Into the Fire

How do you write? Pad and pencil or pen? Computer keyboard? Do you begin with a storyboard or notebooks?

What style do you like? Do you write the way you speak? Do you write first person? Third person? All the other persons?

Do you emulate your favorite writers? Do you have your own voice perfected or does it change and rotate through different stories and over time?

How do you write? How do you want to write?

Father, help each one of us who you've designed to write to be effective in our endeavors. Help us to fulfill what you have for us to do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

. . . the truth.

"You can't handle the truth!" Famous Jack Nicholson line delivered with malevolent intensity in the film A Few Good Men.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Jesus Christ

Other "truth-full" quotes:

Truth is stranger than fiction.

Blinded by the truth.

The truth hurts.

The truth can be intimidating, enlightening, refreshing, or annoying. It can transform, incense, convict, or anger. People either embrace it, argue with it, or refuse to believe it. It can be hard to discover, easy to find, or hidden to those who don't want to see it.

The above line from A Few Good Men is indeed indicative of many. Truth eludes them because admitting it would mean they've lived a lie, believed a lie, or wanted a lie to be true. Many will argue against absolute truth(s), citing different "opinions" in the scientific, moral, intellectual, and/or spiritual communities.

Christians don't just believe the bible is true, they know it is. Their introduction to Jesus Christ is nothing short of supernatural, and they can no longer entertain alternative belief systems. Their relationship has become personal, their knowledge of the spiritual realm explanatory of much of the evil in this world and the workings and influences of a fallen humanity. 

Truth is a precious, pervasive, and life-changing commodity. Available. Discernible. Incredible.

Truth is exceptional and ordinary. Spectacular and simple. Beautiful and terrifying. Amazing and obvious.

Few seek it. There's something about . . . the Truth.

Father, we are dead without the Truth. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of turth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession – to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)

Please take a few moments and appreciate the beauty and genius of these magnificent animals and the creative minds who train and care for them. They're worth every tear that falls. (Special thanks to BK Jackson for the inspiration.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTbLBL2P6YA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3eQmzw6n3k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD6ghskNKa8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xb4kLo4Gp0

And finally the perfect commercial for the playoffs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgSKwpw2buI

Father, thank you for the beauty of these horses. Thank you for horses and those who love them. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

         Just down the road at Novel Rocket today. Please meet me there.

Thank you for every opportunity to share my heart and passions, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

These commercials actually make me vow never to buy or use their products. Epic fails. Watch at your own risk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH7vHn0UgCw

http://www.youtube.com/user/OldSpice?v=JEbpbNTkIdk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-UciSePPPw&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLoF_PWSjd6xXR5bEE8GXByeLbEhSbipZB

Notice Old Spice has two entries here. Gross and pitiful.

Father, help us to do things well. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Most writers will tell you the unintentional mistakes are the most telling, the most embarrassing, the most illustrative of bad writing. The simplest errors such as the incorrect descriptions of actual locations, the lack of knowledge of a craft or sport, the contemporary slang used in period pieces, and many other types of potentially easily noticed mistakes make for deserved criticisms.

However, when it comes down to the nitty gritty style and language usage, the qualifications of what is right and what is considered wrong can vary like the desert compared to the tropics. Champions of flexibility and variations in style(s) of language go toe-to-toe with those of the unwavering "correct" grammar and the "acceptable" rules of writing camp.

I know this a frequent topic here for the simple reason that I find the more stringent rule-following fiction stalling out for me like a flooded carburetor. Sterile and unimaginative while being oh-so-correct bores me. Can't get the gumption to restart. 

I used to read a lot. Maybe even too much. I haven't read a book since my last review. That's unheard of for me. Especially since I have a few I really want to read which I know won't employ the rules to excess. They'll be enjoyed I'm sure.

And . . . and I'm trying to finish one of the three novels I have started. So it's grumbling around in my head complaining and whining and daring and shouting: Write it already – even if it's wrong!

Father, I repeat: I'm desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.   

Finding the right audience for your writing . . .

Christian authors will definitely identify an audience when certain publishers are mentioned. For example, Bethany House and Harvest House conjure up images of certain types of readers because of the general type of fiction produced by these publishers. And I think moreso in the last several years, these particular publishing houses have taken an even "safer" approach to the literature they publish, strictly defining their brands and making their readership narrower.

Identifying the audience for your work points you to certain publishers and away from others. Finding the right fit is one of the major challenges for authors. Indie presses have gained momentum in these strange, fiscally restricted times. It seems the independent publishers are far more willing to expand audiences for authors rather than relying on an established built-in audience. While that built-in audience might hold some attractive numbers, it's better for some writers to find a true fit where their work is accepted without major compromise and/or change.

Most of us writers know to whom our work will appeal, allowing for both those we don't expect to like it and those who will like it to our pleasant surprise. Presenting our best audience with our work is indeed the most difficult part of the journey. A built-in audience is a luxury some of us do not have.

Father, you are the provider of all that we need. Thank you for the lavish provision and help us to always be grateful. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkeness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Galatians 5:16-26 (NIV)

My favorite 2013 commercials (in no particular order):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvXDk9uR5vg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANhmS6QLd5Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HanqKwPVq5k

Lord, thank you for those who reach into their hearts and create beauty, humor, and concepts to touch our hearts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.