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2012-01-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

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Freedom To Be

2011-07-20T15:54:00.003-06:00

This was my second 4th of July as a citizen of this great country. I suspect that statement alone will cause many of you who know me to sit up and pay attention. Because I look like and probably sound like I always belonged in America.

Well, like the adopted child is sometimes more special to the adoptive parents because they chose that child, I, too, am an adopted child, but I got to choose my country. Originally born in Canada, I came to the US 12 years ago and married my love, Patrick.

There were many times I've felt like a red-headed step-child -- there, but not really belonging. And the struggle to Become wasn't easy. Some day, ask me to share the story with you over a large cup of coffee.

But all along I knew I was supposed to be here, in America, with Patrick. And that's what kept me going when all around me the devil was telling me no.

The 4th of July reminds me of the struggles and battles for freedom that have gone on in this country for 235 years. The fireworks reminds me of those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, and did it gladly, without reservation. The parties remind me that we need to celebrate our freedom every single day, not just one hot day in July.

And all of this leads me to remember who paid the ultimate price for our eternal freedom -- Jesus Christ. Were it not for Him, many of us wouldn't be here.

And I'm one of those.

You see, before I was a Christian, before I was a writer, before I was an American, I lived a life that many others didn't survive. And as I went through the citizenship process, I realized many things I'd done in my past should have either landed me in prison or dead. And the Lord saved me from myself for this time. As a result of my past, I write the kinds of stories I write -- a little sassy, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes dark and edgy, sometimes soft and cozy.

As you celebrate our country's birthday, as you think about freedom, consider those things in your past that prepared you for where you are today. Thank God for your past, and ask Him how you can turn that into something productive today and for the future. Allow Him to use your mistakes to deepen your writing, sharpen your characters, and strengthen your plots.

Ask God for the freedom to be what He planned for you to be.

As for me, I have no doubt I was destined to be an American. Even as a little girl, I used to look at the map or watch planes flying overhead, and wonder why my ancestors stopped when they got to Newfoundland. The winters are long, the countryside is rugged, the ground is rocky, and the summers are a flash in the pan. I often said, "Why didn't they stay on the boat for another few hundred miles?" Even as a child, I wanted to be an American.

And now God, through His grace, has given me the freedom to be -- an American, a Christian, and a writer. How cool to belong to American Christian Fiction Writers -- a group that confirms who I was long before I Became.

God bless the USA, and God bless each of you.

Jubilee

2011-07-09T14:45:00.007-06:00

Golden showers burst over our heads as my family and I lay on a blanket, watching the brilliance of fireworks in the night sky. The bursts and sparkles were choreographed to a beautiful rendition of "God bless America." My husband sang along softly, sending a prayer for God's favor on our nation even as I fought a big lump in my throat. Thoughts of freedom, jubilation, and sacrifice sang through my mind and tears pricked my eyes even I whooped and hollered and celebrated.

In ancient Israel every half-century was declared a year of jubilee. Debts were forgiven, slaves were freed, and land was returned to original owners. Across the nation ram's horn were blown and families celebrated as their children and inheritance were returned to them.

In a spiritual sense we, as Christians, have been given a constant state of jubilee. Thanks to all Christ accomplished at the Cross, we are free and forgiven--our sin debts cancelled and our inheritance established. Every day we have something to celebrate--to whoop and holler and blow our horns about.

Because of Jesus' great sacrifice, we are invited to live as the children of God. We're part of the family. Never rejected. Always in the presence of the Holy One. Every single day we walk in freedom from sin and eternal damnation. Every moment of our lives we are connected to the Holy Spirit who lives within us, and He empowers us to walk in our inheritance of grace and prepares us for the glory of eternity with our God.

But do we live each day as if this is true?

Several years ago I came into a new understanding of all the cross had done for me. Though I had accepted Jesus into my life at a young age, I lived a life of egg shell walking--trying desperately to do everything right and never feeling I "lived up." A cloud of condemnation hung over me, and I was captive to self-inflicted guilt, inadequacy, and unworthiness. God's love and grace would break through on occasion, but I would quickly snuff it out in self-rejection as I allowed the opinion of others, or my own unrealistic set of expectations to determine how I saw myself. Scripture was a hand-book to discern how to be better and a measuring stick of my failures. I was imprisoned by my need to perform well.

Through a series of events God revealed Truth to me. The walk of faith wasn't so much about what I had achieved as it was about all Jesus had already achieved for me. Any good deed I did was filthy rags compared to the perfection of Jesus, but the Good News was He placed His righteousness over me like a brand new robe. I began to be clothed in HIS identity. I started to see myself as free to live outside the guilt--to be believe I was forgiven, treasured, bought-with-a price, and empowered to serve.

Early in this journey, after a particularly enlightening experience, I awoke to the Lord's Voice. He said, "It is for freedom I have set you free."

I recognized His Words as Scripture and quickly went to my Bible, hungry to know the rest of the verse. I found it in Galatians 5:1. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (NIV)

I thought about the verse and how it was so important to the LORD for me to know and remember its Truth that He actually spoke directly to me about it. I realized that the enemy would try to take away this new-found freedom. Through the words and actions of others, through my own failing and success, and through difficult circumstances, the evil one would seek to entice me back into the spiritual prison I'd locked myself it. He wanted to keep me a slave to inadequacy, failure, guilt, and performance-driven behavior.

But God's jubilee had come! I was free to live as my Father's beloved! I was free to believe that I was wholly accepted and wholly loved. I was free to walk without shame . . . in jubilant, beautiful freedom. This was my jubilee. Though Jesus has secured my inheritance over 2,000 years before, I finally accepted the right to live as a free woman.

This July, consider the concept of jubilee. Jesus returned to you your full inheritance as God's child. Have you given yourself permission to be free to receive it?

(By the way, I'll be sharing a little more about this at the More Than Conquerors Encouragement Series in Aurora on July 27th. If you'd like more information, email me: Paula@soulscents.us)

A writer, speaker, and homeschooling mother of four, Paula Moldenhauer is passionate about God’s grace and intimacy with Jesus. Her website, Soul Scents, offers devotional thoughts, and you can visit her blog at GraceReign. Paula serves as president of HIS Writers, the north Denver ACFW chapter. A devoted Pride and Prejudice fan, she loves good conversation, peppermint ice cream, and walking barefoot. Her greatest desire is to be close enough to Jesus to breathe His fragrance.

Fireworks photo taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7862527@N02/2520923912, The 2008 World Pyro Olympics in Manila, the Philippines.

Admired Author? You!

2011-06-27T12:31:00.003-06:00

I had a hard time deciding who to write about for my Admired Author post. Of course there’s no shortage of writers I find fascinating for different reasons.

Charles Dickens, who relentlessly shed light on the social injustice of his day.

The Brontë Sisters, reserved pastor’s daughters who pioneered my favorite genre—paranormal romance.

Jane Austen, witty and ahead of her time.

C.S. Lewis, a writer as integral to my own faith as the Sunday school teacher who led me to the Lord.

Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker for exploring the nature of humankind and the themes of good and evil by means of supernatural plotlines.

Anne Rice for capturing my imagination with her florid style.

J.K. Rowling for creating characters beloved by millions, including me.

Kristin Billerbeck for her honesty.

A recent find, Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy, for exemplifying tension on every page.

My own mother, Donita K. Paul, for trail-blazing the fantasy genre in CBA.

The same authors Mary Davis applauded in her post. Writers, like me, who keep at it even while doubting their own sanity.

With all these—and many more—authors who’ve captured my attention, how could I pick one who stands out the most? With the exception of Kristin and my mom, whom I know and love, these writers’ lives interest me because of their accomplishments, not because of who they really are/were. Their work commands my respect.

My deepest admiration is reserved for those writers I know personally. The people in my critique groups, friends I’ve met at conferences or workshops, those who are willing to open their lives to fellow writers and share the journey.

If you’re reading this post, you’re probably one of those people. Know that you have my admiration and thanks.

Evangeline Denmark has storytelling on her heart and in her blood. The daughter of novelist, Donita K. Paul, Evangeline grew up living and breathing good stories. She has co-authored two children’s books: The Dragon and the Turtle (2010) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (2011) and also writes adult fiction. Evangeline is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, serving as chapter secretary. You can find Evangeline online at www.evangelinedenmark.com and www.dragonandturtle.com

Author, Author

2011-06-20T22:17:00.001-06:00

Who do I admire as an author?

That person sitting in front of her or his computer wondering why they ever thought they could write. They started out not knowing anything about writing and blissfully wrote. Then sent their proposals off to agents and editors, expectantly waiting that acceptance letter and contract.

Then that person started learning the craft of writing and realized just how much they didn’t know. They are embarrassed by what they first wrote and sent out for people to see. Were they insane the day they decided to start that first novel? Was the prodding of the Lord really just indigestion?

They question their call.

They question their passion.

They question their sanity.

They call it quits.

But the writing muse won’t leave them alone. They get the next great idea, and the passion to write is rekindled stronger than before. Dare they sit back down at the computer and put their tender fingers to the keys and write?

Yes!

More writing.

More rejections.

More doubts.

More years.

Should they quit? For real this time? Are they wasting their time? Their family is whispering. People are laughing behind their back.

But they know they can’t quit. They must write and write and write. It’s not what they do, but part of who they are.

Those are the authors I admire. The ones who haven’t had a book published yet but also haven’t quit for good. The ones who are discouraged but keep tapping away at the keyboard. The ones who keep learning to improve their craft with every keystroke.

I admire your persistence.

Keep On Writing!!!

What's To Be Admired?

2011-06-14T20:38:00.011-06:00

The longer I work on my writing, the more I have a greater appreciation for what an accomplishment it is to be a published author. There might be some authors who climb the ladder by skipping a few rungs but I think this is the reality. An author negotiates each step up the ladder feeling like they are blindfolded, handcuffed and with ankle weights on. When they reach what they perceive is the top of the ladder and “voila”, remove the blindfold...they see that the ladder’s rungs have grown exponentially.

So, what’s to be admired?

I am amazed by authors like Tracie Peterson and Nora Roberts who are so prolific. How can they write so many books in a year? You know they must have learned how to be disciplined and treat their writing like the job it is.

I delight in authors who can make characters come alive and not seem like clichés. I recently was introduced to a Colorado author, Kristen Heitzmann. I read some of her books and her characters seemed like they were real people with strengths and weaknesses trying to live life. Lee Child and Harlen Coben have some unforgettable characters that have hooked me and their upcoming books are always on my “wish list”.

Who doesn’t admire Jane Austen? Okay. There are probably some of you. But her style and word choice can tickle your ears like a beloved melody that is familiar if not known to all. I love the clear voice of Lisa Samson’s “Hollywood Nobody” young adult series. You find yourself zipping through all four books in no time. “I’m just sayin.”

I will never forget staying up into the wee hours reading Brock & Bodie Thoene’s Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles series and trying in vain to stifle my sobs so I wouldn’t wake up my husband. And it takes a lot to move me to tears.

I regard highly Vince Flynn, C. J. Box and other thriller and mystery writers who keep me guessing or so involved in the story that I can’t wait to finish the book. (I experience many late nights reading with my Kindle and reading light so as not to disturb my husband who probably wouldn’t notice even if I left the overhead light on. Do we see a pattern here?)

Even the authors who share their knowledge with us about the craft of writing are certainly worthy of my admiration. Although I may struggle to remember their words of wisdom and to apply them, they have turned on the lights for me in more ways than I can list in this short blog post.

So, what’s to be admired? The scores of writers who have persevered and poured out their guts, funny bone or poetic phrases for our enjoyment and awe. Congratulations! And for the rest of us, keep writing and maybe one day someone will admire our use of the gifts God has given us that we struggle to express on paper.

************

Elaine Clampitt is Secretary/Treasurer of Mile High Scribes. Her normal schedule has been interrupted with the return of two of her children home from college for the summer. She is trying not to let this interfere with her writing pursuits, although, with ice hockey season coming to a close, she anticipates having more time to write, watch Hawaii 5-0 reruns and travel to warm and sunny places.

Author Admiration

2011-06-01T15:37:00.008-06:00

June is Authors I Admire month here on the Inkwell.While I admire anyone who finishes a book, there isn't room to honor each of you individually, so before I go any further can I just say, "KUDOS!" to all you authors out there, published or unpublished!

I planned to write several short paragraphs on a variety of authors including some of my favorite contemporary CBA authors, but I instead found my heart drawn to the late Madeleine L'Engle. She has impacted my authoress heart perhaps as much or more than anyone I've read. My hope is that my thoughts of her will encourage your writing journey as they have mine.

Madeleine L'Engle
November 29, 1918 - September 06, 2007

Madeleine L'Engle published 63 books in her lifetime of 88 years. The most famous, of course, is A Wrinkle in Time. Part of the reason I celebrate Madeleine today is that she persevered. According to the sources I checked A Wrinkle in Time was rejected 26 times. But Madeleine didn't give up.

Madeleine's perseverance and tenacity are certainly to be admired, but as I've read her non-fiction books I've also experienced her as a woman of great humor, intellect, and compassion. While her thoughts of life ran deep, she also didn't take herself too seriously. She accepted that the world was full of those more talented and intelligent than she, but believed she still had something to contribute. Her faith journey was quite unique, and it inspires me. She interacted in a culture of great intellects, many of who were agnostic or atheistic, but despite and environment that (to me) didn't seem to support faith, she emerged as a woman who not only knew God, but offered Him, in her own, unique way, to those she encountered.

But perhaps it is my personal experiences with her writing and the briefest of experiences of her as a person that made me choose her for this post. Here's my story: As a youth, my brother loved the Wrinkle trilogy and encouraged me to read them. However, they freaked me out! Something about them tested the safe little "Christian" box I had created for myself. After graduating from college, I gave them another try while teaching 3rd graders in public school. My closed mind was ready to think (a least a little) outside the box, and I was blown away by how these fiction stories impacted me. I explored new ideas I hadn't dared to think about life, God, control, freedom, good and evil. I couldn't help myself. I stayed up late one night and scribbled a long, messy missive pouring my heart out to the famous author. Not too long after I was surprised to receive a hand-written response scribbled to me on a family letter that told of Madeleine's personal life--her children and travels. Soon after my fiance took me to hear her speak, and I got my first autographed book. Somehow I felt my little 23 year-old heart and that of this woman I greatly admired had truly connected.

Recently I had another heart-connection as I read A Circle of Quiet, a non-fiction book where she shares a lot of her inner self--her thoughts on writing, faith, and interacting with the world. In this little book I was especially impacted by two things. The first is a personal story she told. She sets up the scene by talking about how she'd spent her thirties writing and being rejected while she raised her children. She believed the surrounding neighbors thought her an oddity, and she weathered what she perceived to be whispered comments about poor Madeleine who spent all those hours scribbling away but would never be published. (Whether or not the neighbors were talking, I don't know, but I have, of course, imagined just such gossip circulating about me and felt her angst!) Madeleine had told herself that her forties would be years of productivity and success, when her books actually made it into print and she began her life as a true author.

Madeleine then went on to write about her 40th birthday. It was on that very day she received another of those 27 rejection letters. She decided then and there that she wasn't spending another decade writing only to be rejected. She began to dismantle her office, telling herself she would never write again. After she'd been cleaning out the office for a while she realized that in her mind she was composing a story as she worked--a story about an author who weathered rejection. She says at that moment she realized she was a writer. She would never quit. Madeleine talked about how the decision, made in the midst of rejection, was more powerful than it could ever have been if it had been reached at any other time. Again, I had BEEN there and her words resonated deep within. I was a writer. I had determined to be one in the midst of rejection, not just success. I would persevere.

The second thing that impacted me greatly was a thought she had about what she had to offer the world. I can't find my book right now or I would give you the direct wonderful quote. But here's the heart of what she said. Madeleine was told by one of her intellectual friends that she had nothing to offer the world that had never been said. As she processed his comment, she came to believe that he was right. She may never have anything to say that the world had never heard--but it didn't matter. It had never been said the way she would say it.

Then and there I felt validated. I may not be the smartest or more original person I know. I may not even have anything especially new or profound to offer. But what I do have is me. What God wants to say through me will not be said the same way when offered by anyone else. It is the Lord's truths, offered through my fingerprints, that will leave their mark on just the people who could only hear it the way I say it. And that is enough.

My interactions with Madeleine have offered me perspective in the face of disappointment, faith that grows outside my safe little boxes, a determination to persevere, and a belief that what I say has value to the world. In my opinion, Madeleine has given me some of the most important gifts a writer needs.

A writer, speaker, and homeschooling mother of four, Paula Moldenhauer is passionate about God’s grace and intimacy with Jesus. Her website, Soul Scents, offers devotional thoughts, and you can visit her blog at GraceReign. Paula serves as president of HIS Writers, the north Denver ACFW chapter. A devoted Pride and Prejudice fan, she loves good conversation, peppermint ice cream, and walking barefoot. Her greatest desire is to be close enough to Jesus to breathe His fragrance.

Memorial Stones or Stones of Remembrance

2011-05-30T09:09:00.000-06:00

On Memorial Day—the day designated to remember those fallen heroes of our country who died protecting our freedoms—is a milestone each year. Yesterday at my church we had a very moving time of remembering these men and women.

Our church is right across the street from the south side of Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge. My mother, along with several other relatives, is buried there. Just north of a large section of military graves marked with the distinctive white grave markers: memorial stones giving the name and rank of the military person buried there.

I'm not one to visit my mother's grave very often, because she's not there: she's with her beloved Savior. But every Mother's Day I do go and leave a bouquet of flowers, honoring the memory of a wonderful, godly mother. A milestone—a time to remember.

In our families, we celebrate milestones, as Paula pointed out. Births and each succeeding birthday. Salvations and baptisms. Graduations. Weddings. Promotions at work. New jobs. Or, in my case, rejections (or redirections) of my writing projects, whether they are devotionals or articles or books. And most recently, an acceptance of my first fiction. We celebrated with cheesecake (from my son), a bouquet of flowers from Paula and ACFW Colorado at our annual retreat, and dinner out with my family.

With this first fiction sale, the most special milestone for me was when my daughter posted on Facebook how proud she was of her mother for getting her first fiction contract . . . and the revelation that she'd secretly read and liked my very first attempt at writing a novel—a historical fiction for middle grade students—which she must have discovered buried in a file drawer! I don't know if it will ever see the light of day again. More than likely it will stay in the drawer as a stone of remembrance. :)

One of my uncles passed away this month. We had a "memorial" service, remembering the things about Jim that made him the man of God he was. Particularly he loved to sing. Last evening at church, my pastor and another man sang a duet, an old song titled, "I've Discovered the Way of Gladness." About halfway through, I leaned over to my son and said, "Uncle Jim loved to sing this song." He nodded and said he'd been thinking it was an Uncle Jim type of song. A small, simple stone of remembrance.

And today . . . we're going to spend some time at our family cabin near Eldora (Nederland). My great-grandfather built that cabin about 80 years ago. Over the years, we've spent many days and nights at our Hessie Hideway. Here's a picture of my siblings and me on the porch of our cabin . . . (ahem) many, many moons ago. I'm the one in the middle. It's there I meet the Lord either alone or with family and friends. It's there I learned to love the mountains. There are many stones, literally, of remembrance at our cabin and the surrounding Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. And today we'll add another.

Marjorie Vawter has lived in Colorado only fifteen years, but she has a lifetime of Colorado memories stored up. She currently lives and writes in Westminster with her husband, Roger, and her 18-month-old Siamese mix, Sinatra.

Anchors and Other Vague Sailing Metaphors

2011-05-23T10:07:00.005-06:00

It’s hard to note milestones when you don’t feel like you’re moving at all.

A friend of mine recently complained that even a rejection letter would be preferable to the great, soul-eating silence from the agents she’s queried. I understood exactly what she meant.

In the writing world we view rejections as milestones. It’s been said many times that receiving those rejection letters is part of the process. It means you’re getting your work out there. Blah, blah, blah.

But when you’re stuck in the Bermuda Triangle of publishing, the panicked questions take over.

Did the agent/editor receive my query? Should I send a follow up? Will that tick them off? What if my manuscript was so bad they figured it was a joke? Did I actually even send the query, or was that a dream? Am I dreaming now? Do I even exist?

When you’re this thoroughly lost and confused, it’s time for an anchor, something to tether you to reality. My critique partners regularly joke about tying a rope around my waist so that when I jump off a cliff, they can pull me back up. Critique groups are a writer’s sanity check. I wouldn’t hesitate to call any of the women in my writing group and ask, “Are you reasonably sure that I do, in fact, exist?”

I think only one of them would take that opportunity to really mess with my head.

Another way to drop anchor might be to go over notes you’ve taken in workshops or read an agent’s blog. I heard some good advice from an agent at a recent conference. She suggested that when you send that query off, you should look ahead in your calendar and make a note of the date four weeks out. Then forget about the query. Don’t sweat it. When that day comes and goes, it’s safe to do a follow up. Tips like this can help writers navigate the doldrums of the submission process.

You can also break free of the holding pattern by simply telling yourself, “It’s time to move on.” I know it feels like abandonment to leave that project you love and start on a new one, but this is one of the few things in the writing journey that is solely in the writer’s control. You can move forward just by writing. You can turn your stint in No Man’s Land into a milestone. In a few months time, you’ll look back and say, “I wasn’t getting anywhere, so I (yes, I) decided to move on, and look what I’ve accomplished because of that.”

