Into the Fire

Passionate thoughts about the world of writing and the Power of God

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Passionate: right or wrong. Writes love stories with a passion. Raw Romantic Redemptive

  • Angry.

     

    ****Caution: Rant****

     

                    Volcano_p851yd8e


    Round One: Let me address this problem first. I'm mad at the NFL. I'm angry because they're as politically correct as the, well, as the politicians. And it makes me sick. Because the so-called fans of the game are "outraged" because of the bounty hunters in football. Really? Every time a player goes on the field to compete, he is asked to hit his opponent hard. If he can intimidate his opponent by stunning tackles, all the better. It's called football. No, we don't want to see any of them get hurt, but look at the sizes of these competitors. Their speed, their muscularity, their intensity. Unleashed. Controlled mayhem. Look at the highlight reels. See the contortions of these athletes catching passes, throwing passes, running into defenders, pursuing quarterbacks? It's not a girly game. People watch football because it's technical skills-meet-power collisions. No, we don't want to see the attitudes of "the assassin" revisited. We want to see fair games, hard hits, little interference by the referees, and the ongoing display of the athletes that were born to play the game of football. If coaches and players make stupid decisions, let it be handled in house. If a fine is warranted or even a firing: fine. Just get it done without sweeping the whole stupid uninformed pseudo fans into it.

    Round Two: I'm furious about the Rush Limbaugh flap. Those who hate Rush, those who've never listened to his program, those who have no morals except when it comes to citing Rush for using "offensive" language to refer to Ms. Sandra Fluke's, a leftist women's activist, efforts to get free birth control and abortion provisions into Catholic universities and everywhere else under Obamacare, are thrilled about certain of his advertisers bailing like rats on a sinking ship. The latest "dismissal" by Ms. Fluke of Rush's apology for using the words "slut" and "prostitute" in his absurdist example of Ms. Fluke wanting contraception and abortion provided for "free" is another effort by the liberal left to give this woman her 15 minutes of fame for supposedly taking down the conservative talk radio king Rush Limbaugh.

    Rush Limbaugh admitted sinking to the level of the left in his absurdist response to Ms. Fluke's plea to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and other women Democrats at their assembled press conference. He apologized not for his point which was reasonable and valid but for the choice of his words in reference to the example Ms. Fluke set before this panel. None of these women complained about the left's vulgarity when referring to Sarah Palin. Not one of them stood up and expressed their "outrage".

    Ms. Fluke and the liberal left do more damage to womanhood than anything Rush Limbaugh could possibly say or do. I'm disgusted by their hypocrisy, double-standard, self-righteous ideology. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.

    God, forgive me for the struggle in my soul. The anger I feel. Help me not to sin in my anger. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

  • Shuttering who you are . . .

     

                            Shutters_Annapolis_MD

     

    Shutters close off a view. They serve the same purpose as curtains or window shades. They conceal or protect or both.

    How much of yourself do you shutter? On the web some people reveal all kinds of things they probably shouldn't. One thing is certain: the longer you write, whether it's on the web, constructing novels, posts, essays, and/or comments on others' posts, articles, Facebook, or wherever, you will show people more of yourself. If your words are guarded because you choose to reveal very little of yourself, it's sometimes surprising how much is still exposed.

    Life is unshuttered if you know what I mean. You can close yourself off to a lot of it, but it doesn't stop happening as a result. The older you get the more you realize how this existence here on earth is not "life" in its natural sense. It's a form of death. And that death comes rapidly for some and slowly for others. Those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ still leave this earth via physical death. Our transformation to real life occurs through the Spirit of God and transports us to our Creator post death.

    Some things about ourselves we cannot hide. I'm a passionate person. I feel deeply, react strongly, and invest wholeheartedly or not at all. And I don't hate adverbs. Seriously, though, I was born with the "prophet" mentality. That can mean on some days I'm Elijah on his worst day, Jeremiah in his lametations, or Malachi in his consternation. If I feel anything, it isn't lightly. Although I have a decent sense of humor and love to laugh, I'm a serious person. I'm fiercely loyal, a good listener, and if you're my friend, I don't just like you, I love you. If you come against those I love, Look Out.

