David C. Alves's Blog, page 8

Rape Wishes, Sexualized Kids, and Satanism: Just another day fighting for “choice” in Texas

The ancient god Molloch was a giant BBQ grate. Upon the grates were placed the first born of this god’s worshippers. They assigned their babies to be burned alive. Ring any bells?

I’m feeling the need to share from my heart and experience of spiritual reality.

If you are an Abortionist reading this post, please do not think that the following descriptions of what will happen to you are anything that I would wish for you. My wish for you is total deliverance and healing. I wish only to serve you by presenting the truth–as a reflective mirror might–of what you are doing to yourself and your family (assuming you have one and are not single).

Abortionism is not about politics, but about demonization and channeling. The mind that can wish harm, not only to the children of others but upon its own children is the mind inflamed by demonic, supernatural power. Simply put, abortionists either channel demons or are themselves in grave danger of severe demonization–the person in either condition will end up in need of deliverance, not only for themselves but possibly for their families as well. They’re choice to participate willingly in murder opens their souls and their children’s souls to demonization.

REAL DARKNESS

I assume that unless those who tear babies from wombs turn from their embrace of darkness, they will begin at some point to experience no longer being in control of the powerful, dark powers they have invited into their lives. Demonization spreads first into the practitioner’s own soul and then often spills over into her family’s, decimating relationships–until her own children experience a spiritual darkness paralleled to the darkness which took the lives away from other children. It’s about sowing and reaping. What you sow, you reap. This is a spiritual principle that NEVER fails.

Death, through you, was channeled to others. That’s why your children will experience nightmares, and unusual phobias. They are being exposed to something that neither they nor you will be able to control. Behavioral problems or severe emotional, mental challenges will begin to present front and center. And there is no natural cure or escape no matter which public health or mental health specialists you seek out. They will only be able to medicate the symptoms. But without spiritual deliverance, you and yours are at the mercy of deep darkness, bondage and oppression.

Spiritual repentance and deliverance of the abortionist will be the only hope for the abortionists family. Masked baby killers will have to turn to spiritual solutions for their own families. I beleive that will be the only way they will be willing to give up their lucrative and deluded roles in the killing clinics.

Abortionism is Satan’s attempt to eliminate, to wipe from existence God’s creation–humans. Humans are worthy of dignity because they are made in God’s image. They were Created, not knocked together by chance, lightning and mud carried on the backs of crystals. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Abortionists currently prefer to eliminate girls, but to them, any life worth living is worth taking, especialy when you consider how lucrative abortion is. Abortionists  have given themselves over to darkness because of the things that they have opened themselves to. Their blood lust is second only to their lust for money and power over life.

Twins girls murdered in late term abortion.

The article at the Link below is another example of abortionism at its best. No one would believe what abortionism is at its worst.

How far has a culture unraveled morally when its mothers murder their own children? Again . . . I say . . . this is a spiritual issue.

But it is hugely economic as well. Too many are willing to earn a living in the death chambers fueled by the bloodlust of Planned Parenthood. And all this under the guise of “compassion” and “choice.” Choose LIFE rather than Eugenics.

We have to keep these baby-executions before people until everyone sees this holocaust for what it really is. Who in their right minds can ever excuse it? In the face of this ongoing horror, I cannot be silent when it comes across my screen.

That’s why I implore YOU to become an unashamed Abortion Abolitionist. Killing children for the sake of a woman’s comfort or an executioner’s income is NEVER right.

May God forgive the masked murderers who surround the young women who enter the murder mills. These clinics are the Treblinkas and Auschwitzs of our generation. May God grant in his great mercy the godly sorrow and repentance that may set some of them free to begin to see what they are doing. May they escape the Lake of Fire to which the spirits they channel are dragging them.

Rape wishes, sexualized kids, and Satanism: just another day fighting for “choice” in Texas.