Evangeline Denmark has to take Dramamine in order to even look at a boat. She has co-authored two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle (Waterbrook Press, 2010) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (Waterbrook Press, 2011) and also writes adult fiction. You can find Evangeline online at www.evangelinedenmark.com and www.dragonandturtle.com

Doing What You Don't Want to Do

2011-05-18T11:08:00.003-06:00

The Apostle Paul said, famously, and this is my paraphrase, "I do what I don't want to do, and I don't do what I want to do."

The Writers Life is chock-a-block full of examples of this lament.

Take me, for example.

I don't blog.

I know, you're reading this on a blog, and you're thinking, "She doesn't know what it means to blog, obviously."

Allow me to repeat myself -- I don't blog. I don't sign up to blog. I don't read other people's blogs. I don't follow blogs. I don't friend blogs.

And yet here I am, doing as I have done since January 2009 (Yes, I went back and checked), something I don't want to do.

You might ask how that came about. Well, I missed a meeting. And got volun-told to blog.

Rule #1: Don't miss a meeting. Missing meetings might get you doing something you don't want to do, or you might miss out on doing something you really want to do.

And that leads me into Rule #2: Do what you don't want to do because it's not all about you. Sometimes your decision to participate is about others. See, this blog thing wasn't about fulfilling some desire in my heart to have millions of people read what I write. This blog was about being part of something bigger than myself, and being able to contribute to that.

And, like I said earlier, writing is about doing what you don't want to do.

I know people who say they are writers who never write; they just talk about writing. Maybe they get caught up in the research, or the outlining, or the plotting, or reading books on writing, or going to writers conferences. But they never actually start a story. Some of that is fear, some of it is a reluctance to put aside other activities and distractions, some is a lack of support or a lack of community.

Which brings me to Rule #3: If you are a writer, set a goal to write more than a list of books to get at the library or a schedule of conferences to attend this year. Write something that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. A story of some kind.

Rule #4: Find a community. Yes, that means join a writers group, find a critique group, join a book club -- anything that will bring you into a bunch of like-minded people who get you when you say you hear voices in your head.

Many people who write seem reluctant to join into a community of writers. Maybe the reasons are the same as above: fear, busyness, feeling like they're on the outside looking in. The only way to overcome fear is to jump in. The only way to overcome busyness is to make a date with yourself. The only way to not feel like you're on the outside is to join.

One of my characters says about herself: You don't join because you feel you don't belong, and you don't belong because you don't join.

This month, as you read these blogs about Milestones, consider what leaps of faith you need to make in your own writing --
Do you need to join?
Do you need to meet?
Do you need to write?

And if the answer to any of these questions is Yes, then make your mark on your writing path and join, meet, and write. You'll be glad you did, and so will all the others in your group.

No Thank You

2011-05-16T11:44:00.004-06:00

A.K.A. The Rejection Letter.

This is a huge milestone and shouldn’t be so feared. Like Kathy wrote, don’t let it be a millstone weighing you down.

Many writers think of a “rejection” letter, as a negative thing. Rejection even sounds negative. So I like to think of them as “no thank you” letters. Well, there is a flip side to every coin, a silver lining in dark clouds.

A rejection is two-fold—besides your manuscript not being published at this time.

First, like the lion in Wizard of Oz, you should get a metal. Do you know what a rejection or no thank you letter means?! You had the courage to send off your baby for someone else to judge its worth. That is huge!

Until you have received your first no thank you letter, you aren’t really a writer. You may write, even write a lot, but until you’ve laid your baby on the alter of worthiness, you just write. I believe a writer writes for others. So send out that manuscript and boldly proclaim yourself as a writer, author, novelist. Proclaim them all.

Second, I whole-heartedly believe that a no thank you letter from an agent or editor is direction from the Lord. He knows where you need to be and when you need to be there. He knows the perfect timing for a particular work to get published to get it into the hands He has planned for it to touch lives. He knows when you are truly ready as well as your manuscript for publication.

You aren’t really being rejected but redirected by the Lord.

So next time you get a no thank you letter, give thanks to the Lord.

Milestones

2011-05-04T15:44:00.003-06:00

My day started at the DMV. Kiddo #3 is now the proud owner of his driver's learners permit. He's driven twice today without event, and I managed to stay (mostly) calm through the whole experience. Today's his birthday, and tonight he umps his first official game.

Lots of milestones in the life of my Stephen, shown here celebrating his birthday with the biggest ice cream cone made at the self-serve station at the restaurant where we celebrated. We know it's the biggest because the waitress said so and took his picture.

As a mom it is easy for me to track and celebrate my children's milestones.

As a writer pursuing publication, paying attention to milestones is crucial. In a career where your deepest places, poured onto the page, get rejected based on cold, hard numbers, it's difficult to be vulnerable over and over--to keep hoping and believing and working. Even after that first published article or book, you're going to face disappointment and rejection. Which is why I believe it's important to celebrate those milestones.

Where ever you are in the writing journey, you've crossed a milestone. For most of us the first big milestone is writing something. The second is finding the courage to share it with someone else, and the third is walking into that critique group, writer's conference, or writer's group for the first time.

A huge milestone for me was actually saying to someone, "I'm a writer." I couldn't say that sentence for a long time.

When I typed the last page of my first novel, I crossed one of those I-can-never-turn-back kind of milestones. My family and I celebrated with a video and pizza. We had another celebration when I rewrote the book. Celebrating the milestones not only helped me stop and recognize progress, it helped my family see that I was serious about writing and reaching goals. In return, they began to show me respect as a writer instead of winking at my "hobby."

I still remember the glory of my first published piece, and the delight of receiving my first check as a writer. I think it was only $20, but it meant something because I'd crossed a milestone.

Rejection letters are milestones, too. They initiate us into the real world of writing where we have to weather the hard knocks with the rest of the crazies who write for publication. Those are important crossing points--and that's why you'll get chocolate if you come to HIS Writers and let us know about your latest rejection letter. It's not that we celebrate disappointment. We embrace the process, and then we celebrate our ability to survive it.

Here's a challenge for you: Take a few minutes to assess your personal personal writing milestones. Consider making a time-line. Put a sticker or happy face on each date when you crossed a milestone. Next to your markers write little notes about the importance of that milestone. You may want to also put specific prayers, promptings, Scriptures, and promises the Lord gives you about your journey.

Hang your time-line above your computer. Next time you feel like you're not making progress, look up to that tangible reminder of your journey. Acknowledge the courageous forward movement you've made.

Then be brave and tackle another milestone.

Could you do one more thing? Take a minute to comment on this blog and share some of your most treasured (or recent) milestones. I'd like to celebrate with you!

Milestone? Or Millstone? Your choice.

2011-05-02T15:42:00.001-06:00

It’s funny how the words “milestone” and “millstone” sound so similar, yet serve such different purposes. A milestone marks the mileage on a road, yet goes nowhere. A millstone grinds grain, yet never stops. On the other hand, the second definition for each are:

Milestone – a significant point in development
Millstone – a heavy burden

I find it ironic that the first word signifies movement, when the object itself clearly cannot move. Yet the second word weighs a body down to the point of making one immobile, even though the round object itself suggests movement.

How can we apply this observation to our writing?

A milestone represents a goal, an immovable spot up the road that we long to reach. It remains solid and steadfast, symbolically cheering you on to reach its side. There may be other milestones on the road, but we must keep our eyes on the first one in order to reach the others.

So often, we put too many milestones in our path, scattering our thoughts as we race about trying to reach them all before we’ve taken the proper steps. This confuses us which ultimately results in the opposite effect – a millstone around our necks, pulling us down into deep, dark confusion. We want to meet our one-thousand-word-a-day goal, but we can’t stop daydreaming about becoming multi-published and traveling the world. Or we work on our romance, then set it aside for a sci-fi. Then decide maybe a political thriller would suit us more. The result is a lot of unfinished, unpolished manuscripts taking up kilobytes in a folder on our computer.

Pick a goal and stick with it. When that goal is reached, look to that next milestone up the road. With each post you past, you will get closer to your final destination. And about that millstone? Let’s leave it out of our writing and only roll it out when we want bread.

************

Kathy Kovach is the ACFW Rocky Mountain Zone Director, and author with Heartsong Presents and Barbour Publishing. She writes Spiritual Truth…With A Giggle, thus proving herself as one of God’s peculiar people. With a passion for story, she dissects movies on her Craft Cinema blog. Read the first chapters of her books at Fiction Finder and visit her at www.KathleenEKovach.com.

SEEDS

2011-04-30T07:32:00.018-06:00

This past Wednesday was my day to blog about “resurrection.” But no matter how long I sat at my computer, nothing decent seemed to come out. So I closed up shop and decided to wait until Thursday. Surely Thursday I would feel inspired.

Thursday came and went. Nothing. Same with Friday. Nothing. Now it’s Saturday. In desperation I prayed, “Lord, where is my resurrection piece?”

His answer? “Your resurrection is in May.”

Huh?

“Okay, Lord," I said. You should know more than anyone else, we celebrated Your Son’s resurrection last week. That would be April, not May.”

“Yes, I know," He answered. But your resurrection is in May.”

Now, I’ve always been a fan of a good mystery, but not when it has to do with my life. So I don’t think anyone would be surprised to hear me say I wasn’t satisfied with God’s answer. I wanted…no needed…to know more.

“Lord, we’re talking about my life right now, not some fiction book, so I really need to know what the heck is going on in May that would cause You to say that.”

In my mind’s eye I saw Him smile. Not a broad grin, but that quirky little smile He gives me whenever He has something special up His sleeve.

“What?” I asked. “Why are you smiling like that? What's going on in May?”

“Resurrection.”

And that's all He said.

Suddenly my mind started filling with all the happenings of next month: one daughter will be graduating from high school and moving on to college, another daughter will be graduating from college and moving on to the career of her dreams, my only son will be asking his girlfriend of four years to marry him, and I will be on the road to becoming a grandmother…again.

So many old seeds dying. So many new seeds coming to life. And my life will change with each one.

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. –John 12:24 NIV

Then the picture became clear: All these seeds of mine were falling to the ground—seeds from my tree of life, seeds that needed to fall away so that they could burrow deep within the richness of God’s soil and become healthy trees of their own, bearing fruit and seeds from which many new trees would come. And with the falling of these seeds came another simple truth: God was clearing my plate so that He and I could write. So that He could resurrect the story He gave me over ten years ago.

It’s hard to let go. To let those seeds fall. But if they’re going to fall to the ground, who better to trust than the LORD Himself, Gardener of Life.

Yup, my resurrection month is May. And though my heart aches for the seeds that are passing on, I rejoice in knowing that another seed will soon be sprouting from my soil: The seed of writing His story.

Present and in Awe

2011-04-25T10:56:00.004-06:00

This may sound strange, but I have never liked the traditional Easter call and response of “He is risen, He is risen indeed.”

It took me awhile to figure out why I got uncomfortable every Easter Sunday when the pastor said, “He is risen,” and all around me voices droned, “He is risen indeed.” Finally it occurred to me that this rote response lacks meaning. For me, that is. I know I’m probably in the minority, and I am certainly not advocating the removal of this part of Easter Sunday service. But for me the wonder and awe of the resurrection cannot be expressed in an automatic response.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get annoyed with the Bible for not giving me enough details. Something horrendously interesting will happen, and the scribe gives it one summary verse, and I’m going, “Hey, what happened next?”

Not so with the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I cannot help but be moved by the details of the event. Crowds chanting, a purple robe, a crown of thorns, darkness that came over the land, wine and vinegar, a tomb cut out of rock, spices, sunrise, a man dressed in white with a message for Mary Magdalene. Wow! It’s so much more than words. I can see it in my mind and feel it in my heart.

As writers, it’s our job to never lose our wonder in the world and its Creator, in humankind, in sound and sight, in touch and sent, in love. Anne Lamott puts it like this:

This is our goal as writers, I think; to help others have this sense of--please forgive me--wonder, of seeing things anew, things that can catch us off guard, that break in on our small, bordered worlds. When this happens, everything feels more spacious. Try walking around with a child who's going, "Wow, wow! Look at that dirty dog! Look at that burned-down house! Look at that red sky!" And the child points and you look, and you see, and you start going, "Wow! Look at that huge crazy hedge! Look at that teeny little baby! Look at the scary dark cloud!" I think this is how we are supposed to be in the world--present and in awe.

Why does the account of Christ’s crucifixion have the power to affect us thousands of years after it was written? Because the vivid details make us see it anew every time we read it. The words make us present. And, most importantly, the story of the resurrection cannot fail to draw a completely personal response from our very core—awe.

Evangeline Denmark has storytelling on her heart and in her blood. The daughter of novelist, Donita K. Paul, Evangeline grew up living and breathing good stories. She has co-authored two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle (Waterbrook Press, 2010) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (Waterbrook Press, 2011) and also writes adult fiction. Evangeline is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, serving as chapter secretary. You can find Evangeline online at www.breathenbreatheout.blogspot.com and www.dragonandturtle.com

When Your Writing Needs Resurrection

2011-04-21T19:05:00.002-06:00

We've all been there -- we have written ourselves into a corner and don't know where to go now.

This happened to me on the first book I ever wrote -- I got down to the second to last chapter, and still didn't know whodunnit, or why. No motive, no suspects, no alibi, no idea.

At this point, you can do one of the following:
1. Dump the entire book because it was a stupid idea to think YOU could write a book.
2. Send out a survey to 100 of your closest friends to ask them if they think you could write a book.
3. Read 100 blog posts from published authors who will confirm you couldn't write a book.
4. Read 100 newsletters from multi-published authors who will tell you that even if you did write a book, you wouldn't get it published because it's much too difficult and your skin isn't thick enough and you don't know the right people.
5. Read 100 success stories about published authors who were rejected dozens of times before getting published, then go back to work on your book.

I chose option 5. Okay, first I prayed. I went to my source, the One who gave me the story to begin with. I figured if God wrote the story through me, He knew whodunnit. And okay, I didn't read 100 success stories, but I did read a couple of books on writing mysteries, something I should have done before I ever sat down to write one. Then I went back into my book, set up some red herrings, some clues, some alibis, increased the tension, and WHAM! The killer jumped off the pages at me. The person with the least apparent reason to do it, the person nobody would suspect, but when I wrote in several clues and some hints and innuendoes, WOW! It made sense. And later, when I had several independent readers read my book, they were all satisfied with the ending, and did not suspect the killer.

That's what you want to hear!

So, when your writing needs resurrection, go to the Source -- pray. If you don't have time to pray, you don't have time to write. Then, don't be ashamed to go back to basics. Don't be too proud to learn some more, to ask questions, to ask advice of people in the writing business.

We're all in the same business, the same situation, and we all write for the same reason -- God has given us the story, and if we don't write it, He will find someone who will. So write, pray, resurrect the passion in you for the story. To God be the glory!

Recycle, Reuse, Resurrection

2011-04-18T21:41:00.002-06:00

(Well Paula took my idea for a post, sort of. But it’s well worth repeating. Mine is more the resurrection of an idea in general whether it’s a full manuscript like Paula’s, a partially written story, or just a germ of an idea.)

I think we all have story ideas we have started and for one reason or another have abandoned. Whether we became disinterested in the idea, the idea fizzled out, or it had gotten rejected one too many times.

An editor recently mentioned to me she might be in need of historical series ideas and would be interested in seeing what I might have. No guarantees.

If an editor says this, you bet your booty I’m going to send her something as quick as my daughter’s woodpile cat can disappear. He may be big but he is lightening fast. :-)

Starting a series from scratch takes a long time, even to just get the overall idea then each individual novel in the series.

The key words with a time sensitive project are recycle, reuse, and resurrection. Since this editor didn’t need chapter samples from me, just the synopses, the work was cut in half, but still a lot of work. By recycling, reusing, and resurrecting, my work was again cut in half.

One.

Two.

Three.

And they were off. One I recycled a series idea and tweaked it for this different market. One I reused a single story idea and built on it for the other two stories I wanted to propose in the series. And one, I resurrected a story that had previously been rejected as a single title.

In a short time, I was able to send off three series proposal to this editor. Now I’m waiting to see if she bites on any of them.

What ideas do you have lurking or hiding in a drawer (or computer file) that need a facelift to give them new life? Go mining for gold.

Dying to Live

2011-04-11T20:14:00.007-06:00

This time of year is bittersweet for me. Over the years, the month of April has brought tests and challenges that were painful and difficult. My emotions remember that traumatic path and want to shy away from the memories. My mind wants to block out the events themselves.

One event happened 19 years ago. I was in the middle of dealing with a family-wide bout of the chicken pox while trying to adjust to a recent move to an apartment with four children ages 9, 6, 2 1/2 and 8 1/2 months. The day after my husband was able to return to work, our 6 year-old son was involved in an accident near the playground of the apartment complex. I remember it vividly. The innocence of the oldest twirling obliviously with a stream of yellow caution tape. The horror of seeing my 6 year-old unconscious on the ground with no one around to help. The frustration of wanting to rush out but concern over leaving the two younger ones in the apartment by themselves. Having to leave my children in the care of a stranger while I went to the hospital.

Several years ago I found myself seeing a Christian counselor trying to understand where “I” had gone. I couldn’t understand why my zest for life had abandoned me. It felt like I had been swallowed by a black hole. I had been enjoying new energy and health after having lost a great deal of weight when my normally optimistic self seemed to ooze out of every pore never to be seen again. If you have never been clinically depressed it is something that is hard to explain. Feeling that you are sitting in a tiny boat in the middle of a vast body of water with no shore in sight and no clue as to where that shore or any safe haven might be.

Even as I remember the pain of my son’s accident and the struggles that followed as he worked to overcome his brain injury, I rejoice that he is now finishing college and has taken the recovery skill of learning to play instruments and turned it into a passion. I marvel at his gift for music and am thrilled that he will graduate next May with a degree in Music Composition.

As for me, I rejoice that God had a way out of the pit that I was in. Thankfully, doctors were able to diagnose the cause of my depression which enabled me to find “me” and to see that there was indeed light and a way back to feeling whole again.

What does any of this have to do with writing? Aside from believing that life’s trials and challenges give us insight that we would never experience otherwise for our writing, they also give us perspective. As important as our writing is to us and even to God, He has a life journey for us. It lasts more than a moment be it of pain or trauma or even joy. Part of that journey is to resurrect those moments and bring something new out of our life.

So, while part of me still doesn’t look forward to the death of anything in my life, I know that it truly isn’t the end but rather the beginning of the life that He has planned. God is faithful to resurrect our dry bones and breath new life into them. (Ezekiel 37:5-6)

****************

Elaine serves as Secretary/Treasurer for Mile High Scribes, the ACFW Southwest Denver chapter now meeting at the Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch. She is currently working on a series set in the world of professional ice hockey. Elaine and her husband are rejoicing in the thought that 2 out of 3 of their children will graduate from college in 13 months.

Resurrecting that Manuscript

2011-04-07T17:39:00.002-06:00

I'm a firm believer that my first two books will publish. Yes, I wrote them years, not months, ago. Yes, I'm a better writer now than then. Yes, they will take a lot of work. But they will resurrect. I know it.

Maybe you have an old manuscript that needs resurrection. Let me tell you what I've learned:
1) It's good for a manuscript to lie in the grave awhile. Even in the grave it changes.
2) Unlike Jesus, sometimes a manuscript resurrects more than once before fully coming to life.
3) Like Jesus, newness of life for the manuscript itself and those who read comes with resurrection.

Let's take my first novel for example. I wrote it from my heart, loved it, won contests with it, rewrote it many times, learned from it. Finally I sensed the Lord telling me it was time to lay it down. Into the grave it went. Waiting was good for it. It needed me to grow up--as a writer and as a person--to do it justice. Before it went to the "grave," I was given some advice about the manuscript I resisted. The advice went with my manuscript to the grave. What I didn't know is that advice was changing the manuscript even as it slept.

Then, one day, someone who loved the manuscript asked me to resurrect it. I poured over it, rewriting the first few chapters to bring it up to my present understanding of craft and my more fully developed voice. Low and behold, I realized the advice I'd buried with the manuscript had been right! I made sweeping changes and took it to a writer's conference where an editor requested a full! Excited, I dug into the rest of the chapters, ready to bring my story to new life. But--you guessed it--things didn't go as I planned. Some of it was my skill level, and some of it was life circumstances. Eventually I had to put it away and take care of the crises at home.

Fast forward a couple of years. It's again been requested that the manuscript be resurrected. I prayed and felt the Lord say it was time to learn a little more, to bring newness of life into my beloved story. On my to-do list is another round of polishing those first chapters so I can take it to someone more advanced than I for advice. I don't know if this will be a final resurrection or just another groaning hinting of the new life it will someday lead.

But I do know resurrection day will come. The Lord planted the faith within my heart to believe it will someday come fully to life and bring new life with it for others.

Until then I wait, in eagerness and expectation.

If you have a manuscript that just won't die, don't be afraid to resurrect it. Each time you pull it from the dark recesses of your computer, look at it with new eyes, revisit past advice, and rewrite with the newness of life that's grown in you since the last time you tackled it!

And wait in expectation. Sunday's on the way!

Overcoming

2011-03-24T13:52:00.007-06:00

Everywhere I look, someone's life is torn apart, never to be the same again. War, natural disaster, job loss, cancer—it just doesn't seem to end. The times we're living in have become overwhelming. Even those who don't believe in our God can sense this world moaning and crying out for the Redeemer to return.

Christians are called to be overcomers. Not through our own power, but through the power of the blood of Christ. We are never alone. The Holy Spirit promises to help and counsel us, to get us through life—even when it sucks. And every moment we take a breath we are given a chance for a new beginning.

