It's Mine

Book Ownership Laws for Husbands/Partners of Avid Writers/Readers

1. If I am reading it, it's mine.
2. If I had it a little while ago, but put it down, it's mine.
3. Even if I put it down on your desk/favorite chair/lap, it is still mine.
4. If it's mine, it must never in anyway appear to be yours.
5. If I burnt dinner, forgot to pick up the kids from school and neglected the washing for a week, the book was mine.

6. If you're reading it, and I think it looks better than what I am reading, it's mine.
7. If you're reading it and I haven't read it, it's clearly mine.


8. If I bought the book with my money, it's mine.
9. If I bought it with your money, it's mine.
10. If I bought the book with our money, it's all mine mine mine.

11. If we have an extra $20 in the budget and I get to the money first, the new book is mine.
12. There will never be an extra $20 in the budget, because the book is mine.
13. If you get the the money first and foolishly waste it at the hardware store, I will return your purchase and invest wisely. You guessed it. The book is mine.

14. If I bought it and haven't read it, it is still mine.

15. If I bought thirty and haven't read them yet, I will be buying more, and they too will be mine.

16. If it is on my wish list, it is as good as mine.
17. If I asked for it for my birthday, it had better be mine.
18. If it's on your birthday list, it had better be about football, or it's mine.


19. If it's torn, moldy, boring or otherwise defective, it's yours.
.... I'll be buying another one, and that will be mine :)

What about you? Got any great rules for book ownership in your house?

The Burn Within

How do  you know?

How do you know when you have found the 'stuff' you want to write about? I have been asking myself that question a lot lately. I don't necessarily mean the genre, but I guess that could be apart of it. I guess I want to know what it is that tells you that you have hit on a story that is incredibly important.  Because lately, I have this burn... 

Inside I have this massive feeling of an ache so deep it simply has no words yet. My eyes feel heavy with tears that have no known cause and I find myself praying things like, 'Lord burn my heart with the stories that burn your heart, because I want to write what matters to You."

The Words

I was speaking with a woman last night about the space that I pull my writing from. It is a place of both vulnerability and strength, a place of not knowing, but needing to see. There is no internal editor present when I write from that place, there are no harsh voices telling me to turn around. It is a place that quivers and groans within. In my mind I get the tail of an image and when I pull, feelings follow and  intensify into words and grow on the pages as I write.  I can't escape from that kind of writing. I have tried. I can ignore it for a time, but eventually I find myself sitting down to let the stuff within pour out. 

Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with me. Surely not all writing is this organic? Maybe I am doing this 'writing thing' all wrong? But then I feel that burn...

I find the more I care for myself, the more I can open my heart up to hear the pain in this world and the more I want to write about it. 

I used to hate non-fiction works.  But then I went and wrote an memoir! And you know 'they' say that you should read at least something in the area you write. But until now it has been too much for me. Almost as if other people's hurts and joys flooded my soul and left me gasping for space to breath. Now I find I have some space. This place deep within that I pull words from that is now hungry to hear what other's have said in their writing.

That burn within seems ready not just to write, but to read, in a way I couldn't before. 

The Books

I have in my hot little hands two amazing books that I have picked up in the last two days. 

Still Alice by  Lisa Genova who asks the question, 'What if you were to lose every memory you every had?' The novel is based on the true story of 'Alice' a 50 year old professor and her war against the rapid and aggressive early onset of Alzheimer's disease.  

The other is a book closer to my heart. 

Today I'm Alice by Alice Jamieson is a raw and gripping memoir the shattered memories of her past abuse and the missing hours of her life that she can't account for. She describes her raging against the voices in her head that become full blown personalities and then at twenty- four she is finally diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder.

I am half way through both of these books, not able to set either one aside to finish the other first. No doubt I will have them both read by this Friday. I'm Still Alice will be  my Friday non-Fiction pick, so I'll post more then.

Until then, I wanted to encourage all the writers out there some of who are now reading my blog ( I am humbled) to keep writing what matters to you. Because ultimately I think these stories a place on our hearts for a reason. 

