Wolves and Writing

The other day I read a Cherokee Proverb and it spoke strongly to my heart about my writing. Perhaps because right now my focus has been on writing about various Native Americans. But I choose to believe it’s because I also focus on knowing God’s Word and the philosophy behind it comes straight out of the Scriptures.

According to the Proverb, there is a battle between two wolves inside all of us. One is evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority, and ego. [My words here: This sounds familiar, doesn’t it?]

The other is good. It’s joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth. [Hmm, seems I’ve heard this somewhere before, too!]

The wolf that wins? The one you feed.

Today, are you feeding the evil wolf inside you? Are you allowing God’s Spirit to be squelched when you express your human nature and its basest elements? What about your writing? Is it uplifting and helpful to others? Or does it tear down and destroy with its selfishness and sarcasm?

Or are you feeding the good wolf in your heart by allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through the words you write to bring healing and comfort to others? Even with fiction you can do this. But are you? Before you speak or write, do you ask yourself if it will help another or possibly cause hurt or shame? Do you ask God to bless those words to His purposes?

My writing is inextricably linked with my faith because everything in my psyche is steeped in it. I cannot separate the two, though at times I write more for the secular market than for the Christian one. But my goal is always to bring inspiration and hope. I sincerely desire for the good wolf inside my heart to win the battle and hope my readers can sense that at all times.

This week as you write, find the good wolf and help him come out. Don’t allow a prolonged battle to rage for it will diminish the power of your words. What you feed on, is what you are—a rough paraphrase of Jesus’ words to His disciples. Seek the positive and it will show up in what you write, and you will experience showers of blessings because you did!

Hard Work--Me?

Last week I shared a verse from the Bible that has great meaning to my life and to my writing. This week I want to add one more verse that has impacted me as well.

Proverbs 14:23 says in the NIV, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” I can’t tell you how hard this hit me when I first read it in light of my writing. As I wrote it down to post by my computer, I wrote across the bottom of the card, “Stop procrastinating and WRITE!” All day long I can say am a writer but until I do it, my words are empty and meaningless. God takes them and creates purpose according to His will when I get out of the way and allow Him room to work through those words. However, I must do my part first before He will have something to work with!

Not only does the verse have application for my writing; in my daily walk through life, it rings true as well. This nation was founded on such a principle, in fact. One of the vital components of the Mayflower Compact was that everyone who wanted to eat must work. You can’t order the corn to grow and turn around to find steaming hot corn on the cob sitting on your table. Likewise, my husband (who is a homebuilder) can’t organize the blueprints and subcontractors for a house and sit back and watch it happen. He must work at it and keep others doing so before a finished product—and therefore profit for our business—can happen.

Many today unfortunately suffer from serious financial poverty, but far more are afflicted with emotional, mental, and/or spiritual poverty. They are equally devastating, just not quite as noticeable to a casual observer’s eye. How have you been the victim of these in the past? Or perhaps one of them holds you in its bondage right now. Emerging from it is no easier than from financial poverty but the good news is, it can be done with God’s help. This verse is a good starting point. You were created for purpose and for enjoying the work your Heavenly Father designed for you. So get to it!

We all suffer from some form of poverty from time to time and the key to defeating its hold on us lies in these simple words from Proverbs. Whether it is for our writing or for our personal lives, we must work hard to achieve our dreams. Living in obedience to His principles helps us focus on the essential and keep things in perspective as we await His blessings. It’s not a matter of luck but of confidence in God’s promises, not of talking about it but doing it.

What will you do this week to identify your areas of poverty and design a game plan to change destructive patterns and unleash God’s blessings? And no more excuses, get to work on your writing now!

Trust Versus Creativity

Much of my strength and wisdom in life has come from God’s Word. Why should my writing be any different? When discouragement threatens to rob me of creativity, when distraction attempts to block out my focus, when life gets in the way of life, nothing picks me up like searching Scripture for a sense of direction or confirmation.

One verse from The Message sums it all up. Matthew 6:34 says, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

The Lord has a plan for my life that is for good and not for evil, intended to give me purpose and meaning and hope for the future (this is my own paraphrase of another verse!). Trouble is, my enemy also has a plan for my life. It is counterfeit, though, designed to get me off track and therefore too busy or exhausted to fulfill the one intricately woven by my Creator. Fretting over whether or not I will have the ability to complete a story God has put on my heart, or spending time wondering how I ever believed He had called me to write for Him means I am not walking in obedience to this verse. What my Savior has called me to do, He will equip me sufficiently for doing. Plain and simple truth. So do I believe it? Of course!