Same with our writing. What might seem difficult...maybe even impossible...today can become something we overcome tomorrow. Even if it means starting over.

Jesus said, "...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). How comforting it is to know that despite what the headlines say, despite what difficulty we face in our lives, despite how hard it is to put that next word on paper, our LORD will be there, with us, to help us overcome our circumstances and, if need be, start over.

Where'd you come from, Hot Stuff?

2011-03-21T10:18:00.004-06:00

It seems strange to be talking about new beginnings when I’m smack in the middle of my WIP. Then again, it’s while you’re slogging through the muddle in the middle that new ideas spring up out of nowhere.

You’re staring at the computer screen, ransacking your brain for your next sentence, and suddenly a plot for a completely different story pops into your noggin. Strange new characters whisper in your ears while you labor to get old Klaus and Gertrude down off the mountainside before the volcano erupts.

It’s so easy to get swayed by these new project possibilities. I once read a funny piece that compared the allure of a new story idea to meeting a new romantic interest. The temptation to dump your current dimming flame and take up with that hot, new prospect can be overwhelming.

What should we do with these new beginnings that crop up when we need to be focusing on finishing our current novel?

First, be encouraged. You may feel like your brain is an empty paper bag with nothing but a hint of Sesame Chicken wafting around inside it, but creativity lurks amid those dried-up bits of rice. Use that spark of a new story to remind yourself why you write, that you CAN create, and that God has more exciting plans for your writing journey.

Second, write it down. Throw just a few words into a document detailing that mind-blowing plot or those compelling characters. You’ll feel better knowing you’ve put something on a page and can come back to it when the time is right.

Third, get back to work on your WIP. Tell that flirty new beginning that you’ll be in touch soon, then disconnect and get back to business. Because the only thing more exciting than a new beginning is the satisfaction of typing “The End.”

Evangeline Denmark has co-authored two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle (Waterbrook Press, 2010) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (Waterbrook Press, 2011) and also writes adult fiction. Evangeline serves as chapter secretary for Worship Write Witness and has only broken up with one of her novels since she began writing in 2006. You can find Evangeline online at www.breathenbreatheout.blogspot.com and www.dragonandturtle.com

Meet my 8th child!

2011-03-18T14:42:00.001-06:00

I’m like a proud parent, showing off my newborn. I even showed her to the lady at Curves, who sincerely tried to match my enthusiasm, but I could tell she was just being polite.

If you’re a published author, or even simply blessed your project by typing “The End”, you know the feeling. Every story, or article, or poem is a new beginning. It’s that bouncing baby book that you gaze at with wonderment. I created this. What a miracle! It breathes new life into your stagnant career, reminding you that you can do it again, and again.

Oregon Weddings is my eight cover. Inside are stories I had already birthed and had covers of their own when they first came out:

God Gave the Song – Two people learn how to forgive with the help of a melodious alpaca.
Crossroads Bay – She seeks a treasure. He seeks her heart.
Fine, Feathered Friend – An actress afraid of birds enlists the help of a bird trainer afraid of actresses.

But seeing this fresh, new cover brings back the excitement. I’m an author with child, dreaming of what the next one will look like. Holding this infant book in my hands makes me long to see the art on the stories still in my head. It gives me the kick in the pants I need to get them written.

I’m passing out cigars. Want one?

*************************

Oregon Weddings is due out in early April. Watch for it in stores or order it online at Amazon!

Beginning again -- again

2011-03-16T16:04:00.005-06:00

I spoke with a fellow writer this week who was excited about his writing again. He told me he thinks about his book all the time, particularly when he isn't writing. And he has managed to find small chunks of time here and there to actually sit and write. He also told me he knows why he is excited about writing again, because according to his words, he hasn't been especially enthralled with the task of sitting to write for some time.

He went to a seminar. Then he went to a couple of good writers group meetings. Then he signed up for a writers retreat. And all of that ignited his passion for writing once again -- investing in his calling as a writer made that calling seem more real, more urgent, more attainable.

Because, let's admit it, there are few things in life as scary as staring at a blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen, waiting for words of inspiration to come flying out of our pen or our fingertips.

Sure, once we get the words flowing, it's easy after that. Getting some positive feedback from a publisher or editor, seeing a deadline in black on white gets the creative juices racing.

But the every day, mundane, mandatory process of writing can wear us down.

Unless we see value in it.

Let me share a parable with you: Our church runs a small food bank ministry each week. When we first began, we didn't ask for any donations, because we had minimal costs, and our church was happy to cover those costs. What we discovered, however, is that when the clients who received food from the food bank went out into the parking lot, they threw away some food items they had received. So, foe example, if an apple had a bruise on it, they threw it away. If the bananas weren't green, in the trash. And we realized that the clients didn't put a value on something they didn't have to pay for. So we started asking for a $2 donation. And people were happy to receive it, and we didn't find food thrown away. Why? Because they had to "pay" for it (although the donation was always voluntary).

If we don't see a value in our writing, we might tend to "throw" it away -- we'll find reasons not to attend a meeting, we'll find excuses not to write, we'll allow distractions to take us away from our calling.

Investing in your writing career is one way to ignite your passion to write. Remembering how excited you were about your story when you first started writing will inspire you to sit and write. And if you aren't sure you're writing the story you need to tell, sit down and make a few notes that will identify the story that is burning you up on the inside as it waits to be written.

Beginning again, again, is no sin. There is no shame in admitting you got side-tracked, but now you are back on the road again. Setting aside your current work and starting a new one is not the same as quitting -- you are just going to write the story that you should have started with.

Is something holding you back from beginning again, again? Tell it to go away. Nicely, of course. Tell it to come back after you've finished with this book, this story, this poem, this song.

All writers will, at times, face a brick wall of reasons why they can't write. And even if you can't write all day, for an afternoon, an hour even -- find fifteen minutes in your day and at least think about your project.

New beginnings are all around us at this time of the year. Today, right now, is the best time to begin. So sit, write, make notes, don't worry about how much you have left -- count your words from today, right now, and put them in the plus column of how much closer you are to the end.

And then, when you reach the end, begin again, again. And again. And if you haven't signed up for the writers retreat in April with Cecil Murphey as keynote speaker, you need to do that. Check out the details on www.acfwcolorado.com. You will definitely be ready to begin again, again after that.

"Do you know what today is?"

2011-03-14T22:42:00.002-06:00

My dad would say in a cheery voice.

As I shuffled into the kitchen, my first thought was, How can anyone be cheery so early in the morning? Then I would try to think if this was some special day I had forgotten. I would grunt, then say, “Tuesday?” Hoping it was indeed Tuesday.

And in his cheery voice he would say, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

I would groan not believing I fell for that one again! I heard this saying from my dad more times than I cared to count growing and never appreciated it.

When I was older, married, and with children of my own, I realized my dad was saying that today is a fresh start, make the most of it. Don’t worry about yesterday and the past. Today is a new beginning.

The song Morning Has Broken from the 70’s came to mind as I was thinking about new beginnings and this being the first day of the rest of our life.

God made that first morning and He gives us each new morning.

“What is today?”

“The first day of the rest of your life.”

Fourth Annual ACFW Colorado Retreat

2011-03-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jill Hups, vice president, HIS Writers (north Denver chapter of ACFW)
Email: vice.president@hiswriters.acfwcolorado.com
Phone: 303-460-8122

CECIL MURPHEY COMING TO COLORADO APRIL 8-9, 2011
NY Times Bestselling Author and International Christian Speaker to talk on “Knowing God,
Knowing Yourself: An Invitation to Daily Discovery”

Cecil "Cec" Murphey, The Man Behind the Words, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s
fourth annual ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Colorado retreat, to be held at the
Ponderosa Conference and Retreat center in Larkspur, Colorado.

As a NY Times bestselling author and Christian international speaker, Cec has authored or cowritten more than one hundred books that have been translated into more than 40 languages and have sold millions of copies, including the bestseller, 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper). His newest book, Knowing God, Knowing Myself, released December 2010, will be the theme of this year's retreat.

Cecil has also written hundreds of articles that have appeared in a variety of publications. His
passion is to stimulate people's minds and nourish their souls. Since 1984, he has been using his writing and speaking to help him accomplish those goals.

Join us as Cec teaches on Knowing God, Knowing Myself, and let him lead you into a deeper
awareness of God's presence, startle you out of common spiritual reflections, and take you on an uncommon path of daily self-discovery and Christ-centered insights.
For more information and to register, go to www.acfwcolorado.com/acfwcoloretreat.

ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) of Colorado
Serving Christian Fiction Writers Throughout the Rockies
www.acfwcolorado.com

* * * * * *
This event is sponsored by ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) of Colorado.
You do not need to be member of ACFW in order to attend this event.
Visit us on the web at www.acfwcolorado.com

Renewal

2011-03-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. (Psalm 119:114 The Message)

I love spring. Only in Colorado one is never sure exactly when spring will arrive. Since March is our snowiest month . . . well, there are absolutely no guarantees. Those of us who have lived in Colorado for any length of time know that all that snow could, and probably will, come all at once.

Especially since the “huge” storm that was “scheduled” for this week didn’t materialize.

I’m so thankful that I don’t have to rely on external circumstances for renewal of spirit. I am renewed each time I “feed” on God’s Word. Each time I pray, my soul is renewed. And every time I’m with God’s people my mind is stimulated and renewed, challenged by their lives to live wholly and completely for Christ.

This is especially true when I get together with other writers. It’s energizing to be around people who “get” me, who understand what I mean when I say my characters are speaking to me or they’re holding out and refusing to talk to me—even though I am the one who gives them life. Almost always I come away from such meetings with at least one “new” idea or thought to chew on.

I believe I mentioned in last month’s post that my hubby, Roger, lost his job early in January. We’ve now “survived” nine weeks of being unemployed. While we still have no prospects for a job out of the many he’s applied for, we are renewed daily through the prayers of God’s people. And our needs, and even some of our wants, have been provided for through the prayers and generosity of God’s people.

And I’ve been very busy, trying to keep up with the many editing/proofreading assignments I’ve gotten from both publishers and individuals. New writing projects with interesting prospects keep popping up as well. In fact, with all the renewed confirmations of God’s purpose and tasking for me, I’m a little bewildered as to how to handle it.

Until I remember that God is my quiet retreat, that in His Word I am renewed daily to walk His best path for me.

Marjorie Vawter is the ACFW Colorado Area Coordinator. She lives in Westminster with her husband and 15-month-old “kitten,” Sinatra.

New Beginnings

2011-03-01T21:25:00.002-07:00

Bright yellow daffodils. Mercies that are new every morning. A first, fresh cup of coffee with real cream. The crackle of the binding when opening a spanking new book. A newborn with intense eyes full of wonderment nursing for the first time.

New beginnings. There's nothing like them.

But sometimes we let the past cloud our new beginnings. I was given a new beginning this week, but it took a few days for me to believe it, embrace it, and celebrate it. Why? The pain of the past was so close that my emotions couldn't catch up to the hope of the future.

God has something to say about that:

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland."
Isaiah 43:18 - 19 (NIV)

This little Scripture has popped up over and over in my life the last few years, a reminder to me that God is all about taking the barren and making it fruitful. I can choose to hand over Him the dry, dusty crumbles of the past, forgetting the barren places, the hurtful places, the hopeless feelings. Instead I can choose to believe He is doing a new thing.

Creation reminds us of God's character of trustworthy newness. Every single day God does a new thing, offering a fresh start as the sun peeks over the horizon and pours forth its warm, golden rays, beginning a day that has never yet been lived. The ecstatic little birds start to sing and their joyful worship songs fill the air as they welcome daylight--and new beginnings.

May I learn to do the same.

Wordsmiths

2011-02-27T21:14:00.003-07:00

Our pastor reminded us the other day of how our Lord created romance. It's a love between two fellow beings.

Our ultimate love is Jesus Christ. He is the one who loves us unconditionally every day. Every day is Valentines Day for us that follow Him. He woos us to His side for friendship and passion. He always wants to please us. He brings us love, flowers, candy, and most of all compassion. He wants us to allow Him to fill me with this unconditional love to overflowing, then we have extra to give to our fellow men.

It's so easy to do but yet so hard because I get side-tracked in my walk with Him. I leave many opportunities to share that love on the side of the road as I concentrate on little ol me. Sweet man that He is, Jesus doesn't get angry, instead He says, "Try harder little one, I'll help you if you ask."

I'm available to help support each of you as much as I can. I believe in Psalm 133:1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. (NIV).

Let's see what I can do with these words, procrastination, perfection, passionate, personality, (smile), precious, patient, and perseverance! I can grow in all of these for sure.

Hey precious Wordsmiths be encouraged this year, it's going to be a great one and you are going to be at every moment exactly where God has planned for you to be. He knows every single hair on your heads and He will give you the strength to keep up the good work you are called to do in Him. I'm reminded of Ecclesiastes 2...God's perfect timing.

So this year, I'm walking in the JOY of the Lord, won't you come along and join the fun?
Psalm 68:11 The Lord announced the Word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it: (NIV).

May you each be blessed abundantly above and beyond your wildest dreams in Christ Jesus in 2011. :)

How do I love thee? Please state in 130 words or less.

2011-02-23T10:08:00.007-07:00

This month our focus is on romance. So who better to talk about that the famous poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)?

Picture this conversation Elizabeth is having with her crit partner after finishing her now-famous poem, "How Do I Love Thee?":

Crit partner: Elizabeth! My ears have just heard Penny Post Press has extended their hand to receive poetry. Can you imagine? Poetry!

Elizabeth: Poetry? You truly heard this correct?

Crit partner: Yes. I was fortunate enough to spy on conversation between Mrs. Mitford and Mrs. Towry, where Mrs. Towry's maid spoke of this to Mrs. Dinkle, whose daughter spoke of this to Mrs. Smythe, whose son spoke of this to Master Wimbolt, who said Penny Post Press is receiving numerous requests at this very minute.

Elizabeth: Oh friend! Your words are music to my ears! I've become less than cheerful these past few months, as you well know, with the burden of these poems laying painfully on my heart.

Crit partner: Mrs. Browning! Time is not to be wasted. Get thine query letter sent right away! Deliver it yourself, if you must. My ears have heard, though not directly, mind you, that Alfred Lord Tennyson and Mr. William Wordsworth already carried theirs by hand.

Elizabeth: I will, dear friend. I will!

* * * * * * * * * *

Response from Penny Post Press to Elizabeth:

My dearest Mrs. Browning,

In regard to your poem, "How Do I Love Thee?", although your words speak of love with the most feverent of heart, it is my duty to regretfully inform you that, in this particular case, too little time has been spent on "tell" and more than sufficient time on "show." Therefore, unless it becomes your choice to rewrite in a fashion this firm finds acceptable, I am sorry to say we must regretfully decline thine offer.

Sincerely,

Editor
Penny Post Press

Of course, it's easy to look back on history and laugh at the above fictitious scenario, but it becomes less than funny when it happens to us.

Mrs. Browning knew the world of the writer quite well, and was not much different than we are: she had a love for writing and engaged herself in this passion, she overcame insurmountable obstacles, and she persevered during a time when it was tough to get published. Yet through it all she didn't give up.

Neither should you.

Write what your heart tells your to write. 160+ years later, Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem is still considered one of the greatest love poems of all time. Did she know this would happen? I doubt it.

Whether what you write ends up published or not is far less than important than the words themselves. Your words have been given to you by God, poured into you and through you so that you can pour out. Words that could easily, one day, end up in the hands of someone who despirately needs them. Words echoing truth to a world in dire need of change. Words that may fall on many ears--or just one.

Even if it takes 160 years.

* * * * * * * * * *

How Do I Love Thee?

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

How Do I Love Thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

(Number 43 from Sonnets from the Portuguese. First published in 1850.)

True Love and Onions

2011-02-20T19:44:00.006-07:00

The other day I was thinking about what to write for this blog post while chopping onions for chili. Before long I was crying. It occurred to me that if my boys happened to walk in the kitchen, they would ask, “Why are you crying, Mommy?” They would be worried about me and would try to comfort me. Why? Because they have no experience with onions.

Now, if my husband happened to walk in while I wept onto my cutting board, he would laugh and make some smart remark like, “There’s no need to cry over dinner, honey.”

Why the different reaction? It’s obvious. My husband is older and wiser than my kids. He’s chopped onions a time or two and knows the water works are a simple physical reaction.

I believe the same principle applies when we write romance. An immature reader looks at the physical signs of attraction, believes the characters are in love, and is satisfied. An experienced reader knows infatuation for what it is and wants more depth.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a sizzling, tension-filled interplay between hero and heroine. But if we want to truly engage our readers’ hearts, we must employ what they know to be true about genuine love.

That can be hard, can’t it? After all, if we struggle to show real love to our spouses and those around us, how much more difficult is it to have fictional characters put the word into action?

I suggest that as we formulate our main characters and plot lines, we pick one or two of the love principles from 1 Corinthians 13 to ascribe to our hero and heroine. As we write, we can focus on just that characteristic and how we can bring it to life on the page.

For instance, I have chosen “Love keeps no record of wrongs” for my heroine. Now I look for ways to make that truth evident between my heroine and hero. Maybe he offends her early in the story, and the next time they meet their interchange is strained. By having my heroine choose to let go of that offense or try to see the situation from his side, I can

• bring depth to the scene
• show a genuine aspect of love
• maybe surprise a reader who expected a clichéd fight-over-nothing.

Go ahead and give it a try next time you’re writing a scene. Just beneath the spice and sparks of physical attraction add a touch of true love in action. I think you’ll find that not only is your romance delicious, but it’s also genuine and heart-filling.

Evangeline Denmark has co-authored two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle (Waterbrook Press, 2010) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (Waterbrook Press, 2011) and also writes adult fiction. Evangeline serves as secretary for Worship Write Witness and serves onions for dinner whenever she can. You can find Evangeline online at www.breathenbreatheout.blogspot.com and www.dragonandturtle.com

Saint Valentine's Story

2011-02-14T10:06:00.005-07:00

My name is Valentine. I was a priest during the third century when Rome was ruled by Emperor Claudius. A lot of people didn’t like Emperor Claudius including me.

Claudius wanted a big army and expected men to volunteer to join, but many men didn’t want to leave their wives and families to fight in wars. This made Claudius furious and he decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought this cruel, and I thought it preposterous.

One of my favorite duties was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers. And one night the steps came. Terror rippled through us. Thank goodness the young couple escaped in time. I was not so fortunate and thrown in jail, sentenced to death.

Wonderful things began to happen. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love. One of these young people who visited regularly, the daughter of the prison guard, helped to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I had done right in defying the emperor and performing secret marriages.

On the day I was to die, February 14, 269 A.D., I left my friend a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine." I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. Now, every year, people remember and think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

**Paraphrased from http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm

The Romance I Could Write

2011-02-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

I admit -- in my BJ (before Jesus) days, I read a lot of secular romances. I read some not-so-wholesome stories. And after about 20 of them, I was bored to tears. They were all the same: boy meets girl; boy loses girl; girl gets involved with the wrong guy who treats her shamefully; boy1 rescues girl; they live happily ever after.

I am not against the happily ever after -- it just didn't seem real for me. I didn't have that kind of romance in my life, and I didn't know anyone else who did, either. So I stopped reading romance stories.

Even AJ (After Jesus), I avoided romance stories because the couple I did read were the same formula, except for the being treated shamefully, that is. That formula still wasn't real for me.

And then I attended a writers conference, and the only class in a particular time slot I was even remotely interested in was "Writing Romance That Sells" by DiAnn Mills. I wasn't really interested in writing romance; I was interested in writing a book that would sell.

So DiAnn went through the requirements of a romance:
1. Find a character no one would particularly like
2. Redeem the character
3. Put that character in a painful situation you have experienced where you were hurt and betrayed.
4. Write the opening line to the story.
5. Figure out why the hero and heroine would never fall in love and marry.
6. Figure out what makes your story different.

And I came up with a pathological liar who tries to make herself look good by making others look bad, but one of her lies rebounds to attack the only person she really cares about, an elderly widow next door, and she sees what her lies do to her and others. The hurtful scene, which really happened to me, was her boyfriend broke up with her by giving her a record album: 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. And told her he was going back to his wife (okay, in my case, it was his previous girlfriend)

My opening line was:
Slamming the door behind her, Madison was positive of only two things: she would never come back to Lincolntown, and she would never fall in love again.

My hero (not the jerk with the record album gift) and heroine would never fall in love and marry because she wants a career, and he wants a mother for his three small children. Oh, yeah, and she says she will never fall in love again -- it hurts too much.

And what makes my story different is that Madison learns that her importance is not in what she does, but in who she is in God. And she can be just as important to God changing diapers as she can climbing the corporate ladder.

When I finished the class, saw how DiAnn had tricked me into falling in love with a romantic suspense idea, I told her, "Now, this is a romance I could read. And one I could write."

So, I haven't written it yet, but it is on my list. I fell in love with the parts of a romance I like to write about -- the tension, the truth behind the facade, and the journey towards God.

What kind of a romance could you write? Every genre has romantic elements -- post your comments about your genre and how you weave romance into the plot. And if you haven't written any romance in yet, how could you do that?

Love Is in the Air

2011-02-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, Paula took my idea for this post. And Kathy posted about every romantic movie I could think of, and many more I've not heard about. (Can you tell I'm not a movie fan?) BUT Kathy didn't mention the one book/movie that always resonates with me because of the subtle romance. Pride and Prejudice.

