Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 81

Ide Teaches Self-Editing

Kathy Ide. 2020. Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors. Birmingham: LPCBooks.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Early in my career as an economist, I worked for the Economic Research Service in USDA, which had over two thousand economists on staff and an editorial staff to support them. First drafts went to an editor who worked to see to it that research reports were well-organized and proof-read for accuracy. If you were not used to getting substantive feedback, you had to deal with your egoism. Because publication often meant promotion, the quicker you dealt with your egoism, the better. Since then, I have always appreciated the attentiveness of my editors.

 Introduction

In her book, Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors, Kathy Ide writes:

“In this book you’ll find tips from actual best-selling authors who have studied editing techniques and implemented them, result in books that have reached the hearts and touched the lives of many readers.” (1)

This is a book on self-editing, which has two obvious benefits. First, it is easier to take advice from your own experience than to have it thrust on you by an editor whose objectives and standards often differ from your own. Second, an error discovered early in the editing process is cheaper and easier to correct than one discovered after your book is in print.

Trust me, I know. In my first book, I learned after passing it around that I had correctly spelled “forward,” but used it incorrectly when I meant “foreword.” I would like to believe that copies of that original printing have a market value equal to a mint-condition, 1864 Indian-head penny, but that would be self-delusional.

Background and Organization

Kathy Ide is an experienced author, editor, and events-organizer.

Kathy writes in twenty-one chapters:

Why Edit?When to EditContent EditOrganization EditCopyeditScissors EditEditing NonfictionLegal AspectsEditing MemoirEditing Fiction—IntroductionEditing Fiction—PlottingEditing Fiction—CharactersEditing Fiction—Point of ViewEditing Fiction—Scene, Sequel, and SummaryEditing Fiction—Show, Don’t TellEditing Fiction—DescriptionsEditing Fiction—DialogueFine-Tune EditProfessional EditWhen to Stop EditingTake this Job and Love It (xi-xii)

These chapters are preceded by an introduction and followed by appendices with recommended resources and author biographies.

Overview

In view of the numerous author-contributors to this book, one might conclude that this is an author-club compendium book (my own club does this almost annually), but it is not. Kathy uses her contributors to highlight and extend points that she makes in the text. As such, these author contributors add significant depth and breadth to her content.

The measure of any how-to book is whether it advances your knowledge of the subject matter. Let me highlight some of the contributions that Kathy has made here.

What is Editing?

Most authors start out thinking that editing refers primarily to copyediting or, perhaps, proofreading. They scratch their heads when you mention that you employed multiple editors on a particular project, as I typically do.

For nonfiction books, I may start out with a content editor, someone able to critique my theology, and end up with proofreader/copyeditor. For fiction or memoir, I might add a developmental editor and several proofreaders/copyeditors.

Kathy’s chapter list breaks down multiple types of editing that may end up being separate editors or simply be stages that your self-editing may cover. Traditional publishers may assist with some of these steps, but increasingly these steps need to be done by the author before presenting work to an agent. Some professional editors may even insist that manuscripts reach a certain level of sophistication before they will accept them for review.

 What is Good Fiction Writing?

A third of Kathy’s chapters focus on editing fiction where she offers clear and helpful writing tips.

For example, what is a scene and when do you offer a scene break? She writes: “Scenes have specific locations, physical action, dialogue, and narrative.” (121) “A chapter or scene break can indicate a change in point-of-view character, location, and/or time.” (113) More generally, a scene must add new information, advance the plot, or offer aspects of setting that affect the characters or plot. If not, the scene should either be cut or summarized (123). Action scenes are often followed by sequels, where characters respond to actions from a previous action scene (122).

Citing Lena Nelson Dooley, Kathy writes in discussing point of view (POV) that an author can pull a person into a character’s deep spaces by visiting secret desires, wounds, or plans (114). Delving into the concept of “deep POV,” Kathy writes:

“Wherever you’ve written that a character thought, believed, wondered, noticed, saw, felt, knew, or decided something, take those words out and simply show what was thought, observed, or felt. A Character doesn’t think those words, so they shouldn’t appear in the narrative.” (115)

While this is a comment about editing, it provides tangible advice on implementing deep POV. This may sound obvious, but POV questions can seem slippery to an author starting out—like so many other things, it is easy the second time.

