The ideal writing spot

  I have an ideal writing spot.

  My ideal spot is on a thick cushion that’s faded because it’s tucked next to a large picture window. Matching fluffy pillows support my back and protect my legs from the heat of my laptop.

  The window overlooks a simple flower garden with white, yellow, and pink blooms. It also has a bird house in the middle. The birds’ house is a miniature version of my own.

from Fotolia

  White-bellied squirrels and rusty brown chipmunks with quick grace forage for, and hide, their bounty while I devise brilliant ways for my heroine to overcome great obstacles that concludes in non-predictable yet satisfying way.

  My ideal writing spot does not exist outside my imagination.

  In truth any place I can find a few uninterrupted minutes in consecutive secession is an “ideal writing spot.”

  In the living room, in the dining room, in the bedroom, at Domino’s while I’m waiting for my order, at my desk at work on my lunch break – they all can be productive spots for writing.

  I love window seats and hope to have one someday. But in the here and now the ideal writing spot for me isn’t a place, it’s a state of mind.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

Life-Proof or Life-Resistant Writing?

Even though we are 20 or so years away from it, my husband and I have been talking about retirement plans lately.

I want to move to Iceland where there are no mosquitoes. He wants to move to Florida where there exists more mosquitoes than in any other state in the U.S.A.

Besides the prolific insect populations (and alligators), the other reason I am hesitant to move there are the hurricanes. How often have we been hearing about people who have lost everything because of a hurricane? Often!

If you can’t tell, I did not grow up near a large body of water. My husband did; it’s called the Atlantic Ocean. We have been living in a part of the country I’m used to for the past 20 years surrounded by corn fields, green grass, tall trees and cricks, otherwise known as “creeks.”

He’s given up what he loves for my comfort, so it’s only right I at least consider living out our golden years where he feels most at home.

That said, I’m still uneasy. So I prayed, “Lord, is there anything out there that can stand up to a hurricane?” It turns out there is. There are a few options actually, but the one that caught my eye is a round home.

Believe it or not, round homes are tornado, earthquake and hurricane resistant. I guess no one can claim hurricane-proof, because, let’s face it, stuff happens. But the few companies I found that make round homes have testimonials of round home owners who have lived through recent hurricanes and their houses emerged unscathed. Cool, huh?

So all this got me to thinking about whether or not it’s possible for writers to “life-proof” their writing.

I’m coming off a three-week unscheduled, unwanted hiatus from my cherished writing schedule. Life happened.

My father-in-law could no longer live on his own, so we found a way for him to move in with us until better arrangements can be made. I contracted a stomach virus that left me incoherent for 10 days. Our youngest daughter caught a cold that turned into a lung infection. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

Maybe for some life-proofing their writing is possible. What does that really mean but to choose writing every time something comes up? I commend everyone with that kind of determination and discipline. You rock! My hope is to join your ranks someday.

But for me, now, I’m thinking life-resistant writing is a pretty good option. So what does that mean? I think it means to have a writing schedule, to have a plan, but also to be flexible so when life happens you can resist the guilt and hopelessness that inevitably comes.

Your heart for writing hasn’t gone away, it’s just weathering the latest storm. And when the wind calms and the water stills, you pick up where you left off.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

Transitions

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”  1 Cor. 13:12 (KJV)

from GraphicStock.com

The picture I chose to accompany this month’s blog brought this scripture to mind. It also inspired the title and theme, that and a little prayer asking God for help.

The longer I contemplate the word, “Transitions,” the more incidences come to mind of how it can apply to our lives. Basically, our lives are a series of transitions – birth, toddler, preschooler, grade schooler, tween, teen, adult – to name one just one series.

And for the believer, I would say the first transition would be learning what it means to be “a new creature” in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). This transition is not a one-time thing either, but a journey, THE journey that takes us into eternity with our heavenly Father – the biggest transition of all.

As a writer, I stink at transitions. Every paper that was handed back to me in college was marked for too many commas and my lack of transitions.

Here’s a bit of irony for you, I’ve noticed a pattern recently during my morning writing sessions. You see, I’m not starting from scratch on my story. I am interweaving original scenes with new ones. Guess what the new ones are. Yep, transitional scenes. What can I say? It’s what the story has been missing.

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White define “transition” like this, “A word or group of words that aids in coherence in writing by showing the connections between ideas.”

