Back to Beginnings

 This past weekend I spent much of my time in the pages of my debut novel. It’s been ten years since it was fresh off the press and, in advance of a new novel release later this year, my first book baby is getting a facelift for a revised edition to mark this anniversary.

For those who have navigated the book-release path, have any of you re-read something you published early in your writing journey? Did you want to put a pen through some of the passages your “older self” (in a writing context) would have never worded that way? Did the structure and pace still work for you? Did you find yourself falling in love with your characters and story all over again? Did you have a little cringe when you noticed things that could have done with a little extra context and background research? None of the above? All of the above?

For me, it was an “all” experience. But it also revealed to me how much I’ve grown as a writer since those early publication days (and reminded me how much I’m STILL learning—that never stops!). Several times I’ve heard authors apologise for their early work, yet I have gone on to thoroughly enjoy those stories. Yes, there may have been little pieces here and there that could have been reworked, but the heart and soul of the story was still solid and the characters captivating.

In those “sorry, it was my early work” moments, I’ve always had mixed feelings. As a writer, I sure do get it. Some of my manuscripts never saw the light of day—well, not yet—and I am SO grateful for that. However, those beginning works are also an essential part of our writing growth, and there cannot be any future “more developed” works without that first publication.

It can be a challenging thing to share your writing drafts when you’re in those early days, especially with someone outside your safe circle. To send all your blood, sweat and tears off to a professional for critiquing or editing can be enough to make one nauseous. Do you know how many writers never get published because they found the path to publication too hard? Many more writers give up than the ones that see their stories in print.

So if you are a published author, I encourage you to celebrate that achievement, including your first “book baby” and all the “firsts” it brought you.

If you are yet to be published, I encourage you to keep writing and learning and if you’re feeling discouraged and a bit bumped and bruised, it might be time to pick yourself up again, set some goals, and get back on that writing horse. It’ll probably buck you off a few more (multi-dozen!!!) times, but each hard landing and consequential bruises are valuable learning, so long as you allow them to be and don’t succumb to offense or discouragement.

And as CWD members, what a joy to celebrate each person’s writing journey! I love that about this group. (Not to mention as a reader I’ve discovered a wealth of awesome books along the way.) If you take nothing else away from this post, why not invest a few minutes to do something encouraging for a writer whose work has marked your world for the better? That might be a review, a recommendation, an email, or even a shout out in the comments below. Whatever it might be, do something. I know you will make some writer’s day. 😊

Queensland author Adele Jones writes young adult fringe and near-science fiction exploring the underbelly of bioethics and confronting teen issues that include disability, self-worth, loss, domestic conflict, and more. She also writes historical fiction, poetry, inspirational non-fiction and short fictional works, with themes of social justice, humanity, faith, natural beauty and meaning in life’s journey. Adele’s first YA novel Integrate (book one of the Blaine Colton Trilogy) was awarded the 2013 CALEB Prize for unpublished manuscript. As a speaker she seeks to present a practical and encouraging message by drawing on themes from her writing. For more visit www.adelejonesauthor.com or contact[at]adelejonesauthor.com

Things are Not what they Seem!

by Anusha Atukorala

When Covid came to visit South Australia, I settled down to a long season of hibernation, like a sleepy old bear at dead of winter. My only trips outdoors were to the supermarket or for exercise. No church. No coffees with friends. No nothing. Last September, Covid knocked on my door and then squashed me flat for several months! Once I got better, I was surprised to find, that like stumbling across a bright red rose in the middle of a scorching desert, Covid had brought with it a number of unexpected blessings. For a start, I now had the greenlight to step out of my front door and to start doing life again. 

What a precious gift!

God had led me out of my former church - and it was time to find a new one. After visiting several churches, I was a little discouraged. Would I ever find a church that was right for me? Silly question and I should have known better. God is always faithful. The first time I visited my now church home, they had a service of celebration, with God as the focus – not our human agendas but Jesus alone! Of course, it was the right home church for me. 

Thank You God!