Assessment

Kathy Ide’s Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors is a helpful and an accessible guide to self-editing a manuscript with specific guidance for editing nonfiction, memoir, and fiction. Aspiring writers and experienced authors will both find editing gems in this book.

Footnotes

http://kathyide.com.

Capital Christian Writers Fellowship (https://ccwritersfellowship.org).

Ide Teaches Self-EditingAlso see:Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.netPublisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/trans_22,  Signup

 

The post Ide Teaches Self-Editing appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Church: Monday Monologues (podcast), September 5, 2022

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on The Church. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Church: Monday Monologues (podcast), September 5, 2022
Also see:



Monday Monologue On March 26, 2018 



Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net,
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.






Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/trans_22,  Signup

The post Church: Monday Monologues (podcast), September 5, 2022 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Spirit Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Spirit of Truth,

All power and dominion, glory and honor, justice and mercy are yours, because you give us life, sustain us, and guide us through perilous times.

Forgive us when we refuse to listen, usurp your role, and rebel when we should take our clues from you.

Thank you for the Father’s patient love and the Son’s mercy, grace, and faithfulness.

Come into our hearts, guide our minds, and calm our fears.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Spirit Prayer
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:

Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com


Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/trans_22,  Signup

 

The post Spirit Prayer appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

The Church

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, 

and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 

And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them 

and rested on each one of them. 

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit 

and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

(Acts 2:1-4)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The image of God in the New Testament takes three forms: The person of Jesus, Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God with the parables, and the founding of the church on Pentecost by the Holy Spirit. This is a trinitarian revelation of God, not by words, but by action. Here I will focus on the role of the church in projecting the image of God amidst our fallen state.

John Calvin in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, published in 1559, devotes 439 pages to discussing the role of the church. The purpose of the church is simple:

It is by faith in the gospel that Christ becomes ours and we are made partakers of the salvation and eternal blessedness brought by him. Since, however, in our ignorance and sloth (to which I add fickleness of disposition) we need outward helps to beget and increase faith within us, and advance it to its goal, God has also added these aids that he may provide for our weakness (Calvin 2006, 1011).

Those helps, he goes on to say, are the preaching of the word and the provision of the sacraments (Calvin 2006, 2012). Clearly supporting the preaching of the word are the Bible, confessions, and liturgies pulled together by councils of ancient church especially in the first four centuries after Christ. The Bible, which sketches out our primary image of God, is accordingly a gift of the ancient church, not an entirely independent revelation.

Origins of the Bible

More New Testament texts have survived from ancient times than any other ancient manuscripts. The Bible was the first publication to appear in wide circulation as a codex or bound book rather than a scroll (Metzger and Ehrman 2005, 15). Stone (2010, 14) cites the existence of 5,500 partial or complete biblical manuscripts making it the only document from the ancient world with more than a few dozen copies.

In his Easter letter of AD 367, Athanasius suggested the twenty-seven books that now make up the New Testament, as the Council of Carthage confirmed in 397. The common denominator in these books is that their authors were known to have been an apostle or associated closely with an apostle of Jesus. Pope Damasus I commissioned Jerome to prepare an authoritative translation of the Bible into Latin in AD 382 commonly known as the Vulgate (Evans 2005, 162). The Vulgate remained the authoritative Biblical text for the church until the time of the Reformation when the reformers began translating the Bible into common languages, such as German, English, and French.

During the Reformation Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German in 1522, the Old Testament in 1532, and the completed Bible in 1534 (Bainton 1995, 255). Luther also translated the Apocrypha in 1534 but specifically said they were not canonical, just good to read. Luther kept the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, but followed the Masoretic (Hebrew Old Testament) rather than the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) in selecting books for the Old Testament. The books left out became known as the Apocrypha. These books continue to distinguish the Catholic (Apocrypha included) from Protestant Bible translations (Apocrypha excluded) to this day.