Do I hear a collective sigh? (Mr. Darcy will always look like Colin Firth to me.)

I've never wanted to be a romance writer, especially since that isn't my preferred fiction reading. However, I love a good mystery, suspense, or thriller that has a touch of romance. And that's what I write. I don't really want to be hit over the head by all the various ways of describing attraction, most of which makes my eyes roll. Some even makes me want to throw the book across the room. Especially if what is keeping the hero and heroine apart is something that could be cleared up in a matter of minutes if only they would talk to one another!

My hubby and I met at a very, very conservative Christian university in the South that had extremely strict rules for dating couples. We were not allowed to even hold hands on campus. In addition to the usual dating opportunities a college campus has—lunch, dinner, sporting events, concerts, recitals, etc.—we had what was called the "Social Parlor." Think huge furniture store with loveseats and coffee tables scattered all around. And a chaperon sitting sitting at a desk or walking round the "parlor," making sure all couples were adhering to the rules.

A little strict? Yes. Archaic even? Yes, again. Frustrating at times? Absolutely! But those were the times that taught us the power of a look and the ability to communicate that has held us together over the last 33 years. And when we were together away from the school, we held hands, hugged, and yes (GASP) we kissed! LOL

That's why Jane Austen's subtle romance as portrayed in Pride and Prejudice appeals to me. As Elizabeth and Darcy got to know each other better, the more they came to appreciate each other for more than just physical attraction. That's the kind of romance I strive to portray in my own writing. And that's the kind of romance I like to read as well.

Marjorie Vawter is a professional freelance editor who proofreads for CBA publishers, edits for individual clients, and does a little writing herself in her “spare” time. An avid reader, she also judges for several prestigious awards in the inspirational marketplace, and serves as conference director’s assistant for the Colorado and Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conferences. Since 2008 Marjorie has had the privilege of working with other writers as the ACFW Colorado Area Coordinator. When she can get away, she enjoys hiking and snowshoeing near their cabin in the Indian Peaks Wilderness area northwest of Denver. She and her husband have two adult children.

The Great Romance

2011-02-02T16:40:00.004-07:00

Last night my almost twenty year old was curled up with a younger brother watching Swan Princess, a favorite from her childhood. I slipped in next to them, bummed that they'd already finished off the popcorn, and delighted in the romance.

As I watched my thoughts turned to the basic story-line of all the great fairy tales--wonderful prince fights evil, rescues beautiful and good-hearted princess, throws a royal wedding, and they live happily ever after.

And then I thought about Jesus.

Wonderful Prince leaves His royal dwelling and descends to those more lowly than Himself. By sacrificial giving He wins the battle against evil, qualifies us to be His bride, and invites us to the wedding feast, promising us a happily ever after.

And those thoughts led me to think about the grand theme in any good romance, which takes the over-arching picture a little deeper. As Kathy talked about below, in the really good romances the hero or heroine sees the true essence of the other person and calls it forth.

Which brings me full circle to Jesus.

Jesus, my Creator, sees the real me. He loves sacrificially and unconditionally. His care causes me to long for Him, and to long to be the person He sees. He calls forth more goodness and beauty than I knew I had, causing me to blossom in His love.

I love how the themes of love and redemption run true in good romance. I love it that our Creator inspires writers who, knowingly or not, tenderize our hearts for the Greatest Romance of the Ages, the romance between Jesus and us.

Our Creator has a romantic heart. How could He not? He's the one who designed red roses, vines full of purple grapes, sunsets, ocean views, and turtle doves. He gave us music, poetry, dancing, and stories themselves.

As I've begun to discover Jesus as my Lover, and not only as my Lord, my relationship with Him has taken new wings. He is the Great Romancer of my heart, whispering love like I've never known, surprising me with beauty, and calling forth the true essence of Who I am.

As writers we have the unique opportunity to write God's heart of romance, tenderizing the world for the Greatest Romance of all.

A writer, speaker, and homeschooling mother of four, Paula Moldenhauer is passionate about God’s grace and intimacy with Jesus. Her website, Soul Scents, offers a free weekly devotional, and you can visit her blog at GraceReign. Paula serves as president of HIS Writers, the north Denver ACFW chapter. A devoted Pride and Prejudice fan, she loves good conversation, peppermint ice cream, and walking barefoot. Her greatest desire is to be close enough to Jesus to live His fragrance.

Tale As Old As Time

2011-01-31T13:58:00.001-07:00

Ah, romance! Boy meets girl. Boy is a mess. Girl sees something in boy that he never knew existed. Boy lives up to girl’s belief in him. Boy – now in his true essence – and girl live happily ever after.

This simple formula is what creates a good romantic story. We’ve seen it time and again.

Beauty and the Beast
Dirty Dancing
African Queen
Angel and the Badman
Music Man
Guys and Dolls
The Lady and Tramp
King Kong (Think about it.)

Sometimes it’s the girl who needs to move into her true essence.

Sweet Home Alabama
Hope Floats
My Fair Lady
Miracle on 34th Street
True Lies
Romancing the Stone

The beauty of this formula is that it’s flexible. Often, both boy and girl change.

Enchanted

In a rare instance, the girl is changing the boy, but she doesn’t realize it.

Ground Hog Day

Or the boy is changing the girl, but she doesn’t realize it herself.

50 First Dates

This is the lesson I learned when taking Michael Hauge’s screenwriting class at the ACFW national conference last year. Here is his bit of wisdom:

“The reason the romance character and the hero belong together, is because the romance character is the only one who sees beneath the hero’s identity and connects at the level of essence.”

We made him say that several times so we could write it down. This, my friends, is the key to writing a good romance. For an in-depth observation on this subject, please go to my Craft Cinema blog and learn how the animated feature, Megamind, meets this requirement. I have also included Hauge’s six questions to ask your character to understand his or her identity and essence. Watch the movie first, though, unless you don’t mind the spoilers.

Beauty and the Beast is the quintessential example of the identity/essence idea.

Beast is a prince trapped in a monster’s body due to his lack of the ability to love. When Belle meets him, he is living in that identity. Beast has no love or respect for any human being. He has captured Belle’s father, an innocent victim who accidentally trespassed on his property.

Belle offers her life for her father’s, and is now condemned to live in the dying castle forever. Through her spunkiness, she eventually stands up to the beast, who responds to her in his identity. He grouses and grumbles, even roars a time or two about how impossible she is. But we get a glimpse of his true essence when he protects her from wolves. He gets hurt in the process, and as she tends his wounds, he begins to open his heart to caring for another person.

The final act is a poignant portrayal of true love. Beast allows Belle to go home after he shows her a magic mirror and she sees her father lost and sick in the forest. At this point, he moves into his essence—now caring deeply for someone other than himself. This unselfish acts leads to his near demise as angry villagers storm his castle.

The mob is lead by Gaston, who early in the story made it known that he would have Belle at all cost. Through a series of events, Gaston and the villagers believe the beast to be dangerous and must be destroyed. In a one-on-one combat between Gaston and the beast, Gaston nearly meets his fate at the hands of the beast, but the beast relents due to his love for Belle and his new essence. He tells Gaston to leave and never return, but when Beast leaves him to climb up to the balcony where Belle awaits him, Gaston follows and stabs him in the back. Gaston then falls to his death.

On the balcony now, Beast is dying. Belle cries over his limp body. He has sacrificed himself by moving into his essence—a caring and loving being. But, in true Disneyesque fashion, as he breathes his last breath, the spell is broken, and a dramatic transformation takes place. He turns back into the prince, a handsome young man who must now convince Belle that he is the person she has come to love. She’s skeptical at first, but when she gazes deep into his eyes, she sees him for who he truly is, the one she fell in love with, sans fur and fierce teeth.

And then they kiss. And the spell is broken all over the castle. And they get married. Sigh.

Please enjoy this quick look at the beautiful love story. It shows in only a few minutes how identity/essence works.

******************

Writing Goal or Chocolate?

2011-01-27T00:33:00.004-07:00

When I think of writing goals my mind gets overwhelmed and goes into overload. My hand starts twitching and I find myself reaching for the first piece of available chocolate .

What is it about goals that can turn the toughest man (or woman) into Jello? That question has plagued me ever since the LORD confronted me in the quiet of my room ten years ago and told me to write.

Say what?!? Write?? Thank goodness a time frame wasn't part of His original "agreement." It began only as a task. Tasks are easier than goals. "Learn the craft," He said. "Find mentors and apprentice yourself." Years later I'm still comfortable with staying in the same spot I was back then. But now God wants me to move forward. And He's requiring I set a goal.

Goal. G-O-A-L. Note it's a four-lettered word. It's also ambiguous, which means the first step in setting a writing goal is to define what it means to you. For some, "writing goal" means typing so many words per day. To others, studying the craft, attending workshops and seminars, reading books, or talking to their writing partners. It can be mailing a manuscript or making an appointment with an agent. It might even be as simple as waking up in the morning and saying, "Today, I'll try."

I love all those movies that have to do with writers. The most difficult obstacle they seem to have to overcome is what to write. Ah, that it should be so easy! But all "real" writers know it isn't. "Goal" eventually pops into the equation and messes with the creative juices. Sitting at a typewriter (or computer), mustering up inspiration, is hit head-on with the reality that something needs to get down on paper...soon, or the window of opportunity might close. "Goal" quickly becomes the pin that bursts the bubble.

Paul said, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:13b-14). Not the goal Paul set for himself, but the goal God set in motion. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I need to remember that God will not give me heavy burdens to bear. His goals are doable. They will not break me. I don't have to turn into Jello when God is by myside. And finding comfort in that, my friend, tastes better than chocolate any ol' day.

Baby Steps

2011-01-24T09:52:00.005-07:00

So this month we’re talking about writing goals and resolutions, but maybe, like me, you feel that any goal you set would be unrealistic. Maybe just thinking about meeting a daily word count is like contemplating a life-sentence. Maybe “overwhelming” describes the act of brushing your teeth. Maybe, like me, you’re pretty sure that life is trying to kill you.

If that’s the case, watch this clip.

The movie “What About Bob” seems to apply to everything, doesn’t it?

Baby Steps. Don’t think about how many words you need to finish your WIP. Just think about how many words you need to finish this chapter. Or, this sentence.

Don’t think about the odds of getting an agent or getting published. Think about making contacts in the writing world. That can be as easy as reading another writer’s blog and commenting.

Don’t think about your grand character arc. Think about your character’s next step. His next thought.

And if that’s still too much for you, it’s okay. Believe me, I’ve been there. Recently. Here are a few of my baby steps to reassure you that you are not alone if you feel like writing is torture especially designed for you.

1. Today I will write one sentence.
2. Today I will think about my characters while I’m folding laundry.
3. Today I will only check Facebook 99 times instead of 100.
4. Today I will not throw my laptop in the fireplace.
5. Today I will highlight one good sentence in my chapter.
6. Today I will promote another author’s book.
7. Today I will use one of my favorite words. NOT the four letter ones.
8. Today I will brainstorm the next plot development.
9. Today I will trust that there is a plan to this madness.
10. Today I will not give up.

My critique partners regularly talk me down from ledges. They’re probably compiling a manual on how to keep an insecure writer from committing career suicide. One of them shared this verse with me.

"With the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you..." 2 Peter 3:8-9

Taking baby steps feels like a pretty slow way to get somewhere. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be running and leaping right now. But neither speed affects God’s timetable. So, for my own fragile sanity, I will keep taking baby steps.

“Baby steps into the office. Baby steps to the desk. Baby steps—turn on the computer. Baby steps—open document.”

Evangeline Denmark has storytelling on her heart and in her blood. The daughter of novelist, Donita K. Paul, Evangeline grew up living and breathing good stories. She has co-authored two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle (Waterbrook Press, 2010) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (Waterbrook Press, 2011) and also writes adult fiction. Evangeline enjoys wearing goldfish in jars around her neck and desperately needs a vacation from her problems. You can find Evangeline online at www.breathenbreatheout.blogspot.com and www.dragonandturtle.com

Goals, not Resolutions

2011-01-19T17:18:00.002-07:00

I have set myself some writing goals this year. Note I said goals, not resolutions. Resolutions sound -- well, resolute. Like, if I don't do it now, I'll never do it. Like, I've tried this before, and I'm going to do it now, even if it kills me.

I like goals much better. Resolutions are made to be left behind, ignored, and forgotten. Goals, on the other hand, are living, breathing, made to be massaged, changed, evolved over time.

My goals include:
1. Attend 3 conferences or seminars this year: already registered for the Peak Conference in the Springs next month, the Denver HIS Writers fall seminar is a given, so now I just have to find one more. Hawaii beckons!
2. Send out a submission every month: this includes contests, which I have already done twice this month. Sending out a submission accomplishes several things: I get over the fear of rejection (right, in about 100 years!); I might just win a contest; I might just find a publisher. If I don't send out something, I will never accomplish any of these.
3. Send out a rejected project within 10 days: nobody likes looking for a new market, especially when the one that just rejected me was the perfect place, or else I wouldn't have sent it there. No matter -- I cannot accomplish (2) above if I don't send it out.
4. Train up a co-facilitator for my Denver critique group: good leadership is always trying to work itself out of a job.
5. Mentor: I am so blessed by people like Cec Murphey -- I want to be like him when I grow up!
6. Read a book on writing every month: not easy. There is so much fun reading to do, where will I find time? I won't, unless I make time.
7. Outline and do a synopsis for 6 new books this year: yes, six. Why six? I don't know, I should be able to come up with at least one good idea for a book every two months. Not saying I can write all these books, ever, but it will be good practice for me.
8. Finish my current project: not only can I not find it a good publishing home unless it's done, I'm one of those people who doesn't like to have two projects on the go at the same time, and I won't be able to start any of (7) unless I finish this one.
9. Finish another project I started 2 years ago: again, goes along with (7) and (8), but I can't stand not having the story done. I want to know how it turns out!
10. Send out a completed devotional book I have already written: I think there is a need for this book about people marrying for the second time, to help them through the struggles they are going to face.
11. Commit to doing my weekly devotional: if I can't commit to sending out a small 150 word devotional once a week, how can I ever expect to be able to finish a bigger project? How could I ever hope to get syndicated and become famous and make lots of money? Okay, just checking to see if you are really reading this. Because I believe this is an area of ministry the Lord wants me to stretch into.

My goals are not written in stone. If I don't meet a goal one month, I'm not going to throw out the whole plan.

How am I doing? Well, like I said, I got (2) done, been praying about (4), am halfway through (6), working on (8), started on (10), and got 2 done out of 3 on (11).

What are your writing goals for this year? See, the important thing about goals is they should be measurable, they should be achievable, and they should be reasonable. Share your goals with me, sign up for my weekly devotional on my website at www.livebytheword.com to keep me accountable, and feel free to ask me from time to time how it's going.

And I'll pray for you and your writing goals, too.

A Journey of Profound Reliance

2011-01-05T15:59:00.003-07:00

"True dependence is not simply asking Me to bless what you have decided to do. it is coming to Me with an open mind and heart, inviting Me to plant My desires within you. I may infuse infuse within you a dream that seems far beyond your reach . . . thus begins your journey of profound reliance on Me. It is a faithwalk, taken one step at a time, leaning on Me as much as you need. This is not a path of continual success but of multiple failures. However, each failure is followed by a growth spurt, nourished by increased reliance on Me. Enjoy the blessing of a victorious life, through deepening your dependence on Me." (Jesus Calling, pg. 6, by Sarah Young)

I sat in the above thoughts for a while this morning, sensing deep joy as I did. When I attended my first writing conference (many years past!) I survived by posting Bible verses and encouraging quotes all over the walls. Stepping out in my writing seemed such a monumental task. I feared failure and success equally as I began a journey that was so far beyond me.

Here I sit nineish years after that first conference. Nothing looks as I expected. I've written novels that have never been published, but I've published works I never intended to write. I chuckle to think that I've spent the last two years taking free-lance work as a curriculum writer. Certainly it was not path I planned to take, but the Lord knew it would be a fit. I wanted to write novels, not develop an Internet ministry. And once that ministry developed I never expected God to then tell me to lay it down. I was determined to write meaty women's fiction. My latest fiction project have been light romance and oh so fun . . . but not exactly weighty. My journey isn't what I thought it would be, but it is oh so much more.

The biggest surprises are not surprises at all. I am more me. The Lord has taken me through more failures that I can count, and guess what? They didn't ruin me. I didn't fall apart or throw in the towel. I just cried a bit, threw a few fits before my Lord, and discovered that those disappointment don't define me. They affect my mood for a short while, and then they just disappear as I keep being me. Recently, after several months of hoping and waiting on word on a submitted novella project I found out the editor had never received it, and it had missed the deadline to even be considered for that particular round. My response? "God is Sovereign." And I really meant it. Didn't even need to whine or question. Just re-submitted for the following season, and truly, deeply believed that God was in lost manuscripts as well as published ones.

The me that slowly emerges is a me more peaceful and steady than I thought possible. Of course I still have "those" days, but in general there is a deepened ability to rest in Him and to trust His ways. I prayed a lot for joy several years ago. At first I felt a little miffed about His response. I asked for joy and received a lot of disappointments and struggle. And yet now I think how important it was to happen just that way. I'm beginning to sense joy being sown into my life on the soil of peace and dependence on my Lord. If the joy had been dropped in my lap--given like happiness--I think it would have been fleeting. I may have thanked the Lord for His blessings, but then looked to those blessings instead of to Him for continued joy. I trust the work He is doing inside of me will bear lasting, continual fruit of joy--not manufactured joy, not joy I choose as I gut it out, but a natural well inside of me that draws from the sweet waters of God.

Today I'm celebrating many years of victorious living--the kind that is not measured by continual success, but by the failures and disappointments that caused me to have inner growth as I walk a journey of profound reliance.

Trusting God—One Step at a Time

2011-01-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

To kick off the New Year here at ACFW Colorado, I'm cross-posting some thoughts I posted on my personal blog, The Writer's Tool.

Be strong and of good courage . . . fear not, nor be dismayed; for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
1 Chronicles 28:20

This and several other verses in my quiet time this morning, dealt with courageously moving forward into the New Year. And my birthday on New Year's Eve always lends itself to reflection on the past year.

My word from the Lord for 2010 was trust. Learning about trust more has shown me how closely related trust is to surrender, the word for 2009.

True surrender involves casting all my care on the Lord and leaving it there. Hannah Whitall Smith describes absolute surrender like this: “You must not think of it or brood over it, but must dismiss it from your mind altogether, except whatever degree is necessary for proper self-care.”

When I came across that statement when doing research for a devotional project for Barbour Books (Shared Hope: Inspiration for a Woman’s Soul, releasing February 1, 2011), I was facing the biggest struggle of my life requiring me to surrender someone very dear to me completely to the Lord. I was brooding over the situation, and the loved one. I had shed tears of grief and even guilt, feeling like I had failed. I thought I’d surrendered it before, but when I read this sentence, I realized how much I was still clinging to my desires, trying to maintain control of people and situations.

What peace came over me when I confessed my control issue and totally surrendered the situation and the person to Him.

Then the Lord revealed trust as His word for me this year. He’s taken me on a somewhat different journey this year. Another situation out of my control. And instead of getting better, as of course I wanted, it continues to worsen. Every time I think I’m learning what it means to trust, the Lord takes me deeper. And this is good.

We all know the Lord has a sense of humor in the midst of conforming His children into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Believe me, I’ve caught both the humor and the irony in His leading me to choose an elective class on Wednesday nights at my church. In this class we’re studied a book entitled Running Scared by Edward T. Welch. My pastor led the discussion as we worked through the book. While we finished the class before Christmas, it isn’t the end of my needing to reread the book and continue to grasp the biblical principles the author teaches.

In learning to identify and deal with my fears, which are many, I’ve learned better to analyze myself—my motives and my desires—in light of who God is and what He desires for me. And it has challenged me to examine whom I believe—me influenced by the flesh, the world, and Satan, or God, the sovereign ruler over all creation.

But what truly got my attention was my study in the last two weeks of the class. One chapter took us to an examination of Romans 6, a passage I memorized nearly twenty years ago when the Lord used Romans 6 through 8 in bringing me out of a severe clinical depression.

The passage declares that when Christ died, I died. When Christ rose from the dead, I, too, was raised. Not to walk in my own way, but to walk in God’s way. If I died with Christ, then I am dead to sin. It no longer has power over me. It’s still there, but it only has power when I give it permission. Paul exhorts believers in this chapter to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. It’s the only way we can live surrendered to and trusting completely in Him.

The reminder that I’m dead to the desires of the flesh helped me realize that many times I’m trusting in a dead person—one who can do nothing! I am dead. What can I expect from myself that will help deliver me in any situation? I’m only alive spiritually because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection and my belief and trust in Him alone for eternal salvation. So it only makes sense for me to put my trust in the One who paid such a price for me. He has never failed, nor will He.

As I was going over my notes from the final chapters, the Lord reminded me of ways He had taken my fears from me in the past. The biggie: my fear of speaking in front of people, either strangers or those I knew well.

Did you know that public speaking is very high on the list of fears people have?

I was so shy I barely passed the required two semesters of freshman speech classes in college. I knew the Lord had called me to teach, and I was obedient to that call in pursuing training in that field.

But I chose elementary education rather than my first love of English and literature. The Lord still used it for good and slowly started teaching me to trust Him to open the doors where He would have me teach. Today, I’ve taught children and young people from first grade up through seniors in high school (Spanish, English, and literature) to teaching a ladies Sunday school class, leading Bible studies, and even speaking to women’s groups. That isn’t me. I’m still that shy person inside. That was the Lord. And I love it.