    As a writer, I give a picture that is somewhat unshuttered. Not totally. The partial "unshuttering" is not to conceal life but to protect readers from a portion of it. To avoid the all out brutality, vulgarity, and instead hint at it. To give the suggestion of it without a graphic "high-definition" account. If the all-out graphics are required to depict the honesty of a scene, I can do it. So far, this hasn't been a necessity. Implications have worked effectively. However, I haven't written horror or thrillers. And you won't find me writing erotica.

    How do you live? How do you write? Shuttered or unshuttered?

    Father, you know my past. You've heard my repentance. You love me anyway. I'm desperate for you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

     

    *picture from http://www.theshutterstore.com/Gallery/

  • Sunday’s Offerings

     

    Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son: your sins are forgiven."

    At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"

    Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . ." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe, and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.

    Matthew 9:1-8 (NIV)

  • Farewell, Warrior.

     

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

     

    Father, please continue to comfort Andrew's family during their time of mourning and grief. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • ****Political Update****

     

    20 Economic Statistics That Will Make Your Jaw Drop

    February 29, 2012

    http://www.mrconservative.com/

    The Dow has closed above 13,000 for the first time since 2008, and the mainstream media is declaring that a strong economic recovery is underway. Barack Obama is telling anyone who will listen that his economic policies are a huge success, and U.S. consumers are piling up astounding amounts of new debt. Unfortunately, this euphoria about the economy will be short-lived. None of the long-term problems that are destroying the U.S. economy have been solved. In fact, there are dozens of statistics that can be quoted that prove that the U.S. economy is in far worse shape than it was when the recession supposedly ended. If dramatic changes are not made very rapidly, our nation is going to smash directly into an economic brick wall. Sadly, most Americans are so addicted to entertainment that they have no idea what is about to happen. Most of them are “sheeple” that are content to trust that the “experts” know exactly how to fix our problems as they continue to enjoy their entertainment-induced comas. After all, it is much easier to turn on “American Idol” or “Dancing With The Stars” than it is to think about debt ratios and monetary policy. But that doesn’t mean that we should not try to wake the sheeple up. It just means that it will not be easy.

    If you went to the doctor tomorrow and he told you to take some little blue pills without telling you anything else, would you take them?

    Of course not.

    You would want to know what the little blue pills are for.

    But if your doctor told you that you have a deadly incurable disease that is about to kill you, and that the little blue pills are the only cure, then you would definitely be interested in taking them.

    Well, it is the same way with the American people. Until they understand just how sick the economy is, they will not be interested in fighting for a solution.

    We need to show all the sheeple out there that the U.S. economy has terminal cancer and is headed for death.

    We need to show them that the future of our children and our grandchildren is literally being destroyed.

    Way too many Americans are sitting around waiting for the government to save them.

    It isn’t going to happen.

    It is up to those of us that are awake to wake up those that are asleep.

    And there are many out there that think that they are awake that are only partially awake.

    One very famous author once wrote that “people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”, and that is exactly what is happening in America today. Most Americans simply don’t understand what is happening economically, politically, socially, morally or financially in this nation.

    Please help me wake the sheeple up.

    The following are 20 economic statistics to use to wake sheeple up from their entertainment-induced comas….

    #1 The United States has more government debt per capita than Greece, Portugal, Italy, Ireland or Spain.

    #2 The European Commission has formally declared that Europe has now entered another recession. German banks are leveraged 32 to 1 and the European financial system is rapidly approaching a nightmare. Lehman Brothers was only leveraged 30 to 1 when it finally collapsed.

    #3 There are clear signs that economic activity is also significantly slowing down in the United States. For example, new orders for goods manufactured in the United States experienced the biggest drop in three years in January.

    #4 U.S. consumers are busy racking up staggering amounts of debt once again. Total consumer debt rose at an annual rate of 9.3 percent in December. It is now sitting at a grand total of 2.498 trillion dollars.

    #5 The U.S. Postal Service has announced plans to eliminate 35,000 more jobs.

    #6 There are more unemployed Americans than there are people living in the entire nation of Greece.

    #7 The percentage of American men that have jobs is near an all-time record low.

