The Faster I Go, The Behinder I Get! by JoAnn Durgin

Ever heard the expression, “The faster I go, the behinder I get?” That’s how I feel sometimes. I’ll admit in the last year, I’ve started to feel older, physically as well as in other ways. Granted, my schedule is full and active and I’m still able to get most of what I’d like accomplished each day. . .except for the one thing I want to do most. Write. As recently as three years ago, I could stay up until almost 2:00 a.m. every morning writing or editing (I could tell time by the old television comedies that kept me company). Now, I need at least five hours sleep or I can’t function in my rather demanding, full-time day job. Well, I can function, but certainly not as well as when I have more sleep. I’m also craving more vegetables, trying to get more exercise and being more faithful in taking a daily vitamin supplement. I’ve finally started to face the fact I need to give my body what it needs in order to stay healthy and function better in all phases of my life, including my writing.

I’ve also lost a few friends my age in the past year or so. I’m in my 50s, not my 80s. These losses have also brought home the hard truth that my life as I know it will one day cease to exist. Of course, knowing where my future lies in an eternity with the Lord is an unbelievable comfort, and I can’t even imagine living without that hope I have in a risen Savior. But I also understand each book I write could potentially be the last one. I’m not being morbid, just realistic. Simply put, our written words need to count. Whether it’s in an e-mail, in a blog post or in a book, we never know what seeds we might plant or how our characters or stories might impact or affect someone’s life for Christ.

Recently, I’ve seen something interesting happen with my books. I’ve had a few women on Goodreads rate my books—with varying results—who’ve never read a Christian book before. Let me qualify that statement. Women whose favorite books are, well, decidedly not inspirational in a Christian way and, quite frankly, fall under the “smut” category. You know the books I mean. At first, I was shocked and wondered, “How on earth did they find my books?” One woman said, “Your books were the first Christian books I ever wanted to read.” Another said, “I wanted to believe a man like the hero in your book existed.” One more said, “The covers are really pretty and made me want to read them.”

My first reaction to one especially low rating from one such reader was to get a little steamed. But then, as He always does and for which I’m so grateful, the Lord got hold of me. I searched my heart and He helped me see the truth. Why am I writing? For myself? For good reviews? What’s my purpose in writing these books? Yes, it’s my overwhelming passion to write, and I’m blessed to be able to do what I love. However, I can admit the joy would be drained from me if I couldn’t weave spiritual truths into my books. What would be the point? To me, they’d be empty words.

I’ve often heard it said that if you take the spiritual components out of a romance and it can stand on its own, then it’s not a Christian romance. My books would absolutely fall apart without those elements. There are some who believe you can’t draw readers who aren’t believers to read a faith-based book. I disagree, in large part because of my own experience as an author. My books are clearly labeled as Christian romance and the descriptions also label them as such. Granted, I don’t have non-believers in droves rushing to buy my books, but they’re not “watered down” in terms of a strong Christian message. Redemption, grace and forgiveness are huge themes I always touch on in one way or another in my writing.

The bottom line? If I’ve touched one reader with a spiritual truth she might remember somewhere in the pathway of her life, then I’ll have done my job. The way I look at it, we have a responsibility to share our faith, as the Lord commands, and what a joy it is!

Blessings,

JoAnn Durgin

Matthew 5:16

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28: 19-20

I Write For An Audience Of One

(Originally posted June 22, 2011, Reflections in Hindsight). As you can see, the topics are perhaps outdated (or updated, as the case may be), but the concepts are the same as always.


The world, and the people in it, are suffering from many things, I fear. One of those things is the need to know syndrome. Do we really need to know Maria’s reaction the moment she discovered a hired employee gave birth to Arnold’s son the same week she also delivered his son? Is there any value in knowing when, where and how Bristol lost her virginity? And what reason could there be for the world to hear the heinous autopsy details of little Caylee’s gruesome murder? The fact that I don’t need to use more than first names is very telling, isn’t it? Ah, remember the good old days when it was only the insanely rich and famous celebrities like Cher, Elton and Madonna who could get away with using first names?

Watching the morning news programs, I sometimes find myself asking aloud, “And this is news why?” It’s “hard news” stories (which concept seems debatable at best in today’s media-frenzied world) that make me thankful I’m not a newspaper or media journalist. Increasingly, there’s a fine line between solid news and out-and-out sensational. Recent stories have centered on beauty pageant dads, dolls designed for little girls to “breastfeed,” baby g-strings and preteen padded bikini bras, plastic surgery and diet regimens for the under-10 set, and reality TV moms (teens and mafia wives), dancing C-list stars, and publicity hounds clamoring for their proverbial 15 minutes of fame, hoping it will parlay into a fortune.