Your Words and Books?

So writers, what burns within? Do you ever find yourself writing stories you know you can't keep locked away?  And readers, ever find words that seep into your soul from the books you have read? Words that won't let go?

 

Odd Spaces for Reading and Writing?

Random thought: 

Where do you write? If you don't write, where do you read?

READING: 

I was thinking about the two years I lived in Hong Kong working as a teacher. I had a 30 min train trip to and from school everyday and used the time to consume a number of novels. More than once I missed my stop because I was paying absolutely no attention to the stations flying past. More than once I missed my stop AND had no extra money to buy a return ticket to the stop I should have exited at. I discovered I knew enough Cantonese and sign language to bum money off perfect strangers. I thank you random Chinese strangers. 

 

I also managed to miss getting off the lift in my apartment building because I was reading. I traveled all the way to the 39th floor and right back down to the ground again, barely noticing others getting on and off. I got some strange looks from the door man in the basement. But I was used to that. He was my favourite person to practise my Cantonese on.

We did a heap of flying in and out of HK that year, I wasn't a massive fan of Hong Kong, it had about 7 million people too many. But I now look back on all those flights and wish I had the same amount of uninterrupted reading time. Cathay Pacific probably still have a number of my books. I never could remember to take them with me when we landed. 

When we later moved to Denver I no longer had train trips or so many flights; flying out of the US proved a bit more expensive. But I did have snow storms and tornadoes. Coming back over the Rockies late one evening at the end of a ski weekend, my husband and I were stuck in the kind of traffic that makes you wonder if you are ever, ever going to see the car move again. A snow storm was forecast and every man and his skis were trying to make it back into Denver before they closed the Eisenhower Tunnel. Yep, plenty of time for reading. That little trip took eight hours!

The school I taught at in Denver was once placed in locked down due to a tornado that had touched down some miles from us, but looked to be heading in our direction. Thank God it never did head in our direction. Those things can be heard miles away... anyway, myself, my teaching partner and the 45 kids we taught were huddled under desks (God only knows what good they think desks are going to be if a tornado hits!) and needless to say, we were all quite anxious. I could reach the class book rack from where I was huddled and began reading. It seemed to calm everyone's nerves, not to mention mine. I thought Denver was far removed from tornado valley, but apparently they get there far share. I read through a pile of books in the two hours we were stuck in that room. When we were all allowed to come out and the threat of being blown away had passed, the kids turned to me and said, "Can we do that again, Mrs. Bird?"  

Yeah... Nah!

My life's not quite so exciting anymore... but I have read a number of picture books to my toddler from the floor of the bathroom while trying to encourage him to stay put on the loo and go potty. Mmmm... how things have changed. 

WRITING:

Now that I write I have been known to curl up with my laptop just about anywhere comfy. The couch (although, when the toddler thought he have a play on my computer I quickly abandoned that idea), my bed and the backyard are some of my favourite spaces for writing. Occasionally, I take a note book and pen (remember those?) and actually make marks on a page (shock!)- then I have freedom to move around a bit more without fear of destroying the computer. I have written on trains, by the beach, in the park, in the car waiting for school to get out. But really no place is safe. Like most writers I stuff paper and pens in lots of places, so I can get those begging, pleading nagging thoughts down on paper and move on with life. The trick is to not let those scribblings go through the wash. Not so readable after that happens!

This got me thinking about the spaces writers use to craft their words and the places readers go to read them. The Guardian did a whole profile on writer's rooms.  I know, I know I should be writing not wasting time,  but I found this site and the photos fascinating. But then people's lives fascinate me. 

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

So, I was wondering , where are some of the more unusual places you have read or written? 