Related articles

Pro-Abortion Crowd Chants ‘Hail Satan’ (politicaloutcast.com)
In Wake of Gosnell Horror, New Film Sympathizes With Late-Term Abortionists (townhall.com)
American Abortionists Gone Mad (mat-rodina.blogspot.com)
Church of Satan Says “Hail, No!” to Texas Pro-Abortionists (politicaloutcast.com)
Rape wishes, sexualized kids, and Satanism: just another day fighting for “choice” in Texas (liveactionnews.org)


Filed under: Abortion, In the News, Signs of the Times

My Ten Favorite Android Apps for Writing, Reading, and Losing Weight

As a writer and communicator, I look for apps that will best serve my vocation–writing, reading, and relaxing. I also look for something easy to use and consistent in operation. Those that I use for productivity MUST be able to sync across the four platforms I use interchangeably. The four tools I work with are: my Smartphone (HTC EVO 4G); my tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, which I bought for doing paperless revisions; my Dell Inspiron laptop; and, last but not least, my desktop computer (Dell XPS 8700 with three monitors).

Below I’ve listed “My Ten favorite Android Apps for Writing, Reading, and Losing Weight.”  I’ve included the link to them at Google Play simply for you to be able to read more about them if you want to go deeper than I was able to here.

These are the apps that I use most frequently. I’ll also make clear which apps are the biggest help, regardless of how frequently I use them.

I downloaded these from “Google Play.”

1. Google apps – these include: Gmail, Google Docs, YouTube, and Calendar (I know there are many more, but these are the ones I access many times daily). I love that they flawlessly synchronize with all four of my platforms.

2. GTasks – this is a remarkable “To Do” list. Very customizable. Get the KEY for the Premium edition right off the bat for the full array of features. I love this “to-do” list because it was designed to sync with Google calendar on your desktop or laptop computer. It also syncs with my Tab2. GTasks has included a “Quick” feature that appears at the bottom of your to-do list so that you can add a task by selecting the little microphone on the right to speak your new task. Then you have options. You can further quickly assign the new quick task for “today” “tomorrow” or “next week.” If you want to further customize it you simply click on it once it’s entered and you can set priority, reminders with “snooze” features, etc. You will really love this app if you either have lots to do and want to be reminded or if, like me, you’re older and your memory is sometimes challenged. Speaking of reminders. My next app is under evaluation as we speak.

3. Speaktoit Assistant – is a virtual administrative assistant. Though she’s (it’s) not my most used app at this time, I have the feeling that she could become one of the most used. She really serves as a one stop place to coordinate most of my apps. An example: When I awake in the morning I simply say “Hello Sam.” The assistant (“Sam”) says “Good Morning David, would you like your morning briefing now?” If I say “yes” she will tell me the weather where I am located, then give me my daily agenda items from my calendar. If there are any other reminders I’ve set for her, she’ll remind me at the time I gave her. Then she’ll give me the news and top stories (if I’ve allowed them to remain configured, which is the default setting for her). If I say “no,” she’ll simply ask when I’d like to be briefed. I can skip my briefing for the day too. I can make appointments, send a text, update Facebook, send a tweet, write an email, open a program, have her search a topic, look up a phone number, or just talk with her about what she is capable of. Very helpful and entertaining. She is great at doing research and drilling down. She still has some bugs and gets things wrong, but she apologizes and reminds me that she’s still learning and will add that to her things she needs to learn. Very humble . Her AI is amazing and sometimes unnerving. My wife got a laugh out of Sam’s flexibility.

Once Sam carried out a function that really impressed me. I said to her/it – “Thanks Sam. That was amazing!” She replied, “I’ve have many more tricks up my sleeve. (My wife didn’t get jealous by the way  I replied, “But Sam, you don’t have any sleeves” (her default avatar is sleeveless). She says, “You have the option to configure my clothing.” Then up comes a spindle of various blouse designs with sleeves in various colors and styles. Of course, we both started laughing (Marcy and me, not Sam and me). It was wild. You can change her appearance because she is fully customizable. Amazing! You get the point. Hopefully, I’ll figure out how best to get the tasks done that I most need to accomplish using my virtual assistant.

