Vicki V. Lucas's Blog, page 10
August 10, 2012
How Beautiful Are You?
We are aware that beauty is subjective. The Kayan tribe measures a woman’s beauty by the brass rings wore around the neck. In Ethiopia, the women of the Karo tribe wear scars on their stomachs. In Mauritania, Africa, a beautiful woman has many big curves. The Polynesian women are considered to be beautiful if they wear traditional tattoos on their lips and chins.
In the Western World, we use many tools to become beautiful. There’s plastic surgery, implants, hair extensions, and ways to change hair color. Don’t forget about the different types of fitness, diet and cosmetics to use. And don’t forget to include the perfect teeth with perfect fashion to complete the package.
And what happens when we aren’t beautiful? Our self-esteems plummet. We spend hours at the mirror fixated on what we think is wrong. We fold into ourselves, refusing to do anything that might expose the thing we think is a flaw. It’s worse when it’s our life and not just our physical condition. We look in the mirror and only see a label. Overweight. Addict. Liar. Failure.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. God makes us beautiful. No earthly action could make you shine as brightly as God does.
Being nine months pregnant, I have become more aware of the skinny twigs...I mean, skinny ladies...walking around me. I try to stare in envy, but they speed by faster than I can waddle. Although my husband finds me beautiful like this, I find it difficult not to compare myself to them. Until I went to church...
During the service, they showed a video with the song Beautiful Things by Gungor. Watch it here. Just scroll to the bottom of the page to find the video.
Isn’t it strange that our culture strives so hard for beauty and yet shuns God Who makes us beautiful with great determination? It’s the power of God - not the power of the curling iron - that makes us truly beautiful.
What does God find beautiful? An awareness of one’s spiritual poverty, sorrow for wickedness, hunger and thirst for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, being a peacemaker,keeping a living faith while enduring hardships, controlling the tongue, making sacrifices for the good of others, and living by Christian convictions in the face of ridicule.
Our world puts such strong pressure on us to measure up to an unobtainable ideal of beauty. It makes us feel inadequate and ugly. Guilt and shame can strip away all hope. But God gives makes us more beautiful than this world could ever imagine. The guilt and shame disappear as the love of God shines through. Soon all people can see if God’s love and joy in our smile and eyes.
Don’t hang your head in shame anymore. Don’t envy what others have. Look at the beautiful person God is creating. Look for the qualities that God “makes beautiful things out of us.”
In the Western World, we use many tools to become beautiful. There’s plastic surgery, implants, hair extensions, and ways to change hair color. Don’t forget about the different types of fitness, diet and cosmetics to use. And don’t forget to include the perfect teeth with perfect fashion to complete the package.
And what happens when we aren’t beautiful? Our self-esteems plummet. We spend hours at the mirror fixated on what we think is wrong. We fold into ourselves, refusing to do anything that might expose the thing we think is a flaw. It’s worse when it’s our life and not just our physical condition. We look in the mirror and only see a label. Overweight. Addict. Liar. Failure.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. God makes us beautiful. No earthly action could make you shine as brightly as God does.
Being nine months pregnant, I have become more aware of the skinny twigs...I mean, skinny ladies...walking around me. I try to stare in envy, but they speed by faster than I can waddle. Although my husband finds me beautiful like this, I find it difficult not to compare myself to them. Until I went to church...
During the service, they showed a video with the song Beautiful Things by Gungor. Watch it here. Just scroll to the bottom of the page to find the video.
Isn’t it strange that our culture strives so hard for beauty and yet shuns God Who makes us beautiful with great determination? It’s the power of God - not the power of the curling iron - that makes us truly beautiful.
What does God find beautiful? An awareness of one’s spiritual poverty, sorrow for wickedness, hunger and thirst for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, being a peacemaker,keeping a living faith while enduring hardships, controlling the tongue, making sacrifices for the good of others, and living by Christian convictions in the face of ridicule.
Our world puts such strong pressure on us to measure up to an unobtainable ideal of beauty. It makes us feel inadequate and ugly. Guilt and shame can strip away all hope. But God gives makes us more beautiful than this world could ever imagine. The guilt and shame disappear as the love of God shines through. Soon all people can see if God’s love and joy in our smile and eyes.
Don’t hang your head in shame anymore. Don’t envy what others have. Look at the beautiful person God is creating. Look for the qualities that God “makes beautiful things out of us.”
August 3, 2012
What Authors Can Learn from Olympians
Maybe it’s my Canadian roots, but I’ve always loved the Winter Olympics more than the Summer Olympics. You’ve got to admit hockey is much more exciting than weightlifting. However, this week I’ve been sick with the flu, and the Summer Olympics were just enough to entertain my barely functioning brain. As I watched, I thought about what an author could learn from an Olympic athlete.