Sitting in my college journalism classes, I had grand illusions of becoming a Lois Lane reporter, running with notepad and pen in-hand, jumping into a car at a moment’s notice and chasing to the scene of the latest newsworthy event. It seemed adventurous, daring and romantic with an element of danger thrown into the mix. By the time I graduated, I knew I’d rather be a creative writer. The professors advised all the starry-eyed wannabe writers like me that “if you want to make it in the field of journalism, put aside your grand dreams of writing the next Great American Novel.” We were told the “best you can hope for” is to work for a small-town newspaper or magazine, and “you might even earn enough to not have to work a few shifts at McDonald’s each week.” Discouraging? You bet. Depressing? Sure thing. Daunting? Check. Defeating? Of course not! Realistic or not, cliché or not, I had stars in my eyes. I didn’t want to change the world, but I did want to conquer just a little corner of Dallas and somehow make it my own.

Of course, graduating from college a quarter early, packing up and moving from Indiana to Texas on my own without knowing a single person when I first planted my feet on Lone Star soil was either (a) crazy and (b) independent (but still crazy) and/or (c) incredibly brave for a 22-year-old single woman. I didn’t do myself any favors by having absolutely no connections in the brave new world. I ended up as the receptionist in a publishing company located on the first floor of the World Trade Center in Dallas. Sure, there were perks. Shirley Jones (she of Oklahoma! and Partridge Family fame, not to mention being the stepmother of heartthrob David Cassidy) sang at a gala reception once. When the showrooms opened to the employees, I ran around and found treasures to decorate my apartment (I still have some of them today). Dallas real estate mogul and legend Trammell Crow made regular appearances, blowing past my desk to meet his lunchtime buddy (the publisher of the trade magazine). I eventually worked myself into a position putting together the copy and ads for the brochures given to the buyers attending trade shows. But the job paid such a piddly wage, I got a weekend job at (you guessed it) Mickey D’s. I wasn’t too proud, and even hard-working journalist types have to earn a fair and honest wage any way they can.

I could quite literally write a book about my observations as a young, independent, single working woman in Dallas. Maybe I should, but it would probably only be for my children to read. Lessons on life, people, humility, forgiveness, embarrassment, love, romance, trust, loyalty, and basic human nature. The list is long. Maybe I’ll share more in future blogs as they pertain to the topic-at-hand. But you know what? Every experience, every person I met, every lesson learned, every observation made, helped make me the writer I am today.

Fast forward more years than I care to remember, but I’m now a published creative writer. But I certainly can’t make a living at it without my daytime job to support my “habit” of being a creative writer by night. Mind you, I’m not complaining. I’d much rather create characters in my imagination, and cook up situations, events and dialogue instead of chasing a “real life” story. Interview someone who just lost their home in a natural disaster or who was swindled out of their life savings by a dishonest financial advisor? No thanks. Granted, there are plenty of heartwarming stories, but it seems they are few and far between. Sandwiched among the sensational and the sordid. And I’m the eternal optimist, but sometimes that real life is just too real.

Especially as a Christian writer, I understand the great responsibility and true honor it is to be able to share my words with readers. Before I was published, I had a number of people read my manuscripts and give me honest feedback. The fact that people are willing to read my stories – and now even pay to read them – is still overwhelming and humbling. I want you to remember something very important – even if you’re never published – if you’re a writer in your heart, then you’re a writer. You may have only your family and closest friends read your manuscripts. Or your work might be read by thousands. Doesn’t matter. You write because you love it. For the pure passion, enjoyment and personal satisfaction to be derived from it. Why else would you lose sleep and be willing to suffer the arrows of criticism? Because you can’t not write. If you’re a writer, you’ll understand that sentiment. I’m afraid I suffer from the Sally Field syndrome (wanting everyone to like me, really like me), but that’s yet another blog for another day. I’m not writing for other writers or professional reviewers. I write for an audience of One. If I stay true to Him and write the best story I can, and know in my heart I haven’t grieved my Savior, then I’ve done my job. Let the arrows fly!