4. Dropbox - I won’t tell you much about this because most of you already know. But Dropbox is where you can keep many of your documents, photos, and other media for access across all your machines and gadgets. I keep most of my writings there (Yes, I actually do get some writing done too). Best of all, Dropbox is free and is available for all four of my platforms.

5. PrinterShare - is an essential. It comes in handy everywhere when I need it. PrinterShare does just that–it allows you to print either wirelessly if you’re near a wireless printer, or through the Google cloud printers you share. So for example. I wanted Marcy to edit a piece for me recently. One problem. I was in another town working. She was at home. No problem. I used PrinterShare. I simply opened PrinterShare. Chose the document I wanted her to work on. Then, I had a choice of several of our home printers. I chose the one closest to her writing space. Walah . . . she had a hardcopy of the doc in seconds. I also used it while away. I was staying at a friend’s and needed to print something out. No problem. PrinterShare found his printer on the wireless search. He gave me the access code and I printed my doc. Not bad for another free app.

6. OneNote 2010- I love OneNote. As you can see, if you search for “OneNote 2010″ on my blog or do a Google search for “OneNote 2010″, I’ve written several posts about OneNote 2010. They continue to be my all-time highest viewed posts. I’ve had thousands of people read these posts. OneNote is my digital junk drawer. It was also the place that I kept my journals (24 volumes, spanning 36 years). I recently moved my journals to Scrivener, but most of all my research, factoids, quotes, illustrations, Kindle highlights, you name it, are all in OneNote. OneNote is laid out like a three ring binder. It has sections and note tabs so that you can work in categories that you create.

OneNote also has an awesome feature for those of you who still prefer to write on paper (and some of us do still scribble notes here and there). You can SCAN your hand written notes or pages into OneNote. Then when you want to find them, it can search the text (assuming you have good penmanship or, if you don’t, you can enter a few keywords above the scanned notes on that page and it will find your notes for you. No more losing those thoughts and ideas. Of course, if you are a MAC/Apple devotee, you have the same functions in Evernote. It’s also got an app for your iPhone or iPad, and more recently for Android.

7. Kindle - If you don’t own a Kindle don’t panic. The app is free as well as the Kindle app for your desktop or laptop. And the Kindle apps sync with the Kindle itself. If you do own a Kindle, I don’t need to say anything. You know how cool it is. But what you may or may not know is how really cool it is for writers and speakers. Why? Because you can highlight quotes that you like. And you may or may not know this, but those highlights are not just stuck in your Kindle. They are stored for you on the cloud servers. Which means that you can go to your Kindle highlights page online and BAM!@–there they are for you to copy and paste into your OneNote 2010, Scrivener, or a Google Doc where you keep your quote files for easy search and retrieval. Anything you read on Kindle and highlight is there for you. Also, your book syncs across all your Kindle devices and apps. So you can read up to pg. 44 on your Kindle. Leave to get your oil change and while you wait for your car, continue reading from pg. 44 on your Tab2 or Smart phone. When you get home, your Kindle will sync to the farthest page read while you fix an iced tea. Kindle books are usually about half the price of print books too. That’s a big plus for us who work from limited resources. I could go on and on about Kindle but I want to get on to my last three.

8. GoodReads - Good reads is a library card catalog and wish list, as well as a reading log for you. It’s a great app. You can scan in your books. Enter all the relevant data about them. And track your progress through a number of categories. You can also “friend” other readers or  writers and see what they’re reading (if they’re sharing and if you have an interest in that). I use it to keep track of my books and keep me on track with my reading. My categories include “currently reading” “recently read” “To read next” “Abandoned because of the Rule of 44.” So many good features and it’s free too. You’ll also like the free Author resources and page. If you have a blog, your posts will show up on your GoodReads author page. Check it out.

