Fifteen Great Picks from 2016

Each week on Mondays and Thursdays, someone from our faithful CWD blog team uploads a blogpost - sometimes it's inspirational, sometimes a story of writerly struggles or triumphs; sometimes it's funny, other times it's serious or both; sometimes the post reminds us why we write and for who, other times it gives practical tips - on writing, marketing or getting published. Always, it's the result of thought, research, experience, passion, creativity.

The CWD Admin team would like to give our blogteam a huge thank you for your contributions throughout 2016 (and over the years).

As we near the end of 2016, we thought we'd honour our bloggers' contributions with a pick of 15 blogposts that have inspired us this year. Out of over 100 posts, it wasn't easy to choose and there are many other posts equally deserving of notice. We have a wealth of information and inspiration on the blogsite - accessible on multiple subjects and themes.

We hope you enjoy this selection from a rich smorgasbord of offerings.

1. A Life of Their Own by Sue Jeffrey

"It was quiet. The author had gone to bed but Chloe couldn’t sleep – not now that she’d found out what could happen to her. She stared at the screen that was the barrier between herself and her creator. What could she do? She didn’t want to die.

It was a conundrum. She had only just become aware of the screen and that there was someone on the other side determining her destiny. What right had the author to dictate her fate? That she could die in 1952? It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right. But what could she do about it?

Chloe reached out and touched the screen. She thought it might have been electrified but it was cool to the touch. She placed both hands on the shimmering surface and to her astonishment they went through the iridescence. She stumbled forward ..." Read more here.

2. Do you know what you don't know by Jo Wanmer

I didn't know that I didn't know how to write. English was never my favorite subject but I wanted to share my story. Surely it can't be too hard, I thought. So I set goals, timelines sat at the keyboard and started this adventure. I typed for hours, re-read, adjusted and produced ninety thousand words. I was surprised how good they were. Remember...I didn't know what I didn't know!

About that time, looking for a publisher, I walked into an Omega writers meeting and discovered that I was Unconsciously Incompetent about writing. In the chart (See below), I was catapulted from the comfortable position at the bottom left to the agony of the top left corner. Reality checks open us to previously unseen possibilities but is always tough to swallow... Read more here.

3. Ride'em, Rawhide by Helen Curtis

The other day, as I walked into my lounge room to relax with some Netflix and a nice hot cuppa, my eye caught something on the wall...my heart jumped, and an expectant cold shiver ran down my spine.

A spider.

A big spider.

A HUGE spider!

Okay, it was a medium sized huntsman. But it was there. And its presence affected my ability to unwind.

I stood there for a few minutes and debated my options; kill it, trap it and release it, or live with it. 

.... Read more here.

4. Indie Book Pricing by Narelle Atkins

The pricing of eBooks is a popular conversation topic among indie authors. A big advantage of independent publishing is the author has control of the price of their print and ebooks. Indie authors set the price for their eBooks, and can adjust the price at any time ... Read more here.

5. An Immersion Excursion by Nola Passmore

A few weeks ago, I was immersed.  Totally submerged.  Out of my depth.  Drowning in a sea of visceral responses.  Diving for a fresh metaphor.  And loving it!

The occasion was a writing immersion course run by the inimitable Margie Lawson (pronounced Marj-ie, as in Marge Simpson only without the blue hair).  Over three full days and two half days, we lapped up fabulous instruction, applied lessons to our manuscripts, discussed examples, and worked one-on-one with Margie to make our words dance off the page.  ... Read more here.

6. Searching for Treasure by Pamela Heemskerk

I dig around – it must be in here somewhere. I’m sure it’s here…

I keep searching – going deeper – getting to the bottom and finding fluff and broken bits and things that haven’t seen the light of day for a while.

I strain my eyes – sometimes when looking for something, my eyes pass right over it. I’m sure you’ve done the same. So I look at each item and name it, just so I can’t miss what I’m looking for.

There’s a lot of stuff in here: treasures, junk, forgotten things, insights, incomplete thoughts, words from other people, words that belong to other people, half-started piece of writing…

Surely amidst all the experiences of my life, I can find something to write about. ... Read more here.

7.  Silver linings | Use your tragedy to encourage others by Cecily Paterson

I was eleven. I was away from home for the first time ever, and I was crying into my pillow.

But this wasn’t a case of ‘I miss my mum and three days of camp is soooo loooong’. This was boarding school, stuck out in the pine forests of the Himalayan mountains. I’d been away from home for ten weeks, and I was going to be away for another ten. There were no breaks.