     

    Father, you know all things. You know the hearts of your people. You hear our prayers of repentance. You hear our pleas to intervene. To heal our land. We're desperate for you. Please help us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Technologically . . . Off the Grid

     

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    I am a total non-geek. Non-tech savvy. Non-person when it comes to technology. I wholeheartedly admire those who take to it, young and old. My brain does not function at any technological level. Talk to me about horses and writing, and we could carry on all day, but if you want to converse in computer lab dialogue, I'm outa here. You are speaking foreign words to my English comprehension. So it is with this personal disclaimer that I review Off the Grid by Mark Young which can be purchased in the Kindle edition for a mere $2.99. Geekiness lovers, this is the thriller for you.

    I might be a bit skewed when it comes to the thriller genre since they were originally defined for me by reading Robert Liparulo's first three adult novels, particularly Germ. I think Robert's breakneck pace, multi-faceted plots, and the intensity of "mission-oriented" good and bad guys (and gals) epitomize what the thriller genre truly is supposed to be. Although that definition can be further categorized into sub-classifications, i.e. political, legal, medical, etc. thrillers, I think all of the aforementioned characteristics should apply to some extent. Few authors can equal the pacing factor of Robert's Germ and his other gems.

    Off the Grid can scoot into the thriller category because of it's constant and immediate relocations due to the effective success of technological wizardry. The pursuit and identification of the protagonist Gerrit O'Rourke and his uncle and associates make for critical chases by evil antagonists who seek – what else? – to control the world with their technology.

    Once again we encounter a character in Gerrit who holds an eidetic memory and a doctorate in some kind of computer genius from MIT. After he chose to continue his expected military service with the guys under his command in Afghanistan instead of assisting his brilliant father at MIT with a discovery that he wouldn't reveal to Gerrit for reasons Gerrit didn't understand, Gerrit's parents were murdered by a car bomb in Seattle where it was disguised by law enforcement. When Gerrit learns of his parents' death, he leaves the Marine Corps and joins the Seattle Police Department, working his way up to detective, his real purpose to investigate how his parents died.

    In Gerrit O'Rourke we see a man who's locked off his emotional investments, bent on avenging his parents' deaths. He's invited – or coerced - to visit an amazing technological compound outside of London, given a push by the female prosecutor he occasionally sleeps with and her D.C. Senator father in a private rendevous.

    After meeting the compound's head honcho Richard Kane, Gerrit's discernment level ratchets up and produces an uneasy assessment of and underlying agenda to what he's been shown.

    The thrills take off from this point and don't stop until the last few pages with an open ending to insure further Gerrit O'Rourke ventures to come. Peripheral but important characters contributing to the various pursuits include Gerrit's Uncle Joe, another brilliant computer genius, his ragtag team of a hulking ex-con, a female so similar to Ziva David from NCIS that I couldn't help but "hear" her everytime this woman spoke, and another computer wizard "Willy" along with a secretive FBI agent, a military contact, and various traitors mixed throughout the ensemble of characters. There is a vague faith thread sitting just below the main action offering an available reliance for future storylines.

    I will mention a couple of weaknesses in this story. However, nothing severe enough to not recommend it to those readers who love technological thrillers. There were a couple of instances where "too available" solutions seemed to appear, causing me to balk at the possibility of their convenience. The other thing is that Richard Kane (noting the possible implication of his last name) and "Stuart" play to the typical stereotype of evil guys who lust for power and want to control the world. There's nothing to distinguish them from any other villain, and I found them and most of the bad guys to be one-dimensional with the exception of one traitor. Also there were some proofreading errors that made it through process of production and seemed to increase toward the end of the story. Outside of these minor "problems", geeks who love thrillers will thoroughly enjoy this high-tech story. Off the Grid by Mark Young will satisfy those tech-savvy readers who long for more stories examining their ever-expanding tecnological advances.

    Father, please continue to bless the career and life of Mark Young. Give him more stories to tell and the provision to write them. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.     

  • First Person

     

    We've talked about writing from different points of view here multiple times. Hasn't every writing blog? Some bluster about never ever doing the "head-hopping" routine: a sure sign of poor writing. Multiple examples (Vince Flynn among them) could be given as contrary-to-that-"rule" examples. Others insist a separation of some sort is a must to telegraph to readers that, hey, there's more than one person speaking/thinking here. (Duh?) But anyway, I'd like to talk about first person POV for just a few minutes.

