Way Station or Fire Escape?

On a recent visit to Mounds State Park, my wife Maribeth and I were delighted to find a butterfly way station. This small patch of land (perhaps a tenth of an acre) is a place of respite for migrating butterflies, especially monarchs and swallowtails. On the chilly October afternoon we visited, a pungent smell of decaying leaves dominated the breeze, announcing the next act in the forest’s continuing drama of life. Except for a small clump of maroon asters, all vegetation at the butterfly way station had died as well. Our local garden club had cleared the blackened leaves away, raking the soil to receive snow melts sure to come in the next few months.

A plaque said that the spot is normally a colorful thicket of wildflowers that provide nectar for mature butterflies, succulent milkweed leaves for caterpillar hatchlings, and thick foliage where these insects at any life stage can hide from their feathered predators. It’s a place where weary migrants find rest and refreshment before they travel on.

Sequestered by the Covid-19 pandemic, most of us have had more time for reading lately, so I have been thinking about the reasons people read Christian fiction. I reflected in an earlier blog that escapism might be one reason, but is it our foremost objective as Christian authors? Is it the primary reason for people to read our work?

Impressed by Christian authors like Flannery O’Connor who wrote for the secular press, former advertising executive Richard Doster observed, “It might be time to reconsider our neighbors and their need to make sense of the world; their need for books, poems, and short stories that probe life’s mystery, that offer hope without flinching from the Fall’s consequences, that don’t—by their sentimentality—mock our true state, or the price that was paid for the world’s redemption.”^[1] So Doster began writing Christian novels. Perhaps his convictions resonate with yours.

We live in trying times, as this week's election demonstrated. When the stress is intense, we instinctively look for a fire escape, yet quality Christian fiction doesn't serve that purpose. It doesn't offer us an easy exit from the world where God has placed us.

I believe instead that Christian fiction is a way station for travel-weary people in today’s world. Sometimes it gives us a fresh perspective, sometimes new resources to cope, and sometimes a personal transformation. But by no means does it allow us to avoid the tough problems of our world.

---

[1] Richard Doster, “The Calling of Christian Writers,” https://www1.cbn.com/biblestudy/the-calling-of-christian-writers

 

God

Just that one word calms me, reminds me why I write, and that He is in control, even when everything is spinning the other way. When I worry about what others will think of my book, I remember I am writing for an audience of One. When I worry about juggling work, family, and writing, I remember how many times I have placed my work in His hands and that He has always provided time for me to write without neglecting family or job.

Lately, I have found myself praying to God more about my writing. I now have deadlines, edits that need to be done, marketing, interviews, and websites to set up. Panic starts to set in and my heart beats faster. How am I going to do all this? Then God calmly whispers and reminds me that its not my book at all, it’s a gift He has given me to share with others. I do my best and He will accomplish His will through my work.

I don’t know how other authors do it without God in their lives. How do they face the pressure, the critics, and the self-doubt? I know tough skin is an attribute writers need to develop. But going to my Heavenly Father with my burdens and fears gives me more peace than facing it on my own.


“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Morgan L. Busse is the wife of a pastor and mother of four children. She is passionate about authentic Christianity and shares from her own life her fears, doubts, and triumphs as a follower of Jesus Christ. Along with blogging, Morgan also writes speculative fiction and is contracted with Marcher Lord Press for her first book Daughter of Light. To find out more, visit her blog In Darkness there is Light.

Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned Writing a Novel

I’ve marked something off my bucket list: “Submit a complete novel to an agent for their consideration.”

Woo Hoo!

No matter the outcome, the journey I’ve taken to get to this place has been amazing. In fact, everything I ever needed to know, I learned writing a novel.

