Epiphany

I've been up at the Maranatha Christian Writers' Conference all week, on the shores of Lake Michigan in Muskegon. Beautiful place! I've even felt a chill in the air.

Know what I've noticed over the years? Some writers want to be unusual people. They talk about how strange they are, as if strangeness is a quality to be cultivated. Well, I've got news for you--I have about a hundred close writer friends, and they're not strange at all. You could have dinner with any one of them in a public place and no one would stare at you. On the other hand, when I took my daughter to art school, I stared at everyone in attendance. You want to know unconventional, get thee to an artists' colony.

Maybe, you say, I don't notice that my novelist friends are strange because I'm strange. But I still beg to differ. Every been to a dentists' convention? Hung out with circus folk? Gone "backstage" at a dog show? If you've done any of the above, you'll realize that everyone is strange in their own way. And when like minds congregate, the difference tends to show.

Yet when writers cultivate their unconventionality, I think we make writing seem altogether too mystical, as if mere mortals can't possibly aspire to it. Blarney and poppycock. Anyone with the gift of sitting still can learn to write. They may not be artistic about it, but if they can speak and think, they can write. Written communication is not rocket science.

One of my favorite writing books is Dare To Be a Great Writer by Leonard Bishop. I've had this book for years and never tire of flipping through the assorted entries. But one entry, I think, was written entirely tongue in cheek. Bishop says that once you have become a best-selling author, you need to develop a persona; you need to cultivate the writer's mystique:

"No longer have casual conversations. Conduct orations. Not with passive platitudinous ponderosities, but with dynamics and charm. Use the body language of a shadow-boxing pugilist. Develop cunning facial expressions. Grimace as though pained with profundity. Wink, pout, sigh, crack your knuckles in contemplation. Use a repertoire of snappy jokes employed by any popular dentist. Be direct, outspoken, bold. Do not become subtle or ethereal with implication. Audiences are not talented at grasping existentialist innuendo. Rehearse being extemporaneous. "

I respond to the above with a ROFLOL. And while I'll admit that my ten presentations at schools in the past week contained a LOT of body language, acting, and humor (two girls from one school dubbed me the 'drama queen'), most of that was just to make sure my audience remained awake and interested.

Yes, writing requires a lot of hard work. Writing a good novel takes hard work and endless hours. Writing an artistic novel takes even more time. Writing an artistic novel that doesn't put people to sleep requires even more effort. Few folks commit to that level of sacrifice.

But there are surgeons who strive for that level of excellence in their field . . . and teachers who aim for excellence in order to influence young lives. And broadcasters and mothers and fathers and architects and pastors and dog groomers, all of whom have committed their lives and their careers to excellence for the glory of God.

Does that make them strange? In a sea of mediocrity, perhaps. In the light of eternity, they're not strange at all. They're the called, the committed, the good stewards. The ones who will hear "Well done, good and faithful servant."

I aspire to be one of them, but I don't think that makes me strange. Just . . . called.

Angie

Myers-Briggs and Now This?

It had to happen. They now have "types" for bloggers.
I have to admit that I use "types" all the time. Myers-Briggs is my favorite tool for creating characters and it's also helped me understand my spouse, my friends, and my independent, hard-headed self.
But the following is for fun. Click on the link and see what "blogging type" you are!

P.S. Thanks to Cindy Swanson, where I found this gem!

Your Blogging Type is Logical and Principled

You like to voice your well thought out opinions on your blog. And if someone doesn't what you write, you really don't care! Serious and blunt, sometimes people take your blog the wrong way. But you're a true and loyal friend to those who truly get you.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

Flannery O'Connor--wow!

I've been reading Flannery O'Connor's Mystery and Manners like a devotional--one chapter a day, with time to savor and think about each page. Today's essay, "The Nature and Aim of Fiction" ought to be required reading for anyone who would write novels. With a wry sense of humor, O'Connor speaks plain truth and challenges at the same time.

