May 17, 2013 · 2:34 pm

Invest & Invite

When you invest in your dream, you invite success to come your way.

This is why I’m spending money to drive 1000 miles and attend the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. It’s why I’m willing to separated from my family for a short period of time. It’s why I allowed myself and my writing to be vulnerable by entering a couple of contests. It’s why I’m going to risk making a fool out of myself and pitch my work to agents and editors. It’s why I’m going to cram my days with workshops, classes, and face-to-face time with other writers who are skilled in the craft and business of writing.

Are any of these things guarantees that I will find an agent or a publishing contract this week? No. But by investing in my dream of being a published novelist, I am giving myself opportunities to succeed. The fact is, these writers, agents, and editors aren’t going to show up on my doorstep. I have to invest in my work before I can expect them to do the same.

And as I pack my van, load up the cooler with snacks and Dr. Pepper, stuff my luggage with sample chapters and one-sheets, and plug-in the borrowed GPS, I realize how blessed I am to have a wife and children who support my dream. They cheer me on as I chase this calling–this stewardship of story–and whatever success comes my way, I know it is theirs as much as it is mine.

Writer, invest in your dream, and invite success to come your way also.

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May 15, 2013 · 3:08 pm

“These things I have written so that…”

When the New Testament writers spoke of writing (“grapho”), they chose words that highlighted several things about the act of writing:

  • Its power of DECLARATION. When someone penned a letter or epistle, they were making something known.
  • Its power of PRESERVATION. Whether they knew it or not, writers operated off the same principle that was expressed by an old Chinese proverb: “Weak ink is stronger than a good memory.” Things captured on the page lasted longer–and with less room for error or embellishment–than mere verbal stories.
  • Its power of TRANSFORMATION. The object upon which words were penned or etched was forever altered. Whether it be a wax tablet, cured animal skin, piece of stone, or a roll of parchment paper, the writing left an impression.

The constraints of this post do not allow a deep treatment of any of these wonderful elements, however, we as writers should approach our writing with the same sense of respect. Our writing also has the power of declaration. We have something to say, and it is important. And, my friend, no one can say it like you can, even if they are writing the same type of story. So write on, dear writer, and declare the glories of the Lord!

We also are privileged to have the power of preservation in our writing. Our stories can be published–one way or another–and the truth we’ve declared can survive for generations. There is a permanence in writing that is unique and important. Truth is never outdated.

But it is the last blessing, the power of transformation, that has captured my attention today. Not only are we the writers, but we are the paper upon which the greatest writer pens His truth. Feast on the following verses:

“…you are a letter of Christ…written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (II Corinthians 3:3)

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Hebrews 8:10)

My life has been changed because God’s Spirit has transformed my heart from useless “blankness” to a tablet upon which He makes Himself known to me. I write because I’m a changed man. And when my life is over, more than anything else, I want it to be clear why I worked hard to write Christian fiction. I want my stories to declare the truth, be preserved for future generations, and be used by God to transform lives. So if someone comes up to me at the end of my life, points to a stack of my novels, and asks, “Why did you do all of that writing?”, I want to humbly borrow the written words from the Apostle John as the purpose statement for my stewardship of story:

“…these things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31).

How about you?

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May 10, 2013 · 12:25 pm

“Top 10 Signs A Writer Has Passed Their Breaking Point”

Okay, so most writers are willing to admit that we’re a few steps (or miles) closer to insanity than people who are not writers…you know, the “normals.” And writers will readily confess that the writing profession provides ample opportunities for a wordsmith to earn a ride to the loony bin. Here are the Top 10 Signs A Writer Has Passed Their Breaking Point” so that those who love them can prepare for an intervention.

#10:  They send out a ransom note, claiming they’re holding themselves hostage until they get a contract.

#  9:  They start pushing their thesaurus around in a baby carriage.

# 8:  They call their Senator and demand to begin receiving unemployment benefits because “Writer’s Block is the disease that no one wants to talk about…but it’s out there,” and they have it.

# 7:  They try to marry their laptop.

# 6:  They haven’t moved from their desk chair in two days. All they do is slobber and say, “Syn…opsis…synop…sis…SIN…opsis…”

# 5:  They’re arrested for showering in the sink at the public library.

# 4:  When you ask them is they’re okay, they giggle and say, “I’m crazy…no…insane, mad, demented, deranged, maniacal, daft, berserk, unbalanced, unhinged…or maybe I’m cracked, nuts, nutty, out of my head, mad as a March hare…but you must think I’m bizarre, or perhaps weird, odd, unusual, peculiar, strange, uncommon, silly, absurd or…what was the question?”