1. I learned to take criticism. My crit partners are amazing and I’m in awe that God brought them into my life.  My writing improved a gazillion percent (really!) from their guidance. How good is God that He would send me such talented writers as my critters? And how good is God when he sends people into our lives that make us better people? 
2. I learned to be consistent. Novels don’t get written by wishing them into existence. Yes, I’m a busy Mom of twins with autism, another son with mental illness and a pastor’s wife. But unless I make my writing time happen, novels can't be born. With determined effort, I now own a spot in the house and a scheduled time each day where I do nothing but write. Applying this to other areas of my life, I get more done.
3. I learned to make a plan. Not only for my days, but also for my novel. I didn’t know what kind of novelist I was at first when I began years ago. A seat-of-the-pants writer or a planner? I’ve discovered I’m both.  I learned to map out a story. Even if the story ended up going a different direction, the plan gave me at least a guideline to follow when I’d get stuck. I never experienced writer’s block because of the general plan. I believe God makes plans for us and our novels.  When we think of it this way, it’s easier to depend on Him. I want to be in the center of that plan.
4. I learned to be flexible. I must be willing to slash and dash, slice and dice what isn’t working in my novel. At first the edits hurt. Now, I find them fun. How can I make this sentence stronger? That emotion clearer? It’s like a captivating treasure hunt. Life’s like that, too. So things aren’t going my way today – what is God showing me? Where’s that nugget of truth I need to find?
5. I learned to let things go. I learned to cut the things that didn’t work in my story and let them go. Letting them go liberated my story. In life, letting go of the things that “so easily entangle us” is true freedom.
6. I learned to never, never quit. If God gives you a job to do, He will equip you to do it. By the time I’d readied my novel for submission I was sick of it and full of doubt regarding whether or not the work was good enough, I wanted to give up and walk away. But God gave me the grace to face the pages each day and make them come alive. It’s that way with Him in my day to day life, too. I’m often overwhelmed at the prospect of facing my responsibilities, and yet, He always gives me the grace to get through to the other side. I truly believe that people who succeed aren’t necessarily the most talented ones, but the ones who don’t quit. Talent is nothing without perseverance.
7. I learned to enjoy the journey. Writing novels is a blast. I’m determined to enjoy each moment. Sometimes when I’m driving in my car I think, “Wow, I have an awesome life. I get to write. I get to do what I was born to do! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, God!”   
8. I learned to remain teachable. I love to teach but what I love more is to learn. There’s always more to learn. I believe that novels aren’t static. I think there’s a way to make them better even after they’re published. I’m actually hoping my novel is accepted simply because of all the things I want to learn to get to the next level of being a better writer. I think being teachable in life is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.
9. I learned to think outside the box. Donald Maas taught me this truth in his wonderful books on writing. There are tons of great books out there that will teach you how to create awesome stories. Reading good fiction books also teaches me. Sometimes I outline a good book so I can see the rhythm of it. The “what ifs” of creating a story never end. Nothing’s too crazy. Life is the same. I’m convinced there are always creative solutions out there if only we’ll jump out of our little box and go looking for them.
10. I learned it takes a village to write a novel. I can’t list all the amazing people I’ve learned from through the years. They’re innumerable. Some of them include Dr. Dennis Hensley, Randy Ingermanson, Colleen Coble, Cara Putman, and many, many more. ACFW is a huge blessing to me. My family’s willingness to do without a Mom for several hours a day and their support is something I never take for granted. Likewise, no one can do this thing called life alone. We all need help. Learning to accept that help is a huge lesson in humility.
11. I learned to take risks. Going to conference scared me. Meeting with a publisher and an agent was even scarier. Submitting my manuscript for criticism to a published author frightened me more. If I’d stayed hidden at home in my safe little corner, terrified and pitiful, my novel would still be sitting inside my computer, useless. Sometimes when I take risks there’s a voice that says, “Who do you think you are?”  One obstacle after another tries to block my progress, but I manage with God’s grace to smash through the barriers and carry on. Often in my life, that voice (we know where such snarkiness comes from don’t we?) reminds me of my past, of my mistakes and mocks me still – “Who do you think you are?” I’ll tell you who I think I am. I’m a writer on a mission from God. I’m a saved, redeemed, blood-bought, whiter-than-snow, bold woman of the Most High God. Watch out devil, here I come.
12. I learned to pray, pray, pray. I learned I became a better writer when I spent time praying and asking for God’s help. Not only in my quiet time, but during the process. “What do you want me to write here, Lord? I need a good idea. Lord, what now? Oh God, please anoint me to write this, give me Your Words.” Christian writers are blessed for the Author Himself whispers in their ear. Christians are blessed to have the Shepherd guiding them day to day. All we need do is ask.

There are countless other things I’ve learned on this journey of becoming being a writer. What about you? What have you learned? Where do you write? When? I’m curious and want to know!

My Teacher is a Witch

At the ripe old age of 49, I've decided to return to college. It's not that I don't have enough to do. My writing plate is full, as are my pastor's wife and homeschool Mom platters. But God stirred my nest to step out and learn something new, and quite frankly, I love school.

I'm attending classes at a liberal arts community college, and it's been a refreshing wake-up call. Stepping out of my Christian bubble and interacting with the "real world" hasn't shocked me. (I don't live in a cave and kill my meat with a club. I have access to TV and the Internet and grew up in the '60s and '70s.) But stepping outside my comfort zone has reminded me of Whose I am and why I write.

