Living a Dependent Life

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I learnt independence at an early age. I got myself around by walking and catching public transport (as early as 10 years old), and entertained myself in my own worlds of sports and stories.

My two brothers and sister similarly were very independent growing up. Even though we’d come together regularly, we all cherished our alone time.

I’ve found it interesting my two boys are very dependent on others for entertainment and activity. Now that isn’t a bad thing at all. However, I’ve often struggled with their dependence and prided myself on my ability to get things done by myself.

“Many people view dependence as a despicable condition, so they strive to be as self-sufficient as possible.”¹

BAM!

Yep, that’s me. I’ve prided myself on my self-sufficiency.

It reminded me of some other words Sarah Young wrote in “Jesus Calling”:

“In the world, dependence is seen as immaturity. But in My kingdom, dependence on Me is a prime measure of maturity”²

As is so common with matters of God, He turns what the world accepts as reasonable, upside down.

Self-sufficiency has become habitual for me. And that’s a problem. I’ve been grappling writing the follow-up to Angelguard. I’ve got the story, the characters and the general outline. But the words just won’t come out the way I want them to.

So what do I do? I seek to find answers, to solve the problem myself. Do more research, study new writing methods, you name it.

But none of that works.

Like Children

In Matthew 18:1-4 as Jesus is talking to the disciples He makes this statement:

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Hmmm, become like children? What attribute of childhood could Jesus be referring to?

Dependence?

Children (especially when very little) need their mums and dads for everything. All the time, everyday. In addition, children:

• are eager to believe (I still remember how distraught I was when I was told Santa Claus wasn’t real),
• possess a readiness to receive, and
• have a willingness to love and be loved. 

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Jesus didn’t just come to save us but also to be the example by which we should live. He demonstrated how to live like a child:

“The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”(John 14:10)

A lifestyle based on being dependent on the Father.

“This is not My way for you! I designed you to need Me continually – and to delight in that neediness.”³

A few years ago, a pastor prophesied over me one of many very well know verses from the Psalms:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps 27:4)

Initially I focused on the second half of that verse. Fabulous, I’m going to receive the desires of my heart. Yippee!

Now I’m realizing to step into the prophecy (and write a half-decent manuscript) I need to let go of the desires and start delighting.

In Him.

No delighting, no receiving desires.

Oh, and about my writing. I’ve recently started meeting with a couple of guys from church who are passionate writers. This opportunity came out of the blue (God does that!) and it’s filled me with such positive refreshment.

And the manuscript is motoring along. I believe God loves the collaborative process. If we’re writing for Him, then He’s joined us in the process. If we’re depending on our own abilities, then He'll be there for the journey but the outcome within our hearts isn’t going to be nearly as significant.

What do you do to delight in the Lord? How do you keep yourself in a dependent state? I’d love you to share.

Notes: 1. “Jesus Today” Sarah Young, Thomas Nelson 2012, p 212. 2. “Jesus Calling” Sarah Young, Thomas Nelson 2004, p183. 3. “Jesus Today” p212

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel, Angelguard, was released recently in US, UK, Canada and Australia. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter

Hobby or Career?

Is writing a hobby or a career? Maybe it should be both.

I'm a writer, I have been all my life. Many of my early childhood memories involve making up stories and writing them down. I remember the moment in my classroom when I realised for the first time, that I could write real words, and string them together into a meaningful sentence. I remember sitting with my parents in restaurants, waiting for the food to arrive (it always takes hours when you’re a kid). I would write stories in an exercise book. I'm sure that a love of writing is something that God wired into me.

Writing was definitely a hobby for me as a child. When I was in grade six I decided what I wanted to be when I grew up - a computer programmer. What a nerd! I had great fun writing that year, but I didn't choose author as my career path. It just never occurred to me that writing could be a job. Writing was what you did for fun. It wasn't work! If I’d seen things differently then I wonder if my life might have taken a different path - who knows?

I went on to study computing at university and achieved my career goal. Through all of this I never lost my love of writing. During my uni days I wrote lots of Star Trek fan fiction (who didn't?). As a young adult in my first job I turned my attention to novels. I was sure I could do it. My parents were always supportive. The idea of trying to get something published entered my mind and never really left.

As I've grown older I've come to realise something important. To succeed with this writing game, it has to be more than just a hobby. I have to treat it like a career - regardless of whether writing is my ‘day job’ or not. I have to develop a professional attitude to my writing. Here are a few ways that I am learning to do this.

1) Learn the Writing Craft.

As with any creative endeavour, you have to learn the craft. There are so many resources out there to help with this. I remember when I first came to understand the rules behind point-of-view - it was very eye-opening. I learned about story structure - this was a huge revelation to me that totally changed the way I view the creation of a novel. Learning about scene structure was the next logical step. At the end of this article I share a couple of books and free resources that helped me.

2) Stick at it

Completing a novel-length manuscript is a big job. Getting to the end requires dedication. Not just a little “writing when you feel like it”. Many people say you must write every day. Some even suggest word limit goals that every writer should aim for if they want to be taken seriously. We are all different and have unique life situations, so I think we should find a schedule that works for our situation. My current schedule is to spend an hour or two writing fiction (without distraction) every Saturday morning. I'm sticking to this quite well. I started a manuscript at the beginning of the year and I aim to have the first draft completed by year’s end. So far I'm ahead of schedule. Credit must go to my kids who are pretty good at leaving Daddy alone for his special writing time (amazing since they’re usually such a handful). This may not be an appropriate schedule later on, but as an unpublished writer, I have the luxury of setting my own deadlines right now.

3) Research

As an amateur you have the freedom to make up everything. It doesn't matter if you get a fact wrong because you're just writing for fun right? While fiction (particularly sci-fi and fantasy) does give us some room for inventing things, there are times when you just need to do the hard yards and research something. While writing my novel I have learned about a fascinating range of subjects such as astronomy and galactic coordinate systems, particle weapons, people trafficking, Tasmanian aboriginal culture, early nineteenth century history, self-defence for women and bush tucker. Obviously I'm no expert on any of these things, but I've certainly expanded my mind somewhat.

4) The ‘E Word’

As a hobbyist, I have tended to finish a first draft, look lovingly at it and say "I'm finished". Now, what will I write next?” If I hope to become an author I know this isn't good enough. Editing is an important part of producing a book of publishable quality. This is a skill I'm going to have to develop. Of course there is only so much self-editing you can do. Just like with software development, eventually you have to hand the product on to someone else with a fresh perspective who can find the bugs that you will never see. I’ll need to get my work professionally edited.

5) Surround yourself with Role Models

I think it's helpful to learn from those further along the journey. I've had the privilege of meeting Mary Hawkins a couple of times, and she has been very supportive. Hanging out with everyone here at Christian Writers Downunder has also been fantastic. The community is very welcoming of a newbie like me. This brings to mind the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12:1.

So that’s my journey so far. I'm sure there are still more lessons for me to learn. In all of this, there is one thing I don’t want to lose - the passion that drove me to write as a hobby in the first place. Taking a story from idea to a publishable manuscript seems to me to require a huge amount of dedication, and love is a much greater motivator than duty (that’s a line from my novel)

So what about you? What ideas would you suggest to an aspiring author such as myself to help adopt the professional attitude?

Resources that have helped me:

• The Complete Guide to Writing and Selling the Christian Novel by Penelope Stokes. This book had some great thoughts about creating a story from a Christian perspective. It is also the first place I learned about point of view.
• Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. As a software developer, the idea of engineering a story really appealed to me. There are lots of great lessons here with a huge focus on story structure.
• K.M. Weiland has two brilliant series on story structure and scene structure. You can read the articles or listen to the podcasts.
• Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson. This book showed me how to go from a passing grade on POV to an A+.

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Adam Collings is a writer of speculative fiction. He is actively working toward becoming a published author, and is currently working on a space opera. He lives in Tasmania, Australia with his wife Linda and two monsters (oops I mean children). Adam works as a software developer for a consulting engineering company. You can find Adam on-line at collingszone.wordpress.com or his Google+ Profile

Answering those curly questions

Over the past five years or so, I have had some interesting experiences, speaking and promoting my books. I love being invited to share in Christian settings, but I also enjoy talking about my writing journey at secular groups. In fact, part of me dislikes this division between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’, to be honest. Whenever I speak at a ‘secular’ venue, I believe God is there and has even gone before me, preparing the way. I am always conscious of the setting and respectful of those who have invited me, but I also try to be myself, speaking honestly and listening for what God would want me to say. On most occasions, I get to mention God directly quite a few times. But even if that doesn’t happen as much as I might have wanted, I still try to be a faithful representative of God in that place and alert to the Spirit’s promptings.

And it’s at these secular venues that I am often asked the most interesting and intelligent questions. So many people want to write something, whether it be their own life story or poems that have touched family and friends or children’s stories they would like their grandchildren to enjoy. But even those who never plan to write anything are often curious about how an author goes about it all. They might love reading, but have never thought about what that author’s name on the cover represents and the potential ups and downs involved in it all. Many seem interested too in the nitty-gritty of preparing a book for publication and the actual process of finding a publisher. So when it comes to question time, I have to be prepared for anything!

The most common questions I am asked go something like this: When did you start writing? How long does it take you to write a novel? Where do you get your ideas from? Do you write something every day? Do you sometimes get ‘writers’ block’? Do you plan your book out before you start? What about self-publishing? How has the advent of the e-book affected the publishing industry? Are your books available in all the main bookstores? But perhaps the ones I find the trickiest to answer are to do with selling and money – questions like: How many books have you sold? What sort of print runs would your books have? Can you make a living out of it?

Hmmm!! When it comes to these questions, I try to be gracious – but then again, in our Western culture at least, does one usually ask a stranger how much money he or she makes in their business? The best response I have come up with so far is to tell them I am very thankful I am in the ‘black’ with my books and not in the ‘red’ – that I’m thankful I have so far avoided lots of boxes of unsold books under the bed or wherever they are stashed! But I also tell them it’s a good idea not to give up your day job! And even in the most secular setting, I usually say that, for me, it’s not all about the money. It’s about blessing others and making a difference in this world and about enjoying using the gifts God has given me to share with others.

How about you? Have you been asked curly questions like this? Have you found some good responses to use?

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of five published novels – Heléna, All the Days of My Life, Laura, Jenna and Heléna’s Legacy. Her first non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey will be released in October and a sixth novel, The Inheritance, in 2013. Jo-Anne loves music, reading, mentoring younger women, and sharing with community groups about writing. She is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information, please visit her website, www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.