you do when the criticism goes beyond that and a book and its author are subject to vitriolic attacks from some sections of the community?

Reasons for Criticism

I think it’s important to recognise that such criticism can involve three different elements, though these are not mutually exclusive.

Spiritual Attack

If our writing contains Christian content, you can bet that the enemy won’t be happy about it. In Ephesians 6:12, we’re reminded that ‘our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms’. At some level, criticism aimed at Christian authors is inevitable. However, we have the assurance that Christ has overcome the powers of darkness (John 16:33; Colossians 2:15) and that if we’re serving the Lord, no attack against us will prevail (Isaiah 54:17).

Cancel Culture and Political Correctness

Criticism directed at an author may also be part of the ‘cancel culture’ phenomenon in which some people are ‘outed’, ostracised or boycotted due to comments they have made that are deemed offensive to some groups. At its extreme, this can result in Orwellian calls to rewrite history (including literature) so that it is more politically correct. At the least, it can result in authors receiving a barrage of complaints from those who dislike their views. The very nature of free speech is at issue here, though I do believe that with free speech comes responsibility, and that leads to the third point.

Valid Criticism

Spiritual attack may be directed at Christians who are trying to live out their calling. Naysayers with a ‘cancel culture’ mentality may abuse writers who don’t fit within their worldview. However, sometimes we get it wrong and the critics have a point. They may not always express it in a way we would like, especially if they have made personal attacks on the author. However, they may have identified something that the author has failed to adequately address.

What Can We Learn from This Case?

In the case I mentioned earlier, I think spiritual attack and some elements of ‘cancel culture’, at least in terms of political correctness, were involved. From the tone of some of the reviews, I suspect some of the critics had not read the book, or had only read the prologue, and were outraged at the very notion of the hero being involved in atrocities against indigenous people. Others had clearly read the book and were offended or hurt by content they regarded as harmful.

Having read the whole book myself, I think some of the critics have valid concerns. For me, it’s not the redemptive aspect that’s the problem. I believe anyone is a candidate for redemption, regardless of what they’ve done. The Apostle Paul called himself the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15-16), yet he repented and became a true champion of the faith. The whole point of grace is that it is undeserved.

The problem with the book is that the author never really addresses the indigenous issues raised in the prologue. The hero regrets what he has done, but there is no engagement or involvement with First Nations people and what those events meant to them. Indeed, the only other mention of First Nations people is that Comanches killed the protagonist's parents. I understand that the focus of the book is the hero’s journey, but to position the hero within an actual historical event that is deeply wounding to indigenous people and then not address those issues is a grave omission in my opinion. Click here to see my full review.

The author did not deserve the vitriol she received from some quarters, and many Christians rallied behind her. Supporting each other is important, but when I look at the books’ ratings on Goodreads and Amazon, I see that my views are in the minority. Ninety-two percent of reviewers on Amazon gave the book 4- or 5-star ratings (mostly 5-star) and 84% of reviewers on Goodreads gave the book 4- and 5-star ratings. A lot of people clearly loved the book, and they are certainly entitled to their opinions. We all have different tastes and reading preferences. However, I suspect some may have given a good rating because they wanted to support the author. Indeed, one Goodreads reviewer said that she hadn’t read the book yet, but she’d given it five stars because she knew she’d love it. Ten points to that reviewer for wanting to be supportive, but zero points for the way she went about it. By all means, send the author a letter, email or private message; comment on her blog posts and social media posts. But don’t give a 5-star review to a book you haven’t even read. To do so, fails to acknowledge that there are lessons to be learned and that the critics may have raised points that we need to consider.

None of us is perfect. We’ll make mistakes, and God is there to forgive us and comfort us when we do. However, if we don’t learn from those mistakes, we do our readers and God’s message a great disservice. If we want to truly be salt and light in this world, we need to be humble and teachable, admit when we’ve got it wrong, then pick ourselves up and try to do better next time, with God’s help.

Are we going to reinforce unwarranted stereotypes or are we going to help break them down? I’d love to hear your views on this hot potato.

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine (aka Nola Passmore) has a passion for faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with courage and hope. Her inspirational historical novel Scattered was published in 2020, and she has also co-edited the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light with Jeanette O’Hagan. She has more than 150 short publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles and academic papers. She and her husband Tim also run a freelance writing and editing business, The Write Flourish, from the home they share with their two adorable cavoodles in southeast Queensland, Australia. She’d love to connect with you through her website: www.nolalorraine.com.au

 

Photo Credit

Featured photo by Markus Winkler on Pixabay.