The Power of Blogging with Linda Fulkerson

The Power of Blogging

Is blogging the bane of your existence? Or maybe you just feel like your blog needs a little bit more of an edge? Well, I have great news for you! Linda Fulkerson is here today and she has a blog all about blogging. Hop over there for a visit and I'm sure you will learn bunches and bunches. (But first read all about her blog here. :))

Thanks, Lynnette, for letting me take up your blog space today!

I started On Blogging Well for several reasons, but the main one was selfish. I have a lot of friends who are “newbie” bloggers and, because I’ve been blogging for a while now, they often call or email me with questions. I found myself answering many of the same questions over and over, so I decided there must be a need for a blog for new to intermediate bloggers. Besides, pointing my friends to the blog would save me time, right? LOL!

The blog has become a major project but I’m so glad I started it, even if it does take more of my time than answering a few periodic questions from friends. I’ve met many new friends and have learned SO much through researching and reading other blogs.

Basically, On Blogging Well has a 7-day editorial calendar. This helps me have an idea about what to post each day plus it helps readers. I have readers who won’t miss the blog on certain days, but because they’re busy, skip it on the days when I post topics that aren’t as important to them. And different readers have their favorite topics. It seems to be working well.

The schedule is:

• Marketing Monday – Each Monday we discuss a different aspect of marketing, such as traffic generation, product promotion, etc.

• Techie Tip Tuesday – I try to use videos, when time permits, to explain technical tasks that can help bloggers. Sometimes I refer my readers to tutorials made by other bloggers or I simply write a post. And yes, I take requests, so if there’s something you’ve been struggling with, use the contact form and I’ll do my best to help answer your questions.

• Wednesday is Friends Day – Each week we feature a blogger who has used his or her blog in a unique way.

• Thursday is Words Day – This topic shares writing tips, especially in regards to blogging, such as writing effective headlines, etc.

• Freebie Friday – Every week we have a give-away on Fridays. Sometimes it’s a mini-report I’ve written or even an eBook one of my blogger friends has offered. I try to select valuable information that all bloggers can use for these freebies.

• SEO Saturday – This topic could be titled “Search Engine Optimization Demystified.” I try to give quick and easy tips that even non-techies can implement that will help their blogs gain better rankings.

• Potluck Sunday – Each Sunday I pick five of the best blogging-related posts I’ve read throughout the week and post links to them.

The blog is relatively new but we’re already developing a community of regulars, which is exciting to me. If you haven’t yet visited On Blogging Well, we’d love to have you stop by and introduce yourself.
Happy Blogging!

Linda Fulkerson is a wife, mom, author, hobby farmer, photographer, blog coach/online marketing advisor, and self-proclaimed blogaholic. She’s been blogging for nearly six years, and while some not-quite-six-year-olds are barely out of pull-ups, in bloggy years, that puts her among the blue-hairs. You can learn more about Linda by visiting http://lindafulkerson.com/ or by stopping by her blog, http://onbloggingwell.com/.

Fabulously Fun Friday: Never Underestimate the Power of a Good Story

Resource Roundup for November

Here it is, our monthly list of helpful sites.


1. Writing misc.

Stumped on naming your characters? Try Popular Baby Names. This site from the Social Security Administration provides the most popular names for any year from 1879 on. They even have a way to discover the most popular names in each state.

What if you need a mental image of your MC's home? Look at West Home Planners. This site has an amazing variety of homes, from ranch style to Victorian--pueblo to gothic--complete with floor plans.

Maybe you have the house plans in mind, but you want to know the difference between a foyer and an alcove. Architecture is great for architectural definitions.

The best place I've found to help with colors is Wikipedia.
This is an incredible list of color names and samples and really helps with visualization.

Want to know what was going on in the world during your character's era? Try Timeline. This site can give you historical tidbits to help with authenticity.

2. The mechanics of writing

Snowflake Pro, designed by Randy Ingermanson, is an organizational tool to reinvent the outline and make story plotting easier.

Verb Conjugator is a treasure. It is a reverse function, where you can type in the verb in any form and it will give you the root and conjugate it. Great for French, Spanish, German and English.

3. Things to know about agents and publishing

Before you hire a literary agent, blog post by Michael Hyatt of Thomas Nelson Publishers.

And along the same lines: What to ask whom, blog post by literary agency, BookEnds, LLC

Tara K. Harper discusses contracts, and agent Rebecca Pratt provides a sample contract--something we all hope to see someday!

English is Crazy

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.

