OLD NOTES AND NEW REMINDERS: WRITING WEDNESDAY

Having created a regularly-occurring “Writing Wednesday,” I have now required myself to write about writing every Wednesday. What was I thinking?

Actually, I was thinking it was a good idea.

Many of my family and friends are writers or wannabe writers and most of the rest of y’all love to read. Books are precious to us. They contain, adventure, mystery, suspense, humor, guidance, encouragement, examples of how to live and sometimes, how not to live.

There’s something magical about books and how they come to be. How they start inside the mind of a person, become words on the screen, words on the page, and pages bound in a book. And, let me assure you that having been blessed with the opportunity to write and publish four books myself, the process continues to be magical.

So for all of us—writers, wannabe’s, and lovers of books, welcome to Writing Wednesday.

In preparation for today’s post, I dug through my notes about writing. I found nearly 20 sets of notes from writing conferences I’ve attended over the years. With an average of six speakers at each conference, that’s a whole lot of fabulous speakers I’ve been privileged to hear over the years. I’d like to share some of them with you. Starting with Nancy Werlin.

Nancy Werlin is an award-winning young adult novelist. She spoke at the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference I attended in Modesto ‘way back in 2001.

Her tips on revision are still relevant. Here they are, followed by my WWJS thoughts. WWJS? That stands for “what would Jesus say?”

Once you have finished your first draft:

1.      Celebrate. You’ve created something out of nothing. Acknowledge that you’ve done something wonderful.

·         WWJS: In Genesis we read how God created the universe out of nothing. Then He acknowledged that it was “good.”

2.      Give your first draft to one or two people you respect. Have them look at it from a structural point of view. When you hear the same comment from two readers, listen. Their comments may not agree with your vision of the book, but give their thoughts due regard.

·         WWJS: Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.

3.      Recognize that there will be things that are wrong. But they can be changed.

·         WWJS: God planned for Adam and Eve to stay in the Garden of Eden with Him forever. Yes, being omnipotent, He knew they would sin, but it was only after things had gone wrong that He had to make changes. Things can be changed.

4.      Revision can be terrifying. Ask for help.

·         WWJS: Life can be terrifying. Ask God for help.

5.      Trust the process. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, begin the revision process.

·         WWJS: Jesus would remind us that the revision process in writing is similar to the way God purifies us. Leviticus 14:31 says: Through this process, the priest will purify the person before the LORD.

6.      Acknowledge your vulnerability. The first draft is precious to you. It came from your soul. It is your “baby” and it feels destructive to revise it. Acknowledge your vulnerability and then take a leap of faith to commit to the revision process. The work will be better.

·         WWJS: Jesus would understand what it feels like to create. John 16:21says: A woman giving birth to a child has pain…but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy.

7.      Every revision process is different. Don’t stress over having the “right process.” Just begin and learn what works for you.

·         WWJS: Jesus would remind us of Proverbs 19:2: Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes

8.      Throw yourself into the revision. Try wild ideas. Take the story into a new direction. If something doesn’t work out, you can revise it back to the way it was.

·         WWJS: Jesus would remind us of Ephesians 6:7: Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord.

9.      Trust your instinct; don’t trust your fear.

·         WWJS: Jesus would remind us of the first part of Zephaniah 3:16: Do not fear, O Zion.

10.  Sometimes you have to keep rewriting and rewriting again and again until you get it right.

·         WWJS: Jesus would remind us of the second part of Zephaniah 3:16: do not let your hands hang limp.

11.  The secret of good creating: 1% inspiration; 99% perspiration.

·         WWJS: Jesus would remind us that God created everything in 6 days. That’s the 1% inspiration. God hasn’t stopped taking care of the universe ever since the first day of creation. That’s 99% perspiration.

Whether you write or not, I hope you enjoy these thoughts—Nancy Werlin’s certainly—but even more what Jesus might say about the spiritual revision going on in you.  

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the revision you are doing in us. Please keep revising and revising us until you get us right. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do any of these revision tips give you special encouragement in your writing or in your life?

A DEEPER LOVE: MEDITATION MONDAY

When I was a young mother with the most precious children God ever created, I couldn't believe He expected me to love Him more than I loved my children.