Agency of the Holy Spirit

The agency of the Holy Spirit in founding and sustaining the church is highlighted in the Apostle Paul’s term for the church (Thompson 2014, 25). He refers to the church as the “called out ones of God” in Greek (e.g. 1 Cor 1:2). When those called by God get together, that is the church. The church is not a building or club; it is composed only of those called out by God himself. Because only God truly knows who he has called, the Westminster Confession of faith disguises the visible church we see from the invisible church seen only by God (PCUSA 1999, 6.140). Jesus himself makes this distinction in his parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt 13:24-30).

The authority of the church and of the Bible rests on the agency of the Holy Spirit. This authority is often physically manifested in the laying on of hands in coming to faith (e.g. Acts 8:17), during ordination (e.g. Num 27:18; 1 Tim 5:22), and in healing (e.g. Luke 4:40). Other-times, the Holy Spirit acts independently of the church through visions and reading scripture to bring people to faith.

 In the Old Testament, the primary role of a prophet was to point people back to the Mosaic covenant; in the New Testament, a prophet is better known as an apostle (one sent) or an evangelist, who points people to the new covenant in Christ. Greeks, by contrast, viewed prophets as predictors of the future, having no reference to covenants, which is why the Greek word for prophet is seldom used in Christian or Jewish circles. The special role of the prophet arises when the church deviates from its covenantal obligations.

The Problem of Sin

When postmodern church leaders enact policy inconsistent with the historical witness of the church, the only argument having ecclesiological standing is that they have been guided by the Holy Spirit. In effect, they are claiming to be prophets in the Greek sense, not the Hebrew sense, and fall under the severe guidance of Numbers 12:6 and Deuteronomy 13. By contrast, the Apostle Paul warns:

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry (2 Tim 4:3-5)

Sound teaching in Paul’s thinking requires adhering to covenantal obligations—the New Covenant in Christ understood in the context of Old Testament covenantal obligations. A distinction is, however, made between the holiness obligations that still apply and ceremonial obligations that were set aside.

The postmodern church is confronted with two crises, both having to do with the church’s dependence on the authority of the Holy Spirit. First, the Holy Spirit reflects the image of living God in the context of covenantal obligations, which are neither static nor wholly new. Second, the intrusion of a materialist culture and the state into the church has diluted the church’s focus on holiness, Christian formation, and the ability to practice church discipline. Formational weaknesses have over time created a dynamic breakdown in sensitivity to covenantal obligations unchecked by the prophetic voice in the church, which has, in other words, dulled the image of God among believers.

The Call to Sanctification

The uniqueness of the church rests on its call to sanctification (Thompson 2014, 41). If we are blessed to be a blessing like Abraham (Gen 12:1-3), then this blessing should be obvious to the world. The Apostle Paul writes:

To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. (Rom. 1:7-8)

Unless this address is total hyperbole, Paul is saying that the church in Rome is loved by God (elect), called to be saints (people who are holy), and held up as an example of faith.

This example of faith of the Church in Rome does not seem hyperbolic to me. I am reminded of an early school shooting:

On October 2, 2006, a shooting occurred at the West Nickel Mines School, an Amish one-room schoolhouse in the Old Order Amish community … [in] Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. [The] gunman … took hostages and shot ten girls (aged 6–13), killing five, before committing suicide in the schoolhouse. The emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation in the Amish community’s response was widely discussed by the national media.⁠1

I remember this incident like it was yesterday. The Amish community could have played the victim, but refused. Instead, they went on national television and offered forgiveness to the family of the shooter. This example of forgiveness has served to motivate many others affected by such tragedies to emulate their behavior. In the same way, Paul is saying the Church in Rome is an example of faith to the world.

We are called to be saints. No one promised it would be easy or pain-free.

Footnotes

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Ni....

References

Bainton, Roland H. 1995. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. New York: Penguin.

Calvin, John. 2006. Institutes of the Christian Religion (Orig Pub 1559). Edited by John T. McNeill. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Evans, Craig A. 2005. Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies: A Guide to Background Literature. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.

Metzger, Bruce M. and Bart D. Ehrman. 2005. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. New York: Oxford University Press.

Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PC USA). 1999. The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)—Part I: Book of Confession. Louisville, KY: Office of the General Assembly.

