Are you fully invested?

Saturday night my husband and I finished viewing a crime-thriller-drama series via online streaming. Thirty episodes spread across three seasons but all accessible to watch at the time of our choosing. We love how streaming services make it possible to “binge” or, in our case, watch an episode or two each night. My aging memory so appreciates not having to wait seven or fourteen days for the next installment.

With social engagements being slim these past months and network TV shows forced to take an extended hiatus, the appeal of anytime, anywhere viewing of a vast selection of series took on even greater appeal. As a lover of stories—of both the true and fictional varieties—I adore how these new-fangled viewing options allow me to more fully immerse myself in the characters’ lives and become super invested in the storylines.

The downside? Due to the easy-peasy access coupled with the high engagement factor enhanced by the easy access, we tend to “blow through” said series at a pretty good clip. And then it’s all over, leaving us sad and a bit mopey which soon finds us channel surfing through 200+ cable channels of mostly reruns and offerings that do not interest us.

Sometimes it takes a few days before we’re ready to take the plunge again, to dive wholeheartedly into a new series. Why the hesitation, especially seeing as how we love this whole streaming thing? Well, what if  . . . 

• We don’t LIKE this series as much as the last one? 
• What if the storyline is lame? 
• The characters unrealistic or underdeveloped? 
• The actors run-of-the-mill or just plain bad? 
• What if the amount of foul language leads us to abandon the show despite other positives? 
• What if we just can’t get “into” the story?

You can imagine the dilemma. And understand the wavering.

Despite a carefully curated watchlist, one never knows if a series will pass muster once we venture past the description and reviews. Remember, we will potentially be spending many hours of unwinding time within this story world. We will allow the highs and lows of these characters’ lives to take us away from the realities and mundaneness of daily life. We will anticipate their fate even as we cheer for their success. We are choosing to invest ourselves in the unfolding of this particular story.

 Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash

As I look ahead into 2021, I have similar hesitation-related questions. 

• What if THIS year is no better than LAST year? 
• What if it’s WORSE? 
• What if the key players really muck things up?
• What if more bad things happen? 
• What if ___________ ?

While most of us are anxious to leave 2020 behind, the mere flip of the calendar page doesn’t insure we can simply close the door on the happenings of an unprecedented year. And considering the events of the very first week of this brand-new year, the above noted concerns have already been proven valid. We sincerely, with our whole hearts, hoped for a better, brighter, smooth-sailing 2021. But the unknowns loom as large and worrisome as ever.

Back to our which-series-next dilemma. Last night, with remnants of the last series still swirling in our minds, we chose a new a show from our watchlist. Settled into our recliners, we took the plunge. Heart, mind, and soul engaged, we dove in. It wasn’t the thrilling, edge-of-your-seat kind of action we’d enjoyed from the last series. But the cast of characters—some endearing, others villain-like or humorous—piqued our curiosity as numerous, subtle questions posed in the first episode began to engage our minds. While it didn’t garner an immediate, “I LOVE this show!” from either of us, we concurred we’d give it a go. We’ll invest our end-of-the-day unwinding time in this series.

I doubt any of us have yet announced, “I love this year!” But it’s what we’ve got. While no year—day, week, or month even—comes with a script, still we are tasked with diving in. And unlike the streaming series that we can choose to stop watching at any point, we can’t get out of 2021 so easily.

So, what do we do? We commit to giving it our best effort, to being all in. We cling to the fact that Jesus never, ever changes. We walk close to His side, seeking direction and discernment and wisdom. We lay our 2021 questions at His feet. We walk through the doors that He opens. We guard our hearts and our minds and our tongues. We remind ourselves that He has a plan. With the Father’s help, we invest our time and energy and passion where He directs. 

Here's to traversing 2021 with Him. All in and fully invested. 

Beth connects with the YA crowd via substitute teaching and through her “back booth” office at the local fast food joint, and by reading YA fiction. 

She's a "cheerleader" for saving sex for marriage and for "renewed waiting" because it's never too late to make wiser choices. She writes and speaks about her experiences as a "foundling" who located her birth parents and is making up for lost time with her biological family. Find her at BethSteury.com and on Facebook at Beth Steury, Author.

 

 

 

 

 

The (True!) Joys of Having ADD with Member Blogger Dawn Crandall

Most people aren't very surprised when they find out I have ADD. 