After all, my children came from Him. He blessed me with their precious lives. Didn’t He want me to love, nurture and protect them above all else? I would sacrifice my life for my kids. God the Father sacrificed His son, Jesus. Wasn't that the example He wanted me to follow? To be a good parent? To love my children above everything?

Or does that make them my idols? 

I have come to understand that my love for God is not above my love for my children; nor is it beneath my love for my children. Nor are they equal. The two simply cannot be compared. Likewise, I love Jim, the greatest husband in the history of the universe. I also love the other members of my family and my friends. But none of the ways I love those people can be compared to my love for God, because it is not the same kind of love.

• Do I love one child more than I love the other? No, I love them differently.
• Do I love my children more than I love my husband? No, I love them differently.
• Do I love my husband more than I love God? No, I love them differently.

In fact, my love for my children is a way for God is teaching me to understand His love in a personal and intimate way. It is how I can learn to love Him in return. I am the parent to my children. He is my Heavenly Father. My children give me a glimpse into God's love relationship with us.

My love for my children therefore causes me to love God with even deeper understanding.

It reached a pinnacle the day my daughter started college. As we drove away from the dorm and headed home, I realized I could no longer watch over her in her daily activities. But I also understood that as much as I loved her, God loved her even more. I therefore knew He was watching over her while I could not. I finally understood that my children are not my own. God had merely entrusted them to me until they could stand on their own alongside Him.

I love my children and my husband and my family and my friends. As wonderful as they are, I am unable to love them as deeply as I love God. Because God made me that way.  

It’s pointless to compare our love for others to our love for God.  God wins because our love for God and His love for us is the basis for everything. It is part of who we are as Christians. But because He first loved us, we are free to love Him and the people He has placed in our lives. With abundance.


PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we love you. And we love you with a higher love because you placed that love deep inside of us. Please show us how to know you more and how to love you above all else. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Have you wrestled with the question of whether you love certain people so much they have become like idols over your love for God? How have you dealt with that question?

THREE SPIRITUAL TRUTHS I’VE LEARNED FROM MY DOG

My husband is fond of saying that dogs make the greatest pets because they’re so godly. You know the joke, “d-o-g” spelled backwards is “god.”

Okay, so being a cat person, I was never convinced. I’ve begun, however, to change my thinking about dogs because of our puppy, Mollie.

Mollie, isn’t a pedigree. She has no papers other than the ones she sneaks out of the bathroom wastebasket. She has no show ribbons other than the ones she snags from the pile of present wrappings at Christmas time.

When folks ask what kind of a dog Mollie is, the best answer we can give is that she’s “black.”

Mollie may not be a hi-brow doggie, but it turns out, she is spiritual. Or at least she’s taught me several important spiritual truths. Here are three spiritual truths I've learned from Mollie.

1. Mollie trusts that I will take care of her every need. 

Mollie is enthusiastic when anyone is in the kitchen. Like the rest of us, she enjoys a good nosh and even a special dessert from time to time. But she never worries about where the next meal is coming from. There’s always something to chew until her food bowl gets filled. There’s always the toilet until her water bowl is replenished. She doesn’t dig a hole and bury her dog biscuits. She enjoys them when we give them to her and knows that she’ll have everything she needs for a healthy life.

Matthew 6:25-34 says: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Mollie shows by her actions that she understands this scripture and applies it to her life. She reminds me that I should, too.


2. Mollie knows that even when I discipline her, I still love her. And even when I discipline her she still loves me.

Hebrews 12:16 says: …for those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines.

Mollie doesn’t like to be disciplined, but she knows when she has done something wrong. When she’s caught, her head hangs, her tail slips between her legs and she practically verbalizes her thoughts, “my bad!”

As a result, Mollie may have to go sit on her special carpet with a time out. Or she may have to go outside while we clean up a mess. Or she may get a stern “Mollie, no!”  But she knows that we still love her. She is confident in our love because we have shown it to her consistently over the years. And even though she knows we’re not happy with her at that point, she still loves us, as evidenced by the dancing and prancing and licking and wagging that goes on when the discipline is over.

Mollie reminds me that God loves me, too, even when He’s disciplining me. I may have done something wrong, but His love shown to me over my lifetime has proven to me that He loves me with a constant, continuous and never changing love. I am confident in His love. And my love for Him remains, too.