    There is enormous liberty in writing from the first person POV. Perhaps that's why so many authors choose it for their writing endeavors. When I was much younger and on into adult reading, I hated this POV. I can't tell you why, but I did. I think it was because I didn't want to hear the story from one person's perspective. I liked the idea of "observing" all the characters and circumstances of the plot from an objective viewpoint. But, truly, if I continued to detest first person in today's novel writing, there wouldn't be much of a selection to read. It seems most everybody writes in first person anymore.

    I tried my hand at it in Breath of Life, but it wasn't exclusively written in first person. I'm giving it another whirl in my police procedural, and again it isn't entirely written in first person but predominantly. And that brings me to my point. There is enormous liberty in writing from the first person POV. The simplicity of being able to tell the story in what basically becomes dialogue allows for grammatical freedom, depending upon the sophistication of your storyteller. Slang, attitude, the emphasis on voice, all make for major contributors to just who the character is relating the events to the reader. It's like being involved in someone else's conversation. Some attest to the intimacy of reading first person, but that totally depends on who's telling the tale. If the character wants to keep the reader at arm's length, he/she can invoke different methods to remain an acquaintance, a stranger, or only a potential friend.

    Do you write in first person? Do you like to read novels written in first person? What's your favorite POV? If you're like me, you enjoy all kinds of POVs, even head-hopping if done well. Break the rules: just do it well.

    Lord, you made us all. Help us to be the ones you want us to be in all things. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Mine . . .

     

    I love these shoes. Not that I could successfully walk in them but nevertheless I love these shoes . . .   

     

     

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    Oh, Lord. Creativity in everything. Beauty in fascinating designs. Gifts and talents galore. Bless those who create beauty of all kinds. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

                                  

            

     

  • Nobody wants to wait . . .

     

    Including – and perhaps especially – me. Waiting requires varying levels of patience. Some people seem to have received a more generous helping of that character trait than others. I can testify without question that waiting is not my strong suit.

    However, whether it's in a grocery line or submitting inquiries to a literary agent, waiting is required. And expected. And a necessary process to securing an objective. Sometimes the wait is short but often it's not. If you're dealing with the traditonal publishing entities, fast-moving is not a recognized term.

     

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    When life is full of busy-ness, waiting might be endured more easily simply because the overall activities overshadow the passage of time. However, if the anticipated objective is of major importance, the wait plagues the passage of time.

     

                Amazon_charges_kindle_users_for_free_public_domain_ebooks

    I admit I hate waiting, but the Lord in His wisdom has forced me into multiple situations that require it. And so it is: I wait . . .

    God, I wait. For you. For your lead. For your everything. Help me to do it with more grace. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Oscars and Novels . . .

     

    Almost everyone recognizes a bad movie or a bad novel. However, even with bad movies and bad novels, somebody ends up thinking they're "the greatest". And, as we've discussed here, oftentimes those who are self-ordained decision-makers as to what's good and what's not determine that bad stuff is really good stuff and vice versa.

    Some of you might've watched The Academy Awards last night. I did not. Many years ago I used to watch them faithfully. Bob Hope was the greatest emcee ever. No one's come close to his schtick since. And sometimes the glam is marvelous. Sometimes it's laughable and embarrassing.

    Make believe on the big screen can be a wonderful experience. Thrilling, chilling, sorrowful, meaningful, hysterical, or melancholy – there's usually a movie playing that can fill the bill for engaging the senses. As with novels, there are plenty, perhaps even the majority, of mediocre or bad ones. Multi-millions of dollars to produce a film or landing on the New York Times Bestsellers List doesn't guarantee you're going to view or read a "good" film or novel. It means someone had the big bucks to make a film they thought would work or someone sold a bundle of books with a story that got mass attention.

    Your tastes might not mesh with the Academy's choices or with those who purchased the NYTB's novels. Oscars and novels share the same positives and negatives. They invariably gain somebody's attention. In the end it's the paying customer who makes the real difference in the success of either.

     

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    Father, all my "success" is in you. That I belong to you is my greatest claim to success. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.