Stone, Larry. 2010. The Story of the Bible: The Fascinating History of Its Writing, Translation, and Effect on Civilization. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Thompson, James W. 2014: The Church According to Paul: Rediscovering the Community Conformed to Christ. Grand Rapids: BakerAcademic.

The Church
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/trans_22,  Signup

 

The post The Church appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Warner Builds Characters

John S. Warner. 2022. The Secrets to Creating Character Arcs. Independently Published.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

The art of writing is lot like the practice of prayer. Like prayer, many people either mimic prior practice or they ramble with little discernable structure. Yet, even for those that adopt a formal structure, like an ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication) prayer or the form of a letter, prayer reflects our theology. Reflecting on that theology can go along ways towards developing a more polished prayer life. And so it is with writing.

Introduction

In the introduction to The Secrets to Creating Character Arcs, John S. Warner writes:

“The book is designed as a guide for all the writers who have great potential but lac the confidence to write an interesting, engaging story that can keep the readers glued to the pages.” (11)

While Warner outlines the components of a complete guide to fiction writing, he concentrates on the specific challenge of crafting interesting characters. He observes: “A great character is born when the reader starts to relate the character’s actions to their past emotional struggles.” (22) This connection between the plot and the emotional life of the characters is what makes great writing out of the reach of so many authors.

Background and Organization

John S. Warner is a self-published author in the Oxfordshire, United Kingdom with minimal online presence. He writes in ten chapters:

The Holy TrinityPlotting It OutSculpting the StructureCharacters, Not CaricatureBuilding Your CharacterYour Character JourneyCombining the LotSupporting CharactersDos and Don’ts of Character CreationTaking Your Story to the Next Level (v-vii)

These chapters are preceded by an introduction and followed by a conclusion and references.

The Holy Trinity

Warner describes plot, structure, and characters as the Holy Trinity of writing (13).

He writes that: “A plot is a sequence of events that happens in a story.” (15) Plot serves to “inspire different emotional responses in the readers.” (17) He sees suspense, anticipation, surprise, and empathy as elements in evoking an emotional response (17-18).

For structure, Warner writes: “In literature, the structure is nothing more than a pattern that keeps you story organized and engaging for the reader.” (18) The basic structure is beginning, middle, and end, the traditional three-act play (19).

I cited Warner’s definition of a character above. He sees characters as either flat or round, with round characters being central to the plot (20). Great characters have internal conflict, as well as external conflict (21).

Five Must-Have Characters

Warner sees five characters as the pillars of every great story: protagonist, antagonist, mentor, sidekick, and skeptic (80).

The protagonist is the hero or heroine whose voice often carries the plot and is relatable (80). Warner writes: “Provide the protagonist with both good and bad qualities, but make sure that their good qualities surpass the bad ones.” (21). Warner sees four protagonist types: The hero, the underdog, Mr. average, and the dark soul (94-95) The protagonist is someone with a goal whose flaws stymie its achievement, keeping it out of reach until the flaw is overcome with the story evolving out of a rise in the stake should the flaw be ignored (96-97.

The antagonist is: “A character [who] is moving against the protagonist and not with them.” (81-82) The antagonist is not necessarily a villain and should have some redeeming quality. This character should be well-rounded and their motivate for opposing the protagonist should be justified (82). Warner sees the antagonist as ideally someone being self-righteous, a worthy opponent, known to the protagonist, with a dark past, and who can in some way be charming (89-90).

A sidekick is: “Most often the protagonist’s sibling, cousin, friend, or colleague…a loyal companion of your protagonist throughout the story.” (83). The sidekick enables the reader to view the protagonist through a different lens, displaying vulnerabilities. A skeptic is like a sidekick only not nearly so supportive (84).

Story versus Character Arcs

The story and character arcs are related, but separate trajectories that distinguish between the external and internal struggles. Warner writes: “While the plot is a series of events that together build your story, the character arc is a series of events that build your character.” (106) Character arcs add emotional weight, depth, and a foundation for the story arc (109).

Warner sees three types of character arcs: Change, growth, and fall. A change arc shows an underdog achieving important goals beyond themselves. A growth arc involves more personal growth. A fall arc shows a character who self-destructs (107-108).

