WASTE NOT

Although this post was originally an article written to encourage children's writers, there's something for everyone at the end. Stay tuned...

Lin Oliver’s keynote speech at the SCBWI Spring writing conference was filled with gems. Her writing tip from Sid Fleishmann was one of those: In writing, nothing is wasted but the paper.

It’s painful to delete words, scenes, characters, stories. How can we? They’re perfect; brilliant; loved.

So maybe they’re not perfect or brilliant. But still we love them and when we hit the delete key it feels like murder.

Every word; even every project, though, may not be the right word or project.

The wonderful thing about writing is that we have an endless supply of words and ideas. Sometimes we have to write the lack-luster words and ideas to release them from our heads. To make room for the brilliant words and ideas.

We must also acknowledge our learning curve. Sometimes the stories we write are brilliant for our skill at the time we write them. They still may be unmarketable, but they are brilliant because of what we learn by writing them. And, if we save those less-than-brilliant stories until our writing is brilliant, maybe we can polish them up until they, too, shine.

Even the stories that will never shine can be kept tucked away in a cozy computer file. We can take them out and whisper softly. "I love you because of what I learned from writing you and because you show me how much I’ve grown as a writer."

Then—when you’re giving your Newberry Award acceptance speech—you can drag those stories out as examples of the biggest mistakes you’ve made in writing.

Personally, I have plenty of examples.

Now for everyone: Isn't it true that everything we try; everything we do that doesn't turn out right; every mistake we make--has something learned that we can take away from the experience? Isn't there often a better idea; a better way? Even sometimes a lesson in forgiveness and compassion?

In writing as in life...waste not.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for making us teachable. Please guide our lives but when we make mistakes, please provide us with a lesson learned. Please humble us to see that lesson and to learn it well. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Any lessons (in life or writing) you'd like to share?

FROM HORRIBLE FIRST DRAFT TO PERFECT ENDING

Welcome to Writing Wednesday. Each Wednesday we’ll look at the craft of writing. But Wednesdays aren’t just for writers. We’ll always bring the subject back to God.

Writing the first draft is agony. Every word has to be gouged from of my brain with a crochet hook and hauled onto the computer screen accompanied by great spasms of moaning, wailing and gnashing of teeth. For other writers, the first draft is the fun part; it’s the revision that’s anguish—trying to make the book resemble the brilliant story sparkling inside their heads.

Children’s author Bruce Coville loves the revision process. In fact, he loves it so much, he says his books only get published because they are “snatched from my quivering fingers by heartless editors.”

As writers, we know that the first draft of a book is meant to get it out of our brains and onto a paper where the words are in front of us and ready to be changed. Each writer has a different process for these revisions, sometimes starting at the global level and looking at structure or plot; sometimes starting small by cutting or expanding threads and subplots. Whatever your process and whether you like revising or hate it, it has to be done.  

Mr. Coville shared some of his thoughts about revision at a recent SCBWI conference. 

1.       He cuts out something on every page of text—maybe a word or phrase, maybe the whole page; but he always cuts something.

2.       He looks for passive voice and weakly-written sentences and turns them into strong writing.

3.       He gets rid of as many adjectives and adverbs as he can and relies instead on action verbs.

4.       Then at some point, he stops revising and declares it “good enough.”

God does the same thing with us. In the ongoing story of our lives here on earth, God continues to work on us, cutting out the bad, reworking the good; expanding our faith and increasing our understanding of Him.

Relating God’s work in us to writing,  

1.       During revision, God cuts out something on every page of our lives—the physical and the spiritual, how we think, feel and act in this world and how we think, feel and act in our relationship with Him.

2.       God looks for passivity and weakness in our lives and trains us to replace them with a desire to actively seek Him and develop strength in our reliance on Him.

3.       God seeks to rid us of the extra, unnecessary clutter in our lives and urges us to action for His kingdom.

4.       God keeps revising us until we are called home to spend eternity with Him. He brings us to the point where we are "made acceptable."

Look at Philippians 1:6 from a writerly point of view:  God “began a good work in you (His rough draft) and will carry it on to completion (God’s revisions) until the day of Christ Jesus” (God’s final draft).

We know God as the author of life. Through human hands, God wrote the “greatest story ever told.” And He spoke the universe into existence. God is the ultimate wordsmith.

As writers, we see how our stories grow better and stronger through the revision process we take them through.  God grows us better and stronger too, through the revision process He takes us through. It’s all part of His perfecting the story of our lives.

And the story will be better because of it.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for being the all-time, number 1, best-selling author of life. Thank you for the revision process you are doing in our lives. Please carry on with the revisions until the day of Christ Jesus. Let our lives reflect the story you want the world to know. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you write? Is the revision process fun or difficult for you? In what ways have you seen God’s hand revising your life and your relationship with Him?

WRITING LIES

Children’s author, Bruce Coville stood at our SCBWI writing conference Saturday and boldly stated, that “children’s writers are people trying to make a living by telling lies to little children.”

That got our attention.

By definition, fictional stories are made up. Technically, they are lies. They are lies told to inspire, entertain or educate. As Mr. Coville pointed out, children may not always obey what adults say, but they will listen to stories because stories are “one heart touching another.”

I agree. We enter the world with no experience upon which to rely. One way children gain empathy for other people, understand new situations and learn a bit about the world around them is through stories.  Situations, seen through the eyes of characters, help mold the personality, morality, and wisdom of the reader. Even the simplest picture book story can teach a child, inspire her and educate her about a part of this big, scary world. And make her feel not quite so small and powerless.

One of my favorite childhood books was The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Its story of loneliness, courage, and friendship is eternal. And it spoke to my heart.

Our family moved every year or two. As a result, loneliness was something I knew well. I was always the new kid; always looking for a friend from within the established groups of BFFs. Burnett made me feel that my loneliness was normal. It was painful, but it was okay to feel it because it was real. The fact that other children felt the same pain, made me somehow feel not so alone. Her book also showed me a glimpse into the joy that friendship could be. It gave me courage to seek friendship one more time, whenever we resettled, and for however long we remained.

The book enlarged my tender heart.

As writers, parents, teachers, grandparents and other stewards of the children God has placed in our lives, we can help nurture them by sharing with them our love of books. Books that will enlarge their hearts and place within them the seeds of faith and hope.  

We can write the best books for children we are able. We can read to children the books we loved. We can love the new books they love and seek to understand why they love them.

In other words, we can tell beautiful lies to our children. And hopefully—in so doing—we can enhance their lives.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of story. We love the way Jesus used stories to teach us truths that are hard to understand. We are your children, no matter our age. Those stories still speak to our hearts. Help us use story to teach the children in our lives. Show us how we can enlarge their hearts for you to fill. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What was your favorite book as a child? What did it mean to you? What is the favorite book of your child or grandchild? Why do you think it’s important to him?