This is priceless, and one of those "plain truth" comments:

"But there is a widespread curiosity about writers and how they work, and when a writer talks on this subject, there are always misconceptions and mental rubble for him to clear away before he can even begin to see what he wants to talk about. I am not, of course, as innocent as I look. I know well enough that very few people who are supposedly interested in writing are interested in writing well. They are interested in publishing something, and if possible in 'making a killing.' They are interested in beng a writer, not in writing. They are interested in seeing their names at the top of something printed, it matters not what. And they seem to feel that this can be accomplished by learning certain things about working habits and about markets and about what subjects are currently acceptable."

Oh, if you could see what I've seen--the rapt attention beginning writers pay to editors who dare to talk about trends and "the market" and what's currently selling. Who cares? By the time a book is written and published, today's trend is yesterday's news. And if you're writing to the market, you're not even beginning to write from your passion. You're not listening to the voice of God, the voice of Truth, but the voice of consumerism.

 I love this essay!

Rediscovering the Known Country

I've been reading G.K. Chesterton's book ORTHODOXY, and he cracks me up. Philip Yancy's foreword is priceless, but he doesn't steal the show from Chesterton.

I love how in chapter one he says he set out searching for truth and was like a man who lands upon an island, thinks that it's some exotic place, and finds out that it is in fact Mother England. Says Chesterton: "If this book is a joke it is a joke bagainst me. I am the man who with the utmost daring discovered what had been discovered before. If there is an element of farce in what follows, the farce is at my own expense; for this book explains how I fanciesd I was the first to set foot in Brighton and then found I was the last. It recounts my elephantine adventures in pursuit of the obvious . . ."

That's how I often feel about my own life as a Christian and a writer. The Lord brings me through some lesson--and I usually think it's definitely uppergraduate stuff--and then I find that I'm setting foot in the Land of Knowledge with youngsters who learned my new lesson a long time ago. Or never needed to learn it in the first place. :-)

I can't wait to become a little better acquainted with Mr. Chesterton. They say he won over his debate opponents not by blasting at them, but by laughing at himself. I think you can see a little of his humor in this passage:

"It may be that somebody will be entertained by the account of his happy fiasco. It might amuse a friend or an enemy to read how I gradually learnt from the truth of some stray legend or from the falsehood of some dominant philosophy, things that I might have learnt from my catechism--if I had ever learnt it. There may or may not be some entertainment in reading how I found at last in an anarchist club or a Babylonian temple what I might have found in the nearest parish church."

And that's one of the joys of writing the kinds of books I write. I tell a story in which characters have their eyes opened--and some of my readers will be already acquainted with the new vision, but others won't be. One group will be nostalgic, perhaps, the other fascinated. And those who don't or can't see the truth--well, they could be bored or offended, I suppose. Each to his own reaction. My job is not to react, it is to write.

Off to attempt it for another day.

If You Want to Write a Book. . .

From my soapbox:

If you are trying to become published, stop looking for short cuts. Do not ask a published friend to introduce you to an editor, do not print your manuscript on pink paper, and do not send it to your favorite author in an e-mail. Simply write an irresistible story. Keep working at it until you find an editor who agrees.

Face the possibility that you may be called to write for your children, your grandchildren, your church newsletter, and other local venues. That is a ministry in itself, and a worthy one. Do not disparage any of these avenues, but do your best at them. Anyone who writes is a writer. Never forget that.

There are many people who really don’t want to be writers, they want to be published. If you think being published will make all your dreams come true, think again. Life will go on pretty much the way it did before. People who know you well will be, for the most part, singularly unimpressed. They will view your work as a nice little hobby, or think it is only being carried in local bookstores. People who view you with stars in their eyes will do so largely out of ignorance—either they don’t know you or they don’t know what being a writer is really like. When they get to know you as an ordinary person, or when they learn how hard writing can be, those stars will vanish.

Life as a published author is not an endless junket of book signings. It’s a seemingly endless round of sitting at a desk, staring at a computer, and hoping against hope that the words rolling from the ends of your fingertips can carry the spark of life and a glimmer of truth to the reader you HOPE will pick up the book. It’s living by feast and famine, walking in faith that your finances will be provided and your creative well replenished.

Once you are published, doors do not always open easily, fans do not routinely flock, people unrelated to your mother usually do not stand in line to praise your work. Getting your foot in the door is hard; keeping it there can be even harder. The work you did to get published will have to be improved upon. You will have to grow, to sweat, to strain, to keep improving. Most of the “overnight successes” you read about have been quietly laboring for years.