There was also no phone, no internet, no messaging and no Skype (nup, it hadn't been invented yet). So my pillow got wet. Almost every night.

It would have been easier to cope if I’d been at boarding with my best friend. ... Read more here.

8.  The Review Revue by Nola Passmore

A revue is a form of theatre that consists of songs, dances, and funny sketches.  Oh wait!  Wrong kind of revue.  I was thinking of book reviews.  But in deference to its theatrical homophone, here are some short sketches that outline what you need to know in order to write book reviews. ... Read more here.

9. My Love Of Serials (not Cereals) by Buffy Greentree

Today I’m spreading my love for writing serials, and not just because I’m currently publishing one. That just happens to be an added bonus.

Serials, unlike series, are the TV of fiction. Each episode is a nice, neat story that takes the reader through the usual ups and downs, and leaves them with some feeling of completeness. However, each episode is part of a larger overarching plotline - the season if you will.

Being an avid TV and movie watcher myself, I understand the subtle difference between those times when you want to curl up and spend an evening meeting new people and finding out all about them, and those when you just want to have a quick chat with friends, catch up on what's happening in their lives, and still get to bed early. This is when you want a serial. ... Read more here.

10. It’s all a bit harder than I thought by Jenny Glazebrook

“It’s all a bit harder than I thought.”

I groan when I hear myself say these words.
And not because I have a feeling my editor would point out they're not grammatically correct and I'm using superfluous words.
It's because I find myself using them so often.
It’s a habit of mine to be optimistic and dive into something with great plans, dreaming how wonderful it's going to be.

Then, suddenly I realise there is more work involved than I anticipated.

I keep trying until it becomes clear I just can't do it. ... Read more here.

11. Shoes, Bare Feet and a Christian Book Fair by Jeanette O'Hagan

 You have probably heard the story about the two shoe salesmen sent to Africa in the early 1900's to scout the territory.

      One telegraphed back: "Situation hopeless. Stop. No one wears shoes."

      The other telegraphed: "Glorious business opportunity. Stop. They have no shoes."

Now, I’ve seen a couple of interpretations of this probably apocryphal story – most laud the second salesman for seeing opportunity. Some point out that modern marketing often exploits people by creating a yearning for false and even unhealthy 'needs' (the beauty industry, for instance), while one suggested that salesman A went back to Europe to a lucrative career while salesman B struggled to sell shoes to people who didn’t want them.

Whichever way we look at the story, sometimes I feel that being an Australian or New Zealand Christian author is a little be like trying to sell shoes to barefooted people. We often struggle to interest people in our books. ... Read more here.

12. Exploring the Tangible Terrible & the Magical, Mystical Mystery By Charis Joy Jackson

"If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world."

-C.S. Lewis

The first time I found this quote, by one of my favorite authors, I longed for some portal that would transport me to this other world I knew I was really created for.

Could I be like Lucy Pevensie and step into some magical wardrobe where all the Daughters of Eve were revealed in their true form to be Princesses and Queens? Where could I find the ship that would carry me to the shores of Middle Earth or Faerie?

My desire for this other world was so strong I decided to start breaking it down. What was it about those places that seemed more real than this place called Earth?  ... Read more here.

13. Pardon Me, But My Activism Is Showing by Elaine Fraser 

 For the past two years I’ve been working on a novel. A novel that scares the life out of me. It scares me because it raises issues around sexuality and faith. I shared some of the journey in a recent blog entitled Scary Writing.

I attended a Q Commons event a few days ago and one of the speakers told us that:  

Over 46% of our neighbors believe religion and people of faith are part of the problem in our communities, not the solution. As a growing list of contentious issues present themselves on the cultural front—such as racism, gender, euthanasia, sexuality, religious freedom and more—the Church finds itself on the margins of the mainstream conversation perplexed about how to engage. David Kinnaman

It got me thinking about who I write for and how I tell my stories. Am I writing for the converted? The people who cling to traditional religious structures? Or am I writing for those who are outside faith, or of another faith?

I am firmly placed in writing for those on the fringes of faith ... Read more here.

14. I Will Trust in You by Adam Collings

My wife’s alarm yanked me into wakefulness. Another hour and mine would be going off as well.
"Adam," she groaned. "I'm in pain and I haven't slept all night." My heart plunged. "I'm going to have to call in sick."
I put my arm around her. The stupid injury kept coming back to taunt her. I re-assured her that she was doing the right thing. She wasn't in a state where she could give her patients the care they needed. A bitter seed began to germinate inside me.  ... Read more here.

