No, I'm not reading the Apocrypha. Not that reading the Apocrypha is a bad idea. I've read some of it. It's interesting.
And I want you to know I spelled it right on the first try.
My epiphany is a little more personal in nature. I've made a discovery about myself in relationship to this blog.
I am not a blogger.
So why, you might ask, am I blogging? Well, I am a writer. There's not any doubt in my mind that I was born to be a wife and mommy, and to write. But my true and everlasting love is fiction, and I only feel natural when I am writing fiction.
The bad thing about fiction is that it has fallen out of favor with the general public. Who wants to go to all the trouble to read a novel when you can go into a trance in front of the 57 inch flat screen?
Uh... me.
But I concede I am not among the majority. And for a writer who has not sold any fiction yet... in today's market, I'm a long shot.
So my job is to figure out what in the world I am going to do with my dream. I have an idea, but it's scary. I've created a website called "The Writer's Block" where writers and readers can come together. I'm hoping there will be some interest and other aspiring authors will submit their work and we will get readers that are interested in free fiction and nonfiction.
It's a long shot.
But you can check it out. So far it's me and my sis. I can always count on her to jump on board any idea I have. We look a little lonely on the members page. Part of the problem is that I can't figure out how to create a "join here" button where folks can easily become members. If anyone has any ideas I'd really appreciate the input. You can find the site here .
And I will get up and do a happy dance if that link worked on the first try.
Why is it that many writers who get published and read are not those who suffer pangs of purpose or life-calling. Many of them are not part of the "I-must-write" crew. Often they are simply educated, well-read, honest, talented peoples.
ReplyDeleteFrom stones to scrolls to pamphlets to bound books to e-readers, the demand for fiction is not on the decline and the myriad way to enjoy it are continuously evolving.
We might slightly disagree on the state of fiction. Read David Foster Wallace, Dave Eggers, Gaddis, to see that books as an entertainment can still run circles around, at horizonal distances, even the newest entertainments. And this is from someone who thinks many options on TV are glossy and good and intellectually fulfilling.
But your link works from my end. And it's has the appearance of a classy website. I hope people exploring writing (a group a keep separate from 'writers') migrate there.
-D.
you must have done the happy dance then.
ReplyDeleteI didn't do it. I lied. But I was happy inside.
ReplyDeleteD, I guess I should not comment on the general public, but my main interest is in the Christian writer's market, and there just isn't room for a great deal of new blood. In my personal opinion (and those who are offended may give me a lecture) I'm not exactly sure why we need a zillion "Amish" fiction books. I liked a few of Beverly Lewis's early ones, and I learned a lot of interesting facts about the Amish... but we're out of plots. Let's let it go.
And yet, I wouldn't be surprised if the percentage of new Christian fiction worked out to be at least 50% Amish.
The rest are mostly legal, crime, and feel good contemporary fiction. I also find these a little lacking in depth.
My loves are historical and biblical, neither of which is very popular these days, at least not for new authors.
And I better stay away from your comment about the published writers not truly being writers. I struggle a little bit with my attitude sometimes. The bottom line is that since mine is a calling and not a way to make money, I'll just write what God gives me to write and let him decide what to do with it. Even if I just inspire my own family to write it will all be worth it.
Thanks for checking it out! One of these days I'll get it up and running and wait for the crowds to gather...
One caveat... I don't mean to say that letting God decide what to do with it excuses me from learning to be a better writer and putting forth effort to have it reach an audience in whatever way is available.
ReplyDeleteI am SO with you on the Amish fiction... REALLY? stop beating the dead horse!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE historical fiction (history nut here). There's such a 'love' (maybe respect is a better word?) in society for non-Christian historical fiction and I don't understand why it can't be swung over to Christian.
Mandy, you write it, I'll read it. :) Same goes for Kathy! Even those unfinished novels that have been sitting there forever... maybe sharing them will restore the fire for finishing them!
Thanks to you two, I've fallen in love with writing again, at least enough to update my blog. I had quit writing, like so many of my hobbies, but I'm inspired (and very rusty) to write again. :)
Thanks for your comment. My view of the situation (perhaps erroneous) is thus: Perhaps the (perceived?) lack of interest in biblical historical fiction is because historical biblical scholarship being made popular is on a drastic rise (Ehrman, Metzger), and therefore a skeptical eye is turned on what in the past has passed for "historical biblical fiction". An educated public isn't buying (literally and figuratively) what used to pass for scholarship (or what used to at least pass as a vague comfort to those already in the pews). And the room in the marketplace (in which most everyone is now educated via the internet) is diminishing as a generally more educated people yearn for the true scholarship and output of those who have dedicated their lives (not their pastimes) to pursuing these interests at the University level. When the general public is educated enough to read Ehrman, why read Jenkins or Peretti or Lynn Austin?
