Triumph in the Midst of Failure

I didn't make the Genesis Contest semi-finals.  And when I received the judges' feedback on my submission, well . . . lets just say that it was a tough pill to swallow.  But you know, sometimes we need to swallow those horse pills and face our weaknesses for what they are.  How else are we going to improve?  I did learn something from the experience -- well, actually a couple of things. This is the one I keep banging my head on the wall about: never split a long manuscript into two separate books, and think you can bring out two separate plots without a lot of re-writing. Yeah. Stupid. And the sad part is, I knew better. Why did I do it? Because I fell in love with some of the scenes I wrote (okay, most of them) and refused to get out the scythe. Learn from my example. Don't fall in love with your writing. Think the banter between hero and heroine is pretty clever? There's more where that came from. :-)

In celebration of losing the Genesis Contest, I went out and bought a couple of books on the writing craft. Can I recommend one?  Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson.  The kindle version $2.99. It's short and sweet (you can read it in a few hours), and full of helpful exercises. If your weakness is "telling" vs "showing", then this is the little handbook you need. What's that? You thought the book was about deep POV? That's just it -- by learning deep POV, you will automatically show instead of tell.

In a nutshell: "she saw", "she heard", "she thought", "she dreaded" "she feared" -- get rid of it and describe what she's hearing, seeing, or feeling.  Drop the prepositionary "telling", such as "in amusement", "with relief" and show her physical reaction and thoughts accompanying the relief and amusement.

To demonstrate what I've learned and give you a live example, I'll re-write a scene I'm cutting from TBOB (sniff), and then I'll show the old shallow POV, putting the "telling" phrases in red italics. (I probably missed some, but you get the idea :-)

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Pearl sucked in her breath. Was he for real? "What relationship, Trey?" A volcano shook and rumbled inside her, promising words she would regret. "What relationship? There is no relationship!" She pointed her finger at him. "There's you, and then there's me. You know, you are unbelievable!" She whirled and marched back to the hatch. His injured leg wouldn't allow him to follow her down to the rower's deck. She could get away from him there.

"I'm sorry, Pearl! I didn't mean to say it that way. Pearl, wait. I'm not finished."

She descended the ladder and leaned back against the curving hull wall. The darkness, the rhythmic swoosh of water, and the creak of the oars were a soothing balm to her aching heart. Maybe she would stay down here the rest of the journey to Rome.

Tap, step. Tap, step. Tap, step.

No! Trey was coming down the ladder. She was trapped. Closing her eyes, she groaned. "Save your leg and leave me alone!" He continued down, and his long, careful pauses and grunts made her flinch. "Stop! Please!" Her voice shook. "Don't! If you're that desperate to talk, I'll come back up."

Another long pause, then he started back up the ladder.

Pearl watched him climb, on pins and needles. He could fall at any moment. Why did he have to be so infuriatingly stubborn? Her eyes grasped every rung with him, took every step. Should she climb up underneath him in case he needed help? But how could she help him? He had to be a hundred pounds heavier. Finally, he stood on the upper deck. She released her breath and unclenched her fists.

He had better have something good to say. She attacked the ladder, ignoring his extended hand as she stepped onto the deck. "Are you out of your mind?"

His blue eyes flickered in the moonlight, holding hers with raw emotion. "The pain in my leg is nothing compared to the pain I suffered believing I would never see you again. Nothing is going to keep me from you, Pearl. Not my leg. Not your temper. Nothing."

The volcano inside her erupted, spewing sobs and tears she had no control over. She turned her back to him. So much for appearing cool and composed. She should give in and hug him like she'd wanted to do for weeks. What was stopping her? Pride?

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Pearl sucked in her breath. Of all the…! "What relationship, Trey? What relationship? There is no relationship! There's you, and then there's me! I can't believe you!" She turned and walked briskly back toward the hatch. He wouldn't follow her down to the rower's deck. She could get away from him there.

Tap. Step. Tap. Step. Tap. Step. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to . . . say it that way! Pearl, wait! I'm not finished talking to you!"

She ignored him and descended the ladder, but couldn't bring herself to find a bench and sit down. She stood against the hull wall, finding the darkness, the rhythmic swoosh of water and creak of the oars comforting.

Trey was coming down the ladder. She groaned in frustration, feeling like a trapped animal. "Save your leg and leave me alone!" She yelled up at him. He stubbornly continued down the ladder, his long, careful pauses on the rungs torturing her. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop, please! Don't come down here! If you are that desperate to finish our conversation, I'll come back up!"

Trey started back up the ladder.

Pearl watched him on pins and needles, feeling every rung he grasped and stepped onto. After several agonizing minutes, he was back on the upper deck. Furious, Pearl ascended the ladder and ignored his extended hand as she stepped back onto the deck. "Are you out of your mind?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"The pain in my leg isn't worth comparing to the pain I experienced believing that I would never see you again. Nothing is going to keep me away from you, Pearl. Not my leg. Not your temper. Nothing."

Pearl tried in vain to control her sobs. She turned her back to him, embarrassed and angry to be falling apart in front of him after working so hard to keep her composure, and longing just to give in and hug him, like she'd wanted to do for weeks.