After reminding me of this, He asked me, “So why can’t you trust Me with your lesser fears?” Um, good question. Why can’t I?

Because I want to control my life, my way. Even though I stink at it. My control in certain areas has led to near disaster. To what now looks like an impossible situation.

Yet God says, “I am the God of the impossible.”

I’ve also learned that I tend to live in the future. And I worry and fear about what might happen. No one but God knows the future. So why do I fret and fear? God is in control. My calling right now is to live one step at a time, trusting my present and my future to the God who is sovereign, the God who is enough, the God who has already made me a conqueror because of His amazing love that caused Him to send His Son to die so that I could have fellowship with Him.

So I’m committing myself to “Trust God and do the next thing” (Elizabeth Elliot). It’s still in the early days of this, but instead of looking at the big picture of what the future holds, I’m asking the Lord to show me what I am to do today, this hour, this moment. And when I complete that task, I ask Him for the next task, trusting that His plan is being worked out in me, one step at a time.

And you know what? It’s okay that I can’t see what’s ahead. The more I grasp the concept of trusting God one step at a time, the more I realize how freeing that is. It breaks the chains of fear and anxiety, and I can know the peace of God that passes all understanding.

And my word for 2011? Confidence. Which is just another step in surrender and trust. God is good . . . all the time!

Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?

Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?

God specializes in things though impossible.

He does the things others cannot do.

(Oscar C. Eliason)

May each of you have a blessed New Year!

A Sacrifice of Praise

2010-12-27T12:08:00.002-07:00

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

A friend and critique partner shared this verse with me recently when I received yet another glorious rejection. Heart sick. I think nearly every writer knows the feeling. Unless you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ve experienced some kind of rejection. At best, the deferment of your dreams. At worst, the annihilation of all hope.

And it’s hard to get up the next day and keep trying. Logic says that getting a job at Wal-Mart is a safer bet.

I want to give up. Why should I keep trying to sell something no one wants buy? Isn’t it a waste of time to pour my effort into pages and pages of a story only a handful of people will ever read? What is the ever-lovin’ point?

This is when writing becomes worship, more specifically a sacrifice of praise. Because, you see, I still feel called to write. I don’t know why. It doesn’t make human sense. I mean, if I’m called to write, shouldn’t someone out there feel called to read what I write? Or am I merely a slave to my own inner drive? Like a hamster on a wheel, am I endlessly chasing my instinct and blind to the reality of my situation?

I don’t know. All I know is the call is still there. Even when I tell myself it’s time to be a grownup and do really meaningful things, like clean the bathroom. Even when I quit and surrender to the ever-present role of taxi-driving drone. Even when I tell myself, “Evangeline, this is your life. Be a good wife. Be a good mom. Be a good daughter. Clean the bathroom. Drive the car. Make the meals. That’s it.”

But that isn’t it. God desires more from me than duty. He desires my praise, my joy. And, because He designed my praise and joy to come in the form of written words, He desires me to write.

And, wouldn’t you know it, my particular form of worship happens to be the medicine for my sick heart. What starts out as a feeble attempt to follow my calling turns into life-giving communion with my God.

I’m not going to pretend it’s easy to keep crafting an offering that has no value in the human world. But it is my worship, and so I’ll keep at it.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Hebrews 13:15

Called to Worship

2010-12-21T09:35:00.005-07:00

I have been called to write. I have questioned this many times, but the Lord keeps reassuring me. He has placed in my heart this desire to write, and He helps me everyday to when I write. He has called me to write then given me the ability to write. And just so I don't get a swelled head, He gave me the gift of a learning disability, so I would know that it is NOT on my strength but His that I can write.

I'm not sure why anyone would write who had not been called. It's certainly not for the recognition or money. We are truly underpaid for the hundreds and thousands of hours we pour into a single book. So few people gain fame and fortune from writing. So why do we do it?

God has called us.

Whether writing is easy or hard, being obedient to God's call to write is Worship. We have nothing. We can only give back what God has given us. He gives us the gift of writing everyday so we have a gift to give Him back in worship.

Like Pulling Teeth

2010-12-16T18:43:00.003-07:00

Perhaps I stand alone in this confession: Sometimes writing as an act of worship can be like pulling teeth -- painful, messy, leaving an ache afterward, but I always feel better for having done it.

Not that I've had many teeth pulled, but I've had toothaches, and I know how good that feels when it goes away!

Writing as an act of worship is rarely convenient. There are many other things I'd rather be doing -- like laundry, organizing my spice rack, even dusting my office.

Writing as an act of worship is never comfortable. Even as I learn more about my characters and my setting, I learn more about myself. What makes me tick. What makes me boil. What makes me cry.

Writing as an act of worship is seldom complete. Just when I think I'm done with a paragraph, a chapter, a book, I find other ways to improve the story, tighten the writing, strengthen the plot.

Writing as an act of worship is always sacrificial. No matter how excited I am about sitting down to put words on the screen, I must choose that over any of the other dozens of tasks begging my attention.

Writing as an act of worship is spiritual in nature. I pray before I put fingers to keyboard, asking the Lord to write His story through me. Without Him, I would be just another hack writer begging to be read. With Him, published or not, I touch lives.

Writing as an act of worship is my greatest service to my King. Through my writing, I'm able to return to Him the words He has given. I can point others to the loving creator of the universe, offer them hope in a dark world, and share the love of Christ, sometimes without even mentioning His name.

Writing as an act of worship is integral to my writing process. Whether you find writing to be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or incomplete, keep on writing. Look for the ways that your writing can be sacrificial, spiritual, and service-oriented. Fill your writing with your passion for your Lord, the promises of His Word, and professions of what He has done in your life.

This month, look for ways to worship the King through your writing. Even if it is just between you and Him. Write, write, write!

Writing With God’s Voice

2010-12-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

I can’t think of anything more worshipful in my writing than removing myself from the equation and allowing God’s voice to penetrate through the storyline. Following is an article I wrote for CCWC’s unpublished prose contest in 2002. It has become my plumb line in all of my writing since. I share it now with you, and I pray that you, also, will come to realize that the most important voice with which to write is God’s.

IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE

By Kathleen E. Kovach

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20

Okay, repeat after me, "If you want to be a writer, you have to find your own voice." We've all heard it, read it, and studied it. It's standard curriculum for Fiction Writing 101. So, for years I tried to find my own voice.

I wrote poetry in verse, free verse, two lines, two pages, Haiku, Limerick. I even tried typing them in little letters like e.e. cummings, then despite my thickness, realized it had already been done.

I wrote short stories and novelettes, using first person, third person, a dog's view, but nothing seemed to be uniquely my voice.

So, I went into reflective mode. What is my voice? Why should I even have a voice? Who am I? Why would anyone want to listen to me? What do I have to say that's so important?

Then, out of the fog I call my thought process, a voice clear and strong gave me the answer. "I am."

What?

"I am."

I shook my head. I am…what?

The voice cleared my head with an eternity of wisdom. "I am important".

Those words seeped into my heart, my soul, my very existence. I had written about God before, but had I written with His voice? Had I allowed Him to speak through my fingers? Or did I just run with the idea in my head, hoping that it made sense?

The next step in this new revelation was to learn how to recognize God's voice. Out came the concordance. Scripture after scripture, I proceeded to learn wonderful things about God's voice. It evokes obedience--yet entreats. It commands and confirms. It roars, strikes like flashes of lightening, shakes the desert, and breaks cedars--yet, it is hushed. It's powerful, majestic, like a trumpet--yet, it can ask a simple question. It can raise the dead. It shakes heaven and earth, it twists the oaks and strips the forest bare--yet, the sheep who love that voice know it and are comforted.

My mission was clear. I must set myself aside and write with God's voice. This was harder than I imagined. Too many times I let my own beliefs, or the particular soapbox I was on that week, infiltrate my work. I had to stop and use the criteria from that concordance exercise. Did the message roar, was it powerful or majestic? Would those who read it feel comforted--or convicted? Would they feel anything at all? The voice of God moves objects, unseals tombs, and changes convictions. If I wrote with God's voice, it would change minds and mend hearts. Those who know His voice would say, "Yes, that's right."

What a responsibility! I had written for years, yet it was not until I became a Christian that I had anything to say. Then, I had to be certain it was not my words, but God's.

I'm still working on taming my voice to step aside for greater wisdom. But if I look to Him, and listen to that still, small voice, my writing will be stronger for it, and more importantly, will reach those who need to hear it.

Oh, someone is knocking at my door. I hear His voice so it's time to let Him in, have a meal together, and put my pen to paper.

www.KathleenEKovach.com

Come! Adore Him!

2010-12-03T14:07:00.002-07:00

“Come and behold Him,

Born the King of angels

O come let us adore Him

Christ the Lord”

Jesus, Creator of the universe, King of all time, the very Word of God coming to earth as a helpless baby, dependent upon a young girl for nourishment, hunted by cruel King Herod, under the protection of a poor carpenter. It’s preposterous.

Scripture says the angels watched in baffled amazement as God’s plan for the redemption of man unfolded. They couldn’t believe God would choose to become flesh and hang out with lowly man. To think the Holy One would allow those infinitely inferior to Him to birth Him, raise Him, and eventually kill Him seems outrageous.

And yet that’s what our Lord did. He left the splendor and perfection of heaven to walk among us, teach us Who God is, and save us from ourselves.

“Come,” the song says. “Come and adore the Lord! Behold the King of angels wrapped in cloth and born as man.”

And while something divine within me swells and longs to shout in exultant worship, I feel ill qualified to offer my adoration. All I can give and think and say and do seems miniscule in comparison to what He deserves and who He is.

Sometimes it is hard to come—to know how to adore.

What does adoration look like? How do I offer it to Something as big as God?

As I grapple with these questions, the face of my two-year-old nephew flashes onto the screen of my mind. He is grinning. His whole face is alight—brown eyes sparkling and smile free and full. His expression says, “I know you adore me, Auntie Paula and I’m thrilled by it.”

What amazes me about this memory is how little I’d done to illicit such a delighted response from the little guy. I’d simply looked his way, gazed into his big eyes, and smiled at him.

Adoration.

Perhaps that is all the Lord asks this day as well. No contrived worship. No cooked up accolades. No forced exultation. No struggle to give Him all He deserves. No fussing and worrying and feeling inadequate. Instead, just a humble honest acknowledgement of our love.

Perhaps Jesus is simply waiting for us to glance His way, look Him full in the eyes, and smile.

Maybe adoration is not so much something bigger than us, but an honest offering of our love.

Come.

Acknowledge how precious He is.

Let us adore Him.

~Want to think more about worship? I was hired to do a whole Rio Family Currents newsletter for David C Cook on worship. Check it out for thoughts on worship and ideas on how to worship with the family in this season of the incarnation!

A writer, speaker, and homeschooling mother of four, Paula Moldenhauer is passionate about God’s grace and intimacy with Jesus. She is published in book compilations, magazines, and e-zines, and writes curriculum for David C Cook's new RIO! line. Her website, Soul Scents, offers a free weekly devotional, and you can visit her blog at GraceR eign. Paula serves as president of HIS Writers, the north Denver ACFW chapter. A devoted Pride and Prejudice fan, she loves good conversation, peppermint ice cream, and walking barefoot. Her greatest desire is to be close enough to Jesus to live His fragrance.

Passion and Progress

2010-11-22T14:24:00.004-07:00

I’m grateful for so many things in my writing journey. My supportive husband. My critique groups. My mom, of course. Not everyone gets to be Donita K. Paul's daughter. Conferences. People like Susan May Warren and Jeff Gerke who write books that help me figure out what I’m doing.

Most recently, I’ve found myself thanking God for my agent. He inherited me after my former agent moved, and at first I thought, “But he’s a guy! He won’t understand my out-of-the-box romantic novels!”

After a meeting here and an email there and a few phone conversations sprinkled throughout, I realized two things about the guy I call Secret Agent Man.

1. He is, above all, supportive of my writing.
2. He quotes Shakespeare in every day conversation.

He has other great qualities too, including a background in marketing, keen instincts, and superfly Clark Kent glasses, but it’s the above two characteristics I find most reassuring.

The first is self-explanatory, but you might be wondering about the second. Or, maybe you also majored in English and right now you’re saying, “Oh yeah, if an agent quoted MacBeth to me, I’d feel totally at ease.”

It isn’t really love for the bard that feeds my confidence, but rather my agent’s appreciation for the classics, for high-blown themes, and graceful language—for everything Shakespeare’s work encapsulates. Those concepts feed my soul, even if my mind lives on the literary equivalent of fast food.

For the past two months, Secret Agent Man and I have been piecing together a proposal for my WIP, The Immortal Heathcliff. I’ll be honest with you, the process was somewhat laborious. I don’t know many writers who adore writing synopses, summaries, and market analyses. I was relieved in September when we had most of the pieces in place. Then Secret Agent Man tossed me a curve ball.

“Let’s put together a book trailer,” he said in his most non-threatening Clark Kent voice.

“Now?” I asked, sure I’d misunderstood. Weren’t book trailers for already published works? It seemed presumptuous to create one to go out with my proposal.

Secret Agent Man assured me all the kids were doing it, so I went home and handed the project over to my computer geek husband. It crashed two computers, cost nearly $200, and ate up our evenings for more than a month, but the end result is eye-popping.

I sent it off to Secret Agent Man and he loved it!

“We’re good to go now,” I thought.

Then Secret Agent Man emailed, “Why don’t we make a page on the Brontës to go with the proposal?”

I banged my head against the wall, then tried to say something brilliant about the Brontës that hadn’t already been said a million times. I failed, of course. But Secret Agent Man came to the rescue, formatting our page into a Q&A and supplying me with interesting questions to answer.

I handed it in and held my breath. I figured next he’d ask me to dress up as Emily Brontë and make a clip for YouTube. But, to my delight, he pronounced us ready to move and sent out the book trailer and query.

Our work paid off. No, I don’t have a contract yet, but we’ve had lots of positive feedback on the extras we put in the proposal. I’m so thankful Secret Agent Man understands the classic themes that drive my passion to write and also knows exactly what tools will clarify my sometimes less-than-focused interpretation.

And if he asks me to don Victorian clothes and talk about Wuthering Heights into a camera, I probably will, but only if he wears a black suit and sunglasses and stands behind me with a walkie-talkie.

Evangeline Denmark has co-authored two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle (available now) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (available 1-11-11) and also writes adult fiction. While less cultured than most Austen Addicts, she enjoys a classic love story and a cup of Chai tea. You can find Evangeline online at www.breathenbreatheout.blogspot.com and www.dragonandturtle.com

In Everyone, Give Thanks

2010-11-19T07:00:00.001-07:00

“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” – Albert Schweitzer

Writing can be a very solitary endeavor. Often times it is just you and the computer (or you vs. the computer, depending on how your day is going). I’ve been feeling the solitude lately. I’m about two-thirds of the way through a manuscript that is likely the most tense and emotional story I’ve ever attempted. It’s been tough. Draining. And recently I started to feel that inner light of creativity and passion start to flicker as if it’s about to go out.

At times like that, I’ve learned there’s only one thing to do: stop writing and pick up the phone. Call another writer, a critique partner, a loyal friend who reads (and loves) everything you write, and let them rekindle your inner spirit.

In a month where we are focusing on an attitude of gratitude, I have been reflecting on how much God has blessed me through relationships with other writers. If it had not been for my critique partners, a dedicated mentor, and good friends who love to talk books and writing and dreams as much as I do, I would have given up my pursuit of publication a long time ago. I am so grateful that we are not in this alone, that God designed us to be in relationship so we can encourage, support, and inspire each other. I am so grateful for my friends.

A lifelong storyteller, Sara Richardson is passionate about communicating reasons for hope. Previously she has been an advertising copywriter, an Internet communications manager, and a whitewater rafting guide. In addition to writing fiction, Sara has published nonfiction articles in parenting and family magazines. As a member of MOPS International, Sara enjoys speaking to moms’ groups. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from Regent University. Visit her at www.hopetolife.com

Gratitude Overwhelming Me

2010-11-18T17:53:00.002-07:00

Okay, so I'm late with my post again. So the first thing on my gratitude list is I am thankful no one has been bugging me to post, except for the note on my calendar, highlighted in yellow, buried underneath five other things to get done yesterday.

I am grateful for highlighters.

Think about it. Those pesky little pen-wannabes that shout your accomplishments, cry over those things you forgot, and remind you of what you should have done and didn't.

I even have Bible highlighters that don't bleed through that thin paper and blot out what's on the other side. I have them in several colors, so I can highlight according to some long-lost code -- I was once in church, and a little girl ahead of me turned around in her pew, and saw me using my highlighter in my Bible. She turned to her mother and said, "That lady is coloring in her Bible." The mother looked over her shoulder, her face red with embarrassment, and said, "It's okay." The little girl looked into her mother's eyes and asked, "How come I get in trouble when I color in my Bible?"

I'm grateful I don't get in trouble for coloring in my Bible, even when I'm not highlighting, because, yes, sometimes I do use my highlighters to color the flowers that decorate my Bible, or the oceans in the maps.

And I am grateful for sticky notes.

Yes, those pesky little reminders of things not to forget, things not important enough to write somewhere permanent, things you didn't even remember you'd forgotten until you find the note behind your desk two years later.

I use them sometimes in my Bible to mark a passage I want to turn to quickly when I'm talking with someone in a Bible study, or I'm going to read from the pulpit. They sure make it easier than trying to memorize all those books and what order they're in.

But most of all, I am grateful for Bible ribbon markers. They keep me on track, help me find important verses I turn to over and over again. When I'm at the end of my rope, I can flip open my Bible to one of these ribbon markers, and I am bound to find, at my fingertips, a verse that will set me right again. A verse that reminds me of God's promises, of His grace and mercy, of His compassion and His plans for me.

Highlighters, sticky notes, Bible ribbon markers -- tools of the trade for a Christian.

As we count the days to Thanksgiving, think about those little things in your life you are thankful for. It's good to have big reminders of God's love and care for us, but even these tiny tools of the trade can have a big impact on your life.

Lord, thank You for taking such good care of us, meeting our needs, filling our hearts, changing our lives, even when we can't see it. Remind us of Your presence in every aspect of every thing we do. In Jesus' name, Amen.

I Am Grateful!

2010-11-15T13:47:00.005-07:00

Repeat the title ten times out loud. Each time with more gusto, emphasizing a different word or syllable until you feel it.

Go ahead. I’ll wait.

I am grateful.

i Am grateful.

i AM grateful.

i am Grateful.

i am GRATEful.

i am grateFUL.

i am GRATEFUL.

I Am Grateful.

I AM GRATEFUL.

I AM GRATEFUL!!!!!

My work here is done.

Memories To Be Thankful For

2010-11-08T13:43:00.008-07:00

November brings a myriad of emotions for me. In years past it was marked by a mixture of anxiety and delight as I prepared for the impending visit of my parents. Now as I look back, my memories of those times are bittersweet. My father is with his heavenly father and my mother rarely travels from her warmer Texas climate to the uncertainty of Colorado’s late fall weather. Although I was thankful for their regular visits each November when my children were younger, I appreciate them even more now that I will never have the opportunity to experience them again.

Having four children, you’d think that there would still be plenty of feet under my table as I look forward to Thanksgiving dinner. I treasure the memories I have of getting out the china and sitting around the dining room table together sharing our traditional foods including a layered Jello dish discovered in a cookbook from the small Canadian town where my father grew up. Up until a couple years ago that was the happy scene. Now three of my “children” are adults living in other states as they pursue their interests and passions at college. The short break and costly airfare are two of the factors in our choice to let them find a place to share Thanksgiving with others. I am grateful for the families who have extended an offer of hospitality to them as they are far from home. I’m glad I have the memories of us all together and will look forward to making new memories during their Christmas breaks.

While I have memories that I am thankful for, I am challenged to consider if my gratitude and appreciation are reflected in my behavior. Am I taking the time to show my thankfulness to those who are a part of my memories while I still can?

We often hear the phrase “having an attitude of gratitude” which is our topic for this month’s blog. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines attitude as “a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior” and gratitude as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”

I encourage each of us to take a few moments this month to examine our behavior and see if it matches the gratitude we feel. Let others know how they have given you cause to be thankful whether it is family in blood or spirit, especially the One who has given us more than we can ever ask or think.

A blessed Thanksgiving to all.

*********

Elaine Clampitt is Secretary/Treasurer for Mile High Scribes, the South Denver Chapter of ACFW. She is excited that hockey season is finally underway and is not so feverishly working on her NaNoWriMo novel set in the world of professional ice hockey.

Come check out Mile High Scribes new location starting in January - the Tattered Cover bookstore in Highlands Ranch meeting on the first Monday of the month.

Freed by Thankfulness

2010-11-06T14:08:00.000-06:00

Several years ago I had an article, Freed by Thankfulness, published in Discipleship Journal. The magazine is no longer in print, but they are taking articles in the archives and putting them online through their e-zine, DJ Online.

This month my article is again featured. So I'm making my post for this month easy for me. Something for which I'm very thankful! LOL

You can read it by going here. You may need to set up an account to get in, but it's free.

Enjoy!

Marjorie Vawter is a freelance editor and writer, who loves to encourage herself and others to Christlikeness. She currently serves as ACFW Colorado Area Coordinator.