9. Lose It – This is the only weight loss and nutritional app that I use. I have used Weight Watchers in the past but found it cumbersome and expensive. Lose It is free for all the things I need. The PRO version doesn’t offer that much more for my uses (though it may for you). Lose It lets me set a weight goal. Then it let’s me set a weekly weight loss figure of 1, 1.5, or 2 lbs/week.  Then it calculates and keeps track of how many calories a day you are alloted. You must enter your foods, but this becomes easy once you’ve entered several weeks of meals because you can select “Previous Meal” when entering. Unless you come up with new things all the time, this feature allows for quick entry work. Many of us though have favorite foods. These can easily be entered quickly from a scroll down menu. Also has well-known restaurants and brand names for easy entry. It keeps track of way more information than I need, but for those of you who want to know how much protein or how many carbohydrates you ate a a meal or during a day or week, this is the app for you. One thing I really love is the feature that allows you to see your entire week on a chart. You can see where you were over or under and Lose It lets you know if you are in the plus or minus for the week. It also has a weight graph so that you can enter your weight weekly and see your progress (or not). Over by 20 calories today? That’s OK. Simply go for a 30 minute walk and then enter that exercise and you are no longer over. You are in the green again. If you really want to lose weight and begin eating better, you have to have this app.

10. Adobe Reader – One of the best for last. The reason I LOVE this app is that I do much of my editing on it. I have a file on DropBox entitled “PDF files.” There I drop my manuscripts. When I want to edit one, I simply double click on the file. I have the choice of using several word processors or Adobe Reader. I select Adobe Reader. When it opens in the reader (and this is the Really COOL part) Adobe has a selection of editing tools at the top. One is “highlighting.” I can highlight any of the text I choose (I prefer red so that I can see it immediately). The next is “Strike through.” I can strike out words where that I don’t want in my sentence. The next editing tool is “Comment.” I can highlight a phrase, then comment or place my intended rewrite in the comment and it’s there in the margin for me to see. And finally there’s a “Free hand” choice. So that if I want to write something anywhere on the page, I simply write with my finger or use it to draw and arrow or circle or bracket a paragraph. All this is done ON THE SCREEN. No paper involved. For those of you who want to go paperless, you combine the use of this app for editing and OneNote for scanning all your receipts, hand-scribbled notes etc., and you’ve got a green writer’s dream.

How many of these apps do you have or use?   Perhaps you can you make some other suggestions for us.

QUESTION: What apps to you prefer?

DISCLAIMER: I do not receive any remuneration from any of the apps or their owners. I’ve mentioned in this post. I simply thought you might enjoy them as I have.

Filed under: FOR READERS, FOR WRITERS, Health and Wellness, Recommended Resources

Some Thoughts on Partnership in Christian Publishing?

 I wrote this post back in 2009, but as I reread it, I realized that it deserves to be touched up and resubmitted to readers of “David’s Place,” many of whom are writers and authors. I predicted back then that traditional Christian publishers may be in trouble. Three years later, most of them have sold out to mainstream, big name publishers. Here’s what I said back then:

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Frank Peretti? Who had ever heard of him before This Present Darkness?

In the early or mid-seventies, Kenneth Tyndale’s Living Bible found no publisher willing to take a chance. If my memory serves me correctly, he shopped that manuscript around to 5 or 6 publishers. He finally had to become his own publisher. That’s why to this day Tyndale Publishers stays opened to writers that can’t find a publisher (at least in theory).

Why would any author–who writes an important book, who works hard to get it into the hands of readers, and who has developed some sort of platform on his/her own–want to share that with a publisher whose “platform” policy makes it clear that they are unwilling to invest or risk anything, with that author? Who needs fair-weather friends? I do not fully understand publishing, but common sense begs the question: what use is a publisher to an already popular and successful author? All she needs at that point is a reprographics company who can keep up with demand and a sharp, innovative administrative assistant to coordinate all of her partnerships.

