A Novel Idea

Thinking about writing an inspirational novel, but don't know where to begin? Here's help! Your favourite authors offer tips on brainstorming, approaching tough topics, crafting a story, and marketing a book; and explain what makes fiction "Christian." Contributors include Jerry Jenkins, Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, Randy Alcorn, Colleen Coble, Angela Hunt, and many others.

I found this book in a local Christian Bookshop a few years ago and bought it.  I have never regretted that purchase.  It is still one of my favourite books on writing, and the fact that it is focussed on Christian writing is just the icing on top.

The book covers more than just writing technique; there are chapters on getting yourself marketed, researching, how to use writing as a ministry, as well as many interesting stories and perspectives by Christian Writers. 

It was refreshing for me to find a book that gave good advice, and was in line with my beliefs.  (I really enjoyed the chapter on how to portray evil on Christian Writing, and how to deal with sex scenes.)

I have used sections of this for my Writing Group on occasion, and often dip in for advice on writing dialogue, or how to make the story hold together better.

It helps that much of the advice is from people who I hope to write like one day, or admire.  It is written from a Christian perspective, but can be read by anyone, regardless of their faith. 

Try it and see.  You might just like it.  I did.

Faith & Writing #9 – Big Write/Little Write

I love to write by hand.  I enjoy it because it feels good.  I enjoy it because it feels like I am writing, not just working.  I enjoy it because I can do it any time or place.

That last one is a biggie.  I write in an A5 notepad with a hardcover and ring spine, so I can flip it open and pen a few words whenever the notion takes me.  I write in queues, I write in traffic jams, I write in boring meetings, or just wherever I may be. 

This is what I call the “small write.”

It is a lot like prayer.  I don’t wait for a special time and place to pray.  Wherever I am, when the notion takes me, I shoot off a quick word to God.  I tell him how I am feeling, and ask him for help with something.  Or just say “Hi, it’s me.”

But I also like to write at set times.  Like for at least 30 minutes in the morning before I start the day.  It helps me to get the nights thoughts out of my head, and onto paper.  So I commit to an hour of writing in the morning.

This is what I call the “big write”.

I do the big write every day, regardless of whether I feel like it, or whether I have anything interesting to say.  I just write.  Because I need to make a habit of writing if I want to call myself a writer. 

The big write reminds me why I want to be a writer, and the small write reminds me that I am a writer.  I can’t live without both of them.

In the same way, I start each day with set prayer.  I pray at set times, like lunch, or at night, as well.  Even if I don’t feel like praying, or don’t feel like I have anything to say.  I pray, to remind myself that I am a Christian.

The set prayers help me to want to pray throughout the day, because it starts the day right, and keeps me focused on who I am.

“Small prayer” makes my life a Life of Prayer. 
“Big prayer” makes me want a life of prayer.

NaNoWriMo 2010

Less than a month ago, I started writing NaNoWriMo with the insane idea of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. 

It was insane.
 
It was impossible. 

It was fun!

 

 

Of course, because I am never one to do things by half measures, I also decided to sign-up again as a Municipal Liaison.  Which means that I was responsible for the Port Elizabeth region.  Well, let me just say that that has been a blast. 

Writing with some of the most awesome people I ever met, these guys have done me proud at every turn.

And what happened?

Does that answer your question?

I hit 50,000 words today, but my novel is nowhere near finished.  I am planning to try and fit in about another 2000 – 3000 words before Tuesday night.  As always, it has been a real learning experience. 

So thank you to my loyal reader(s?) for following me on this journey, and normal blogging will resume shortly, once I figure out what normal means.

Hello and Goodbye

I apologise if I have been a little scarce of late.  I have been frantically preparing myself for my insane NaNoWriMo project.  For those of you who don’t know, I take part in National Novel Writing Month every year.  During November, I try to write 50,000 words in 30 days.

Is it insane?

Of course. 

This year we have an estimated 200,000 writers worldwide taking part.  Why don’t you join us, and make it 200,001?

I will probably be quite scarce for the next few weeks, I may pop in and look around, but I doubt I will have time to comment on your blogs.  I will try and do a few blog posts as well, but probably not going to be too many happening.

To learn more about my madness, go visit my page or my writing blog.  I write under the name of David Seven. 