It probably (and hopefully) answers most of their questions as to why I am the way I am. I'm a tad out-going, think differently than almost everyone else I know, I'm a little unfiltered, and a bit talkative.

And do you know what? I thank God everyday that He made me this way. Because of my having ADD, I get to do what I like to do more than anything else in the world. 

WRITE.

I started taking the medication for ADD when I was seventeen years old and a junior in high school. It's true, I needed it pretty badly. I would never would have made it into college, let alone graduate from college, without it. It's rather unfortunate that I didn't learn much in school (like grammar and punctuation--I apologize now for any mistakes you might find in my comma placements!), as I was just scraping by before my junior year, getting my only good grades in the classes or subjects that had anything to do with Art or Creative Writing. But I suppose God had a specific reason for that too. I was also seventeen when I became a Christian, which was the true reason I ended up going to college and majoring in Christian Education.

I stopped taking the medication about thirteen years later. You'd think the medication prescribed to help me pay attention would help me focus on writing a book, right? But alas, no. It did the very opposite. I hadn't thought much about writing at all during those years because I was so entirely focused on everything else. When I did finally stop taking the medication, I realized that it was what had been blocking so much of what any writer needs most! My ability to think outside of what was going on in front of me was literally shut off for all those years. All along, I'd remembered how I had once LOVED writing from as far back as I could remember. It was after reading books like Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell and Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier as a teenager I knew I wanted to create a book someday. 

For the last five and a half years I've been off the medication and spending my time developing my voice and my brand of writing. After figuring out how to hone my "day-dreaming" into actual stories that I wanted to write, it didn't take me very long to figure out that this was what I was made for. I wrote my book and got two agent offers within a week of sending my proposals. I've completed another now, and I am on my third. It's a long waiting game to find out what's going to eventually happen with these books, but I'm happy because I'm writing. And truthfully, I really have never been good at anything else... because drawing doesn't count.  

It's true, I'm a bit scatter-brained. In everyday life, I pretty much need to be told what to do and where to be. But I sure can focus on what interests me... and that is brain-storming plots and writing ultra-complex, involved love stories that teach a multitude of spiritual life-lessons, not only to my main character (which I write in first person point of view), but also the reader.

I'm very much like the kitten (and yes, I love kittens and jump at the chance to use them whenever possible) in this picture, who's, in essence saying, "Who cares what everyone else is looking at or paying attention to? I've already found what I love most... and it's this amazing, green jingle ball!"  

Writing books is my amazing, green jingle ball. There's nothing in the world I would rather be doing than paying attention to the plot of my current Work In Progress.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{About Dawn Crandall}

(Updated since 2012) Dawn Crandall is the author of The Hesitant Heiress (August 2014), The Bound Heart (November 2014) and The Captive Imposter (February 2015), all part of The Everstone Chronicles series from Whitaker House. A graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn didn’t begin writing until 2010 when her husband found out about her long-buried dream of writing a book. Without a doubt about someday becoming traditionally published, he encouraged her to quit working in order to focus on writing. It didn’t take her long to realize that writing books was what she was made to do. Dawn is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary.

Apart from writing books, Dawn is also a first-time mom to a precious little boy (born March 2014) and also serves with her husband in a pre-marriage mentor program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Dawn is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter (Hoosier Ink), and associate member of the Great Lakes ACFW Chapter.

The Everstone Chronicles is Dawn’s first series with Whitaker House. All three books composing the series were semifinalists in ACFW’s prestigious Genesis Writing Contest, the third book going on to become a finalist in 2013.

Writing on the Run

Gone for me are back to back hours to write. These days I’m learning to write on the run. (I’m pursuing another degree.)

Agatha Christie got her start writing that way. During World War I she worked as a nurse and later at a dispensary. She spent every spare moment during her down time and in between patients writing.

I may be getting a degree, but I find that first and foremost, I’m a writer. There are too many stories in my head that I’ve got to get out, so I plot and write during boring lectures. While I’m waiting in lines or doctor’s offices, I pull out my notebook and begin to write where I left off during a dull class. When I’m in the car and Mr. Himself is driving, I pull out the notebook and take up where I left off while in the doctor’s waiting room.

I’ve found some advantages to these writing spurts:

• When I rewrite it on the computer, I do an immediate rewrite.

• It gives me a new perspective when I’m typing it out – I think of new things to add or delete.

