Comparisons

Comparisons can be a good thing or a bad thing. It all depends on who we are comparing ourselves to and what the purpose is for making comparisons. For example on Christmas morning my husband and I both took photos around sunrise at a nearby beach. I thought mine looked pretty good.

I was pleased with it, until... until I looked at his which looked just spectacular. I wanted to show you his stunning photo but for some reason the blog doesn't want to take it, without you having to stand on your head to look at it.. So here is a different one instead, not as effective but still pretty sky.  

Of course there are several explainable reasons for the difference. Firstly mine was just taken on my inexpensive mobile phone camera, while his was taken on a proper camera. You’d expect given better equipment, the results would be better. Also I’m really just a hack when it comes to photos. I snap them for my own amusement and have been known to have thumb in shot or horizons that aren’t straight. He is much more accomplished.

We can do it in our writing too. We can compare ourselves with other writers and think, ‘Oh I’m not doing very well. They’ve got heaps of books out. I’ve only got one or two.’  Years ago when I made a comment along that I had only published one book, my then teenage daughter replied, 'and that’s more than some people will ever have. ' That’s what I call a smart daughter.  She made me stop and re-evaluate the situation.

So I may not have written a row of best sellers but I have had several books of different types published. What’s more people have read them, enjoyed them and responded to them.  Only this week someone came across one of my poems and contacted me about it. After I responded she has since bought Kaleidoscope my book of poetry.

Of course I might just as easily compare myself to someone else I heard talking the other day. She’s been working on a manuscript for years but still hasn't even got half way, isn’t sure she wants to write the rest or of she will ever finish it.

It’s easy to do in church too, to compare ourselves with others. A friend of mine often says, ‘I could never stand up the front and lead the singing like you do.’ I can because God has called me to it and it is easy to do something I love doing. I love worshiping God in song and encouraging other s to do the same. I also love being on the roster for bible reading. But to do some of the other jobs in the church like welcoming - I would run a mile or should that be two kilometres? The same with jobs that require technical expertise like sound or projector. I am not the person to ask. Fortunately anyone who knows me knows better than to ask. If there is a wrong button to press you can be sure I will find it.

That’s what Paul was on about in his letter to the Corinthians about working together. Not expecting one person to have all the gifts but to work together. Not comparing ourselves with others but accepting that we are each different and have different gifts.

Coming back to writing though for just a moment, comparisons are not always bad. They can be good when we read the work of an author and then analyse why it works or why it doesn’t. Then it is a useful comparison, because there is a point to it. It’s not that you’re trying to write like that person but more that we need to keep learning from other writers as well as our own writing, to know what works and what doesn’t.  Have you read anything recently that has made you re-evaluate the way you craft a story, show a scene, write dialogue, explain a bible passage or anything else you found helpful? It would be great if you could share it here so we can all benefit.

The WILLING SUSPENSION of UNBELIEF

Why would we want to do that?

As readers we want to believe what we're reading is true, don't we?  Of course, but that's only when we read nonfiction.

When we read fictional novels, we actually do something interesting, often as an automatic response. 

We know the story is not true, even though it may contain many facts. But here is where we actually choose to set aside that part of us that doesn't believe a word of what we're reading and accept what the author has written ... all of it.

Yes, we deliberately suspend our unbelief. 

Now here is where the onus is on the author to convince you to believe and thus accept the plot and the reality of the characters.  

It's a big job. Authors are expected to do thorough research to make the whole story resonate with his or her readers. And when they don't, we get disgusted and lose interest. Yet when an author is also an avid reader it becomes difficult to simply read for enjoyment and set aside their critical eye. But should they?

I don't believe so. We can all learn from each other. We can appreciate the author's skill, but we can also see where they may have slipped up here and there on certain "rules" we believe they should have followed. Here is where we must use caution. As we all know rules are helpful in just about every case. Yet there are times when they can also be cumbersome. I personally love it when an editor points out mistakes, ( and I've made enough of them!) or suggests other ways to write in order to strengthen the storyline or double check facts.

And don't fall into the trap of thinking "that couldn't  have happened" or "they wouldn't act that way". Dan Walsh's book, The Deepest Waters is a case in point. Many of our Australian authors incorporate things that have happened to them into their stories, even if it might seem far fetched.

Real life truth can be far stranger than fiction. And people do not always act the way we expect them to. There are many underlying reasons for this. We don't always know why we sometimes say or do things we wouldn't ordinarily do or say! So why should our characters be any different?

Ah, it all makes for great reading doesn't it? Let's remember that with the next book you read. (I mentioned Dan's book because I admit I thought he was stretching my suspension of unbelief a bit thin. How wrong was I?)

I wonder how many of us read books with our mental editor at work or whether we can switch off and enjoy.   
Rita and her husband co-present the Christian radio program Vantage Point, broadcast on FM stations around Australia. She had two historical romances published  and her novel, Signed Sealed Delivered, can be found on Amazon Kindle. Books II & III of her trilogy are still in the pipeline.