15.  Writing to Discover Truth … and Yourself by Ian Acheson

... During the course of the last couple of years of struggling with the story I was also grappling within myself. Sorting through my own mess, my light and dark.

Having completed the first draft early in the year I was able to reflect a little on the process. What become apparent was I needed to go through my own season of discovery about myself to be able to write the story.

I recently read an article Francine Rivers wrote in a recent Christianity Today where she talked through how most of her novels came out of her “questions of faith.” ... Read more here.

Images © Jeanette O'Hagan 

CREATING CUTTING EDGE NARRATIVES. Shane Brigg

CREATING CUTTING EDGE NARRATIVES

Faith-full Writing from Liminal Living.

My friend recently received some very useful feedback regarding his manuscript from his publishers. They suggested that his narrative required a tweaking of character developments, dialogues, and even chapter formatting to make the story more urgent and flow faster for the reader. In short, to help make his novel even more impacting, he needed to make it ‘edgier’, even a little ‘unstable’. In a world that is apparently becoming increasingly more unstable by the day, it seems counter-intuitive to consider adopting a state of instability in our writing. However, I propose that this edginess is exactly what we are called to, and if embraced, would dynamically enhance our story telling and its Kingdom impact on peoples’ lives.

Studies of Life Science have discovered that when an individual/system is "in a state of equilibrium, it is less responsive to changes occurring around it. This places it at maximum risk" (Pascale, Milleman, Gioja . 2000 . p 6). Comfortability makes things weak. On the other hand 'The Edge' or "Sweet Spot" - described by Frost and Hirsch (2011 p.90) as 'Liminality' - is considered to be a state that is essential for health, growth and vital living. By extension then, a person who is not experiencing liminality is potentially not experiencing all that life has to offer. Liminality describes the lifestyle of committed followers of Christ who impact the world by their humble self-denial.

Consider the apostle Paul's experience of life that seems to presuppose a challenging liminal lifestyle ^[1].  Having lost his life for Jesus sake (Gal 6:14, Matt:16:25), Paul felt he had 'nothing to lose'. We do well to emulate him (1 Cor 4:16), and express this kind of abandon in our writing, in our stories, our characters, and even our dialogues. Consider also how Jesus’ love is best illustrated by his own sacrificial example (Phil 2:3. vv 6-11). This could mean we might need to be more willing to experience some pain [2] . 

• When did it last cost us something to produce our writing? 
• Are our characters a reflection of a comfortable life or ones that disturb preconceived ideas and the status quo?
• Is there an expression of self-denial (and love that gives all, rather than self-aggrandisement) being highlighted in how we write, what we write, why we write, who we write for, what we write about, the characters we design, the heart they express, the narrative we create, and the themes we design ?

This is not a call for recklessness, but faithfulness. There is an apparent safety in non-liminal living, but God often calls His people out of comfort zones to more fully express His heart.

This is what “stepping out in faith” means. Consider Peter, Joshua, Ruth, Esther and others throughout history that we recognise as faithful people. They took faith-filled risks. They are the characters of inspiration. They are life stories of raw challenge to our own lives. To emulate their faithful living just might help make us whole, and inspire others to live more wholly. Greene and Robinson (2008.p 196) explain it this way: "unless the church is equipping believers to embrace a life of self-denial that adopts the values of the Kingdom of God, and repents of self-orientation it is rendered ineffective".

My friend’s publisher’s advice that he make his novel ‘edgier’, and even a little ‘unstable’ is perhaps valuable advice for us as Christian writers too. 

When we express a faith-filled urgency, and self-denying creativity in our writing, a powerful Kingdom impact ensues     ...........................................      And great story telling happens.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Frost, M., Hirsch, A. (2011) The Faith of Leap. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

Greene, C., Robinson , M. (2008) Metavista : Bible, Church and Mission in an Age of Imagination. Carlisle UK : Paternoster.

Pascale, R., Milleman, M., Gioja, L. (2000) Surfing the Edge of Chaos: the Laws of Nature and the New Laws of Business. New York: Three Rivers.

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[1] “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.........”

 (2 Corinthians 11:23-27, Acts 9:15-16)

[2] Learning to love means “putting oneself on the line and embracing risk, even likelihood of pain and suffering"(Frost & Hirsch. 2011. p.88-89). Our aim should not be to escape pain but to learn to embrace it to make it grow us. "To Love is to suffer... and that's probably why we don't do it well." (Frost & Hirsch. 2011. p.89). Growing brings pain.

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On the Edge. Shane Brigg overlooking Israel. 

Shane Brigg has a passion for mobilising young people to transform their world in Christ. This is evidenced by his nearly 30 years of Youth work including Chaplaincy in Schools, University ministry, developing youth networks, international leadership, and recently team pioneering a missional church community in a university. He is a trainer for Harvest Bible College, a Chaplain serving in 3 schools, and an innovative and adventurous disciple maker. He has a particular talent for story telling that engages young audiences and has several writing projects underway including a series of sci-fi-fantasy based teen novels that express the core theological and 'gutsy' principles of Ephesians. Shane is married with 2 young adult teen children. He loves being outdoors, engaging interculturally and expressing creative pursuits. 

https://www.facebook.com/shane.brigg.3

What is Christian Fiction?

“Every good story, well told, is a moral story” 

Ben Marshall*  

Over the last few months CWD contributors have reminded us 1) of the call not water down our faith just “to fit in” to society and 2) thechallenge to write fiction that connects with non-Christians. And for others, the aim is just to write good fiction. This forms part of a wider debate among faith inspired writers about whether or not to write “cross-over fiction” – fiction that breaks through the Christian “bubble.” The debate can become very passionate as different writers take a strong stand on what they believe to be paramount.

So, what is “Christian fiction”? Do we need “cross-over” fiction?  Where do you stand on the spectrum between a strong, pure message and culturally relevant fiction?

It seems that in the U.S., “Christian fiction” is strictly defined – no sex scenes, no swearing, avoidance of controversial or unsavoury subjects (such as drug use, unwed mothers, avoidance of (extreme) violence). It often includes saintly characters, conversion scenes, long prayers and scripture verses. These strict criteria don’t necessarily reflect the Australian Christian fiction scene and there is a move to write edgier fiction even in the U.S. Nevertheless, the criticism of such highly sanitised fiction is that it is unreal and a total put off to most non-Christian readers. Such fiction is written by Christians, published by Christians, sold almost exclusively in Christian bookshops (or shelved in the Christian section of secular bookshops) and read by Christians.

In reaction to this ghettoisation of Christian literature, a number of vocal Christians seek to write fiction for the general market, for example Mike Duran, PortYonder Press (PYP). Chila Woychik of PYP wants fiction “devoid of preaching, Bible verses, conversion scenes” and prefers fiction that deals with “universal themes.”  

Other less narrow definitions of Christian fiction include fiction that is prepared to deal with the nitty gritty of real life in the context of (redemptive) Christian themes; fiction that portrays a Christian world view without necessarily having conversion scenes or overtly Christian content; or even fiction that is written by a Christian. After all, Christians are engaged in most occupations. Do Christian builders only build churches and other religious buildings?

As I think about all this, I wrestle with a number of questions:

•           If characters are so saintly that they never struggle with temptation or the realities of modern life or fail in any significant way, isn't this escapist? Not only does it not connect to people outside the Christian bubble, it gives Christians a dubious picture of what it means to be a Christian.
•           Could the Bible be published under such strict criteria? It deals with realities of life, tells the stories of prostitutes, incest, massacres, murderers and doesn't spare the details.
•           Does all Christian fiction have to conform to one template? The Bible is composed of 66 books – different authors, contexts and genres – some put prayer, conversions scenes, revelations, supernatural occurrences etc at the forefront (Genesis, Exodus, the Gospels, Acts) while others are more subtle (e.g. Ruth, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Esther, Jesus’ Parables) or highly symbolic or cryptic (Parts of Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation). In fact Esther doesn't once mention the name of God though His presence and actions are clearly implicit in the story.
•           On the other hand, if prayer, reliance on scripture and even miracles (God at work) are a genuine part our Christian experience, why shouldn't these be portrayed in our fiction?

While the Christian fiction scene in Australia doesn't seem to display such passionate polarisation, these questions are still relevant. In many ways, it reflects the difference stances on how Christians should engage with the wider society. Should we be part of a holy enclave (a beacon of light against the darkness of night that draws people to them), should we be ambassadors of hope (who learn the language and rub shoulders with people Jesus died to save) or is it our job to change society (moral crusaders against decay)? Jesus uses the analogy of both salt and light - a light on a hill that attracts but also salt which needs to mix with the world to do any good (Matt 5:13-16). We are to be in the world but not of it (John 17:15-16). This is as much about who we are as what we say. Jesus embodied this – as both the light of the world and the incarnational saviour who eschewed religious jargon and rubbed shoulders with the wrongdoers.