• My brain is able to slow down and think deeper when I’m writing long-hand on paper than when I’m typing a story. (Of course, the flip side to this is that I can’t write as fast as I can think.)

• I’m becoming an expert cryptologist as I work to decipher my scrawl.

I do miss having long delicious hours to languish at the keyboard and write. But to be honest, writing for long blocks of time can sometimes be frustrating. Writing in small spurts is really fun. I never have writer’s block. And when I have to stop, my brain is more free to ponder what I’ll write the next time I get to pull out the notebook.

What about you? How do you write on the run?

Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mother of five, and grandma to five beautiful little girls. She lives in North Manchester with her husband, twin teenage boys with autism, and three crazy dogs. Her favorite color is purple, favorite hobby is shoes, and favorite food group is cupcakes.

Just Say No

Why is something that comes so easily to toddlers all around the world causes adults so much stress? Yes, spend any little time with the under-age crowd and you will hear them shout from the rooftops, "No!" (And, friends, it is always said with the exclamation point.) I've even heard my own children say no to things that I knew they wanted.

"Do you want some ice cream?"

"No!"

"Get your shoes on. It's time to go to the zoo."

"No!"

"Don't you want to be a big boy?"

"No!"

But ask any normal, sleep deprived, running-around-like-the-proverbial-headless-chicken man or woman to take on one more task and those two letters are just so hard to string together.

"Can you watch my kids on Tuesday afternoon? I know you're just working at home."

"Uh...well, I guess so."

"I signed you up to write the skit for the annual Father's Day program, since I know how much you love writing."

"Um...okay...thanks?"

"Don't you get so bored just staring at a computer screen all the time? I've got a ministry opportunity for you that will put you right in the thick of people's lives and it only meets three nights a week."

"Well, I kind of already have a ministry, but if you really need me...."

 Living in community with others guarantees you will be called upon to serve at work, church, your children's school, and in the neighborhood. And if you work from home, you may find even more demands on your time or talents. To retain a healthy balance,everyone needs to learn the art of saying no. If not, you'll find yourself burned out, resentful, and scattered in so many directions that you aren't any good to anyone.

While we should all give of our talents, time, and treasure, what do we do when a request requires too much sacrifice or just doesn't appeal to us? Here are a few tips to help you learn to process the tasks competing for your time. I'll look at what to do when the request is for our writing or asks us to sacrifice time away from writing, but really these tips are of use in any situation.

Know your passions. When we understand our passions, we can devote the most time and energy in those areas. Knowing this ahead of time will help you decide if a request is something you can stand behind and see through or if it is something you need to pass on to someone else.

Decide the amount of time you are willing to give away. How often in a week, month, year can you give away your writing for free or take time away from writing to help someone? This is different for each person, but here are some ideas.

 Maybe your passion is orphan care, so you agree to do the writing for your church's adoption support outreach for free. Or maybe you feel comfortable tithing 10-percent of your writing time to your church in the form of publishing the weekly bulletin. Or possibly you will take on any request for writing from your child's school when you are not on deadline for a paying piece. Knowing your passions helps narrow down who gets your time.

Offer alternatives. If the request is something you're not opposed to, but the timing isn't right, tell the person up front. Say, "I'd like to do this, but now is not a good time. Will you let me know in the future if something like this comes up again?"

If the request is something that doesn't interest you or that you just can't do, you could offer some suggestions of other people who might enjoy the task. Say, "I work from 1-3 in the afternoon so I'm not available to watch your children. But Mrs. Sawyer really misses her grandchildren since they've moved and she might welcome the chance to sit for yours once in awhile." If you are uncomfortable with offering someone else's name, say, "I'll keep your need in mind. If I think of someone else who might like to help, I'll pass on your number." This allows you to mention it to your neighbor without any pressure for her to say yes or for you to follow up.

Ask for time. As a young wife and mother, this is the way I learned to turn down requests instead of taking things on that I'd later regret. When someone asked me to teach a class, work in the nursery, or make costumes for the Christmas play, I'd say, "I'd like to think about that and get back to you. Let me check with my husband, look at my calendar, and call you by Wednesday." This gave me time to think and pray about the decision rather than just dismiss it altogether or commit to something out of guilt or a feeling of obligation.