It sounds simple enough, but just like the picture with the castle view on foggy winter morning, transitions are not always so clear to me. Fortunately, the author and finisher of our faith is always available to help me – to help you – when asked in faith, believing.

Learning to write in the early morning has proved to be a life transition for me, as well. But this is one transition I am especially happy to make, and with Christ’s help, I may even master.

May God bless all your life transitions, the ones in your writer’s life and in your writing, too.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

The elusive writing schedule

They seek it here, they seek it there

Those writers seek it everywhere

Is it in heaven or is it in hell?

That doggone elusive writer’s schedule.

Borrowed from Baroness Emmuska Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel (with minor adjustments)

I have included “Establish a writing schedule” on my New Year’s resolution list every year for a number of years, which I did each year.

from Fotolia by Ivan Nikulin

I just couldn’t maintaining it the whole year which produced guilt, which then lent itself to frustration, self-doubt, <insert emotion here>.

I wanted 2015 to be different so I changed the resolution to “Establish a writing schedule that I, and my family, can live with.” Ah, that’s a whole different animal, isn’t it? And it’s proven to be about as easy as finding other elusive things like say, a yeti, for example.

But found it, I have (and yes, I am a Star Wars fan).

It took me until the end of October, but I did find my schedule – the one I and my family can live with. I have stuck to it through the month of November and I’m still doing it. Plus, I look forward to it.

Before I share what changed, I must praise Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, for His part in this. He must get the credit because as He said, “… apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NLT).

Okay, so what changed?

Two things: my perspective and my expectations.

The truth is there are people better qualified, more creative and way more articulate than I am who could be writing the story I am writing right now. The problem is God didn’t give this story to them, He gave it to me - the least qualified person.

Why? After much prayer and Bible study, I have concluded this is a pattern with God. He chose a stutterer to speak for him to the King of Egypt. He chose a small, young shepherd to slay a giant, just to name two examples, there are many more.

Okay, God, I admit I need You to write, but things still aren’t coming together. What am I missing?

What I was missing was that God never intended writing to be just for me. He had always intended “writing time” to be “Father/daughter time;” He meant it for us. Just like a loving Father, He chose an activity I love that we can have fun doing together.

The second thing was my expectation. I had to change how I define a successful writing session.

My new definition of success is simply get up half an hour early, read devotions and pray for a few minutes then spend the rest of the time writing with my heavenly Father.

from Fotolia by blinkblink

It’s a slow process. One day I wrote only 20 words, but the point is I’m moving forward. It is inevitable that I will complete this story, and finish it the way I have always imagined because I have the best co-author ever!

So with God’s help, I found my schedule. I have no plans to try to find a yeti, but with God I could write a story about it.

Merry Christmas everyone! And God bless your New Year!

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

The same yesterday, today and forever

I hadn’t intended to write about things for which I am thankful, it seems a bit cliché since its November but that’s exactly what I am about to do.

I wasn’t able to attend the ACFW conference a couple of months ago. I had a choice: go to the conference or invest in my fellow Thistles’ first writer’s retreat. I chose the Thistles this year.

In case I haven’t mentioned it before, along with belonging to ACFW, I also belong to a local writer’s group. It’s called The Thistle Club. We chose thistles as our emblem because, among other things, they are tenacious.

Anyway, I felt a little denied this year not being able to attend ACFW’s conference but I believed that the retreat would be God’s vehicle to speak to us Thistles as His children and as writers. And you know what? It was and He did.

So, firstly, I want to thank God for showing up and spending the weekend with us. I stand amazed at how He knows exactly what we need, when we need it.

Which leads me to the next thing for which I am thankful… the blessing that is the ACFW newsletter, specifically the current edition. If you haven’t had a chance yet to read the November newsletter, I highly recommend you do.

I appreciate Michael Ehret’s notes on Bill Myers’ Second Keynote Address, because they laid the foundation for Allen Arnold’s presentation – “The Wildness of Writing with God: ‘Have fun, God.’” Arnold’s presentation was apparently a well-articulated version of what God also spoke to the Thistles during our retreat.

God is so cool.

Arnold’s definitions of the "Realms of Creativity" really hit home with me personally, and at their heart confirmed what God has been speaking to me for a while now.