Ready Writers

As you may have gathered by now, I consider myself something of a writer.  I maintain a separate blog for my writing persona, David Seven. 

In fact, one of the regular series on this blog, and the other is one called Faith and Writing, wherein I explore the connection between my faith, and my writing.  For a more complete explanation of why I consider my faith to be tied-up with my writing, might I suggest this post.

Well, about a year ago I was attending a quite day, and doing some meditation on Psalm 45, when I came across verse 1.

My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

And that verse kind of stopped me. Am I being a ready writer?  I know in the context it is referring to reciting verses of praise, but it got me thinking about how I use my pen.

Am I a ready writer?  Am I ready to use my pen to praise my King?

So I decided to register a new blog, called Ready Writer.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it yet, but I decided to register it anyway. 

Except that I couldn’t.  The name was already taken. (By someone who isn’t even using it!!)  Then, while fiddling with other names, I found that Ready Writers was not taken yet.  So I registered that as a blog. 

And then I realised why I was supposed to set up a different blog; because it wasn’t going to be just mine.  I see it as a blog of some sort with many ready writers using their pens to glorify their King.

But I don’t know exactly how it is going to work. 
Am I going to use it like a Christian writing journal and ask for submissions? 
Am I going to do (daily/weekly) writing prompts and encourage writers to post on the blog? 
Am I going to do a combination of both?

Enquiring minds want to know.

What do you think?  Drop me a line, and tell me how you think I should do this thing.

Thank you.

Oh, yes.  The blog is on WordPress, and can be found here.

Faith and Writing - The Creative Spirit

We are told in the Bible that GOD made us in his image.  Male and Female he created us, and then he breathed his Spirit into us.

In his image.

With His Spirit.

But what does that mean?

Well, the first thing we see of GOD in the Bible is in Genesis where he is creating the Earth, and everything in it.  GOD is a creator.  More than that, he is a loving creator, who loves each beautiful thing he brought forth.  He created the peacock because he loves beautiful things, he created the Hippopotamus because he has a sense of humour.

And he loved each thing he created.

In my writers group at the moment, we are working our way through a book called The Artist’s Way.  The book is subtitled “A Spiritual path to Higher Creativity”. 

I like that. 

I like the fact that the author, Julia Cameron, says that GOD is a creator, and when he calls us to be like him, he is calling us all to be creators as well.  Suppressing your creative spirit is not only suppressing what GOD gave you, but also suppressing part of his purpose for your life – to create.

I have always felt a strong connection between my writing, and my spirituality, and I think this is one of the ways GOD wants me to express not just myself, but also Him.  I remember a line from Chariots of Fire, where Eric Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

I believe God made me for a purpose, and it might not be to be a writer.  But when I write, I feel His pleasure.  Because then, I am using his creative spirit.

And I hope I can learn to love everything I create, not because it is beautiful, or humorous; but because it is my creation.

Write it out.

 

I can relate. 

I feel like one of my areas where GOD calls me to serve him is with writing.  I am a part-time writer – which is to say a really bad one.  In addition to my fiction and poetry, I also write bible studies and manuals, and study guides for books and bible-studies that already exist.

I wish I could say that I feel GOD speaking to me, and that I just take dictation.  But for me, sometimes, the process is a little more… painful?  strange?  scary?

I feel like I get images, and pieces.  As if I have had all the ideas shoved into my head all at once, and I have to try and sort them out.  At times, drawing a new manual feels like I am trying to keep sixteen plates spinning at the same time, and if I take my eye off one for more than a second, it will fall, and they will all follow.

So I write, and draw maps, and connect Bible verses with pictures from movies and try to fit it into the theme.  Sometimes I will be working on a study for weeks before I know what it wants to be about.  But when I figure that out: when I find out what the hook, or theme is, suddenly everything falls into place like a jigsaw puzzle.

I think that’s why GOD does it that way.  To remind me that it’s not about me, and also to make me work at it.  To force me to slave over it every day, until it it perfect, rather than just writing down what he says, like a holy typewriter.

But while I am writing, it can be a wild place in my head.  Where I feel like I need to write everything out of my head as fast as possible, before it explodes.

Then, sometimes, I get the whole thing in a flash or explosion.  Where I can see an entire play, or idea, at once.  And I need to write it down quickly.