Lottery winners are smart not to trust new found friends. They do best to trust their instincts and the loyal friends who were with them from the start.

The Christian writer and publisher must remain open to other considerations that secular publishers need not consider–God’s will for effective ministry and for building the body of Christ. We will be held responsible for more than the bottom line. How much of our “business” is sensitive to the needs of ministry and guidance of the Holy Spirit? God uses the little known and despised things to confound the wise. He often raises up the least likely. We look on the outside. He looks on the inside. He purposely counters our too often worldly perspectives. Therefore, if we don’t want to miss what He is doing, we need to stay sensitive to his leading, as well as to our formulas for success. He may choose to bypass them (as in The Shack and  many other titles that surprised those who had their eyes on the bottom line).

Fortunately for us, many of the greatest authors in literature had publishers that knew that writers write and publishers market–its a partnership. The great publishing houses became such because they knew that first books were investments. Author and publisher needed each other. They took chances together in order to impact their world, because they believed in the message. And each had his own responsibilities and expertise. They were co-workers.

An increasing number of today’s publishers appear to want a guaranteed return on someone else’s investment. They may be unaware of publishing history. Some publishers know better and continue to believe that important books remain to be written and discovered. And occasionally a receptive publisher connects with a potentially great writer and together they make history. However, that becomes increasingly rare when publishers set policies that exclude new manuscript submissions unless they come through agents.  I don’t have the solution. Publishers have their own challenges. More could be said on this, but perhaps someone more qualified could take up the challenge.

My guess is that if the current publishing trend continues, more and more authors will find alternate ways to publish and connect with readers. Then where will the Christian publishers be when their potential authors no longer need them?

I’ve heard it said that ”the internet eliminates geography.” Social networking is the new town center. After all, word of mouth has always been and will continue to be the most effective form of advertising. So authors, don’t worry if the big guys won’t even read your manuscripts without an agent. You have many alternatives in the new community. Let’s see how good the Lord is at getting your work out there.

QUESTION: What will be the future for corporate Christian publishers?

Filed under: Books, Consider It, FOR WRITERS

What Is Jesus Doing?: Church Leadership in the Family of God

Recently on LinkedIn, I received an invitation from a Christian Leader who is thought to be at the forefront of leadership today. Among believers, his name would bring instant recognition. This popular author and leader is calling together pastors to instruct them in church leadership techniques and values.

I received my “personal” invitation today. I emphasize “personal” because though it was addressed to me by first name, it was a bulk invitation. But that’s another issue for another time. Simply tuck away the question: Should believers–the people of Truth–give the impression they’re being personal when in reality, they are not at all. Does this flirt with deception? I suspect, but am not certain myself. At the least it is manipulative.

Though I was grateful for the “personal”  invitation, I had to decline. I was invited to share my reason for declining. This is what I wrote:

Jesus led a family, not an organization. The leadership styles and values of an institution are, with few exceptions, polar opposites to those of a Family. Thanks, but I want to continue to learn from Jesus how to model the life of a compassionate father.

Thank you for the invitation anyhow.

Though I know this could come across as “holier-than-thou,” I have to express my genuine concern for the body of Christ and its “leaders”. I’m doing that here and now.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Years ago a campaign was run entitled “What would Jesus do?” WWJD was stamped on everything from bracelets, to pens, to stickers and bibles. The idea was that whenever you considered something you would be reminded to ask the question “What Would Jesus Do?”. I want to go beyond WWJD to WIJD (What Is Jesus Doing?). Is Jesus raising up corporate “leaders” to lead His church or is he raising up spiritual fathers and mothers?

I believe that the focus we all have had on Christian Leadership is not wrong or bad, it is imbalanced. It can be very right if you’re leading an organization to focus on corporate leadership. Fortunately, pastors aren’t called to lead organizations. Pastors and other church leaders are called to a different leadership paradigm. We are to model a life of faithfulness and compassion as “Fathers” in the church. We lead, but in a very different spirit.