1. They work harder than others. If you’ve been living under a rock, you might have missed the buzz about Michael Phelps. Let me fill you in a bit. He is an American swimmer and now the most decorated Olympian of all time with twenty medals. But is swimming just a talent of his? Let’s peek at his training schedule.
When he’s at his peak training phases, he swims at least 80,000 meters a week. Translation? That’s almost fifty miles. He practices at least twice a day for about five to six hours...six days a week. He does long swims for endurance, drills to improve speed and form, and uses training gear such as kickboards. He also added weightlifting three days a week as well as pushups and pull-ups. I’m willing to bet there are genetic factors and talent to his skill, but I have to believe that much of his success comes from plain, hard work.
Now think about your writing. Do you write six days a week? When you do write, do you feel happy if you get 500 words done in a day, or do you go for 5,000 words? How much time and work do you honestly put into writing and marketing?
2. They support their competition. This is an aspect of certain sports that I find completely fascinating. Let me switch to the Winter Olympics for an example in figure skating. Typically, you will see three or four skaters from the U.S. compete. They are on a team, but they’re still competition. Despite the fact that every one of those four skaters wants the gold, they cheer for their team member as s/he skates. They congratulate the good skating and give comfort when the performance didn’t go well. Yet you have to know that each person is desperately hoping for the gold.
As authors, we tend to get caught up on this competition thing. We watch the successes of others and often times do not support each other as we should. I understand, but I also wonder at our reasoning for this. My bookshelves are packed with numerous authors. I cannot tell you who my favorite author is because there are just too many. I love C.S. Lewis with the same passion as Sharon Kay Penman. Why do we expect our readers to be different? There is no gold medal for authors to compete over. Instead, our readers can delve into many different books, enjoying each one for its uniqueness. So let’s celebrate each other’s triumphs and console the downhearted!
3. They keep their eye on themselves – not others’ performance. As I watched the Summer Olympics through my mental haze, I was impressed with the level of concentration the athletes have. Thanks to the cameras with amazing zoom, we can see close-ups of the right before the start. You can see that they have blocked everything out except what they need to do to succeed. While they have to be aware that they are competing against the best in the world, they focus on what needs to be done. The performance before them that was perfect has to melt away. The person next to them that has the best score in the world has to be ignored. It all comes down to concentrating on the task before them.
Do you have the same focus on your writing? Do you try to do your very best? Or are you watching the other authors? While it’s good to learn the craft and how to market, there is a point where you must sit down and ensure that you are doing your very best. What works for Sally beside you may not work the best for you. You must focus on your performance every single day to be the best.
4. They celebrate the wins and handle failure with grace. Half of the fun of watching the Olympics is watching that one special person win. You hear their story. You watch them perform. And through some miracle, they win the gold! What is their reaction? A calm “Thank you very much.” No way! They’re yelling, laughing, crying. Everyone gets a hug and maybe a kiss. I’ve even seen judges included in the kissing! They celebrate!
And yet there is a flip side to this. Sometimes the people we want to see win don’t. Your heart breaks for them as they accept a low score. One of my all time favorite figure skaters is Kurt Browning from Canada. In my humble opinion, he is one of the best figure skaters the world has ever seen. (And it doesn’t hurt that he’s from Canada, too!) In case you’ve never heard of him, he was the World Champion for four times, landed the first quadruple jump in competition in 1988, and is known for his amazing footwork. Don’t believe me? Check this video from his early years.
What I love about him is that he’s a great performer as well. He makes figure skating look effortless and fun. I always want to skate like he does when I watch. If you enjoyed the previous video, then watch this one from 2011. Remember he's much older in this video, but you can see he's better than ever! Awesome, eh? Here’s the thing. Despite all his great accomplishments, his incredible skill, and being in three Olympics, he has never won a metal. I watched as he saw his hopes for a metal disappear. It was almost painful for me as the disappointment and sadness grew deeper. But he accepted the news with grace. He didn’t rail again the judges. He didn’t whine or make excuses. He picked himself up from failure and began a highly successful professional career. What do you do when you succeed? Do you celebrate with friends and family or try to keep it quiet in the name of being humble? What do you do when you miss a goal you desperately wanted? When you watch others get what you wanted? Do you rail against them, or do you accept with grace and find a way to triumph elsewhere? I asked a lot of questions today that hopefully got you to re-think your writing career. Let me add just one more. Are you an Olympic Author or are there areas you need to work on? What do you think you need to perfect until you’re ready to compete for the gold metal?
