B.J. Hoff's Blog, page 9

What Are Friends For?

So far this has been a strange week. Strange in terms of unexpected emails and questions, a few of which left me scratching my head as to how to explain. 

One question that seems to call for a reply had to do with why I hadn't confirmed a "friend" request on Twitter and Facebook. If by some chance you have that same question in mind, let me assure you that it's nothing personal. I deliberately limit my Facebook "friends" and Twitter "followers" to either friends in "real life," or to "friends of friends," or colleagues I work with, or people I either know through email and other communication venues or somehow know of. I use these two social networks primarily to keep in touch with family and friends who live some distance away, even in foreign countries, or to communicate with my readers--answer their questions, update them when a new book is due for release, or reply with other information they've requested.  

I don't--I can't--claim to have thousands or even hundreds of  "real" friends, but even if I did, I couldn't possibly stay in touch with all of them, either on Facebook or Twitter or anywhere else. That's reason enough for me not to "collect" as many followers or friends as I can muster.

I do enjoy the occasional surprise of being contacted by a friend I've lost touch with years ago or a family member I've heard of but never met. And I have always loved hearing from my readers and maintaining close contact with professional associates. But time and a number of other factors make it necessary for me to control how much I do in the way of networking and social activity. I use Facebook and Twitter primarily to stay in contact with my readers and keep in touch with what's happening in the publishing industry--and life in general. I'm a news junkie, and so I enjoy hearing "the latest" without keeping a radio or television tuned to the world outside.

So although I do appreciate your thinking of me, if I don't respond to your invitation, that's why. 

God bless--

BJ

Tell Me a Story

(Excerpted from an earlier entry)

The popularity of storytelling festivals continues to increase nationwide. In 1973, the first "National Storytelling Festival" was established in Jonesborough, Tennessee. It was estimated that 60 people attended. Currently, attendance averages approximately 12,000. Similar festivals take place across the country every year. In this age of the internet and cell phones, e-mail and text messaging, what accounts for the ongoing interest in–and the power of the story?

More and more we're becoming an isolated society. Ironically, the very technology that at first seemed as though it might work to bring individuals closer together is, in reality, leading to more solitary lifestyles. But the art of the story, both oral and written, is the great unifier, the magnet that attracts and draws a community together. More effective still than television or movies, a good story–told by a good storyteller–can hold a room filled with preschoolers or adults captive. Whereas the act of watching a story unfold tends to be a more solitary experience, listening to a story almost demands a communal audience.

The importance of the story has been recognized by the Irish for centuries. The Seanchai–the Storyteller–has always held a high place of dignity and esteem in Ireland. Often the storyteller and the poet were the same person, his craft entitling him to great privilege and ownership of property, a seat at the same table with kings and princes–even a voice in significant decisions. (It almost makes a writer long for the "good old days," doesn't it?)

With the coming of Christianity to Ireland, the stories took on a stronger moral tone, but churchmen still fostered the story, still honored the teller of the story. The narrative skill and prominence survived the Viking invasions and the decline of the Irish language, and the storytellers retained the respect of their countrymen, although by the nineteenth century the common people had replaced the wealthy and privileged as their patrons. With the decline of the Irish language throughout most of the country, much of the craft of oral storytelling–at least the gesture, the nuance, the personality, faded. Yet some went in search of  the remote fishing villages of the west and south of Ireland to hunt out those who could pass on at least a part of the tradition.

Much effort was put into reviving and restoring the old traditions and tales, and to this day the written word and theater in Ireland owe a great deal to the wandering seanchai of forgotten centuries. The Irish still value story and still revere their storytellers. Scarcely a place–whether rock or town or hill or valley–exists in Ireland that doesn't have a tale attached to it ...  and have you ever met an Irish person at a loss for words?

Storytelling has been around almost from the beginning of time, as long as speech itself. Some say it's an art form that will never be lost, so crucial is it to the heart and soul of human nature, to the survival of world culture and civilization. If you think about it, so long as a parent sits down with a child on his lap and says, "Once upon a time ... " or a pastor turns to his congregation and says, "Let me tell you a story ..." or a grandparent lingers at the dinner table and says, "I can remember when ..." the story will survive.

And so will the seanchai.

Doing my part ....

BJ

 

Looks Like ...

I'm often asked how I go about creating the physical descriptions of my characters. I hear questions such as "Who does ______ look like?" or "Right from the start, I thought  ______ looked like _____" or "Do your characters resemble people you know?"

A definite no to the latter. As it happens--and I don't pretend to know how it happens--my characters come to me first not so much in physical appearance as in their nature,  their--well, their character. I get to know the character before I visualize his/her appearance. I don't really do a lot of detailed character description--just enough to give the reader a "look" at the person without belaboring the specifics. Most of us form pictures in our mind of the characters we read about anyway, and I'd much rather have it that way. Yet it's important for me to have a clear, strong image of my characters--even minor characters--in my own mind.  