Little Things

2010-11-03T22:41:00.004-06:00

Today I was swamped. With the Storycrafter's Seminar just a week away and a house guest coming soon, life's demands swirled around me. It was late afternoon when my hubby suggested a walk. The clicking time bomb to do list screamed, "no." I glanced behind him to a window framing a brilliant cobalt sky and a yellow-leafed bush. Then I glanced back at hubby, looked into those baby blues that first attracted me to him, and thought, "of course."

Shoving my chair back from the computer, I dashed up the stairs for my tennies taking two steps at a time, grabbed my sunglasses from the ledge, and ignored his suggestion that I grab a jacket. (I am convinced this whole perimenapausal thing is happening to me because it takes frigid air for me to be cold these days. That--or dressing in sandals and a skirt and rushing out the door without a coat like I did at 7 a.m. earlier this week. But I digress.)

The crisp autumn air brushed against my face and coatless arms as we crunched across the leaves in our front yard and headed through the neighborhood toward the walking trail. My poor husband did a lot of nodding as I talked with barely a breath (though I was beginning to huff and puff a bit by this point) about all the stuff happening with HIS Writers and ACFW Colorado--a myriad of things most people will never see, the behind the scenes triumphs and struggles that make or break organizations and events, but are really important only to someone immersed in them.

Meanwhile teenagers staged a football game on the grass in the middle of the track we circled while some little boys peeked through the fence at them, their own football in hand. We then went down the hill, underneath trees almost barren, and passed through the park. There two tiny boys in baseball gloves they'd yet to grow into listened with serious intent to their dad, who threw the ball high in the sky and urged them to go for the catch. My husband grinned wider as he inclined his head toward them. "Isn't that cool?" he said.

We pushed up the hill, both of us panting by this point, passed the fence where three yippy dogs always chase us, and too soon we were home.

It's the little things in life that I'm thankful for--like a walk on a golden fall day with the one I love.

Like working for an organization that really cares about writers and training them up to share words that will draw others to Christ.

Like getting good deals on printing. Like retreat centers and hotels that reduce down payments so we can go for the dreams God put inside of us for this group.

Like standing side by side with a board who works hard and loves well.

Like believing in friends and watching them succeed.

Like chuckling at correspondence with clever speakers to be.

And like my daughter cleaning the shower downstairs so Susan May Warren won't be too grossed out when she comes next week.

Or maybe those things are actually big things.

May your November be filled with the beauty of little things . . .

A writer, speaker, and homeschooling mother of four, Paula Moldenhauer is passionate about God’s grace and intimacy with Jesus. She is published in book compilations, magazines, and e-zines, and writes curriculum for David C Cook's new RIO! line. Her website, Soul Scents, offers a free weekly devotional, and you can visit her blog at GraceR eign. Paula serves as president of HIS Writers, the north Denver ACFW chapter. A devoted Pride and Prejudice fan, she loves good conversation, peppermint ice cream, and walking barefoot. Her greatest desire is to be close enough to Jesus to live His fragrance.

Just Because

2010-11-01T16:38:00.001-06:00

I love November. Not just because of turkey and pumpkin pie. Not just because of fall colors. Not just because my beloved snow should show up in the second snowiest month in Colorado. Not just because any of these things, but because of all of them.

Plus, it’s my birthday month.

Ah ha! Now we get down to it. I’ve lived on this earth a smidge over a half-century, (Ack! That sounds really bad!) and it wasn’t until a smidge before that half-century that I was awarded with my first writing contract.

Am I grateful in this, the most thankful month, that my dream had been realized before I turned fifty?

Well, not just because of that.

I’m grateful because my LORD gave me the gift of turning story into something beautiful for Him. I’m grateful that He didn’t allow the spirit of “it’s too hard,” to enter my vocabulary. I’m grateful that somehow, when writing all those plays as a kid, poems during my teen angst, and volunteer newsletters after I became a mom, became a training ground for the bigger purpose.

What is the bigger purpose? Becoming a published author? No, the bigger purpose is the blessing God has put on my writing to reach untold numbers of hurting souls. I praise and thank God for that opportunity.

Yes. Just because of that.

********

Kathy Kovach is the ACFW Rocky Mountain Zone Director, and author with Heartsong Presents and Barbour Publishing. Check out her books at www.FictionFinder.com.

www.KathleenEKovach.com

God's Business is Our Business

2010-10-30T09:18:00.000-06:00

There are many aspects of writing covered in this month's posts, and all are helpful, coming from direct experience in the business of writing. The source of the information is always important -- generally speaking, we can trust people we know when they know what they're talking about.

When we run a business, there are many tasks to perform, jobs to be done, details to be considered. And that can be really difficult, because writing is supposed to be a creative process, flowers and butterflies, and all that stuff. While business is -- well, business. It involves boring things, like keeping track of expenses, filing papers in a logical way so you can find them again, deciding whether you can actually spend a month writing an article you know nothing about and you aren't getting paid for. Things like that, and more.

No flowers or butterflies in all of that, to be sure.

And yet it is part of the writing process.

Writing is a lot like driving a car. It's great to take the key -- your story idea -- stick it in the ignition -- develop your main character -- back it out of the driveway -- your opening paragraph -- and drive down the highway, with no goal in mind -- hey, wait a minute -- you have to have a plot, right?

The plot of your story -- where you are going to take the reader on this journey you're calling a book, or an article, or a devotion, or a poem -- needs to have a destination, and it needs to be worth the trip.

While writing is a worthwhile endeavor even if you never get paid for it, Jesus said we are to count the cost. And that's where the business part of writing takes over.

You might think it doesn't cost you anything to write. You just sit at your computer and type.

Wait a minute -- computer, desk, chair. Money.

Okay, so you already had all those things, never actually put out any money to start your business.

Consider your time. What else would you be doing if you didn't spend the time writing? Notice I said "spend"? There is a cost. And even if you don't quit your full time job, if you write in the evenings, if you get up early, you could be doing other things. Maybe not money-generating activities, but something else.

Writing is a business. It is serious business. And when you are called by God to write, it is profitable, even if you never get paid one penny for writing. Jeremiah 1:5 says God knew you before you were born, and He appointed you to be a spokesman to the world. That's God's business -- souls. And our business should be focused on God's business -- that's where the greatest profit will always be found.

As you write, as you try to find time to write, as you block out times on your calendar to write, when you get up early or stay up late to write, when you get one more rejection, when one more editor ignores your emails, when one more person raises their eyebrows when you tell them you are a writer, remember -- you and God are in business together.

And His business never fails, He always pays on time, He always pays well, and His retirement plan is out of this world!

Evangeline's Super-Duper Helpful Time-Saving Tips

2010-10-25T09:20:00.003-06:00

Since The Dragon and the Turtle came out in August, Mom and I have been concentrating a lot of energy on marketing. We’ve done interviews, booksignings, school visits, and readings. Those events—especially the ones with kids—are a lot of fun. But they’re also time-consuming and exhausting.

More than once I’ve found myself wishing for a quiet day at home, and the longer I ignored my WIP, the crankier I got. But trying to grab an hour here and an hour there in between other commitments didn’t exactly produce fresh-squeezed creative juice.

I know many authors struggle with balancing the creative side of writing with the business side. I certainly don’t know all the tricks. But over the past few weeks, I’ve discovered a few ways to snatch some writing time even while marketing our new release. Here’s my list of helpful hints:

1. Fast food. The health nuts have given this convenience a bad name, but when you need to spend the afternoon writing—not planning a balanced meal—Pizza Hut is your friend. Besides, tomato sauce is a vegetable.
2. Wear your clothes more than once before washing. Admittedly, this is easier for me since I spend a lot of time sitting at my laptop, not getting dirty. It can be a challenge for young children who tend to spill three of their three meals a day on their clothes and for husbands who cycle on their lunch hour. But as long as you don’t have to actually be around your family, the Wear Twice method works just fine.
3. Just say no. Yes, we all know it’s hard to refuse that PTA member or Sunday School committee organizer. But I find if you scream, “No, no, no, no,” while looking around wildly as if expecting a monster, alien, or IRS agent to materialize behind your shoulder, people stop asking and start to avoid you in general.
4. Cultivate free-range dust bunnies. If you don’t have time to clean your house, why not consider raising free-range dust bunnies? I really think this market is going to take off. I mean, everybody loves the organic, free-range, hormone-free chicken they serve at KFC, right? Why not bunny?
5. Finally, if your family simply won’t go away, try ignoring them. I’m good at this, apparently. Below is a picture my son took of me working. I have no recollection of him snapping this photo.

Like I said, I’m no expert. I’m relatively new to this writing business thing. I’m sure other authors have developed their own strategies. And I have the feeling I’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg when it comes to time-saving methods. Next, I intend to explore the possibilities of espresso combined with No-Doze.

So, writers out there, how do you balance the business of writing with the creative side? Does anyone have any tips for me to add to my list?

Evangeline Denmark has co-authored two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle (available now) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (available 1-11-11) and also writes adult fiction. Her ability to take things seriously was severely impaired by an accident in college, despite this, or maybe because of it, she leads an almost normal life. You can find Evangeline online at www.breathenbreatheout.blogspot.com and www.dragonandturtle.com

Business or Ministry?

2010-10-18T13:07:00.004-06:00

You may think that your writing is a ministry. Well I agree. It should be. We should have the spirit of ministry wherever we go, whatever we do, and in all our words. But writing is also a business. You may not like to think of it that way, but if you are at all trying to get anything published, then you have entered the business of writing.

A publishing house (whom you want to publish your book) is a business. They must make enough money to produce books, distribute them, and pay their employees as well as other expenses. It IS a business as well as a ministry. You can’t keep the ministry going if you don’t pay attention to the business side.

You must think of your writing as a business as well as a ministry. In this day and age, you can’t have one without the other. Writing doesn’t do any good as a ministry if you don’t take care of business.

A church must take care of business to keep their doors open. Mission organizations must take care of business to keep their doors open and help people. A missionary must raise money before they can go out on the mission field. And writers must take care of business to get published and get their message into the hands of needy readers.

So take care of business.

Banking on Writing

2010-10-09T11:10:00.002-06:00

While the business side of writing is not my forte, I have learned a few things that help. Most of my writing contracts have earned very little. I think my first check for writing was $10! I'm now at the stage where some of my contracts are in the $1000 range, but I haven't yet sold a large work, like a book. So keep that in mind as you read the ideas below. They are designed for writers who are beginning to bring in a little income, but not a full-time salary.

Set up a separate bank account for your writing. I started with a business account, but soon found the extra fees weren't worth the amount I used in extra services. I switched to a personal account that was separate from our family account and was much happier. It meets all my needs with no extra fees. That may change someday, but for now it's the best choice.
I use my debit card or checks from my personal writing account for all my writing purchases so they are easy to track.
I write the purpose of each expenditure on my writing related receipts. I can deduct a percentage for meals eaten when I attend a writing meeting, but I can deduct the full amount for meals when attending a conference or seminar, so I'm careful to designate those kinds of details.
Periodically I record my receipts in a central location where I write down all income and expenditures that are writing related. I've devised little codes to remind myself whether the expenditure was for a conference, a board meeting, supplies, etc. Smart people use spreadsheets for this kind of thing. Maybe one day I'll be that smart. Right now it's just a little sheet of paper in my desk. (Recorded receipts go into an envelop.) At tax time I work from my list and hang onto the receipts in case anything is questioned.
With four children still at home my writing income disappears quickly. I decided from the beginning to tuck at least 10% away each time I'm paid to give back to the LORD. This tiny amount has become a huge blessing to me and perhaps the most fun part of having my own earnings. If I made $50 bucks on writing, at least $5 gets tucked away. It isn't much, but enough $5 tucked away and I have something worth sharing. Then I pray. The LORD shows me where that tithe is to go. There are few things as fun, especially when I'm feeling financially poor, than feeling that prompting inside and slipping some cash to the place it should go.
I recently opened a savings account attached to my writing account. I put 10% into it each time I am paid. I didn't do this for a long time because my family's needs are so great, but a few months ago I felt led to pursue this. I only have a small amount in this account right now, but it's been fun watching it grow, sometimes only by $5-$10 a time. The whole chunk may end up going to one of the kids instead of being reinvested in my writing. That's the season I am in. But in the perfect world that account would grow to help cover a writer's conference or the cost of equipment break-downs.
I find a tiny way to splurge when I get paid. It's not usually much--a Starbuck's coffee with a writer friend or a new shirt off the clearance rack for one of the kids, but being able to spend a little something the way I want helps me celebrate my work and motivates me to go after that next writing contract.

The Business of Writing

2010-10-08T09:31:00.000-06:00

We are focusing on the business of writing this month at ACFW Colorado's The Inkwell.

Most of us have the luxury of writing full time. But if you are taking your writing seriously, selling the occasional article or devotional, and/or are under contract/have published a book, then you'll need to consider various options.

When I first started publishing devotionals and articles, I didn't get paid enough for the IRS to care about that piddly income. But when I started proofreading for Barbour (ahem . . . ten years ago), my hubby encouraged me to find a name for my "business." I laughed. Right! So I came up with the name. Still, added to my income as a Christian school teacher, it was okay for a second income.

Then during the 2004-2005 school year, the Lord started nudging me toward resigning from my teaching position and going full-time, editing and writing. Totally freelance. Scary!! Then I really had to get serious about setting up a business.

The first thing I had to decide was what type of business would I be (for tax purposes) and were there options I might want to pursue later. With our daughter's help—she's a tax accountant—we decided that I would stay as I was—sole proprietorship, using my social security number as my Federal tax ID number. I went to the bank with that info and records of past years filing a Schedule C with our joint income tax form, and opened a business account. I also had to have this information for setting up our medical insurance as a Business of One group.

Then came the serious job of keeping up-to-date records of income and expenses, including mileage on the car every time I went out on writing/editing related business. For a couple of years, I kept separate files for income (invoices) and expenses (receipts). Kathy gave me a list of what I can legitimately claim, and I threw all those receipts into a folder. Which my husband then waded through each year when he filled out the Schedule C.

After a couple of years of that, he set up a few Xcel templates for me so I could keep track of things all year long. First, he set up an income template on which I record the date I finish a job, who the job was for, the specific project title, what I did (writing or editing or conference), and how much I was to receive. He has another column that keeps a running total of my income. Later I went in and added one more column—when I received payment—because of normal human error in losing an invoice or an editor forgetting to send my invoice to accounts payable.

He also set up a separate template for mileage, as that is figured differently on the business deductions.

Finally he set me up with an expense form. It has columns for the date the expense was incurred, the business name, product or service rendered, what category it will go under on the Schedule C, and the amount. Then when he does the taxes, he can do a simple sort (well, simple for him! LOL) and write the totals in the proper places. I hang onto the receipts just in case the IRS wants actual proof of my expenses. So far, that's not happened.

I'm willing to share these forms with anyone who is interested. They're not copyrighted, but they are flexible and you can work within the templates to set up something that works for you. Either leave a comment here with your e-mail address so I can send them to you, or e-mail me directly at marjorievawter at gmail dot com.

Marjorie Vawter is a freelance editor and writer. She currently serves as ACFW Colorado Area Coordinator.

Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

2010-09-30T09:22:00.017-06:00

Question: When is a writer successful enough to stop learning?

Answer: Never.

Just like any other profession, the life of a writer needs to be an on-going and ever growing process, otherwise it will become old and stale. This means staying on top of the market, honing one's skills, and not being afraid to take risks.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. I said risks.

It's quite easy to sit back and dab at that which has become safe and familiar. But think. Great authors did not become that way by playing it safe, by playing follow-the-leader. They became who they are by being different and taking chances. By "boldly going where no man has gone before."

Shakespeare. Poe. Twain. Fitzgerald. Lewis. Tolstoy. Austin. Tolkien. King. Rowling. These are just a few who carved their names into the tree of literature not only by being great writers, but also by being risk takers.

I encourage you--writers young and old, new and seasoned--to take hold of the gift God gave you. Allow Him to push it outside the box. Outside your comfort zone. Give Him permission to teach you: Take classes. Go to seminars. Find a mentor. Maybe even write outside your genre. Outside your safety zone. See what can happen when you allow God to push you beyond your boundaries.

Whether you're a newbie or multi-published author, ACFW has great tools available for those who are looking for ways to walk down that road. The Storycrafter's Seminar is one of them. Coming November 13th to Thornton, Colorado, Susan May Warren will offer techniques that help turn an idea into a story. Great seminar for those who need help with the basics. Great seminar for those who need help with brain freeze. Great seminar for those who wish to add a little spice to their writing stew.

Then, on February 5, 2011, the 3rd Annual Peak Writing Conference will take place in Colorado Springs, featuring award-winning editor, best-selling author and speaker Karen Ball, and Alive Communications agent Andrea Heinecke. Join us as these talented ladies share their combined experience ranging from fiction to non-fiction, and from simple books to complex novels.

Coming April 8-9, 2011, to the ACFW Colorado retreat, is New York Times best-selling author and keynote speaker Cec Murphey. Known as the "Man Behind the Words," Cec's passion is to stimulate people's minds and nourish their souls.

And finally, link up with a local ACFW chapter each month to hear seasoned speakers, writers, and professionals talk about everything from encouraging God's call on your life to what a publisher looks for in a novel to how to handle trauma in the emergency room (great tool if you are writing an emergency room scene). Not a chapter in your area? Now would be a good time to start one up. You can get more information on "how to" by contacting our Colorado Area Coordinator, Margie Vawter.

In the words of Captain James T. Kirk of the starship USS Enterprise, "All your people must learn before you can reach for the stars." (-- Kirk, "The Gamesters of Triskelion", stardate 3259.2) And what better time to learn, than now!

(For details on the above opportunities, visit our web page at www.acfwcolorado.com)

2010-09-25T08:49:00.006-06:00

Confessions of a Non-Traditional Student

It was a dark and stormy night in the little village of Coldwater, Ohio, when the young widow determined she had one of two choices. She could continue working low paying jobs and surviving on Social Security benefits, or she could step out of her comfort zone and investigate the possibility of a secondary education.

A local community center offered evening classes in *Word Processing, where our widow enrolled and completed the classes with enthusiasm and determination. However, upon completion of the Word Processing classes, she found herself still unable to secure gainful employment. Determined to improve her lot in life, she pushed forward and endeavored to take her secondary education one step further.

One bright and sunny afternoon she drove to the neighboring village of St. Mary’s and visited the branch campus of Wright State University. There she met with an advisor who showed the widow the educational opportunities and financial assistance available to a women in her situation. The adviser concluded the interview with, “So, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

With her head spinning and the front seat of her rusted out 1980 Chevette strewn with registration materials, our widow drove home with an entirely new outlook on life. There was a whole world of opportunity out there and she wanted a piece of it. “What do I want to be when I grow up?” she pondered.

Arriving home to her twelve-year-old son and nineteen-year-old daughter the widow discussed the possibility of her entering college as a part-time student. The twelve-year-old son’s reaction was, “Mom, don’t you think you’re a little old to be going to college,” and the nineteen-year-old daughter shrugged with a “Whatever.”

After much research, soul searching, and discussions with her advisor, our ambitious student of 42 determined she would enroll that fall, not as a part-time student, but as a full-time student working in the faculty offices. And so, she began her educational journey at the branch campus, majoring in Social Work. Three quarters later, she completed her Associates Degree in English at the little campus by the lake. (Even at the ripe old age of 42, we often change our major.) That summer she began French classes at the main campus in Dayton, Ohio, and in May 1993, our widow earned her B.A. in English and Professional Writing, walked with her class, and graduated with a 3.8 GPA.

As you probably have assumed by now, I was the widowed mother of two who became a non-traditional student at a major university at the age of 42. In addition to earning my degree, I received an amazing hands-on education in computer usage. At that time PCs were only beginning to run in Windows with a mouse. That is correct, up until 1991, all PCs ran in DOS (Disc Operating System). Only Macintosh used a mouse, and only geeks used a Mac. (Yes, I admit I was a PC snob.)

Through the years I have been blessed with computer training opportunities offered though my employers. I have been blessed to learn new software programs and to advance that knowledge through subsequent employers and positions.

Now, my writing career has opened a plethora of opportunities to learn. This past year I completed the two year Apprentice course of study with the Christian Writer’s Guild and intend to begin the Journeyman course of study next year. I have attended several writing seminars, numerous lectures at our ACFW meetings, two Christian Writer’s Guild Conferences and am registered to attend my third in February 2011. I have attended one National ACFW Conference and one Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference. The classes at these conferences are informative, encouraging and keep me on track with my writing. I hesitate to mention the numerous books on the craft that I lug home each time I attend a conference.

Thanks to my education and training, today I have a good paying job that I truly enjoy, but a job that I hope to retire from in eight years when I begin my career as a writer and public speaker. With the Lord’s blessing it may be sooner than eight years, but that will depend on my success as a writer and speaker. As you can tell from my late entry into college, I seem to be a late bloomer, and it takes me awhile to get things right. (I didn’t learn to swim until I was 30.)

I intend to be a lifelong learner, and I advise anyone of any age to do the same. It keeps your mind alert and functioning and makes you a much more interesting individual.

*For those unfamiliar with a Word Processor, it was a type of stand-alone office machine that combined the keyboard text-entry and printing functions of an electric typewriter with a dedicated processor – like a computer processor – for the editing of text. Word processors usually featured a monochrome display and had the ability to save documents on memory cards or diskettes. This was 1989, and personal computers were in their infancy. Even the Commodore was only recently available to the general public.

Keep on Learning

2010-09-21T13:56:00.004-06:00

The process of writing is a life-long journey of learning.