You will receive fan letters from people who say your book is the best thing they have ever read. Do not believe them; they say that to everyone. You will also receive letters from people who say you’re the worst writer alive and could not possibly be a Christian. Do not believe them, either. You will also receive occasional letters from people who gently point out areas where you may have erred—those letters you may take to heart, for they may be God’s way of correcting you.

If your book does not do as well as you have hoped, you will be tempted to become critical and envious of others’ success, to complain about your editors, your marketing department, your reviewers and bookstores. You will find that life is a never-ending struggle to walk in obedience to the Lord who called you to follow him. You will have to avoid being distracted by marketing plans and promotional gimmicks and best-seller lists. You will have to cast your dreams of million dollar sales on the altar and realize that if God calls you to write books that sell ten thousand, that is better than selling a zillion copies of a book not written in obedience. At some point, you will have to decide--are you writing for the praise of men or the glory of God?

Writing is a job like anything else, neither higher nor lower than the calling of the Christian dentist, minister, teacher, or day care worker. We have to see ourselves as ministers to an unseen audience many months away, and trust that the Lord will place books in the proper hands. We have to struggle against pride when a book does well; we have to struggle against discouragement when a book does not.

We have to be kind enough to rejoice when a brother or sister succeeds; we have to resist the inner editor and critic who would (incorrectly) assure us our work is better. We have to guard against the self-censor who urges us to write to the market instead of writing the story God places on our hearts; yet we must not be such a slave to stories of our own egotistic imagination that we place them outside the realm of the average reader. Most of all, we have to be walking in Truth enough to know what springs from Self, and what from Spirit.

We must work to keep the unity in the bond of love, for other writers are our co-laborers, whether they write in our genre or not, whether they sell alongside us or not. We must banish the word “competition” from our tongues, for we are pulling the same yoke, straining for the same purpose: to honor God with our livelihood. We must not allow others to put us on a pedestal, for writing is like anything else—if God calls us to do it, we are to do it wholeheartedly, as unto the Lord. When glory or praise is given, it belongs to Him, for creativity springs from the Creator. (And if we are honest, we will admit that we are constantly torn between wanting to believe we are special and knowing we are completely human.)

We must recognize that each of us is unique, with different voices, styles, and callings. My job is not to write like my brother or sister, my job is to write the truths God places upon my heart.

Being a writer is a unique joy, for none of life’s experiences are ever wasted. But this means that the people around you may grow wary, and some of the things you write, if they are honest, may hurt. If you write from a place of honesty, you will bare parts of yourself you would never display before a neighbor, yet you do it, hoping your revelation will spare some other person some pain.

Writing is hard. Some days I can’t imagine why any sane person would ever want to do this. Other days, I know I’m the most blessed woman alive.

It all boils down to this: the creature finds joy doing the thing he or she was created to do. Birds put forth effort to fly, salmon expend energy swimming upstream, and writing requires hard work.

I suppose it’s that simple.

This dog has been drinking smart juice . . .

Beats anything I've ever seen.  What makes this little beagle so much smarter than his buddies?  Who knows, but he's amazing.

Will you take this woman?

I'm not sure where this came from; my mom sent it to me. But I actually gasped when I saw it. Oy! 

So no matter what happened during your wedding (I cried all the way through mine), I hope it wasn't this bad. 

~~Angie

Update

Blogging today at The Lovin' Oven. 

Tuesday night, doing a webinar on "The Plot Skeleton."  Contact the Christian Writers' Guild for more information.

See you over at the Oven!

~~Angie

I Started a New Blog. I Need to have my head examined.

Because I've been baking, I decided to set my next novel in a bakery.

Because I decided to set my next novel in a bakery,
I decided I need to learn more about baking.

Because I decided I need to learn more about baking,
I came up with a plan to teach my self . . . and share it with others.  Shared misery, you know.

Because I came up with the plan . . . I want you to join me at The Lovin' Oven.  Please.  I can't be the only one this crazy.

~~Angie

Worth sharing and passing on. GOSPEL.