When taking numerous plot threads and weaving them together into a cohesive whole, as the author I need to know where I am going, right? Maybe. We’d all like to see the next step in our writing—or in life. But then it would not be trust. If we can see ahead, there is no miracle involved as it plays out. My writing style is such that I like to lay out my ideas at the beginning in intricate detail, leaving nothing to chance so I don’t box myself into a corner from which I cannot emerge without dismantling at least part of the story line. Sounds nice and neat, doesn’t it? Let me tell you, it doesn’t always work out that way!

For years I’ve heard the advice that authors should allow their characters to tell their own story instead of imposing an external plot on them and forcing them to comply with its boundaries. It made sense but I didn’t understand how it was supposed to actually work. I mean, these people aren’t real, right? So how can they form the story line?

In writing my novel From Now Until Forever I discovered first hand the truth of this advice. Just as in life, I had to take a step of faith at the beginning, to start the writing process without fully knowing what came next. Word after word and paragraph after paragraph, slowly but surely God’s Spirit was unleashed in each person I had created, and before I realized it, these people took over and began to change the direction of the book. For instance, I had a minor character who was slated to appear only in the opening scene but who very soon became a major one. The whole story became richer and deeper as he spilled out the details of his evil life. This didn’t excuse his behavior or motivations, only explained them better than I was doing. Every time he threatened the heroine or plotted against her, the man became more believable—even as I shuddered while writing the words. Thankfully, my emotional, spiritual, and physical well being wasn’t being attacked! Or was it? Sometimes I couldn’t be certain, so I knew my readers would feel the same way, thus drawing them deeper into the life of at least this one character. And once he was unleashed to do his mayhem, everyone else spoke up as well, demanding equal time. God took care of the tomorrows with this book when I began listening to Him in the moment.

And He can do the same for you right now. How will He speak to you today? Share with me the wisdom He reveals from this simple verse. How exciting the future can be when He is in control!

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!

SINGING IN THE SHADOWS

This morning in my devotional time I read Psalm 63:7 which says, “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.” Simple words with extraordinary meaning for me right now. I dare say, for you as well.

He doesn’t say that we are to sing only when things are going well. When life is easy and comfortable. When pain and suffering are far away. When fear is not lurking behind every turn. Just sing!

Basking in the warmth of sunlight darkness becomes only a dim memory we quickly brush aside, and the joy that feeds our song bursts forth with little effort. But what of the deep shadows? They will return, no doubt, and we must be prepared. If we waste those lovely rays of liquid gold instead of storing them up for later, the night will be dark indeed and our voices silent. What a joy to know He never leads where His grace cannot sustain!

Abiding in the shadow of His wings is quite a different place than simply dwelling where there is no light. Living in close union with Him, angels surround us as His personal messengers of peace and courage and their wings protect our steps as directed by the Holy Spirit. There we find all the wisdom, comfort, and discernment needed to live as He intends. He truly is our helper and thus we can sing praise in spite of the circumstances.

As writers we have the ability to “sing” in a powerful way to bring Him honor, regardless of the adversity and chaos raging around us. We see His purpose fulfilled in our obedience and we grow in faith and understanding through it. Our calling is to write; publication is in His hands. Even through our difficult times He can receive glory, and we rest in the peace that comes from knowing He has used our gift once more.

During this special time of year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and the Savior of our souls, it is my longing more than ever to write as He would have me do. Perhaps it is in bowing my knee to the Prince of Peace and the King Above All Kings once again as the shepherds and wise men did so long ago that He reawakened that calling. In addition, facing the reality of the coming new year in just over a week, this yearning has intensified into a drive that is rapidly taking on a life of its own, stronger and more determined than ever before. I hope you will continue to join me here at Showers of Blessings throughout 2012 to discover with me more about writing and faith, how they intertwine so clearly, and the ways in which God can bless our love for the written word!

Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Year’s to each of you!

GLITCHES IN WRITING

How many times do writers write themselves into a corner because they haven’t researched a topic/place/event/time period carefully enough ahead of time? No one really knows the answer but I would imagine it happens quite often. The excitement of the story line compels us to type faster and faster and . . . before you know it, we don’t even recognize the plot thread any longer and have no idea where it is going!

That is why the delete key was invented! Do you know how many wasted pieces of paper authors used to have, wadded up in the trash can next to the desk or littering the floor, before the computer came along and changed everything? When I was in college, the one thing I dreaded more than anything was proofing a paper one last time and finding a typo or overlooked footnote that would require typing perhaps not just that one page over again but the whole thing. Oh, how I could have used a delete button back then!