1. They work harder than others. If you’ve been living under a rock, you might have missed the buzz about Michael Phelps. Let me fill you in a bit. He is an American swimmer and now the most decorated Olympian of all time with twenty medals. But is swimming just a talent of his? Let’s peek at his training schedule.
When he’s at his peak training phases, he swims at least 80,000 meters a week. Translation? That’s almost fifty miles. He practices at least twice a day for about five to six hours...six days a week. He does long swims for endurance, drills to improve speed and form, and uses training gear such as kickboards. He also added weightlifting three days a week as well as pushups and pull-ups. I’m willing to bet there are genetic factors and talent to his skill, but I have to believe that much of his success comes from plain, hard work.
Now think about your writing. Do you write six days a week? When you do write, do you feel happy if you get 500 words done in a day, or do you go for 5,000 words? How much time and work do you honestly put into writing and marketing?
2. They support their competition. This is an aspect of certain sports that I find completely fascinating. Let me switch to the Winter Olympics for an example in figure skating. Typically, you will see three or four skaters from the U.S. compete. They are on a team, but they’re still competition. Despite the fact that every one of those four skaters wants the gold, they cheer for their team member as s/he skates. They congratulate the good skating and give comfort when the performance didn’t go well. Yet you have to know that each person is desperately hoping for the gold.
As authors, we tend to get caught up on this competition thing. We watch the successes of others and often times do not support each other as we should. I understand, but I also wonder at our reasoning for this. My bookshelves are packed with numerous authors. I cannot tell you who my favorite author is because there are just too many. I love C.S. Lewis with the same passion as Sharon Kay Penman. Why do we expect our readers to be different? There is no gold medal for authors to compete over. Instead, our readers can delve into many different books, enjoying each one for its uniqueness. So let’s celebrate each other’s triumphs and console the downhearted!
3. They keep their eye on themselves – not others’ performance. As I watched the Summer Olympics through my mental haze, I was impressed with the level of concentration the athletes have. Thanks to the cameras with amazing zoom, we can see close-ups of the right before the start. You can see that they have blocked everything out except what they need to do to succeed. While they have to be aware that they are competing against the best in the world, they focus on what needs to be done. The performance before them that was perfect has to melt away. The person next to them that has the best score in the world has to be ignored. It all comes down to concentrating on the task before them.
Do you have the same focus on your writing? Do you try to do your very best? Or are you watching the other authors? While it’s good to learn the craft and how to market, there is a point where you must sit down and ensure that you are doing your very best. What works for Sally beside you may not work the best for you. You must focus on your performance every single day to be the best.
4. They celebrate the wins and handle failure with grace. Half of the fun of watching the Olympics is watching that one special person win. You hear their story. You watch them perform. And through some miracle, they win the gold! What is their reaction? A calm “Thank you very much.” No way! They’re yelling, laughing, crying. Everyone gets a hug and maybe a kiss. I’ve even seen judges included in the kissing! They celebrate!
And yet there is a flip side to this. Sometimes the people we want to see win don’t. Your heart breaks for them as they accept a low score. One of my all time favorite figure skaters is Kurt Browning from Canada. In my humble opinion, he is one of the best figure skaters the world has ever seen. (And it doesn’t hurt that he’s from Canada, too!) In case you’ve never heard of him, he was the World Champion for four times, landed the first quadruple jump in competition in 1988, and is known for his amazing footwork. Don’t believe me? Check this video from his early years.
What I love about him is that he’s a great performer as well. He makes figure skating look effortless and fun. I always want to skate like he does when I watch. If you enjoyed the previous video, then watch this one from 2011. Remember he's much older in this video, but you can see he's better than ever! Awesome, eh? Here’s the thing. Despite all his great accomplishments, his incredible skill, and being in three Olympics, he has never won a metal. I watched as he saw his hopes for a metal disappear. It was almost painful for me as the disappointment and sadness grew deeper. But he accepted the news with grace. He didn’t rail again the judges. He didn’t whine or make excuses. He picked himself up from failure and began a highly successful professional career. What do you do when you succeed? Do you celebrate with friends and family or try to keep it quiet in the name of being humble? What do you do when you miss a goal you desperately wanted? When you watch others get what you wanted? Do you rail against them, or do you accept with grace and find a way to triumph elsewhere? I asked a lot of questions today that hopefully got you to re-think your writing career. Let me add just one more. Are you an Olympic Author or are there areas you need to work on? What do you think you need to perfect until you’re ready to compete for the gold metal?