At the heart of character arcs is a lie that the character tells themselves. The sequence of events shows how they come to accept the truth. Warner gives the example of a person who believes that they are unworthy of being loved and comes to realize that that is not true (113). A fall arc evolves from the characters unwillingness to give up the lie or to accept the truth (114). Static characters may already know and accept the truth, but struggle with the temptations posed by various lies (115-116).

Assessment

John S. Warner’s The Secrets to Creating Character Arcs provides a foundation for understanding and developing multidimensional, fiction characters, interesting and instructive to most fiction writers. Warner places his discussion of character development squarely in the context of constructing the plot and story structure, making it easy for writers in their formative process to move a few steps closer to their creative potential. Warner’s easy-going writing style can be disarming, but it contributes to its accessibility. Fiction writers should buy and read this book.

Footnotes

www.Creative-Secrets.com.

Warner Builds CharactersAlso see:Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.netPublisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/trans_22,  Signup

 

 

The post Warner Builds Characters appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Kingdom: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 29, 2022

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on the Kingdom of God. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Kingdom: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 29, 2022
Also see:



Monday Monologue On March 26, 2018 



Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net,
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.






Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/trans_22,  Signup

The post Kingdom: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 29, 2022 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Parabolic Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Compassionate and loving Father,

All praise and honor, power and glory, justice and mercy are yours, for you refuse to be silent in our world even as the world screams loudly and repeatedly each and every day.

Forgive our divided hearts and our cloudy minds. Do not let us slink away silent we you admonish us to speak boldly in your name.

Thank you for the many riches of this world, our health, and supportive families. Thank you for inviting us to share in your work in this fallen world.

Grant us hearts that love, minds that think, and hands that join in your kingdom work.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Parabolic Prayer
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/trans_22,  Signup

 

 

The post Parabolic Prayer appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Kingdom of God

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, 

how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything 

except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 

(Matt 5:13)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The confession of the church expressed in the Apostle’s Creed and elsewhere is that Jesus Christ is divine. Jesus himself says: “And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.” (John 12:45) Beyond the display of his person as the divine image, Jesus describes the Kingdom of God through his numerous parables.

Because the name of God is sacred in Jewish tradition and cannot be uttered outside the context of worship, substitutes for the name and image of God, such as the term Kingdom of God, abound in scripture. This terminology is not idle chatter because kingdom talk was considered seditious in the Roman Empire , a charge that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus’ parables accordingly provide the most vivid images of God in the New Testament.

Jesus’ parables constitute a genre of their own, defined not by a single literary convention, but by their intent to transport the hearer into a relationship with God himself. Summarizing Dan Otto Via, Kissinger (1979, 211) writes: “Parables are aesthetic objects, that is, carefully organized, self-contained, coherent literary compositions.” Via’s definition, like my own, does not limit parables to allegory, simile, similitude, or picture story, as other authors have done.

Archibald Hunter classifies the parables into four categories: “The Coming of the Kingdom, the Grace of the Kingdom, the Men of the Kingdom, and the Crisis of the Kingdom.” (Kissinger 1979, 145). This classification framework is interesting because not all of the parables employ the stock phrase—the Kingdom of God is like—yet, Hunter sees them clearly as having a kingdom reference.

The salt parable cited above falls in Hunter’s final category: Crisis of the Kingdom. Kissinger (1979, 147) writes:

“Through these parables Jesus is urging his hearers to ‘discern the signs of the times’ and hopefully to repent before it is forever too late. He warns them about the grave perils which await those who refuse God’s invitation into the Kingdom.”

Note how the parable draws listeners in and forces them to make a decision. In the preaching of this parable, it is no longer an historical event or mere metaphor. Citing the work of Ernst Fuchs, Kissinger (1979, 185) writes that: “The parable has an existential dimension and becomes a language-event.” In the parable, we are confronted with the living image of God and cannot stand idly by without a decision. Robert W. Funk writes: “The metaphor, like the parable, is incomplete until the hearer is drawn into it as a participant.” (Kissinger 1979, 200).

In 2012, I preached at a luncheon of my seminary colleagues at the PCUSA General Assembly meeting in Pittsburg where the denomination endorsed the ordination of homosexuals. I chose this parable and the next one on light for my text. The core of my sermon was:

“The admonition to be salt and light is an appeal to concrete witness—salt is to be tasted; light is to be seen. We understand the words even if the application gives us pause.