So, secondly, I’m thankful to God for His timeless, and timely, Word, and to Michael Ehret for sharing his notes. If I have learned nothing else lately, it is that the writer’s life is not accomplished alone. We need God and each other if we are to finish the race God has set before us.

The greatest part about all this is that God already knew what we would need from the beginning of time and has already prepared it, we only have to ask.

Thank you, God, for being You - yesterday, today and forever.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

It’s who I am

“What do you do?”  One of the most dreaded questions among writers who don’t, or can’t, write “full-time” as they would like.

Well, I do quite a lot.

What do you do?

This is something Aine Greaney addressed in her book Writer with a Day Job. I think what she said is very affirming, especially for those of us who are still trying to make it out of the gates:

“As a nine-to-five employee, you may be inclined to define yourself by your day job. ‘I’m an accountant.’ ‘I’m in advertising.’ ‘I’m an executive assistant.’ There’s nothing wrong with this. It’s what you do. Just make sure that you also define yourself as a writer. Go on. Take a deep breath and make yourself say it, ‘I’m a writer.’”

I read the passage above one Sunday morning before church. And while I appreciated what she said, it didn’t satisfy me – my meal was missing the dessert.

She said to “define yourself” as a writer. That changes the question for me from “What do you do?” to “Who are you?”

With a little exasperation, I said to God, “I don’t feel like I even know who I am anymore. I’m almost 45… Is this what it’s like when people have a mid-life crisis?”

He nipped my mini-rant in the bud tout de suite. Not more than 2 hours later at church we sang a song called “Blameless” by Dara Maclean. If you’ve never heard it before, you can Google the title and listen to it on YouTube. I hope you will take a couple of minutes to listen to the song - it's powerful.

By the time we got to the first chorus I couldn’t sing anymore. It was all I could do not to sob uncontrollably.

That’s who I am – I am Yours!

from Fotolia by denis_pc

And that’s who you are, too. If you have received Jesus’ gift of salvation and call Him LORD, you are His. Because of His blood, we are blameless, forgiven, righteous and free.

Free to walk the path our LORD and Savior has set before us. Free to serve Him through glorious, wonderful words. What an honor and a privilege.

So when someone asks, “What do you do?,” please feel free to tell them you are a writer, as I will, let’s just always remember that writing is what we DO for the Lord, it’s not WHO we are. Live free in Jesus today!

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

Stories: where do they come from?

I’ve seen several articles about story ideas – where to find them, how to get them, how to figure out which ones are good and which ones are not. But I must admit haven’t read any of them.

I haven’t read any of them because I don’t have any trouble coming up with a story idea. In fact, sometimes it feels like they seek me out, tackle me to ground and won’t release me until I write them down.

To borrow a phrase from Jeff Gerke – I’m a plot-firster. So What is going to happen in a story comes easily to me. Sometimes a little too easy. I am a cautious person by nature. I prefer a steady trickle of information coming to me about a story.

from Fotolia by kevron2001

Often, though, I get blasted with a tidal wave of images, names, plot twists and resolutions all at one time. The experience leaves me gasping for air and trying to put the pieces together in its wake. 

The tough part for me is character development. Because as the characters become more fully developed, I begin to see them. “That’s good,” I can hear you say.

Well, yes and no. It’s good for the reason you’re thinking. The better you see a character the easier it is to write him or her.

The not good part for me is as they become more developed, more aware of their existence, they become very demanding. I can almost see them standing in the corner with their arms crossed or hands on their hips, a single eyebrow cocked with disapproval. They just stand there waiting for me to write their stories. You’d think they could be a little more understanding. I mean really!

Back to the question at hand… So where do stories come from? I can only answer for myself and my single largest source for stories is the Bible. The Holy Spirit is such a visual writer. There are tons of images that illustrate Truth (Jesus, His character) throughout all 66 books of the Bible.

Proverbs is loaded with mini-scenarios that could be fleshed out as a full-fledged novel or at least a short story. I’m often inspired by what I learn during Bible studies, too. A personal revelation turns into a seed of a story that illustrates another aspect of who God is and why He is God alone.

Ultimately, I must credit God as the source of all my story ideas. The very author and finisher of our faith. How loving and how generous He is that He would share Himself with us in “story?”

Thank you, Jesus, for not keeping your story to yourself. May every story I write reflect your good news and bring you glory.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord