The Words God Gives

When I was in high school, my favorite teacher pulled me aside after English class one day to give me some advice about a writing project we were working on. During the course of the conversation, he mentioned that it was clear to him that I was a romantic. At the time, I couldn’t figure out what that had to do with anything since the project was a research paper.

That comment has stuck with me all these years and I mull it over now and then. For quite a long time, I had trouble reconciling the idea I had of a flighty, head-in-the-clouds romantic with the more serious, realistic person I saw myself as. It was almost embarrassing to think others saw that much of a starry-eyed dreamer in me.

But what’s so bad about that, anyway? The label has grown on me with time. To the point that I don’t even flinch a little when I tell people I write inspirational romance. Now, I’ve read romance for many years, since I was quite young. I’d pick up a Janette Oke novel my mom had just finished and get hooked. But I always felt like there was a bit of a stigma around the genre. Like it wasn’t serious enough to be real literature.

Since I started writing, it’s crossed my mind many times that maybe I should write about more serious topics. Even compared to others within the romance genre, I write light stories. Sweet books. Easy-to-read. And honestly, that’s the type of books I like to read, too. Does the lightness make them less valid than deeper books that delve into the hard parts of life?

I don’t think so. I believe that God gives writers different focuses for a reason. Many writers, in romance and other genres, handle heavy issues beautifully, touching hearts and healing wounds. But there are others who handle life’s problems with humor or sweetness. Are any of those better than the others? Nope.

Just like God created people to perform different functions within the church and likened it to the human body working together, I believe He made different writers to perform different functions. Together, we make up a whole, a spectrum of writers all writing the multitude of words God gives them. Between us, we can touch hearts with serious words or funny ones, deep words or light-hearted ones. No one way is better because each reader will respond to something different.

So, write what you feel led to write. The words that God gives you will find their mark in His timing. Isn’t that a wonderfully freeing thought?

I’d love to hear from you. Where does your writing fit in? 

Abbey Downey never expected her love for writing to turn into a career, but she’s thankful for the chance to write inspirational romance as Mollie Campbell. A life-long Midwestern girl, Abbey lives in Central Indiana, where her family has roots back to the 1840s. She couldn’t be happier spending her days putting words on paper and hanging out with her husband, two kids, and a rather enthusiastic beagle.

You can check out Abbey's books at www.molliecampbell.com

DANGER! Don't Put All Your EGGcellent Ideas in One Basket

            

            I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”  And you’ve probably read the Bible verse “Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well –Ecclesiastes 11:6.”  Sometimes, however, that advice can be hard to follow when you’re a writer focused on getting published in a sole genre.   

            We all know writers have creative imaginations.  I don’t think there’s a writer out there whose creativity produces stories for an absolute single genre.  Of course, there are lots of writers who accomplish publication for only one genre, but I guarantee their brain creates other WIPs—even if it’s just in their mind.

            So what happens when your only avenue for publication isn’t working out?  Like Chick Lit.  I remember being at the 2009 ACFW National Conference, when I heard that the subgenre category “Chick Lit” was considered a dying one.  This disappointing (nail-biting for some) news spread like wildfire.  And if you were an unfortunate chick (or lad) who labored for months in order to pitch that subgenre at the conference…you could forget about it, or go back to the hotel and change your one-sheet info to represent “Contemporary Fiction.”

            Why wait for this to happen?  Utilize that creative brain of yours and invest in “a collection of egg baskets.”  I know there’s only so much writing time in a day, therefore there’s a basket limit based on your own capability and preference.  But even two baskets are better than one. 

            Here’s my EGGsample:  I love to write in the romance genre—whether its historical, suspense or women’s fiction with a touch of romance.  How peachy, right?  Umm.  Yeah.  Not really.  I don’t have one published novel. 

Should I sit back and wait for romance writers to retire, in hopes that Jim Bob Publishers will pull my proposal out of the slush pile?  Absolutely not! 

            Three years ago, I submitted a column proposal to a local newspaper.  Six weeks later I received a call from the editor, who offered me 400 words per week.  I was ecstatic.  Was it a romance column?   Not exactly.  Actually, it’s a historical column about WWII letters, titled “Treasured Letters from the Past.”  Many of the letters I write about are from a love bird overseas, pouring out his heart to that special cute birdie back home in hopes that she’s waiting for him, too. 

            My column is not a romance novel, but it’s still a piece of my work which is consistently published every week.  In fact, this past week I was so excited when I glanced at the newspaper and saw my column printed on the front page!  That’s eggs in my basket. But it’s not my only basket.

            Make sure you invest your EGGstraordinary talent into more than one basket.

~Marjorie DeVries

           

Easter J

Today we commemorate the unthinkable.

^{The Ancient of Days, Who put on human flesh and Whose flesh was torn beyond recognition, rose to all new life. The Life His followers considered utterly lost to death on Friday afternoon conquered death Sunday morning. These things you know.} 


But perhaps today, as writer, you may ponder Easter anew. Easter is the ultimate plot twist. Consider the plot line of human history.

^{Act 1. In love, God creates a world teeming with life. He commissions a man and a woman to fill and subdue His creation. For a time the man and woman are delighted, but in time they doubt God, believe Satan and cross God. In a moment, all creation falls.}

^{Act 2. For generations men and women grope to satisfy their craving souls. Some abate their hunger by placing faith and hope in God. Most do not. The massive divide between God and man continues.}

^{Act 3. In time Jesus comes to show men and women His Father. Some believe. Most do not. Tension escalates to the climax of crucifixion. To those who witness it, the story is finished. An iron door has clapped. The crucifixion represents an unmistakable tragedy to His followers, the ultimate victory to His enemies.}

^{Easter ushered in a eucatastrophe. J.R.R. Tolkien coined the term, adding the Greek eu, “good” to catastrophe, “catastrophe.”  By eucatastrophe the story line is overthrown. Sure doom crumbles under the weight of exquisite, unimagined delight.}

^{In his lectures on Ruth, Doug Green of Westminster Seminary goes a step further. In the gospel story a new literary genre is introduced. Were the reader to plot the major events of the protagonist’s life and connect the dots, a clear J would emerge.  From the inciting event there is a downward trend to the climactic low point of catastrophe. But at the catastrophe there is a dramatic change of course. Out of calamity—pain, loss, death—major events shoot upward. The resulting new life is far better than if the calamity had not occurred.}

^{Of course the genre echoes in stories that unfolded before the Gospel. Consider Ruth, heroine of Ruth. Out of widowhood and relinquishment of her identity she became an ancestress to the Messiah. Consider Joseph of Genesis. Out of betrayal and slavery he rose to prince of Egypt and rescuer from regional, if not worldwide, famine. Consider Lazarus, beloved friend of Jesus. Out of illness, seeming betrayal and death he was called to a second life, living proof that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.}

^{And there ought to be echoes ahead. What events in your life draw a distinct J over your life? And how will the J curve transform your fiction? Ponder anew.}