What's To Be Admired?

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.

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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.

Dying to Live

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)

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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.

Memories To Be Thankful For

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.

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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.

The Good Humor Woman

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.

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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.

Surrender Your Time

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.

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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.

To Conference We Will Go

I recently celebrated my first anniversary as a member of ACFW. During my first year I was privileged to go to my first conference, the ACFW National Conference in Denver last September.

As a new writer, I went with the desire to learn and experience as much as I could. To accomplish this, I volunteered to be a part of the choir, picked up people at the airport and helped at the registration desk, where my first “experience” took place. Does anyone else think they would fail to recognize Chip MacGregor because he didn’t look like the picture on his blog? Not to mention by trying to follow the rules, I almost refused a request from our president (again because I didn’t recognize her) when she told me it was okay to break the rules for something. They were probably glad when my stint at the registration desk was over. I had better luck picking up people at the airport since I had prepared signs with their name and ACFW on them. I even did okay in the choir although I could have used a little more practice time before the conference.

I must say that one of the things I loved most was meeting fellow writers. It was fun to sit down next to someone and start asking them where they were from and what they were writing, etc. Everyone had a unique story to tell. I think I met more people from Colorado than anywhere else and they were all writers that I hadn’t met at any of the local chapter meetings.

If you struggle with the cost vs. benefit of going to a conference, I encourage you to try it at least once. Yes, there are ways to get the workshops on tape and save on the other expenses of going, but there is something about meeting others who share your calling. It’s an opportunity for you to share in the successes of others as well as their disappointments. It’s a way to connect with the outside world and see that you aren’t alone in your dreams and fears. Those are some of the benefits. So how do you manage the cost? There are ways to cut the costs. Find someone to room with. Find a conference closer to where you live. Forgo your Starbucks (insert weekly/daily) habit and put that money towards a future conference. Hold a garage sale. Look for a one-day conference if a multi-day is out of reach at this season of your life. Look for conferences that a local chapter is hosting.

This week is CCWC in Estes Park. You can go for a day or more. Next month there are a couple of opportunities; one at Glen Eyrie and one with The Masters Seminars with Susan May Warren and Chip MacGregor. Those are just the ones in Colorado coming up. If these are out of reach, start planning for next year. You too can have a conference “experience”. And it doesn’t have to come from volunteering although that is a good way to force yourself to participate and not sit in a corner soaking it in.

I’d love to hear one of your memorable conference experiences. To conference we will go!

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Elaine Clampitt is serving as Secretary/Treasurer of Mile High Scribes, the ACFW South Denver chapter which meets at the Barnes & Noble in Lone Tree on the first Monday of each month. Come hear Jeff Gerke speak on Trends in Publishing on June 7th. Visit www.MileHighScribes.blogspot.com for more information.

Eternity In Our Hearts

I remember walking with a friend to junior high school and asking her, “Is this all there is? We get up, go to school, go home, sleep and do it all over again. Is this all there is to life?” Years later I would be reminded of that moment when I heard the song by Steven Curtis Chapman, “More to This Life”. I grew up going to a church where I didn’t clearly hear the message of the Gospel and yet, the Holy Spirit was nudging my heart and awakening me to the truth that there was more to this life.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “...He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Amplified)

At last week’s Mile High Scribes meeting, Denise Holmes spoke on “The Moral Premise” based on the book of the same name by Stanley Williams. She shared how if a story doesn’t connect emotionally with the audience (reader), it is unsatisfying. Based on the above scripture, we can reason that without “eternity” in our stories, they also will be unsatisfying.

What do we mean by “eternity” or something “eternal”? As Christian writers this sparks many a debate as to whether we should write stories with scripture verses and a clear message of the Gospel or if we can have the messages of unconditional love, redemption and forgiveness without specifically getting into the person of Christ.

I believe the answer is found in what God has called you to write. For a book to resonate with believers and unbelievers, the common thread is the truth that God has planted eternity in our hearts. Whether we have reached the point in our lives where we recognize that “only God can satisfy” that vacuum or if we are still seeking to fill that gnawing hole with material things, other relationships or power. This is the “spiritual thread” that can be in our characters no matter who we are writing for.

I encourage you first of all to be sure that you understand personally what it means to have God satisfy the eternity in your heart. This is something that is more than a single decision, but as others have shared this month, an ongoing commitment to spending time with our Creator. He can fill the deepest longings of our heart and equip us to better understand how to convey that to our audience.

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Elaine Clampitt is Secretary/Treasurer of Mile High Scribes, the ACFW South Denver Chapter. After homeschooling her 4 children, serving as Treasurer of a private high school, and owning her own company for 10 years, Elaine is now enjoying the "empty-nest" season of her life by pursuing her passion for writing and ice hockey. She is excited that the Colorado Avalanche made the play-offs this year.

Elaine will be speaking at next month's Mile High Scribes meeting on "Embrace the Vision." For more information see www.milehighscribes.blogspot.com. You can learn more about women in the world of ice hockey at www.thewomenof hockey.com.

The Queen of Self-Editing

Have you ever spent an hour rewriting your first paragraph or even just your first sentence? I can’t claim the first sentence part, but I have certainly spent more time than I care to admit rewriting a paragraph. The result - a perfect paragraph, maybe? Not much to show for all the time spent. Who knew I had such perfectionist tendencies?