When you read one of my books, you’ll find an escape, and hopefully an entertaining one. I think one reason I prefer the “land of make-believe” is because of all the sadness, sordidness and dishonesty in the “real world.” In my writing, I hope to reflect the hope I have in Christ, and the inherent goodness I try to see in most people and situations. Redemption and forgiveness are big themes in my books. Real life has enough heartache. Just ask Maria or Bristol.

Until next time, blessings my friends. Matthew 5:16 - Let your light shine!

Originally posted on June 22, 2011 (Reflections in Hindsight)

An Author's Voice: Innate or Developed?

One of the most challenging hurdles for a beginning writer is finding his or her “voice.” What does “voice” mean, why is it so important and how is it different from point-of-view? A well-developed “voice” is a technique used by writers to help a reader “see” the unfolding events in a story through the eyes of one or more characters. Since an author creates those characters, he or she knows their family dynamic, background, environment, accomplishments, hopes, dreams, loves, failures, vulnerabilities and fears. The better the author knows a character, the more real they will become. An effective voice is a crucial element to keep the reader turning the pages, and it’s manifested with active (as opposed to passive) phrasing, dialogue and narrative as it draws them deeper into the fictional world.

Is an author’s voice like a fingerprint, unique to that one person? Some suggest it’s innate and writers are “born” with it. Some believe voice is learned or developed after much practice, trial and error. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but it could be a combination of both. Just as some recording artists are easily identifiable (think Adele, Willie Nelson, Barbara Streisand), other vocalists’ voices are more generic. Authors should never be content to simply “blend in” with the crowd; they want to rise above the rest and shine! But how?

Showing is the best way to illustrate my point, so below are two examples from my March 2012 release, Twin Hearts (third in The Lewis Legacy Series, but it can stand on its own):

Example #1: Weaving his way through the room of a hundred or so women in red hats of all sizes and shapes—pretty much a reflection of their owners—Josh was a wonder to behold. A number of the ladies looked at the guys as if they were dessert, but they smiled and laughed as they went about their task, ignoring the middle-aged hormones in overdrive. It was as close to swooning as anything she’d ever seen. Based on all the fanning going on, there were enough hot flashes in the room to bake a cake.

Example #2: She didn’t want to feel such a strong attraction for Josh, but her heart and pulse weren’t listening. Don’t look at the eyes. If she repeated it to herself enough times, would it keep her from succumbing to his charms? Those eyes had been her undoing before and would be again if she didn’t watch herself. So much for the self-pep talk. A whole lot of good it did. Why he felt the need to dress in one of his fancy power suits was beyond her, but then again, here she sat in a dress costing the equivalent of a monthly car payment for Ladybug. Hypocrisy was highly overrated sometimes.

Both of the above examples are in the point-of-view of my heroine. Do you see where her “voice” comes into play? Even without knowing anything about this character, you get a good sense of who she is, her sense of humor, her powers of observation, and understand she has a history with Josh. Look at the last two sentences of each paragraph. Those are my zingers, but they’re not always at the end of the paragraph. However, writers should always try to end chapters with a word or a sentence that will hook the reader into turning the page in order to find out what happens next. One of the best compliments I ever received is when a reader said, “I’ve learned to stop reading your books in the middle of the chapter. Once I read the end of a chapter, I have to keep going.”

As authors, we love reviews describing our books with adjectives like fresh, innovative, effortless and engaging. More often than not, those words are referring to the writer’s voice. It’s that element of a novel differentiating it from the rest of the crowd which makes the writing shine, stand out and worthy of attention. Finding one’s writing voice can sometimes be elusive, and it can become a source of great frustration. Persevere and don’t allow it to deter you from writing your best. Perhaps it’s hidden, but I firmly believe a unique voice is within every author, waiting to be discovered and revealed. I’d like to suggest the following five ways to help discover your voice:

#1: Know your characters from the inside out.
#2: Keep the voice true to the character’s point-of-view.
#3: Be an observer of people and events, but also the ironies, humor, tragedies and triumphs of life. It makes you a better writer overall, but it also helps infuse your characters with personality so they almost leap off the page—and into the hearts and minds of readers.
#4: Write what you know and write passionately from your soul.
#5: Approach every character and story as if it were your first or your last. Make them count.

Remember this: even the most innovative plot can be dead-in-the-water without that well-developed voice. Conversely, even the dullest, plodding plot can be enthralling if told with a masterful voice.

Thank you for the opportunity to visit with you today, and I wish all of you God’s best as you read and write. Blessings, my friends. Matthew 5:16