G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.

Happiness or Holiness?

I'm just so doggone HAPPY! 

Yesterday--you may have heard about it--the Rev. Pat Robertson said that it's okay for a Christian to divorce his/her partner with Alzheimer's and remarry.

I'm not writing to rail against Pat Robertson, and he certainly doesn't speak for all believers in Christ.  But his statement started me thinking about the marriage covenant (a fancy word for contract), and then a friend on an email loop asked, "Who says marriage isn't about making us happy, but making us holy?"

Whoa.   In my ponderings, I realized that nowhere does Scripture tell us to try to be happy.  We are told to be like Christ, to be faithful, to be holy, and to be mature.  But nowhere did Jesus say, "Go out and do something that makes you happy."

This invitation to holiness is found in all contracts, whether written or verbal or implicit.  I entered into an implicit agreement to parent my children, and I can tell you that I've experienced long periods of parenthood where I received very little happiness and loads of invitations to holiness (and I'm sure my parents could say the same thing!).  Marriage is not a bed of roses all the time, and what job doesn't have its aggravations?

As to being an employee: with each struggle in employment (or unemployment), I've had a choice to be unhappy or to exercise some aspect of holiness--patience, grace, sacrifice, kindness, generosity.   In marriage, in family relationships, in business relationships, and even in the neighborhood--whenever I'm tempted to be unhappy, I could instead exercise one of the virtues of holiness.

And you know what?  When I deliberately choose to exercise an aspect of holiness--which is what God commands me to do in the first place--I find something better than happiness.  Jesus said that he came so that our joy would be full.  And joy is much deeper and much more permanent that light and frothy "happiness."

I know that many loving spouses have cared for and remained faithful to their spouses with Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases . . . choosing to exercise the virtues of holiness rather than seeking their own happiness.  And when they choose that path, they bring glory to God.

We all face the same challenge--and not one of us makes the right choice 100 percent of the time.  But we tend to forget we HAVE that choice, so here's a little reminder . . . to you and to me.

So when the Bozos of your life drive you crazy, remember: by the sovereign will of God, that Bozo is in your life to help make you holy.  :-)  Thank God for your precious little crazy-maker.

~~Angie

Checking IN . . .

Well, it's been a busy week.  Monday I polished up and sent off FIVE MILES SOUTH OF PECULIAR.  It's far from finished, because I still have to hear from my editor and make those changes, then it has to go through copyediting, etc., but it's time for me to switch mental gears and move on to the next book--an idea that's still niggling in the back of my mind.

So for the next few days I'll be sketching out a proposal, then I'll adjust my work calendar and begin the next project.  I still have other things to do, too-- a spec novel that's been rolling around in my brain, a revision of "the train story," and I also have to write my dissertation, which should become a nonfiction book on what happens when we die (near death experiences and the like).  So my calendar is pretty full, though not all of those are contracted jobs.

Still, I have plenty on my plate.  Add to that baseball (boy, the Rays have come to life and we're not out of the running for the playoffs yet!), baking (I went to pastry class last weekend and know how to make all kinds of fancy things now), and The Grand Baby (see latest photo).  Plus I have quite a bit of traveling to do from the end of September through October, so you might want to check my "events" list and see if I'll be in your area. You never know!

Whew.  Sometimes you just need to stop and take a breath. :-)

P.S.  Today I baked dog biscuits and brioche.  :-)

~~Angie

Historical Ads . . . wow.

If you have some time today, trip through some of these astonishingly anachronistic ads--takes you breath away to see how time and mindsets have changed.

I've been watching some of the AMC series MAD MEN.  And while the subject matter is dark and depressing (it's almost a morality play about how drink, excess, and pride bring a man to ruin), I am tickled to see clothing, plates, kitchenware, etc., that I remember from my childhood.  But now and they the characters will say or do something (especially regarding women or people of other races), and I'm simply aghast.

Anyway, do check out the ads.  Click on them for a larger view.  Hilarious, aren't they?

~~Angie

The Cross in the Ruins

Today, I want to send you to this news story.

God bless America.