How to say no and mean it. After you've decided that you must turn down a request for your time or your resources, you will need to let the one requesting know of your decision. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Thank them for asking. It is an honor for someone else to believe in your talent or your ability to see something through. Thank the person who asked and point out the merits of the request, the ministry, or the project.
• Be honest. Admit up front that you don't have the desire, the time, or the ability to complete the request. 
• Be clear. Make sure you don't leave the person guessing. If you're saying no, make sure they understand that before you end your conversation.
• Get over yourself. Oftentimes if I really think about it, I'm not the only person capable of fulfilling a particular request--I'm just the first person or the next person on the list. The person asking isn't relying on me, but rather relying on someone to carry through. If I accept when my heart isn't in it, I may be robbing someone else of doing something that God has ordained for him or her.

Take a lesson from a toddler today. Learn to just say no.

What ideas or solutions do you have for saying no? How do you turn down requests for your writing or your time? Do you need to take on more requests? Do you need to learn to say no more often?

Nikki Studebaker Barcus

 

Beginnings

Photo credit:  Billy Alexander

By: Nikki Studebaker Barcus

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Don't you just love that? What astounds me and makes my heart pitter-pat at this verse isn't just the fact that it is the beginning of the greatest book of all time, or that it is The Beginning, of well, everything. It is not that these words are centuries old and still carry the power of creation within them. Even the truth that these are God Almighty's very words is not what gets my blood pumping. Nope. What I just adore about this verse is the finality of it.

God didn't just start out creating one day only to let the partially-formed earth linger like my bathroom remodeling project. The Creator God didn't lose interest after the beasts of the field and then run off to another adventure as my kids are wont to do. No way. Within the span of ten words God starts and finishes the entire world--heavens and earth included. The whole creation account--the expanses, the fish, the fowl, the fauna, the man, the Garden--summed up in that amazing sentence. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

You see, I can't help but be excited about that verse because I'm a finisher. I enjoy starting things, but what really floats my boat is drawing a thick black mark on an item on my to-do list. (Want to know a secret? If I do something and it's not already on my list, sometimes I write it down just for the satisfaction of crossing it off. Gasp! I know!) So I like the tidy way Genesis records the beginning and the completion of God's most amazing week.

Since the kids rushed off the bus forty-three days ago (but who's counting), chanting that tune about "no more books or teacher's dirty looks" I seem to be in perpetual "start" mode. With the sun barely peeking over the horizon, I start a cup of coffee. Then it's off to break up a fight or enforce chore time. I've started several books that I'd like to read, but someone always needs something--a ride to a friends, more toilet paper, a captive audience. I start cleaning a room and before I can finish I'm called away for one reason or another. When I return, one of the kids has decided to use every VHS tape left to build a fort, another one is fully engaged in an art project in the middle of the floor, and the other decides now is the time for his twice-yearly nap. I've started blogs posts and writing projects inside my head a million times but in the six weeks since summer break started, I've written only twice--this post and the one last month. Now that can really bum a girl out, especially a girl who likes to finish things as much as I do.

As writers, we know the importance of beginnings--the lead, the hook. We spend days, weeks, months, or entire books pondering just the right words to capture our audience. I know that. But God reminded me today of some other things I've started this summer that count for more than any writing project I could ever dream up. I've been privileged to start (and end) nearly every day with my healthy, happy, head-strong kids. I've started conversations with friends that encouraged, bolstered, and renewed both of us for the long days ahead. I spent four days at conference with over 600 middle school students and watched misty-eyed as kids I've taught week after week in Sunday school stood up and declared the beginning of their walk with their Savior.

So, if this summer is all about beginnings, I choose to embrace it. If nothing gets finished, there's always September. Whew! Now I can mark this blog post off my agenda.

How about you? Are you a starter or a finisher? Are there any new beginnings in your summer? Do you have a finished project you'd like to share so we can celebrate with you? Are you writing as much as you planned? If so, congratulations! But if not, take a look around you at what you are investing in with your time. Maybe it's something even more grand.

When Life Interrupts Writing

We've all had it happen, right? We're floating along merrily, maintaining the perfect balance between our writing life and the rest of our life. Then it happens. Something floats (or marches) into our sphere and shakes everything up. Sometimes the trigger is expected and other times it sneaks up from behind and startles us with a "boo!".

I recently gave birth to my second child. Talk about shaking up my world. I knew the changes ahead, but they still challenged me. Sleep deprivation, feedings, sleep deprivation, diaper changes, and more sleep deprivation. Oh, and did I mention all this is accompanied by chasing after a two-year-old while recovering from a C-section? Yes, this trigger most definitely interrupted my writing life.