Author Interview-K.M.Weiland

PART 1- Interview with K.M.Weiland Author of 'A Man Called Outlaw' 

As promised, here is my first author interview. K.M.Weiland both inspired me and made me laugh out loud with her candid answers on all things literary. In her own words she 'suffers the passion' that is writing. Join me for part 1 of this interview as she discusses this passion and her journey into the world of words. In part 2 (next Monday) she talks specifically about her book A Man Called Outlaw and those moments where writers are tempted to doubt themselves, the characters, the plot and the entire desire to write. (So, it's NOT just me!)

You say on your website that, ‘Writing is both a gift and an art…as an art it must be approached with passion and discipline: a gift that is never developed wasn’t worth giving.” When would you say that you recognized you had been given the gift of writing?

I’ve always made up stories. In fact, my earliest memory is of myself in a tree house at a family reunion, making up a story about bad guys kidnapping everyone and how it was up to me to save them. I started writing my stories down and compiling them into a monthly newsletter when I was twelve. But I don’t think I ever really looked at my writing in the light of a gift until the last several years. When I suddenly found myself with a published book in my hands, which other people were presumably going to read, the responsibility of my words suddenly came home to me. I realized that God had given me a talent and that to squander it or treat it carelessly would not get me a “well-done-good-and-faithful-servant” pat on the back. I believe that God gives all of us a gift (or gifts). It’s our responsibility—and our privilege—to give it back to Him.

In what ways would you say that writing is a gift for you? How do you see your writing as being a gift to others?

Writing is a gift on so many levels. Every day, I get to sit down at my keyboard and travel to places and meet people I never would have the opportunity to experience in “real” life. I get to experience the world through the probing mindset of a writer, always asking questions, always aware of the details. For me, life is so much more vibrant when I write about it. Instead of just witnessing the magic moments in life and then watching them fly by, I can capture them. I can put them down in black and white, so that I’ll never lose them. And, then, of course, I get the added joy of sharing that captured moment with others. The written word—like all of art—is such a powerful medium. Art changes the world, and those of us who are privileged enough to be artists are given the opportunity to influence that change. Fiction is about connecting with people, about highlighting the shared experiences and, through that, growing into new experiences and looking into different mindsets. When my writing helps someone do any of those things, I count it a success.

What investments have you made in developing the gift of writing?

Time, mostly. I’m a die-hard believer in “studying to show yourself approved.” I read constantly, both fiction and nonfiction, gobbling down the words of others, and hopefully learning a thing or two through osmosis. Because art is such a personal thing, there really isn’t a pinnacle—a finish line—that can be reached in learning. It’s more of an evolutionary process. You can study all you like, but the real advancements take place while you’re actually writing and rewriting. And that takes time. To be any good at writing, it has to become a lifestyle. And that means that certain things—hobbies, casual relationships, vacations—sometimes have to be given up.

Before you were published who encouraged or inspired you to pursue writing?

Being in print doesn’t change the essential hunger, that need to spin stories and put words on paper. I’d write whether I was published or not. But my family and friends have always supported me, and I owe it to their encouragement that my first book eventually did find its way to print.

Have you ever faced any setbacks in reaching your goals as a writer?

I hit the same speed bumps as anybody: where you’re burned out, where everything you write for a period of time stinks, where you’re devastated by harsh criticism. But nothing I would really call a “setback."

What would you say your focus is now as a writer?

Every day, I want to sit down at my keyboard and have that quivery feeling in my stomach that whispers, “This story’s too hard! I should be writing something easier!” I want to write stories that are always just a little bit bigger than what I know I can handle. I want to experiment, try new things, write a different story every time. I want to grow as a writer with every word I write, and that means pushing myself a little farther than I want to go every time I put my hands on the keyboard.

What is it about writing that tells you that this is what you want to do with your life?

It’s not so much that I’ve chosen writing, as it is that writing has chosen me. It’s a compulsion of sorts. I can’t imagine not writing. It’s a crazy lifestyle really. So much of my life is lived on the page, instead of out loud, in the real world. I have to sacrifice certain things to feed the fire. But I wake up every morning with this incredible feeling of gratitude that I get to spend a good-sized chunk of my day doing what I love best. How many people get to say that?

