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

Read any good sci-fi lately?

Actually, I have.

I saw an invitation on the ACFW Speculative Group Facebook page to review a new science fiction book due out in August called Trial Run by Thomas Locke, aka T. Davis Bunn. I bought Emissary, a fantasy by Locke, for my daughter. She liked it so I thought I would check out his sci-fi, too. I’m really glad I did.

The last sci-fi book I read was Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card, and I found myself initially comparing the two books. Card introduced his nine main characters in the first nine chapters; one chapter per character. Locke does something very similar except Locke’s chapters are significantly shorter; generally only a few pages long, sometimes just two.

While it took me longer to connect with a character in Locke’s book than it did in Card’s, once I did connect it was hard to put Trial Run down. It’s all there – action, mystery, a hint of romance, and an intriguing “technology” for the lack of a better word. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Locke knows how to write. It’s pretty easy to see why he’s won so many awards. He knows his craft.

For me it was refreshing to read a science fiction story that is completely clean with no obvious agenda. And speaking of agendas, this book is not overtly Christian. If you’re looking for a salvation message, you won’t find it in Trial Run. However, I did see a sliver of opportunity for future books in the series. It will be interesting to see where Locke goes with it.

As a writer, it’s interesting to see what Bunn is doing to build up his pen name and new audiences for genres in which he’s not known. As a reader, I enjoyed reading a good book that I can, without reservation, recommend to everyone I know.

If you want to check out a sample of Trial Run and even download a free ebook from Thomas Locke’s website, you can do that here: http://tlocke.com/fault-lines/

I had fun with the story. I hope you do, too.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

Playing with Peripety

from Fotolia by Mr Doomits

I love the word “peripety.” Not only is it a literary tool, it’s just so fun to say - \pə-ˈri-pə-tē\

I can just say it over and over in my mind. It makes me happy for some reason.

I first learned the term “peripety” during a Beth Moore Bible study on the book of Esther. For those who know they know this word but can’t place exactly what it means, peripety is the English form of the Greek word “peripeteia” and means “a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances or situation especially in a literary work.”

Back in Aristotle’s day peripeteia was used more in tragedies. Greek tragedies frustrate the dickens out of me. I know those stories were used to teach people what is and is not appropriate behavior, but come on! Can people really be that obtuse? I guess history proves they can.

I like the way God used peripety in the Bible. When Haman is exposed for the really, really bad guy he was, and favor fell on the Jews to defend themselves in the face of annihilation – that’s just awesome storytelling.

And Saul, so determined to wipe the earth clean for God of those new followers of The Way who were blaspheming everything he “knew” to be true, was changed in a brilliant flash of light into who would become the Apostle Paul.

Now that’s peripety.

Peripety is so well orchestrated in the scriptures. Leave it to God to do it right. If you read through the two stories I mention above, you’ll notice these sudden turns of events are very organic to the core stories themselves. There are no unknown or surprise characters, simply changes of heart.

And quite frankly, the coolest part about peripety in both these stories is that it wasn’t just a literary tool – it’s history. Let’s not forget that what is words for us was reality for those who believed in God and His Sovereignty. And because God is the same yesterday, today and forever, peripety on the upswing can be our reality, too.

I know I can never master anything as well as God, but perhaps with His help I, too, can play with peripety in my stories and show in a memorable way the kind of change in a heart only God can make, and make it resonate with my readers. So let it be.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

Book review of The Slight Edge: A book for writers? Definitely!

This month I would like to talk about The Slight Edge a book written by Jeff Olson with John David Mann. It is not written with writers in mind, but the heart of it easily applies to the writing process which is pretty exciting.

To save us both time, and the blog site space, I’m going to briefly explain what Olson means by “the slight edge” and then share my top three “take-aways” that have inspired me to continue pursuing the writing dreams I believe God has placed in my heart.

The slight edge in a nutshell is: “simple productive actions, repeatedly consistently over time.”

If you are a writer, you can already see where this is going, can’t you? How many times have you been told/read/heard that if you really are a writer you have to “write every day”? I have lost count.