My Life in Books

Shortly after becoming a Christian I was on holidays with my parents and the place where we were staying had some books for sale. I realized that one of them was a Christian book so I bought it with my own pocket money. It was Norman Vincent Peale's, A Tough Minded Optimist.

This is probably not the book you would recommend to a teenage girl who had just become a Christian. Yet it began a journey of reading Christian books. These days I wouldn't agree with all of Norman Vincent Peale's theology but back then I knew nothing about theology. I had not grown up in a Christian family but had come to faith through a church youth group.

The book, A Tough Minded Optimist, gave me the one thing I desperately needed at the time, hope. I was a deeply depressed teenager and I read and reread this book, filled with story after story of people who had turned their lives around by trusting God and changing the way they thought.

I had always been an avid reader; it was a way of escaping the real world and getting lost in another. Now I had found a whole new genre of material. I stumbled across John Powell, David Seamands, and when I had my children, James Dobson.

However the next life changing book moment came when a friend gave me a copy of Selwyn Hughes' quarterly devotional, Every Day With Jesus. For the next 20 years I read these devotions. I also read Selwyn Hughes' other books and went to one of his conferences when he was in Australia.

From Selwyn Hughes I discovered Neil Anderson who wrote along similar themes, then there was Larry Crabb, Dan Allender, R.C. Sproul and Mark Buchanan. I said to someone recently I can't give my books away because, although I won't read them again, they have sentimental value because they changed my life. They replied, "If you gave them away they might change someone else's life." Ouch!

I am grateful to each and every one of these authors yet none of them know they changed my life. It motivates me to tell my story through the things I write when I realize how much other people's stories have impacted me.

We may never know whose lives we touch, encourage and motivate with our writing. However if we seek God as we write we know that God will use our written offerings to bless others.

*****

Susan Barnes likes to write inspirational articles, book reviews, and reflections on Bible passages and regularly blogs at abooklook.blogspot.com.au. She is also a librarian.

What an Interesting Point of View

We are soon approaching one of Australia’s National Holidays – January 26th – Australia Day. I always love a public holiday. Apart from the day off from work, Australians love a good opportunity to have a picnic or Barbeque; an opportunity to pull out the cricket bats and wickets; to sit at water’s edge and enjoy the heat while the kids play in the water. I have been known to tape an Australian flag to the aerial of the car. In the year we were in the UK for Australia Day, we went outside in the freezing cold with our jar of vegemite and Australian flag, wearing footy shorts, singlet and thongs (flip-flops for the non-Australians) and took photos to mark the occasion. Actually I took the photo, my son wore the Aussie garb.

In recent years I have become aware of some agitation that has been coming to light over Australia Day. I’m not going to say I know what it’s all about, but from the bits and pieces I have picked up I would suggest it has something to do with point of view. As writers we are big on ‘point of view’ discussions; how important it is to keep the POV from jumping around, but more importantly as a writer of fiction, it is crucial that we can begin see things from various points of view and show an empathy or understanding if we are to make our characters credible.

I’ve had numerous discussions with my daughter who has been a teacher of Aboriginal Studies for seven years, and is currently studying a masters in Aboriginal Studies. She is very animated when she talks about Australia Day. For some odd reason she doesn’t see Australia Day the same way I do. The chops on the barbie and the cricket on the TV is not what she thinks of at all. If anything she says she thinks of the yobbo’s who drape Australian flags over their shoulders, waving stubbies of beer in their hand, racing around the suburbs inciting violence and yelling racial chants. You might ask if that was our usual family activity for an Australian Day holiday, and I would say: Of course not. I think I saw something of the sort on TV once and dismissed it without a second thought. Those sorts of people are not Australian! Are they?

Then I recall a recent back yard party I was invited to. The family were Indian migrants, and their backyard was full of Indian migrants. We ate some fabulous curry and even joined in some Bollywood dancing to music that was blaring out of the speakers in the parked car. It was very multi-cultural from my point of view. There was me, the lone Aussie Aussie, my husband , who identifies as an Italian, though he was born in Australia, and two or three other Italian neighbours. It was all going very well until I engaged in a conversation with one of the young Indian fellows. He was highly educated, and unlike a lot of his friends at the party who drove taxis for a living (all the taxis were parked in the street), he worked in a slaughter house. He was scathing in his description of the country Australians he worked with. He saw them as racist and abusive. I wanted to object. I am a country Australian, and we are not racist, are we?

This year I was studying Australian Literature of 20th Century for a semester. Of course Dorothea Macellar’s ‘My Country’ was dragged out and examined, and I immediately connected. ‘I love a sunburnt country; jewelled seas; ragged mountain ranges; the wide brown land for me.’ But then there was another poem entitled ‘Australia’ by Ania Walwicz. Walwicz arrived as a twelve year old non-English speaking migrant to a crowded urban environment, and from the way she has written her poem, her experience was not that great. ‘Acres of suburbs watching the telly. You bore me. Freckle silly children. You nothing much. With your big sea. Beach beach beach...you dumb dirty city with bar stools. You’re ugly...’ It’s not what you’d call a poem that inspires patriotism. Clearly her point of view was of a crowded, unfriendly, overwhelming place where she had no escape.