My English teacher is a Witch. She announced to the class that Christians have caused more wars and wielded more hate than any other religion on earth. She holds degrees in philosophy and comparative religions. "I grew up Christian and studied all the religions of the world," she said, "and this is the one that best suits me because I believe there are many paths to God."

My history class has an element in it that believes anyone connected to the Tea Party are members of the Ku Klux Klan, are racist bigots, and ignorant rednecks. I'm not astonished. If highly educated peoples believe we evolved from a blob in a bog, I suppose the same sort of logic can lead them to a warped view of Tea Party folks.

If you know me, you know I can't remain mute when someone voices a fringe opinion. My English class is an arguments class and arguments are encouraged.  Before I fully considered the consequences of my words, I heard myself speak. "I've searched all the religions, too, and I've decided to follow Jesus."

Silence.

I probably kissed an "A" good-bye in that class but that's okay. I don't think God puts us in those positions to sit idly by and remain quiet. I believe it's the same with writing. He doesn't give us the passion to endure this grueling profession for some random willy nilly purpose.

Being  in the daily presence of humanists has solidified my mission as a writer. I write to expose Truth, to help people see the love of God in the midst of the failures of man. People are hungry to know God, whether they realize it or not. I write because God-inspired words contain the power of life and God's Words heal rather than destroy.

I yearn deeply for people to see God's character and this is why I sit at my computer for hours a day weaving stories that will lead seekers to the Promise. I want them to meet God's Son, so they can know that peace and hope are only a prayer away.

The lost write a message, too, and it's the opposite of hope. Only those of us who follow Jesus know True Hope, True Love, and True Eternal Victory. The world is starving for what we write. Would we pass by hungry children and refuse to feed them? When we let our egos get in the way of God's call, that's exactly what we do. It's tempting to give up after rejection by a publisher or agent. Jesus was rejected, too. What hope would there be if Jesus had felt sorry for Himself? His humiliation didn't stop Him from answering His call.

What matters is our obedience, being able to hear the voice of God, and answering the call to write what is true, noble, pure and just. God placed a fire in us to share the One True Path to God. People need our words to light the way because the path they travel is too dark and they are blinded by fallible human knowledge.  Our obedience is paramount so those searching for Truth will hear God's call the loudest.

Too many fall away simply because they didn't have the right information put in front of them at the right time. We would do well to remember that we must write so the lost can find their way.

Put your hands to the plow (i.e., keyboard, pen, et. al.) dear writer, and WRITE, to the glory of God.

Someone is dying and needs to read what God has to say.

Street Smarts for the Writer PART TWO

We never go into a room to write alone, we go crowded by our own experiences—Julia Cameron

The essential ingredient for any novelist is driveness.—John Gardner

Over time authors have discovered that routine is a better friend than inspiration.—Ralph Keyes

Technique alone is never enough. You have to have passion. Technique alone is just an embroidered potholder.—Raymond Chandler

A novelist’s discipline and technique are infinitely more important than inspiration.—David Madden

The correct detail is rarely exactly what happened; the most truthful detail is what could have happened, or what should have.—John Irving

Don’t say the old lady screamed—bring her on and let her scream.—Mark Twain

No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money—Samuel Johnson

No one but a blockhead ever wrote except for love…You must do it for love. If you do it for money, no money will ever be enough, and eventually you will start imitating your first successes, straining hot water through the same old teabag. It doesn’t work with tea, and it doesn’t work with writing.—Erica Jong

Words in prose ought to express the intended meaning; if they attract attention to themselves, it is a fault; …Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all. –Winston Churchill

After I had written the Grapes of Wrath and it had been to a large extent read and sometimes burned, the librarians at Salinas Public Library, who had known my folks, remarked that it was lucky my parents were dead so that they did not have to suffer this shame. I tell you this so you may know what to expect. Now get to work—John Steinbeck

Often I am asked if any writer ever helped or advised me. None did. However, I was not asking for help either, and I do not believe one should. If one wishes to write, he or she had better be writing, and there is no real way in which one writer can help another. Each must find his own way. –Louis L’Amour

Books don’t get easier to write. It’s not a formula.—Terry McMillan

…for the most, writing is now just a horrible grim burden. I wouldn’t do it if I were not morally engaged to do it.— Katherine Anne Porter

My schedule is flexible, but I am rather particular about my instruments; lines Bristol cards and well-sharpened, not too hard, pencils capped with erasers.— Vladimir Nabokov

I write my first version in longhand. Then I do a complete revision, all in long hand. Then I type a third draft on yellow paper, a very special certain kind of yellow paper.—Truman Capote

An author must develop a deliberate process used to help facilitate the writing experience, otherwise there is no way to retrace those steps and repeat them.—Stanley D. Williams (The Moral Premise)

KennyNoble@hotmail.com

We Make Plans--God Laughs.