So when these things bounce into our lives, what do we do with our precious writing time? In my experience, we have three options.

#1 - Keep barreling ahead. Maybe this is borne of necessity, such as a looming deadline. Or maybe our writing time is what fuels us to get out of bed each morning. I've found that during extra difficult periods in my life, I need a creative outlet to process my struggles. Sometimes, though, we push too hard until writing adds to the stress. Then it's time to reevaluate and consider one of the next two options.

#2 - Keep writing, but scale back. If we're pushing ourselves beyond our energy stores, it might be time to scale back. Instead of writing 20 hours a week, cut it back to 15 hours or 10, or maybe even 5. If life circumstances have shifted our schedule, we may need to make a new plan of how we'll carve in writing time. With two children in the home now, I've faced this challenge. Instead of writing after my son goes to bed (which was my pre-baby routine), I'm busy taking care of my daughter during that time. So I've started enlisting my husband's help on Saturday mornings so I can get a few good hours of writing time. In a couple months, that plan may change again.

#3 - Step away. Some life events dictate that we step away from writing for a season. I did this for the first month after my daughter's birth. I made the decision that my family and my health were more important. Other writers take longer hiatuses, sometimes several years. If we feel God's prompting to step away and if we follow His prompting, I believe He'll bring us back more refreshed and ready to write with passion and purpose.

So what about you? What do you do when life interrupts your writing? Have you ever stepped away for a time?

Is It Time to De-Stress?

In the past month, responsibilities layered one on top of the other until I found myself barely surviving. At the end of each day, my biggest challenge was keeping my eyes open long enough to watch an hour of the Winter Olympics. Forget about meeting my writing goals.

I didn't step away completely, but I did learn that certain times in life require me to say "No", so that I can say "Yes" to my most important priorities. For me, that meant saying "No" to attending every Mom's group and blogging at a frenetic pace, so I could say "Yes" to my physical well-being, my family, and my writing goals (which have adjusted as a result of my down time).

I recently did a Google search on de-stressing, and I found a site called "100 Ways to Reduce Stress". Take the time to read it. You'll feel yourself de-stressing just looking through the list. And since writing is still a high priority for me, I think doing many of these activities will serve to make me a better writer in the process.

Where is your stress level these days? What can you cut out or add to your life to make you a more effective writer?

Can Writers Do It All?

I admired the author who spoke about her eight hour writing routine which is only interrupted when her husband brings lunch, afternoon tea, and the housekeeper comes in to say good-bye. That may not be fiction, but it certainly is fantasy as far as my life is concerned.

I suspect it’s fantasy for most of us who track the market, polish the proposal, peruse how-to books, write for cash, maintain daily word counts, update blogs, strive to meet contest or requested manuscript deadlines as dear hubby pokes his head in and says, “I have no clean clothes and, seriously, are we eating cold cuts again?” or #1 wife says, “Junior can’t find his way back from the sandbox. When are you cutting the lawn?”

How does anyone do all the things that a writer is supposed to do?

Well, don’t ask me, I was hoping you’d have some solutions. No, just kidding. It's an on-going dilemma and one I wrestled with for years. The answer depends on your own unique circumstances and placement on God’s path. In the meantime, here are three tips.

Everything does not have to be done now. We try to microwave our success when it should be more like preparing a luau: Build a deep pit, lay a good fire, prepare the food, lower the clay pot of goodies, cover it over and bake for hours and hours, then feast. Did you notice how many steps there were leading up to the feasting? They each build on the other otherwise you’d be eating raw, sandy food. There is a time for everything.

If you are spinning out of control, stop. Truly. Simply stop. The world will not fall apart, even if the kids are screaming bloody murder. You take time for absolutely everything else so make it a priority to stop and ask God what he wants to do with your life. Then plan small orderly steps to accomplish that.

Exercise those trust muscles. God is in control. If you believe that, than you can relax and simply ask God, “What am I to do this day?” In James 1:5 God invites you to ask him and is pleased to give you wisdom. If you are burning out, it’s sure that you are moving in your own strength for God will empower you to do what needs to be done, including caring for spouse, children, and the sick dog.

I’m interested. How do you manage all the things a writer must do? What tips do you have to add to these basic ideas?