ReplyDelete(But then again, new authors of late, Warren and Young have moved product like none before. These are christian authors which are specifically not "historical". Perhaps as history is revealing the history as presented in the Hebrew scriptures is misleading at best, the christian market is seeing it's "christian historical biblical fiction" decline because more and more of them are less and less willing to buy the literalness of the stories as presented in the OT, and these readers would rather be comforted by the vagueness of sentiment, unsullied by a less and less believable historical rooting, of Warrenn or Young).
Your devotion to view writing as a vocation is laudable. Though I will say that some of the most affecting writing I've read (Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Shakespeare) comes from those for whom the financial impetus seems to have produced what may not have come out it they had the luxury to view it (writing) as a vocation. Again your other website seems classy (not that this one isn't). It is refreshing to see a writers' website not asking for a submission fee and being upfront about not requiring an entrant to forfeit their intellectual property in perpetuity. I wish it and you well. Cheers.
-D.
"The rest are mostly legal, crime, and feel good contemporary fiction. I also find these a little lacking in depth."
ReplyDeleteYou mean in the world of Christian fiction? Or fiction in general?
I'm reading Jane Eyre right now. I'd forgotten how nice it is to fall asleep with a book on my face instead of with the TV droning on in the background. Granted, the main reason I'm reading it is because I'm super excited about the movie that's coming out in March, but I'm also thoroughly enjoying the reading of it. So fiction hasn't fallen out of favor with me.
D - what's the difference between a writer and someone who is exploring writing?
M - do you think your calling to write is a call to get a specific message to an audience?
Here, try this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.challies.com/ramblings/the-ultimate-christian-novel
When you say "we're all out of plots", referring I imagine to the plethora of Amish literature, I wonder if plot it what actually "drives" a good novel. Reflexively the answer is yes. But when good writing is reviewed, the plot is almost always derivative or some earlier plot (for example all of Shakespeare, and pretty much everything, except Science fiction like Jurassic Park). I personally don't read for plot. I read for the exploration of intellectual ideas (which often require some sort of interchangeable plot framework upon which to rest), and for human interaction with them. I am not alone in reading this way. When I ask of a person "what is book X about?', if they begin by offering a precis of the plot, I know I am unlikely to be interested in much else they have to say.
ReplyDeleteSales numbers do suggest historical and biblical (and historical biblical) studies are very popular today. Perhaps when non-fictive information becomes readily available to the general public, less interest passes over to the fictive pseudo-equivalents that previously filled that void. (The history of mythos and logos testifies to this; see Bernstein or Armstrong if interested). Anyway, all writer's in the field of any genre were "new blood" at some point. Good luck.
-D
I'm sorry, I had to skim. So I may not respond correctly or at all to some of the ideas here. But I am very glad for the conversation and invite anyone else to address what I miss.
ReplyDeleteA few things that jumped out at me... Gwen, I mean the Christian market. And it may be partly just a personal preference, as I haven't given too many legal/crime fiction stories a chance, because I don't have interest in them. This may be mainly because most of them are written by men and I have found that most men writing fiction focus on plot and action rather than character, and I am ALL about character.
In fact, that one statement may explain a great deal of the comments I have already made.
Gwen, I can't speak for all authors, but I feel driven, or called to write character fiction that has a point to consider. I would compare my ultimate hope for my writing to come out something like Lynn Austin or Francine Rivers.
And speaking of, may NO ONE *clearing throat* make light of their works without trying them. Enough said.
And D, I'm going to say something that may sound to you as someone who's just jealous that they aren't more astute. But this is the truth. I find more "intellectual" works to be a great many words that could have been said significantly more succinctly and been more understood by a greater number of people.
Anyway, good conversation. Thanks for looking at the new site. Gwen, I haven't looked at that link yet but I will. Thanks!
And thank you Amy! If I can help inspire someone else to dust off their writing skills, I consider that a great success! :)
When one is called to speak (only) to the christian market, is it really a calling or a ministry? The gospel instructions seem to require more than speaking to one's own.