A few weeks ago I was sitting by the side of a river at 5AM, having my quiet time with GOD, and staring at the water, when he dropped one of his insight bombs on me.  I will be sharing it with you all shortly.  The problem was that I was sitting by the side of a river. 

With a bible, and a pencil, and nothing else.

So here is the rock I chose to write my latest blog post on.  Good luck deciphering the map.  If you can’t read it, I will be posting the normal version tomorrow.

GOD chooses some strange utensils.

I should know, I’m one.

 

RDM #18 – If it’s worth doing…

So here we are, on another fine Rainy Day Monday, and it is time to reach into the vaults for an old and undervalued post by a talented writer.

 

So I decided to use me today. :-)

 

On my other site, Seven’s Heaven, I have a series called Faith and Writing, where I examine the similarities between writing and being a Christian.  There are actually more than you might think.

 

Here’s an old post I did about perfection, and how it can be a bad thing.

 

Faith and Writing – If it’s worth doing…

I have heard it said that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well.  My response to that is… Nonsense.

If something is worth doing, then it’s worth doing badly. 

 

Particularly writing.

 

If you spend too much time agonising over every word, and getting it just right, then you will never finish anything.  There is a story told of James Joyce that one day a friend arrived at his house and found him crying over a manuscript.  He asked him, “What’s wrong.” 
“I wrote seven words today.”  He replied.
“Seven words?  But that’s good for you James!”
“Yes,” he replied, “but I don’t know what order they go in.”

 

We often get what might be called Paralysis by Analysis.  Where we are so intimidated by choosing the right first word, that we can’t even get to the second one.  So decide to use the wrong one, and then take it from there. Ray Bradbury said “Your creativity know what it wants to say, don’t get in the way.”

 

This I believe is the way to go forward.  People accept less than perfection in other areas, why not writing?  If I tell people I paint in my spare time, they are all impressed, regardless of the result.  If I take them to my study, and show them my paint-by-number set, they smile and say, “At least he’s happy.”  I play the guitar.  Really badly.  And people are okay with that.  As long as I don’t try and play for them.  So why do I feel I have to be perfect as a writer?  Why can’t I make mistakes, and learn from them.

 

The same with our faith.  Why do I feel like I have to get it right every time?  I know God told me to be perfect, but seriously! That’s not going to happen overnight.  If I make a mistake, and slip backwards, I beat myself up, and think I not be a real Christian, because I can’t get it right.  So what do I do?  I stop trying.

I fall back into an old habit or sin today, so I don’t even try and avoid it tomorrow.

But the secret is to keep learning and moving forward. 
To see every split infinitive and sin as an opportunity to become better.
Not to wallow in self-pity over spilled vowels and impure thoughts, but to vow to do better, recognising that nothing comes without effort.
To recognise that if I try so hard to be perfect, I will set myself up for a fall.
To know that if I wait until God’s voice is audible, or my creativity dictates the perfect book, I will have a long wait, but in the meantime, to just do the best with what I think I hear, and let him guide me to hear better next time.

 

So get out there and do it, even if you do it badly.

So leave a comment, and if you are also doing a Rainy Day Monday post, leave a link.  I know one day it will catch on.

Faith and Writing : Where the heart is

For lent in the past, I have given up reading, television, internet and other things.  I have done this in addition to any other fasting or self-denial, in order to give myself time to pray and study the word.  It’s hard to say “I don’t have time to pray” when you pull two hours of TV out of your day.

And I struggle with it.  After a few days, I lie down, and reach for a good book, only to remember I am only supposed to be reading The Good Book.  I say “40 days is a long time, I am not sure I can do this.”  I start feeling tired from getting up early to pray.

But that’s normal, right?

I don’t know.  If you recall I am also an amateur writer; and every November I take part in something called NaNoWriMo.  This means that during the 30 days of November I try to write a 50,000 word novel. 

Last year I cruised through it.  I wrote late at night, early in the morning.  I don’t think I read a single book the whole month, and maybe watched 5 hours of TV. (usually with my note book next to me to make notes)  I spent a couple of hours a day writing, and if I woke up in the middle of the night unable to sleep, I would do a few pages before going back to sleep.

And I did this for 30 straight days without batting an eyelid.  I mean it wasn’t easy, but I was determined!!!