July 26, 2012
How to Stop a Bullet
Should the government of the United States ban guns? In light of recent events, like the one in Aurora, Colorado, it seems like this is the only method to stop the shocking and senseless violence.
Yet I can’t bring myself to support this movement to take the guns away from Americans. We still have a drug problem even with the fact that they have been made illegal. Lawbreakers find a way to smuggle a massive amount of drugs across both of borders and sell them with seemingly little problems. Why would drugs be different than firearms? I firmly believe that if having a gun was against the law, criminals or those wishing to perform a crime would still find a way to get a gun.
So what’s the answer to stopping the violence? The solution comes in just one word: God.
We need God back into our society. We need followers of Jesus to take a stand.We need men of faith to rise up and take leadership.We need women of truth to give us Godly examples of how to live our lives.We need to reclaim the Christian values that this nation once stood on.We need churches to stop bickering about what songs are sung on Sunday morning. We need Christians to fill their daily routines with Christ.
Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
This is the problem of the United States. I don’t know what the good men and women are doing right now. Sitting in the pews? We should be out in society – in the workplace, in the neighborhood, the arts, the movies, the government, in the schools, in the streets – living as true Christians. Our problems as a nation are not about the darkness growing stronger; it is about the light growing weaker.
Every book, every movie, has the idea of a superhero who comes and saves the day. The United States will be lost if we wait for someone to come because our Superhero has already arrived. He has already saved us. We need to stop delaying and take action before everything we love is gone.
So you went to church on Sunday? Did you bother to hang out with the lonely kid down the street? Did you see the tears of the single mother trying to feed her children and not being able to? It’s time to stop waiting for the government to take action. As Christians, this is the time to stand up and bring hope to the hopeless, food to the hungry, love to the friendless, freedom to the chained.
Perhaps if each and every Christian reached out to the people God has placed around them, the man who lost his business and watched his wife divorce him wouldn’t commit suicide. Perhaps we wouldn’t have to sit at his funeral and wonder what we could have done to help him.
If we could live as Christ commanded us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Then as the song says we will feel the darkness tremble. The doors will open, the music will play. The streets will resound with singing – songs that bring hope and joy.
True change begins in the heart when Christ becomes the center. It won’t matter who has guns, for the light of Christ shall shatter the darkness.
Song quoted “Did you Feel the Darkness Tremble?”
July 18, 2012
What’s in Your Free Box?
Two weeks ago, I decided to have a garage sale. As I was sorting, I assigned a “Free” box. Anything I didn’t think would sell got thrown in to the box. A pair of old slippers that still had some use in them. Free! A book torn and tattered. Free! Have you ever taken anything out of these boxes? I always look, and I think I’ve taken two or three items in my whole life. Why? It’s always junk. Everything that has value we stick a price on and try to get money out of it.
Before the garage sale, I put my book Toxic for free on Kindle. Any author out there knows this is a hard decision to make because it’s something you’ve worked on for years and something you hope will make some profit. As I watched the number of downloads increase, I found it an exciting and thrilling experience.
I gave away over 3,500! Copies were downloaded in the United States, England, Germany, France, and Italy!
This has caused me to do two things:
First, it has spurred me to begin furiously working on the sequel to Toxic. To date, I have about 5,400 copies of Toxic in the hands of readers. Hopefully, a lot of them are going to want to continue the story.
Secondly, I am more aware of my generosity. After two days of giving away Toxic, I find myself at my best month for sales!
If you have been reading my blog, you know I did a give-away in June and reported that it was my best month ever. July is blowing June out of the water! Two weeks later, my sales are continuing and at one point, Toxic was #18 in on Kindle’s list for Religious Fiction in the Science Fiction & Fantasy category! Not only that, but people are writing me and saying really nice things about Toxic. I am so blessed and excited.
And why should this surprise us? Luke 6:38 says “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
In other words, give away junk and receive junk back. At the end of the garage sale, I lugged 99% of the junk in my Free Box to the garbage. No one came back after the garage sale and asked to buy more. No one said “Hey, that was a GREAT free box! Thanks for sharing it!” But I shouldn’t expect anything more when I give away junk.
But there is so much joy in giving when you give something of value. The joy of the receiver bounces back and overflows until it sweeps you off your feet.
What is one thing of value you gave away, and what was the result? What do you think this world look like if everyone took just one thing of value and gave it away for free? 
What's in Your Free Box?