A beautiful Jewish woman once said: "We make plans--God laughs."

 Take my bookshelves for example.

They reminded me this week that "many are the plans of a [wo]man's heart, but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21).

I'm no longer teaching full-time, and am in the process of moving all my materials, books and supplies into my tiny home office. My husband built beautiful shelves on my office wall. Still not room enough

Some inexpensive, short book cases caught my eye at Wal-mart, and I thought it was rather clever of me to buy two of them for stacking on top of one another.

God didn't give me an engineer's or carpenter's mind. I have two things working against me in the logic department: I'm blond and a soprano. (No offense to the smarter blonds and sopranos out there.) It never occurred to me that the little shelves wouldn't sustain the weight of another little shelf on top, burdened with more books than the library at Alexandria.

I was rather pleased with myself as I placed the last book on the top shelves when CRASH, the shelf on the bottom completely collapsed.

My plans seemed reasonable at the time. Now, they were clearly bad ones. I wonder--did God laugh? If I were Him, I would have.

It's been like this for me as I prepare for ACFW Conference. I had X number of days to get X number of pages polished and other preparations done. I was on a roll. I was going to be ready like no one else. I was a writing machine. (Click here to read how obsessed I am about conference: "Excited as a Puppy with Two Tails.")

Then, a friend of mine got sick. And that's when I had to accept an important truth: people are more important than my writing plans and goals and dreams.

I thought I had turned my goals and dreams over to the Lord long ago. But these interruptions taught me a valuable lesson. They taught me that God's plans and purposes will indeed prevail, whether I think so or not. He has a plan for my work in progress, and He knows the exact time when it is to be published or whether or not it will be. Because this journey isn't about me and my dreams. It's about the message He wants to give through me.

There have been other kinks in my journey toward ACFW Conference and my dream of meeting the agent and editor who will love my platform and my ministry. But I think God is sending these little detours to test my ability to roll with His plans. I won't be able to give anyone credit but Him, should any success be mine.

It's all bigger than me, anyway. But it's not bigger than God. He is bigger than any expectation I may have. And He can handle it. If I truly believe He's in control, and do my part to be a workman that needeth not be ashamed, then there will be peace.

And I, with God, will laugh.

Long and Winding...But So Worth It!

A few writers have asked me, "How did you get a book contract so quickly?" Little do they know! This journey has been a long and winding road. I think because I showed up on the writing scene in the ACFW only in recent months, it might be perceived that I'm a new writer. But nothing could be further from the truth!

To get published takes a measure of talent, of course, but I know there will always be more literary, more talented and prolific writers. I wouldn't wish to be saddled with high expectations, for then I'd surely fail. But our gracious Lord has equipped me with the ability to tell stories and has opened doors for me in HIS timing. But it wasn't easy, and it didn't happen overnight. There's also something to be said for dogged determination and developing a thick skin.

I first tried writing a novel when I was a stay-at-home mom in Philly. With our oldest daughter away at a Christian summer camp with my husband for a week, and an infant at home, I slept when the baby did and wrote pretty much around the clock. I sent it to one publisher, and it got the attention of an editor. She suggested changes and to send it back...and then moved on to another publisher, and then the line folded. I continued to write, but more for my own enjoyment, and never sent anything to any editors or agents.

Then we moved to Boston. I sent something to one of the biggest Christian literary agencies, too ignorant to know they only took on published authors. I told them I'd written three books, but I never told them I was published. Through one of God's "flukes," it got their attention. I didn't get published, but they told me to keep at it because I had "something." And told me to come back when I was published...

Not long after, I put my writing - but not my passion for it - aside for a decade and stayed busy as a wife, mother and pastor's wife. God used that time in my life to equip me with life experience that helped contribute to my own unique "voice."

In November 2008, I picked up some Christian romances. By this time, we'd moved to my native Indiana, "home in my heart." I told my husband, Jim, "I think my books at least measure up." I literally blew the dust bunnies off the manuscripts bound in notebooks beneath our bed. The last manuscript I wrote in Boston took me all of a week to write. I picked it up with fresh eyes 10 years later. But, I only had the second half. I told Jim, "This could be the start of a series." I hated the thought of having to reconstruct it, and of all my stories, it's the one I remembered the least. But I also knew THIS was the story God wanted me to tell.