# 3:  They’re dressed in burlap and standing in the middle of a bust intersection, throwing their books at passing cars while screaming, “Thus saith the Lord, ‘You shalt read these books, you illiterate generation!’”

# 2:  They go up to complete strangers and say, “Do you have any idea how many people I’ve killed this week?”

# 1:  Stunned patrons watch in horror as the writer publicly goes through every stage of grief when they notice that someone is seated in their usual spot at Starbucks:  1: Denial–They shack their head furiously and shout, “No, no, NO! This is NOT happening!” 2: Anger–expressed by flinging their scone at the shocked man and growling. 3: Bargaining–”If you’ll move from MY spot I won’t kill you in my next book.” 4: Depression–They start weeping and singing, “You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille.” 5: Acceptance–They hug their coffee cup, and walk out the door, muttering, “It’s okay…We’ll find a new happy place.”

Help them…help them if you can.

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May 8, 2013 · 10:49 am

“The Divine on Display”

A kindergarten teacher observed her class while they were drawing pictures during art time. She would occasionally stroll around the room to see their work, offering compliments as she moved from desk to desk. She noticed that one little girl was working ferociously, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth and her tiny hand moving the colored marker with firm strokes.

The curious teacher halted beside her desk. “You are really concentrating, dear. What are you drawing?”

Without taking her eyes off her paper, the little girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.”

It took a few seconds for the teacher to catch her breath and her thoughts. “But, sweetheart, no one knows what God looks like.”

“Well, they will in a minute!”

As writers, are we just as convinced that we can put the Divine on display in our stories? If not, why not?

No, we can’t produce a drawing of deity or a take a supernatural snapshot. But we can reveal His heart. In Christian fiction, it isn’t just our privilege but our duty to do so. Whether between the lines or in the words, we should work hard to help people see God, to find hope in despair, and light in darkness. Writing is one way we live out our discipleship in this world, and, as disciples, we are commanded to be salt and light.

Is there potential for your readers to step closer to God because they read one of your stories? Ever heard back from a reader who told you just such a thing happened?

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May 3, 2013 · 12:40 pm

“The Danger of Making a Long Story Short”

Word usage is of key importance in writing. We’re told to use active words instead of passive words, evocative terms rather than lifeless ones, and we even characterize our manuscripts by “word count” instead of number of pages. All of us have heard the critical advice to cut out “weasel” words, and, thereby, unclutter our WIPs. All of this is wise. But sometimes saying something in the least amount of words actually makes thing worse.

Here are some examples of what I mean. These are, reportedly, actual statements found on insurance forms where drivers attempted to summarize the details of an accident in the fewest words possible.

  • Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.
  • I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way.
  • The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
  • I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way, causing me to have an accident.
  • The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy with a big mouth.
  • I was thrown from my car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows.
  • The telephone pole was approaching. I was attempting to swerve out of its way when it struck the front end.
  • I’d been driving for forty years, when I fell asleep causing the accident.
  • As I approached the intersection, a signal appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.
  • My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle.
  • An invisible car came out of nowhere and struck my car and vanished.
  • I told the police that I was not injured, but on removing my hat, found that I had a fractured skull.
  • I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.

It isn’t the amount of words, but the right amount of words that matters. Yes, often things can be said using fewer words. I’m all for efficiency. But there are also times that we edit ourselves into trouble, being more concerned about counting words than using words that count. Sometimes we get in trouble when we try to “make a long story short.”

What do you think?

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May 1, 2013 · 11:07 am

“Am I Really An Author?”

I had a pretty cool experience a few weeks ago. I still smile when I think about it. I was talking with a new friend when his wife walked up. He said, “Honey, do you know Larry Timm?”

She looked at me and smiled. “Oh, you’re an author, aren’t you?”

I was floored, and momentarily speechless (which is surprising to some people). An Author! A split second later, grinning like a gassy infant, I managed to say, “Well…um…I…I…that is…yeah, I’m a writer. I haven’t been published yet, though.” Then I giggled.

What a dork.

I’ll bet she walked away absolutely impressed with my command of the English language. But I still think about that moment with fondness (except for the grin and giggle). I’d never been called an author before. In public even! She seemed very positive about the entire idea. Like it was a compliment or something.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the whole thing is pretty cool. I liked hearing someone say the word. But can I claim to be an author before I’m actually published? I’m a writer, and I’m working hard to become a published author, but I haven’t experienced that honor yet.