Two weeks ago, I decided to have a garage sale. As I was sorting, I assigned a “Free” box. Anything I didn’t think would sell got thrown in to the box. A pair of old slippers that still had some use in them. Free! A book torn and tattered. Free! Have you ever taken anything out of these boxes? I always look, and I think I’ve taken two or three items in my whole life. Why? It’s always junk. Everything that has value we stick a price on and try to get money out of it.
Before the garage sale, I put my book Toxic for free on Kindle. Any author out there knows this is a hard decision to make because it’s something you’ve worked on for years and something you hope will make some profit. As I watched the number of downloads increase, I found it an exciting and thrilling experience.
I gave away over 3,500! Copies were downloaded in the United States, England, Germany, France, and Italy!
This has caused me to do two things:
First, it has spurred me to begin furiously working on the sequel to Toxic. To date, I have about 5,400 copies of Toxic in the hands of readers. Hopefully, a lot of them are going to want to continue the story.
Secondly, I am more aware of my generosity. After two days of giving away Toxic, I find myself at my best month for sales!
If you have been reading my blog, you know I did a give-away in June and reported that it was my best month ever. July is blowing June out of the water! Two weeks later, my sales are continuing and at one point, Toxic was #18 in on Kindle’s list for Religious Fiction in the Science Fiction & Fantasy category! Not only that, but people are writing me and saying really nice things about Toxic. I am so blessed and excited.
And why should this surprise us? Luke 6:38 says “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
In other words, give away junk and receive junk back. At the end of the garage sale, I lugged 99% of the junk in my Free Box to the garbage. No one came back after the garage sale and asked to buy more. No one said “Hey, that was a GREAT free box! Thanks for sharing it!” But I shouldn’t expect anything more when I give away junk.
But there is so much joy in giving when you give something of value. The joy of the receiver bounces back and overflows until it sweeps you off your feet.
What is one thing of value you gave away, and what was the result? What do you think this world look like if everyone took just one thing of value and gave it away for free?
July 13, 2012
When Adventures Lead into the Night
Imagine this -
Two teens, one girl and one guy, live in a fantasy world. (I don’t mean that they have a lot of daydreams. I mean that their world is one we’ve never heard of.) They live on neighboring farms. Both families are killed, and they’re fleeing for their lives as evil soldiers pursue them across the mountains.
They have no idea of where to go or why the soldiers want to kill them. All they have with them are some supplies, a sword, and a faded map. The sword and the map were given to the girl by her father right before he died. (Yes, the girl. If the guy wants a sword, he can go find himself a knife or something else pointy and sharp.)
It begins to rain hard. They are drenched. They can’t build a fire because they don’t want the soldiers to find them, and they can’t find shelter. Because they are high in the mountains, the rain is cold. Then it is night.
What does a Christian author do? A couple ideas come to my mind.
The characters hate each other. So they have to sleep close together but detest it. The writer could just skip over the night, saying that it doesn’t lend to the plot, and pick up in the morning.Finally, the author can be quite practical. They are romantically attracted to each other; however, it’s freezing, so they cozy up and soak up some of each other’s body warmth.Do you have a problem with teens of the opposite sex sleeping close to each other when you read a book?
Most Christian publishers will not allow this scene in a book that they publish. Either the author must get them to a house where they are separated by walls and in company with responsible adults or find a different solution.
But I think that an author could use a situation like that to show what a godly teen would do in that example. The characters could admit that it was a highly tempting but stay true to their beliefs and commitment to God.
That’s a far more powerful message than just avoiding the issue. Everyone finds their way into tempting circumstances, but we need to make sure that we are giving our teens the tools to resist and help find their way out of temptation.
I like how The Message translates I Corinthians 10:13. “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He'll never let you be pushed past your limit; He'll always be there to help you come through it.”
What do you think? Should scenes like this be cut out of all Christian teen books? How about books for adults? As a parent, would you allow your teen to read a book that had a scene like one described above? Teens, would you think it unchristian if you read about characters doing this in a book?
And, by the way, don’t steal that idea above. It’s all mine. I just made it up, but I kind of like it. You may see it in one of my books in the future...
Picture supplied by Dreamstime.com
Two teens, one girl and one guy, live in a fantasy world. (I don’t mean that they have a lot of daydreams. I mean that their world is one we’ve never heard of.) They live on neighboring farms. Both families are killed, and they’re fleeing for their lives as evil soldiers pursue them across the mountains. They have no idea of where to go or why the soldiers want to kill them. All they have with them are some supplies, a sword, and a faded map. The sword and the map were given to the girl by her father right before he died. (Yes, the girl. If the guy wants a sword, he can go find himself a knife or something else pointy and sharp.)
