Curve Balls and Cleats

I’m not a huge baseball fan but I know something about it at least. And one thing I know is that every pitcher wishes he could throw a fast curve ball, as these are hard to hit & result often in strikes. Of course, earning a strike – well in truth, three of them! – is the goal of a pitcher.

They are tricky ones, not going the route expected and thus many times faking out the batter. Not good if you are that person but excellent if you are the one pitching! It is a technique that is developed over a long period of time, perfecting it until it comes when most needed and always when unanticipated.

Have you ever had a curve ball slam mercilessly past you when you weren’t looking? It whizzes by at lightning speed and leaves you breathless and wondering, “What on earth was that? Oh, you mean I was supposed to hit it? Are you kidding me? Who could possibly do that when you don’t know it’s coming?”

Believe me, I’ve stepped up to the plate quite a few times in my life only to face a curve ball. And left feeling dejected and helpless and frustrated. “Will I ever have another chance? Can I ever learn how to figure out what’s going on before it’s too late to do something about it?”

And God has always answered with a resounding YES! If I will accept His timing and His teachings found in the Scriptures, I can see the signs of what is coming and be more prepared next time. With His power behind me, I can not only make contact with the ball, I can hit it clear out of the park!

Cleats are another interesting part of baseball. They are the spiky things on the bottom of the shoes, designed to help the players move faster when necessary. But they can also slow them down until they learn how to maneuver them in tight spots. Stopping when a base is reached, for instance, is greatly helped by them. But trying to steal a base when the pitcher’s head is turned away is not the moment for those cleats to hold fast! What in one situation can be a blessing can also be a curse in another. The job of the runner is to recognize this fact, learn to deal with it, and then use it to his advantage.

Writers also need curve balls and cleats. Sometimes our writing begins to plod along without anything to peak the reader’s interest—or the writer’s! What we need is something exciting and unexpected, from the tragic to the comic, from the dramatic to the seemingly inconsequential which is in truth crucial to the plot. Suddenly the reader sits up and takes notice. The wheels churn as he tries to figure out why the author stuck that in there right then. “Did I miss something important?” he asks himself. “I’ve got to pay better attention!”

You’ve thrown a curve ball and whether the reader is thrilled with the development or not, he will keep reading to see how you have played it out. Will it be a bunt or a home run? Only time will tell but nevertheless, you’ve used this technique to spice up the action and hold the interest of your reader a little longer. Until the next one flies . . . .

Our cleats are those small things that anchor our story lines and keep readers rooted in the reality of this fictional world we have created. Readers love these because they keep them intrigued by where the story is going now. For instance you stop in the middle of a kidnapping investigation to allow the protagonist to attend her daughter’s dance recital. The movement seems to have slowed a bit and the reader risks losing interest. Until the proud mother suddenly spots across the room the witness she’s been looking for! There is a specific reason she went to that event, in other words, and a purpose beyond showing off her little one’s dance skills. You as an author have made your character a little more sympathetic, too, because other “dance moms” will appreciate her priority to her daughter. And yet, would that mystery have been solved had she not taken the time to go?

I would call these a writer’s cleats. You have to know how to use them and work them into the story. A dance recital in the middle of a murder mystery is silly, unless it advances the plot and rounds out the characters a little more. Why was this witness there? To allow the mother to see him “accidentally” or perhaps to plan his revenge by stalking her daughter? If an author gets caught up in this event, however, it can become a “stuck cleat” meaning it will detract from the original purpose. The point is not the fine arts event; the point is finding the witness and figuring out why he is there.

God has a purpose for everything. In His economy, He wastes not one tear, not one victory, not one so-called mundane day’s work. Many Scriptures remind us of this fact. But if you are seeking His Will it will not be hard to discern how He works out every single thing, good and bad, to your good eventually. He will show you! As when an author completes a book, all the loose ends will be tied up and all the questions answered. Ours happens when we get to Heaven. Hopefully, as an author your readers will feel this sense of satisfaction and completion immediately upon finishing the last page of your book. They don’t want to have to wait until they get to Heaven to find out “who dun it and why”!

God has allowed several curve balls to be thrown at me over the past months but each one has had a purpose far beyond my understanding, turning potential tragedy into great victory. He has also taught me to use my cleats to slow down my pace a bit and learn to enjoy the moment without being so concerned about what is going to happen next. My absence from this Blog site and, indeed, all of my writing efforts, for the past two months has been difficult to endure but I had no choice because of Gary’s illness and our move. The Lord’s faithfulness, however, in allowing me to now return to this focus in my life has brought me great excitement and joy. As I post each week reminders of our “Showers of Blessings” I hope you will join me to discover new kernels of truth as they are revealed to me, intertwining writing and faith as only He can!

So, in this coming week, find and employ those cleats and curve balls in your writing and allow Him to use them in your life as well. You won’t be sorry. Then let me know what you have learned. I will be eager to hear all about your experiences!