ReplyDeleteI am confused that you both claim to be writing for a specific (small) audience (christians who like historical/biblical/characterological fiction") and then choose to be critical of authors who use "a great many words" that you feel is limiting their readership.
I fell sorry that your experience has been simply that most men writing fiction focus most on plot and action. I have found this to be specifically not the case (C.S. Lewis agrees with me; you might even be disgusted by his assessment of women's attempts at fiction). And since my anecdotal evidence is of a positive (proof of existence), it trumps your negative (argument from ignorance) claim. I can only suggest you are getting recommendations from the wrong places if that's what your experience is, and are closing yourself off to a great resource.
I believe commenter Gwen posed a question in my direction, asking what is the difference between a writer and someone who is exploring writing.
The answer, in one word, is Readership. And to qualify, a readership that finds your work not replaceable by similar stuff they read. Friends and family don't count as a Readership. Additionally, being self-published doesn't count toward making someone a writer. I understand these are blurry areas, but being real-published and having a Readership who believes your works aren't replaceable by a works of another author in a similar genre are requirements. But I have high standards. I would personally gladly read and cherish any friend's of family member's "writing"; but just because they wrote something, that doesn't make them a writer. The mystical qualities of "drive" and "mission" and "desire" also, sadly, don't count in my book. (These qualities might help someone become a writer, but they don't make them a writer.) It would be like me having a desire and drive and calling to be an astronaut and participate in training daily to become one, but having not been chosen to undergo a governmental program to get me into space, I don't get to call myself one. And me continuing to telling people I am an astronaut, is foolish. Stating I am an aspiring astronaut would even be stretching it, but more approaching truth.)
M., what are some of the "points to consider" that you feel need to be expressed and that you are called to propagate, and how did you come to choose the novel as the best outlet for them (those "points to consider")?
Thanks
-D.
But words are lovely!! I love them! The more the merrier! Sometimes I read sentences multiple times because I'm so enamored of the way the words fit together. Sure, some things could be said in shorter sentences, with more commonly used words, but that's half the fun! Not to mention that people gain more understanding as they are challenged.
ReplyDeleteAlso, SEXIST!
Also again, is there a specific point you want your stories to convey? How does your writing process work? Do you start with the point you want readers to consider, and fit your stories around it, or vice versa? Just curious.
Tracy found some of my writing from high school when she was going through some of my Grandma's stuff. Those were the days.
I enjoy your humor. Using the phrase "said significantly more succinctly" when simply just "more succinct" would have sufficed, hints at your alliteratively ironic musings.
ReplyDelete-D.
(A continual apology for all my typos, by the way.)
Wow I wish I had time to write all the things that popped into my head while I read your comments. I LOVE talking about writing.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm so incredibly TICKLED that you got my little ironic joke, D. I wondered if anyone would.
Yes, I'm sexist when it comes to my preferences with author gender and fiction. I freely admit it. Not that there aren't exceptions, but most of the time I'm disappointed when I try to read a novel written by a man. But that's not to say there's something wrong with writing that is driven toward plot and action more than character development. It's just not my cup of tea.
And I agree Gwen, I've been known to get chills over well placed words, even if they are big words that not too many people would understand. But not every writer can pull this off, and the trend today (as I have found from studying the art of writing well in the past few years - from reading and attending writer's workshops, etc) is that today's reader wants it said as simply as possible.
So a writer has to ask themselves "Am I writing to please my own intellectual and artistic nature, or am I writing to get my point across?" Neither goal is wrong, it's just a matter of deciding what road a particular work will take. I am a writer who is more interested in the latter, usually, though not always.
And that still doesn't mean you can't use a few big words here and there! :)
I was asked somewhere in there about what I am personally trying to say in my writing. It depends on the story, really. I am trying to learn the art of forshadowing and subtlety, because I LOVE both of these elements in stories. But my point changes from story to story. A theme I find in most of my work as well as a theme I respect and adore in other authors is the idea of grace and unconditional love.
As far as how a writer decides what to write, the best authors write their driving passions. The best way I can think of to describe it is writing what makes me feel like I could fly if I tried hard enough.
Thank you for the comments!
Sorry for my typos as well.
ReplyDeleteWho is "today's reader?" They sound a little lazy.
ReplyDeleteI have huge questions about the concept of "unconditional love", if this comment thread can handle taking on a theological bent! My first questions would entail asking you, as a essentially fundamentalist christian (with minor rebellions), who has inherited the religion handed to you from the environment in which you grew up in (or choose after serious study one which is essentially the same as the one you, presumably, were saddled with in your childhood), - to someone such as yourself, what does the phrase "unconditional love" mean, and also what does unconditional love mean? When did the phrase originate (i.e. what group of christians introduced it into the christian vernacular? and during what century?)?