But as we approach Australia Day particularly, I want to look at the reason we celebrate in the first place. I have heard the throwaway line – it’s the day Australia was settled. And in those few words lies the problem. It was the day the Europeans arrived, ran up a flag and proclaimed that the British Empire would build a nation. However there were already settlements and nations all over the land we now call Australia. Of course they were the first Australians. When we look at the first picture we see the ceremony with the flag, the officials standing around about listening to proclamations and prayers. However, the second picture shows us the other folks that we don’t see represented in the first picture. These were the first Australian indigenous people whose land the Europeans were laying claim to. From that day to this, a lot of history has taken place, but usually we only focus on the part that represents from the European (particularly the British) point of view. So when we come to Australia day we of white British descent can give a cheer and thank God for this great land, and for all the good things that we enjoy by way of provisions and freedoms. But while British colonial settlers were successful in building a great future for their white descendents, what was constructed for the indigenous population was characterised by some very ugly history, if we choose to look at it.

Now I am about to enter contentious waters. Come with me a little way – it will be OK. In 1938 at the 150th anniversary Australia Day celebrations, a small group of courageous aboriginal people staged a silent demonstration, proclaiming the day as a day of mourning. This group was led by a William Cooper and his nephew, Douglas Nichols. They weren’t saying ‘Europeans have stolen our land’; nor were they saying, ‘Europeans go back to where you came from’. What they were saying was, ‘let us be a part of the nation you have built’. This was the beginning of Australia’s own civil rights movement where this group had written a petition to the King asking that Aboriginals be given civil rights: to be counted, to be allowed to have a say over their own affairs, to vote, to be allowed to go into the public swimming pool, for their returned soldiers to be allowed admittance to the RSL clubs. At that time they were still having children being taken from them indiscriminately, and they were only allowed to live on certain reserves. They were not allowed to move around from those reserves, nor were they allowed any say on how the reserves were run. All of that was left to white overseers. Some were benevolent, some were cruel and unkind. William Cooper begged his nephew, Douglas Nichols, to use his influence to help their people. Doug Nichols was the first indigenous professional football player in Victoria. He was reluctantly accepted by the VFL(they couldn’t refuse his skill), but he was refused the usual rub-downs that all other football players received. But he persisted in the game, and eventually joined his uncle in the cause. After he finished his football career, he became a Christian minister, and using his influence he pursued the cause of equal rights for his people. It is an inspiring story of Australia’s civil rights leader – he is our Nelson Mandela; he is our Martin Luther King. Why don’t we know much about him? Perhaps you do, but if you don’t, I strongly encourage you to take a look at a TV documentary you will find on You Tube. It is from the series ‘First Australians’ produced for SBS. This episode is called ‘A Fair Go for a Dark Race’, directed by Beck Cole.

This Australia Day as you enjoy your chops and sausages with good old tomato sauce (translation ketchup for American friends), and you cheer wildly while the Aussie’s beat the Poms in the cricket, don’t forget to give a nod of recognition to the other points of view. In our country today there are many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds represented. Sometimes their experiences have not been so great. Perhaps we could offer a prayer for our government and for our people, that we can find the course of grace and wisdom that will help us travel difficult roads together towards a more loving and accepting time.

Meredith Resce
Author of Cora Villa, Mellington Hall, For All Time and The 'Heart of Green Valley' series

Will this scene offend my reader? Jo Wanmer's dilemma.

As Christian writers, in editor mode, there are many questions that challenge us and our manuscripts. Today, I want to look at one set of those questions. 

'Will this content be acceptable to my readers?'

'Will this passage offend? ’

‘Should I draw a veil over the stark reality of this scene?'

The answer is determined by another question. Who are my readers? 
I write for the mature adult market, for mostly women who are interested in seeing life’s big issues discussed and resolved. But am I writing for the Christian market?

I try to write every word with the writer’s mantra, ‘show, don't tell’ in mind. I can visualize the action as I write. The settings are so clear I know when the character turns right or left. My hope is the reader can see it as well. But I also want my reader to relate to, if not experience, the protagonist’s emotions, the raw pain and the deep joys. Here in lies my dilemma. In my efforts to 'show' is my writing still acceptable to the Christian market?

Recently I followed an interesting, online post discussing acceptable content in Christian writing. Readers stated that, once offended by content, they will never read that author again. How concerned should I be about that comment? Can I afford to lose a section of my potential readership? 

Because the Christian readership in Australia is so small, should I try to be inoffensive to every sector of the market?  But if I write to satisfy the lowest common denominator, I fear my book will lose its impact. Surely it is tragic to gloss over the most compelling scenes, missing the opportunity for powerful writing, risking frustrating one half of my readership to avoid offending the other half.

Take for instance the tricky area of sexual abuse. Some readers don't want such obscenities to be mentioned, considering it unnecessary content for Christian fiction. Others can cope, providing the book only details the shaking of bushes in the park, or the resulting emotions. Francene Rivers, in her excellent book, ‘The Atonement Child’, shows a stranger grabbing the protagonist in the dark. The next scene is written from the police's POV. The reader is protected from the experience.  That method works well in this instance, but is it right for every occasion? 