And it’s not that I disagree but if, like me, you have to work full-time, have three kids, and your husband has health issues that limit how much he can help out around the house – where do you find the time?

This is why I found Olson’s book exciting and inspiring because this is what he helps you figure out. Let me be clear, this is not a book about time management. What Olson does do is give a compelling argument for why you need to pursue your goals no matter what obstacles are in the way, and he does it in a very down-to-earth, encouraging way.

So my three take-aways:

• 1    The things we know we need to do are easy to do, and easy not to do.
• 2.       Slow and steady wins the race (but mostly steady).
• 3.       To close the gap between “I really should do ______” to doing it, is to be present in the moment.

I found the following paragraph encouraging, I hope you do too:

“…you already know how to do everything it takes to make you an outrageous success. That’s how you’ve survived up to this point. And if you can survive, then you can succeed. You don’t need to do some brilliant, impossible thing. You don’t need to learn some insanely difficult skills, or have some genius-level brainstorm of an innovative idea. All you have to do is keep doing the things that got you this far. Which is exactly what 99.9% of people don’t do. You have complete control over the direction that the rest of your life takes.”

Now before you start thinking the last sentence sounds new-agey, let me ask you – do you believe God gave us free will? If you do, then you know that you don’t have to write even if you really want to or even believe God wants you to; it’s your choice.

And this leads me to my first take-away and another quote:

“People don’t consistently do those simple things for three reason: 1) while they’re easy to do, they’re easy not to do; 2) you don’t see any results at first (or for writers, very little progress); 3) they seem insignificant, like they don’t matter.”

Writing only 100 words a day couldn’t possibly be worth it, or could it? According to Olson:

consistently repeated daily actions + time = inconquerable results

I don’t know about you, but I have always viewed time as an enemy never as a gift from God. But it is.

And if we’re doing the little things every day – even if it’s just 100 words a day – I believe it’s a writer’s way of showing appreciation for His gift, and then He blesses us with an inevitable “The End.” If we keep starting, we will finish eventually. It will happen.

This, of course, is my second take-away: steady wins the race.

My third take-away has been said another way with which you may be familiar – living on purpose. Olson says it differently:

“Greatness is not something predetermined, predestined, or carved into your fate by forces beyond your control. Greatness is always in the moment of decision.”

Now, I take slight issue with the first sentence. My sci fi side is showing right now because “predestined” is only a matter of perspective after all. I include it only as frame work for the second sentence – the moment of decision.

How often do I run on auto-pilot and not really think about how I’m spending my time? More often than I want to admit to. When I’m confronted with 10 minutes that no one else has claimed, what do I do?

I think I turn on the TV to do something “useful,” like check the weather. Instead of doing that I could write a few words. It may not be many words, but 10 minutes here and there adds up over time.

I’ve only just scratched the surface with this book. There is so much more in The Slight Edge that is very applicable to a writer’s life. If you are interested in reading it yourself, there are quite a few Indiana libraries that have this book. And if they don’t, you can always request it through interlibrary loan (that’s what I did).

I’ll leave you with one last thought: “It’s never too late to start. It’s always too late to wait.”

May God bless your writing journey today and always. Please don’t give up; He hasn’t given up on you.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

By His Grace

I’m feeling small and quiet today in light of God’s incomprehensible patience and goodness.

I’ve mentioned before how my writing journey has become intertwined with my spiritual journey in Christ. I am convinced now they are forever linked.

I have accepted that for my journey as a writer to advance, I must keep moving forward with Jesus, my Lord and Savior.

I must be willing to be soft and pliable.

I must be willing to repent when He exposes hidden sin in my life.

Sometimes I must wait for answers. And I have found that when I wait with expectation, God does answer.

The story I’m working on is one of two story ideas I got in my teens along with my “call” to write. I knew this was it; what God made me to do. Creating stories was so fun!

But I also noticed almost immediately that my friends – who did not feel compelled to write anything – were much better writers than me.

courtesy of graphicstock.com

That’s why I earned a degree in journalism with a minor in English. If you want to write, learn how to write, right?

