Categories
Storyworld

The End of Civilization

Recently, a friend of mine asked me if western civilization was at the end of its life cycle. It’s a loaded question, and its answer will largely be dependent on how you define western culture. I’ll answer the question in a minute (or because I hate click-bait as much you do, you can skip to the last few paragraphs – I won’t tell on you), but this got me thinking of good storyworld ideas. Specifically civilizations in decline and how to preserve culture.

Cultural Preservation in Fiction

First of all, what I am not talking about is the French Resistance or Napier’s band of anti-Neo sappers in ExoSquad. Those are fine stories of fighting an oppressive government, but preserving culture usually means peacefully (if possible) living in one society, while preserving the spirit of another.

In Asimov’s Foundation, Harry Seldon foresaw the collapse of the Galactic Empire long before it happened. He knew that once that downfall began in earnest, it would take millennia to reestablish the same level of culture and technology. His solution? Create a colony with a massive library of all information necessary to recreate society. The colony of mostly scientists would feverishly work to teach successive generations all of known literature, science, and culture. It worked. The bloated galactic empire fell to the point where nuclear power was no longer known, space travel was rare, and control of different regions was usurped by local warlords. Meanwhile, Seldon’s world of Terminus carried on and even made advances.

The premise was borrowed by the storyworld of Battletech, where a semi-religious cult on earth maintained what was called “losttech.” They were decades more advanced than the other thousands of planets, but not because of scientific breakthroughs, but scientific preservation. The five main houses controlling known space had lost even the ability to create new battlemechs, their principle method of warfare.

 

In various fantasy settings, sometimes the arts of magic are preserved in a similar way. While the rest of the people beat each other senseless, mages will isolate themselves to preserve their craft. And they always seem to do so in dangerously tall and remotely situated towers. I can’t think of any specific novels, but I know I’ve rolled dice in at least one role-playing game with a similar backstory.

Cultural Preservation in History

These fictional tales are believable because they are based on actual events that happened in history. Over a thousand years ago, a man named Benedict created enclaves of culture, science, and literature to preserve the best of Roman, Greek, and Judeo-Christian culture. These little enclaves became known as monasteries, and monasticism was born. And we can all thank God for it, since monasticism effectively maintained a light in the dark ages and allowed culture to rebound once a degree of political and legal stability resumed in Europe.

My wife is currently reading a book called The Benedict Option, which looks at what Benedict did and evaluates if a similar method ought to be employed in present times. I’m not a huge non-fiction reader, (I believe truth is sometimes best conveyed in fiction) but the topic sounds interesting enough that I’ll probably pick it up when she’s done.

Cultural Preservation in Present

In a larger context, Christians know this idea resonates, and not just because of recent law-changes or disruption on college campuses. As Christians, we preserve a way of life – a relationship with God – that was lost soon after creation. Despite my tendency to avoid nonfiction, I’ve been reading Jake McCandless’ book Spiritual Prepper (I mean check out the cover, how could I not?). It is a good reminder that although the world is increasingly antagonistic toward us, we are called to preserve our faith. Each of us are little monasteries that preserve a Christian value system foreign to those around us. One might even call us temples. And in large groups, like at a church or a community gathering, we represent a subculture.

So is Western Culture really dying?

That depends how you define it. Some see western civilization’s foundation as secularism and liberalism. And before my conservative friends balk at that, remember that classical liberalism (the idea of disagreeing politely, discussing rather than shutting down ideas, encouraging freedom as long as it doesn’t impede the freedom of others, etc.) has nothing to do with the Democrat party. Just watch the news to see how the so-called Resistance treats people who disagree with their “open-minded” views. Also see Dave Ruben’s video here.

In modern times, the term “Liberal” has been perverted, but secularism has been reigning for quite some time. If western culture was built on a secular ideal, then I’d say it is reaching its natural conclusion. That’s because secularism holds to no higher authority. One cannot claim that murder is wrong (since there is no higher authority to cite), only that one feels murder is wrong. Or that the largest group opinion is that murder is wrong. Or the most vocal group opinion is such.

As for me, I think Western Civilization is best described as an intersection of Greek, Roman, and Jewish cultures. The Greeks brought the idea of logic and reason over emotion, the Romans provided an evenly enforced set of universal laws, and the Jews had a unique value system which valued life, property (even slaves had rights in Jewish culture), and a respect for a higher power to which all people, even kings, were subject. And Christianity was birthed at this same intersection point. For this reason, Christianity and Western Culture are intertwined, each shaping the other.

Do I think that Western Civilization, as I define it, is falling? Yes. Emotion is far more important to most than logic and reason; FBI director James Comey has proved that we no longer have a set of laws universally enforced between ruling class and commoner; and the only religious part of the constitution that progressives cling to is the line about “separation of church and state.” Never mind that that particular phrase isn’t even in the document.

However, there is hope. As I’ve already said, within each Christian is a preserved culture, different from the world. As long as we continue to meet together, encourage one another, and help each other in the faith, then the best development of Western Culture, one that now transcends all local cultures – the restored relationship between God and man – will be preserved.

 

Battletech Galactic Map from: http://operationbulldog.blogspot.com/2010_08_29_archive.html

Benedict Picture from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_of_Nursia

Wizard Tower image copyright Shaun Williams: https://www.3dartistonline.com/image/10248/wizards_tower

Categories
The Ministry of Writing

Profiling God — Seminary in 5: Systematic Theology

Save money. Learn theology. Become a better writer. Minister more effectively. That’s my hope for you. In this second year of my column, The Ministry of Writing, I want to take you to seminary — writing seminary. If you have had the chance to go to seminary, then let this be a refresher. If you haven’t please soak up this tuition free theological education given each month in 5 points. God has called you to write. You want to glorify Him and reach the world, but the problem is that we can easily be false teachers and not know it. Therefore, growing and learning in biblical and theological knowledge is vital to your writing ministry.

To be able to know how surprising this experience was for me, you have to understand the blessed, strong foundation I had in the Bible and church. I was blessed to grow up in church — there every time the doors were open and even when they were closed. My pastor preached the truth, we had all kinds of things to teach us kids. Then I began to preach while in high school, and studied the Bible for myself.

But sitting in that 2:00 pm college course my freshman year; my head was spinning. I felt I had parachuted into another country, and had no idea the language they were speaking. Each day I left with a splitting headache. There was a literal fog around me. It wasn’t until mid-semester that the headaches stopped.

The course was Systematic Theology I. Theology is simple to define — it’s the study of God. Systematic Theology means that all that the Bible says about God explicitly and indirect, all of the views in history, and the multiple doctrines concerning God is taught collectively so that one can form the best understanding of the Infinite that we can.

I had heard Bible stories taught, verses read, and life applicational lessons; but, never had I considered God’s existence or wrestled with His nature. It was foreign and challenging, but in the end beautiful. Like how Mr. Geisel wrote in the philosophical work, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, that the Grinch’s heart grew three times that day, and later it strengthened to “ten Grinchs plus two”; my understanding of God grew exponentially. God became so much bigger than I had even once imagined.

I believe everyone should spend time working through a course or book on Systematic Theology. My favorite is Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology. J.I. Packer’s Knowing God is another must read on the nature of God.

In theology, all that can be understood of God gathered from direct statements and His acts create a growing picture of Him. In these five points, I want to point out five aspects of God.

  1. God has always been and will always be.

I believe one of the most necessary aspects of God we need to solidify in our hearts and mind goes beyond the starting point of theology. Theology has to start with the question of God’s existence. The Bible never argues that He exists, it picks up the story with assumption that He does. For one, until the last few centuries God’s existence had never really been challenged. Theologians and philosophers have sought to provide an argument that proves God exists. There is a list of such arguments like the cosmological, teleological, anthropological, and many others. But if you are reading an article from a column on ministry through writing then I imagine God’s existence is something you have confirmed in your mind.

So, let’s go a step further. We need to solidify in our understanding that God has always existed and always will exist. Such an idea is mind-blowing, but God did not have a beginning. In terms of theories on motion, we must realize an “ummoved” mover must exist. This is God.

Although this concept can be deciphered throughout the Bible, God explicitly states this in Genesis 3 when He told Moses his personal name. God stated He was Yahwah, which meant “I am”. God has always been and will always be. Some might feel by stating He is “eternal” that this concept is explained, but I believe even in our minds “eternal” has a starting point.

  1. God is transcendent.

This statement basically states that God is “out of this world.” Which is probably obvious to us, but I feel its important that we let it sink in. God is beyond everything that exists. He is unimaginable. Anything that we can find greatness in merely pales in the shadow of God.

I like how this nature of God is stated in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

We can not put God in a box for nothing could contain Him.

[bctt tweet=”We can not put God in a Box for nothing could contain Him” username=””]

This term also points to how that God is self-existence. Unlike all other living beings, God does not rely on anything. He doesn’t need us, but rather He loves us in spite.

  1. God is Creator, Sustainer, and Sovereign.

Yes, I cheated and combined multiple aspects of God in one point, but these all go together. In the opening lines of revelation of Himself that God gave we see that He created all things. Nothing exists that did not have its genesis apart from God. We spend so much time arguing over the time span of Creation we miss out all that God’s work reveals about Him. When I visit a zoo with my daughters I am reminded of the Creativity of God.

Not only did He create all things, but He continually sustains it. The two acts, creation and sustaining, reveal that God is Sovereign. God’s sovereignty means that He controls all things.  I love one of the ways Pastor John Piper has stated this. He preached, “God does all that He pleases, and nothing can derail his ultimate purposes.”

I also love how theologian R.C. Sproul explained the sovereignty of God, “Nothing escapes God’s notice; nothing oversteps the boundaries of His power. God is authoritative in all things.” At another point, Sproul stated that in the universe there is no “maverick molecule.”

Many questions arise about human will and salvation through the topic of God’s sovereignty, but regardless of what battle we want to fight there — we must know that God is clearly sovereign.

  1. God is Triune.

I’m not going to pretend to act as if I have the concept of the Trinity down! I don’t understand how it works or how it can be, but I do recognize the need for such a philosophical concept of God. The Bible is very clear that there is Only One God (Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 45:22), but the Bible also makes clear that Jesus is God, as well as, the Holy Spirit. In Genesis 1:26 God refers to Himself as “us”. We find God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit present at Creation, the Inspiration of Scripture, the Incarnation, the baptism of Jesus, the resurrection, and at salvation.

The balance is mind-boggling. The early church found themselves in the same situation. In seeking to wrestle with how it all worked much heresy was born. The false teachings caused by the confusion led to the gathering of Christian leader in 325 AD in what is known as the Council of Nicaea. From this conference, a standard understanding was given to the mysterious. The Nicene Creed and especially the later Athanasian Creed spelled out how that was somehow three in one.

Again, the Trinity is difficult to navigate, but the creation of an orthodox stance has been essential for the Christian church. I struggle with how to explain how that God is one, but is three persons. Yet, I believe the best way to handle it is in the footsteps of my 5-year-old. Regularly, she interchanges Jesus and God. It might be that Jesus created the world, or God died on the cross.

  1. God is love.

In these few points I barely scratched the surface of all Scripture reveals about the nature of God. Stephen Charnock produced an absolute beast of a book that lists these attributes of God. He lists a ton. The study is fascinating, but one attribute that must be listed is that God is love. 1 John 4:8 explicitly states that God is love, but the passage I really like to go to is found in Exodus. In Exodus, God tells Moses that He will pass in front of him. During this “pass-by” God revealed one-thing about Himself. He could have listed anything, but when God had the chance to declare something about Himself, He chose to remind Moses that He was a God of love. Listen to what God revealed about Himself in Exodus 34:6-7, “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’”

I also chose to share this point because it was in the fog of that systematic theology class that I finally begun to taste the depth of God’s love. With each attribute learned about God, He rose higher and higher. When His transcendence and sovereignty come into focus, then we see how big He is, but we also see how much He stoops to love little ole us.

Jake McCandless is the executive director and lead speaker for Prophecy Simplified. A long-time pastor, Jake has a B.A. in Bible and Pastoral Studies from Central Baptist College, and an Advanced Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a contributor to WND News, The Baptist Press, Almost an Author, Inspire a Fire, graytotebox.com, and prophecysimplified.com.

Categories
LifeStyle Untold Stories

Amazed, But Faithful

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama to San Francisco made a direct connection with that from Hong Kong, and it could not sail until the latter reached Yokohama; and if Mr. Fogg was twenty-four hours late on reaching Yokohama, this time would no doubt be easily regained in the voyage of twenty-two days across the Pacific. He found himself, then, about twenty-four hours behind-hand, thirty-five days after leaving London.

The Carnatic was announced to leave Hong Kong at five the next morning. Mr. Fogg had sixteen hours in which to attend to his business there, which was to deposit Aouda safely with her wealthy relative.

On landing, he conducted her to a palanquin, in which they repaired to the Club Hotel. A room was engaged for the young woman, and Mr. Fogg, after seeing that she wanted for nothing, set out in search of her cousin Jeejeeh. He instructed Passepartout to remain at the hotel until his return, that Aouda might not be left entirely alone.

Mr. Fogg repaired to the Exchange, where, he did not doubt, every one would know so wealthy and considerable a personage as the Parsee merchant. Meeting a broker, he made the inquiry, to learn that Jeejeeh had left China two years before, and, retiring from business with an immense fortune, had taken up his residence in Europe—in Holland the broker thought, with the merchants of which country he had principally traded. Phileas Fogg returned to the hotel, begged a moment’s conversation with Aouda, and without more ado, apprised her that Jeejeeh was no longer at Hong Kong, but probably in Holland.

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”38″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][prkwp_spacer size=”12″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama to San Francisco made a direct connection with that from Hong Kong, and it could not sail until the latter reached Yokohama; and if Mr. Fogg was twenty-four hours late on reaching Yokohama, this time would no doubt be easily regained in the voyage of twenty-two days across the Pacific. He found himself, then, about twenty-four hours behind-hand, thirty-five days after leaving London.

The Carnatic was announced to leave Hong Kong at five the next morning. Mr. Fogg had sixteen hours in which to attend to his business there, which was to deposit Aouda safely with her wealthy relative.

On landing, he conducted her to a palanquin, in which they repaired to the Club Hotel. A room was engaged for the young woman, and Mr. Fogg, after seeing that she wanted for nothing, set out in search of her cousin Jeejeeh. He instructed Passepartout to remain at the hotel until his return, that Aouda might not be left entirely alone.

Mr. Fogg repaired to the Exchange, where, he did not doubt, every one would know so wealthy and considerable a personage as the Parsee merchant. Meeting a broker, he made the inquiry, to learn that Jeejeeh had left China two years before, and, retiring from business with an immense fortune, had taken up his residence in Europe—in Holland the broker thought, with the merchants of which country he had principally traded. Phileas Fogg returned to the hotel, begged a moment’s conversation with Aouda, and without more ado, apprised her that Jeejeeh was no longer at Hong Kong, but probably in Holland.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
A3 Contributor Book Release

Book Release-Breaking The Chains-Strategies for Overcoming Spiritual Bondage

Open book.

Breaking the Chains: A Guide to Freedom

Are you dreaming of freedom? Even children of God battle bad habits or detrimental ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. Jesus died to set us free from sin’s power in our lives, but we can still walk hindered. We can let fear, anxiety, self-reliance, and so forth hinder what God wants to do in our lives and how we relate to Him and other people. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can break free and stay free. The strategies to do it are in this new book.

We are excited to announce the recent release of Breaking the Chains: Strategies for Overcoming Spiritual Bondage. Twenty authors—several of them Almost an Author columnists—have all written about how to break spiritual chains and walk in freedom.

 

What the Book Is About

Just like God’s people in the Old Testament longed for freedom from captivity and oppression, God’s children today long to be free from spiritual bondage. Powerful enemies such as fear, anxiety, anger, and loneliness war against our souls, but Christ empowers us to break their chains. Freedom doesn’t have to be a distant dream. It can be our reality.

Does your soul long to be free? Twenty authors have joined forces in this compilation to offer strategies for freedom by sharing personal stories, meaningful Bible verses, and chain-breaking principles. There are even some short stories.

Discover the strategies you need to break free from spiritual bondage and to form your own battle plan for victory. With God’s work and our cooperation, strongholds can crumble, chains can be broken, and freedom can usher in God’s peace and joy.

The Contributors

The contributing authors come from all walks of life—a pastor, an engineer, an adjunct professor, a CFO, an ESL teacher, editors, novelists, nonfiction authors, ministry leaders, mothers, grandmothers, and one biker chick! Katy Kauffman compiled, edited, and contributed to the book, and the other A3 columnists who contributed to it are Cherrilynn Bisbano, Tessa Emily Hall, Ginger Harrington, and Leigh Powers.

The “Chains” to Break

The first section of the book discusses how to overcome 25 forms of spiritual bondage. Could any of the strategies to overcome these chains help you or someone you know?

 

Fear

Guilt

Anxiety

Hopelessness

Loneliness

 

Enslaving Thoughts

Pride

Unforgiveness

Bad Habits

Legalism

 

Anger

Negative Thinking

Spiritual Depression

Indifference

Complaining

 

Rebellion

Prejudice

Low Self-Image

People Pleasing

Lust

 

Worldliness

Self-Reliance

“That’s Just the Way I Am”

Prolonged Emotional and Mental Pain

Idolatry

Short Stories

Katy Kauffman has always believed that fiction can teach truth. The second section of the book includes five short stories that illustrate a particular spiritual chain and the struggle to break free.

Breaking Free and Staying Free

The final section of the book gives valuable examples of how believers have broken free from bondage and how to stay free.

__________________

Help us spread the word about Breaking the Chains and its freeing principles by sharing this post. Overcoming spiritual bondage and winning the victory is possible because God makes it possible.

Have you seen God break spiritual chains in your life? What chain-breaking Bible verses have helped you to overcome bondage? Tell us in the comments below. May freedom be a reality that each of us walks in.

 

Order your copy of Breaking the Chains here.

An e-book version of Breaking the Chains is now available.

Categories
Fantasy-Sci-Fi

Four Ways to Give your Fantasy or Sci-fi Character A Name

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

This famous line, taken from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” has long been used as a reference to suggest that the name of a person doesn’t really affect who they are. But is this true for our characters in our own stories? Or rather, would Atticus Finch have had the same impact on the audience of “To Kill a Mockingbird” if his name had simply been Bob Jones?

Many would argue that it would not. Different cultures throughout history have put great emphasis on a name and the meaning it can hold. In the same way, as writers, we can direct the way a reader interprets our work by choosing the right name for our characters. A character’s name should not only fit their personality, but should reflect on their world.

Here are a few ideas to help find that “perfect name.”

  1. FIND THE ROOT. Research the root or historical meaning behind the name to match the theme or character flaw within the story. An example of this is Frodo Baggins from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Frodo comes from a Latin word that translates “wise by experience.” This name is a fantastic summary of the wisdom and growth Frodo experiences during his journey.
  2. CHANGE THE SPELLING. It’s difficult for a sci-fi writer to know what names might be popular in the future. Often times, names that had been trendy fifty or a hundred years ago will find popularity once again. One way to make the character’s name believable is to use a common name, but with a varied spelling. The name “Alice” might become “Alyce,” or perhaps “William” will become the unusual “Willyum.” A note of caution: Be careful the spelling won’t become a stumbling block for the reader. “Allieiss” would look cool on paper but will frustrate the reader if it takes too long for them to realize the name is simply “Alice.”
  3. COMBINE NAMES. Creating unique but interesting names from thin air can be a challenge. Yet, that’s exactly the sort of thing sci-fi and fantasy writers hope to do, since their stories are literally “out of this world.” An easy way to come up with a brand new name would be to combine two existing names. The names “Scarlett” and “Elyse” could create “Scarlyse.” Once again, proceed with caution: There are fandoms that have shown great disappointment because of a poorly chosen name that distracted from the story. Be sure to run your newly minted names by critique groups, online chat rooms, and other writers—not just your family and friends!
  4. FAMILY NAMES. Dig into your past. There are plenty of names that hold history and meaning that went out of style long ago. In my own ancestry, I am related to a set of distant twin sisters named Birda Mae and Louie Mae. As soon as I heard these unique names, I knew I couldn’t pass the chance to insert them into one of my stories. These are the types of names that have a tale to tell and will grab the attention of the reader from the start.

In the end, the important thing to remember is that the name should fit the character, should intrigue the reader (not distract or frustrate them), and should fit the setting of the story itself. Get creative and make a name that your readers can learn to love, just as much as you do.

Bio: Laura L. Zimmerman is a homeschooling mom to three daughters, and a doting wife to one husband. Besides writing, she is passionate about loving Jesus, singing, drinking coffee and anything Star Wars. You can connect with her through Facebook and Twitter and at her website, www.lauralzimmerman.com

 

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

Cheesy Goodness

On a recent lazy Saturday afternoon I was switching the television channels and happened upon a rerun of The Bionic Woman.

On this particular episode, Lisa, an imposter with a thick Southern accent who had just gotten out of plastic surgery to make her look exactly like the Bionic Woman (Lindsay Wagner, in a DUAL ROLE), posed as Jamie Sommers to carry out an intricate money-laundering plot. I say money laundering, because the climax of the episode took place in the laundry room of a hospital, where a crooked doctor had hidden a bunch of money. The Bionic Woman foiled the bad guys by using her bionic strength to hurl heavy bags of LAUNDRY at them. In a final confrontation with the doppelganger, she proved she was the real Jamie by using her bionic legs to jump all the way to the top of the high ceiling.

I narrated the episode to my wife, much to her delight (as you can imagine). “She’s going to use her super-hearing to open that combination lock . . . watch this, she’s getting ready to jump off that ledge with her bionic legs . . . look, she’s going to punch her bionic arm right through that wall . . . man, what a crush I had on her back in the day!”

Okay . . . maybe I didn’t verbalize that last statement. Sorry, honey.

The show was pure ‘70s-style cheesy entertainment, and it took me back down memory lane about 40 years (I’m dating myself) to battles with Fembots and other baddies.

Upon deeper thought about this episode—and I’m probably the only person who has ever had a deep thought about this episode—I realized there are many people in the world who would look down their nose at this type of entertainment. They don’t appreciate things like Fonzie jumping over a shark, Zsa Zsa Gabor selling cosmetics to the Facts of Life girls, and Laverne falling asleep at a cocktail party with Shirley dragging her across the room.

As a writer, and a Christian writer especially, I want to inspire people, but at least part of my job is to entertain. If you’ve been reading my corner of this blog any time at all, you would agree that I lean more toward that entertainment side most of the time. We’re all part of the body of Christ, and someone has to be the armpit that makes the funny noises.

Why not have some fun with your writing? Try something new and wild and crazy. You don’t necessarily have to write about Fembots and shark-jumping motorcyclists and mysterious identical twins with heavy Southern accents, but you can inject some smiley touches here and there.

In other words . . . pass the cheese, please.

Categories
Free Your Mind LifeStyle

Benefits Of Early Rising

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama to San Francisco made a direct connection with that from Hong Kong, and it could not sail until the latter reached Yokohama; and if Mr. Fogg was twenty-four hours late on reaching Yokohama, this time would no doubt be easily regained in the voyage of twenty-two days across the Pacific. He found himself, then, about twenty-four hours behind-hand, thirty-five days after leaving London.

The Carnatic was announced to leave Hong Kong at five the next morning. Mr. Fogg had sixteen hours in which to attend to his business there, which was to deposit Aouda safely with her wealthy relative.