It begins to rain hard. They are drenched. They can’t build a fire because they don’t want the soldiers to find them, and they can’t find shelter. Because they are high in the mountains, the rain is cold. Then it is night.
What does a Christian author do? A couple ideas come to my mind.
The characters hate each other. So they have to sleep close together but detest it. The writer could just skip over the night, saying that it doesn’t lend to the plot, and pick up in the morning.Finally, the author can be quite practical. They are romantically attracted to each other; however, it’s freezing, so they cozy up and soak up some of each other’s body warmth.Do you have a problem with teens of the opposite sex sleeping close to each other when you read a book?
Most Christian publishers will not allow this scene in a book that they publish. Either the author must get them to a house where they are separated by walls and in company with responsible adults or find a different solution.
But I think that an author could use a situation like that to show what a godly teen would do in that example. The characters could admit that it was a highly tempting but stay true to their beliefs and commitment to God.
That’s a far more powerful message than just avoiding the issue. Everyone finds their way into tempting circumstances, but we need to make sure that we are giving our teens the tools to resist and help find their way out of temptation.
I like how The Message translates I Corinthians 10:13. “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He'll never let you be pushed past your limit; He'll always be there to help you come through it.”
What do you think? Should scenes like this be cut out of all Christian teen books? How about books for adults? As a parent, would you allow your teen to read a book that had a scene like one described above? Teens, would you think it unchristian if you read about characters doing this in a book?
And, by the way, don’t steal that idea above. It’s all mine. I just made it up, but I kind of like it. You may see it in one of my books in the future...
Picture supplied by Dreamstime.com
July 10, 2012
French Fries with Your Book?
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When I was in college, I read
The McDonaldization of Society
by George Ritzer. In this book, Ritzer uses fast food chains to explain the changes in our society. He states that our society is more predictable and controlling, and we are demanding everything quicker than before.
While I read this in the 90s, I now see it in every aspect of life. Recently, my husband and I acquired a DVR. Know what my favorite feature is? Skipping past the commercials so that I don’t waste time watching them. When you need a phone number, do you use a phone book or Google? Google, of course! It’s faster.
What’s my point? (I had better get to it fast before you run off to something else!) This McDonaldization is affecting our authors. One of the most valuable pieces of advice I received from an editor was to use short chapters – four to eight pages at the maximum. Why? People read more because the next chapter is short, and then they finish the book quicker. Many people have told me they couldn’t put Toxic down. I long to believe it’s because of my amazing plot, great characters, and intense action scenes. But I wonder...is it just because my chapters are short?
McDonaldization has reached our writing styles.
Did you enjoy reading Moby Dick in high school? The Tale of Two Cities? Have you ever thought “I can’t wait to read War and Peace?
Yet you devoured the latest big hit The Hunger Games. Most found that they couldn’t put it down. And for good reason, too. Suzanne Collins used short chapters and short sentences to keep us flying through the book.
Here’s an example of her sentences: “I open the parachute and find a small loaf of bread. It’s not the fine white Capitol stuff. It’s made of dark ration grain and shaped in a crescent. Sprinkled with seeds.” In fact, the last sentence is not a sentence at all. When I was teaching English, I’d dock a student for writing something like that!
The Hunger Games (which I’m not trying to pick on - it just gives some wonderful examples) is also a short book. Look at the word length of some of our classics:
Leo Tolstoy War and Peace: 587,287 John Steinback East of Eden: 225,395 John Steinback The Grapes of Wrath: 169,481 The Bible: 774,776 words
Compare that to the length of current books that have become extremely popular.
J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: 76, 944 Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games: 76, 800
I need to wrap this up before you lose interest. But let me ask you: What will people be studying in school as classics in 100 years from now? Will they still be reading Charles Dickens or will The Hunger Games be the ‘new’ classic?
What do you think? Can this McDonaldization of our society allow us to produce classics? If so, which books published recently will become what students study in the future?
While I read this in the 90s, I now see it in every aspect of life. Recently, my husband and I acquired a DVR. Know what my favorite feature is? Skipping past the commercials so that I don’t waste time watching them. When you need a phone number, do you use a phone book or Google? Google, of course! It’s faster.
What’s my point? (I had better get to it fast before you run off to something else!) This McDonaldization is affecting our authors. One of the most valuable pieces of advice I received from an editor was to use short chapters – four to eight pages at the maximum. Why? People read more because the next chapter is short, and then they finish the book quicker. Many people have told me they couldn’t put Toxic down. I long to believe it’s because of my amazing plot, great characters, and intense action scenes. But I wonder...is it just because my chapters are short?
McDonaldization has reached our writing styles.