And God in His goodness blessed my efforts. I loved my classes. Every writing class had my complete attention and I got to write for a living for six years as a reporter/editor. I loved it. The hours and stress just about killed me, but I loved it.

Flash forward a mere 25 years later from my initial call to the present time and yet another failed attempt to place in a contest.

Until recently I have failed rather gracefully, if I do say so myself. Kept my chin up and took the constructive criticism in stride. But not this time. My reaction to this rejection was different.

This time I seethed. And to my ultimate shame, I directed that anger at God – the most powerful being in this and all universes who could make me a little grease spot on the floor, if He wanted to.

I think I even (I’m wincing as I write this) literally shook my fist at the heavens and said, “What are you doing to me? Why me? Why did you give this story to me?”

Have you ever been there? Am I the only one? You want to know what He said?

“Are you ready to do this my way now?”

I was like, “Wha?” Such a succinct, intelligent response all while sporting a Patrick Starfish look on my face I’m sure. I had to let that sink in for a minute. Finally I said, “I thought I was.”

Wow! What a revelation, huh?

So after positioning myself to humbly ask for God’s forgiveness and listen to Him, I asked again, “So why me? I’m obviously not up to the task. I thought you gave this story to me because I’m the only one who can write it.”

Basically, the answer was “No.” I wasn’t chosen for what I bring to the table.

I found my answer in a Bible my grandpa gave to my grandma for Christmas many years ago. In it was a narrow bookmark that says, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” It still didn’t make sense to me until I read 2 Cor. 12:9 in the New Living Translation: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

Oh. That’s why God chose me to write this story, so I can proclaim with the Apostle Paul the rest of the verse: “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

Just like salvation, it’s not what I bring to the equation, it’s what He brings to it – Grace.

So now you know why I’m feeling sm

all and am in awe of the Almighty God who is also my gracious Heavenly Father. Grace indeed.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord

Freely give

“…Freely you have received, freely give.” Matt. 10:8b (NKJV)

I intended to finish out 2014 with a few of my favorite things about writing beginning in September, specifically the following four things: 

1. Closeness
2. Freedom
3. Research
4. Sharing

I had some technical issues and missed November, so I’m wrapping up the list today with number 4 - Sharing.

So to recap, writing, painting with words, draws me close to my Lord and Savior. And when Jesus is near, I experience freedom from all the cares and concerns that inevitably try to weigh me down.

With Him close, when I’m free from the noisy voices that want to steal my peace, I can seek and find anything. With His help I can uncover all the big, and little, nuggets of information I feel I need to make my stories plausible and interesting. He’s so good.

graphicstock.com

Learning new things energizes me more than a double espresso. Although I must say that would probably come in a close second. It’s all well and good to increase knowledge, but learning something valuable and not sharing it with somebody was never God’s intention. Writing is a great way to share what you’ve learned, but since writing full-time is not yet possible for me I’m convinced God has placed me in exactly the right workplace with the right people.

I’ve mentioned before that I work in a library. I have found that people who work in a library tend to love learning new things, and sharing that knowledge with anyone who will listen. In other words, I’m not the only one! I’m in good company.

That said it’s truly commendable how the ladies that I work with most closely will actually listen to me when I tell them yet another thing I discovered, and how much more awesome this thing is than the thing I “wowed” them with last time. They are so kind to at least pretend to be interested.

But I just can’t help myself! I want to talk about things I’ve learned especially if I suspect those things could benefit the person with whom I speaking. What God has freely given to me, I feel compelled to pass along.

Things like, did you know if you place a freshly sliced onion on a bee sting immediately after it happens and leave it there for 10 minutes, the juice from the onion will draw the poison from the bite? There will be no welt and it will not itch. It’s that cool? You can’t keep something like that to yourself. Right?

graphicstock.com

I could write a ton more words about all sorts of things I’ve learned, but they might be things you don’t care to know. And after all, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Prov. 25:11 (NKJV) So just suffice it to say, I like sharing what I know and with God’s wisdom I’ll share it at the right time.

While I haven’t shared much specifically, I believe I have made my point and it’s time to let you go do something you love now.

Humbly submitted by H.T. Lord