Total Wipeout or Totally Write It Out?

About a decade ago, the first Wipeout game show aired in the USA. Contestants threw and bounced themselves into, around, across, over and through an absurd array of obstacles, mud, more obstacles, mud, creative obstacles, water, (washing off the mud), challenging obstacles, watery downpours … anyway, you get the picture. Total Wipeout, the British (BBC) version, followed hot on its heels, eventually airing in Australia (and currently repeating on ABC ME).  If you’ve no idea what I’m referring to, you can watch Total Wipeout’s first Episode here (after you’ve read this blog, of course).

The ‘killer surf’ giant water slide introduces the show’s final challenge (See it here at about the 48:20 minute mark). By this stage, the field of twenty-four starters has narrowed to three finalists who compete for the cash prize. It’s not hard to draw an analogy between those Total Wipeout contestants and writers, (aspiring and successful). With varying degrees of enthusiasm and expertise, we might

• ·        bellow a shout of impending triumph at our brilliant intention;
• ·        leap into the process with a whoosh and a splash;
• ·        swim through the deep waters of structural sinkholes;
• ·        tackle the long haul of obstacles (dealing with time restraints);
• ·        jump barrels, balance disappointments;
•      climb (or cling perilously to) the walls while a waterfall of negativity assails us;
• ·        leap onto the dizzying merry-go-round of writing conferences and events;
• ·        bounce up and down, back and forth, over (and often out of) the submissions' trampoline.

It’s easy to extend the analogy. Both contestants and writers might

• ·        see it as a challenge, but also as fun;
• ·        fall and fail, but try again;
• ·        persevere, even when the mud sticks;
• ·        step up to the next level after each success.

May I also draw your attention to the response of the game show’s audience because, frankly, they are amazing in their efforts to cheer on the players. They laugh with good humour at competitors’ pedantic pre-action antics, commiserate when they slip and fall, and cheer wildly when they pick themselves up and try again. Sure, every episode has one overall winner who receives a prize, but the audience applauds the efforts of all the players who try, whether they win or lose. In the presence of that faithful, enthusiastic cheer squad, naysayers face, um, total wipeout.

Over the last twelve months, I’ve been whacked and dumped and drowned by a plethora of challenges and disappointments that have seriously undermined my writing progress. I’m sure I’m not the only one. But a couple of weeks ago, the Holy Spirit challenged me with this thought:

The only power/authority/naysayer who 

wants you to fail as a Christian writer

is the devil.

In stark contrast, a huge cheer squad,

 led by Almighty God,

wants you to succeed.

My first thought was, ‘Wow!’

My second thought was, ‘I have a choice to make.’

1. ·        I can reject this thought, thereby siding with the devil and … treat God as a liar;
2. ·        I can condescend to it outwardly while letting doubt undermine my trust in God till I flounder in the mud of despondency and unbelief; or
3. ·        I can accept it, embrace it, and run with it, letting God’s truth strengthen and empower me to keep going.

I'm going with number 3. 

Having meditated on this for a couple of weeks, I’ve concluded the Bible provides ample evidence that God is cheering us on as Christian writers, e.g. Isaiah 52:7, 50:4, Psalm 68:11 and more than 64 other verses that mention the word ‘write’.

It’s also supported by visible actions and evidence, vis-à-vis the encouragement readily given by family, friends, fellow Christians, writers, readers and editors. Honestly, although there are many articles across the web that reflect the struggles and challenges faced by writers, the overwhelming sense from both Christian and secular sources is one of encouragement to all authors, (aspiring and published) to go for it, keep writing, get better, never, ever, give up. In this industry, the players are generally much more inclined to critique with a view to improvement than be critical. Even the dreaded rejection letter is seen as a step or side-step in the journey, not a prescription for failure.

So, next time the devil starts throwing the mud of failure in my face, or yours, let's remember that, unless we choose to agree with him, he’s a minority of one, even if he appropriates a few human mouthpieces from time to time. Meanwhile, the great majority, in heaven and on earth, is cheering us on, big time.

Have you got a favourite line you’ve heard from that cheer squad? I'd love you to share it with the rest of us. Spur us all on to greater effort and action.

(Note: Images used above are Creative Commons sourced from Pixabay)

Mazzy Adams is a published author of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. She has a passion for words, pictures and the positive potential in people. 

Website: www.mazzyadams.com  

Email: maz@mazzyadams.com

Lessons Learned from Losing Wisdom

by Charis Joy Jackson

A magical idea strikes me. I run to my laptop before inspiration can leave. Well, “run” isn't the best word for it... it's more of a slow shamble while my vision blurs and the ground sways beneath me. Did I mention the pictures on the wall seem to expand and loom over me? That's not normal, right? Laptop in hand I settle onto my blue fainting couch. The battery's dead and the cord's all the way in my room. I consider the idea of crawling over walking but decide crawling would take more energy. Computer charging, I drink some water, careful to avoid sensitive areas. Finally, I open a new post. Time to write. What was that magical idea again?

It's gone! I tell myself to write anyway, a writer must write despite inspiration.

I struggle through a sentence, a paragraph. I make the writer's mortal sin- I edit instead of just getting the words out. I shuffle sentences around, try to find a better beginning. I am focusing on too many subjects for one post. Gah! I delete everything and start again. I can feel the story churning but an hour passes and I still can't form anything. The words won't flow. My worst fear is realized. I can't write.

Pain begins to throb through my jaw. An alarm goes off on my phone, time for more pills. I chug some water and swallow a handful of meds. The pain edges away again to be replaced by a swimming head and a roller coaster of emotions. The blank screen expands just like the pictures on the wall. Was this what Alice felt like in Wonderland? I fight through another paragraph, but it's hopeless. Fear wins. I put the laptop down. I'm just beating a dead horse and that's not very nice at all. Poor horse.

My nightmare's a reality.

Welcome to my life for the last few weeks. I had oral surgery to remove impacted wisdom teeth and I was sent home with a list of drugs that killed the pain but brought complications and dizzy spells. The ironic part - I was afraid I'd forget how to write. All I'd think about were the "what if's"... What if the meds messed with my brain and I lost all my wisdomy goodness? - WORSE! What if my stories disappeared?!

Fear consumed me. I'm a bit dramatic, can you tell?



Has fear or overwhelming obstacles ever held you back?

Here's the lesson I'm reminded of, one I keep close at hand – especially at times like this. No matter what, write. Every day. Doesn't matter how horrible it looks, keep writing. As writers we want to be praised for our work and fear is like a constant companion sitting next to us pointing out how unoriginal we are or how cheesy our writing is. Who cares about fear. Write! I'm convinced it's the author who pushes past all the fears and walls of insecurity that actually produces the real gems. Look at Tolkien. It took him over ten years to finish Lord of the Rings. I read recently where someone claims it took him seventeen years! Who cares. The story has captured our heart and it's because Tolkien kept writing. Imagine if he'd put his pen aside after three years of writing... the world would never know of Middle Earth.

That, my dear friends, would be a tragedy. So again I say, write! No matter what. Write!

What about you? What valuable tools do you hold on to when fear or other obstacles come knocking?

Charis Joy Jackson is working as a missionary with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) a non-profit organization & is part of The Initiative Production Company. She loves creating stories & is currently writing a novel, which she hopes to create into a seven part series. 

Here's to a life lived in awe & wonder. 
Welcome to the adventure.

www.charisjoyjackson.com

Obstacle Course

On the 29th of December 2011, my husband, son and I, packed our bags and began a 400 km drive to Mildura, Victoria. We looked forward to welcoming the new year in with our extended family from Whyalla, Sydney and the Blue Mountains. Our plan was to converge on neutral territory and to enjoy 5 days of relaxation, adventure and family times together. Very exciting! We found that the roads were packed with many other holiday makers, both before us and behind us. Our speedy passage was often interrupted by many a slow moving vehicle.

Shan would overtake a long slow road train and breathe a sigh of relief as we moved again at the appointed speed limit of 110 kmph. But ever so frustratingly, just 10 or 15 minutes later, we would catch up on yet another slow moving vehicle. And then…. more overtaking was needed by swinging out to the lane of oncoming traffic. It always made me hold my breath and pray fervently that we would not have a head on crash!

Obstacles! No matter where you drive, there are often obstacles to overcome, don’t you think? I got my driver’s license only a year ago. Driving hazards seem to pop up every time I drive. A car on the right of me; a roundabout in the front of me; an impatient tailgater on the back of me, a parked car on the left of me….! Whenever I get behind the wheel, my road seems to become an obstacle course!

Come to think of it, every time I start walking on the road of life, obstacles seem to drop down right ahead of me. Know what I mean?

In fact, hazards and obstacles pop up all over the place on our Writing journeys too, don’t they? A writer’s life is not an easy life. Needing agents, but never finding them; needing publishers but getting rejected by them; needing ideas but losing them; needing readers but being rebuffed by them; needing luck but losing the same; needing encouragement but often discouraged…..! Need I go on?

You and I know that we are often energised by our calling. That we have purpose and passion as we write. That nothing excites us as much as the stories that grab at us from the inside. That life at the keyboard, or life with a blank piece of paper and pen is truly invigorating. That there is lots of good stuff inside us that needs to get out there and be seen and heard and read by the world!

We also know that we rarely have a smooth ride. Other professions seem to have it easier. They may not spend half the time we do on their work, but they actually earn good money from it. We don’t. We work hard; we write into the wee hours, we burn the midnight oil. But to what purpose? Our should-be-world-famous manuscripts are often not picked up. They sit idly on a slush pile at a Publisher’s desk somewhere out there for many dreary months. And then we get that dreaded letter from the Publisher, which politely informs us that we didn’t make it this time! Perhaps we do publish our books. But then have to spend many hours and lots of energy figuring out how to sell our books.

As we were winding our way towards Mildura, my mind went catapulting towards obstacles, not just as a Christian writer but also as a Christian. I don’t know about you – but as for me, my Christian life is jam packed with obstacles. One day I walk around without a care in the world; a song in my heart and a smile on my lips. The next day I wonder what hit me. I crash into a huge roadblock on life’s journey. It badly impedes my progress; it quickly steals my joy!

Wouldn’t it be great if life’s highway was one beautiful stretch of country road with no obstacles, no difficulties, no hard to live with folks, no nothing that impedes our progress? Then, we would be singing all the time. Our purses would bulge. We would hold it all together. We would even be successful, well known authors. Life would be wonderful!

But you know what? That’s an illusion! Yes, an illusion. Dare I say it? Yes! I do believe that without those very obstacles, life would not be half as good it is now! Without the difficulties and the huge mountains that block my progress, I would not be half the writer I am today; or half the woman I believe I am!

As I reflect at the start of a brand new year on the year that is past, I feel a warm glow welling up inside of me. The glow isn’t all about success that follows the world’s definition of success. The feelings of well being that bubble up inside me overflow out of a different kind of success.

When I chalk up my successes of 2011, the ones that I feel most ‘proud’ and glad about are nothing to do with my “achievements”. No! I am full of joy today because I re-discovered this past year that God and I are always a majority. That God alone is always enough. Full stop. I feel successful not because of success. But because I chose His way when times got rough. Because I jumped over many hurdles with His help. Because I am still going.

Because I deliberately chose a better pathway when an obstacle loomed in front of me. Because I decided to take a detour when God suggested I needed one. Because I felt my soul growing muscles each time I overcame an obstacle! And yes, I even felt God’s cheering me on from the sidelines as I jumped over hurdle after hurdle in His strength! And you know, He sometimes gave me Eagles wings, so I could fly high over some of those obstacles!

On Jan 1st 2012, as I sat in an unknown little church in Mildura with my family – many miles away from home, my heart was bursting with joy. I felt God’s love and peace in my heart. I knew that any difficulties I’d encountered to date in my writing journey were all good – they had challenged me; and they had helped me. They had made me appreciate the good things I had accomplished. And so I didn’t take them for granted. They spurred me on to write better.

I knew also that life’s obstacles of the past year were stepping stones to character growth, to refining my spirit. Lessons in learning to love God. Lessons in learning how to live in freedom as His beloved child. Lessons of doing things God’s way and not mine.

So the very things I thought of as obstacles to a happy life were in fact the source of my joy today. I believe I have a new confidence. A new spring in my step. A new smile in my heart. I did have a year filled with obstacles. But the obstacles were blessings. Seeming hazards that refined me as a writer. That grew me as a person. And so I rejoice today with all I am. And praise God for an obstacle filled year which brought me closer to Him and His purposes for my life.

Is your present life as a Writer an obstacle course? Is your life as a Christian filled with new hazards each day? Fear not my friend. Those very obstacles are the stepping stones to better things. I say this with confidence, because His word says so. And I found it to be true. He has shown its truth to me over and over again.

The obstacles I’ve surmounted and overcome through God’s amazing love and God’s amazing grace, have brought me where I am today. I do love the new ground I stand upon today. I am excited about the new pathways that beckon me enticingly. So there is something to say about this Obstacle Course called Life. It’s great! Take my word for it!

May every obstacle in your writer’s journey bring out the best in you! May every hazard in your Christian journey be the stepping stone to enjoying abundant life – today and every day of 2012!

A very Blessed New Year to you all!


Anusha enjoys many things in life – music and song, poetry and prose, writing and writers, family and friendships, creation and The Creator. She’s finds joy in simple things, in quiet moments, in life led by the One who died for her.

She’s been writing all her life for pleasure. But 5 years ago, God tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to get on with His plans for her. Since then she’s been writing also to fulfill her purpose and calling in life!

Her first book 'Enjoying the Journey', a collection of 75 little lessons from every day life, is available from her Facebook page "'Enjoying the Journey' by Anusha Atukorala".