Did you enjoy reading Moby Dick in high school? The Tale of Two Cities? Have you ever thought “I can’t wait to read War and Peace?
Yet you devoured the latest big hit The Hunger Games. Most found that they couldn’t put it down. And for good reason, too. Suzanne Collins used short chapters and short sentences to keep us flying through the book.
Here’s an example of her sentences: “I open the parachute and find a small loaf of bread. It’s not the fine white Capitol stuff. It’s made of dark ration grain and shaped in a crescent. Sprinkled with seeds.” In fact, the last sentence is not a sentence at all. When I was teaching English, I’d dock a student for writing something like that!
The Hunger Games (which I’m not trying to pick on - it just gives some wonderful examples) is also a short book. Look at the word length of some of our classics:
Leo Tolstoy War and Peace: 587,287 John Steinback East of Eden: 225,395 John Steinback The Grapes of Wrath: 169,481 The Bible: 774,776 words
Compare that to the length of current books that have become extremely popular.
J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: 76, 944 Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games: 76, 800
I need to wrap this up before you lose interest. But let me ask you: What will people be studying in school as classics in 100 years from now? Will they still be reading Charles Dickens or will The Hunger Games be the ‘new’ classic?
What do you think? Can this McDonaldization of our society allow us to produce classics? If so, which books published recently will become what students study in the future?
July 6, 2012
Break Down Your Bars
Independence Day took away our bars and set us free. It was a day that our founding fathers shrugged off their chains and breathed the sweet air of freedom for the first time. But does Independence Day give you the same feeling our founding fathers had? Is July 4th just about hot dogs and fireworks? Two hundred years later, can we – who were born with such freedom – truly know the sweetness of freedom?
One of my favorite movies is The Island. If you haven’t seen it, here’s a short synopsis.
“Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all inhabitants, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island"—reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet—until he makes a terrible discovery that everything about his existence is a lie and that he’s more valuable dead. Together with a resident named Jordan, Lincoln makes an escape to the outside world he’s never known. With the forces of the institute hunting them down, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a desperate race for their lives and the lives of their fellow inhabitants.” (Thanks to www.movieweb.com for the synopsis.)
Although filled with action and comedy, the part that captured my heart is the ending. The ending illustrates an amazing glimpse of the captured set free. If you haven’t seen it yet, there are some mild spoilers.
As I watch it, I am constantly filled with joy watching the captives experience freedom for the very first time. Watch it again and notice how the realization of freedom settles on them...Shock where they cannot comprehend what’s happening, Panic and chaos take over as they run to escape Joy fills them as they realize they are free. The hunter, given the task of killing any who escape, puts away his gun as he observes their elation. When they see the free world, they are awed as they taste freedom for the first time. They race into their new life as if they can’t get there fast enough.Three linger. Two use their freedom to find love. Another finds his own freedom. Not cages by doors and bars, he was caged by his coldness toward life. The joy of the freed has brought liberty to the captor. The bars – physical and psychological – have been torn down. I experience this as a self-published author. I have freedom to do what I want with my books. I don’t have to worry about deadlines, no one tells me to change the title or names of my characters. I can decide the message of my books. I market when, where and how I want. I can make any changes any time I want. Where are you? Are you still chained? Are you running panicked for freedom? Or perhaps you may be tasting freedom for the first time. Wherever you are, you don’t have to be a slave anymore. Break away and run into liberty! Let freedom ring! Today is the day where the weak are strong. Today is the day where we stop being scared and stand up to live our lives the way we want to. Today we seize our freedom and say “This is mine!” It’s Independence Day! And on Independence Day, these words hold such more meaning. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” -The Declaration of Independence 4 of July, 1776. When did you last feel joy about your freedom?
July 4, 2012
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Blank Slates
I am honored to have been invited to post on Karen S. Elliot's blog. It can be viewed today at The Word Shark. Please help me return the favor she has done me and visit her webpage. I'd love it if you left a comment or two!
Also, I wanted to remind you that Toxic is free on Kindle for today and tomorrow. You can find it here - Toxic on Kindle. I just couldn't sell it on "Freedom Day" or Independence Day! Pass on the word that it's free!
Thanks again to all for your support! I couldn't do it without you! Have a great and safe 4th of July!!
Also, I wanted to remind you that Toxic is free on Kindle for today and tomorrow. You can find it here - Toxic on Kindle. I just couldn't sell it on "Freedom Day" or Independence Day! Pass on the word that it's free!
Thanks again to all for your support! I couldn't do it without you! Have a great and safe 4th of July!!
