Missing Details

I came to the last page of a crime novel, closed it and laid it aside. It had been a fast-paced, satisfying read. As my mind walked through the plot and visualized scenes where the robberies had taken place, I also tried to visualize the robber, but couldn’t. The author had not described him.

For one of the crimes, the protagonist had worn a disguise with brown contact lenses, but the author didn’t say what his natural eye color was. Another crime, another disguise—this time he was an elderly man with a gray-haired wig. Again, the author didn’t say what his real hair color was.

My wife read the novel at the same time. If the police interviewed both of us as witnesses to those crimes, I imagine each of us would give them different descriptions of the perpetrator because most of our details would come from our imaginations.

Readers don’t need highly detailed descriptions to enjoy a story because readers like to participate in the creative process with us. In fact, the more details they supply, the more likely they are to enter “the fictive dream”—the imaginary world that takes us away from our current surroundings.

Media expert Marshall McLuhan categorized some media as “hot” because they supply detailed, multisensory information that leaves nothing to the imagination. Movies are good examples. McLuhan called other media “cool” because they supply sketchy information and we must create the rest with our imaginations. Books are “cool” media. (But you knew that, didn’t you?)

There’s another advantage of providing scant details: It keeps the pace of our narrative moving. If we don’t belabor our description of characters and settings, we create stories that readers truly can’t put down because they’re eager to see what happens next.

Joe Allison writes both fiction and nonfiction, and has been a member of the Indiana chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2010. He lives in Anderson, IN, with his wife Maribeth.

Your God-Given Vocation

I recently came across a book on Christian academic vocations written by A.G. Sertillanges, a French Catholic university professor. He says:

A vocation is not fulfilled by vague reading and a few scattered writings. It requires penetration and continuity and methodical effort, so as to attain a fulness of development which will correspond to the call of the Spirit, and to the resources that it has pleased Him to bestow upon us.[1]

He emphasizes that our vocations are God’s gifts to the church, so we cannot neglect them “without impoverishing the group and without depriving the eternal Christ of a part of His Kingdom.” He adds:

If you are designated as a light bearer, do not go and hide under a bushel the gleam or the flame expected from you in the house of the Father of all.[2]

Our Creator has entrusted us with the light of truth, which the world needs more urgently than any other. “Set your minds, then, on endorsing by your conduct the fact that God has called and chosen you” (2 Pet. 1:10a, Phillips).

Any God-given vocation deserves our steadfast commitment, in season and out. This is certainly true of Christian writing, Here's a suggestion: During your next meditation time, reflect on the  way you write. Think not only about the amount of time you give to the task, but the way you invest that time.  As Sertillanges reminds us, a vocation "requires penetration and continuity and methodical effort."

If you know God has called you to write, begin writing that way. Today.

Joe Allison writes both fiction and nonfiction, and has been a member of the Indiana chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2010. He lives in Anderson, IN, with his wife Maribeth.

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[1] A.G. Sertillanges, The Intellectual Life, rev. ed. (Washington, DC: Catholic University Press, 1998), 3.

[2] Sertillanges, 5.

Your Library of Knowledge

Over the years, I have collected a large repository of books of all kinds. At the same time, I've learned a new skill: creative stacking.  Yes, I have books stashed in every corner of my office and adjacent rooms.  I have enough to open either a used bookstore or street corner library.

Yes, I'm all for digital, but nothing can replace the look, feel, and smell (yes smell) of a paper book.

To that end, I just keep adding to my library.  Do I need it? My answer: How do I know? I mean, you just never know what resource you will need until you need it.   Yes, I know these are things and they do add a lot to the clutter factor, but as writers, I feel like we get some leeway in collecting books.  Plus, I like walking into the other room and just referencing the book I need and move on. 

Yes, I buy books now that I know I will not read for years because I'm not sure if it will be in print by that time (not to mention I'm not a fan of musty odor books).

Ok, yes, rationally speaking I do run the question "do I need this book" through a series of filters to ensure it's something "I might" need at some point (if only to avoid having to build a new house or add a room, lol).

I know several writers who have started "the great book purge," but, as long as I have room, I will continue to build by writer's library.  Instead of a walk in closet, I have a walk in writer's libarary.

There is no right or wrong to this, and necessity is in the eye of the collector :)

Que Será Será

When I was just a little girl, I loved Doris Day's signature song, "Que Será Será." (And those of you who know the song as well as I do, know what I just did there with my opening line!)

The lesson in Doris Day's song is the translation of the title:

"What will be, will be." 

I idolized Doris Day. She was so cute, so sweet. If I were to ever become a famous singer/actress like she was, I wanted a similar reputation. But—que será será. 

Like the first line in the song, I also wondered what I would be when I grew up. A teacher? A writer? A singer? Que será será, but I was willing to bet language would be a major part of my future.

Sixty years later, I can look back on my life and see what came to be. I became all three—just wasn't as famous as Doris Day! While the song sticks to a secular message of fate or destiny, I’ll take it a step further with faith.

We are not in control of our lives.

We couldn't see what our future held when we were children. We can't see the future now. Not in our personal lives. Not in our professional lives. But unlike the song, we can trust that God is in control and He knows our future.

I was a member of the ACFW Indiana board for several years, and I've had the privilege of getting to know many of you, something that probably wouldn't have happened if I had remained a member at large.

Some of you are in the prime of life, raising children, eager to see how God uses the talents He has given you. Some are in the autumn of your lives. I count myself among you. We deal with health issues and generational issues as we watch the world and our families. Sometimes, our grown children crash and burn, and sometimes we have the joy of watching them thrive. But all of us look forward to what is ahead in eternity. And that should be the message to our readers. No matter the circumstances on earth, we have a Savior waiting for us, waiting to welcome us home.

In the meantime, how do we use our writing gifts to mine for the jewels God buries in our lives?

Do we guide our characters into their future? Do we offer them hope?

In my YA books, my main character struggles to do the right thing. She learns what is most important for eternity.

My women’s fiction follows the same tensions. How can she make up for her sins? She can’t, but God shows her the way out of the mess she created. Her faith has an effect on what her family's future will be.

Que será será.

Some of us are highly successful in the writing world. Some of us are still struggling for an agent’s attention. Others of us have chosen to step away from the traditional and publish our work independently.Who knew that would be a possibility thirty years ago?  No matter how we seek to get our books into public view, we know God has called us to write.

Stay true to your calling, and...que será será. 

Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen. She has completed a  middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own experiences growing up with a deaf sister. Book One, Reaching Into Silence, was a Carol Awards semi-finalist, an ACFW Genesis Contest semi-finalist,  and a First Impressions Finalist.

Linda had always figured she’d teach teens and tweens until school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair and rolled her out the door. 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 becoming an author.

A wife, mother of three, and grandmother to eight, 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