If you weren’t writing what do you think you’d be doing?

I don’t know, weaving baskets in a mental hospital? Seriously, I think I’d probably go nuts if I couldn’t write, if I couldn’t express that part of me in some way. However, on the more practical side of the coin, I do enjoy graphic and web design. It pays the bills at any rate.

Favorite quote on writing?

“When the artist is truly the servant of the work, the work is better than the artist.”—Madeleine L’Engle

A HUGE thanks to Katie. Please join me next week for the conclusion of this interview. In the meantime, she writes an awesome blog that you can check out here or visit her website at www.kmweiland.com/

You can buy her book A Man Called Outlaw at www.amazon.com/        

I highly recommend that you do! 

Words Games for Parents

Hooking children on reading and writing. 

If you are reading this blog I probably don't have to convince you that words are pretty important little things. But children aren't born with this conviction. Chocolate before bedtime and needing a new toy at the shops: these are concepts they are born with an innate knowledge of. But the purpose of reading and writing is a vague concept to most kids. That's where we come in. It is up to parents, caregivers and teachers to make the point for literacy loud, clear and irrevocably poignant. Basically, without literacy skills we don't get on well in this world. Words are everywhere. Books are only one place your kids will encounter print, and thus only one means of exposing them to reading and writing. I used to doll out the following suggestions for encouraging literacy skills at parent- teacher interviews, but they are all yours now. Hope they are good food for thought.

Children under Five or Pre-Readers

• When reading... I'll start here soon as most people think of books when they think of words. Point to pictures. Make comments. Have a whale of a time. Babies get that this crazy thing we do with books called 'reading' is in fact a heap of fun. Later you can trace words with you finger. Even babies can see that when you say a word, you point to some funny marks on the page and it plants the first little seed in their minds that perhaps these pictures and text are actually linked. As children get older (two and up) start pointing out interesting marks near words (question marks, quotation marks, exclamation marks) there's no need to be overly 'teachy' about it, just point out the marks and see if your child wants to ask what they are. If they do, answer in a really simple way. For example,  "Oh, they are marks writers use to show someone is talking"- I use to call them 'talking marks'.
•  If a text repeats... play 'can you find this word' game on each page. 
• Have fun with book knowledge...Do crazy stuff like turn the book upside down or start reading from the back of the book. Your child should look at you like you have two heads and laugh and say, "No, Mummy, hold the book like this." Or, "No, Mummy, we start reading here." This is a great way to see what your child knows about text being read from left to right, how you hold books and where you start reading in a book. If they don't see any problem with reading a book backwards then you can say something like, "Oh silly Mummy. That's not the start of the book." Sadly I have seen many kids at the start of school not knowing how to hold a book or where to start reading. It's a dead give away that not much reading is going on at home. Some two year olds will be able to hold a book the right way up, but by three they should definitely know which way to hold a book and how to turn the pages. I have done silly stuff like pretending to read from the pictures. My son use to howl with laughter and say insightful things like, "No, Mummy, the pictures don't tell the words." And then he'd point to the words and say, "See, Mummy, here are the words." Great stuff for teaching about the point of words on a page and the difference between pictures and text. No, this is not immediately self-evident to children.
• Notice text...everywhere. When you are out and about try doing simple things like pointing out the words in familiar signs. Sadly, my son could read the words 'K-mart' and 'Target' before he was three. Hmmm...we might have gone shopping a few times! If you have boys, road signs and cars with text on them will be very intriguing. I never realised how many road signs  there were between home and Nan's until my son demanded I read them all to him all the time... thank goodness he got over that little habit.
• Mention that you are reading and writing... Saying things like, "Mummy can't park here because the sign says 'no parking,"or "Mummy's just writing a letter to Nan," or Mummy's making a shopping list, do you want to hold it in the supermarket?" All these comments build up a picture in your child's head that reading and writing are incredibly useful skills to have. Beware; you may find yourself doing a lot of 'reading' in public. My son used to make me read each item off the shopping list as we put it in the cart. And whoa to me if it wasn't on the list...
• Label stuff... Names on their bedroom doors, Lego labels on the Lego box, 'Jack's toys' on the toy box etc. I'm not suggesting you go writing on everything in the house, but some labels, especially their name, will help immensely with beginning word recognition and once again build the idea that reading and writing are useful skills. 