There are many ways to learn about the craft of writing. Online writing courses, books, critique groups, participation in a local group, talking with other writers, and yes, even conferences, retreats, and seminars -- if you are open to learn, you will be able to take away a nugget from any of these situations. If you aren't open to learning, you can spend a lot of time and money and not get any benefit from any or all of these activities.

See, I think continuing education is a lot like meal preparation. We start with the meat and potatoes of a story. We have some characters, a setting, maybe even a time period. We start cooking our ingredients together, hoping to come up with something delicious at the end.

Okay, so here is where continuing education comes in: learning new things about our craft of writing is like opening a cook book and getting a new recipe for cooking chicken. Sure, you could take your pieces of chicken and do what you always do with it. Or, you can take a recipe from a book and add a few extra ingredients, and come up with a wonderful dish your family asks for again and again.

In the same way, you can take your characters, your setting, your time period, string them together in the same old way, and come up with a book nobody wants to read. Or, you can open a book on writing, go to a critique group, attend a writer's meeting, buy a tape from a conference -- and add a dash of expertise, a teaspoon of craft, a pinch of grammar and style, and come up with a book that has your readers asking "When is the next one coming out?"

Continuing education, in all its forms, will spice up your writing, will make the process go faster and easier for you, and will open doors to editors. Learning more about the craft of writing will improve your plots, make your characters more believable, and will garner you faithful readers.

So whatever form of continuing education you choose, start out with a desire to be better at what you do, to wisely use the gifts God has given you, and to have a teachable heart, intent on being the best you can be.

This Just In: Writers CAN learn while Comatose

2010-09-20T09:30:00.003-06:00

I’m guessing many of our readers are making their way back from ACFW National Conference today. I’m not one of them. I couldn’t go this year but was excited to see updates on Facebook and Twitter and to follow the live blog of the awards ceremony.

I imagine that advocating continuing education to those returning from national conference is preaching to the choir. After all, it’s one of the best writing conferences. Some of us might argue the best. You can’t NOT learn from the experience.

Well, maybe that isn’t true. Maybe one day you woke up a zombie, stumbled downstairs in search of yummy brains for breakfast, and through a series of mystifying events ended up in a conference room with only your tattered, moldy clothing as fortification for the day.

That happened to me this weekend.

Somehow wires crossed, the stars fell out of alignment, and I found myself with a birthday slumber party and a Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference planned for the same weekend.

Ten boys, ages six to ten, invaded my home on Friday night. In a display of sheer insanity, I spent all day Friday cleaning for the occasion. I’ll never do that again. I mean, really, only the village idiot tidies her hovel for the approaching Viking horde.

Aside from the noise and the mess, the party went well. My husband, the sainted Kory of Denmark, took over the party at 11 PM, knowing I had to wake up at 5 AM to drive to Denver for SCWBI. Unfortunately, a lightsaber battle broke out shortly after I’d gone to bed. My husband must’ve been quickly vanquished because the young warriors ended up in my bedroom, fiercely battling and oblivious to the maiden trying to sleep.

The maiden got out of bed and kicked them out. The battle raged on until 2 AM, when Kory the Long-Suffering resurrected and decreed that the army must make camp or DIE!

Shortly thereafter, the zombie maiden rose and walked among children’s book enthusiasts.

In all honesty, caffeine kept me vertical but didn’t do much for my learning receptors. I tried to listen to speakers, tried to apply their advice to my writing, tried to network and smile and form coherent sentences. But how could I absorb anything with the mushy head of cauliflower I had for a brain?

You’d be surprised. The good thing about cauliflower is that it has sponge-like properties. On the way home from Denver yesterday afternoon, Mom and I talked over our last session with children’s author Linda Arms White. I mentioned that I liked Linda’s concept of having a bank of words for her picture books. She only has around a thousand words in her bank and must decide how to spend those words wisely. She allows herself only two adverbs per story. In my mind, those adverbs equate to splurge purchases.

Mom said something to the effect of, “See, you did learn something.”

And she was right. Despite my limited brain function, lack of coordination, and occasional drooling, I did manage to absorb several good tidbits of information, and I’m glad I went. My point is, there's no excuse for not benefiting from continuing education. You can always learn something new. Even if you are undead.

Evangeline Denmark co-authored The Dragon and The Turtle (Waterbrook Press, 2010) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari (Waterbrook Press, 2011). Evangeline also enjoys writing adult fiction and has perhaps allowed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to go to her head.

Continuing Education

2010-09-14T10:29:00.000-06:00

Oh my, I see we're doing really well on posting this month. Well, at least Paula was on time! LOL Our topic this month is on continuing education for our writing. And yes, I missed my regular time to blog. And since I'm technically the "leader" of the pack, I'll will take the blame for us being a little lax this month.

I've long been an advocate of constantly learning more about the craft of writing. Since I was very young, I enjoyed writing. Even those many, many essays in high school and college! And I enjoy teaching writing/self-editing whenever I get a chance. And I promote conferences, like the Colorado and Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers conferences, the ACFW national conference (which I am missing this year . . . sigh), and other conferences.

But . . . true confession time . . . I am an online writing class junkie! LOL I'm permanently signed up to the course loop ACFW offers their members. Why not? It's free. And I can hit the delete button as well as anyone on the months I'm not interested in the topic. But usually I keep or copy or print the lessons the "teacher" presents and try to go over them when I get a chance. I don't usually have time to keep up with what people post in response to the assignments, unless the topic really interests me (i.e. is an area I really need help with).

This month is a discussion on including the faith factor in our writing—how much is too much; how much is enough; what is too little, etc. And of course those answers vary as to who we perceive our readers to be and the purpose we write. Sharon Hinck is leading the class, and I consider her one of the best in seamlessly incorporating faith into her books.

Also this month, I'm taking a course from Writer University on pacing in novels. Mary Buckham (co-author with Dianna Love of Break into Fiction) is leading the class, and I'm finding it challenging and extremely helpful. I'm behind, but already I've seen how the beginnings of my current wip (historical mystery) and the revision of my amateur sleuth mystery can be redone to start the stories out at the right pace. Good stuff.

I've also taken courses from Writers Online Classes and Beau Monde and the Orange County RWA chapter. Usually they run about $30 for a month-long class, a little more for Masters classes. For various reasons, this is the first class I've taken online this year, but I've taken many over the past several years.

As for the impact on my writing and editing, I can't begin to put a value on these classes—only that they are worth much more than I pay as far as the information and skills I've acquired as a result. Check out some of these places that offer classes in various formats and choose what looks best for you and your pocketbook.

Happy writing!

The Storycrafter's Seminar in Denver!

2010-09-01T12:35:00.002-06:00

The Storycrafter's Seminar
Featuring Susan May Warren
RITA Award Winning Novelist and Writing Coach

Saturday, November 13th, 8:30 am - 4 pm
Graystone Castle Event Center
I-25 & 120th Avenue
Thornton, Colorado
Registration check-in and continental breakfast begin at 8:30 am. Seminar begins at 9 am.

Come with an idea...leave with a story!

Have you always wanted to write a story but didn't know where to start? If so, the Storycrafter's Seminar is for you! RITA Award-winning author and writing coach Susan May Warren will teach you story structure, go step-by-step in the character creation and plotting process, then show you how to apply it to your story. She'll brainstorm your idea, share essential secrets of storytelling, and finally, you'll take home a plan that will act as a map for your novel. With time for writing, as well as learning, it's a day for writers of all levels that will jump-start your novel onto the road to publication.

Registration

Early-bird registration is $89 from July 1st - September 30, 2010. Registration is open to both ACFW members and non-members. Those who register by September 30th will be entered into a drawing to receive a $50 cash refund on their registration fee. One winner will be chosen. Drawing to be held on day of seminar. Prices will increase to $109 October 1st, and space is limited, so register early! Registration ends November 1, 2010.

The event will be held in Thornton, Colorado, 12 miles north of downtown Denver and 30 minutes from the airport, in the Graystone Castle Event Center. Admission to the event includes:

* Storycrafter's workbook
* Continental breakfast
* Deli lunch buffet

For registration instructions, click here.

ACFW members, please enter discount code "ACFW" to receive a 5% discount. Membership must be current. Discount available for early-bird registration only.

Speaker

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-five novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A RITA winner, as well as a four-time Christy award finalist, she's also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year. A seasoned women's events speaker, she's a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer's workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com , a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at her website.

Schedule

8:30 am - 9:00 am Registration check-in and continental breakfast
9:00 am - 10:15 am Session
10:15 am - 10:30 am Break
10:30 am - Noon Session
Noon - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm Session
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm Break
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm Session/End

What is Humor?

2010-08-23T09:46:00.004-06:00

This question reminds me of a deep, almost transcendent, questioning of the universe that I witnessed in junior high. We were all sitting around eating lunch, when my brother’s friend, Shawn, paused with his spoon hovering over his pudding cup. With brows scrunched over bewildered eyes, he looked from his dessert to his lunch companions and uttered this thought-provoking inquiry:

“What is pudding?”

Now I’m positive that Shawn knew the ingredients that constitute pudding. He’d surely seen it made a time or two, perhaps even made it himself. And, at the age of thirteen or fourteen, Shawn was more than capable of reading the nutritional information on his Snack Pack. But despite all that concrete information, Shawn retained a capacity for wonder at the odd, not-quite-liquid, not-quite-solid, creamy, thick, wobbly, tasty substance dubbed “Pudding”.

Like pudding, humor can be dissolved into components. We can talk about set-ups and punch lines, witty banter, and comedic approaches such as ‘it’s funny because it’s true,’ but the fact remains that there is something unquantifiable about humor. After all, who hasn’t been caught up in a moment of pure hysterical laughter that to the outside observer looks an awful lot like insanity? If said concerned observer asked for an explanation, the humor would be lost in translation.

This happened to me the other day when I tried to explain how and why my husband and I had a discussion about a fictitious woman married to a taxidermist who made her purses out of whole preserved ducks and Easter dresses out of bunny pelts.

See. Not funny. But in the proper state of lunacy, well, it was hilarious.

So how does this all apply to writing? My point is that we can and should study the techniques of comedic writing. We should know the ingredients. For instance, we should be able to craft a witty comment to lighten some heavy dialogue or bring a character into a scene for a bit of well-timed slap stick. We should be armed with sufficient vocabulary to nail a reader’s funny bone with just the right word.

But there will always be a certain element of magic when it comes to humor. It can take you by surprise, wiggling into the back of your mind and congealing there like warm milk, cornstarch, and sugar. As you edit or read through your previous chapter in preparation to write a new one, check to see if humor might be oozing onto the page. Go ahead and let if flow. And, like Shawn, you will be filled with wonder as you contemplate something not quite explainable.

Evangeline Denmark has storytelling on her heart and in her blood. The daughter of novelist, Donita K. Paul, Evangeline grew up living and breathing good stories. She has co-authored two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle (available now) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (available 1-11-11) and also writes adult fiction. Evangeline is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, serving as chapter secretary. You can find Evangeline online at her blogspot Breath In Breathe Out and at
www.dragonandturtle.com

That's Not Funny

2010-08-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

I love to laugh, but I’m not exactly skilled in the art of making other people laugh. Just ask my four-year-old. I’ll tell a story that I find hilarious, and he’ll look at me with his big, blue eyes ten years more mature, and say, “That’s not funny, Mom.” Usually he’s right. I’m lucky to have him to keep me humble.

Not long after I started writing, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try to write something in a genre that was actually selling. At that time, Chick Lit happened to be popular, and I thought it would be a great fit for me. I wrote what I thought was a very funny novel about the wittiest character ever created. My book ended up being a finalist in the Genesis contest (I think there were a total of ten entries), but one of the agent judges came back with a verdict that sounded much like what my four-year-old continually tells me: NOT FUNNY. She was right. The comedy in the book was forced, the voice was somewhat clichéd and the character was not all that likeable. (Some may say I have a sarcastic sense of humor.)

Since then, I have faced the fact that I am not a humorist, but I have also realized that a book does not have to be a comedy in order to be funny. In fact, my favorite books are the ones that make me laugh and cry. The ones that reach deep into the soul and thread in a universal theme, but that also include irony and moments of comedy. Take The Help, for instance. So much of that book made me sad. I couldn’t believe how those women were treated. Because of the injustice against them, parts of it were hard for me to read. But the author used humor as a device to break up the tension and make the difficult parts of the story more palatable. It worked brilliantly, and yet it was so simple. She brought in a couple of quirky characters and an outrageous action taken by one of the characters (having something to do with pie), and I found myself laughing out loud. Can you imagine what that novel would be like without Minny Jackson? Instead of reading it in a few days like I did, it might have taken me weeks. Rather than being too heavy or trying too hard to send a message, it was one of the most perfectly balanced books I have ever read.

I’m not funny, but even I can come up with a few good lines here and there. I can invent quirky characters who get themselves into deep … trouble. Every novel should have some element of humor. Even the saddest, most dramatic storyline needs comic relief.

A lifelong storyteller, Sara Richardson is passionate about communicating reasons for hope. Previously she has been an advertising copywriter, an Internet communications manager, and a whitewater rafting guide. In addition to writing fiction, Sara has published nonfiction articles in parenting and family magazines. As a member of MOPS International, Sara enjoys speaking to moms’ groups. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from Regent University. Visit her at www.hopetolife.com

Funny or Not Funny?

2010-08-18T18:57:00.002-06:00

I recently had what I thought was a funny experience with an editor, and I shared it at a critique group meeting. The first two people I told thought it was funny. The next person just looked at me and shook her head. She didn’t think it was funny at all, even though I was laughing at the situation. She thought it was unprofessional.

Who was right? We both were. I was laughing at a situation in my life that if I didn’t laugh, I would probably cry. My friend didn’t laugh because she put herself in my position and reacted the way she would have if it had happened to her.

Humor is a funny thing -- no pun intended -- and yet that rolled off my fingers as glib as if I'd meant it.

Each person, (insert each reader), has their own sense of humor, meaning that what you find hilarious, another person will tilt their head in a good imitation of the RCA Victor dog.

We've seen a lot of good tips for writing humor this month, and they are all valid. One consideration when writing humor is to consider your reader so that you pen words of hilarity that they will understand.

Do you write for kids? Then many of your humorous lines will include mention of body odors, weird mouth noises, and references to current movies.

Do you write for the older population? Then you can make reference, as I did, to the RCA Victor dog, and they'll get the point.

No matter who you write for, you will want to put yourself in their shoes, if you aren't in that demographic, and use references they will understand.

I once had a friend who claimed she had no sense of humor. People would tell her jokes and she never got them. If she tried to repeat a joke she’d heard, she’d mess it up in the telling. She never laughed because she thought something was funny. And yet she made people laugh. We laughed at her complete lack of humor.

Humor can lighten a harsh word. It can teach the reader a lesson they wouldn’t want to hear otherwise. Humor can ease the tension in a scene, and it can draw the reader into the story by allowing them to lose themselves in the fictional world you create.

And, isn’t that really the purpose of our stories?

A Guys' BBQ

2010-08-16T11:57:00.003-06:00

I thought for my post on humor I'd tell a you a little real life story. I hope it brings a smile to your face as it did mine when my son recounted the events of his car meet.

What do you get when you gather two dozen young men who are car enthusiasts together for a barbecue and to show off their treasured automobiles? An adventure in cooking.

There are potato chips, burgers, buns, condiments, lettuce, tomatoes, sodas, paper plates, plastic flatware, a grill, fire. They had it all…or so they thought.

The fire is lit. The grill is hot. Stomachs are growling. They are ready to cook, so they throw the burgers on. Tssss!

Cookin’. Cookin’. Cookin’. Can you smell them? Let’s flip those burgers. Oops! “Anyone got a spatula?”

So being the creative and ingenious young men they are, someone comes up with the bright idea to use one of the plastic forks. They’ve got plenty.

Oops!

Melted!

Can you picture the curling white tinges of the fork?

Strange, who would have thought that fire would melt plastic?

In a frenzy to save the burgers some other bright bulb furiously tears up one of the boxes the soda cans are in. Cardboard won’t melt. Maybe not but it wasn’t really stiff enough to cram under a burger stuck to a hot grill...and kind of caught fire. Who would have thought?

They say necessity is the mother of invention. And two dozen hungry young men have needs. So they rooted around in their cars and one out-of-the-box thinker came up with the winning tool………….

A clipboard!!!

It worked beautifully and saved the burgers.

Now you mothers out there might be wondering if they cleaned the clipboard, because we can assume it hadn’t been shrink-wrapped and was probably lying on the floor in the backseat or trunk of one of these treasured cars. This is a question you don’t ask after the fact.

So the next time you go to a barbecue don’t forget a clipboard because plastic melts and cardboard burns.

Final note: Since the fork melting/cardboard burning/clipboard incident, my son has always brought a spatula to these events. The clipboard spatula has been retired if not thrown away.

And I will be using this in a story one day. Children create some of the best humor. I don't know that I could have made up a story like this.

The Good Humor Woman

2010-08-09T21:33:00.004-06:00

Years (to be honest, years and years) ago I worked for a well-known Christian recording artist, Dallas Holm and Praise. For those of you who don’t want to date yourselves by admitting that you know who I’m talking about, let’s just say that back in the day they were the equivalent of Third Day or Mercy Me. I had the privilege of working with Dallas’ personal secretary... who happened to be his mother.

That woman with the Minnesota accent taught me a valuable lesson about life. That lesson was to laugh. To laugh at myself and at whatever life threw my way.

Tula’s sense of humor was contagious. She could have me laughing so hard that I could not answer the phone (which was my job, by the way). The good news was that we were able to laugh our way through a somewhat boring work week when the group was on the road. The bad news was...the recording studio we used as an office had no bathroom! We had to go up a hill and use the “facilities” in the offices of David Wilkerson (who started Teen Challenge). Picture having to briskly stride up the hill and open the office door to see several industrious people bent over their typewriters (I am really dating myself when you realize this was before there was such a thing as a personal computer). They look up and know that the only reason you are there is to use their restroom. How humiliating! Although I guess it would have been even more humiliating if your trip up the hill wasn’t quick enough.

What I learned from this wonderful woman was that you could always find humor in any situation. This woman had been through many trying times herself, but she always had a smile and a laugh.

Before I even really thought about writing or joining ACFW, I had toyed with the idea of writing a book for pregnant women called “Thoughts While Pondering the Inside of the Toilet Bowl”. That one came to me somewhere in the first four months of my first two pregnancies. I had always wanted to lose weight, just not like that. Tula’s gift of finding humor in any life situation was revealing itself.

We all have stories of our children’s, (friends, neighbors, etc.) exploits that can bring tears to our eyes and a smile to our face. I can tell I need a good cry when I find myself laughing so hard that I get hysterical and start crying uncontrollably. It brings a release to my emotions that I don’t always know I need.

So, next time you find yourself in a slump, find that movie that gets you in stitches or look at those forwarded email pictures of silly babies or animals and let yourself cast your cares on the One who cares for you. You can be a “good humor woman” too.

*************

Elaine Clampitt is the secretary/treasurer for Mile High Scribes. She is currently trying to find the humor in having to take her only daughter to college this week. She has already found the relief, I mean humor, in her sons going back to college later this month. Hockey season is around the corner which brings another smile to her face.

With A Giggle

2010-08-07T01:30:00.000-06:00

A priest, a rabbi, and a Leprechaun enter a bar. . .

Humor. My forte. How did I ever miss my turn at posting when this was one topic I was so looking forward to?

I blame it on Margie. She did exactly as I requested and sent the topics to the blog writers early so we could be prepared. It threw off my rhythm.

Back to the topic. Humor.

My tag line is “Spiritual Truth. . .With A Giggle.” What I attempt to do is dig deep into my character’s souls, but present their story with light humor. For example, in God Gave the Song, Skye is dealing with deep abandonment issues, but I threw in an alpaca who clearly doesn’t like him. She’s normally a gentle sort who hums in contentment all the time, except when he’s around. His bewilderment creates a chuckle or two.

In Crossroads Bay, Paul is trying to become independent in his catering business, but his little Spanish abuela (grandmother) is a constant deterrent. She’s so hard nosed, she becomes comical—to everyone except Paul.

And in Fine, Feathered Friend, due out this month, my comic relief is an African Gray Parrot named Cyrano who tattletales Tim’s affections to the lovely Glenys. This book is the closest to writing humorous that I’ve come so far.

(All three of the above books are in my Oregon series through Heartsong Presents.)

Mark Twain, the great American humorist says, “Humorists of the 'mere' sort cannot survive. Humor is only a fragrance, a decoration.”
- Mark Twain's Autobiography

This is what I strive for in my stories. I don’t want to be “uproariously funny,” I want to open hearts and minds to the truths that God has placed in my writing.

Mark Twain is also quoted as saying, “Humor is the good natured side of a truth.
- Mark Twain and I, Opie Read

This why I write with a giggle. Truth hurts, but humor is the sugar that makes the medicine go down. (Oh great, now I’ll be singing that song all day!)

Now. . .in direct contrast to what I’ve just told you:

A priest, a rabbi, and a Leprechaun enter a bar. The Leprechaun looks around and says, "Saints preserve us! I'm in the wrong joke!"

**********************************

Kathleen E. Kovach is a “peculiar person” in Christ and is often accused of following her own drummer—who, by the way, plays the bongos. Visit her online: www.craftcinema.blogspot.com, www.kathleenekovach.blogspot.com, www.KathleenEKovach.com.

Humor

2010-08-05T08:55:00.005-06:00

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
(Proverbs 17:22 NIV)

Once in a blue moon I am funny. Today my moon isn't blue. I weigh out with that whole dried up bones idea. Which is all the more reason I need humor, the topic for the Inkwell this month.