There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"?

Credit for this fun post: http://m-carstairs.com/englishlessons/id14.html

Can you think of any more of these crazy English quirks?

The World's Greatest Book on Marketing

A couple of years ago, I got a call telling me my novel was a finalist in a major competition. The poor caller had to repeat himself several times until it sunk in, then had to listen to my incoherent jabber punctuated by high pitched, jubilant squeals. His name is Jim Rubart, owner of Barefoot Marketing and one of my favorite people on the planet.

A year after he gave me the news, I got an e-mail from him, just checking up on me. How was I doing, how was the writing going? This year, I contacted him, panicked with fears about marketing, and was surprised and pleased to find he still remembered me. How impressive is that? If he so well remembers a wannabe author who's not a client, imagine the relationship he'd develop with a published author who is!


And, bless his generous heart, Jim agreed to do a guest post for us!


If I asked you to name the five best books on sales and marketing, Green Eggs and Ham probably wouldn't be on top of your list, or on your list at all.

But it should.

Immortal Sam I Am is one of the greatest marketers ever. Here are two reasons why:

1. He tries to close the sale sixteen times before he gets a yes.

Sixteen! The average salesperson asks twice.

Sam knew the average sale is made when the customer is asked five times.

Sam knew that 67% of all shoppers expect to return home with the item they went out to look for, but only 24% actually do.

You want to sell your book to an editor? Your article? Yourself to an agent? Get some Sam attitude.

2. Sam knew that simply asking again and again wasn't enough.

That's not closing, that's being a pain in the backside.

This is the key:

Sam came up with sixteen options, ideas, new ways of thinking of green eggs and ham.

Would you like them in a box? With a fox? In a house? With a mouse? In a train? In the rain? Here or there?

Cheesy sales trainers love to spout: "Ya gotta remember ABC! Always Be Closing!" But what does that mean? Hammer on people until they give in? Let us hope not.

Let's hope sales people think ABC-UWI-TWIP. Always be coming up with innovative ideas that will interest people.

"Hold on, Jim," you're saying. "I'm not a salesperson. I'm a writer. What does selling have to do with being an author?"

Everything.

Because you are a salesperson--you are marketing yourself--in every moment. We all are. If you are alive, you're selling and marketing. People are either hating you, ignoring you or loving you. (Ignoring you is the worst of the three.)

You're marketing your ideas, your writing, your blog, your books, the reason your spouse should give you that backrub, your Website, why your kids should get in that bathtub now!, a product . . . everything.

So if you want to sell yourself, get creative. I once sent a DVD of an old TV series to an editor who shared my love of the show. Yes, she loved it and helped kick-start the close relationship we have today.

If you want to sell your writing, get creative. One reason my novel sold was because the editor who bought it said, "I've read two hundred manuscripts since I read yours, and I can't get yours out of my head." In other words, study what is being written in your genre and do something that will spin their head around.

Stick with it. The good news is that most people give up far to early. Which makes more room for you.

Get creative. Stay with it. Be like Sam.

(Did you know a Random House editor bet ol' Ted Geisel $50 he couldn't write a book using only fifty words? Green Eggs and Ham was the result.)










Jim Rubart has been a professional marketer for the past twenty years. His novel, ROOMS, from B&H Fiction, comes out April 1st. You can find him at Barefoot Marketing and jimrubart.com.

Interview With Ray Gun Revival Overlord Johne Cook

Johne Cook, Overlord (aka editor) of the ever more popular space opera e-magazine Ray Gun Revival, is a technical writer by day and creative writer/editor at night. His unique and introspective views on speculative fiction, the publishing industry, and the point of this whole crazy writing game are always refreshing and thought-provoking. Enjoy!

AC: Ray Gun Revival is a unique e-mag in a lot of ways. Can you tell us a little about how it got started?

JC: It was January of 2006 when I started talking with a buddy of mine, Paul Christian Glenn, about this idea I was kicking around to put together this little space opera/golden age sci-fi publication. I approached Bill Snodgrass, publisher of Double-Edged Publishing, with this idea, and discovered that a writer/editor friend of mine, L. S. (Lee) King, had already been thinking and talking with Bill about the same thing, so that was an instant match. The three of us met online, started chatting together in instant messages, and the excitement was instant and contagious.

At that time, the three of us were all riding the wave of enthusiasm for Joss Whedon’s Firefly series. Star Wars was what got me interested in writing space opera, but it was Firefly that got us interested in publishing space opera. Specifically, we wanted to introduce a new generation of readers to the kind of fun adventure fiction we’d grown up on, something with equal parts hope and sensawunda.