 'A Novel Idea', a book of advice on writing inspirational fiction, tells the author to shut the bedroom door. Let the reader know what is happening, but please, spare the details. In others words, 'tell, don't show’. This is my dilemma. If we are honest, many of life's big struggles revolve around sexual issues. I want to be able to talk about them. I want my writing to bring God into these areas, bringing healing and wholeness. 

I believe we can go there without being explicit or obscene.  But where is the balance? 

Wendy Francis commented about this topic, when speaking at the launch of Though the Bud be Bruised.  She thanked me for showing her reality without leaving behind yucky feelings and images. This comment has been very helpful to me. 

A couple of years ago I wrote a short story for a competition. The setting was the year 2032 and the theme was social issues.  I told God I would enter if He gave me a really good idea. And He did. The story fell into my mind about two days before the deadline. The judges weren't impressed but I love the crazy, edgy story. It speaks of bravery, war, seduction and subterfuge. I sold a few rough copies at the book launch of Though the Bud be Bruised. Some people loved it, but another reader asked how I could call myself a Christian and write such content. She refused to read my book. Yet I know God was happy with that writing!

  

A few Christian readers don't want to read 'Though the Bud be Bruised' because it deals with sexual abuse. Many others have written letters thanking me for bringing healing to their lives. Of course, every reader makes their own choice, but it shows me, the writer,  that I can't keep everyone happy.

I have written a second book in the same genre as the first. 'El Shaddai' follows Milly's struggle to hold her family together after she is separated from Dan by a natural disaster of massive proportions.  There are life and death issues. Her adventures aren't sanctified or pretty. It exposes the raw reality of life and an active, relational God. 

But is it what my readers are looking for? My two committed Christian friends, who have read the first draft, love the story and have no objections to the content. Yet, I understand the risk a publisher will take to produce it.

Should I soften my writing to make the book safe for the Aussie Christian market? I've pondered this question long and hard. But I can't bear to weaken the powerful scenes, or remove the theme that relies on the graphic action. Having said that, I believe this book still 'shows' without leaving nasty images or feelings behind. 

Maybe I'm not a Christian writer but a Christian who writes for the general market. Maybe they will enjoy the story? God is not talked about much, but He is shown on almost every page. He has a lot to say. Maybe the world would like that?

So, my fellow writers, what should I do?

How do you navigate these questions? 

Jo Wanmer is a writer of challenging fiction. As she edits her second book, it's sequel is demanding attention, yet it is even more controversial. She lives in Brisbane with her long suffering husband, Steve, who never reads fiction.

She is so in love with her new book, that her good judgement has departed and she can't see its flaws! Hence she is looking for a limited number of critical readers for El Shaddai. If you are interested please contact her through the comments below or via Facebook..

Kicking that Goal by Nola Passmore

In January, a lot of us make New Year’s Resolutions.  We’ll go to the gym, lose 20 kilos, learn French, and tutor children twice a week at the local refugee centre.  The problem is that by February, we’re watching reality TV and polishing off a tub of ice-cream. One reason is that we sometimes set the bar too high.  Then when we can’t meet our lofty goals, we give up.  One of my favourite newspaper columnists, Frances Whiting, has resolved this problem by publishing her “Remotely Achievable List” each year.  One of her goals for 2014 is to “learn how to write more interesting tweets/Facebook posts than ‘Homemade lasagna for dinner. Yum!'’”  Actually, that could be a lesson for a lot of us!

The other problem is setting the bar too low.  If we have a goal of reading four books this year, we’ll probably achieve it, but will that actually be of any benefit?  Well, I guess it would be of more benefit than not reading any books, but we certainly wouldn’t have stretched ourselves.  As Zig Ziglar has said, “if you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time”, but that’s probably not a success rate we’d want to brag about.

So how do we set worthwhile goals and stick to them?

• First, we can commit our goals to prayer, asking God to show us what He would like us to work on and then asking for His help in achieving those things.
• Second, aim for realistic goals that will stretch us, but aren’t beyond our reach. 
• Third, if we share our goals with an accountability partner or trusted group, they can encourage us to keep on track.
• Fourth, life happens.  If unexpected things occur during the year (e.g., illness or family issues), we need to be kind to ourselves and adjust goals where necessary.  It’s not about beating ourselves up if we don’t meet our objectives, but about staying in the race.

I haven’t quite finished setting my writing goals for this year, but I’ve made a start.  I’ve registered for a Month of Poetry challenge where we have to write a poem a day for the whole of January.  I’ve managed to keep up so far and I’m already seeing the benefits.  Not only is it fun, but by the end of the month I’ll have 31 poems and feedback that I can work on with a view to publication.  Another target is to finish the complete first draft of my novel.  I wrote about 15 000 words last year, but then stalled.  This year, I really want to keep the pages ticking away and I’m counting on my writing buddies to keep checking in on me. 

What about you?  Why not share your writing goals and we can encourage one another.