Recently, I was delighted to hear of a prayer initiative at church which would span four consecutive weeks. The mid-day time slot worked well for me, so on the first Wednesday, I drove to church excitedly, spotting numerous cars in the car park. I thrilled to the fact that so many had turned up to pray. When I went into the sanctuary, though, it was empty. One of the pastors came out … only two of us were present for that lunch time prayer-session. I’d been fooled by the cars in the car park. Apparently they were there for a weight watchers session next door! Very disappointing!

It’s easy to draw the wrong conclusions through outward appearances, isn’t it? In reality, it turned out to be a wonderful God-exalting time of praise and prayer. A holy hour it was! I can now vouch for the fact that sometimes, two is the best number after all.

If two of you shall agree on earth concerning anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in Heaven. Matthew 18:19-20  

Thank You Jesus!

Dear friend, how are you doing today? Has life bashed you around ... like a delicate silk scarf being tossed around in a dryer? I do understand. Life happens, often with its own ideas of fair play, leaving you and me gasping for breath and scratching our heads in bewilderment. But here’s the thing. What we might think is no progress as Christian writers may actually be our best stint after all. As we writers know so well, often, things are not what they seem! It's true in the stories we write and it happens in real life too! The problem is that while I enjoy plot twists in the novels I read, I don't relish those plot twists in my own life. 

God is at work behind the scenes in ways you and I have no idea. Against my better inclination, I have been forced to concentrate on my health issues for a number of years, so my writing has taken a back seat. But what seemed to be years of little output are in retrospect years of research. His plans … ah! They are the good ones. They are the best ones. I’ve spent hours at His feet, seeking Him, finding Him and learning all about living well and what life in the kingdom of God looks like. What better way to get ideas and input for my next book than through life’s training school? Thank You God!

So tell me, dear friend, what has your journey been like in the last year or two? If your progress has not been as fast as you’d like, a New Year might be the right time to change that? Don’t be fooled by the enemy’s proposal that it’s too late. Not true. He’s the Father of lies, so don’t believe him. Are you discouraged at the lack of your book sales? (I hear you! It’s time I did something about mine. Arrrrgh!) Do you feel a failure? You are never a failure when you’ve been obedient to what He’s called you to do. Success in the world’s terms and God’s are very different, as different as a stagnant pool compares to a swirling stream.

Do you think that you’ve little to offer the world? Now that's the enemy’s voice! Who you are and what you do matters! It matters a lot. 2023 might just be your best year yet. He has good plans for you. Your path might look different to others’. But that’s totally okay. It’s only in eternity that you will understand what God did, with what you may think were detours or wasted hours and years.

Is God writing a different story through your life than what you envisaged or hoped for? Are you tempted to take back His pen into your own hand? Let’s not be fooled by the enemy’s whispers, whenever trouble dogs our steps. God’s Authorship is one we can trust. It may look as if He’s not in control but we know better, don’t we? We can trust His Word. We can trust Him to write a page-turner in and through our lives.

Let’s pick up our pens and write as He leads. He will bless the world through our yielded hearts. If you feel down or discouraged, do know that God’s got you in His mighty Hands. The Holy Spirit goes before you. He sings songs of deliverance over you today. And as you trust Him, He will use you this New Year, 2023 to bring His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Keep writing. Keep living.

Keep being YOU!

The world needs you. And God does too!

Anusha’s been on many interesting detours in life, as a lab technician, a computer programmer, a full time Mum, a full time volunteer, a charity director, a full time job chaser, until one golden day (or was it a dark moonless night?) God tapped her on her shoulder and called her to write for Him. She has never recovered from the joy it brought her. She loves to see others enjoying life with Jesus and does her mite to hurry the process in her world through her writing and through her life. The goodness of God is her theme song through each season, as she dances in the rain with Jesus.

Her first book Enjoying the Journey contains 75 little God stories that will bring you closer to your Creator. Her 2^nd book ‘Dancing in the Rain’ brings you hope and comfort for life’s soggy seasons. Her 3rd book, ‘Sharing the Journey’ is a sequel to 'Enjoying the Journey'.

 

Do drop in on her two websites to say G’day! She’d love to connect with you.

Dancing in the Rain - https://anusha-atukorala.webnode.page/

Light in the Darkness- https://light-in-the-darkness00.webnode.page/

The Interaction of Characters and Their Settings

 

Have you ever read a book that had some lovely passages of description, but you still wanted to skip over them? You might be the kind of person who prefers action, and you want to get on with the story rather than knowing the intricacies of Aunt Muriel’s petunias. But another reason is that the description is sitting all by itself and not interacting with poor Aunt Muriel.