3. Mollie sleeps the sleep of the blessed.

Philippians 4:7 says: And the peace that passes understanding shall keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Ever watch a dog sleep? Makes a person a bit jealous. Sure, Mollie might twitch and twitter from time to time, but boy can she sleep! Any place, any time, in any position. On the floor, on the rug, on the couch, in a chair, on the grass, in her kennel, on our bed (sheesh!), under our feet, in our way…

And then she snores.

The point is that she has no worries. No burdens keep her awake. As soon as she takes that one deep breath, she closes her eyes and she’s out. It’s as if by letting out that breath, she’s giving all her daily efforts over to God. And she sleeps with a peace that surely passes my understanding.

I can learn to give my worries over to God, too, and let His peace fill me.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you for making us teachable and for giving us examples in our lives of your spiritual truths. Help us to see more of your truth in scripture and around us. Thank you for loving us through it all. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have a spiritual dog? Don’t worry…I’ll get to cats next. What spiritual lessons have you learned from your puppy?

THE VOICE YOU HEAR (Writing Wednesday)

Voice in writing is that illusive “something.” It is mood, attitude, personality, perspective. It’s the tone of the narrator; the personality of the character from whose eyes we see the story unfold.

Eve Adler, children’s editor with Grosset & Dunlap spoke to our SCBWI conference about voice. She said that voice is the one thing an editor can’t fix. An editor can help a writer with plot, character and pacing. But if voice isn’t there or isn’t right, she’ll pass on a manuscript.

Drawing from Nancy Dean’s book, Voice Lessons, Ms. Adler shared with us five elements that make up voice in writing.

1.       Diction – the choice of words that are used. For example, the choice of whether to use the word “house” or “home” might tell a lot about the narrator speaking.

2.       Detail – puts the reader into the story; reveals aspect of story and characters; we see his perception of what’s going on; facts, observations, incidents, reasons, elaboration; creates a precise mental picture; shapes the reader’s attitude. If the character comments on the majesty of a stormy sky, we’ll know something different about him than if he sees storm clouds and comments about impending doom or disaster.

3.       Imagery – Show, don’t tell. Imagery should reveal aspects of character and story that you wouldn’t otherwise get. For example, does the protagonist race to the corner or meander? This will tell the reader something about the character or his mood.

4.       Syntax – technical aspect of writing – grammatical structure, length of sentences, etc. Syntax gives a feeling for the personality of the character. Long, flowery sentences for example, might indicate an intellectual or romantic character whereas short, breathless sentences might indicate a scatterbrained character.

5.       Tone – Is your tone chatty, distant, funny, dramatic?  This will set a relationship between the writer and reader.  

You should become conscious of these elements as you’re writing. And purposefully develop the story using each of them.

If your voice is not working, Ms. Adler suggested, try writing the story from a different point of view. If you had written in third person, try using first person. Or tell the story from a different character’s point of view. You might try reading the story out loud to help you become emotionally involved with your character. Doing those things may help you recognize the voice you have and see how you might need to change it.

Scripture has voice, too. God’s voice. If you think about it, God’s Word also includes five elements that make up His voice.

1.       Diction – the choice of words in scripture is specific. For example, Mark 1:11 records Jesus’ baptism:

And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Note the specific words used: “heaven”—not the sky or some other location; “my Son,” not “my child” or “this person.” The words used were specific and denoted specific meaning, which could not have been conveyed using any other words.

2.       Detail – puts the reader into the story and shapes the reader’s attitude. Look at the Book of Revelation. John’s vision gives us a very clear visual image of heaven—it includes a throne, a rainbow resembling an emerald, encircling the throne; 24 other thrones with 24 elders with white robes and crowns of gold. The entire Book of Revelation is filled with details that help us see what John saw.

3.       Imagery – reveals aspects of God’s character. For example, after Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God was forced to discipline them. But in Genesis 3:21, God created clothing for them before he cast them out of Eden. This imagery reveals God’s caring provision for His children even when He disciplines us.

4.       Syntax – the Book of Revelation uses an amazing variety of verb tenses. At times, John uses the past simple form of verbs, where he is conveying what has been completed; done; forever finished. For example, Revelation 6:1 “…the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals.” He opened it once and that action was completed.