On landing, he conducted her to a palanquin, in which they repaired to the Club Hotel. A room was engaged for the young woman, and Mr. Fogg, after seeing that she wanted for nothing, set out in search of her cousin Jeejeeh. He instructed Passepartout to remain at the hotel until his return, that Aouda might not be left entirely alone.

Mr. Fogg repaired to the Exchange, where, he did not doubt, every one would know so wealthy and considerable a personage as the Parsee merchant. Meeting a broker, he made the inquiry, to learn that Jeejeeh had left China two years before, and, retiring from business with an immense fortune, had taken up his residence in Europe—in Holland the broker thought, with the merchants of which country he had principally traded. Phileas Fogg returned to the hotel, begged a moment’s conversation with Aouda, and without more ado, apprised her that Jeejeeh was no longer at Hong Kong, but probably in Holland.

[/vc_column_text][bquote type=”tagline” prk_in=”I have given no small attention to that not unvexed subject, the skin of the whale. I have had controversies about it with experienced whalemen afloat, and learned naturalists ashore. My original opinion remains unchanged.”][vc_column_text]The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama to San Francisco made a direct connection with that from Hong Kong, and it could not sail until the latter reached Yokohama; and if Mr. Fogg was twenty-four hours late on reaching Yokohama, this time would no doubt be easily regained in the voyage of twenty-two days across the Pacific. He found himself, then, about twenty-four hours behind-hand, thirty-five days after leaving London.

The Carnatic was announced to leave Hong Kong at five the next morning. Mr. Fogg had sixteen hours in which to attend to his business there, which was to deposit Aouda safely with her wealthy relative.

On landing, he conducted her to a palanquin, in which they repaired to the Club Hotel. A room was engaged for the young woman, and Mr. Fogg, after seeing that she wanted for nothing, set out in search of her cousin Jeejeeh. He instructed Passepartout to remain at the hotel until his return, that Aouda might not be left entirely alone.

Mr. Fogg repaired to the Exchange, where, he did not doubt, every one would know so wealthy and considerable a personage as the Parsee merchant. Meeting a broker, he made the inquiry, to learn that Jeejeeh had left China two years before, and, retiring from business with an immense fortune, had taken up his residence in Europe—in Holland the broker thought, with the merchants of which country he had principally traded. Phileas Fogg returned to the hotel, begged a moment’s conversation with Aouda, and without more ado, apprised her that Jeejeeh was no longer at Hong Kong, but probably in Holland.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
Bestsellers

Best Selling Author-Tamara Leigh

 

Welcome Tamara, can you share a little about your recent book –

THE VEXING: Book Six (Age of Faith) will be my 30th published book when it releases this May. And let me tell you, I’m excited. THE LONGING, the fifth book in this series, released May of 2014, so this story—fondly known as Sir Durand’s tale—was three years in the making. My only regret is that my wonderfully redeemed hero, who has perched on my shoulder all these years prodding me with his Wulfrith dagger, now belongs to The Vestal Widow (well, vestal no longer—we have wedding bells!).

Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?

I write because I cannot NOT write. Though there have been times in this 24-year writing career when I’ve said, “That’s it! I shall write no more. It’s over. I’ll tie my hands behind my back, shut down this imagination with hours of news-induced reality, and go back to earning a living as a speech pathologist.” But, fellow authors, you know how that goes. It doesn’t. As for my books’ theme/message/goal, it comes down to what has always been in my heart, even when I wrote for the general market in the 90’s and love scenes were required—penning tales of hope and encouragement that present, as realistically as possible, a healthy romantic relationship that leads to a sigh-worthy Happily Ever After.

How long have you been writing? And how long did it take you to get your first major book contract?

In 1992, while working as a speech pathologist, I began writing my first published book. In early 1993, I signed with an agent, and after making her suggested changes to the manuscript of what would be published as WARRIOR BRIDE (nope, not my title), she shopped it around New York. A few weeks later, she had several offers and I chose Bantam/Doubleday who offered a 4-book contract. Yes, something of a fairytale. Want a little more? On the same day I received “the call,” I received another. At long last, my husband and I were to be parents—and I had a means of staying at home and raising our family.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Ooh, I’m not prolific. Some authors can write a novel-length book in 1-3 months. Mine typically take 6-9 months. However, once they’re written, they’re so thoroughly edited, they’re close to being publishable.

What’s your writing work schedule like?

Monday through Saturday, I’m at Starbucks before 7:00 a.m. for administrative work and editing of the previous day’s writing. I return home around 10:30 a.m. when the house is usually all mine and silence is beautifully pervasive. With breaks for refreshments, doggie walks, and email checks, I write until around 4:00 p.m. After a work out, I sometimes slip in another hour of writing, then there’s dinner and hubby time. Before bed, I might tackle a bit more administrative work. Oh, this empty nest!

Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it?

I have several, but I’ll share the EHCM that starts every writing day. It’s one of many quirks Ronie Kendig and I discovered we have in common during a writer’s retreat this past February. What is this EHCM? Extra Hot Caramel Macchiato courtesy of our friendly baristas at Starbucks. Kicks us into gear!

What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career?

Not surprisingly, the calls received in March of 1993, dropping in my arms the blessing of a 4-book contract and, hours later, the blessing of pregnancy.

What has been your darkest moment(s)?

How about years? Between 2001 and 2005, in between bouts of “I’m done writing” and “I cannot NOT write,” I struggled with the decision to transition from the general market to the inspirational market as I felt God was leading me to do. Having enjoyed great success in the general market, I knew the sales and distribution would be limited in the inspirational market, but I longed to write God-honoring romances. In 2006, my first inspirational romance, STEALING ADDA, made the transition a reality. There was a bit of a dark moment there, too. Though my agent believed I would be able to bring my medieval romances to inspirational readers and several publishers were interested in signing me, in the end the publishers were wary of a time period they didn’t believe would sell well. So when they asked for “something else,” I gave them a humorous contemporary romance. I really enjoyed writing in this genre, though my first love has always been—and will always be—medieval romance.

Which of your books is your favorite?

Oh goodness, which of our sons is my favorite? WARRIOR BRIDE holds a special place in my heart for being my first traditionally published book, STEALING ADDA for being my first traditionally published inspirational book, and DREAMSPELL for being my first independently published book that marked my return to the medieval romance genre.

Who is your favorite author to read?

I eat up the tomes of Sharon Kay Penman who so beautifully novelizes medieval history, especially that of King Henry and his amazing queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

What advice can you give aspiring writers that you wished you had gotten, or that you wished you would have listened too?

This will sound cliché, but it’s true: read a lot (in the genre you’re writing); write a lot (every day); learn a lot (hone your writing craft); explore a lot (attend writer’s conferences and network); and love a lot (it will show up in your writing).

[bctt tweet=”Read a lot, write a lot, learn a lot, explore a lot, and love a lot-Tamara Leigh” username=”@tamaraleigh”]

Do you have a favorite character in one of your books?

Oh dear, another “Which son do you love more?” Stamped on my heart, perhaps a bit larger than the others: Baron Garr Wulfrith of the first Age of Faith book, THE UNVEILING; Baron Fulke Wynland of DREAMSPELL; and Baron Bayard Boursier of BARON OF GODSMERE (I do like barons, don’t I?)

Where do you get your ideas?

The ether. Mwahaha! Seriously, my ideas often drop in on me, especially during bouts of insomnia (red eye alert!). Sometimes it’s a flash of a scene, other times it’s a line of dialogue.

Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market?

Being firmly entrenched in indie publishing and having no plans to “unentrench,” when asked this, I often surprise recipients by telling them to explore traditional publishing first. If you can break into traditional, your name will be discovered more quickly and gain readers’ trust. But here’s the caveat—once your writing has attained a level of professionalism, as evidenced by agent and publisher interest and feedback from contests, don’t spend years on end chasing traditional publishing. Venture into indie publishing and be patient as you build one reader at a time. Go for it!

 

 

Tamara Leigh: https://www.tamaraleigh.com

Since 1994, Tamara Leigh has been published with Bantam Books, HarperCollins, Dorchester, and RandomHouse. She is the award-winning, USA Today best-selling author of thirty novels, including Stealing Adda, Dreamspell, The Unveiling (Age of Faith), Baron Of Godsmere (The Feud), and Lady Of Conquest. A former speech and language pathologist, Tamara lives near Nashville with her husband, a Doberman who bares his teeth not only to threaten the UPS man but to smile, a German Shepherd who has never met a squeaky toy she can’t destroy, and a feisty Morkie who keeps her company during long writing stints.

 

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Writing With A Disability: Q & A with John Wiswell by Kathryn M. B. Johnson

Overcoming a disability concept with a man writing the word Disability on a virtual interface and then crossing through the - Dis - with a red marker pen as a motivational call to overcome adversity.

This month I’m featuring John Wiswell, a writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror with a touch of humor tossed in for good measure. John has a neuromuscular disorder, and yet manages to live a very good life. Like most of us, disability is not something we dwell on, but a fact of life we deal with. John is funny, talented, and caring. He knows a little something about writing disabled characters too!

It is difficult to find individuals who are open to discussing disability or writing with a disability. John is not that person. He was gracious to accept my request for a Q & A on how he writes with a disability, and how he feels the disabled should be written.

Please tell us about living with a neuromuscular disorder.

It beats the only alternative, which is being dead. Dead people eat far less chocolate. My condition means full-body pain which intensifies with physical activity and stress, and which directly impacts my respiratory and immune systems. My lungs would love to secede from the union, but my heart’s not in it.

My exercise regime is primarily to increase my threshold of pain, and to improve cardiovascular conditioning second. You want a good threshold because it lets you put up with more. The hypersensitivity has begun to wear out my hearing, which is why if you introduce yourself to me at a party, I absolutely guarantee I am only pretending to hear your name.

As with hearing issues, my physical limitations mean a life of patience. There’s nothing important that I can’t wait for, whether it’s spending the extra fifteen minutes to walk more carefully on my way to the mail box, or in lending an ear to a friend in need. Everything I’ve put up with has made me a better friend.

Do you believe a person living with your neuromuscular disorder affects what a person can, or cannot do in life?

Of course, it does. I am physically incapable of working a 9-to-5 job. I cannot live alone. We all have our limitations, and I heed mine to figure out what I can do.

Last October I drove across Massachusetts alone, the farthest I’ve driven in my entire life. I’ve written novels and I’ve intervened to stop suicides. There’s no end of important work that the chronically ill have a calling for on this earth.
As I said before, my way is about patience. Patience for what you can do in each hour or day is vital. Over the hours of such mindfulness, you build a life. *laughs* Mine’s got a lot of puns and Horror movies.

What motivates you to write despite emotional or physical challenges you face? Did emotional or physical challenges become the reason you write?

At age thirteen, as the victim of medical malpractice, in more pain than I’d ever imagined and alone in my bedroom, J.R.R. Tolkien sent me a gift. Not addressed to me – I mean, the guy was dead. But his The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and Stephen King’s Needful Things and Nightmares and Dreamscapes, and Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and Terminal Man, and a box load of mainstream thrillers, were all direct gifts. Every turn of a page or flip of an audiobook cassette was my best reason to live through another night. More than to share the struggle of my health, I wanted to write stories that could do that for other people who would be where I was. I wanted to do that for other people. I’d loved storytelling before, but that’s what set me on this path.

So, were you always a writer?

Only enough to pass English class. *laughs* I was awful. I’ve still got a 99-cent notebook with a half-finished 13-year-old John Wiswell’s The Dragon Knight hidden in my room. Part shame, part pride. It took years to get to a decent writing level, and I can’t even name all the teachers, editors, and friends who helped me get there.

Can you tell us about your current writing project?

I’m going to be a little vague since this novel doesn’t have representation yet. *laughs* It’s an intersection of Fantasy and the Prison Industrial Complex. We have many stories about the Evil Empire being taken down by a brave heir-to-a-throne, or warrior, or nobody-hobbit-and-his-Samwise. I’m using the lens of Fantasy to instead show people unfairly imprisoned standing up to the political and economic forces that stuck them there.

There is no single heroic Robin Hood or Nelson Mandela, so much as there is a community of prisoners who have the chance to become a group heroism. Any single person’s heroism is an illusion, but a useful one because it can inspire others to keep up a bravery they don’t even know they have. I’m madly in love with the project. I’d love to come back and talk more about it in the future.

On the shorter side, I’m finishing up an essay for Fireside Magazine on disability in Horror. Specifically, the three big fiascos of disability in Horror in 2016: the stigma of mental illness in 10 Cloverfield Lane, the evil blind man in Don’t Breathe, and the hot mess of ableism that is Donald Trump. I’m sure no one will yell at me over that piece!

What is your writing schedule like when you’re working?

First thing in the morning I review the work I must get done that day before checking email, Twitter, and Reddit. The social media time lets the work gestate in my head, but once I’ve done my round, I work through until lunch. If I’m sluggish, I’ll eat at the desk and keep approaching the scene from different angles, but I always want to make progress before breaking for exercise. I just can’t trust myself to postpone work into the evening, though I am happy to come back in the evening to do more work if I’m on a roll.

What advice can you give to other writers who may have a disability, or a challenge who aren’t sure if they can share their stories, or write a book?

If it’s a challenge to share the stories of your disability, remember that you don’t have to start there. Write whatever engages you. Write fanfic, or LitFic novelettes about elves that race cloud cars around Saturn if it’s what makes you happy. Especially as you develop your style, it’s important not to impose extra anxieties on yourself, and relaying burdens can sometimes do that. It can be difficult to articulate in prose what’s haunted you in life. Approach it when you’re ready, and as you read more, pay attention to how it’s addressed in publishing, and how it isn’t.

Keep an inventory of the vacancies in our fiction where your stories should be. When someone recommends a book because they think it will reflect your experience, and instead it reeks of phony inspiration? When authors pay lip service or perform only superficial inclusion? Shrug these instances off, but don’t forget them, because those are the space you get to break open like no one has before you. That way by the time you’re confident in your ability, you’ll know the places that need your contribution the most.

What advice would you give to those who want to write a book or story using a character who lives with your disability?

Well, you don’t write an able-bodied person obsessing over how much pain they aren’t in, right? Do me the same kindness. Write the character doing something other than fighting a physical disorder. The disorder is a facet of my life, but it’s not how I think about myself most of the time. I think about literary theory, the latest Mamoru Hosoda film, or The Joker. I think about the Joker way too often.

Consider Jo Walton’s beautiful novel, Among Others. It stars a semi-abled teen girl, but your first impressions of her are that she’s a judgmental nerd. Even when physical therapy is the subject of a chapter, it never feels like it defines her for the book. You want to research so you get medical and cultural facts right, but never forget to make them people.

Many writers, especially aspiring writers, want to know the edit and rewrite process of published writers. Tell us what your style of editing and rewriting looks like.

In first composition, I write passionately, often thousands of words per day. Once upon a time it was a few hundred words, but I built up to this. With novels, I start with a skeleton of the events that absolutely must happen and then make up the rest on the fly. With short stories and flash fiction, I’ll just let loose and write towards a few plot beats.

I’m a big believer in letting an early draft breathe. In almost all cases, when I’ve cleaned up a first draft enough to feel it’s finished, I save it and move to other projects. In a couple weeks or months, I’ll come back to it and review it with less familiar eyes. This greatly helps in cutting and shaping the early draft into something more functional.

When it’s as good as I can get it with a reasonable amount of work, I ask betas to read it. Their feedback lets me know how many more rounds of drafting it needs. If I’m lucky, the first round of feedback lets me finish a short story in an afternoon. *laughs* I’m not a very lucky person.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us on the topic of disability and writing?

This is my weird issue I carry around all the time, but I would love more stories where characters with different disabilities meet and bond. Remember in The Stand, when Nick Andros meets Tom Cullen? Nick is deaf and relies on writing, while Tom has a cognitive disability and can’t read. The two of them meet in the post-apocalypse and are so jazzed to find another living person, and becoming one of my favorite road duos ever. This kind of intersection of disabilities so rarely happens in fiction. It’s even wilder because Nick fails to explain his disability, but Tom figures it out because he remembers meeting another deaf person before.

Disabled people, just part of a world and thought process. Rad! For any flaws, King had in disability representation, that model still sticks in my heart. Mishell Baker’s Borderline also does some cracking work with this. I’m excited for her sequel, Phantom Pains.

So more of that, please. And fewer stories where it’s the lone tragic paraplegic surrounded by the non-disabled people who pity them.

Oh – and if you’re writing someone else’s disability, you already know to do the research. That means medical research, but also reading accounts and fiction by people with the condition. I appreciate it when someone remembers their inspirations like this, and shouts them out. If you don’t care enough about their work to recommend it in public, or to signal boost them and their causes, then why write about them in the first place? Our culture gets stronger when we’re mutually supportive.

Kathryn Johnson lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband Chris and three Bengal Domestic cats who often seem far from domesticated! She writes while watching pine trees dance, and clouds make pictures in the sky. She writes with, for, and about disability at kathrynmbjohnson.com and kmbjohnson.com. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Categories
5 For Writing

Do it Again! Taking Readers on a Fantastic Voyage

By Doug Peterson

I will never forget the day my parents took me to the theater to see the movie Fantastic Voyage—a sci-fi thriller in which a crew is inserted into a ship, shrunk to a microscopic size, and then injected inside a human body. I can’t remember their specific mission, only that it had to do with saving the life of the patient.

What I do remember is my sense of wonder.

I’m dating myself by bringing up this movie because Fantastic Voyage came out in 1966—a time when special effects were a far cry from today. But I had never seen anything like it, so when their sub began zipping through the bloodstream, my eyes almost popped from my head. I remember the looks on the faces of the characters as they stared out of the sub’s window in wonderment as blood cells floated all around them like gigantic jellyfish. These people were inside a human body!

Last year, Fantastic Voyage was streaming on Netflix, so I decided to check out the movie, which I hadn’t seen since I was 11 years old. I couldn’t believe that I actually loved this movie. Films back then moved at a much slower pace, but this one moved at a glacier speed. It seemed to take forever for the scientists to finally shrink the ship to microscopic size.

A lot of my disappointment had to do with advances in special effects, obviously. But it was more than that. The wonder of being inside the body was no longer there.

Some of the loss of wonder has to do with age. As we get older, we lose this sense of amazement—but a good story, particularly a good fantasy or science fiction story, recaptures this sense of astonishment. In his essay, On Fairy-Stories, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, calls this “Recovery.” He says that a good fantasy story helps us to recover a sense of wonder.

Tolkien says Recovery is a “regaining of a clear view.” It’s a way of seeing things “as we are meant to see them.” He compares it to cleaning our windows so we can look outside and see things as they are meant to be seen. We are “freed from the drab blur of familiarity.”

For those who have eyeglasses, another analogy is when you pick up your new prescription and suddenly the world look sharper and seemingly more colorful. This is Recovery. This is what every good story should do—help people see the world in a brilliant new way.

Tolkien’s idea of Recovery actually comes from G.K. Chesterton, a writer who inspired both Tolkien and Narnia author C.S. Lewis. In his book, Orthodoxy, Chesterton says that fairy tales tell us “that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water.”

With age comes wisdom—and weariness. We become weary with the world, and we forget to see the wonder.

In one of my favorite passages, Chesterton says that adults have lost the ability to “exult in monotony” because we think we have seen it all. To make his point, he talks about how when children love something, they want it to be repeated over and over and over again. Children do this because they have an excess, not an absence, of life.

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged,” Chesterton writes in Orthodoxy. “They always say, ‘Do it again’; and the grown-up person does it against until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.”

Chesterton proceeds to point out that God also has an abundance of life, and He too is strong enough to exult in monotony.

“It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our father is younger that we.”

So strive for this sense of wonder in your stories, especially if you’re writing the kinds of stories that carry readers into new worlds, which are designed to remind us of how miraculous our own world is.

If you do, then your readers might just exclaim, “Do it again” when they reach the end of your story.

* * *

5 for Writing

  1. Get writing. Find the time to write. Then do it.
  2. Learn by listening—and doing. Solicit feedback, discern what helps you.
  3. Finish your story. Edit and rewrite, but don’t tinker forever. Reach the finish line.
  4. Thrive on rejection. Get your story out there. Be fearless. Accept rejection.
  5. Become a juggler. After one story is finished, be ready to start another. Consider writing two at once.

 

Categories
LifeStyle Untold Stories

The Newest Spot

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama to San Francisco made a direct connection with that from Hong Kong, and it could not sail until the latter reached Yokohama; and if Mr. Fogg was twenty-four hours late on reaching Yokohama, this time would no doubt be easily regained in the voyage of twenty-two days across the Pacific. He found himself, then, about twenty-four hours behind-hand, thirty-five days after leaving London.

The Carnatic was announced to leave Hong Kong at five the next morning. Mr. Fogg had sixteen hours in which to attend to his business there, which was to deposit Aouda safely with her wealthy relative.

On landing, he conducted her to a palanquin, in which they repaired to the Club Hotel. A room was engaged for the young woman, and Mr. Fogg, after seeing that she wanted for nothing, set out in search of her cousin Jeejeeh. He instructed Passepartout to remain at the hotel until his return, that Aouda might not be left entirely alone.

Mr. Fogg repaired to the Exchange, where, he did not doubt, every one would know so wealthy and considerable a personage as the Parsee merchant. Meeting a broker, he made the inquiry, to learn that Jeejeeh had left China two years before, and, retiring from business with an immense fortune, had taken up his residence in Europe—in Holland the broker thought, with the merchants of which country he had principally traded. Phileas Fogg returned to the hotel, begged a moment’s conversation with Aouda, and without more ado, apprised her that Jeejeeh was no longer at Hong Kong, but probably in Holland.

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”38″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][prkwp_spacer size=”12″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama to San Francisco made a direct connection with that from Hong Kong, and it could not sail until the latter reached Yokohama; and if Mr. Fogg was twenty-four hours late on reaching Yokohama, this time would no doubt be easily regained in the voyage of twenty-two days across the Pacific. He found himself, then, about twenty-four hours behind-hand, thirty-five days after leaving London.

The Carnatic was announced to leave Hong Kong at five the next morning. Mr. Fogg had sixteen hours in which to attend to his business there, which was to deposit Aouda safely with her wealthy relative.

On landing, he conducted her to a palanquin, in which they repaired to the Club Hotel. A room was engaged for the young woman, and Mr. Fogg, after seeing that she wanted for nothing, set out in search of her cousin Jeejeeh. He instructed Passepartout to remain at the hotel until his return, that Aouda might not be left entirely alone.

Mr. Fogg repaired to the Exchange, where, he did not doubt, every one would know so wealthy and considerable a personage as the Parsee merchant. Meeting a broker, he made the inquiry, to learn that Jeejeeh had left China two years before, and, retiring from business with an immense fortune, had taken up his residence in Europe—in Holland the broker thought, with the merchants of which country he had principally traded. Phileas Fogg returned to the hotel, begged a moment’s conversation with Aouda, and without more ado, apprised her that Jeejeeh was no longer at Hong Kong, but probably in Holland.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
Write Justified

Is that a Question? Or Not?

 

This may seem hard to believe, but[bctt tweet=” … not every question requires a question mark” username=””.]

How often don’t you ask a rhetorical question. One that you really don’t expect an answer to. (Like the first sentence in this paragraph.)

So when does a question need a question mark?

When you expect an answer.

Direct questions—the kind journalists ask to get a story—demand an answer. We call them the 5 (or 6) Ws: who, what, when, where, why and how.