What would have happened if I’d said, “Yes. I. Am. An. Author.”? Out loud. In public.

Many scenarios run through my over-active imagination: Like the police pulling me over later and saying, “Mr. Timm, you’re under arrest for impersonating an author.” And then they taser me just for the fun of it. Then I imagine being shaken awake and looking up into the eyes of my perturbed mother. She kicks dirty laundry into the only uncluttered corner of my boyhood room and says, “Wake up, son. You must have been having a wild dream. You were giggling like a nut, and mumbling author…author…author…shhhhh, they’ll hear you.” Then she hands me a paper towel. “Wipe that drool off your cheek, for Pete’s sake. By the way, I put the zit cream on your dresser. Get up and get dressed for school. And what’s that smell?” Or I see myself stretched out on a couch. Next to the couch, a stuffy looking lady with glasses is sitting in a padded office chair and looking down her upturned nose at me. There’s a diploma on her wall that says, “Dr. Ugotta B. Kiddinme, Doctor of Mental Stuff.” She slides her glasses off and taps her pen on the thick file perched on her lap. “Now, Laurence, we’ve been through this before–many sessions ago–you’re not really an author. Do we need to increase your meds?” Or I picture sitting rigid at a table, wires taped to my hand, chest, and head. A guy leans over a machine and stares at the lines being drawn on a paper. “Yes or No…are you an author?” I’m sweating under the overly large light bulb dangling above my head. “Yes or No, Mr. Timm? And, by the way, we’ll know if you’re lying…and man are you going to be sorry if you are.”

Soooooo, I’m needing some guidance here. I’d appreciate your comments.

Is there a difference between a WRITER and an AUTHOR?

What do you think about that question? I know that all authors are writers, but are all writers authors? And how did it feel the first time YOU were called an author?

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April 26, 2013 · 2:06 pm

“Top Ten Really Unhelpful Comments to Read in a Rejection Letter”

Let’s face it: every writer is going to get rejected. But the rejection letter would sting much worse if it contained any of the following “Top Ten Really Unhelpful Comments.”

#10:  Not only will I not represent you, but you owe me $79.65 for toner. I’ve never gone through so much red in only three chapters! (I’m sending toner receipt as a separate attachment).

# 9:  Be in formed that our agency will not be able or willing to take you as a client because…well, that would just be plain silly.

# 8:  Were you sober when you wrote this?

# 7:  But look on the bright side: you’re going to have lots more time for other hobbies since it’s clear you’re not a writer.

# 6:  Thanks for sending me your manuscript, as you’ve made my decision to retire much easier.

# 5:  My agency will not be able to represent you. And, I’m sorry, but I will be able to return your manuscript because I threw up on it.

# 4:  While I’m certainly not interested in representing you, I’m enclosing the address of another agent that you should send this manuscript to…because I can’t stand the guy.

# 3:  In addition to the recommendation that you stop writing immediately, I also highly recommend that you go get a CaT-Scan.

# 2:  After reading only two chapters of your hideous book, I was incredibly envious of the character who died in chapter one.

# 1:  I’d give you more reasons why I hated your book, but UPS just delivered the do-it-yourself Electric Shock Therapy Kit I had overnighted to me. I’ve got a whole lot of forgetting to do!

Rejection hurts, huh?

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April 24, 2013 · 9:26 am

“There Once Was a Nice Lady…”

Okay, fellow writers, enjoy the following story, and then I’ll meet you at the end for a few sentences of application. Someone gave me this story many years ago, and I like to share it when I can. It’s moving. Uhhummm.

There one was a nice lady who was a little old-fashioned. She was planning a vacation at a particular popular campground, but first she wanted to make sure of the accommodations.

Uppermost in her mind were the toilet facilities. She couldn’t bring herself to write the word toilet in a letter, so she settled on bathroom commode. But when she wrote that down it still sounded too forward, so she rewrote her letter to the campground director and referred to the bathroom commode as the BC. “Does your campground have a BC?” she finally wrote.

The campground director was baffled by this euphemism. He showed the letter to several people and they couldn’t decipher it either. Finally he decided that she must be asking about the location of the nearest Baptist Church, so he say down and penned this reply.

“Dear Madam, I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but now I take pleasure in informing you that a BC is located about nine miles north of the campground and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit this is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly. However, you will be pleased to know that a great many people take their lunch along and make a day of it. They usually arrive early and stay late.