 At other points, the text is written in present tense, implying that it is a continuing, ongoing action. For example, Revelation 4:10: “…the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne…” This implies that the 24 elders never stop worshipping Jesus and that Jesus remains on the throne forever.

This use of verb tenses is a fabulous way to use syntax to convey feeling and meaning of the text.

5.       Tone – One of my favorite examples of tone in scripture is Mark 10:21 when Jesus was answering the rich young man’s question about how to inherit eternal life. It says:

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Those 3 little words “and loved him” say volumes about the character of Jesus. It sets a relationship between God and the reader. Instinctively we understand that if Jesus loved the rich young man, knowing the young man would struggle with what he needed to do, Jesus certainly loves us, too.

God doesn’t need to impress an editor. His book is already the number one best seller of all time. For the rest of us writers…voice is key.

PRAYER: Thank you for speaking to us through scripture.  Thank you for telling it like it is, for giving us details to help us understand, for revealing aspects of your character and for using tone and syntax for emphasis.  Most of all, thank you for loving us enough to want us to spend eternity with you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you a writer? In what ways have you struggled with tone in your writing? If you're not a writer, what bits of scripture do you see provide examples of God's voice?

DO YOU HAVE A ZOMBIE PLAN? (Meditation Monday--zombie post by popular demand)

My kids are now young adults. Gone are the Ninja Turtle and Little Mermaid movies. Now our shelves are stocked with everything sci fi and blow up. And the genre that nicely combines both is zombie.

I used to hate zombie movies. But perhaps through attrition—eyeballing the movies playing as I’m cooking dinner and not getting disgusted moving my vision between the raw hamburger and the zombie guts—for some reason I now enjoy the genre. It’s fun to cheer for the good guys. You know, the ones still living.

The joke among zombie enthusiasts is that you need to have “a zombie plan.” A plan to prepare for the eventuality when the living dead are out to get you. Having a zombie plan is nicely done in the cult classic take off, Sean of the Dead, where the protagonist, Sean, and his friends set out for the pub as their plan to stay safe from the body-eating zombies roaming the countryside. After all, everything you need is at the pub—electricity, beer and friends.

So yes, I have a zombie plan. It includes a collection of wind-up flashlights and I regularly cook up a batch of casseroles for the freezer. ‘Cause I gotta have something hot and cheesy to eat while those zombies are pounding on my door. And if it’s delicious enough, those zombies might even go for the casserole over juicy moi.

Yes, we laugh about our zombie plans and add wacky reasonings, whenever we can. “I need two bags of potato chips. One for now and one for my zombie plan.”

“Gotta get the large pack of toilet paper. That's not something you want to run out of when the zombies take over.”

I even buy shampoo by the gallon folks…

I hope you understand that I don’t have an actual zombie plan. Rather, I have a disaster plan for the possible occasion when—as Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings says—“the worst comes to the worst.” But, it’s oodles more fun to call it a “zombie plan.”

Because zombies are so much fun. We can laugh as we watch them limp down the street, moaning with outstretched arms. Actually, they look a lot like some people I went to college with the morning after a frat party.

I think the zombie genre is also popular for another reason. It addresses something all of us eventually face. Our mortality. And our desire to hang onto life as long as we can.  If you’re the “walking dead,” then you are a tiny bit close to conquering death, right?

Unfortunately, zombies are reanimated; they are not the dead returning to life.

That’s where Jesus comes in. Jesus died. Then he came back to life. Not as a zombie but as our savior. His actions of dying and being resurrected give us full assurance that, if we lean on Him, we have the hope of eternal life with him.

Otherwise folks, our best hope to cheat death is to become a zombie. And if that happens, then you have to face us people who are well prepared with wind-up flashlights, casseroles and shampoo.  You won't have a chance!

Having Jesus is the much better zombie plan. In fact, if you have Jesus, you don’t need no stinkin’ zombie plan.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you for your plan. We don’t always understand it but we know it is good because you are good. Thank you for promising that we’ll spend eternal life with you, in a heavenly body. Meanwhile, help us live these earthly lives for you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Zombie plans are really emergency preparedness plans. Do you have everything you need to make the best of bad situations in an emergency? What would be the most important part of your emergency plan?

(Helpful zombie tip: make sure your zombie plan includes a supply of Twinkies. True zombie movie enthusiasts know what I mean. The rest of you will have to watch Zombieland to find out why.)