What happened? Who was involved? When did it happen? Where? Why? How? Direct questions almost always begin with some variation of the 5 W’s. If one of them isn’t the first word in the sentence, it’s probably in there some place, like: “Well, just what are you doing in there?” or “Just who do you think you are?”

Sentences that begin with a being verb like are, is, were and the like also indicate a direction question.

Are you alone?

Do you love me?

Is this the best you can do?

All these questions demand an answer and a question mark.

Sometimes we pose indirect questions—questions that we really don’t expect an answer to.

They may be questions you’re posing to yourself:

Now, why did I come in here? (Then again, you may be looking for that answer.)

They may be relating something in the past tense:

I asked her what the problem was.

They may be rhetorical questions, like–
What’s up with that.

No one really expects an answer to a question like that. And neither do these indirect questions require question marks.

Got it?

Categories
Pleasant Rosebud - Romantic Suspense

PERSEVERANCE – LILY 2

After the whole “Frozen” saga at the ball, my life returned to normal. Normal in the sense that my village had become a winter wonderland; Princess Isabel ran away and turned the Kingdom’s forest into an icy mountain. Our kingdom was thrown out of balance into fear but I couldn’t care less. My life was more agonizing than before the ball fiasco. I guess it was bearable because I had hope of a happily ever after.

To be honest, my theory was still valid. Unfortunately, I’m not amongst the chosen few maidens to have a magical end but the princesses were living a cliché fairy tale life. I wasn’t afraid of the deadly winter my kingdom was thrown into. I knew the gentleman Princess Donna was with was a crook with ulterior motives.  I knew the princess would eventually marry a commoner. The only difference between their story and its original was that the King and Queen were alive. They might as well have been dead because nothing else changed in their story.

A few weeks after the ball, the kingdom returned to its normal state. The royal family embarked on their happily ever after. I couldn’t help but ask myself, “What next?”

This couldn’t be it for me. I couldn’t continue living this wretched life. Surely, my story wasn’t over. There had to be something great and magical waiting for me somewhere! Regardless of the Cinderella flop, I had a little hope. I wasn’t going to allow myself settle into the mundane life of being a slave who married a slave and gave birth to slaves.

I decided to start my research all over. I went through other fairy tales in detail, trying to find the one best suited to my life. The Little Mermaid was crossed out for obvious reasons: I wasn’t half-fish half-woman. The Snow-White approach was also a little far-fetched. For one, Snow White was young and extremely beautiful. Not to be pathetic, but I wasn’t exactly an epitome of female beauty. Besides the chances of me being a princess and meeting 7 dwarves were quite slim. The Rapunzel story was one of my favorites but my shoulder-length dark-brown-hair did not fit the bill at all. I had never even visited a tower not to talk of being locked up in one.

The more I researched, the more it became pointless. I just didn’t fit any of the requirements to be a princess. After my father passed, I suffered insomnia so becoming the Sleeping Beauty was not going to happen. Finding a beast to fall in love with just like Belle from Beauty and The Beast was a little too risky and desperate, even for me.

Two years passed and I was slowly consumed in my desire to find happily ever after. My stepmother, Lady Méchant, passed away. My stepsisters found husbands and moved away. I remained in my family house. Luckily, I was left with the house and what was left in it. I basically spent those two years researching and waiting around for fate and destiny to happen.

Then, I decided it was enough! I had to get up and grab the bull by its horn. Obviously, the magical happily ever after wasn’t going to visit me in thus small village. Besides, this was Cinderella’s (Queen Ella) kingdom. By staying back in my family home, I realized I was preventing myself from happily ever after.

So, I left.

I wasn’t sure where I was headed but I was prepared for it. I made a list of all the possible fairy tales that could become my story along with discoveries about their characteristics. I decided to start by becoming sleeping beauty. I was aware I wasn’t royalty and I had no fairy godmother but I was determined. I would venture into the nearest kingdom which had a royal family without an heir.

That ambition soon crashed. The first kingdom I stumbled upon seemed to be a ghost town. Everywhere was covered in dust and cobwebs. The houses seemed to be empty. Shops were all closed. The market place was filled with rotten food. I saw no animal, pet or livestock. I stayed in the kingdom for about two weeks in an abandoned little cottage which had a small backyard garden. I tried to understand what had happened to the people in the kingdom. I decided to visit the royal castle in the village.

On the grand gate, there was an announcement pasted on it.

“Come one, come all! Come and celebrate the sweet 16 of the Princess, for she has evaded the evil witch! Rejoice with us on this 6th day of April 1400 AD.”

1400 AD? That was twenty years ago. This kingdom has been dead for twenty years?! How? I decide to let myself into the castle. What I saw blew my mind away.

The path from the inner gates to the doors of the ballroom was filled with unconscious guards and staff. Everyone had passed out! They were all breathing so at least they were alive. The ballroom itself was an eyesore. It seemed as if everyone in the Kingdom was in this very room. At the center of the room, a beautiful young maiden slept in an opened glass case.

This couldn’t be happening again! At least this meant I was most definitely not sleeping beauty. I could cross that possibility off my list. I didn’t waste another moment in that ghost town. I ran for my life. If this was Sleeping Beauty’s Kingdom, it meant Maleficent was not too far behind. The evil witch had not noticed me throughout my stay so I wasn’t going to jinx my luck.

After escaping the ghost town, I decided to review my list.

Lily’s potential routes to happiness:

  1. Cinderella
  2. Sleeping Beauty
  3. Rapunzel
  4. Little Mermaid
  5. Beauty and the Beast
  6. Princess and the Frog
  7. Snow White
  8. Frozen

I hadn’t included all the fairy tales I knew about, like Merida, Mulan, and Pocahontas. Those tales were just too daring and required me to roughen up a little. Of course, finding a beast to fall in love with was less challenging than experiencing what Merida went through. However, I was a lady-like lady. I didn’t have the energy to be anything else.

Looking at my list, I discovered I still had a lot of ground to cover. Fortunately for me, my aimless travel led me to a swampy area. I decided to try my luck at finding a frog. This was a tricky situation. The fastest way to find a prince and avoid diseases from kissing frogs was to find a good witch.

A small town lay on the outskirts of the swamp. I interviewed the natives and was soon directed to a creepy looking hut which housed the oldest townsman. The hut stank and was murky. The old man lived in it. He was an herbal doctor but had no magical powers. He thought I was crazy after I explained my dilemma to him. He, however, told me he knew nothing about a prince who was turned into a frog. He advised me to move on with my life and face reality. I ignored his advice. Obviously, he knew nothing about fairy tales and the powers of true love’s kiss.

I stayed back in the town for two more weeks. My mornings and evenings were spent searching for and kissing frogs. I tried to stay away from poisoned frogs but that was futile. I had to take a break from my search when I fell ill. The old man treated me to the best of his abilities and scolded me continuously for my “stupidity.” I was not discouraged. I knew my frog was waiting somewhere for me.

My recovery was swift so I returned to my swamp search. The evening afterward was the foggiest I ever experienced. The air in the swamp seemed thicker than usual. I could hardly see my own hands. I couldn’t breathe and started to lose consciousness. I thought, “This is the end. At least I died trying.”

“Hello? Are you alright?” A faint voice called our out to me.

I wasn’t sure how long I was out but it felt like a long one. I blinked a couple of times to see more clearly. I tried to remember what had happened. Yes, the fog. It had completely cleared.

“Are you alright, Miss?” The voice was clearer now but it was quite small. I looked around but there was clearly no one around me.

“Down here,” it said.

To my utter amazement, I noticed a tiny greenish frog staring at me with its moist beady eyes.

It croaked. “Don’t scream. Or hit me.”

I yelped in celebration and did a crazy little dance. I had found my frog! My frog prince! Take that, silly old man! A snatched the frog off the ground and nestled him in my palms.

“Finally!”

The frog shrank in my palms. “Uh, what is going on here?” He seemed curious, and a little afraid.

“My word! It was so hard to find you but I’m glad I found you before I died. Thank God I don’t have to kiss anymore disgusting frogs!” I cried. I proceeded to explain everything to him. He joined in my excitement. He was finally going to be free from the curse!

Without further ado, we both puckered up for the kiss that was about to change everything. I squeezed my eyes and brought the frog to my lips.

*Kiss*

I blinked. Nothing happened. The frog’s lips were still puckered. I kissed it again but this time with my eyes wide open. Nothing!

“Are you sure you’re a real prince, because nothing is happening?”

“Let’s try again.”

We did but there was no sparkly magical light or transformation. I only looked like a crazy girl kissing a frog. I desperately pecked all over the frog’s body until it protested. I couldn’t understand what the problem was. I had found the frog! Why wouldn’t he just become a prince?! Was my heart not pure enough?! I couldn’t say I loved him. I mean I love the idea of him but that should have been enough, right?

Defeated, I returned to my rented room in the town with the frog. We had nothing to say to each other and decided to sleep. We both hoped that maybe the transformation would take place while we were asleep.

A week flew by and nothing changed. Marco as I named the frog, seemed to be more depressed than I was. I decided to pack up and leave the town. I even crossed out Princess and the frog from my list. Marco was angry with me for giving up and hopped away after an outburst. Honestly, I didn’t care how he felt. I still had a lot to do and I wasn’t gaining youth with these passing years.

As I approached the gates leading out of the town, I noticed a dark-skinned maiden with short curly black hair. She held something in her hand and took it close to her lips. That something happened to be Marco.

She kissed Marco, and suddenly literal sparks began to fall. What the—? Marco disappeared from her palms and transformed into a handsome prince. He exclaimed happily and kissed the girl again. I was going to lose it!

Really? Really! Why was my life so unlucky? For crying out loud, I found the frog! Couldn’t fate just pity me and rule in my favour? How could my life be so jinxed? First the Cinderella flop, then the Frozen saga, the Sleeping Beauty ghost town and now this.

I stormed past Marco and his new boo. He didn’t even notice me, as he was locked in a tight embrace with her, filled with too much joy.

For good measure, I turned back and shoved them both into the nearby pond, which circulated the exit of the town.

Besides, it wasn’t á la mode to have a husband who was turned into a frog.

 

Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/en/woods-autumn-woman-girl-meeting-1524606/

*á la mode a French expression which means fashionable.

 

 

PERSEVERANCE is used by permission of the original author, Ifeoluwa Ogúnyinka

Author bio:

Sinmisola Ogúnyinka is a pastor’s wife, mother, writer and movie producer. She has a university degree in Economics, and is a Craftsman of Christian Writers’ Guild. She lives with her family in Pretoria, South Africa.

Blog: www.sinmisolao.wordpress.com

Twitter: @sinmisolaog

Categories
Copywrite/Advertising

SEO? SEM? PPC? I need an LOA.-Holland Webb

Nothing freezes your brain faster than a series of meetings on the minutiae of government grant management. Trust me. In 2009, I had to attend a lengthy conference in Uganda where they taught us exactly what snacks and beverages could be funded with federal dollars and how to apply U.S. government accounting standards for hotel stays in parts of the world that don’t have hotels.

The unkindest cut of all, though, was the acronyms.

Hundreds of acronyms were tossed at us by serious, gray-suited government bureaucrats with the power to take away the funds they had just generously awarded us.

Finally, one woman, far braver than I, raised her hand. “All these acronyms are hard to keep track of.”

“Oh, we know they are,” the speaker replied. “That’s why we created an LOA.”

“An LOA?”

The speaker laughed. “It’s an acronym that stands for List of Acronyms.”

Trust the government to create an acronym for an acronym. I’ll admit, though, that the LOA was a big HELP.

Starting out in copywriting, especially writing for the web, you may feel the same way. Job descriptions toss around a bunch of acronyms like SEO, SEM, PPC and more. They’re hard to keep track of, so here’s a brief LOA for new copywriters.

