Powerful Topics

Well ... at one point this was supposed to be sort of a blog about writing. So it seems fitting to take a moment and devote an article to that topic. Who knows, maybe soon we'll get on a steady schedule that balances life/spiritual posts with writing posts. No promises it will happen soon, though. Life is hectic.

Okay. That's out of the way. Now on to today's topic. Which, actually, is about writing topics.

Have you ever read a book that just didn't pan out the way you had expected, and not in a good way? Maybe a friend recommended a book to you, or you might have chosen it because of good reviews or awards it had received.

One book I'm currently reading is proving to be just that: I'd heard great things about it and to the best of my knowledge it was an award winner. The topic intrigued me. So when it went on sale for Kindle, I jumped at the chance to read it.

Problem is, the writing style itself is lacking. The plot is moving too fast. The emotional and spiritual character arcs are stilted.

So now I muse over the question of why this book sounded so popular. The only conclusion that I could come to was that it was because of the topic of the novel. The author highlighted at least two major cultural problems. In my opinion, it was these hot-button topics that made her book popular, not her actual writing. While this resulted in a disappointing, almost one-dimensional book, it does give me a useful clue into the writing world.

It's not all about how we write. What we write about can overcome many stylistic problems.

Now, hear me out. I'm not advocating that writers ignore style. Not at all! What I am suggesting is that good writers who know how to craft good plots should also harness the power of relevant, powerful topics. The subject matters that authors choose to delve into hold the potential to gather a huge readership of people for whom the topic resonates.

So there you go. My writing thought/idea for today: Choose a timely topic that will grab the hearts of readers.

Light ... and Darkness

I started reading 1 John because of a Facebook debate.

I normally try to avoid those.

Anyway, I started reading and re-reading the book of 1 John mostly because I was confused by something someone said about it, and I wanted to see for myself what was actually in there.

What stuck out to me didn't really pertain to the debate, but it has stuck with me and is slowly transforming my thinking.

Light and darkness.

There are only two options.

The first chapter of 1 John makes it pretty clear: God is light. And His children walk in light. Now, obviously this is symbolic language--it's not saying Christians can never turn off a light switch without sinning. Here's the best summary I can give of it at the moment:

God is righteous. Holy. Pure. Lovely. Unblemished. Good.

His children are to be daily becoming more like Him.

This has been coming back to me in my actions the last few days. When I'm with my friends, do my actions reflect light or darkness? When I interact with the others on my campus (most of whom are in that awkward stage between friends and complete strangers ... small campus problems ...) am I being loving? Pure in my words and thoughts?

1 John ended up challenging my spiritual walk more than I ever expected. And I'm super thankful it did.

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." ~ I John 1:5-7
 

Each Moment, Each Day

Approximately one week into this semester, I think I'm already about maxed out with work and emotions. I've also learned two distinct things. Two little lessons to pull me through these crazy days of what will likely be my hardest semester ...

First, I have to appreciate the little things and thank God for them.

With the classes I'm taking this semester, my time with friends has almost disappeared  compared to last semester. That's ... upsetting. I understand that it's just part of adult life. There will be plenty of days I will work from the time I get up until I go back to sleep.

That's fine. That's life.

But it's not fun.

I'm having to learn to deliberately appreciate each free moment I get. If I don't thank God, I'll forget the good moments ... and I'll get discouraged. Thankfulness seems to multiply the moments and help me through the next hours of work.

Second, God provides me enough strength for today. Not tomorrow. Not next week. I have no idea how I'll get through everything this semester. Each day I'm cutting it close to get my homework done for the next day, even though I'm working hard.

But somehow, with the help of Someone, I am getting things done on time.

I don't know how I'll get my projects done by the time they're due. But they aren't due today. God is giving me the strength for today's work. I'll trust Him to be there with strength when I reach tomorrow.

I will make it through this semester. Each moment, thanking Him. Each day, relying on Him.

^"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever" (Psalm 73:26)

Answers

I've noticed something about my generation, and about myself. We like questions. We don't prefer to accept what everyone else says and does. We'd rather evaluate things for ourselves. It's a good thing, really.

But are we truly looking for answers, or are we merely enchanted with the questions?

Here's the truth: God's Word has answers for our questions, if we're willing to search.

I'm not saying the Bible lays everything out, black and white. What I'm wondering here is if sometimes my generation takes the first step of asking a question, but doesn't actually seek an answer.

I confess, sadly, that I know I do this.

It's easy for me to wonder about whether a certain choice is right or wrong. It's harder to search the Bible.

It's easier for me to question God when life gets difficult than for me to trust what He says about Himself in His Word.

Again, I'm not saying we're able to understand everything about life and about God. All I'm suggesting is that we follow up our questions with prayer and Bible study. Allow God's Word to show us the truth, rather than settling for unneccesary ambiguity that is sometimes an excuse for us to do whatever we want.

This year, I want to take steps toward finding answers.

Seeing Grace

Occasionally, my visits to my memories turn negative.

Rather than seeing the many, many good things I've experienced, trivial hurts from my childhood and teen years swell in importance. Why did that happen, anyway? Why did I say that? Why did they?

The other day I was in one of those particular moods, frustrated with my life and feeling a little lost.

I was stopped in my tracks by a reminder to look at the good things in life. I began to wonder what my life would look like if I truly did that, and I came face-to-face with the grace of God afresh.