Reedeming Love: Book Review & Giveaway

Warning: this book may impact your understanding of God's love for you.

Redeeming Love is a beautiful story, based on the book of Hosea in the Bible. It is not an exact re-telling, and I was glad, thinking, if Angel ends up having kids by other men the way Gomer did, I'm not going to like this book. So never fear. I wasn't disappointed, and I don't think you'll be either.

Angel has lived through hell.  Her life is marked by rejection and hardship.  At age eight, her mother dies. She is sold to a child molester, and then eventually into prostitution.  As a teenager, she escapes and travels west to California, hoping for a new start.  But she doesn't have any useful skills, and so she turns back to prostitution, having no other way to survive.  She doesn't know love, and she doesn't believe in God.  All she knows is that she should have never been born.

Michael Hosea is a man of God who yearns for a wife.  He is excited when God points Angel out to him as the one, and dismayed to learn that she is a prostitute.  Still, he marries her, and day by day he courageously pursues her cold, dead heart, believing that one day she will fall in love with him and become the wife he longs for.

There are people who thought this book a little too risque for their tastes. I thought Rivers did a fantastic job of keeping it clean, especially considering that it is about a prostitute who has endured unspeakable horrors. There are places when she and Michael are being intimate "on scene", but nothing is described or detailed. Rivers only gives insight into their emotions and conversation.

Though the prologue is long, it did help me understand where Angel was coming from. If Rivers had introduced me to Angel when she was an embittered prostitute and offered her back story in little bits and pieces, I might not have been sympathetic toward her.

The characters were beautifully crafted, but I will say that Michael seemed a little too good to be human in places.  I did appreciate his temper and doubts, but he was on speaking terms with a certain character way too fast in my opinion.  I did not like Paul at all.  I didn't even feel sorry for him for losing his wife.  I would have been happy if he had remained a miserable lonely man for the rest of his life. (Yes, I disliked him that much.)  And here's where Rivers' talent comes in: she took Paul, a character I wanted to spit at, and had me forgiving him in the last few chapters.  Wow.  I want to write like Francine Rivers when I grow up.

What is it about Francine Rivers' books? She doesn't get fancy with her words or sentences. Her stories aren't packed with adventure or humor. But there's something about them. There's something that draws you into the story and holds you there until the end. Maybe its the unique characters and their life-like emotions and struggles. Or Rivers' honest heart spilling onto every page. Perhaps its the powerful message of redemption and grace, so naturally woven through the plot. Pick up one of Rivers' books. You'll see what I mean. And like me, you'll probably add her to your list of favorite authors to watch.

I've learned that I'm not the only one who hasn't read Redeeming Love, so instead of hording this wonderful book on my shelves, I'm going to give it away.  Yep, my first giveaway, and I'm excited.  I'm not sure how my book blogging friends draw names, so I'm going to do it the old-fashioned way: I'm going to write the names down on a slip of paper and throw it in a hat.  (Yes, you may go ahead and laugh.)

To qualify for my giveaway:
1) You have never read Redeeming Love
2) Leave a comment below, and make sure you include your email address so I can contact you if you win.  If you feel like answering a question, I'd love to know what would inspire you pick up a book by a new or unfamiliar author.
3) You must have a US mailing address.


I'll announce the winner next Tuesday, April 16th, in my new blog post.

The Real Goal

When I began to actively pursue a writing career, I started taking a serious look at my motives.  Was I writing for my own glory?  Was my goal to show the world what I could do and bask in the praises and compliments of my readers?  Was it simply to publish the story I had worked on for years so I wouldn't feel like I'd wasted my time?

Of course my answer was no.  I long to make a difference in this world for Christ.  I want to write stories that will draw people into a closer relationship with Him.  But how can I know for sure that I'm being honest with myself -- answering from my heart and not from my mind?  My books aren't published yet.

As I pondered these questions, God dropped something in my spirit that I will never forget.

Prove your desire to minister by doing it.  You have the opportunity to impact lives for My sake right now.

I knew His challenge went further than a blog, although that was definately part of it.  He was coaxing me out of my comfort zone, and drawing my attention to the opportunities He gave me everyday.  Everyday, I have the opportunity to bless and show kindness to rude people on the highway and in the store.  Everyday I have the opportunity to show God's love to hurting and lonely people.  How is my desire to touch lives through my stories any different than loving people in person?  After all, story-telling is just a tool.

Though I do drop the ball a lot, this new perspective on "the goal" is changing my life.  Every time I leave my house or get on the Internet to network, I try to recognize and seize opportunities for ministry.

A trip to the grocery store never fails to provide me with the most interesting opportunities.  Just the other day, a woman drove her cart in front of mine and said, "I was here first!"  Her glare dared me to challenge her.  I didn't.  I gulped back my shock, smiled and said "okay".  A "Jesus loves you" would have been in order, but I didn't think about it at the time.  Hey, I'm a work in progress. :-)

What kind of opportunities do you have?  Any interesting stories?