“The last time my wife and I went was about six years ago and it was so crowded that we had to stand up the whole time. It may interest you to know that there is a supper planned to help raise money to buy more seats. This will be held in the basement of the BC. I would like to say that it pains me very much not to be able to go more often, but it is surely no lack of desire on my part. As we grow older it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in cold weather.

“If you decide to visit our campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time, sit with you, and introduce you around to all the other folks. Remember, this is a friendly community.”

Okay, my writer friends, how important is it that we be clear in our writing? Do we really need to offer concrete descriptions, discernible character development, and understandable dialogue? If we are writing Christian fiction, can we afford to be misunderstood or to have our message (if we have one) lost along the way because we did a poor job of communicating clearly? Let me know what you think. By the way, I’m going to Blue Ridge in a few weeks, should I check to see if they have a BC at the conference?

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April 19, 2013 · 10:22 am

Clash of Kingdoms

Kingdoms–there are only two. Period. And you are a citizen in one of them. So is every human being on the face of this earth.

The Kingdom of Darkness manifests itself in evil and death. It’s “king” is Satan.

The Kingdom of Light manifests itself in good and life. It’s King is Jesus.

I write because I want people to know which kingdom they are in. I write because my Lord Jesus Christ came to sacrifice His perfect life so that I could be transferred from Satan’s domain/kingdom to God’s Kingdom. Yes, at one time I was a citizen of the kingdom of darkness. So were you.

In the midst of the darkness that has filled Boston and, via television and radio, has settled over your corner of the world, please know that the end has already been determined…and Jesus will be victorious. I write because I know that my Savior lives and on the earth will take His stand. I write because even though our struggle is not ultimately against flesh and blood, yet millions of flesh and blood human beings are captives of the dark kingdom. And Jesus wants them to be free.

I preach, teach, and write because I want to contribute to the destruction of the kingdom of darkness. My King–the King of kings & Lord of lords, Jesus Christ–said that He came to destroy the works of the devil. It is my honor to join my Master in that battle, knowing that my strength is in Him, which is the only way I can experience victory.

The manifestation of evil–in Boston or wherever–does not make me want to quit writing, it makes me want to write more than ever.

 

 

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April 17, 2013 · 12:29 pm

The Writer and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

The rejection comes, the bad review gets posted, the sales report points downard, the contest judge bleeds all over your entry before dismissing it from the contest, and not even your mother wants to read your latest book. It’s one of those days. Ever had one? Or two…hundred?

Most writers have. If you haven’t, you will. Sorry, but it’s a “Murphy’s Law” kinda reality. The whole if-anything-can-go-wrong-it-will concept. On steroids. You can probably relate to whoever it was–most likely a writer–that amended Murphy’s law with the following painful truths:

    • Murphy was an optimist
    • The other line always moves faster
    • The chance of the peanut butter & jelly sandwich falling face down is proportional to the cost of your carpet.
    • Inside every large problem is a series of small problems struggling to get out.
    • 90% of everything is crud.
    • Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
    • Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone

Do yourself a favor and find a copy of Judith Viorst’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. You’ll be able to nod and chuckle at the same time. Been there…done that…maybe even there now. You understand how young Alexander feels, and, like him, you are thinking of “moving to Australia.” Perhaps not literally, but you’re so bummed out–dare we say “depressed” even?–that you want to get away from your writing. Yep, a mild pity-party is allowed. I’ll invite you to mine if you’ll invite me to yours.

If you are hurting, please take to heart these next words:  If you tried, you are not a failure. Read the bold words again. One more time. The only writers who are failures are the ones who never try, never put themselves or their work out there, or never even write a word. You’re not a writer because someone else said you are or because one day you decided you would be one; you’re a writer because you write. You tried. And you will try again. Yes, your book or article may “fail” in the sense that it doesn’t get published, but that doesn’t mean YOU are a failure. Every writer knows failure. Sometimes has coffee with it on a regular basis.

Someone said, “It’s not failure, but low aim that’s a crime.”

And, yes, you knew it was coming, you really need to hear the words of Teddy Roosevelt again: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

If you are having on Alexanderish period in your life, please read one more quote. It’s the most important one of all the ones mentioned in this post, because it is from God’s Word.

“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” (Psalm 43:5)

People may not always love your writing, but God will always love the writer. That’s YOU. So write on, dear friend…write on.

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