The first thing that becomes clear is a look in the eye and then the voice. Only then does the full physical appearance emerge. Sometimes one of my "people" resembles a film or tv personality. Other times there's no resemblance to anyone familiar, a character simply develops fully formed and I know "it's him."

Some of my readers have fun trying to guess what well-known celebrity a character looks like, and there are a few who often nail the exact prototype. I don't always admit who the person was I had in mind for the physical resemblance, but more often I do if a reader guesses right.

Feel free to email me privately or contact me on Facebook if you want to try your luck at this. I'll give you a couple of samples, just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Of course, this will make sense to you only if you've read the book(s) in which the characters appear. Here goes:

Jeremiah ("Captain") Gant in the Riverhaven Years series: think a younger Tom Selleck with a little bit of John Stossel. Sandemon from the Emerald Ballad series: think Morgan Freeman. Jack Kane from Cloth of Heaven and Ashes and Lace (Song of Erin): Sean Connery in his early forties. Dr. Bethany Cole from the American Anthem series: a younger Lindsay Wagner. And Maggie from the Mountain Song Legacy series looks almost identical to a young girl on the face of a greeting card I once received--copper curls and all. Even though I couldn't hear her voice, her eyes and her smile struck me with such an impact I seemed to hear it. 

Let me hear from you if you want to offer a few guesses of your own!  

BJ

 

A Man after God's Heart

David ... a simple shepherd boy, anointed, appointed by God to be king. Slayer of giants, leader of nations, ruler of the people of the Lord.

This warrior-king, fierce against the foe, found his heart's own contentment in gentle things like music and poetry and praise. 

A man of noble character: wise leader, loyal patriot, royal statesman, devoted friend. He fought for God's honor with relentless resolve, yet showed mercy to a treacherous enemy and an unfaithful son. He was a generous ruler with integrity of heart, a man of humility and deep sensitivity. 

Valiant in spirit, he survived the hardships of the wilderness, endured the agonies of exile, braved the terrors of war. Weak in the flesh, he succumbed to the corruption of power and the deception of sin. His passions carved out in his heart an unsanctified place where the darkness set in and reigned. 

Yet through it all--the successes and defeats, the triumphs and failures, among the monuments and amid the ruins--he sought for God.

His sins were many, his weaknesses grave. At the end, his family betrayed him, his followers deserted him, his kingdom crumbled, his dignity fled. But even then, God called him his own and bound his wounds.

In the valley of the shadows or beside still waters, in the pit of despair or on the heights of joy, David clung to God with one steadfast hope and sang his songs of praise. 

BJ (from Faces in the Crowd)

 

More about "Big Books"

A few days after posting my recent entry about "big books," I ran across an excellent blog article by author, Jack Cavanaugh, also addressing long fiction. Jack has written numerous "big books" of historical fiction, and his expertise on the subject is clearly in evidence throughout the article. Where I skimmed only the surface of the topic, Jack goes into great detail. If you love to read or write long fiction, this is a must read from a fine author who knows the art and craft of it well.

Writing Long Fiction or The Allure of Plus-Sized Books by Jack Cavanaugh 

 

BJ

 

Let's Hear It for the Big Book

As I post this entry, I'm awaiting delivery of Ken Follett's newest release, Fall of Giants. Like his earlier tomes, The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, his newest historical novel weighs in at approximately 1,000 pages--and it's only the first of his Century trilogy. 

I'm genuinely excited about digging into Giants. I love having a "big book" to look forward to at the end of the day. 

For several years, the mega historical novel faded from popularity. It's a cultural thing, I...

Home Again

 For all those who have been asking: Please forgive me for being slow in posting this, but as you can probably understand, I've been a little busy. But I did want to let you know that my husband, Jim, is home from the hospital. The blood clot I mentioned previously is still there, and he still has some other problems going on ... but all things considered, I think he's doing fairly well. This is going to be slow going, but at least we're in the early stages of recovery and, apparently...

9/11 ... We Will Never Forget

 





Our fathers' God to Thee,Author of liberty,To Thee we sing.Long may our land be bright,With freedom's holy light,Protect us by Thy might,Great God our King.

Thanks for Asking

 For those of you have inquired about my husband's (Jim) surgery:

Tthings haven't gone quite the way we'd hoped. The surgery went well enough--he came through just fine and seemed to do well, so we were fairly optimistic for a time, but they weren't able to stabilize him for very long afterward. His vitals went crazy late last night, and they were fairly sure there was some internal bleeding going on. They transfused him, gave him lots of fluids by iv, but nothing they tried worked, and...

Time Out

I'll be taking some time away from Grace Notes (and a few other things) in preparation for my husband's upcoming surgery. Many of you know that Jim has been undergoing chemotherapy this summer in advance of surgery. We're now at the point where we have a number of things to do before the actual procedure, and I need to find some extra time to get them done. 

I'll still be working as I can: developing the manuscript for the third book of the Riverhaven Years, reading galleys for the next...