Saturday, May 29, 2010

The Time Jack Had No Story

Did I ever tell ye about the time Jack went huntin' in the hills 'round his place and got caught out in a frightful storm? He couldn't see the trees in front of his face. He looked high and low for a shelter place. Finally, he come upon a little ol' cabin.

When he knocked on the door, a tall man opened it. Says, "Why, Jack, come on in. We'uns is a-havin' a frolic. Got beans with striped meat and cornbread what'll be done direc'ly. We're takin' turns entertainin'. Ye play the fiddle?"

"Naw, sir. Cain't play no fiddle."

"Dance a jig?"

"Cain't dance, neither."

"Well, tell a story, then, Jack."

"Ain't got no story."

The tall man shook his head sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, Jack, but you'uns need to go out and get yourself a story afore your worth your beans."

To make a long tale short, Jack went down by the creek, where he got plucked up by a whirlwind and blown away to a place that was nothing but trouble and heartache. First one thing happened and then another, till at last the boy 'bout got stuffed into a coffin he had built and dropped into a six-foot-deep grave hole he had dug. Have mercy! If it hadn't been for that whirlwind that happened back by in time to whisk the lad out of that precarious situation--well, let's not even think about what could o' been.

Anyhow, that big blow dropped him smack-dab in the same spot, beside the creek that ran before the cabin. He stood up, brushed hisself off, and went up to the door. The tall man opened it again.

"Jack, ye got a story for us?"

Jack pert nigh split his face with a grin. "Have I got a story for you'uns!"

* * *
Hard times. We've all had our share. They're not pleasant. Many of my writing colleagues are facing challenges right now. One man is in a job that has become a burden. Because he works on commission and the economy is lean, he is barely able to sustain a household. Some in my critique group are dealing with health issues, either their own or those of a close family member or friend. Others have lost someone whom they cherish. Then there are the moms and dads who balance careers and families while trying to squeeze out of each day a few minutes to write.

The story I opened with is from a cycle called "The Jack Tales." They're from the Appalachian oral tradition. In most of the stories, Jack and his mama are having hard times. You've heard about when things got so bad that Jack had to sell their last milk cow? As a storyteller, I often tell my audience, "Them hard times we go through give us strength. The Good Lord brings us to 'em and through 'em." Jack had to suffer some trials in order to get his story and be worth his beans.

Like you, like Jack, I've survived some of life's dark valleys: deaths in the family, money troubles, illness, even a divorce that caught me by surprise. For a Christian, those can be times of great spiritual growth because we have to lean so completely on Jesus, our Good Shepherd. 
We may think of our hard times as hindrances to our writing. Certainly, we may have to set aside the pen for awhile as we deal with the situation. The writer who journals as such times, however, may experience the cathartic effect of such exercise while developing a valuable resource for her writing. Having suffered herself, she can empathize with her suffering characters. Robert Frost said, "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."

So are you worth your beans? What has happened in your life that you can now apply--or have applied--to your writing? We'd love to read your comments.




11 comments:

  1. Great post, Sharon. I was born to teen parents so my trials started quite early in life. One day I may write about all of it. But through it all, God was there, guiding me, even when I didn't know it. I've walked that journey with the poem, "Footprints in the Sand". God carried me through it all.

    As an adult, we've been through some hard times with our finances and our daughter's seizure disorder and her delayed development. In fact, for three years I stopped writing. I wrote journals to God.

    Now I'm writing my second contracted book, Highland Sanctuary, and the heroine has a seizure disorder in 1477. I've based the character of my heroine on my daughter.

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  2. wow, Sharon. This should be required reading for writers. :) That really resonates. Love the Frost quote.
    Yeah, the suffering we endure can really take our writing deeper. I have a friend who struggles to put her characters through conflict. She hates to be mean to them, because she likes them. I advised her that the dark moments only serve to make the happily ever after ending that much sweeter.
    Now, if only I could trust God for that in my own life. LOL
    Great post!

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  3. I can hardly wait for the day that I get to hear Jack's momma live!

    In my writing, the little I have done, the hinderances and upsets of my life have alway played out in my stories.

    When you consider it, doesn't the chastisment and the way God takes you by the hand and leads you through it, really form who you are more so than the blissfull or non-eventful moments?

    Thank you for sharing! It has given me something to chew on. You'un come on back a give us another one!

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  4. Sharon, you aren't in our author list -- do you have a link to a site or blog? After reading your powerful "story," I want to know more about you. . . And you're so right, some of our "best" stories come our of our greatest "pains" that God uses in often unexpected ways for his Kingdom. . . Thanks for the inspiration blessing! :-)

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  5. Dear Jennifer, I just read your excellent article on your blog (http://jenniferswriting.blogspot.com/) and was deeply touched by it. What an example of finding your story through hard times! Thank you for sharing it. I look forward to reading HIGHLAND SANCTUARY. Please let Abingdon know that I'd love to review it.

    Thank you for your comment here. I'm glad you liked the post. You're definitely worth your beans.

    Write on!
    Because of Christ,
    Sharon
    http://writersharonkirkclifton.blogspot.com/

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  6. Kathleen,

    Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, it is difficult to be mean to our characters. After I thought I was finished with UP THE RUTTED ROAD, my first MG novel, I had to go back and throw my 10-yr.-old protagonist off the mountain. Then I leave her to claw her way to the top in a raging thunderstorm. Your advice to your friend was spot-on; the sun shines all the brighter after a storm. Beat 'em up! Knock 'em down! Make 'em sick or nearly drown. Let them learn to lean on the Lord...just as we all have to do.

    Kathleen, you're worth your beans, too. :-)

    Write on!
    Because of Christ,
    Sharon
    http://writersharonkirkclifton.blogspot.com/

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  7. Dear zzzzzzzzz,

    Thanks so much for your comments. Jack's Mama says she'd be plumb tickled to tell you one of her far-flung tales. (There's truth in ever' one, ye know, mixed in among the magic beans.)

    And you're right; we learn more in the "chastisement," as indeed such hard times are in some cases, though not all. It behooves us to be good learners and discerners and "get it" the first time. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves if the trial is correction from our merciful Heavenly Father or simply the result of living in a fallen world. In either case, Sovereign God is not surprised and will lead us through it, if we let Him. Then we can apply the emotions and lessons learned to our writing!

    Have a bowl of beans, zzzzzzzzz. You're worth them.

    Write on!
    Because of Christ,
    Sharon
    http://writersharonkirkclifton.blogspot.com/

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  8. Millie,

    Thank you for asking. My blog is at:
    http://writersharonkirkclifton.blogspot.com/.

    It's great to be a part of this group of Hoosier writers.

    Write on!
    Because of Christ,
    Sharon

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  9. Karla,

    Thank you so very much!

    Write on!
    Because of Christ,
    Sharon
    http://writersharonkirkclifton.blogspot.com/

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  10. 'Xactly right!

    Sharon, you are gifted. I can't wait until I hold an autographed edition of one of your books in my grubby paws. One of these days!

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