The need in the church is not for more “leaders” to grease the church-machine and keep it going. The need of the hour is for spiritual fathers and mothers, who understand nurture and character and will develop the intimate relationships that foster such spiritual formation. It all comes down to how you conceive of the nature and structure of the church–Ecclesiology. Is the church intended to be an organization? Or is the church intended to be a Family of families? 

Notice: the operative phrase is “intended to be.”

We know that the church in the 21st Century has become an institution–an organization. But is that what Jesus intended it to be? Was the Father birthing into the world the world’s greatest institution, or an extension and elaboration of His own Family? Was Father-God raising up CEO’s or “sons of God” (ladies, you are included in the metaphor of son–Rom. 8.24; 1 Jn. 3.1-3)? The answer to this question will determine how you come down on the whole question of Christian leadership and discipleship. The answer to this question may even free you to discover a new way of relating to your brothers and sisters in Christ (if you have experienced new life in Christ).

This is a crucial and immensely practical point. How you decide either places you inside God’s intended purpose for the body or outside His intended purpose for the body of Christ. I’m not talking here about inside or outside of salvation. Nor am I saying that those working inside the institution are not seeing the blessing of God upon their service. Each person has to be effective where God has placed him or her. I’m saying that God will honor faith in almost any context, but in the purposes that He has for the body of Christ and the world, the real blessing and Kingdom fruit will be along the lines of His intended purpose and plan.

QUESTION: What do you think Father intended? CEO’s or Fathers and mothers?

Filed under: Consider It, ON THE JOURNEY, REFLECTIONS, Signs of the Times

Are We Really Going to Fish or Just Move to a New Cabin by the Lake?

We just sold our Celebration Center. Now our church family meets at our home. We’re a house church. Our first meeting was last Sunday. God met us and we were all full of joy. We know God is doing something new in our midst and we have set our hearts on following. But . . .

We have also changed our heartset along with our change of meeting location, we decided not to be–as one brother put it–”a church service caught by a living room.” I don’t want that. And I’m grateful that the folks in the New Life family don’t want that either. We made decisions. We are making real changes. We prefer productive over active. I’m proud of the brothers and sisters I fellowship with. They want to catch fish, not just study fishing or sing about fishing. We’ve all done that for too long. We’re not the church that has it right. We respect and honor the other churches in our region who love Jesus and people too. All we’re doing is following the Lord where He is leading ANY church that is doing that will be not only busy, but productive with the fruit of the Kingdom.

So . . . I’m sharing this important link, because I want to keep this truth before us and I want to reach out to other believers to do some serious soul-searching and then . . . TAKE ACTION!

I hear the following video challenge loud and clear.

QUESTION: Do you know a friend who needs to consider this challenge too?

Filed under: Consider It, Signs of the Times, Videos

Our Transition to House Church

We’re in the very first stages of a transition. New Life Fellowship of Concord, NH was a traditional church that transitioned to a cell church. After ten years as a cell church, we just sold our building in town and are moving and morphing into a house church. We are not doing this intentionally. We’re simply following the Lord. The way we’re meeting has changed as much as the venue is now changing. We’re informal and relational.

Actually, the transition began with the way we worshiped. We added a period of silent waiting upon the Lord immediately following our music worship. And from there, we felt that the Lord wanted us to be less ordered and open up for more involvement by the people. As we invited folks to share what they sensed the Lord doing, we began to see that He was changing our focus.

Now we are hoping that we don’t just fall back on our earlier worship format. We don’t want to become–as one author wrote–”a church service captured by a living room.” We want to explore more fully anything that will draw us closer to our Father and to one another without compromising the Gospel or abandoning worship. But we sense our worship will change. And so will our outreach.

I’m not sure how we will meet without a plan, but the Lord knows; and we’re willing to let Him lead. He is the Head of the church.