ReplyDelete-D.
Good questions.
ReplyDelete1. Unconditional love has nothing to do with religion. You might even say it's the opposite. If I were going to answer that question in the purest, clearest way I could imagine I would simply say "Jesus." To someone who doesn't know him, this answer will not satisfy. To someone who does, there will be a nod and a smile of understanding.
2. Jesus used a few different words to describe love. He talked about phileo love, which is friendship and brotherly love, and eros, which is romantic love, and agape, which is unconditional love, and is what Jesus demonstrated perfectly, and what we will learn to do when we are changed by him.
(All references to children in this comment are generic hypotheticals. I certainly do not wish my comments to be taken in any way personally. The pictures you have generously shared on this blog of your children are lovely, and if your aesthetics as a writer match those you have as a photographer, I suspect publication in some form is just a waiting game for you.)
ReplyDeleteI find your answer to what unconditional love is in your number 1 response to be fuzzy thinking. Did the hundreds of christian Haitian children dying under rubble over the course of days and days feel love in the form of a smile and a nod from Jesus? Did the hundreds of thousands of parents find unconditional love in a nod and smile from Jesus as they watched their children struggle to keep their heads above water when Jesus flooded the world. I find this condescending at best. Your answer is kind of "writer-y" and connotatively poetic, but not practical, and most evangelical christians would be emphatic about the practicality of christianity and God's love.
As someone who supports using concise terms with actual meanings, I tend to not understand when christians use terms like "unconditional love" without qualification. You suggest the conditionality of Jesus's love in your answer when you say Jesus only loves those who "know" him.
It seems to me that a basic understanding of unconditional love is that you offer someone the best of what you have without condition. Christianity is the antithesis of this. The best of what Jesus has to offer (his love, grace, life eternal in heavenly bliss) is given on the condition that you act to choose to believe he is your savior. It is the definition of conditional love - his best (or what of his that is best for you) is only given if you chose to believe he is your savior. One might suggest that God's doesn't offer his best, but only the opportunity to enjoy his best. If this is the case the distinction is real and ought to be emphasized (and again conditional, temporally).
Now some apologists will say it is given but refused by some. In such a sense, then, do you exhibit more love when you offer and make sure your child take a necessary medication he refuses? If you force it on him, do you love your child in a less god-like way. If God's love is truly unconditional then the choice should be offered eternally, i.e. to those suffering the fiery torments of hell. At this point many christians resort to, well, it's all a mystery, how are we to question God's way? But that is not what is being questioned. What is being questioned is what you are asserting to be God's way (after you've assigned ways to him) while also maintaining it's a mystery.
If you or any of your fellow readers have any thoughts to help wrap my mind around how christians can continue to claim "unconditional love" for a God whose ways are mysterious, and continue to claim the term has any practical meaning, I would be appreciative.
-D.
How do I say this in a right way? Because I mean it compassionately. You have a greatly flawed and inflated view of yourself and humanity, and a great misunderstanding of God.
ReplyDeleteYou (and every person who has ever lived and died) need Jesus. Jesus who held children and blessed them. Jesus who cried with a woman who lost a son even though he knew he was going to bring him back. Jesus who hates what sin has done to our world and our minds.
The bottom line is that this life is NOT about this life. It's about the next one. You must see things through the perspective of the Creator or you will never understand. And you must be willing to humble yourself to agree that in this flawed world your mind that has been damaged by sin will not be able to understand every question it can conjure. There are some things we have to be willing to let go and wait for answers when the whole picture is visible.
The problem with this world is not God. It's sin. God has done everything aside from making our choices for us necessary to fix the problem. Until Jesus returns, the choice of what camp we choose to reside in is ours.
I have true peace, no matter what happens. I have the ability to grow in loving and becoming more like the person that Jesus is. I'm incredibly thankful to belong to him, and I'm happy and at rest in the choice I made as a child to follow him and surrender all my questions and anxieties to him.
If you are at peace and happy with the choices you have made, then I guess we really don't have much else to say. But I hope you don't find one day that you paid a high price for a philosophy that blew away in the wind.
I read the other comment. I chose not to publish it because we're back in that place again and I have nothing to offer you that you are willing to accept. I'm sorry.
ReplyDelete