I was a social psychology lecturer for 25 years, and environmental psychology was one of the topics I taught. In a nutshell, environmental psychology looks at how people and settings co-influence one another.

• People affect natural and built environments in both positive and negative ways.
• Natural and built environments affect people in positive and negative ways.
• Unlike the boy band, these effects do not just go in One Direction. They interact with each other, such that people affect the environment, which in turn affects people, who in turn affect the environment and so on. (And yes, I realise One Direction has broken up.)

So, what has all of this got to do with writing fiction? Think about it in terms of your setting. Are your characters interacting with their settings or are you just telling us what’s in the setting? Let me give an example.

Interacting With Settings

An Example

I read a manuscript extract in which a woman came home and went into the kitchen to make dinner. The author then gave a long paragraph describing the kitchen. She had really put a lot of thought into it and had excellent skills at technical writing. The walls weren’t just blue or yellow, they were particular shades, like the types you would find on a painter’s chart. Kitchen utensils and pots were hanging from hooks on the ceiling. There was a clear description of the layout of the room, including a window over the sink that looked out across the yard.

However, there was just one problem. The description was static. It was as if the character stood to one side while the description of the setting played out. There was no interaction between the character and the setting. 

Show, Don't Tell

Some good old ‘show don’t tell’ would have gotten across the same information. Instead of the author telling us that pots were hanging from the ceiling, the character could reach for one of the pots and put it on the wooden bench. She could open up the pantry cupboard and move aside the cereal boxes to find the pasta. She could go over to the sink and look out the window while rinsing the cutting board she needs to use. That kind of writing is much more engaging than simply giving us a description. By showing the character interacting with the environment, we're not only getting an idea of the setting, but we're also learning about the person.

Avoid Information Drops

Another advantage of having your character interacting with the setting is that you can drop information in a bit at a time when needed, rather than doing the dreaded info dump that encourages a reader to skip over the boring bits. We don't need to know that Grandpa's hunting knife is in the kitchen drawer until someone uses it to carve the Sunday roast.

Setting as Character

In some books, the environment plays such an important role that it is like a character in itself. For example, Susan May Warren set about half of her novel The Way of the Brave on the snowy slopes of Denali in Alaska, where the characters had to fight the elements to stay alive. If you write biblical fiction, think about what it would have been like for Noah and his family to spend so long in the Ark while waiting until the ground was habitable again. Or what would it have been like for the Israelites to spend 40 years in the wilderness? How would you have liked living in a tent with your family for all those years?

Questions to Ponder

Now think about your current work-in-progress.

• Are your characters riding the boundary of their drought-stricken farm to check the livestock? Show us the desolation of the land and the riders.
• Are two people walking through the CBD of a large city? Maybe the traffic is so loud that they have trouble hearing each other, so they have to shout or move to a quieter location.
• Are they stuck in a crowded elevator? Give us a sense of the claustrophobia and panic as it sets in. Is he loosening his tie? Is she thumping the call button?
• Do they go fishing and toss their empty drink cans into the river? Or do they spend Saturday mornings doing litter parade at the beach?
• Do they rearrange the tables and chairs in a coffee shop so that everyone in their group has plenty of room, or do they squish up so there’s four in a booth that usually seats two?

There is a myriad of possibilities, but whatever decisions you make, be sure that your descriptions are advancing character or plot. Don’t just have it rain for the sake of it. Have it rain so we can see how the caterer copes with the quickly rejigged garden party, or so the hero and heroine have to stand close together under a tree to stay dry.

Do you have examples of novels that have done a particularly good job of showing the person interacting with their environment? I’d love to hear your examples.

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 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. She’d love to connect with you through her website: www.nolalorraine.com.au

Photo Sources

Author photo by Wayne Logan at WRLPhoto.

Surfing dog by StarFlames on Pixabay.

Happy New Year from Omega Writers!

Welcome to 2023!

Omega Writers has lots planned for 2023 ... with more ideas in the pipeline. Make sure you don't miss out on any important information by signing up as a member of Omega Writers. Click here to find out more.