Children over Five or Readers

• Let the fun begin...when reading to them (you're still doing this, right?) start talking about meaning behind text. Just posing natural questions will do the trick. What do you think will happen next? Why do you think the pig did that? What would you do if you were (insert book charcters name)? These types of questions start to expose kids to the idea that books can and should be explored, thought about and questioned. Believe me, this is exactly the kind of skill your teacher is desperately trying to drum into them at school. Comprehension questions are boring, so don't make this a teaching type time, just have fun pulling apart plots and characters and making outrageous guesses about what you might do if you met a dragon or owned a magic hat etc.
• Involve your kids in the writing process. Writing thank you cards, addressing envelopes, making lists of things to buy or do, making wish lists for birthdays and Christmas, labelling their school books or belongings etc. Isaiah and I started this happy little game of writing each other a note before bedtime. We write it on the Magna Doodle beside his bed. He writes first and when I come to check on him before I go to bed I read his note and then write one back. He loves waking up in the morning to find out what I have written.
• Notice text and let them use it...by this I mean, you now have a little reader on your hands. Let them practise their skills in meaningful ways. Isaiah loves to do the self check out thing at the grocery store which involves reading the prompts. I also let him get certain grocery items and tell him to read the labels. When cooking I let him read the recipe, when trying to find a street, I ask him to help by reading the street signs. I involve him whenever I can in day to day reading and writing skills. After all daily life is where  I mostly use these skills.
• Play games with words whenever the mood strikes. A couple of Isaiah's favourite words games  are rhyming words, escpecailly nonsense rhyming words.( We have doctor Suess to thank for that!) I'll say 'goose', he'll say 'kfoose'. Silly, I know, but the skills of rhyming, word sounds, word families etc are never a waste of time. The other game he likes is 'find another word'. I'll say 'big', he'll say 'enormous', then I'll say 'huge' and he'll say 'massive'. The game goes until one of you can't think of another word that means the same as the original word. 'Half the sentence' is another crazy game we play. I start the sentence, he finishes it. My dog...has really huge blue legs. Or whatever other silliness you can think of. The point is to have fun and use words. Explore language and expose them to unfamiliar words while increasing their vocabs. I will admit I have increased my own vocab playing these games. Isaiah is getting very good at them and I can't just lose!
• Older kids might be interested in more meaningful discussions around text, especially where it concerns media and popular culture. The grade nines I used to teach wouldn't be caught dead with a book, but happily used their phones to text and sat on the net for hours. Older kids read, it just might not look like a book. If you stay connected to your kids you will find ways to stay involved with their worlds and thus encourage them as readers and writers. 

Have fun. Most important. Kids have inbuilt radars for 'work'. If that's what your 'games' become they won't be fun. Maybe none of these suggestions are for you. I simply encourage you to find ways to promote reading and writing outside of the classroom. Amazing things like 'fun', 'happy memories',  'building connections' and 'spending time together' will probably happen, if nothing else. What have you got to lose?

Goodnight Moon- Books Before Bedtime

It's that wonderful time of the evening. The stars are out, and your little ones are bathed, fed and almost tucked up in their beds. And in a perfect world, all that went off without a hitch! Your kids are now begging to be snuggled up and kissed goodnight, right? No?

Okay, mine neither. But, as both a teacher and mum,  I have a few suggestions about bedtime reading that might settle the troops and create some lasting memories of shared quiet time snuggled up with wonderful books. What could be nicer for children at the end of the day than your time and attention? I think most of us have discovered though, that such moments of stillness with our children cannot be forced. You can, however, provide the right setting, routine and an appropriate book. 