We all agree that we’re teetering on the brink of the ministry of Jesus. People who need healing and deliverance are coming to us. We have always desired to have them see Jesus– “To Know Him and To Make Him Known.” We also know that in our age and culture, the only way to lead people to Jesus by demonstrating that He cares about their needs, their hurts, and pains.

I had a seminary professor, J. Christy Wilson. He had been a missionary to the Muslims in Afghanistan for fifteen years. He said once in answer to a question I posed: “You will never win a Muslim with an argument. You will lose every time. But the way they come to Christ is when they see Him heal their children or loved ones. They are won through the manifest compassion of God. Allah cannot heal. Allah does not heal.” Only a power encounter or revelation of Christ will bring Muslims to Christ. I believe that’s true of not only that group but of many modern people groups who have abandoned what they consider dead religion. Unfortunately, they threw out the baby with the bathwater.

Anyhow, I look forward to our first house church meeting this coming Sunday. Yes, we still meet every other Sunday and on off weeks, we meet on Saturday at barbecues to which we invite our friends and family who do not yet know Jesus. One week of outreach followed by one week of worship and prayer for those we love. That seems to be the pattern.

We do not feel that we have the exclusive corner on how to do church right and everyone else is doing it wrong. We feel that every church has a ministry if they want one. They fulfill a purpose that is specifically theirs. We simply believe that this is where God is leading us. And because we love Jesus, we can do nothing better than to follow. Unless of course, we’d rather be a museum than a ministry. Not us. We’re in this for life . . . all the way.

QUESTION: Wonder what God has for us as we abandon our old wineskin for a new one?

 

Filed under: Insights, ON THE JOURNEY, REFLECTIONS, Signs of the Times

WORDS

I loved words. I love to sing them and speak them and even now, I must admit, I have fallen into the joy of writing them.

–Anne Rice

Do you love words? Do you resonate with where they have their source and where they can take you?

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus Christ is “The Word.” (John 1:1-3)

Words are more than physical letters in black ink on pages. They breathe pictures into being.

Can you see white sands, turquoise water clear as glass, gently lapping the beach while far out on the reef the crash of waves reminds you that you’re beside the sea?

Can you see a purple cow? Standing in a pink field? The cow has great white spots on it and is wearing a football helmet, the horns protruding from the ear holes in the sides of the helmet. She’s watching children with their blue ice cream cones on a nearby cotton bench. And the children are marveling at the dripping ice cream and the purple cow with the football helmet.

Words.

Amazing for calling up in us things, real. my old brown suitcase–standing for so much more than simply an old case. It’s a case in point. Symbols. Words are symbols. The are the signposts to the reality behind them aren’t they?

QUESTION: What do you think? Try out some words.

Filed under: Bits and Pieces, Consider It, FOR READERS, FOR WRITERS

The Last Book Sale by Larry McMurtry | NYRblog | The New York Review of Books

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Larry McMurtry at “Booked Up”  SOURCE: NYR blog post.

The Last Book Sale by Larry McMurtry | NYRblog | The New York Review of Books.

McMurtry’s lucid writing style always blows me away. I can like the writing without necessarily embracing the prickliness of the author. He’s  blunt and curt. For all this, his love of books and writing resonates with my own. And I’m not mad at him, even though he told me he wouldn’t sign my first edition, hardcover copy of Lonesome Dove–my all-time favorite book and mini-series on Blu-ray. Apparently, he lives in several places and doesn’t interact with his readers anymore. I’m sure he must get exhausted having lost  his anonymity. Now he has to vigorously guard his solitude and writing time.

I was in Archer City, TX at “Booked up,” only not during the book sale. I dragged my wife and a publisher-friend and her husband there on an overnight outing from Amarillo. We spent far more time there than either my wife or our friends had imagined we would. Yes, I’m still married. Yes, they’re still our friends. Only no one will go with me to” The Brattle Bookshop” in downtown Boston.