June 27, 2012
To Read or Not to Read: The Hunger Games
Christian Fiction seems to be synonymous with Amish stories. Most Christian bookstores are filled with women in bonnets and stories about romance. You see little of swords, fantasy, monsters, dragons, blood, or action.
Yes, I know. The stores probably have C.S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Donita K. Paul, Ted Dekker, Bryan Davis, and Frank Peretti. But all of those examples can be sorted into two categories.The books they write are for younger children or middle school. The authors have been around for a while. Why haven’t there been more authors lately in the Christian arena that are producing great – or even good – fantasy or sci-fi?
This is one reason why I decided to write YA fantasy. I wanted to give Christian teens something better to read than the secular world. In case you didn’t know, there are some great YA novels out there – great story lines, great characters, great writing. Yet, many of them are filled with ungodly themes and ideals.
I thought I’d write something edgy. I wrote a fantasy set in a different world with evil, sword fights, chases, monsters, and...yikes...black magic that works. I thought this would be the edgy aspect. When I pitched it to editors, I saw panic in their eyes when I mentioned magic. I researched magic in the Bible and prepared defenses for when people grew wary. Yet, I’ve sold over 1,800 copies, and no one has even commented on the use of magic.
So, if I compare Toxic to Amish fiction, it’s edgy. But when people are buying it, they don’t find it that offensive. This makes me wonder what the general Christian population thinks is edgy.
Unless you’ve been living under a mountain, you’ve probably heard of The Hunger Games. The popular book series was turned into an even more popular movie. In my opinion, it is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations (The book is still better, though).
For those who don’t know, The Hunger Games takes place in the future after an unknown apocalyptic event. Now there is a wealthy Capital and twelve poorer districts. As punishment for a rebellion against the Capital, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected by annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, an event in which the participants must fight in an arena until only one individual remains. The victor not only gets to live, but the district he or she is from gets food, something every poor district desperately needs.
I read it and saw the movie. It didn’t capture my heart the way Narnia or The Lord of the Rings did. However, I had a hard time putting the book done even with watching the movie first and knowing what was going to happen.
While I do not relish the idea of young teens killing each other, there was little else I found to protest about. There was a little romance and a bit of kissing, but that was it.
However, I have run across a large number of people who won’t let their kids read the book or watch the movie. I am well aware that I might be missing something, so I wanted to ask you...
What’s your opinion? As a Christian, is The Hunger Games a book we should shun or embrace? Why?
Yes, I know. The stores probably have C.S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Donita K. Paul, Ted Dekker, Bryan Davis, and Frank Peretti. But all of those examples can be sorted into two categories.The books they write are for younger children or middle school. The authors have been around for a while. Why haven’t there been more authors lately in the Christian arena that are producing great – or even good – fantasy or sci-fi?
This is one reason why I decided to write YA fantasy. I wanted to give Christian teens something better to read than the secular world. In case you didn’t know, there are some great YA novels out there – great story lines, great characters, great writing. Yet, many of them are filled with ungodly themes and ideals.
I thought I’d write something edgy. I wrote a fantasy set in a different world with evil, sword fights, chases, monsters, and...yikes...black magic that works. I thought this would be the edgy aspect. When I pitched it to editors, I saw panic in their eyes when I mentioned magic. I researched magic in the Bible and prepared defenses for when people grew wary. Yet, I’ve sold over 1,800 copies, and no one has even commented on the use of magic.
So, if I compare Toxic to Amish fiction, it’s edgy. But when people are buying it, they don’t find it that offensive. This makes me wonder what the general Christian population thinks is edgy.
Unless you’ve been living under a mountain, you’ve probably heard of The Hunger Games. The popular book series was turned into an even more popular movie. In my opinion, it is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations (The book is still better, though).
For those who don’t know, The Hunger Games takes place in the future after an unknown apocalyptic event. Now there is a wealthy Capital and twelve poorer districts. As punishment for a rebellion against the Capital, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected by annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, an event in which the participants must fight in an arena until only one individual remains. The victor not only gets to live, but the district he or she is from gets food, something every poor district desperately needs.
I read it and saw the movie. It didn’t capture my heart the way Narnia or The Lord of the Rings did. However, I had a hard time putting the book done even with watching the movie first and knowing what was going to happen.
While I do not relish the idea of young teens killing each other, there was little else I found to protest about. There was a little romance and a bit of kissing, but that was it.
However, I have run across a large number of people who won’t let their kids read the book or watch the movie. I am well aware that I might be missing something, so I wanted to ask you...
What’s your opinion? As a Christian, is The Hunger Games a book we should shun or embrace? Why?