1. When do you read the bedtime story?

I have played around with this a bit over the years of raising my kids. I used to read to them before bath time, but found that having a good romp in the bath negates any effects of the soothing rhythms of my reading. Maybe that's also because their Daddy thinks bath time is a great time for uproarious laughter and seeing how wet the bathroom floor can get. ( You can tell who is in charge of bath time, hey) So I moved story time to immediately before bed. This works well with children older than one. But I did find that while I was still breastfeeding my youngest it was easier to let his nighttime feed be the the last event of the day (as it lulled him to sleep) and stories happened just before. It's up to you really, but I would suggest you chose a time as close as possible to bedtime and pick a moment that children have nothing else going on. In other words you are heading in the direction of bed and not merely filing in time in between the adds of their favourite show. I think routine really helps to establish this as a nightly event leading to sleep time. I also think it helps children to wind down and settle their bodies and minds at the end of the day.

2. Where do you snuggle?

I think where you read is just as important as when or even what you read. After all, you are not only wanting to focus your child's attention on the book, but you are wanting this to be a relaxing and quiet event. Needless to say then, (but I'll say it anyway), don't read in the kitchen, lounge room or any place that is super lit with overhead flood lights and plenty of other commotion going on. Personally I think bedrooms are perfect for nighttime stories. Pick a soft lamp light, a comfy chair or bed, gather the favourite cuddly toys and blankies and settle down to read. 

3. What do you read?

I would chose bedtime reading selectively. The latest story on some monster related theme (no matter how child friendly) will do nothing to promote a sense of security about being left alone in their rooms to sleep. Even some dinosaur books can leave little ones calling out long after their bedtime and mummy's and daddies crawling around under beds and opening cupboards to prove to their child that no creature from the book is actually living under there. Any story that your child loves is the right one to read, but if you want to add a quiet bedtime book at the end ,here are my suggestions.

• Kisses For Daddy by Frances Watts & David Legge
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Sleepy Bears by Mem Fox
• Time for Bed by Mem Fox
• How do Dinosaurs say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
• Mommy's Best Kisses by Margaret Anastas
• Sleepy-time Dance by Kathrine Grace Bond

For Older Children

As I have said on previous posts, keep reading to your kids as long as you are both happy for this to occur. Now that my eldest son has moved on past picture books we read one chapter of whatever book he is currently reading. I still focus on making this a quiet event, but we now spend a lot more time talking about the characters and how their stories related to our own. He asks plenty of questions, which often leads to chatter that winds down some interesting paths that have nothing whatsoever to do with the book we are reading. But I think that is the whole point. Books are a wonderful spring board for conversation and they often provide just the right sort of atmosphere for kids to ask questions they might otherwise shy away from. Life is plenty busy. I really milk this quiet reading time for all it's worth. There are precious few moments in the day for me to sit alone with my children without distractions and really focus on them and their thoughts and concerns. Bedtime reading is a wonderful distraction all of its own. I encourage you to indulge nightly and introduce your little ones to the art of stillness as you snuggle together to share the last event of their day before bed.

Tab's Fiction Pick: Snow Melts in Spring by Deborah Vogts

Adult Fiction: Debut author Deborah Vogts

The Book

I want to feature new authors on this blog for two reasons; Firstly, I hope to be a new author one day and thus I am all about supporting fellow writers and secondly, I like to expand my horizons both as a reader and a writer and see who's out there, what they're writing and what's getting published. 

Christian fiction is not usually I genre I read much of, but there is something quiet, still and powerful about author Deborah Vogts' writing. Her debut novel the 'Snow Melts in Spring' is the first of four books that will make up the 'Seasons of the Tallgrass' series. Zondervan Publishing has at the moment only bought the first three books, but Deborah is hopeful that the forth will also be accepted. 

The Setting

Although I don't think I could ever live in the country (not close enough to Myers) I love escaping into other people's worlds. This book is set in the Flint Hills of Kansas, USA. For us Aussies, that region of the world is largely awash with sweeping grasses of unspoilt beauty and unhindered country breezes (ah, can't you just feel it?). On her website www.deborahvogts.com   Deborah writes about her novel.