The 2023 CALEB Award

The 2023 CALEB Awards will be for unpublished writers in the following categories:

• Unpublished Adult Fiction
• Unpublished Young Adult Fiction
• Unpublished Nonfiction

The contest is open to Australian and New Zealand Christian writers with a completed manuscript. Note that the 2023 contest is for unpublished writers. However, published fiction authors will be permitted to enter the nonfiction category, and published nonfiction authors may enter one of the fiction categories.

Entries will open on 1 April and close on 30 April, so now is the time to finish your manuscript to ensure you're ready to enter.

Conference

Omega Writers won't be running an in-person conference this year, but there will be an online conference in October. Dates, speakers, and cost will be available later in the year.

As always, members of Omega Writers will be able to register for a discounted rate.

Chapter Groups

Local Omega groups and special interest groups will continue. Omega currently has several groups who meet in person on a regular basis. These are based in:

• Sydney
• Wollongong
• Brisbane
• Toowoomba
• Melbourne
• Geelong
• Adelaide
• Tasmania

There are also two Zoom groups:

• Tasmania
• Fantasy/Science Fiction

Click here to check the Omega website for further details.

Un-Cramming The Year With Your Gift

Celebration is a vital part of life. It is good to do so. But…… We seem to cram this in.

The season of Christmas and New Year you have just been through might feel a bit like that for you. This time of year (the beginning of 2023) we may be feeling we need to recover from holidays. At the end of last year, you may have taken time, not just to get across the line of another year, but to appreciate all the achievements of the year that was (that’s good), and then you may have experienced a barrage of celebrations. We have parties, celebrations of cultural significance, church happenings, community events, work parties, family get togethers, neighbourhood happenings, decorating, wrapping, eating, more parties, more outings, and an encouragement to be completing the year successfully and with joy and not feel exhausted starting the next one. We many it feels like a cluttered mess. For many individuals and families this time of year may also bring back memories of loss, challenge, or it may presently be a time of struggle for them. The mantra of “Joy to the world” might have been accompanied with “Stop the world, I want to get off”.

Christmas and New Year is a punctuated season full of the giving of our time, focus and energies alongside those material gifts we buy, make, wrap, post, and give each other. At the heart of the so-called “Christmas spirit” is something potentially beautiful (despite its often-commercial hype). Giving is an act of lovingkindness, of thinking about others before ourselves. It takes time and preparation and compassion. It can be a gift of authentic appreciation. True generosity means there’s no obligation in sight. Perhaps this ideal is encapsulated in the saying: “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. In truth, many people might rather be getters than givers. But there is significant power for good in giving of ourselves (especially things that are less materialistic or consumer oriented, like hope, peace, patience, kindness, service, care, support). Perhaps equally as powerful is humble and appreciative receiving.  It can sometimes be humbling to accept a present, no strings attached. Maybe, that itself (willing to receive) is a gift. Humility is perhaps one of the most powerful gifts we can give to each other. Being humble enough to receive someone else’s gift given in grace and being willing to give our gifts in humility is a powerful offering. This means making time and space to embrace the story and the relationship that brought the gift to you. Giving is at the very core of our humanity and of our faith. It is a holy thing.

"3 Buys Men"

How has this ancient sacred act of giving-and-receiving been so often turned into something that has become so profane? Materialistic hype, rather than meaningful helps or even miraculous harmony.  Good things can easily morph into being dangerous and harmful when simple humility and the gift of relational mutuality is taken out of the equation. During the rush and intensity of the end of year celebratory season, it is hard not to let obligation corrupt our generous spirit. It is also difficult to mitigate giving-fatigue and compassion-fatigue as we’re bombarded with images of need, natural disasters, and new diseases, while being accosted with requests for our generosity from charities and those in need. Australians are trusting charities less, with concerns over how donations are spent and frustration with being pestered to give. When you hear too many heartbreaking stories without also hearing about solutions, progress, or change, the world’s problems feel unfixable. Donating to fix an unsolvable problem feels useless—that’s why demonstrating impact and providing messages of hope is so important. This is where our influence individually and collectively as writers is so valuable. We can help by giving thought to ‘changing the narratives’.  