While we were in the very early brainstorming stages, I had this mental picture of reviving the sort of pulp Sci-Fi that E. E. (Doc) Smith wrote, complete with ray guns, and blurted out “how about Ray Gun Revival”? It had a ring to it, and that was that. The space monkeys and imperious Overlords schtick both came later.

And there you have it. July 2006 rolled around and we published our first issue. One day, we were fans of space opera and Firefly chatting with each other on IM. The next, we were editors of a magazine with the stated purpose of reviving classic space opera.

AC: What are you looking for in story submissions?

JC: We’re looking for space opera/golden age SciFi stories with a throwback pulp SciFi energy coupled with state-of-the-art writing. It’s harder than it sounds.

AC: What do you hope for the future of RGR?

JC: We’re working on a project called RGR 2.0. The idea is to change from downloadable PDF “issues” and go to something easier to publish on a consistent basis, easier to find and link and read from handheld digital devices.

We also hope that we see more people discover this kind of story and storytelling. Cyberpunk is great and all, but it’s a bit grim, and in my experience, it’s helpful to show both sides of human experience, both the bad and the good.

AC: One of features of the magazine is your serial swashbuckler “The Adventures of Sky Pirate.” What was the inspiration for this story?

JC: Joss Whedon’s space opera/space western scratched that Han Soloish itch I didn’t even knew I had. The story is an unabashed attempt to extend what I loved about Firefly. I have this unique ship with a crew full of oddball, colorful characters, most of them very dangerous, who also share a surprisingly noble vision. Publishing the story in three twelve chapter “seasons” has let me write a swashbuckling adventure segment, a steampunk segment, leading up to an actual space opera segment, all from very humble beginnings. It’s been a wild ride for the four or five regular readers who’ve been keeping up with the series!

AC: Have you discovered that writing a serial presents more of a challenge than other fictional formats?

JC: It is a unique writing experience. Each chapter needs to act a bit like a short story, where there are no wasted scenes, and yet each chapter needs to movie the story forward. It is a challenging balancing act. Part of what I love about it is just how few actual rules there are for the form. I’m literally making something up for each chapter. It’s both terrifying and thrilling.

AC: You’ve said that every writer needs to write “a million words of dreck” before he can expect to see any quality in his writing. What’s the reasoning behind this, and do you feel you’ve written your own million words yet?

JC: The reasoning is well documented. Other than a handful of geniuses who burst on the scene apparently fully developed, the rest of have to work very hard to hone what does and doesn’t work. There’s no substitute for putting in the hours, writing the drafts, and earning both rejections and sales the hard way.

I think of the process as a natural progression from amateur to journeyman to expert to master. Right now, I’m a journeyman, more seasoned than a neophyte, experienced in some things, still rough with others.

AC: With so much talk these days about the copyright settlement with Google, authors are all in a tither with fears of having their work stolen. Any thoughts on the balance between piracy and obscurity?

JC: Ah, a favorite topic. Without rehashing what others have already written about at some length, I’ll just say that when I was growing up, kids shared mix cassette tapes back and forth among each other, trading degraded copies of favorite songs they recorded themselves from the radio. Then, as now, people who go out of their way to acquire new music around the existing sales channels also buy more music, and the reason is really apparent —they’re huge music fans.

I’ve applied the same reasoning to what I write and publish. RGR has been available as a free download since July of 2006, and all our back issues are freely available as well. We pay for our stories but don’t charge for them. We believe it’s more important to get the stories out there than it is to put a gate on that reading door. Once you understand why you’re writing and what you hope to accomplish, it can be incredibly freeing.

That’s not to say that I’m averse to being paid. However, I’m hoping that enough people will discover my free works and want to read more from my slowly growing back-catalog. Tying in a previous idea, my intention is that by the time I’m expert enough to earn payment for my works, fans will be willing to pay something for my works. No matter what, I’ll always offer free versions of my writing.

AC: Your analyses of stories (both books and movies) are quite in-depth. Do you find that these analyses help you in your own writing?

JC: First, thanks, you’re too kind! Second, I’m a fan, first and foremost. Having a feel for the length and breadth and history of the things I’m interested in can’t help but inform my own stuff.