I know from the Bible that I'm supposed to forgive and not keep dwelling on past wrongs, but it was too easy to see that as a blessing for the one who wronged me, and not for me. Sure, it's great for them if I don't hold things against them.

But no. It's good for me, too! As a human, I can't force myself to completely forget whatever little wrongs others have done me. But I can choose to not dwell on them! It's like picking up the tapestry of my life and shaking off little pieces of extra fabric clinging on, covering the pattern.Yes, God used even pain and frustration to build me into who I am. Yet I don't have to dwell on the hurts--I can let them go and heal.

The thoughts of God are truly beyond anything we understand (Isaiah 55:9). They're so much better.

Through commanding us to forgive, He is showing grace to the one who hurt...

...and the one who is hurting.

My Take on Pursuing Writing: Part 4

Here we are at last. The final step in our journey!

Step Three: Represent

You've learned about writing. You've written something that you hopefully love. You've even been through all the work, frustration, and joy of revisions. Now we're on to the step that begins to take writing from our hands and turns it into a co-labor with another person.

You're going to represent your book/article to an agent.

Represent: A Little Background

So you know why a literary agent is important, I'll explain a little of what I've gleaned in the publishing world.

You don't just send your book to a traditional publisher.

No. No no no. Most of the large traditional publishers do not accept any unsolicited manuscript submissions. They don't know who you are and so if you send them something, they won't pay you any attention.

So it's your job to get the attention of an agent. Once you have an agent, they are the ones who can present your book to publishers.

In looking for a good agent, the most important tip I've heard is to not try to get an agent that asks for money up front. The agent should get paid when your book sells. Not before. Do your research on agents. Make sure you find one that has a good reputation.

So now that that is out of the way...

Represent: Thoughtfully

So you've searched and found an agent with a good reputation. Before you try to get their attention, read about them. Make sure they represent your genre of literature. Make sure they're accepting new clients.

Read their submission/query policies until you could quote them. You're about to make a business proposal of sorts, so make sure you're doing it right! If you ignore their policies, they have no obligation to pay attention to you.

Represent: Through the Internet

The way I started looking for an agent was through online submissions. Each agency and agent is a little different, so create a query or submission that adheres to the proper policies.

Represent: In Person

Far more frightening than hitting send on a query e-mail is talking to an agent in person. Through writers conferences (check out www.acfw.com for info on a great annual conference) you can get the opportunity to pitch your book to an agent who is literally sitting right across the table from you. You have 15 minutes to make your impression.

This is exciting and terrifying at the same time. Remember, though, that your chances are higher to get an agent when you meet him in person than when you query online.

This is the end of our road....

This is as far as I can take you on the road to publishing, because this is where I am. I've read, written, revised, and represented.

What do I do now until I get an agent?

I keep going. I keep learning and working and representing until one day, I'll write a book that will be published.

I hope these articles will help those of you making the journey with me to get even a bit closer to publishing!

My Take on Pursuing Writing: Part 3

So, horridly late (sorry!), here's the third installment of my series on writing.

Part Three: Revise

Yes, this is a dreaded word when it comes to writing. You've spent hours and days fighting to get thousands of words onto the pages of your book/article/whatever. Hopefully, you're excited about what you've written. But now you have to go back and change things.

Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.

Revise: Big Picture

When you were in the writing stage, did a certain scene feel out of place?  Do you think you could strengthen the story if you added a plot element?

During your revisions, you'll want to make several big picture sweeps through your manuscript. This will be a start-at-the-beginning and don't-stop-until-the-end kind of project. Don't get bogged down in these revisions. If there's a detail you can't work out, make a note for yourself and then come back to it. Later. After you're done with the big picture.

In a big picture revision, look for things like:

• Character inconsistencies: Did your normally cheerful character snap at another character for no reason? Bad idea. Either give the character a reason for his or her action or change the action.
• Weak plot: If you aren't even buying into certain aspects of your plot, think about adjusting them. Cliche plot element? Try to fix it.
• Easy details: I'm not suggesting you ignore details in a big picture revision. Try to focus on the structure and key elements of your manuscript during this revision, but if you see a typo ... please, just fix it now.

Revise: Details

In a detail revision, try to fix:

• Typos and Grammatical Errors: Don't expect someone else to fix your problems for you. Agents and editors aren't interested in doing things you should have done yourself.
• "Research Details": I didn't really know what to call these, so I'll have to explain. I would call anything you have to research a "research detail." In a novel I wrote, I had a character in juvenile corrections. I had to do some research to make sure I was using the correct terminology and I was being accurate to the scenario I had created. If you wrote a scene and were making up terms or historical details or the like, go back now and research. Don't slack off here!
• All the "Ick":  Do you ever write a scene and just not like it? Is the description of the landscape too long (if you're asking this question, the answer might be "yes," by the way)? Is the dialogue forced? Take the time to wrestle with the details that don't flow correctly.

Revise: However Works for You

Though I think it's best to get your main story under control before getting to the details, you may think a detail revision needs to be done first. You might want to do three big-picture runs before ever touching the details. You might do a little bit of each all at once.

Revise in the way that works for you. Read agent blogs (have I mentioned I love those?) when they talk about revising. Find a plan, and stick with it. Revising isn't easy, but it can be more exciting than you'd dreamed to make a tricky scene work or see some of the messy parts of your book pull together. Your hard work in revising will prepare you for the fourth and final main step of pursuing writing: Representing.

(Part four will come soon ... I promise!!!)