I bought a “rare” book on my way out of store 1. The title was: Captain Lee Hall of Texas, by Dora Neill Raymond, with illustrations by Louis Lundean and Frederic Remington. I fancy it may have been the book upon which McMurtry based Captain Woodrow F. Call, I’m not sure. I’ve yet to read it past chapter one (though I’ve examined all of Remington’s drawings). I’ll get there though because I’m intrigued by real Texas Rangers ranging a lawless land–always have been from my earliest boy years.

I re-posted McMurty’s NYR post about the massive book sale for you because you’ll be enriched to hear the heart (and mind) of an old book-lover (bibliophile). And I hope it satisfies your  love of books and their authors–who are mostly bibliophiles like the rest of us who enthusiastically write and read. McMurtry gives his perspective on how the sale went and how books continue to both lose ground and gain new enthusiasts.

I’m confident that you’ll enjoy his Texas Big-style of book collecting, keenness in the use of language,  and perhaps “Booked Up” will become a new “must see” place on your Bucket List.

Filed under: Books, FOR READERS

Time for a Bike Ride

Not writing today. Decided I needed to take a bike ride. Hope to have something for you by the end of the week.

Filed under: Consider It, ON THE JOURNEY

So, What’s the Source of Writers’ Distraction?

I am writing this morning.

I made sure everything was done in advance. I showered, shaved, dressed. I spent an hour with my Father-God. Then I ate. All this before my preset writing time which begins and 8AM and runs until 11-12. I even had Scrivener opened to the book I am working on and my Ideas binder opened as well. Then it started–as always! Distraction!!

Of course, it wasn’t the usual distraction. It never is. No, I saw a moth. Naturally, I could not allow it to keep fluttering around the window. So I grabbed my electronic insect swatter and zapped him into oblivion. Then I was getting ready to put the swatter back when it occurred to me that I hadn’t checked the batteries since last year (I don’t use the swatter during the winters in NH; I specify the state only because if you’re from Florida, you might consider it odd that I don’t use the swatter in the winter. NH bugs hide or come to you in the summer.). Anyhow.

I checked the battery compartment and all seemed well. No leakage. So I put the electronic swatter back where I keep it close under my computer desk. Then I realized I needed to relieve myself of some of my morning coffee. So it was off to the loo. When I returned, I thought I was ready to begin. So I sharpened two pencils that didn’t need sharpening. And now I’m writing. And if you’ve gotten this far . . . You’re reading.

What’s with that? Why do we procrastinate? Fluff the nest? Circle around like a dog, five times to finally give in to the need, then plop down? I don’t have answers to this question. I hope you do because I expect you to comment and give us your best shot at what’s really going on.

Is it our natural curiosity? If it were just me that experienced this pre-writing distraction, I wouldn’t be writing this to ask you about it. I’d simply assume I’m weird, keep it to myself (except at readings), and that’s the end of the matter. But, I’ve read enough in the craft to know that this is a universal, systemic behavior. No, a plague.

I’m not alone. Others have spoken or written about this. But I’ve not really been satisfied with an answer that hits the bullseye. Why do writers/authors have to balance the checkbook, sort through old work, sharpen pencils, adjust the chair or organize the desktop before they begin to put words to paper/screen?

Is it fear? Are we afraid that when we finally do sit to face the blank sheet/screen, we won’t have anything to write? Are we afraid to get into the flow. I LOVE being in the flow . . . So it can’t be that. So what is it? Once we know its source, we can either get past it (or as CK writes–Work it).

QUESTION: What is writers’ distraction?

© 2013, David C. Alves

Related articles

The Keys to Worry Free Writing (thewritersadvice.com)
How it happens (bechereremily.wordpress.com)
Confession: I’m a distracted writer (mimosamorningswriters.wordpress.com)
Distractions- Work Your Distractions (catherinekanewrites.wordpress.com)
Cloud-Based Environment Reduces Distractions For Aspiring Writers (psfk.com)
✎ 15 Wallpapers for Writers (plottingbunnies.wordpress.com)


Filed under: Consider It, FOR WRITERS, Journal Entries