I was thinking about this yesterday as I listened to drummer Mike Portnoy on YouTube. When he drums for Dream Theater, his prog-metal band, he is one of the most accomplished technical drummers on the planet. However, when he fills in for other projects, he knows so much about the history of his favorite music that he can change his kit and style to match the audience for the new project. He played drums for the Led Zeppelin tribute band Hammer of the Gods, and when did, he didn’t sound like Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy, he sounds like Led Zep’s John Bonham.

It’s the same with reading books and watching movies by others. All that source material helps me be more creative, and more aware as I work creating my own works. It also gives me an idea of what works and doesn’t work, and allows me to make more unique mistakes. (Anybody can make common mistakes. My goal is to make really clever ones which I can then learn from and emerge as a stronger writer.)

AC: The publishing industry is daily growing more and more digital—something you’ve tapped into with RGR. What do you visualize for the future of the industry?

JC: There was a time that you had to go to a music hall or church or listen to the radio to hear music. The invention of vinyl albums changed that by allowing common people to collect and keep their own collection of music. It was that way for decades. However, today, the vinyl record is a largely historical technology. Few current works are pressed and released, and the only people who continue to seek them out are hardcore fans.

As strange as it sounds, I think we’ll see books as we know them today go the way of the vinyl album; something that was once venerable and ubiquitous that has been bypassed by technology and finally exists only as a rare occasion product. I’m a little surprised that well-meaning government types haven’t already passed regulations to prohibit dead-tree books for the sake of preserving the environment or something.

But necessity if the mother of invention, and I think we’ll see development of as many different kinds of inexpensive digital reading devices tomorrow as we saw portable music players yesterday. I think new generations of readers used to reading content with multiple levels of metadata will find actual paper documents both flat and quaint.

AC: Where do you visualize yourself going next with your own writing? Any full-length novels on the way?

JC: As much as I love creative writing, that’s not where the money is today for most up-and-coming authors. For profit, I’m writing documentation for a popular VOIP software program. Making some money on the side allows me to spend the time writing and distributing my creative works without worrying about a paycheck, which affords me a certain freedom in my writing.

And it shows. For fun, I’m working on writing shorter short stories (such as “Blessed Are the Peacemakers” for Digital Dragon magazine) and a couple of stand-along hybrid novels in the style of such clever crossbreeds as A. Lee Martinez’s The Automatic Detective, a combination of noir and science fiction, and Alex Bledsoe’s The Sword-Edged Blonde, combining noir and fantasy.

Thanks for the interview, Katie!

Fabulously Fun Friday: A World Without Writers

Review of 100 Things Every Writer Needs to Know by Scott Edelstein

Although geared toward the novice writer, this small volume also contains a pleasantly surprising number of goodies for the more advanced scribe. Its 100 chapters—none, with the exception of a glossary of commonly used writing jargon, more than two or three pages—are short enough to digest a few minutes at a time. Edelstein’s gentle wit and friendly tone make the book a delight to read. His savvy about his craft is shared in a neighborly way, with none of the condescension sometimes found in writing manuals.

The chapters are divided into five sections. “Basic Wisdom” deals mostly with dispelling commonly held beliefs about the “musts and must nots” of writing well. Sections two and three, “The Writing Process” and “Building Your Writing Skills” won me over, especially the chapters on that age-old nemesis of all authors—writer’s block.

“Making Money from Your Writing” is, not surprisingly, the longest section in the book. Novices will no doubt find the material helpful, especially if they have yet to publish a work, but most experienced writers will probably discover that they are familiar with the majority of the information.

The closing segment, “The Writer’s Life,” is more a pep talk than anything else. Only fourteen chapters long, it discusses everything from dealing with rejection to rediscovering yourself through your writing. Overall, a very satisfying and enjoyable book.

Striking the Right Balance

First let me say that the germ of idea for the thoughts I will articulate today came from this post by Athol Dickson over on agent Rachelle Gardner's blog. In that post Mr. Dickson made the point that as writers we need to decide what we want to accomplish with our writing. Do we want to delight our readers? Do we want to write an excellently crafted piece? Or do we want to quickly slap something together, something that works but we don't want to spend a lot of time on? If you think of those as the points on a triangle with your piece falling somewhere in the middle of the triangle, where do you want your writing to land? While I agree with Mr. Dickson's 3 points I felt there were actually more than just those 3 points to consider, especially for Christian writing.

Each of us as writers has to decide for ourselves what we want to accomplish with our writing. You can't be all and do all. If there is one thing I learned a long time ago in life it is that you can't please everyone. No matter how hard you try. It just can't be done.

So I hope Mr. Dickson will not be offended if I expand on his analogy.