Western society is changing and at a rapid pace. It is becoming increasingly secular, postmodern and even (in some quarters) virulently anti-Christian. We need to be its salt and light.  So let’s avoid being hermetically sealed off from society – so foreign that we might as well be speaking an unintelligible language. On the other hand, let’s beware becoming so like everyone else that we have lost our life giving “savour”.

Our God loves variety. We can see this in the created world, in the nature of the Bible, in the body life of His people (one body, many parts and giftings). In fact, the health of the body depends on the functioning of its different parts. Love builds the body up, disunity destroys it (1 Cor13).

So let me encourage you to be true to the calling God has given you. Hold on to the truth of the gospel, the need to incarnate it to a dying world and to do everything in love. Let’s acknowledge that what it means to be a Christian writer is different for different people. Let’s continue to encourage each other and to explore what it means to write as Christians – whether this is overtly Christian, cross-over or just good fiction that subtly radiates the grace of God.

Jeanette O'Hagan

Jeanette lives in Brisbane, has practiced medicine, taught theology, spoken at various groups & is currently caring for her children, studying writing at Swinburne & writing her Akrad series.

* Ben Marshall (commenting on J Mcleod's post)

  Images by Jeanette O'Hagan 

Find Jeanette at:

http://jeanetteohagan.com/

https://www.facebook.com/JeanetteOHaganAuthorAndSpeaker

http://jennysthread.com

http://fantasytrekkers.com

Some other posts by Jeanette:

http://christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/saints-seekers-and-sleepers.html; http://christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/the-world-of-books.html; http://christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/a-thorny-gift.html

A few things I've learned from community...

I remember the first post I wrote for this blog. I was nervous (I think it may have been the first blog post I'd ever written) but I was also excited. This was something new on the Australian writing scene - a group of writers with a common goal and shared faith, writing together, striving together to build community. Until this blog (and it's accompanying Facebook group) appeared on the scene, writing faith inspired work felt incredibly lonely in Australia. There were writers, we knew each other existed somewhere, but struggling through the shelves of bookstores it was hard to locate books by artists from this side of the globe.

But once the online writing community started, it began to blossom. The situation for emerging and established faith writers is quite different now to what it was. Distance and isolation (be it due to location or situation) have been reduced and connections have been made possible. There are numerous online writers groups for people writing faith inspired work, each with it's unique angle and purpose, but all designed to support and encourage one another. There are also Yahoo groups, discussion groups and local voices growing in the blog-isphere.

The CALEB Conference emerged out of the Word Writers Fair - an event I've been privileged to attend twice, and will be attending again in the future. Online relationships were strengthened with discussions and workshops, and I believe the Australian faith inspired writing community is stronger now than it ever has been. The evidence is on in the book shelves of the Christian bookstores: Aussie books easier to find, more little Aussie symbols next to familiar books in catalogues, and authors standing by and supporting each other using the most powerful marketing strategy ever - WORD OF MOUTH.

For me, watching this growth of relationships and networking, both connected with this blog and the many, many sprawls beyond, it has been exceptionally encouraging. I feel less like a lonely little writer pushing against a tide of anonymity, more a part of a wider family. So as I write this post, the last CWD post from me for the time being, I want to say Thank You to the writers I've been privileged to meet and write with in this context. Here's some of what I've learned from you:

* Never give up. Even when it feels terribly hard and painfully lonely, there are other writers feeling exactly the same and when we push through, and keep going, it's worth it in the end.

* Aussie writers write good fiction! (Yep, I'll admit it, even I was dubious! But there are some local wordsmiths out there brave enough to tackle faith related themes and they are worth the search.)

* Networking pays off. It pays off in sales, but even more importantly in sharpening skills, promoting excellence and producing a more polished product.

* Stay true to your first love. Anyone reading back over the blog posts here will notice a common theme: writers striving against the pull of the world to write for the original Creator. It's not easy, it challenges the very motivations behind why we write, but many, many CWD posts echo the blessing received in this obedience.

* Stay connected. Whether it's here, or on other writing blogs, online groups, at writing conferences and get-togethers. It's fellowship; important, valuable and rich.

Penny Reeve is the author of more than 15 children's books including the 2013 CALEB Award Children's Category finalists More Than A Mouse and Wonderfully Madison. She recently returned from a two week trip to India with Stop the Traffik and is hoping to seek publication for her YA novel on the subject next year. For more information about Penny, or her books, visit  www.pennyreeve.com