“When an aged horse is severely injured on a gravel road in the Flint Hills of Kansas, country veterinarian Mattie Evans accepts the challenge to save him. But she finds herself in the middle of a longstanding feud between the horse’s owner, pro quarterback Gil McCray, and his ailing father—who is also her dear friend.”

From what I have read (and I haven't finished it) the books seems like great winter reading snuggled up on the couch, preferably with the soft flicker from the embers of your fireplace and a glass of wine; it is a story about forgiveness and the courage to face the past and the choices we make to love.

Deborah says on her website;

"I wanted to write books I could share with my girls or my grandmother--books with true and pure romance in them--the kind that reaches deep into the heart and soul of a person and makes her smile the rest of the day. My prayer for all my books is that they minister to a reader's heart in whatever fashion God allows."

For Readers

The book has only just been released in the USA (June 09), so it probably won't hit Aussie book shelves for awhile. You can order it at amazon.com , christianbooks.com 

or from zondervan.com

For Writers

I thought you might find Deborah's list of top ten books on writing useful. They are on her website, but I thought I'd post her selection here too.

1.Stein on Writing, by Sol Stein

2.Plot & Structure, by James Scott Bell

3.Word Painting, by Rebecca McClanahan

4.Revision & Self-Editing, by James Scott Bell

5.Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass

6.Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by R. Brown & D. King

7.GMC - Goal, Motivation & Conflict, by Debra Dixon

8.Getting into Character, by Brandilyn Collins

9.The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. & E.B. White

10.The Complete Guide to Writing & Selling the Christian Novel, by Penelope J. Stokes

 

I thought it was also worth mentioning that Deborah was with an agent for a year but her book was not sold. She was finally released from that agent before she met her current agent (Rachelle Gardner) who subsequently sold the book to Zondervan. I can't imagine how hard that waiting must have been, or how it would feel to be released by an agent, but she hung in there believing that God had her future in His hands. Some time we writers wonder, will I ever be published? I don't have the answers to that one, but I am convinced that God has a good plan and that I just need to be still and let Him be who He is.

 

The Power of Words

Recently a special friend of mine, who has been going through a difficult time,  asked me to write her some words that she could pull out and read whenever she was feeling low. I felt humbled that I should get a chance to write something that could encourage this amazing woman, and it got me thinking about the power of our words.  I am in awe that as a writer I get to add to my words to my world. That I should get to write about something and be read and heard. That I  get the chance to have my words in print where others read what I have to say. 

I began thinking of the words that have impacted my life.  

"Will you marry me?"

"We're pregnant"

"It's a boy!"

"You've got the job"

"You're the best, Mummy."

"I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

"I love you."

The power of "No." The power of "Yes."

I think of words that uplift, encourage, empower, teach, question, inspire, motivate, inform, protect and restore. Words that create impressions, images and expectations. Words that build connections, influence our thinking and  determine our actions. I consider the link between words, thoughts, the choices we make and the lives we lead. 

Then I think of the words I cannot erase. The ones that can't be taken back. The words that burn. I think of words that are sobering, words that manipulate, conceal, chafe, control, smother, suppress, stifle, constrict, pummel, irritate, frustrate, tear down, wound, destroy, silence and even kill. I think of words that have hurt me as well as those that heal. I think of the words that dominate as well as those that free. 

"Words are, of course the most powerful drug used by mankind." Rudyard Kipling

And I consider this; in many ways words weave the threads of our lives. God Himself has much to say about the power of our words, the unbridled tongue and the life and death of what we speak.

Writers use words as the tools of our trade. But, don't we all? I wonder if we underestimate the privilege?

Words should come with warning labels and age restrictions, and for some people, dosage recommendations and over dose helpline numbers. Perhaps such labels should also state: never use under the influence of alcohol and possibly refrain from using while operating heavy machinery. 

Words; user be aware. They are powerful little vessels.