For many years I read a lot of women's fiction--deep, penetrating, take it somewhere stuff. And I believe someday I will again. But when the stress levels get high I grab books that have a light heart. There's something about chuckling through a story that helps me face the difficulties of life. (For my latest favorite light fare series visit this post at GraceReign about Erynn Mangum's books.) Humor is good cheer for the aching heart, and like the Scripture says, a cheerful heart is good medicine. For that reason alone I believe humor should be an important element in the stories of Christian novels. Obviously not every story lends itself to much humor, but even a serious read can incorporate a wry sort of humor.

There are a few things that make humor an important tool in the hand of a fiction writer. The most obvious is comic relief. During (or after) an intense scene the reader often needs emotional release. One way to provide this is through humor. Think about all the movies you've seen where just when the tension reaches what you think will be its climax, something funny happens. You chuckle with the rest of the audience, take a deep breath, and then are off and running with the hero again. Or after all the pain is over, the heroine quips a line that causes you believe all will be well as that wry smile tickles your lips.

Emotional relief is important, but one of best roles for humor in fiction is to help your reader let go of defenses. How many times have you heard a speaker who gets you laughing then (when your heart is wide open to him) says something that hits you between the eyes? You really hear that nugget of truth because the walls around your heart have been penetrated by humor, and you were ready grasp it.

One series that has done this for me is Sister Chicks by Robin Jones Gunn. I spent an evening reading Sister Chicks in Sombreros. I chuckled as I read, and when I closed the books I suddenly realized that within the light-hearted story the Lord (and Robin!) had placed the exact truth I needed that night. It didn't hit me between the eyes, it just saturated my heart as I chuckled my way through the sweet story.

This blog entry started with a Scripture that shows the importance of cheer, but some days cheer is had to come by. I close this post on humor with this promise for you and for me.

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. (Job 8:21 NIV)

Time Management? Sure! Yeah!

2010-07-31T14:18:00.007-06:00

Saturday, July 31, 2010

I do feel somewhat better knowing I am not the only one late in adding my blog, and I do hope you all find this cartoon as funny as I.

Time management is an ongoing process. Of that I am certain. However, after existing in the corporate world for over 30 years I still revert to my own means of surviving each day and getting everything done for everyone on time.

I am going to begin my blog with my use of time management on the job since that is where I have spent over 50 hours a week for all these years. (I include travel time to and from work, because I figure from the time I walk out my door in the morning until I return home at night I belong to "The Man".)

My dedication to corporate America began in 1966. From 1990 to 1993 I attended college and earned my BA in English and professional writing. From 1996 to 2001 I ran a secretarial service from my home. Both of those endeavors required time management and for the life of me I cannot recall how I got everything done.

I am not a list keeper. I do not use a checklist or task list. Oh, yes, I have a task bar on my computer at work and every meeting I schedule for every person as well as every performance review and every vacation and time off pops up on that task list. Needless, to say it does not serve me well. Not that I would follow it even if it did.

I have heard it said if you want something done give it to a busy person. I have no doubt my co-workers and superiors agree with this and therefore seek me out when they need something done and they need it done NOW. (Or possibly yesterday).

I have a little sign on my desk that says, "I don't look busy because I did it right the first time." This is my idea of time management. I make every attempt to attack every project as soon as it hits my desk and take the time and energy required to get it done right and move on to the next project. Most days this process works well for me. Other days ... well let's just say there are some people who don't know what they want when they ask and come back again and again until they get what they THINK they want.

Okay, this is about time management and not about me venting. Sorry!

I do have reports due on Mondays, and on certain days of the month, that I know when they are due and what it will take to get those done. I do my level best to get these out of the way a.s.a.p. so I am open to handle whatever else may hit my desk throughout the day.

I work very hard to complete all of my work early in the week in order that on Friday, which is when most of management seems to melt into the woodwork, I am able to spend some time on my writing.

I do make lists. It is just that I normally will misplace them and have to rewrite them again and again to complete the task they were created for.

I am not a dedicated journaler nor am I successful at my daily quiet time with the Lord. Let me add here that around the first of the year I prayed for the Lord to wake me every morning with plenty of time to spend with him, possibly work on my writing, exercise, take a walk or do whatever might need done around the house. A short time later I began waking every morning between 4:00 am and 4:30 am. (My bladder is awake, but I'm not.) I go to the bathroom and return to bed, pulling the covers over my head until I absolutely must crawl out at 6:00 am. Why? I don't get much sleep during that time and I could accomplish so much with the Lord . Why can I not push myself into the shower (it isn't that far from the John) and wake myself up?

My suggestion for good time management is: Wing It and Wait!

The Circle of Life

2010-07-28T16:46:00.007-06:00

8:30 AM - Wake up.

8:45 AM - Drink coffee.

9:00 AM - Make beds, empty dishwasher, etc.

9:15 AM - Wake Danielle for work.

9:30 AM - Wake Danielle again.

9:45 AM - Yell at Danielle that if she doesn't get up now, she's going to be late for work.

10:00 AM - Remind Danielle that we have to leave in fifteen minutes.

10:15 AM - Scramble out to the car and take Danielle to work.

10:45 AM - Return home. Pour leftover, luke warm coffee into cup and zap in microwave. Take a sip. Toss coffee.

10:48 AM - Pour self a glass of iced tea.

10:50 AM - Go into office. Turn on computer. Stare at computer.

11:00 AM - Decide to check email since inspiration is nadda.

11:05 AM - Reply to email.

11:10 AM - Close email program.

11:15 AM - Stare at computer. Stare at clock and sigh. It's only 11:15 AM.

This is my circle of life, aka "time management." Yesterday my circle was interrupted with a delightful trip to Colorado Springs for a write-out. Mind you I didn't get there until 2 PM because, yes, I had to take Danielle to work. Nonetheless, I got there.

Once in the Springs I thought how wonderful it would be to finally sit down and write. My muse was the amazing Broadmoor Resort, and as my fingers tingled with excitement my mind relished on what symphony of words the LORD would string together for me.

My laptop is as old as they get, so it took about 30 minutes for it to boot up. Unfortunately, once it did I got about three notifications from various essential programs saying they needed updates. Updates that would take as long as my car ride back to Denver. However, I was determined to let nothing get in the way of my writing--nothing, that is, except the sudden realization I'd forgotten my flash drive. You know, the one with my WIP on it (no, not that kind of "whip," although sometimes I think that kind of w-h-i-p might be the best way to get me motivated). My Work In Progress WIP.

Now what?

Time was running out. I had one hour left to type on a laptop that refused to open Microsoft Word unless I installed the appropriate updates, a flash drive that was over 80 miles away, and a muse that was slowing turning from a glamourous, century-old resort to a dark, creepy hotel from The Shining. Should I forget the updates and close shop? Should I let my computer have the last laugh and walk away? Or should I stand firm and fight?

Before you give me a lot of grief for throwing in the towel and choosing to close up shop and let the laptop win (yes, dear readers, I chose to forgo option #3), understand that, in this particular case, closing my latop and hanging with my besties at the Broadmoor was the optimal time managment choice. Why? Because I knew they would give back to me the hope that was slowly being drained from my day.

Time management is a wonderful tool. And used properly it can produce many wonderful things. But remember, it's just a tool. And like every other tool out there it can be helpful...or harmful. Sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves as writers (or mothers or wives or friends), is to lay the tool down and let the soothing balm of spending time with the LORD and those we care about repair the frazzled ends of our day.

* * * * * *

4:30 PM - Time to wrap up blog and start thinking about making dinner. Maybe later I'll find that muse. Or maybe I won't. Maybe I'll hang with friends and family. Or maybe not. As for my circle of life? No worries. Tomorrow I have no doubt it will still be there, patiently waiting for me to return to 8:30 AM.

A Simple Solution

2010-07-26T10:53:00.004-06:00

“What’s the blog topic this month?”

“Time management.”

“Ha ha. No really. What’s the topic?”

“Time management.”

“Is this some kind of sick joke?”

Asking creative types to talk about managing their time is like asking shopaholics to discuss budgeting. At best, all we have are theories and our own abandoned attempts at bringing the problem under control.

I have a long way to go in this area. I’m scatter-brained, routineless, and constantly behind, and if I pretended to have some sort of system in my writing life and presented it here for the benefit of others—well, several of my writing friends would show up on my doorstep to confront me (in sisterly love, of course) for my outrageous lie.

So I’m just going to share one area I’m struggling with now and what I’m doing to get through it. I know it’s not rocket science. I leave that stuff to my husband. But maybe you need to be reminded of this method just like I did.

My WIP is set in England and involves characters from the classic novel Wuthering Heights. I spent a month researching the novel, the Brontës, and Yorkshire before I began writing. But, in almost every chapter, I run into difficulty when it comes to making the details accurate. I want to get it right. And I know there are Brontë scholars and English folks who know way more about my subject matter than I do. I imagine these people breathing down my neck as I write. For some reason, the figments all resemble a particularly harsh professor I had in college.

Anyway, when I hit a snag in my writing, I turn to my different research sources. Sometimes I find my answer, plug it in, and plunge onward, content that the detail is accurate. But, more often than not, I don’t find the solution. That’s when the paralysis hits. I stare at the screen. I reread the Wiki article or shuffle through the website again. I look through all my books a second or third time. How can I possibly go on with my story? I don’t know if English people use the word pantry. I don’t know how many acres (or hectacres) are in a park. I don’t know what Heathrow smells like.

It’s as though someone has pressed Pause on my creativity. My story is frozen because of one detail.

My family and my writing friends witnessed me pulling my hair out over these things, and they all gave me advice. The same advice.

“Make a note of it and move on.”

Naturally, I didn’t listen, and I’ve wasted a lot of time because of my stubbornness. Finally, exhausted from hovering in limbo, I gave in, highlighted the problem in red and (gasp!) moved on.

You know what? It works. And I can come back to those details at a later date. What’s important now is letting the story flow.

Like I said, I know it isn’t rocket science. I’ve heard of the highlight it and move on approach before. But I needed to be reminded. I needed permission. I needed my critique group to tell me that I was not going to be judged as a sloppy writer for leaving some research for a later date. So I wanted to pass on the hint. Don’t get bogged down. Don’t waste your precious time. Mark it and move on!

Evangeline Denmark has storytelling on her heart and in her blood. The daughter of novelist, Donita K. Paul, Evangeline grew up living and breathing good stories. She has co-authored two children’s books which are under contract with Waterbrook Press and also writes adult fiction. Evangeline is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, serving as chapter secretary.

Time Management 101

2010-07-21T16:32:00.002-06:00

Okay, so this is late. Because, obviously, I haven't managed my time very well today. So I was really gratified to browse through the other blog posts this month on this very topic and discover something I thought was not possible -- most people struggle with time management.

I thought it was just me.

Have you ever felt that way? That there must be something wrong with you because you can't keep it all flowing, all in order, all in your head, or take it all in stride?

News alert: It isn't just you.

I don't care how all-together others around you may look, they really aren't. I don't care how much everyone else's life looks like, it isn't all together.

We all struggle with time management.

I once took a course through an employer on time management, and the one thing I remember from that course is: only schedule the tasks it will take to fill half of your available time.

In other words, if you think you have six hours free or available for work, schedule in tasks that you estimate will take three hours.

Because here's another news alert, one which my pastor always says: things always take longer, and cost more, than you planned.

Scheduling in half a day is not wasting the other half.

Scheduling in half a day will set you free.

Free from the panic that comes when you realize you don't have enough time to finish the job.

Free from the frustration that happens when your computer crashes, again.

Free from the aggravation that threatens to steal your peace when a friend calls and asks for help.

Free to allow you time to breathe and enjoy the presence of God the next time He tickles you on the shoulder and says, "Come away with me for a while."

So, cut yourself some slack, schedule in half a day, and watch the other half fill up in spite of your best-laid plans. Then sit back and smile, knowing you have time.

Disclaimer: Of course, I didn't do that today. I scheduled in a full day. But I did better than I did on Monday, where I scheduled in a full day, didn't get it all done, worked like a dog all day, and still had to get up at 5 a.m. on Tuesday to get a project out the door on time.

Disclaimer 2: Don't do what I do, do what I say. I'm pretty sure my father used to tell me that all the time when I was a kid. And that will encourage me to do what I say. Because we all know the definition of insanity: doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different outcome. And no, I am not insane!

Um...

2010-07-21T09:17:00.003-06:00

Well here's a good example of time management gone wrong.

I was supposed to post this blog entry on Monday. Do you know why I didn’t?

Because I didn’t write it down.

I have told my children for over 12 years, “If it’s not on the calendar, it’s not going to happen.” Can you take a wild guess as to what I didn’t write on the calendar? Yep, my blog day.

My main time management strategy is making a list for the day and/or week. Well part of making that list is to see what’s already on the calendar for that day. Well if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t get on the list and it doesn’t get accomplished.

I have heard it said that you should tackle the most difficult task on your list first. There are three reasons for this. One, you are freshest first thing. Two, you feel good about accomplishing a big thing. And three, you aren’t dreading it all day, kind of a smooth sailing the rest of the day sort of thing. This is a good strategy.

Some times I will do a lot of the little things first to make my list shorter. This is especially true when I have a long list, say 10 things and eight of them I can do in an hour like mail a letter, give the dog his medicine, write a short e-mail, etc. It bolsters me to tackle a bigger thing because I’ve already accomplished so much in a short period of time.

One thing you must do when using a list is to cross things off as you complete them. This shows what you have done and gives you momentum to move on to the next thing. You have to look at your list anyway to see what you’re going to do next, so do it with pen in hand and cross the completed task off.

A list also helps you keep in mind what needs to be done so you don’t forget something like…um…let me see if I can think of a good example…oh like posting a blog. And while you’re working on one thing, your subconscious is working on one of the other items on your list. It’s like doing double duty. At the end of the day you can see all the things you accomplished that day and know you have done a goods day’s work.

So make a list (and look at it). See what all you can get done.

So guess what I get to do now? Yep, cross post a blog off my list.

Surrender Your Time

2010-07-12T11:45:00.005-06:00

I’ve always considered myself a very practical person. I make to-do lists and keep a master calendar of everyone’s appointments, etc. All of this to help me stay on the treadmill of life. This was even more essential when I had four children at home whose lives often went in different directions.

When I was first married and even before I had children, I had a revelation about my planning habits. One of those “this must be from God because I can’t possibly being doing that” moments. The revelation...I was finding my security in my plan instead of in God. Ouch! What a wake-up call. Did this mean I should never plan out my days or weeks? I knew that wasn’t true. Somehow I had to let God help me change my attitude towards those plans. If they got changed or I didn’t know what was coming up that day or week, I needed to learn to be okay with that and find peace in knowing that God knew what each step of every day would look like for me.

Along came four children and even though my attitude toward planning had changed, I was a typical homeschooling mom with more things to do than hours in my day. Or so it felt. There was always a list of priorities and activities that need to be accomplished or completed. In those days, the idea of a “quiet time” with God was something that happened in the shower or as your head hit the pillow at night. The sense of deadlines looming on the horizon moving ever closer as we try to keep up with everything can rob us of our peace.

During that time, two things helped put a brake to my treadmill routine. I remember hearing how we should be evangelizing and bemoaning the fact that my world was full of Christians so how could I possibly evangelize. Then I heard a message about divine interruptions and a light bulb went on. How many times had I planned out my day and then I would get a call from someone who needed a favor? Or run into someone in a store and end up encouraging them in the produce aisle? Divine interruptions! Now I had a name for these little detours that I could have resented for messing up my plans or learn to welcome as part of God’s plan.

The second thing is a “thought for the day” that I will never forget. It was on a little calendar that I had on my bathroom counter. I turned it over one September morning and it said

“There’s enough time in each day to do God’s will.”

No light bulb this time. More like a hammer on the head! Why was I so worried about what I was going to accomplish today or getting through my to-do list? If my plans were God’s will for me that day, they would get done. What a relief! I didn’t have to worry about if I had enough hours in the day. Instead I needed to surrender my plans, my time to the Lord and let Him have control of all of it.

So, now I plan and schedule sometimes wondering how it will all work out, but there is a peace knowing that today is not in my hands. It’s in His and I willingly surrender to the One who knows what I need to do today. Writing included.

**********

Elaine is Secretary/Treasurer of Mile High Scribes, the ACFW South Denver Chapter. With 3 children home from college this summer, her time management skills are being put to the test once again. She is spending a large percentage of the summer on road trips to Canada, Arizona and taking children back to college.

Faithful with Time

2010-07-10T20:17:00.002-06:00

“See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.” Colossians 4:17 niv

Have you ever wished for a longer day? Then we’d be able to get to all those unfinished tasks we constantly push off for various reasons. Some may not be very glamorous or rewarding. Others may be tedious and boring. Sometimes we get into the middle of a project and find we don’t know how to finish it. For many of us, other demands on our time allow these tasks to remain undone.

This may be what happened to Archippus in the Scripture above, prompting Paul to encourage him to complete the work that he had been given from God. While the pace of society in Paul’s time was probably a much slower one than we face today, Archippus still needed to learn how to be faithful with his time in order to complete his task.

Many of you have probably read or heard about “Tyranny of the Urgent” by Charles E. Hummel. In that little booklet, the author uses Christ’s example of being faithful with the time God had given Him on earth. At the end of His life, in His prayer in John 17, Jesus makes this statement in verse 4 (The Message): “I glorified you on earth By completing down to the last detail What you assigned me to do.”

How did Jesus do this when He was only in active ministry for three years? There were still sick people, for example. He hadn’t healed everyone. In fact, there were times that He went away from what was expected of Him to minister somewhere else. How did He know where He was needed and when? How did He know what tasks He needed to perform and which to leave undone?

We see the secret in Mark 1:35–38, where Jesus spent time praying about His ministry and then waited for His Father’s instructions. When Peter found Him later, Peter told Him of all those who were waiting for healing. But Jesus responded that they were to go to another village to minister. It was because of this time spent with the Father He was able to resist the urgent demands on His time and do what God wanted Him to do.

As we follow Christ’s example, keep in mind three things.

I. Evaluate your activities

In Colossians 4:5, Paul encourages his readers to “make the most of every opportunity.” We need to evaluate our activities and determine which are the best ones, the ones we need to focus on. Others may be good and valuable, but maybe they don’t promote “making the most of every opportunity” the Lord has for us. Determine which of our activities need to be put aside so we can concentrate on exactly what the Lord has for us to do.

Paul again encourages his readers in Ephesians 5:15–16: So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! (The Message) We are to be careful how we walk, being wise, redeeming the time (Psalm 90:12), or making the most of the twenty-four hours God has given us. God knew what He was doing when He made twenty-four hours in a day. And He made our bodies to need proper nourishment, exercise, and rest. Are we truly making the most of every minute the Lord has allowed us?

Identify the time-wasters in each day. What can be eliminated in order to accomplish the goals God has given us?

II. Prioritize activities

After evaluating our activities, then we must prayerfully decide what our priorities are. When we know what our priorities are, then we can determine where our activities fit and the importance to place on each one, the amount of time we need to spend on each goal.

Paul tackles prioritizing in Ephesians 5 and 6.

5:18–21 — First priority is a right relationship God. Like Martha in Luke 10, we need to learn the one thing that is needful. Mary had chosen the best thing, sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning to know her Savior. I’ve found that the more time I spend seeking God and growing in my relationship with Him, the more time I have to accomplish the tasks He has given me to do.

5:22–6:4 - Second priority is our families. This includes husband, parents, and children, as well as all the activities that go along with them. I also include my own personal well-being in that, since if I am not exercising, eating right, and getting sufficient rest, I eventually let my family down.

6:5–9 — Third priority is work. This means various things to us depending on our situation in life. For me, it means editing, writing, speaking, and conference work. Learning to juggle these is an ongoing process.

III. Budget activities

We have our goals after prioritizing our activities. We have identified the time-wasters. Now it’s time to budget the time to accomplish the goals and get to work doing what needs to be done.

“Hard work always pays off; mere talk puts no bread on the table” (Proverbs 14:23 The Message). I am guilty of talking about all the things I’m going to do, but then not applying myself to get them done. So this is when I must determine what I’m going to do about the time-wasters in my life.

This isn’t accomplished overnight. Take it in small increments and work on changing one thing at a time. Take time to plan your day after prayer and quietly listening for God’s leading.

Start with a monthly calendar and block out required activities (job, school, commuting, shopping, etc.). Determine one high-priority item that needs more time budgeted for it. Then decide what activity or activities need to be cut back in order to accomplish the high-priority one.

Don’t make too many major changes at once, or you will get bogged down. Take it a step at time. Once you’ve succeeded with one goal, move on to another high-priority item and concentrate on that.

Remember to allow some uncommitted time each week to allow for unexpected demands. Plan for interruptions and changes in plans. They will happen no matter how well we plan. Be flexible!!

Take time each day to plan for the next day; take time each week to plan for the next week; take time each month to plan for the next month. I like to take time on or around my birthday to look back on the past year to see if I’ve accomplished the goals I had and then to determine new goals or reestablish the same goals for the next year. Of course, it helps that my birthday is on New Year’s Eve. J

Finally, determine to stick to it, even if you fail. Get back up and start over. Don’t give up. That’s what being faithful means. Perfection is not in the definition. Put aside any perfectionistic tendencies you may have.

“In all labor there is profit.” I hope one day to hear my Savior say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” I want to be able to say as Christ and Paul said, “I have finished the course. I have done all that the Father asked me to do.”