When in the early stages of writing my just-finished novel, I dreamed of writing about the Cherokees. That was pre-Internet for one thing but with only a small amount of effort in researching this tribe I could have easily discovered the story would not fit these great people. Fulfilling a long-term dream, I finally had the opportunity to visit the Tsa-la-Gi Ancient Village in Tahlequah (OK), where they have recreated a Cherokee village and illustrated their history in a variety of ways. It did not take me ten minutes to realize I had the wrong tribe for my story! A sinking feeling overwhelmed me that day and I felt I had wasted so much time and energy going in the wrong direction for this book. Would it even be worth salvaging if I searched for another tribe to write about? Or would it be a false story shaped to fit the history instead of the other way around?

Within a few months and after much prayer and contemplating the future of my novel, I determined that it would, indeed, be valid if told from another tribe’s point of view. Apparently it had never been His intention that I pursue my idea, and somehow I had missed that message. Nothing in the plot, however, dictated a particular group of people, only the need to relate the tale of love, intrigue, forgiveness, and victory born out of deep tragedy that God had placed on my heart long ago and still begged for an outlet. One night while searching—this time online—I realized I had found the right tribe, the one God intended for me to honor all along! It came through a true story detailed on a website, about a white woman who was reared a Kiowa and never knew Christ until she was grown and quite elderly in fact. Totally caught up in her life’s experiences, I just knew in my heart that this was the right direction to go.

From there I spent about four years researching the Kiowa people and their history, culminating in being honored to meet a Kiowa woman greatly esteemed in her tribe today who also loves the Lord. She was the key to my book getting written with historical detail and authentic accuracy. No more glitches for this book!

It was not through my own cleverness that I was able to write myself out of this corner, believe me. Coming through the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, He rescued me and this tale, hopefully for posterity once it is published. His is the power to resolve glitches and smooth over mistakes, leaving the slate sparkling clean in His wake. I never cease to be amazed at how that works when He is behind a project, whether it be a book or a work of art or musical composition or a sewing project (I am not the greatest seamstress in the world!). Reshaping a partially-done anything is His specialty!

If you are laboring right now under the impression that you can only come to Him when you have cleaned up your act and have finally gotten it all done perfectly right, have I got a story of inspiration for you! He offers hope when the world takes it away with its condemnation, and brings peace when life threatens to destroy the very ground beneath your feet. First you must admit that you need His power, then sit back and watch how He reshapes your future! No less a miracle than what He did for me with this book.

And the title of this reworked novel? Very appropriate for its history—From Now Until Forever. Our God not only works in this world but also for all of eternity. What a thrill to anticipate what lies ahead when we know this to be true, know there will be no "glitches" with Him in control.

WRITING AND WAITING


For the past several months God has been refining my ability to wait patiently for Him to act regarding my husband’s health situation. The challenge at times has been overwhelming but He remains as faithful as ever, not once turning His back on me but pushing for excellence rather than mediocrity. He won’t let me get away with offering only an average effort because He is not an “average” God!

During this chapter of my life, I decided to put aside my writing for a while because I felt I could not give it my best when so distracted by this one issue and all its ramifications. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that was a mistake of huge proportions. To think I might get by without responding to God’s call on me to write for Him, even for a very good reason and even for a short time, turned out to be a joke—except there wasn’t anything funny about it. Being called to write is rather like being “sorta pregnant”—either you are or you are not! No half way. He called and I answered but when did He rescind that call? Or even agree to put it on hold?

After a few miserable weeks I slowly changed my mind. To appease my restless mind and body, I began to consider an alternative. Perhaps I could write while caring for my husband as we endure this endless waiting we have been required to do. Reluctantly at first I wandered back to the computer for something more than checking e-mail. Though it had not been a long absence, I have to admit I had already forgotten the excitement that wells up somewhere deep inside when presented with a plot idea. My fingers literally itch to start creating! Not an easy task, mind you, but a necessary one for my emotional survival.

And I will not make that mistake again, believe me. Now I am up to my computer screen in character sketches, research on the history and peoples of the region to be featured, and a detailed outline of events in my new novel. It is to be the first in a four-part series and I am amazed that God believes me capable of such an enormous task. I’ve never reached this far professionally before. How far can God stretch me before I break? Much further than I imagine going, I’m afraid. Yet I have nothing to fear for He is right there beside me holding me up, both going before me and serving as my rear guard. Daily I remind Him that I cannot do this but He can through me, so I ask that He use my desire to tell a story with His wisdom and words to bring to life these people He’s created in my mind. If this is accomplished in my own strength, where is the miracle? I have to step back and allow Him room to work.

Echoing the sentiments of a lady I recently heard speak to a writing group, I claim the opportunity to allow God to write this story on my heart even when I am not seated at the computer. Whether I’m folding clothes, driving to a doctor’s appointment, or fixing a meal, I try to remain open to His inspiration at all moments. With children, we call those teachable moments. So I humbly ask that God give me a teachable spirit so I can write even when I am not writing. It’s all in His hands anyway!