~~Angie

Librarians Rock Gaga

In case you missed it on my Facebook page . . . what would we do without librarians and their catalogs? Love this parody! Hmmm . . . maybe I should gather my writer pals to do another one. :-)

~~Angie

A Whale Says Thank You

I love whales and elephants and all those huge creatures that are obviously intelligent and emotional animals. So I especially loved this story, and I hope you will, too.

I wrote a book about whales once--The Whales' Song, which is one of my children's books, and one of the Kimberly and the Captives' Series. It's been a long time, but I'll always love whales.

~~Angie

BOM: Questions and Answers

There weren't many questions, but I'll try to answer them.

Let me clarify my comments about charts, maps, and glossaries--I don't hate them, in fact, I'll agree that they're often useful. But as a reader, I find them off-putting when they're at the front of a book. As a writer, I try to keep my cast of characters manageable and I try to define unfamiliar terms in context. And yes, if a map is important, by all means, put it up front. Sometimes a picture is worth ten thousand words. :-)

And Kay, about Herod and your time line--I grappled with this when I was working on THE NATIVITY STORY and MAGDALENE. And there's no problem at all if you place Jesus' birth at 1 or 0 A.D. --Herod then dies, if memory serves, in the year 4 A.D. I found lots of support for that date as regarding Herod and Jesus.

Peggy asked if the Joseph books were available: they are DREAMERS, BROTHERS, and JOURNEY, and they are available as used books on Amazon.com.

Thanks for coming along on another BOM!

~~Angie

BOM: Results and reader reaction

I was thrilled when THE SHADOW WOMEN was a finalist in a couple of major awards. But by far the most thrilling thing happened when . . .

Well, let me back up.

In 2002, right after The Shadow Women released, my husband and I moved into a new neighborhood. Our reputation preceded us (it's a small neighborhood), and I was trying hard to be a friendly Christian, not a self-righteous one. I gave most of the neighbors on my street a copy of one of my books, and I wanted to give a book to the Jewish family that lived on the next block.

So one night I walked over and knocked on their door, introduced myself, and said, "Would you like a book?"

The woman replied, a little dubiously, "Is it Christian?"

I held it up. "It's about Moses."

So she took it. And a month later she stopped by while I was sweeping out my garage and said she'd enjoyed the book. And would I be willing to come and speak to the ladies' group at her synagogue?

You bet! I prayed about it for several days, and spoke to several people who have worked with Jewish people--should I avoid mentioning the name of Christ? Should I try to be more overt? How, exactly, should I be a testimony of Jesus in a modern synagogue?

The advice I received was this: "Be yourself, be honest, don't try to strategize. Just be true to your testimony."

So I was. I talked about how I accepted Christ as a child and grew up in a home that studied the Scriptures. How the Lord had led me to become a writer. How I wrote stories to honor Him. And how, beginning with the time God sent Nathan to David with a story of a man and his beloved lamb, God had been using Story to convict and sway the hearts of men. I told them truthfully that I have had a love for the Jewish people for years . . .

And you know what? That was one of the warmest receptions I have ever received anywhere. I gave a copy of my Joseph novel to every woman and left a stack of books for their library.

And all because of Moses and the women who shadowed his life.

Tomorrow: any questions? Be sure to leave them in the comments box and I'll answer them tomorrow!

~~Angie

In Memory

A moment of silence today to honor Leroy Selmon, football player, civic leader, child of God and friend of Jesus. Read about him here.

BOM: The Editing

Repeat after me: "I don't remember much about the editing . . ."

Actually, I do. :-) Leslie Peterson was my excellent editor on this project, and she had several helpful suggestions, including the idea of placing a glossary in the book. I insisted that it go at the back, however, because I personally am put off by any book if I open it and see either a glossary or a chart of characters up front. I read primarily for entertainment, not to learn something (though I'm always delighted if I do!).

I do remember hearing one comment that filtered in from somewhere--someone suggested that I put in some scenes from Moses' point of view. I demurred, because that would have defeated my entire purpose--to tell Moses' story completely through the eyes of the women in his life.

Moses had lots of chances to tell his story in the Pentateuch. I figured it was time to give the women a chance to speak.

Tomorrow: results and reader reaction

~~Angie