 

 

 

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 90 short pieces published in various magazines, journals, and anthologies (including true stories, devotions, poetry and short fiction). She has a passion for writing about what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same. (Some call it "nagging", but she calls it "encouragement").

 

 

 

A life spent reading

During this first week of the year, I stumbled across a quote by Annie Dillard. She reminded me, "How we spend our days is how we spend our lives." Then she expanded on that to say, "Who would call a day spent reading a good day? But a life spent reading - that is a good life."

I had to stop and think about that, because I do consider a day free to do nothing but read is a good day indeed. As I pondered, I began to see what I think she meant. And she's right.

Consider the benefits of a life spent reading. We stimulate healthy paths in areas of our brain which might have been left dormant otherwise. At parties, we have the potential to begin interesting conversations. We never need to worry about being bored in unexpectedly empty hours. Instead of moping about how we have nothing to do, we relish the sudden opportunity to get stuck into our books. If we're caught in a queue or waiting room without our books, we simply pull our fully loaded reading devices out of our handbags or briefcases and we're all set. If we're bloggers, it isn't difficult to come up with something to spark a blog post because our minds keep ticking over with what we've read. As I skimmed through my blog to see the tone of last year, I noticed how often I said something occurred to me because of something I'd read. If fiction is among the mix, we may be more empathetic people than those who don't read. Even scientific studies have indicated that. Imagining ourselves in other people's shoes comes easily to us, enabling us to intuitively sense how those around us might feel, making us more sensitive in our relationships. We may be more familiar with the experience of having sudden flashes of insight or unexplained answers to questions we've been pondering, without actively seeking them, because they come to us from within the pages of our books. We are more familiar with the interesting features of the world without physically having to visit each place. And our imaginations are healthy. They get more aerobics than those of people who merely opt for watching TV. There are huge benefits to a life spent reading.

BUT to have the benefit of a life spent reading, we have to be able to spend part of our days reading without feeling that we're wasting our time. There's where people may sometimes come unstuck.

It's increasingly difficult for people to justify doing that in the twenty-first century. There's usually something pressing and urgent to be done within each 24 hour block. We feel lazy if we're caught with our feet up, reading a book, while there are still dirty dishes in the sink or wet towels on the bathroom floor. When we feel as if we shouldn't read until all the housework is done, there's very little time left over. If your house is like mine, one room is being made messy while another is being straightened. If we are lucky enough to be caught up in the pages of a fascinating book, how easy it is to call the day a write-off and say, "I spent too much time reading," or "I did absolutely nothing."

Now that we're beginning a new year, I'd like to encourage us all to remember the great benefits of a life spent reading, and remind us that we won't achieve those good things listed above unless we prioritise at least a little while each day to read. And if we really want to feel as if something good and constructive is coming out of our reading time in the short time, we can leave trails of our experience through reviews left on our blogs, or any of the many book review sites. That's a good record of our life spent reading, which might be springboard for those of many other people.

I wish you all happy reading in 2014.

Paula Vince is the award-winning author of contemporary, inspirational novels such as "Best Forgotten" and "Picking up the Pieces". She lives in South Australia's beautiful Adelaide Hills, which she uses as the setting for her novels. Her most recent novel, "Imogen's Chance" will be published in April, 2014.

The Most Epic Story Ever Told - by Adam Collings

Epic stories are very popular at the moment, especially amongst those of us who love fantasy and science fiction. Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, we lap it all up. It does something inside us. In these big sprawling stories the fate of entire worlds is at stake. We find ancient prophecies, unworthy heroes stepping up and do amazing things and ultimate sacrifices being made. We can’t get enough of it. Does any of this sound familiar? Ancient prophecies promising the coming of a great saviour, very ordinary parents tasked with the quest of raising God’s own son, the death of said saviour which seems to spell doom for all his plans, then the amazing revelation that it was all part of his plan – that he had to die in order to save the human race from darkness. Certainly, Christmas is the most epic story ever told. It’s almost like all these other stories are trying to emulate the one real-life epic story.

Now don’t get me wrong, as a writer I totally understand the desire to create one’s own epic story. I'm definitely not saying we shouldn't indulge in writing or reading these epics. They're brilliant fun. I believe it’s all part of the creative nature that God placed in us.

We tend to view the Christmas story through such traditional sanitised child-like eyes that we can take it all for granted and miss just how epic it all is.

This is a great time of year to re-examine it all, to really think on it, and realise just how amazing it all was. And most of all, it’s a great time to be thankful, so thankful that God was willing to put this incredible rescue plan into action out of his great love for us – the species that had rebelled against him and abandoned him.

If you’re interested in looking deeper into the gritty realities of the Christmas story, you might be interested in a little book called ‘All About Christmas’ by E.G. Lewis. I reviewed it last year.

Have a great Christmas!

(and now from epic stories to epic cuteness. Check out my little shepherd girl and my little wise man!)

