Into the Fire

I'm not a man. Although I appreciate the male species, I can never fully understand the way they're wired. Their brains are constructed differently from women's brains.

Keeping these things in mind, one would tend to think a female writer would choose not to feature a male protagonist and use first person point of view. Admitting it's a challenge to crawl inside a man's skin, it's an interesting and formidable place to be. And sometimes it's much more meaningful to create a satisfactory and enticing man – "enticing" in that the personality attracts empathy, understanding, and appreciation from a reader, not mirroring a worldly stereotype.

As an author who writes love stories, it's essential to give the male protagonist accurate and complex traits without minimizing or demonizing his innate masculinity. In order to do it well, the attention to the heart and soul of the character must produce depth even within his potential simplicity.

Not being a man makes the effort more difficult but certainly more rewarding when achieving success. Studying men is a worthwhile endeavor. Creating good male characters: priceless.

Father, thank you for the amazing and utter beauty of your creation, male and female. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
  

Italics drive some editing professionals crazy. I don't get it. From the standpoint of difficulty reading italics in fine print, yes, that I understand, but the specific use of italics in novels serves a viable purpose. Certainly they're not a necessity, but neither are they a liability. The separation they give to characters' thoughts, to the emphasis of word or phrase, to quoted letters, and legitimate titles used within a story, all provide a function not easily equaled with the regular font.

Some preferences are just that: someone's own acquired taste in the mechanics of writing.

Is there some element of writing you don't like or prefer?

Father, you've given everyone gifts and talents. Help us to appreciate the creative spirit. Every good and perfect gift comes down to us from you. Thank you for your love and grace. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The world of indie publishing has increased the need for cover designers hired by individuals producing their books. Since I've self-published mine, I've always had the last word on the cover designs. Although two of the three required more communication than the other one, the artists succeeded in expressing the novels' tone and substance.

So, for those of you who write novels, do you see your covers before, during, or not at all when working on your book?

I may be e-publishing another novel, and I have seen the cover for this one since its inception. Whether or not the image in my mind translates well to the finished product remains a question mark at this time, but I'll attempt to describe it accurately and hope it makes a good cover.

I've never liked covers with a predominant focus on the author's name – where the name overrides the title, the design, and most everything else. There are ways to feature the author without overtaking the title's message, such as different fonts, bolder color, or black. For me, the title and design are the most important part of a book cover.

I love great book covers and am a self-confessed judger of books by their covers. Doesn't mean I won't read a book with a cover I don't like, but without a specific interest in that particular book I'll put it right back on the shelf or skip over the Amazon description if I'm not attracted to the cover. Covers matter to me, and I want mine to appeal to me. That way maybe others will enjoy them too.

Father, thank you for all the people you've gifted with designer talents. Their art contributes to the satisfaction of writer and reader alike. So grateful for your never ending generosity. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NIV)

What makes you feel touched? What gets to that place where tears threaten. What touches your heart place?

Physical touch can thrill or scare. Emotional touch can elate or damage. Spiritual touch is either sublime or evil.

What touches you?

Father, being touched by your Spirit is the ultimate. Thank you for not keeping your distance but rather reaching down to touch us wherever we are. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Nicolette Larson is gone but her songs remain. The lyrics to this one are exceptionally meaningful, and I loved this song a long time ago. Still do. The musicians are great too.

Father, you provide the talent. It's up to us what we do with it. Thank you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Brenda S. Anderson has temporarily reduced the price of her first novel Chain of Mercy in ebook form.

That's a bargain. Reviewed here.  

Father, please continue to direct Brenda's writing and pour out an extra blessing for all she does for other authors. Encourage her as she does to others. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

I spent about a month buying Bride magazines when I got engaged to my boyfriend of three years. I was 18 years old. Crazy to think of it now. Bridal magazines were definitely not me, but I indulged them for a short season. 

Females come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. We claim some of the same emotional makeup, but we can be vastly different in how we relate those emotions to circumstances. We can be soft, hard, and in between for our personalities. We can love glam and frou-frou or prefer low maintenance and style. We can be outdoorsy and love to camp or crave luxurious accommodations. We fuss over our makeup and hair or we go sans makeup with wash and wear hair. Athletic, demure, clumsy, and average, we are what we are.

I seriously doubt real men thumb through bridal magazines or spend much time selecting a tuxedo or whatever they plan to wear at their wedding. Yes, men manage to prefer certain styles – some definitely more than others – but to spend a great deal of time pouring over pictures of what to wear? Don't think so. Some men probably allow their brides to pick out their wedding-wear.

Males seek to control or at least manage their emotional reactions, contrary to most females. Many want to be perceived as strong and reliable while others are slothful and messy. Far more demanding of others' respect above all, males desire love but love to be desired. More apt to "fuss" over their vehicles or their pet projects, whatever those might be, some will look rugged and others aim for suave. Men are who they are and many of them like to keep it simple, which is why the female persona often causes great confusion for them.

Females and males struggle with communication because they're different from their brain structure to their bodily parts. Made to complement each other, in this sin-stained world they spend far too much time in conflict while striving for harmony, the perfection of creation a distant dream.

Because of the God-given role for a male and the prophecy after the Fall of how the woman would try to usurp her power over the man, we see the conflicts of today between the sexes amplified and exploited by both sexes. With either impatient couples rushing to the altar or to move in together without establishing godly parameters for their relationships, marriage becomes a ritual which can be remedied by divorce, and those who live together can simply quit merging their bodies and their homes and walk away from commitment.

Females and males, males and females, work together or in opposition to each other in the home, in the workplace, or even in spiritual arenas. The lost human soul needs redemption from sin to help each one through the mine field of life. And even then the course is hard and wearisome but well worth the challenge. There's nothing better than people willing to make an effort to invest in each other, to overcome the obstacles, to rise above situations in triumph.

Father, we're sinners. You love us. You help us. You save us. We're all desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

I don't know about you, but I've worked for both men and women. I've had bad bosses of both sexes, but I will say when I've had a bad woman boss, they're the worst.

When women are hard-hearted, power-hungry, and clearly lack people-management skills, they're by far more unlikable than men with the same poor qualities. Women who are calloused and uncaring demonstrate the reasons for acquiring certain unpleasant nicknames. They give orders as if their employees are sub-humans. Everything they want done is for their own self-serving agenda. Most of the time these particular women are hypocrites who stroke favorite workers to get what they want and easily cast them aside or as the current popular phrase goes "throw them under the bus" if the higher-up finds what these individuals were instructed to do doesn't work. These women usually shred their employees and lose a fair amount of them while schmoozing their bosses to make everything seem perfect under their direction.

Maybe I mind it less with men because they're not women. Only women with a similar opinion as mine will understand this. Sometimes we expect these above characteristics from male bosses who demonstrate a certain personality type so when their expected conduct becomes a reality, we're not surprised.

To be fair, I've had a couple of great women bosses who looked out for their employees, going the extra mile to accommodate all kinds of issues while still being on top of everything pertaining to business. These were exceptional women on all levels and really a pleasure to work for, but, for me, they weren't the norm.

I don't know what your experiences have been with either gender, but whether male or female, working for these types of people is no fun and usually not productive in the long term. Some people should not be allowed to manage other workers.

Father, we need to be where you want us to be, doing what you want us to do, with grace and mercy and straightforward conduct. Help us to be what you want us to be. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God.

2 John 7-9 (NIV)