 

As writers we have the opportunity to provide the gift of ‘a different narrative’ that blesses others with sustainable and engaging hope-empowerment: One about changing the world. After all, core to our faith existence is ‘good’ news. I love telling stories of how our community and others are addressing issues, the ways being attempted to fix things, the change being made, and stories about the people being helped and helping others. The truth is, how we tell a story has the ability to either give or take power away from us, our view of reality and therefore, who we become. For example, sickness can undoubtedly be devastating for many - whether it’s losing a loved one, not being able to see your friends and family, dealing with losing your job, having to shut down your business, or feeling isolated and lonely; and these often feel out of your control. However, the thing that you do have control over is the story you tell about those events - and how they impact your self-concept and future. Last year our family faced the challenge of having several close family members who received a devastating cancer prognosis. The authentic and real message was that they were sick, very sick and needing to face the struggles of hospital visits, life changes, chemo regimes, loosing hair, being weak, feeling depressed, hurting, and honestly just being devastated. But even more powerful is the equally authentic and real message that all the adjustment has meant that we have come closer together as a family as we have determined to fight through the challenges together. We have new language and a depth of communication that we have never had with each other. Our love for each other is deeper than ever.  Despite the struggles we have all found some joy in the battle and that is the narrative that we embrace. As we spent time at Christmas and new year, we held on to the glad tidings we had discovered through the trials of the year that was. Even in sometimes horrifying circumstances a story of hope can be found. We are glad that even though some things are still significantly tough we have found peace in discovering the simple joy of the love we share with each other. This has meant learning and acting on the craft of stopping the rush of circumstance to make time for discovering the changed narrative. The art of storytelling has a huge impact. Now that is something to celebrate.

Here is another thing to celebrate all year: God has given you your writing gifts to use for His glory. God has equipped you to reach people that may possibly not be reached by anyone else, and it is the giftings He has given to you that accomplishes it. Romans 12:6 says,

 “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them.”

Your gifts are unique to you, and just might be the unique gift someone else needs to receive. You might even think your talent is weird and unpopular, but sometimes it is those of us who feel like we have the least to give who accomplish great things for God, and simply are a blessing to others. Your gift does make a difference.

There is a song that gets played at our place many times at the end of each year (Which is a bit ironic, as it declares that its message should be lived all year round) ‘Christmas Wish’ Written by Bob Farrell and performed by Stacie Orrico. 

“It's always the same at every Christmas
When love comes alive around the world
We open our hearts
When love is in the air
It seems such a shame to me
It's a season that comes only once a year

My wish for you
If I could give any gift I wanted
A present to every boy and girl
I'd make it a miracle that came from God above
A picture of peace on Earth
Where each person is touched by the power of (His) Love

So let's make the Christmas wish together
It's like the best of dreams come true
Let's make the spirit last forever

This is my Christmas wish for you”

This year I am encouraging myself with a new year’s resolution, to give and receive deeper and more meaningfully across the entire year. I plan to un-cram my year by making time for my gift of writing to bless others. This won’t discount enjoying the season of celebratory generosity at the end of the year (material gifts, thankyou cards, lots of time with people in celebrations, and end of year reports), or at the end of a sponsorship campaign, or after some victory, it will just mean I give better throughout the year. Through the good times and the tough, the highs and lows, giving praise reports and gratitude no matter what the circumstance. So I am going to give space and time for my gift to be developed and used and become substance to share with others. I am going to make a concerted effort to review my narratives to ensure that some good can come out of them. I am going to un-cram the year with my gift.

Our gifts of kindness - of caring, of helping, of sharing the best of ourselves, of writing and creating hope-bringing narratives - are the gifts that keep giving. Imagine the power of this aspect of celebrating showing up in unexpected spaces and times like random acts of kindnesses all year round. Imagine the gift of our writing bringing life-filled, hope-inspiring messaging for people who just need light in their darkness, love in their loss, healing in their hurt, joy in their sorrow. There are simply endless ways this could happen. Let the gifts flow.

The act of mutual generosity (giving and receiving of ourselves) points to what just might be the ultimate gift the world is hoping for in 2023 …. Peace!

 

JOY TO YOUR WORLD.