---

Adam Collings is a writer of speculative fiction and video blogger. He is actively working toward becoming a published author. He lives in Tasmania, Australia. Adam discusses books and movies on his youTube series Stories. You can find Adam on-line at collingszone.wordpress.com or his Google+ Profile

The Struggle to Express yourself

 

O Holy Night

The words “O Holy Night” were written by Placide Cappeaude De Roquemaure in 1847 according to my Google search. Now, the author is largely forgotten and unknown but his writing lives on and has impacted people as they worship Christ at Christmas.

I think as authors, we like Placide are quite happy to remain unknown and unapplauded, many of us have hermit like tendencies any way. But we would love our writing to be useful and worthwhile. As Christian authors we would dearly love to make a positive difference regarding our own generation as we share the beauty of Christ and His salvation plan for mankind.

But for a writer it is not that easy. In all honesty it is a hard slog, there are more downs than ups. Like any other creative art form we do put ourselves out there and allow our work to be critiqued. We have a hard task, for some of us it’s just finding the time to write (that’s me) let alone dealing with marketing obstacles, etc. But we continue largely because we believe that God wants us to continue.

 In my devotional I was reading  Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost for His Highest”

 I was encouraged to read for December the 15^th,  the following,  “Try to state to yourself what you feel implicitly to be God’s truth, and you give God a chance to pass it on to someone else through you.” The task lies before each of us.

Let these words encourage and shape your writing for 2014 no matter your genre because who knows, one day although we are forgotten, by the grace of God our writing will live on and impact our generation and the ones to come for Christ.

So keep struggling to express Gods’ truth for perhaps it will be your words that are put to music in praise of God.

                                 REMAIN BLESSED THIS CHRISTMAS

Written by Jennifer Ann, author of Broken Pottery the life of an “African Girl” available on Amazon  Kindle at: Broken Pottery the Life of an African Girl, Kindle edition.
Jennifer also has her own blog site at: JenniferAnn/ aroma of Life
Visit her website: www.JenniferAnn.info

Something to learn from Jesus' Story Telling Style in Relation to Character Development

Having recently completed the NaNoWriMo challenge, I felt deeply grateful for the opportunity to put my hand to creating a novel from scratch, and in particular, the opportunity to work on character development. I certainly don't profess to know it all, but drawing upon my past experiences as a professional performing artist and actress I thought I'd share an exhortation with us as a writing community.

Having received feedback on my novel about how much this person was enjoying the character development, it got me thinking about characterisation in relation to story-telling and what are the essential elements that help the reader to connect with the character in the story.

It really is no different now than it was in Jesus' day.  He often spoke in parables and those parables often focused on the character of the person he was talking about, whether it was the wicked servant, the woman caught in adultery or the woman by the well.

So I think it is a great opportunity for me to remind us as writers that our characters ought to be three dimensional.  That their actions, express their thoughts, which expresses the intent of their hearts and all of this is reflective of their life - their past experiences, core beliefs and status in life.  And that the intent of their heart can move through the many wonderful dynamics of emotion before arriving at the place that we intend in terms of a resolution.

The Good Samaritan tale took two people of questionable character before arriving at the Good Samaritan's door.  Were the other two characters essentially evil?  No, they were just regular people who had perceptions that were skewed.  Were they necessary to the plot or couldn't Jesus have just skipped to the good part and told us about the Good Samaritan and his actions?

Each character, with their full personality of strengths and weaknesses, was required for us to fully understand the beauty of the Good Samaritan and his actions.  And further, the background information about why it was such an incredible act of kindness even further helps us to better understand this character in the development of the story.  So we see that all of our characters play a part in painting the bigger picture and in colouring the transformational journey and eventual resolution and we need not rush to the conclusion, but savour the journey.

I think there can be this tendency in some Christian literature that black must be really black and that white must be really white and there is little space between being lost and then being found, but I think the conversion experience can be way more subtle as characters make their way through the grey mass in between. 

I think of Francine Rivers, who I greatly admire, having read her book, Redeeming Love, and having a transformational personal experience as a result.  Francine was able to take both characters through this transformational journey as the story progressed.  She wasn't afraid to show the depths of humanity in each of the characters, to expose their negative and positive nuances, and their gradual realisations about themselves and their personal position in life, then to lead each to a resolution.  But even with Francine's book, I found the resolution a bit predictable and I couldn't help thinking, 'Yeah, yeah'.  At the time I was asking myself, how could that have better resolved?  What would have been more satisfying?  And I realised that I wanted to know more about the personal relationship Angel (the main character) was developing with God along the way.  That she went from being this lost prostitute, the reluctant wife, to suddenly getting saved and everything being wonderful.  And yes, in some ways that is a salvation experience, but there was not enough for me about the emotional depth of Angel's conversion experience and then how that was going to be played out.  Consequently, I walked away, loving the book, but with this niggle of I wish the book had ended differently, that I had been allowed to see inside Angel's heart more.

It just felt to me that because it was a Christian novel it had to be tied up in pretty packages but I feel that we ought not to be afraid to lose some of our characters along the way because that is real life.  Tragedy strikes and we cannot control the outcome, so we need not think everything has to be tied up in neat bundles, kind of like adding a sugary syrup to foul tasting medicine.