My daughter found the antiquated disks, but they couldn't be read. I kept praying, and told Jim, "We need to go to our knees on this one. If this is the story God wants me to tell, He'll give it back to me." Two weeks later, I plugged the disks back into the computer again. The backup disk did something it never had before. The hourglass appeared with a prompt, "Do you want to read it as text only?" I pressed the button and waited, praying with one eye open as it churned in the computer. Something popped up, and it wasn't gibberish...it was English! I printed it, saved it, and rushed to compare it to the other half, and it was SEAMLESS. I'm crying again as I type this - as I do every time I relay this story. God gave me my story back. The story HE wants me to tell.

That manuscript got the attention of one of the top Christian agents. He was right in telling me it wasn't quite there yet. It was slaughtered by one published author who basically told me it wouldn't sell and to leave those characters on the proverbial cutting room floor. But it was loved by another published author, and she encouraged me to keep going. I did. Don't ever give up! The Lord has given you stories for a reason. To SHARE them. Someone will be blessed, I guarantee you.

Sam Lewis and Lexa Clarke's story is now under contract with Torn Veil Books. It's called Awakening and it's the first in a long series. Stay tuned for further details. Up next month..."And the man said peaches!" Would you share YOUR story? We'd all love to hear it!

The Best of the Trade

The well-known golf trainer, Harvey Penick kept a pocket journal of advice for golfers. After years of accumulated entries, a writer friend suggested Harvey share the information as a book. Harvey agreed, and the two prepared the manuscript and submitted it to a publisher. Later, Harvey’s wife received a phone call from the publisher who explained; they would like to publish the book for ninety-thousand dollars.

Mrs. Penick shared the news with Harvey, and after a few days the excited couple contacted the publisher. “Yes, we want to publish the book,” Mrs. Penick said, “and we plan to take out a second mortgage to help fund the ninety-thousand dollars.” Naturally, the couple was surprised to learn their mistake—they were going to receive ninety-thousand dollars for the rights to print the books.

Like the Penicks who misunderstood the publisher’s offer, Christian writers accept the call to the writing ministry and often think they are making a sacrifice. After all, they must rearrange their lifestyle to make time for their calling. Ironically, they are surprised to learn that working for Christ is more rewarding than first anticipated. While sacrificing the time to nurture their calling, writers grow spiritually, stretch their brains, and become a blessing to others. Truly, the writer gets the best of the trade.

Prayer; Thank you Jesus, for your calling to write, which is more valuable than riches.

Source; The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner
ISBN 1-57322-152-x Riverhead Books New York 2000 pp160
KennyNoble@hotmail.com

Really, Why Do We Write?

Rick already posted on this topic as well, but this is more of a general take. Donald Maass asked this question a few years back in one of his classes and said that he'd not found a satisfactory answer. I've been mulling over it ever since then. The Edmund Hillary approach would be: well, because the words are there. But is that really it?

The question is really "what is the source of inspiration for ALL artists?" For me, the simple and straightforward answer is the Spirit of God...I think for non-believers though, the answer may be harder to comprehend. It seems to me that a major reason humans are inspired to create is that we were ourselves created. Sort of a round-about way of saying that God made us and intended that we would not only procreate but also create - goods, clothes, tools, homes, boats, paintings and stories. Unfortunately, we've also created our own gods, too.

It also struck me that God's preferred method of communication is the Word. Not to get into any discussion over graphe (written word) versus logos (wisdom/truth/etc)...but certainly the symbolism of Jesus as the Word is inescapable. Yes, God has communicated directly through the spoken word to many in history, but it is interesting that God then wrote it down. Certainly Moses could have remembered ten little rules and repeated them to the Israelites. But shortly thereafter, the Ten Commandments would have been something like this: 1. All paths lead to God so worship whatever god you want. 2. Idols are only a visible representation of an idea, so it's okay to bow down and worship them. 3. It's okay to use My Name in vain, I really didn't mean this one....

You get the point. God thought the Testimony so important that He inscribed the precious words Himself. And when Moses broke the first set, God kindly inscribed a second set as well. And does Scripture ever say that only the Ten Commandments were inscribed on the tablets? They were covered front and back per Exodus 32:15, and if you've ever seen an ancient potsherd or scroll, they could get an enormous amount of words in very small spaces!

God clearly values the written word. Words are indeed powerful, even in fiction. I never really thought "Christian fiction" was anything more than entertainment until I was doing the hair of another teenaged girl in my daughter's show choir. I was only half-listening to the general babble and banter until she told another girl to read Francine Rivers' books. Then she said, "I always supported abortion until I read Redeeming Love." Okay, I got the point then.

So write, because it's what we are supposed to do. "The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." Ps. 119:130

And my our words always do just that.

Ronda Wells