To the right is my very amature drawing of a Star of David. I left the three areas Mr. Dickson mentioned, because I felt they were all valid points. But I added Spiritual Message, Thought Provoking, and Inspiring.

Let's take a moment to talk about each of these points, so that you can decide what the right balance is for your body of work.

Entertaining: All writing should in some way be entertaining - yes, even nonfiction. If you don't entertain your readers you will lose them. However a piece about the dangers of nuclear power plants is going to be vastly less entertaining to most than your average humor column.

Spiritual Message: Obviously as Christians if you are writing something there is probably a spiritual message that you want to get across. How heavily you lean towards that point on the star, however, will be determined by what balance you want to strike.

Thought Provoking: In some ways thought provoking goes along with the spiritual message. But you can give a spiritual message without making your reader think about what they are reading. In my experience it is when I'm made to think for myself that I learn the most - not when I'm spoon-fed a message the author wants me to get.

Quickly Written: Let's face it, there are some things we write that we don't spend a whole lot of time on. What are you writing? How much time do you need to devote to it in order to make sure you have accomplished all you wanted to? If you are writing a book, you are going to spend a lot more time on it than if you are writing a blog post.

Inspiring: Again, some of you may be thinking that Thought Provoking and Inspiring are the same. But the difference I'd like to point out is that someone who is inspired will take action. Do you have an action you want your readers to take? Then inspire them!

Well Crafted: There is also a link between the amount of time we spend on a piece and the quality of the writing. The time we spend educating ourselves also affects the quality of our craft. How important is it to you that your piece be excellently crafted? If you get too technical with following grammar and writing rules your piece might just end up drier than a desert stone.

So, with these thougths in mind, where do you want your writing to fall? If something leans heavily toward the entertainment sector, it will by nature be further from the Inspiring and Thought Provoking sectors. That is not to say that a Thought Provoking piece can't be entertaining, but I hope you see the correlation that sometimes you have to give some things up to gain something else. Look at some things you've written recently. Where do you feel they fall in the Star of David shape? You can probably balance pretty fairly between about 3 of the points, but trying to incorporate any more than that, unless you are an excellent master of your craft, will probably make the piece feel bulky.

I'm sure there could be even more points - any thoughts on that?

Citing Unusual Sources

This is an edited piece from the PMLA--an out-dated, tongue-in-cheek site written by a group of curiously egotistical, but fun, college grads. They have performed a true service. One never knows when citing a restroom wall may be necessary:

Rest-Stop Restroom Graffiti

When citing rest-stop graffiti:

List the name of the rest area (if it has a name) in italics.
Name the state in which it was located.
Name the highway it abuts (with direction headed).
List the nearest mile marker.
List the date the graffitti was observed.

Example: "This you wouldn't believe! Call 555-3278." [The Ida C. Collins Memorial Rest Area, Wisconsin; Interstate 94 South (Mile Marker 218): May 14, 1997.]

Magic 8-Balls

When citing Magic 8-Balls:

List the question asked the Magic 8-Ball (in quotes).
Identify the location where you consulted the Magic 8-Ball.
List the manufacturer of the Magic 8-ball (in italics).
List the date that you consulted the Magic 8-Ball.

Example: "Reply Hazy, Try Again Later." ["Will I get tenured?" Oasis Tavern, 6907 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL: Tyco Toys, Inc., January 12, 1998.]

Alien Mind Transmissions

When citing telepathic transmissions from alien planets/spacecraft:

Name the aliens who sent the message (if known).
Identify the location of planet or craft.
Identify the location where transmission was received.
List the date the transmission was received.

Example: "Internal combustion vehicles are wasteful and evil. You must stand in the street and curse their drivers and occupants immediately." [The Elders of Antares 7; A Ship Orbiting Saturn; Corner of Lawrence Avenue and Broadway, Chicago, IL: July 5,1989.]

Tattoos

When citing tattoos or other body art/text:

List the part of the body on which the tattoo was seen.
Name the person sporting the tattoo (if known).
Identify the location where tattoo was observed (if known).
List the date the tattoo was observed (if known).

Example: "This End Up." [Left Buttock, Unidentified Male Dancer; The Loading Zone Bar, Halsted Street; Chicago, Il: January, 31 1998?]


Epithets Hollered Out Car Windows

When citing epithets hollered out car windows:

Describe the vehicle from which epithet emanated (approximations are acceptable in cases of great speed).
Identify the location where the incident occurred (see #1).
List the date incident occurred (see #1).