So my exhortation to this group of wonderful writers, is to take their cue from Jesus.  He was perhaps the best story teller of all time, and he did paradigm shifts to perfection.  He had central characters and supporting acts, he juxtapositioned to perfection (if there is such a word), placing light and dark side by side so that there was this immediate contrast and not being afraid to call the distinction and expose the greyness. I guess what I am trying to say is don't be afraid to express the realness of your characters, be they good or evil.  Life is messy and our books should express that messiness.  Even good people have days when they are grumpy or sad and good people die just like bad ones.  What does the scriptures say?  "The rain falls the just and the unjust"... 

Get into the depths of emotion with your characters and take the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotion as they experience the full gamut of the character's world.  Then when they finish reading, they will be satisfied and desiring more.  It is possible to write great fiction and not give people the cringe factor or feelings of disappointment when things resolve unrealistically.  And I do believe it is possible to write the Christian conversion experience into a story and it be incredibly powerful, rather than the feeling that it's addition to the story is just because it bears the title of Christian fiction.

And above all, keep writing!

Difficult and Inspirational Tenacity by Charis Joy Jackson

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”  

JRR Tolkien

Many things have invaded my life recently like brick walls keeping the light out. I've said a lot of goodbyes, dealt with extremely crucial deadlines, been kept at work for long hours, and most recently I lost a loved one to cancer. Finding time and passion to write has been hard and honestly one of the last things on my mind. My world has gotten dark, but I don't want to be faithless so how do I keep writing?

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” 

C.S. Lewis

I may not like “hard”, but Tolkien and Lewis shout to me across the years, telling me to keep going. Telling me to persevere.

To be tenacious.

I must hold on to even the smallest bit of hope and passion I have. I must write even when I don't feel like it. I must remember the difference between an aspiring author and a serious one is discipline. I must walk into difficulty, accepting the hard things that stand in the way and keep my eye on the prize.

Last weekend a friend and I went to our local coffee shop and settled in to write. I did everything I could to put off actually writing. I showed up late, scrolled through facebook, even took my time ordering coffee. I didn't have the inspiration or passion. It's been months since I've opened the document to even try. After a little pep talk from my friend, who told me to “just do it” I finally focused on the document in front of me and began to write. Haltingly at first, but then with more excitement. Within an hour I had 1300 words written and more coming. When I left all I could think about was getting home so I could keep writing.

Difficulties are hard, but tenacity brings hope. Even a spark beats back the darkness.

Already, just days after my success I can feel the weight of difficulty trying to quench the little hope I had this weekend. BUT I can't focus on what's hard, I must focus on the prize. I must remember how words and story gets under my skin and sets me on fire.

I must remember I love it.

I must remember how creating a new world with my God-given imagination seems like the most amazing thing ever. I will push through those walls. I can almost see my characters igniting like little lights in my mind.

I'll focus on God, the ultimate Creator and most tenacious inventor ever. What must it have been like for him when he created the world? Swirling dust together to form complex creatures that reflect His image...

Seeing that crisp, blank document may send thrills through my system and ignite my adrenaline, but now the idea of typing "The End" fills me with tenacity. And hope.

What about you? What is difficulty holding you back from?

Here's my challenge. Write. Be tenacious. Even when you don't feel like it. Even when life seems hard. Watch how God uses those times to surprise you. Let passion in, hold tight to tenacity and discipline.

They'll be your best friends. 

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

The Power of Creativity by Jo Wanmer

Should I kill Bobby, or let him live?

Will they all get down the mountain alive?

   These are a couple of the difficult questions I faced in November. Inspired by the NANoWriMo challenge, I opened a blank Word Document on first day of the month and started hitting keys. It was a last minute decision. However, I had a story, well a vague, broad idea of a story, in my head. 

So began my creative adventure. The illegible garbage on the page on day one morphed into real writing by day two. Encouraged, I continued. This was new territory. Although Though the Bud be Bruised is written as a fiction, it reflects exactly what happened in my life. There was no space for making up a scene. It was as it was.

This project however, didn't have such restrictions. The characters could do whatever they pleased, restricted only by my bad typing. They did crazy, unexpected things. I started to feel like a mother trying to control a group of unruly children. Then one day, Bobby just appeared in my manuscript. He bypassed my head and my character sheets and jumped out of a cave, frightening my heroine.

I considered removing him by using the back space bar. Its like turning back time really. There would be no evidence he even existed. But something about him fascinated me. So he wasn't annihilated. However, he disappeared, frightened by my unwelcoming attitude, I suspect. 

When he returned he was such a nice boy. However, before long, he knew too much and so he had to go. Yes, I killed him. No, killed is too strong a word. He died of a dreadful disease. Would it have been more humane to have deleted him at the beginning? Maybe, but to my surprise his name has popped up in the final chapters! Who would have guessed? Not me!

As much as my characters say and do the unexpected, I have to take final responsibility for all their actions. This book is close to being finished. There is only a few more chapters (of the first draft) to write (unless something unexpected happens again). Soon I can begin editing and rewriting, sorting this creative hotch potch of words into the great story that I know it can be. I'm hope I can bring all the threads of the plot into sharp focus.