  • SEO – Search Engine Optimization
    SEO draws the right traffic to your site. Search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing have bots that crawl through a site, reading it in order to index it properly. Once the bot knows what your site is about, the search engine can pull up your site when a web user types in a related string of keywords.Let’s say your site gives advice to aspiring writers. Someone at home types, “advice for new writers” into a search engine. SEO makes it easy for the search engine bots to know that your site is about that very same thing and to rank it highly in its returns.What does SEO mean for you as the writer? Before you write for a website, do some keyword research. Find what keywords people are using to search for your topic. Be specific. Long keywords rank better than short ones, and they are more likely to get you in front of people who are interested in what you have to say, sell, or do.

    You can try searching some different keywords yourself to see what ranks best, and you can use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Moz to identify high-ranking keywords.

    Once you have pinpointed some helpful keywords, use them strategically throughout your text. Try to fit them in the title, your metadescription, your images’ alt tags, and the body of your text. Old SEO models required keywords to appear a minimum number of times in exactly the same order. Today’s search engine bots are sophisticated, thank goodness, so we don’t have to stuff our text with keywords to get it to rank. Write naturally, focusing on the message.

    Voice search is increasingly popular. At least 20% of Google’s mobile searches are voice searches. That means people are asking questions of search engines instead of typing strings of words. Why don’t you ask those same questions in your text? The bots will recognize the match and put your page near the top of the search results.

    So how does a copywriter use SEO to write great content? Simple. Imagine you’re a robot charged with reading and indexing web sites. Ask yourself what searchable terms and phrases would get your site indexed accurately. Use those terms in prominent places in your text while still sounding like a human being.

  • SEM – Search Engine Marketing
    SEM is the whole bunch of bananas – SEO, paid search, social media marketing, you name it.

    • Paid search is when a company pays a search engine to rank their site.
      Have you done a Google search and noticed the top ranked sites have a box with the word Ad in it next to them? These sites have paid Google to rank them near the top.
    • PPC (Pay Per Click) is how those sites pay Google for ranking them at the top or bottom of page one.
    • SMM stands for Social Media Marketing. SMM uses Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites to market products and services.

Why do copywriters care about SEM? Because it affects how you write.

Companies test their keywords and calls to action using PPC. You may have to write several of these for a company to test before they discover what works best. Social media marketing may have you writing Tweets, Facebook posts, and Instagram messages that match your web site, blog post, eblast content, and the video script you wrote for the new YouTube video.

  • CRO – Conversion Rate Optimization
    Now that SEO and SEM have helped prospective buyers or donors find your site, CRO is what encourages them make a purchase or donation while they’re there. Copywriting, as we discussed in my article last month, is all about conversion. We don’t just want readers; we want buyers. CRO increases the percentage of web site viewers who take action.Why does CRO matter to copywriters? Because if our CRO numbers are not good, we’ll get fired. The company that hired you to write for them exists to sell a product or service. Keep CRO in mind as you craft your prose, and you’ll be in business for a long time.

So there you have it, folks, a brief LOA for newbie copywriters. Let me know your adventures in copywriting acronyms in the comment section below.

Holland Webb: I love telling the stories that people put down so they go take action. I’m an advertising copywriter by day, an aspiring novelist by night, a parent, a dog-lover, a prison volunteer and a follower of Jesus.

Categories
Create. Motivate. Inspire. Support

On Writing: Breaking Through Doubt and Fear

Please Lord, please…could I possibly get an honorable mention? Just one of those beautiful folders with a certificate inside. Please, Lord? My mom liked my story. She said it made her cry. That counts for something, doesn’t it?

The urgent prayer pounded in my heart and mind as I strained to hear the voice of the contest coordinator during the writers conference awards dinner. A hundred conversations swirled around the banquet room but my attention was riveted on center stage.

Please, Lord…

For this girl, 2014 was not just another conference. After running from God’s purposes for close to a decade, I stepped onto the conference campus with a heart of fear and trembling and a suitcase packed with dreams.

Alone and not knowing anyone in attendance, I gripped the Lord’s hand so tightly I half-expected to hear a Holy Ghost ouch!

But with great compassion and long-suffering, God carried me as I clung and held me as I wept.

First, I cried through my critique session. Then I cried from the embarrassment of crying. I sobbed after workshops from hearing God’s call in the encouragement and teaching of the faculty. The tears flowed each evening as I praised God for new friendships with other writerly souls.

My time of wandering in the desert, fighting the call to write, was ending—and it wasn’t comfortable. Thrilling, maybe. Terrifying, without a doubt. But comfortable? Not even a little bit. (I guess the Lord thought my desert needed watering because I think of that week as the Great Flood.)

By Wednesday evening and the awards banquet, I was a sopping mess. I had the “gall” to enter two contests. The short story category passed me by and now I was pleading my case for flash fiction.

Please, Lord…I need something tangible to affirm your voice.

The announcer stepped to the podium. “Flash fiction, honorable mention…”

The name called wasn’t mine.

Third place, Lord? Would that be possible?

As the third and second place winners were called and applause filled the room for other writers, the strangest thing happened. I took a deep breath and realized that my soul was infused with joy—and peace and hope and excitement for the future. Whatever happened, God brought me to this place.

The moment was the culmination of a heart’s surrender and a life’s redirection. No matter what, I was a writer.

And yes, I wanted to cry.

I glanced up, surprised that the announcer was still talking. “Flash fiction, first place…”

In the most surreal of moments, my name floated from the stage.

I’m sure I gave those around me a good chuckle. My hands flew to my mouth, I gasped, and my thoughts were screaming, I want to thank my mama, my papa, and the good Lord above (the CMA awards would have been proud).

The award was more than “winning.” A gracious God affirmed His call and design. He brought life back to my barrenness.

A year later, the 2015 conference was amazing. More affirmation. New doors of opportunity. But do you know what hangs front and center on my office bulletin board?

The award for my little piece of flash fiction. The one that I hoped to reach an honorable mention.

For a loving Father gave me more than I dreamed or imagined.

We serve a God who restores and turns ashes into beauty. He reaches through fear and tugs—fearfully and gently—come, child…trust Me.

If fear is preventing you from attending a conference or entering a contest, remember this:

There is joy, peace, and passion in doing what you were created to do.

The time is now.

Reach. Write. Live.

 

As you seek to put pen to paper, how do you battle the voices of doubt and insecurity? What will you do this year to break through any fear or hesitation in your writing?

 

[bctt tweet=”There is joy, peace, and passion in doing what you were created to do. @A3forMe @lthomaswrites #amwriting #ampublishing” via=”no”]

[bctt tweet=”We serve a God who restores and turns ashes into beauty. @A3forM3 @lthomaswrites #amwriting #write #restore” via=”no”]

Categories
Craft The Writer's PenCase

Creating Extraordinary Characters –– Part I

The Writer's PenCase

Why is it that some characters stick in our minds? What is it about them that causes us identify with them and admire them? I’ll be looking at these questions and others in this new series. [bctt tweet=”Some say it’s all about plot. Others say it’s about character. ” username=”@A3forme @donnalhsmith”]#amwriting #characters

Continue reading “Creating Extraordinary Characters –– Part I”
Categories
History in the Making

Three Reasons I Cry When Reading Louisa May Alcott’s Classic Novel

by Sandra Merville Hart

I was a teenager the first time I read Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. A childhood friend came in just as I sobbed over a tragic part of the story. I’ve read the novel at least a dozen times since that summer day.

Characters in the novel were inspired by Louisa’s own family and friends. Knowing her characters so well deepened the portrayal of them, evoking an emotional response in her readers.

*** Spoiler alert *** If you haven’t read the novel and intend to, you may want to read this post afterward as there are a few spoilers.

There are three reasons that I cry every time I read Little Women: believable family relationships; unexpected romances; and twists that mirror life.

Loving family relationships blanket the story. The reality of the Civil War touches the family. Jo’s father serves as a Union chaplain and is away at war. Jo and her sister, Meg, take jobs to support the family. When the story opens, another sister, Beth, helps the mother at home while the youngest, Amy, attends school.

But life gives them a terrible twist—Beth helps a family where three children suffer from scarlet fever and falls ill herself. She recovers from scarlet fever but her health is never the same. Eventually readers realize that she will die.[bctt tweet=”The twists and turns of Alcott’s classic novel mirror life. #writing” username=”@Sandra_M_Hart”]

The second reason I cry when reading this classic novel is the unexpected romances. We watch Laurie, the family’s neighbor, fall in love with Jo and really want them to marry.

Though readers believe that Jo and Laurie are made for each other, a twist comes. Jo accepts a position as governess to a family in New York City. Professor Bhaer, who resides at the same boarding house, teaches German to Jo. He also critiques her writing. His disappointment in her stories cuts deeply. He encourages her to write stories with a moral.

What writer can’t relate to her pain?

Jo spends six months in New York before returning home to care for her gravely ill sister. Laurie finally proposes as anticipated, but Jo rejects him. Sad and angry, he travels to Europe. Neither of these events is what readers expect.

Another twist is coming. Jo’s youngest sister, Amy, is in Europe where she’s being courted by Laurie’s rich school friend, Fred. Readers are surprised to watch Amy fall in love with Laurie. Fred seems to be the better choice for Amy at first because Laurie is an angry, bitter man. He wakes up in time to realize Amy is the woman for him. They marry while in Europe.

What! Readers believed that Laurie was intended for Jo.

Meanwhile, Jo has all the sorrow she can handle. She tends to Beth as her little sister loses strength to even lift a needle to sew. Jo’s heart breaks—and ours with hers—when Beth dies.

As the family celebrates Amy’s marriage, Professor Bhaer arrives. In yet another twist to the story, he proposes and Jo happily accepts.

This leads to the third reason I always cry when reading Little Women: the twists and turns of the novel mirror life. The changes, the heartaches, and the bumps in the road feel realistic to readers—after we recover from shock and disappointment. Can’t we all relate to choosing a path leading one place and then ended up on completely different road?

Louisa’s publisher approached her in 1868 with a request to write a book about girls. She initially resisted. She finally gave in to urging from her publisher and her father. Then she set her novel in a house modeled after her home with characters inspired by family and friends.

The novel she didn’t want to write became a beloved classic and brought her financial independence.

Readers through the ages have reason to rejoice that Louisa listened to the urging of her publisher.

 

Sources

“Little Women,” Wikipedia, 2017/03/25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Women.

“Louisa May Alcott,” Biography.com, 2017/03/25 http://www.biography.com/people/louisa-may-alcott-9179520.

Categories
Child's Craft

One Author’s Story

I frequently get asked the question of how I got published. Okay. I’ll tell.

God placed the notion on me to write a book but I had no idea what to write. When an idea of a Children’s devotional came to me I was excited but had no time to write. I worked and had 2 small children. I told the Lord if He wanted me to write, He’d have to help me find the time. I wondered what the Good Lord had in store for me.

He woke me up every morning on my days off before He woke the sun. I made myself a cup of coffee, sat on my couch and hand wrote the whole thing. This was such a precious time with the Lord. Took me 6 months. This was before I had a computer and knew how to use one. Yes, I’m that old.

I took a computer class and learned how to use a Word program since my husband refused to type it up for me. I typed the whole thing and realized I had no idea of how to get it published. I bought a book on how to get published, followed it step by step. It seriously took me two weeks to write my first query letter and longer to perfect my first proposal.

I bought the Children’s Writers Market guide and begin sending out my proposal to publishers and waiting. Back in the day, publishers used to send out rejection letters. When I’d receive one, I’d send my proposal to another publisher. During this waiting period I wrote a bunch of stories that came to mind. I had a whole year’s worth of rejection letters on this one proposal before I received a positive nibble and subsequent contract. I tweaked my final manuscript in the hospital between contractions when I was in labor with my third child. My son’s first outing was to the post office to send off my completed manuscript.