I think I might still be on this unproductive path if I hadn’t participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) last November. With the goal being 50,000 words in one month, I couldn’t afford to spend my time spinning my wheels in one place.

As the ladies before me have shared, editing and revising primarily belong after you’ve finished your first draft. That doesn’t mean that you absolutely, positively can’t edit or revise until then, but you need to know if you belong to the Queen of Self-Editing camp or the Perfectionists Only camp.

Campers need to be aware of the pitfalls of membership.

• Do you find yourself pausing with your fingers over the keyboard after every sentence and savoring the sound and flow of your words?
• If they don’t have just the right elusive something, do you go back and change them, again...and again...and again? And maybe...again?
• When you continue on and get to the next page, do you find yourself going back to reread the page before just to see if it needs improvement?

If you have any of the above signs, consider yourself a member. What is the cure? Since NaNoWriMo isn’t until November, the remedy will have to come elsewhere. Perhaps you can set a word count goal that will push you hard enough that there won’t be time to indulge in self-editing. Or you can ask other writers at your local ACFW chapter how they have overcome this malady.

As for me, I am still looking for a permanent cure. In the meantime, I will burn my membership cards and procrastinate as usual. This also cuts down on my self-editing time.

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Elaine Clampitt is serving as the Secretary/Treasurer for Mile High Scribes, the South Denver ACFW chapter. Elaine has 4 grown children. When she isn't busy self-editing or caring for her new puppy, she is working on her novel that is set in the world of professional ice hockey. To read profiles of women who participated in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic games, go to The Women of Hockey.com.

The Romance of Dialogue

I have a confession to make. I am not a die-hard romance reader. I mean I read romance, but I’d prefer to have a little romance with my action or adventure. So...what can I possibly have to offer about this month’s theme “romantic elements”?

I think I might have spoiled it for myself by reading too many romances where the dialogue was, shall we say, out of character. If you have a character who says “Delphinia, my love, plant your luscious lips on mine,” then that had better be something that I can believe the hero would say. If you have a silent, strong, hero who all of a sudden waxes poetic at just the right moment, I’m not going to believe it unless you have shown me how he's changed or he has a really good reason for acting/speaking out of character.

In the movie “Chasing Liberty”, I love the subplot that involves the two Secret Service agents, Alan Weiss and Cynthia Morales. Through dialogue the writers capture a relationship that develops into a believable romantic one. Following is some dialogue from the beginning of the movie where Weiss is hitting on Morales (again).

Weiss - You get jet lag, Morales?

Morales - No.

Weiss - Really? I get it awful.

Morales - I take herbs.

Weiss - Herbs?

Morales - Yep.

Weiss - Really? Why?

Morales - They help reset your clock.

Weiss - I'd like to reset your clock. I'm just saying.

The main plot of the movie is about the President’s daughter who thinks she has gotten away from her security detail while traveling in Europe. The agents are supposed to be tailing her and an undercover agent. A scene where they are looking for her in Venice brings this conversation. Picking up in the middle of a scene:

Weiss - Let's just say that women stopped beating down my door......about the same time the bangs stopped covering the receding hairline.

Morales - Stop overcompensating. You're a good-Iooking...You look fine. Some girls like a bald head.

Weiss - I'm not bald yet.

Morales - I'm just saying. You should embrace it. Maybe you could cut it really short. Some girls like that. They think it's sexy.

You can see by her responses that her attitude is changing. You can see the subtle change in their relationship. We find out later that he does cut his hair.

A little later on we have this bit of dialogue which occurs after he had been giving her the silent treatment for some earlier comments about his pickup lines. He’s trying to get her to enjoy Venice instead of just doggedly focusing on finding Anna.

Weiss - I'm not leaving this spot till you take a moment to appreciate this. You know, it's not enough just to be a beauty, Morales. You have to be able to appreciate beauty too.

Near the end they finally acknowledge the change in their relationship.

Weiss - Something about a college campus. Isn't there, Morales? You know?

Morales - What do you mean?

Weiss - I mean, you know, the falling leaves...the promise of youth, the smell of curricula. I'm thinking we probably gotta get new partners.

Morales - I'm thinking I'm okay with that.

Weiss - Yeah? That so?

Morales - Yeah.

Weiss - As long as your partner's an old fat guy.

Morales - I love old fat guys.

Now, this might not be your idea of romantic dialogue, but to me it’s a good example of how dialogue can reveal the romance while staying true to the character. Romantic dialogue doesn’t have to be flowery or have certain words or phrases. To me the romance in dialogue is that a character reveals himself to the other in some way. They let themselves become vulnerable by being open and letting their guard down. And that can even happen in an action/adventure/thriller with a little romance on the side. Whatever genre you write, let your characters reveal themselves to each other through dialogue and see if this takes the romance to a whole new level.

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Elaine Clampitt is serving as Secretary/Treasurer for the new South Denver ACFW Chapter, Mile High Scribes. With three of her four adult children currently in college out of state, she recently added a new puppy to her "empty nest". She credits her Canadian blood and daughter's high school hockey career with her passion for ice hockey. Elaine is launching a new web site this week dedicated to profiling the inspiring stories of women in the world of ice hockey. Visit www.thewomenofhockey.com for articles with two on-ice Olympic officials and three members of the Team USA Olympic hockey team. In between interviewing these fascinating women, she is working on a series set in the world of professional ice hockey.