Ten-Day Countdown!

 

 Worldbuilding

Jill Williamson

November 7, 2020

Noon-2:00 p.m. via Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86940001642?pwd=MXliRGxmaFpLTzVDMFBidDlBUHJOQT09

Meeting ID: 869 4000 1642
Passcode: 6mxjLB
 

RSVP to acfwindianachapter@gmail.com

 

Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms, and the author of 23 books, including the Blood of Kings trilogy and the award winning By Darkness Hid, which was named a Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror novel of 2009 by VOYA magazine. A Whovian, Photoshop addict, and recovering fashion design assistant, Jill loves drawing her own intricate book maps and teaching about writing. She blogs at goteenwriters.com (named one of Writer’s Digest’s “101 Best Websites for Writers”) and also posts writing videos on her YouTube channel and Instagram TV where she encourages other writers to respect their dreams. She grew up in Alaska without running water or electricity and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. You can find her online at jillwilliamson.com, on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

 

This May Be the DayJesus Says, "Yes!"

 

“I’ve prayed and prayed, and God doesn’t answer.” How many times have I heard that from frustrated people? I have voiced the same complaint, praying for salvation for many of those I love, interceding for a friend’s healing, asking to see the fruit of my writing labors.

I’ve stood on the edge of a precipice watching Faith and Hope beckon to me with peaceful smiles from across an abyss. Meanwhile, not far from where I stand, Disappointment sighs and Resentment scowls. That last one snaps its fingers ordering me to join them. How am I supposed to avoid so much negativity and lean toward faith’s glorious promises in the midst of unanswered prayers?

The Bible instructs us to pray believing. Believe God can save. Believe
God provides. Believe He heals. Believe He will give me the desires of my heart.

If I am to pray believing, then I am to be expectant each day. This may be the day! And if God does not answer this day with “yes,” then I am to carry on peacefully and joyfully, persisting into tomorrow with the same prayer.

 

What about the complaint that I opened with? If God promises to answer our prayers, why doesn’t He? Is it His fault – does He not keep His promises? I can think of three possible answers, and I’m sure there are several more.

1. One of God’s promises regarding answered prayers comes from Psalm 37:4. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ah, there’s a condition attached to that promise. Is Jesus my delight? Is joy and peace in Christ a way of life for me? Or do I run to Him with my petitions when I need help but otherwise don’t give Him a whole lot of thought?

Evaluation Question 1: Do I really delight in God’s presence in my life every day? If the answer is no, God has no obligation to answer my prayers. He often does anyway, but He doesn’t have to.

2. God also promises to say yes if you pray in the name of Jesus (John 14:13-14). That’s not a magic formula. “In the name of Jesus” is not the equivalent of “Abracadabra.” “In the name of Jesus” indicates that I know He has all the authority, and I have none. He has all the wealth and power in the universe and beyond. I am weak and penniless by eternal standards. When I come to Him with my requests, I must acknowledge that my own account is worthless.

Evaluation Question 2: Do I realize that I’m asking God to benefit me with funds from His bank, that I have no riches of my own other than what He chooses to give me?

3. Give it time, yes, more than you want to give. So many of our prayers hinge on someone else’s will. God is not going to override that. Otherwise, humans would be robots. But He does know how to bring someone around to His way of thinking. Let Him work it out with them.

Evaluation Question #3: Am I willing to give God as much time as He needs to put everything in place so my prayer will be answered? If the answer is “no,” if I’m not willing to keep praying–for decades if that’s what it takes--then how much do I really care?

Don’t think I’m a pointing a finger at you. All these questions are written in first person. After thirteen years of prayer for one individual, I get discouraged. After ten years of writing fiction, I wonder if I was right to follow my passion. I thought God had encouraged me to go for it. Then I remind myself. God is God, and I am not.

I return to my knees, knowing my prayers are the desires of my heart. I delight in the Lord throughout every day. I recognize His name is more powerful than all others. I trust Him to put every detail in place.

Maybe today is the day when Jesus says, “Yes.”

 

Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own experiences growing up with a deaf sister.

Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft.

A wife, mother of three, grandmother to seven, Linda regales the youngest grandchildren with “Nona Stories,” tales of her childhood. Maybe one day those stories will be in picture books!

Where Linda can be found on the web:

www.lindasammaritan.com

www.facebook.com/lindasammaritan

www.twitter.com/LindaSammaritan

www.hoosierink.blogspot.com

 

 

 

The Fine Art of Worldbuilding

The banter was witty, engaging even. Easy to attribute to the correct character without the use of the often bulky he said, she said tags. But when the scene ended, I had a major “But wait . . . ” moment. Where did this witty banter occur? And the odd words that peppered their conversation, what was that about? A glance back through the passage confirmed the reason for my pondering. The scene was devoid of setting. In fact, it felt as if said characters hung from mid-air or on hooks from opposing walls in a completely non-descript room.