A few things have changed since then. That third child is now in college. We didn’t have the internet back then with all the info at our finger tips like we do today. Publishers have come and gone. Less children’s editors attend conferences than they used to. Independent book stores have practically disappeared and publishers are pursuing less books than previously. EBooks have appeared further dwindling the number of hard copy books. Online bookstores have escalated, self-publishing has skyrocketed, and the media outlets have multiplied. This has all worked together to change the publishing business significantly. But, publishers still need great new manuscripts and the Lord still calls people to write!

It’s our job as writers to supply publishers with great new manuscripts and to do what God has called us to do.

The number of Writers conferences have increased dramatically through the years. I didn’t even find out about Writers Conferences until after my first book was published. I’ve pretty much attended a conference or taught every year since then. The industry changes and attending conferences is one way to stay in the ‘know’. It’s a way to meet with editors and agents and hear what they are looking for. It’s a place to take classes and hone your writing skills. It’s a place to network with authors and learn from them, to meet other writers, and share your writing woes and joys. It’s a great place to offer encouragement to each other and be surrounded by so many others who feel called by the Lord to write. There’s truly nothing like it.

Getting published can be a long sometimes painful process. It’s not for the meek nor thin-skinned souls. But writing is rewarding, rejuvenating, fulfilling. It’s a whole new world, filled with great people, new experiences. If God has placed it on your heart to write, then do your best to be obedient. Vow to give Him your best by learning the craft, and submitting great manuscripts then see what God has in store for you.

Categories
Talking Character

Your Character’s Skewed Worldview

In any good story, the protagonist can only achieve her external story goal by first overcoming a deep inner issue. (Her character arc is her journey to discover, wrestle with, and overcome this issue.)

What is this inner issue?

A belief or fear that gives her a skewed view of the world. In other words, her inner issue is a big fat Lie she believes, a Lie that leads her to act in ways that are unwise—and will ultimately lead to her failure unless she confronts the Lie and discovers a better truth.

Where does this inner issue come from?

Somewhere in your character’s past he encountered a traumatic event, or Wound, which initiated his skewed thinking. This does not mean your character must have been abused or suffered severe trauma. The Wound might be a broken promise, or a word of condemnation, anything that incites the character to believe some lie about himself or how he must survive in his world.

You must know precisely when, and why, your protagonist’s worldview was knocked out of alignment. Lisa Cron in Wired for Story

If you know what initiated your character’s belief in the Lie, you’re halfway to helping him overcome it. K. M. Weiland in Creating Character Arcs.

An Example:

In my current manuscript, a Roman aristocrat named Avitus was badly burned as a youth, and as a result his face, chest and left arm are scarred. Because of this scarring, he was ridiculed and rejected by the peers who had once been his friends.

That rejection is his Wound. It caused him to believe that he was ugly and unlovable (the Lie). To protect himself from further rejection, he became a loner, only trusting others who, like him, have been rejected in some way.

However, a stipulation in his father’s will requires him to marry before he can inherit his share. So long as he remains in his skewed worldview—where he believes he is unlovable—he will remain safely behind his wall of dispassionate self-control.

In order to win the respect of his potential spouse, he must realize that it is the Lie that made him unlovable, not his scars. Only by dropping his mask of indifference and becoming vulnerable can he hope to convince her to marry him.

Further thoughts on your character’s Wound

  • Identifying a specific wounding event helps the writer create a more authentic character.
  • The Wound often lies in the past, long before the story starts, although in some cases the Wound occurs in the early scenes of your story.
  • The more skewed the character’s worldview (the bigger the Lie), the more serious the Wound must be.
  • In some cases, the character’s wound is revealed as the story progresses. In others the readers never learns about the Wound, but it still informs how the character behaves.

[bctt tweet=”What big fat Lie does your character believe, and what Wound initiated this belief? #amwriting” username=””]

Categories
Uncategorized

“Sound” Writing: 5 Senses

Great authors write using the five senses. They are masters of drawing their readers deeper into the world, scene, or setting of a story by embracing the intricacies and subtleties of the five senses.

The senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and feel are available to almost all writers. Utilizing proper description of each of the five sense in your manuscript will greatly improve your story, and will drastically improve your chances of getting your manuscript published.

In the modern world sound is everywhere. You can’t get away from it. Popular studies have shown that spending just thirty-minutes in a room void of sound can drive a person crazy and cause them to hallucinate. It is near impossible to find an area with an absence of sound. You cannot avoid even the faintest whirr of air-conditioning fans blowing, the tick of a clock, or even your own heart, and neither can the characters in your manuscript.

Sound is everywhere, even in your made up reality contained within the pages of your story. The reality of this is a great benefit to your writing. Your readers know and experience those same sounds in their daily lives. It gives you common ground from which you can connect your scene or setting with the mind of your target audience.

As an exercise take sixty-seconds and write what you hear in the scene shown in this picture.

What did you hear?

Did you hear the metallic clash of the blacksmith’s hammer pounding against the red-hot metal? Most people do.

What about the laborious grunts emanating from the blacksmith as he exerts all of his effort into reshaping the metal? Not as many people hear that sound when they look at this picture. You have to look deeper. Put yourself into the scene to see it.

Can you hear the singing sounds of sparks blasting away from the impacts?

What about the sizzle of the blacksmith’s sweat as it drops from his forehead onto the molten metal?

Or the scrunching of thick leather in the blacksmith’s apron as he moves and twists?

Look again at the picture and picture yourself in the scene. Close your eyes and experience the blacksmith working. What do you hear?

Hopefully, your mind allowed you to embrace the setting in a unique way. Maybe you heard the roar of the fire just outside the picture, or the screeching of metal as the blacksmith readjusts his grip on the hot metal using the tongs.

Did you hear an assistant chattering in the background? Or music playing on an old radio?

If you didn’t hear any of these things, don’t worry. It takes practice. But the more you open your mind to the reality of the sound around you, the more you will be able to describe it in your manuscript and pull your reader further into your story.

Take one last look at the image and write in the comments something unique that you can “hear” in the setting, that you didn’t already hear the first two times.

Categories
Storyworld

Anatomy of Grays: Hormones

“Based on what we know of the creature’s hormones,” Doctor Stein said, “we’ve managed to keep our little captive sedated.”

“Drugs?” Jim asked. But as he approached the observation window he realized the term “sedate” was being used liberally. The literally pint-sized alien was sitting on a cushion, eating something. Meanwhile the holovid played reruns from old cartoons. “You can’t be serious.”

Stein nodded. “We’re quite serious. Our endocrinological analysis revealed the highest spike in happiness hormones when the alien is given large doses of Doritos and Batman the Animated Series.”

Jim sighed in resignation. “Well it worked for my childhood I guess.”

 

In my opinion, the word “Endocrine” sounds overly technical. This is basically the system of hormones in your body that make you run faster in a panic, hit harder in a fight, or act more stupidly as a teenage boy. Just kidding … sort of. Well okay, I’m not kidding that much.

Endocrine versus Neurological

Whereas the nervous system (discussed last month) transmits information via nerves in the body, telling your fingers to react to a pinch or click on a web advertisement, the endocrine system releases chemicals designed to stimulate muscles, increase insulin production, or even activate menstrual cycle stages. Yes, I said menstrual cycles. After the article a few months ago, I realized I have no more shame.

Hormones are produced in glands, special organs located in various places throughout your body. Adrenal glands are located near the kidneys, thyroid glands are in your neck, and the governing hormone gland, the pituitary gland, is located directly below your brain. It’s worth pointing out that science was certain that most of these glands were vestigial organs up until a few decades ago. As we learn more about the human body, science discovers that there is very little junk in our finely tuned bodies.

The endocrine system works without any specialized ducts. The nervous system uses unique nerve cells to communicate throughout the body, but when the glands in your body release hormones, they secrete them into the general blood stream. Then the hormone receptors will recognize these new chemicals and either turn certain things on or in some cases turn things off. When adrenaline is administered to the body, receptors in the muscles will stimulate localized higher blood flow, whereas receptors in the digestive tract will tell the body to limit blood flow in those regions. It’s all the same adrenaline, but the body’s different receptors (called isoforms) interpret the chemical differently. And this makes sense, of course – digesting food is of little concern if you’re about to be eaten yourself.

Examples

Hormones are usually so subtle they’re not thought of very often. Here’s a few:

Adrenaline/epinephrine, the “fight or flight” hormone, releases when the body senses danger. This also releases when nervous about acceptance or rejection, meaning it often coincides with an early dating relationship (the “butterflies”).

Testosterone, that hormone I mentioned earlier that makes young boys act stupidly, is the chemical that governs sexual drive in both men and women.

Serotonin, the “happy hormone,” is released when you have good feelings. Common antidepressants like SSRIs exist to prolong this happy feeling at the expense of low libido and weight gain.

Oxytocin, also known as the “bonding hormone,” is released during intercourse and when mothers nurse their babies. Not surprising, Oxytocin also creates a beneficial comraderie between people. An artificial oxytocin known as pitocin is also used in hospitals to induce baby delivery.

Pheromones – A Close Cousin to Hormones

There are others (dopamine, estrogen, progesterone, insulin, etc.), but they’re not terribly interesting from a worldbuilding perspective. Far more intriguing is the concept of pheromones. Used mostly in the animal kingdom as a method of communication, pheromones are like a hormone secreted by one creature and received by another. One of my favorite videogames, XCOM, has a genetic modification that allows your soldiers to release adrenal pheromones, essentially boosting a squad’s combat effectiveness. How cool is that? In a sci-fi world (or a fantasy one), any hormones could be turned into a pheromone. Imagine a world where a politician could emit serotonin and oxytocin pheromones. He’d have very few enemies in congress.

Pheromones are also very creature-specific. On our world, pheromones to attract Japanese Beetles are used in traps to kill these nasty pests. The chemical doesn’t affect other insects though, so it’s relatively safe. In theory scientists in a sci-fi novel might be able to develop similar chemicals to fight alien creatures. Or more nefariously, aliens might do likewise to subjugate humanity.

 

That’s all for now. Let me know how you’ve seen thought processes or emotional responses altered in books and movies. Next month in the final installment of our anatomy series, we’ll tackle the biological ways in which a creature protects itself from bad bacteria and diseases.

 

Xcom image from:

http://www.gameskinny.com/7fp8y/x-com-enemy-within-gene-labs-guide

 

Japanese Beetle image from:

https://laidbackgardener.wordpress.com/2016/07/21/controlling-those-japanese-beetles

 

Endocrine System image from:

http://www.drkelley.info/2015/08/16/endocrinology-what-is-the-endocrine-system/

Categories
Tour

Blog Tour-Joyce Zook

 

Welcome Joyce, please tell us about your most Recent Book

I had self-published my newest book, God and Your Closet and prepared for a spring launch about de-cluttering our closets. Instead, I will de-cluttering my closets and house before we move to be nearer our grandkid in the near future. I am excited about the fall decluttering project I now have planned for the book.

God and Your Closet, takes readers through each step of decluttering their closets. I’ve learned from helping women sort through their closets, that our closets often resemble our lives. We attach memories, unresolved issues, and joyous occasions to our clothes. The six-week journal book presents one step a week to clear the clutter from our closets. Daily Scriptures verses and thought provoking questions help us determine why it got stuffed full in the first place. When we remove the fears and negative thoughts we have about ourselves and our clothes, we can see ourselves as God’s beautiful women.

To buy: https://www.amazon.com/God-Your-Closet-Joyce-Zook

Why do you write what you do?

The last twenty years I have spoken and taught Bible studies encouraging and helping women apply biblical principles in their everyday lives. When I finished a talk or workshop, ladies would ask if I had a book about the topic. Seven years ago I face my own fears and decided to write.