Yes, I am the creator. I have created characters, actions, conversations, danger and solutions. As with a painting I can add, adjust, change moods and hues. Whole scenes could disappear. Others will be highlighted. I am looking forward to this process.

Likewise God is the creator, my creator. I've thought a lot about His creativity while writing this story. God is unrestricted by time. Likewise, authors are not confined by the book's time line. When we adjust things, the characters and readers aren't aware it was ever different. We can write scenes out of order, or even move them back or forward in time. Such is the power of a writer.

Can God do that as well? The Bible talks about the potter molding the clay. Are we, or the created things around us, in a similar position to our characters? Does God have a backspace button? Or a highlighting function? Bold? Delete?

Crazy questions I know. But He does know the end from the beginning and in my limited earth bound thinking, I don't understand that either. One thing I do know. God is BIG. Taking creative responsibility for a book has enhanced my understanding of him...just a little.

Next time I or my family are in some sort of dilemma, I'll be tempted to ask Him to use the back space button! Or to consider a rewrite. But then I remember that the dreadful experiences my heroine suffered were necessary to enable the fulfillment of her family's hopes and dreams.

Hmm. It is just as well I'm not God the creator. His job is too big for me. But writing has given me a deeper understanding of the original Author working all things together for my good. I'm so thankful that my life is in the hands of a wonderful loving Creator and not in the hands of a fickle author like me.

What about your writing experiences? I'd love to hear about your creative adventures.

Jo Wanmer lives in Queensland and loves watching the work of the Creator in the sky, the trees and the ocean. Currently she is working on a novel with the working title of 'El Shaddai'. As pastors, Jo and her husband, Steve, delight in watching God working in people's lives, bring healing and restoration; rewriting their futures. Her other passion is speaking about the greatest power on earth, the unconditional love of God. Jo is available for speaking engagements.

God's Path or Mine? by Nola Passmore

 

 

When I went to the Caleb Christian Writers conference in October, I was expecting to gain lots of valuable teaching and insights I could use in my writing.  The program was chock full of interesting seminars and workshops on everything from writing a series and publishing to social networking and social justice. I couldn’t wait to soak it all in.  However, I didn’t manage to attend even half of the sessions I’d earmarked because I was also involved in some of the other conference activities - giving a talk, chairing a session, running three book-doctor spots, and pitching a book proposal to two different publishers.  I also wasn’t feeling the best one afternoon and had to go to a friend’s room to lie down rather than attending another couple of talks.

I was feeling a bit sorry for myself because I was missing out on a lot of the things I wanted to do, but then God showed me what had actually been accomplished in those two days. 

• My poetry talk encouraged one of the attendees to start submitting her own poetry.
• The book-doctor sessions helped others and also built my confidence in critiquing manuscripts.
• Pitching a book proposal gave me valuable insights into the publisher’s perspective.
• A group prayer session led to a breakthrough in a personal issue.
• A discussion with a new contact led to some part-time work.
• Another delegate confirmed a writing project God had laid on my heart.
• I caught up with many wonderful friends and made some new ones.

The conference was indeed a blessing.

This experience reminded me of Proverbs 16:9 – “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  I didn’t receive what I was expecting from the conference in terms of input, but God gave me exactly what I needed and I was also able to help some others along the way. 

Do you have a story about God meeting you in unexpected ways in your writing journey?  I’d love to hear about it.

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 90 short pieces published in various magazines, journals, and anthologies (including true stories, devotions, poetry and short fiction). She has a passion for writing about what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same. (Some call it "nagging", but she calls it "encouragement").

Does Passion Trump Knowledge?

I have always thought that, as an author, it is wise to ‘write what you know’. However, in a world where information is literally at our fingertips, an author can write on any topic they choose. Research is simply a Google search away.

Lately I have been contemplating the value of writing from experience versus writing from research. Being a contemporary fiction writer, I have the advantage of both modern setting and imagination, so a lot of my personal experiences and feelings are easily incorporated onto the pages of my work. These advantages aside, it is still fair to say that there has been an element of my writing that has come from research. For instance, in my work there are places I have written about that I haven’t visited personally. I wonder - without that personal experience, does that make them sound less authentic to the reader?

Historical writers rely heavily on research for setting and story-line. Having to set a story in an era they haven’t lived in is a task that so many authors do well. Although, I have also read some historical novels where, although clearly well researched, the story falls flat and lacks heart.

After much contemplation on this subject, I have come to the conclusion that it is a good thing to write what you know, but it doesn't matter how much personal experience you have incorporated, or the amount of highly tuned research you have done, nothing will make up for the lack of passion in an author’s work. So, does passion trump knowledge?

This leads me to another wonderful saying: ‘write what you love’.

What do you think? Is passion for what you write more important than personal experience? When research is a necessity, will no amount of it make up for a lack of passion?

I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Rose Dee is the author of the 'Resolution' series and co-author of The Greenfield Legacy. 

Visit Rose at: 

http://rosedee.com/