So today is day 30 of lent, and I don’t think I can say I have given the same level of dedication to these past 30 days as I did to NaNoWriMo.

But it just goes to show how easy it can be, if you really want it.

So why do I find it easier to be a writer than a Christian? 

Why can’t I apply that same level of dedication and sacrifice to my Lenten discipline?

Celebration time!

So I see that according to my post log, this is my 100th post.

Woo Hoo and all that.

It is also my first post since finishing my latest novel. (I love that phrase.)
That's right, November National Novel Writing Month is over, and I am emerging victorious with my 50,000 word draft in hand. (A rather cramped hand I might add; did I mention I was writing the whole thing longhand?)

I am sorry I didn't get to pop in here as often as I would have liked, but the writing has been more intense than I imagined. I hope to try and catch up with all of you over the next few days, and see what has been going on behind my back.

Failure

Look at me, I'm a failure.

RDM #2 – Faith and Writing

In addition to pretending to be an orange fish, I also pretend to be a writer.  My pen name is David Seven.  No, it’s not my real name anymore than is Sharkbait, but it is a cool name.   I maintain a writing blog under this name called Seven’s Heaven.  The following is a post I did many months ago as part of a series called Faith and Writing.  Each post compares writing fiction with being a Christian, and looks for similarities.  I thought since I am publishing the 5th post in the series today, I would shamelessly self-promote the first one.  It’s not the best one, so you’ll have to read all the others to see how it improves.  (I recommend number 2.  It’s a doozy)

SO YOU CALL YOURSELF A WRITER?

The first point is this.  What gives me the right to call myself a writer?

While I was doing the insane NaNoWriMo thing, I used to refer to myself as a writer all the time.  To everyone.  In every conversation I had.  After all, why not?  Now many would dispute my right to call myself a writer: after all, I have never written anything professionally, much less profoundly.  So what makes me think I am a writer?

Because I write.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a writer as : a person who writes or has written something.

So I am a writer.  I am allowed to call myself a writer because I write, regardless of how bad I write, or whether my writing is of any benefit to anyone else.  I am a writer because I write, and because I have chosen to call myself a writer.  However because I choose to call myself a writer, I have to keep writing, otherwise I am just pretending.

Kind of like when we call ourselves Christians?

I call myself a Christian, although I may very well be the worst one ever.  Just as I call myself a writer because I write, I call myself a Christian because I follow Christ.  The word Christian does not imply that I am very good at it, just as the word writer implies nothing about the quality of the work I produce.  Because we live in a world that expect so much of us, we feel as if we can’t call ourselves Christians, because we are not good examples.  But that is not how it works.

John 1:12 says “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” – English Standard Version

Not, “to all who believed, and were really good at it“  So I guess there is hope for me yet.  I can call myself a writer, and a Christian… because I write, and follow Christ. 

For more information on Rainy Day Mondays, go to this post.  If you are also taking part, leave a link to your post in the comments below so we can check it out as well. 

Faith and Writing #2 - just do it

A new post over at Seven's Heaven. What to do when faith is not fun anymore.

Faith and Writing #1

Now many of you know that in addition to running the Reef, I also write under the name of David Seven. I have a blog over at wordpress where I blog about writing, books, and related topics.

Because many of the people who know me as David Seven are not Christians, and would not be interested in long mental meanderings about theology, I try to keep the Christian posts here, and the writing posts there.

However there is a certain series I have developed over there which might be of interest to some of you as well. I am examining the similarities between writing, and our daily walk with Christ. In essence, I am looking at basic lessons I learned about being a writer from being a Christian; and truths about being a Christian I had never realised, or adequately formulated, until I thought about them as a writer.

If this is of any interest to you I suggest you pop over to Seven's Heaven, where I talk about this and many other things. I will not be re-posting these thoughts here, because they might be a little too specific for many of you. (All three who actually read this blog) I will however give a link every time I do post there on this series, or you can watch the blogroll update on my sidebar.

The first post is entitled "So you call yourself a writer?" but it could just as easily be called "So you call yourself a Christian"

Enjoy!

Or not. The choice is yours.

Writing

This post is over at Seven's Heaven, where you can read more about writing. It is quite long, but I think it is the start of something interesting.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I don't think I need to add anything else.