I developed a phobia about writing in high school and college due to the old typewriters we used. My spelling wasn’t good and I made mistakes as I typed, thus I retyped the pages over and over. It got bad enough that a friend paid to have my senior college paper typed for me as a birthday gift. Thirty years later I watched my husband write his books on the computer and discovered a whole new way to write. Mistakes can be corrected, words rearrange, and edited without having to start from scratch after each change.

Writing became a fun way to capture the stories and tips I loved to share with others. The challenges I faced and how I overcame them became the main themes of my wiring. Others tell me their favorite part of the books are the stories which, according to them, show I am “a real person.” My desire is to enable women to improve their marriages, time management, and self-image with biblical principles.

What are you currently working on?

My current work in progress is for the busy mom, who filled her days and weeks with so many activities until she lost her joy. It talks about how to simplify our lives allowing us to concentrate on the most important people and tasks.

Worn out and exhausted, I discovered Bible verses about God giving us rest. I needed rest, but I also needed to know what to do and not do. I didn’t want to randomly pick things. I wanted to follow God’s direction for my live. Through study, prayer, and experimentation I developed a system I used the last twenty years to sort through my options and pick the most important things. For years I taught this method to prioritize our lives at conferences, Bible studies, one on one, and workshops. Now it needs to be in a book. I’m in the process of adding stories to my draft and I writing the proposal a publisher requested.

How does your work differ from other work in its genre?

I write for women who like stories, action steps, and short chapters with a few Bible verses and questions. I want the person who reads the book to learn how she can change her life and conquer her problems with systems she can repeat. My style of writing includes real life stories, lessons I learned as a wife and mother, biblical references, and application for our lives.

How does your writing process work?

The talks and courses I presented in the past have become the outlines for my books. Articles I saved and books I’ve read provide reference material and new ideas. The editing process becomes a game as figure out another way to write the sentence or paragraph without using the same word multiple times. I have several beta readers who give me great insight and suggestions to improve my writing. One of the first comments I received said, “Joyce, where are your stories?”

My favorite time to write is first thing in the morning for about an hour. When traveling, I take my laptop and write in the car, airports or hotels, but my favorite spot is and sitting on my comfy bed at home.

Bio

Based in Texas, Joyce writes from the wisdom she gained through her life experiences as a homemaker, veteran home schooling mom, and military wife. When the kids left home, she followed her dream to become a life coach and writer. She shares the lessons she learned as she strove to lead a normal family life in the midst of constant chaos and change to include 17 military moves and multiple deployments.

She has published three non-fiction books. She is working on a book that explores how to simplify our lives and find the rest we crave when time management isn’t enough. Joyce and her husband, Aaron, have been married for 38 years, have two married sons, and four precious grandchildren.

 

 

Categories
Uncategorized

Crafting The One Page Magazine Pitch

As a former magazine editor and someone who has written for many publications, I’ve got good news. Every magazine editor is always looking for the right material for their magazine. Even if you are getting rejected, you should be encouraged with this information. Magazine editors (like book editors) have many more responsibilities than simply reading unsolicited manuscripts.   Most of the higher paying magazines prefer to receive a single-page pitch letter called a query letter.  Within a few minutes, the editor can determine if the idea is appropriate or not for their publication. Because of the volume of submissions, many editors will never respond if the answer is “no thank you.” Just knowing this practice is a reality check for writers.

As a writer, you are looking for an assignment or a “go ahead” or a “yes” response from the editor. One of the most important skills for writers to develop is to craft a query letter.  To succeed at writing queries requires repeated practice.  As you write these letters, you will refine and improve your technique.  Sometimes at writer’s conferences, I will teach an hour on this topic and give detailed examples and a checklist in my handouts. I continue to recommend Lisa Collier Cool’s excellent book, How to Write Irresistible Query Letters (Writer’s Digest Books).

What’s a query letter? A query is a single-page letter which sells your story idea. It has a four paragraph formula.

The first paragraph is a creative beginning for your article. You don’t write the entire article–only the first paragraph which captures the reader’s interest. The purpose of this first paragraph is simply to capture the editor’s attention. I won’t walk you through the day of an editor, but since I’ve been one for years, I know they are involved in a multitude of tasks. For editors to read query letters, it is often done at the end of the day, late at night or in a car pool on the way home. You must begin with something interesting.

The second paragraph includes the main points of how you will approach the article.

The third paragraph gives your personal qualifications for this topic and your writing credits (if any). It answers the question, why should you of all the writers get this assignment? Highlight your area of expertise in this paragraph.

The final paragraph says how soon you could write the article (give yourself enough time for example, “three weeks from assignment”) and says you are enclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope and looking forward to their reply or they respond via email. I often send my query letter to as many as ten different publications at the same time.

Within the magazine business, there is an on-going discussion about simultaneous submissions (where you send the same finished article to several publications). If you do this, you may end up on the black list of authors. Each publication has a list of people that they will not work with. You don’t want to be on that list. Also each publication has a list of authors they use regularly and call with ideas. Your goal is to get on this particular list of regular contributors.

A simultaneous query is not the same as a finished article. Go ahead and query several magazines at the same time on the same topic if you think you can write several different articles on the same subject. One magazine may ask for 500 words on the topic while another may approach it from an entirely different viewpoint and ask for 2,000 words. Your illustrations and information will be considerably different. If you send it to ten magazines, you may get ten rejections. On the other hand, perhaps you will get an acceptance or two, or at least a request to see the entire article on speculation. “On speculation” means that the editor is not under obligation to purchase your article if it doesn’t meet the periodical’s standards or expectations.

A word about rejection of your queries and manuscripts

An article or query may be rejected for many different reasons. Maybe the publication has already purchased an article on that topic. Maybe they’ve recently assigned it to another author. Maybe they have an article on that topic coming in an issue which is already in production but not printed. There are many different reasons for rejection which are out of your control as a writer.

Sometimes even out of rejection comes an assignment. Several years ago, I had queried a number of magazines about writing on listening to the Bible on tape. I targeted the January issues of publications for this short how-to article. Every magazine rejected it.

Several weeks later, I received a phone call from a new editor at Christian Life magazine. They too had rejected the idea earlier. “We’re sorting through some old queries,” she explained. “Would you be able to write 500 words on the topic in the next three weeks?” No problem. That little article turned into one of my most popular articles for reprint in other publications.

I prefer writing on assignment and you can snag magazine assignments as you learn how to write a riveting query letter. You want the editor to read your letter and be compelled to pick up the phone and call you for more information or an assignment. Or you want that editor to open an email and write you immediately asking when you can have the article ready for their magazine. I hope you can see the importance of this skill as a writer.

Because I’ve been published repeatedly in different magazines, many mistakenly believe I was born this way. Wrong. I garner my share of rejection in this process.

Years ago in college I took a magazine writing course. We were required to write several ten-page magazine articles. My key mistake was a lack of understanding of the market or the audience for the publications. When you write your query letter, you have to focus on both of these aspects. You want the idea to be perfect for that particular publication and you want to think about the publication’s audience when you write the query. If you don’t handle these two basics, then I can almost guarantee rejection. My writing and my research for the college articles was right on target—yet these articles were never published because they had no market or audience in mind. Don’t make that same mistake.

  1. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

 

Categories
Dear Young Scribes

Publishing Terms Every Aspiring Author Should Know

 

If you’re planning to attend a writing conference any time soon, it may be wise to freshen up on your industry knowledge. A great place to start is by familiarizing yourself with publishing terms and their meanings. You don’t want to find yourself in a conversation or workshop, unable to follow along because of the unfamiliar “language”. It’s especially important to know these terms if you’re hoping to submit to an agent or editor. If you aren’t aware of what a query letter is, then how can you write one that will catch an agent’s interest?

 

To begin your quest on freshening in your pub language, here are important terms every aspiring author should know:

 

¤ Manuscript: This refers to the typed (or written) document of a book in its raw, unpublished form.

¤ Literary agent: Literary agents represent authors, pitch their books to publishers, often offer career advise, and handle the negotiation of publishing contracts among other responsibilities. Agents are known as the gatekeepers in the industry.

¤ Acquisition editor: Acquisition editors are in charge of acquiring manuscripts to consider for a publication house.

¤ In house editors: In house editors edit manuscripts for content, style, wordsmithing, grammar/punctuation, and plot. (There are typically three types of edits per manuscript in most publishing houses.)

¤ CBA: Christian Book Association – This is the Christian book market division of the book industry.

¤ ABA: American Booksellers Association – This is the general book market division of the book industry.

¤ Book proposal: A book proposal is the book’s selling “package” that the author or agent puts together to sell the manuscript.

¤ Query: A letter written by an author and directed to a potential literary agent in an effort to pitch a book and sign with the agent. (Similar to a cover letter.)

¤ Branding: This is the term used when describing the unique identification of an author.

¤ Platform: The total number of potential readers that the author can reach and promote their books to. (This is based mostly on their online reach, including social media followers, total number of blog readers and blog stats, mailing list subscribers, etc.)

¤ Traditional publishing: A route the author takes when they sign their book’s rights over to a publishing house.

¤ Self-publishing: A route the author takes when they independently publish their books and own the rights.

¤ Hybrid model: A route the author takes when they combine the traditional and self-publishing models for their books.

¤ Genre: A category, such as Young Adult, that groups specific types of fiction books together. This helps a reader easily identify the type of story they can expect. (For example: mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, etc.)

¤ Subgenre: A subcategory that also identifies specific types of stories; however, a subgenre label is branched beneath a genre’s umbrella. (For example: In the label “YA contemporary romance”, contemporary romance is known as the subgenre, whereas YA is considered the overall genre.)

¤ Imprint: An imprint is a publisher’s division and brand of their company. Imprints publish a specific type or genre of books within that publishing company. (For example: Illuminate YA is the YA fiction imprint of LPC Books.)

 

Are there any terms on this list that you were not familiar with? What terms would you like to add to this list?

Categories
Fantasy-Sci-Fi

The Fantastical Character of Setting

 

“Murder committed on a dark and stormy night.”

“A grouchy widow lives alone in a broken down cottage.”

“The crazy inventor resides inside a windmill that works of its own free-will.”

Three greatly varied scenes, all enhanced in mood by the setting.

Many writers use setting to influence the reader’s emotion for a particular scene or to foreshadow what is later to come. But what about setting as a character itself?

Many writers strive to go beyond the simple cookie-cutter description of setting at the beginning of the story and sprinkle the emotional elements of that setting throughout the work, creating a deeper connection between the reader and characters. Using setting in this way can take the story to another level and can set that story apart from others like it. However, as fantasy writers, we have the opportunity to get even more creative with setting. Because our stories have the ability to go beyond the laws of physics, we can change or twist the setting into its very own unique character.

In Disney’s newest theatrical release, “Moana,” the fantastical world of demi-gods and magic does just that. While it may appear that the majority of the movie takes place on a small boat with a young girl and a demi-god (named Maui), there are actually three characters in each of those scenes. (If you don’t count the chicken!) Time and again the Ocean comes to the forefront, directing and affecting the final outcome of what takes place between Maui and Moana. In fact, it is the character of Ocean that sets Moana on her quest in the first place, when she gives the young girl the “heart of Tafiti” so she can go in search of Maui.

Once on the boat, Maui repeatedly attempts to leave the quest himself—or to force Moana to leave—but is waylaid when Ocean plops each of the main characters right back in their positions on the boat. How’s that for character? Without Ocean, the story would’ve ended before it even began!

As we write our fantasy stories, we have the opportunity to “think outside the box” with our imagination and take setting beyond what may be allowed in a non-fantasy world. In what way can you use your setting to make your story better? Is there an element missing from your work that could be filled with another non-human character? Take time to explore your setting—and the use of it as character. It may be just what your story needs.

Laura L. Zimmerman is a homeschooling mom to three daughters, and a doting wife to one husband. Besides writing, she is passionate about loving Jesus, singing, drinking coffee and anything Star Wars. You can connect with her through Facebook and Twitter and at her website, www.lauralzimmerman.com