Example: "Hey Buddy, who the H*** taught you how to drive?" [Large Delivery-Type Truck, Near Main and Chicago Streets; Evanston, IL: March 5, 1999.]


(Magic 8-Ball Flickr photo by crash candy)

Three Authors, One Book

Today's post is from an author with a unique writing story. Sharon Bernash Smith, Linda Reinhardt and Rosanne Croft worked together to write the book Like a Bird Wanders (OakTara, 2008). I have enough trouble writing on my own! I can't imagine trying something like this with other writers. But Linda is here today to tell us how they went about accomplishing the task. Click the cover to read more about the book on Amazon.

Many people have asked us, “How on earth did the three of you write this book together?”

When Sharon first introduced the vision of our book, at writers group, it captivated me. She had found a picture of four ladies with “Dear Gracie” written on the back, at an antique store. The idea that popped into her mind was of a prodigal. After agreeing to the project we began to brainstorm.

The first thing we did was to take the vision, narrow it down, then figure out our target audience. Each of us had a prodigal in our life so our plan was to speak to their hearts.

In one of our initial meetings the main characters started to develop. And of course we moved from that point to developing a plot for the characters: Where are they going? Where do they end up? What would the time frame be?

Now it came down to brass tacks, working the plan. Constant communication was very important. Each meeting was filled with hours of conversation over different ideas, directions, and time goals. When the time was over it was pretty clear what we were responsible for writing.

When off on our own everything we talked and prayed about would mix with our personal imagination to make the characters come alive from each different perspective.

Then came what could’ve been difficult, but was obvious for us, since it was Sharon’s idea that started the whole project. She was chosen to be the leader and editor, in order to put all of the work together. As part of a team, ego has to be laid aside, the end result of the project is more important. Most writers have experienced those times of being exceptionally attached to a piece of work, but when brought to an audience, it needs to be well edited to be appreciated.

Probably, the hardest part at first was setting and COMPLETING deadlines. I was pregnant at the time, and our goal was to have the book completed before my daughter was born, didn’t happen. But, we did come to realize in order to get a project like this finished, we needed to meet once a week. Also, we had to bring work. After that decision we were able to complete the book at a much faster pace.


Many hours were spent together over tea, hashing out the lives of the characters in this book. But not only were Eva Jo, Nettie and our prodigal Gracie formed out of these deep conversations, but a lasting sister relationship was developed between the three of us. It was a wonderful experience working as a team, with the intent to serve God by sending a message to those who have stepped away. Come back, God loves you, forgive yourself and believe in His forgiveness that is for you. I hope you are truly blessed in reading “Like a Bird Wanders”.

A Christian View of the Arts

AC is excited to present a guest post by C. Maggie Woychik. We interviewed her once before and featured her devotional book, I Run to the Hills.
　
As believers we wish to compose and create with purpose. The question isn’t what we write as much as why we write it. In considering why we fashion either art or literature, theatre or music, it may help to ponder the following.

First, is our work essentially derivative or reflective?

Does it emerge, in our estimation, solely from our personal genius, our own inspiration, i.e., does it derive from a purely human base? Or is it reflective – does it mirror something or Someone larger than ourselves, something outside our limited understanding and ability to influence?

Next, do we value what we do for its own sake or for a higher cause?

Art for art’s sake is an acceptable worldly pursuit, but we’ve been chosen for a higher calling. As we fully embrace the truth of that higher calling, our desires morph from self-glory to God-glory. We begin to cut and mold and fashion with not only an unjaded aim, but with fresh inspiration. We bring a more intense beauty, a fuller truth, a greater understanding to our designs because of that which we value.

Finally, we ask ourselves "Is it good?" rather than "Is it mine?"*

We look beyond our natural self interests and seek excellence in our contributions to the entirety of Christian thought, to our collective societal history, because we know Him, love Him and seek to bring Him the honor He so richly deserves. We intertwine goodness and truth into our every brush stroke, our every word, our songs and our drama.

C. S. Lewis concluded through observation: "...it is not hard to argue that all the greatest poems have been made by men who valued something else much more than poetry...."**

And that "something else" wasn’t necessarily always a religious concept, but something outside of the thing itself, in this case a poem. The poem was a means to an end, not an end in itself. Our creativity should likewise produce not simply derivative works that reflect self and are of value primarily to the "arts", but creations that reveal the higher life we’ve been called to, creations rife with goodness.

* Idea taken from C.S. Lewis
**C.S. Lewis, Christianity and Literature