 All the witty banter in the world couldn’t make up for what this this story lacked—a well-developed story world that detailed a time, a place, and a distinct setting for the tale to unfold.  Luckily, the manuscript was in the seeking-critiques stage with plenty of time for the layers of setting and story world to be woven in. While the story world lived large in the author’s mind, the nuances of that unique world had yet to be sutured into the fabric of the story so it could be savored by the reader.

 Although I can quickly spot a lack of world building when reading, I’ve come to realize that’s the easy part. Creating and conveying a story’s specific world is much more difficult. News flash, right?

 Of course, fabricating a vivid, detailed world where a compilation of characters live requires thought and imagination and vision. And then comes the matter of communicating that world to readers eager to immerse themselves in a rich work of fiction. A tall order indeed.

 Cue author Jill Williamson to unwrap the art of worldbuilding! Much to our delight, Jill will be the 
featured guest at the final 2020 event hosted by the ACFW Indiana Chapter. Jill’s presentation will be brought to us via Zoom on November 7 from noon to 2 p.m. From the comfort of your home or office, prepare to absorb worldbuilding tips from an author renowned for her story worlds.

Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms, and the author of 23 books, including the Blood of Kings trilogy and the award winning By Darkness Hid, which was named a Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror novel of 2009 by VOYA magazine. A Whovian, Photoshop addict, and recovering fashion design assistant, Jill loves drawing her own intricate book maps and teaching about writing.

She blogs at goteenwriters.com (named one of Writer’s Digest’s “101 Best Websites for Writers”) and also posts writing videos on her YouTube channel and Instagram TV where she encourages other writers to respect their dreams. She grew up in Alaska without running water or electricity and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. You can find her online at jillwilliamson.com, on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

Mark your calendar for this fantastic opportunity to hear from a pro and to spend some time with your fellow Hoosier authors. Don't forget to shoot an RSVP to acfwindianachapter@gmail.com to be placed on the guest list. See you on November 7. 

Copyright Today

 

Kenneth Follett’s newest novel, The Evening and the Morning, makes this statement in place of the usual legalese on its copyright page:

Copyright@2020 by Ken Follett. Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized version of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting authors and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

The founders of our republic also recognized the importance of rewarding the creation of intellectual property. On September 17, 1787, the Constitutional Convention made it a duty of Congress “to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and discoverers the exclusive right to their inventions and discoveries.” The Copyright Act of 1790 spelled out how this would be done, and subsequent revisions of the law broadened the range of creations covered and extended the term of coverage until the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 2001 made it the length of the author’s life plus 70 years.

Unfortunately, the last two decades have seen a substantial erosion of copyright protections. New technologies such as Internet blogging and massive text scanning made it much easier to repackage and repurpose an author’s content. This made enforcement more difficult. As a result, courts began to broaden the scope of what they considered “fair use” of copyrighted material.

Which brings us back to Penguin’s new copyright notice. I hope other publishers will follow suit because it recognizes that copyright law, properly understood and implemented, serves everyone's best interests. Beyond this, how can we make the most of our intellectual property in this changing environment?

First, I believe we authors need to move more swiftly. For example, if we issue sequels of our best-selling books at too leisurely a pace, we invite competitors to rush in.

Second, we need to establish distinctive publishing brands. We reach more people if we specialize in a couple of genres, set our stories in one or two historical periods, etc. It's also easier to defend a brand than to defend our exclusive right to a particularly memorable bit of narrative. 

Third, we need to be scrupulous about obtaining permission to use other authors' copyrighted work in our own. This is easier than ever, and seldom entails a permission fee.

Finally, we need to be vigilant to identify and block pirated editions of our work. A year ago, my distributor sold a copy of my goal-setting book to a customer in China, which seemed rather odd. A few months later, Amazon began selling the book well below its wholesale price. My distributor reported that Amazon's sales of the book fell to zero, but the book’s ranking in its Amazon category rose. I sent several letters to Amazon's legal department, pointing out that they seemed to be selling a pirated edition. They responded that they were not responsible to sue book pirates; I was. So I withdrew the book from the market for three months. When I announced it was back in print, Amazon adjusted its retail price and my distributor began reporting sales through Amazon again!

Copyright law is designed to promote the creation and dissemination of innovative ideas. Let’s do our part to make sure that happens.