But the context of this text is equally interesting. This text immediately follows an admonition: ‘Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’ (Matt 5:12) Be glad that you are persecuted! You are in the company of prophets. This is almost exactly what the Apostle Peter admonished: ‘Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.’ (1 Pet 4:16)”

Following the sermon, nothing was said; disappointed, I walked out of the meetings that afternoon and drove home early. The denomination decision led my home church and many others to leave the denomination. The question remains: What does it mean to be salt and light in these trying times? 

References

Kissinger, Warren S. 1979. The Parables of Jesus: A History of Interpretation and Bibliography. Metuchen, NJ: Scarcrow Press, Inc. and American Theological Library Association.

Kingdom of God
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/trans_22,  Signup

 

The post Kingdom of God appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Swain Explains Characters

Swain, Dwight V. 2008. Creating Characters: How to Build Story People. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

One of my professors in seminary described scripture as laconic, telling us only the bare minimum about events and people. Being laconic had a practical side, manuscripts were expensive so short tales were cheaper to produce and reproduce. Laconic also had a formative purpose, keeping stories brief encouraged the reader to enter the story, filling in details that were missing. In effect, I am the Prodigal Son; I am Doubting Thomas. For us as authors, similar motivations motivate us when we describe characters in our stories today

Introduction

In his preface to Creating Characters: How to Build Story People, Dwight Swain writes: “Fiction grows from story people. This book is designed to help you bring such people into being. From it, you’ll learn barn-brush characterization.” (viii) A barn-brush characterization is a wide brush that employs “broad strokes,” which is Swain’s euphemism for the same idea, laconic.

He goes on to say: “The core of character, experience tells me, lies in each individual story person’s ability to care about something; to feel, implicitly or explicitly, that something is important.” (1) In effect, when characters care, we care. By this line of thinking, the fiction experience is all about feelings and emotion.

 Background and Organization

Dwight Vreeland Swain (1915–1992) studied at University of Michigan (BA) and University of Oklahoma (MA) where later joined the faculty. He was a prolific writer and screenwriter. He was a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame.

Swain writes in seventeen chapters:

The Core of CharacterSearching out Your CharactersLabels, LabelsFleshing OutThe World Within—1The World Within—2The Breath of LifeBent TwigsWild CardsThe Role of RolesThe Light TouchThe Right WordsThe Things They SayVariations on the ThemeThe Characters Out of TimeThe Dynamics of DisbeliefThe Search for Zest (vi-vii)

These chapters are preceded by a preface and followed by an appendix and index.

Labels, Tags, Traits, and Relationships

Swain sees people as tapestries with some threads more “vivid and visible than others.” He writes: “A good character is a simulation of complexity, not the real thing.” (21) Do you hear the word being whispered here: laconic.

To build a character, even a minor character, you need to develop a “dominant impression” consisting of four elements: “Sex, age, vocation, and manner.” (14) The hard part here is capturing the character’s manner, the “individuals personal bearing.” You immediately that “a boy is timid, a girl shy, a woman whiny, a man grouchy.” Accurately describing a character’s manner is a window into their soul. (16)

Swain goes on to describe tags, traits, and relationships.

A tag is a specialized label of things like “appearance, ability, speech, mannerism, and attitude.” Names, especially nicknames and titles, work as character tags. Swain makes an interesting observation: Does a character possess the ability to perform their function in the plot? (25)

Traits capture habitual behavior. Swain asks:

“Is Character a worrier, a soft touch, a grouch, a freeloader, a bully? Is she cruel, kindly, pious, a hypocrite, selfish, unselfish, honest, honest only when observed, considerate, unaware.” (26)

Swain advises to thrust your character into displaying these traits before they become critical to the plot, which will establish their credibility later.

Swain sees relationship as at least two things: How they relate to others and how they relate to type (26-27). Is a character attracted to similar characters or to their opposite? Is a character feeding on a stereotype (to type like the Irish Cop) or running against a stereotype (against type like a female computer geek)? In thinking about recent movies and television shows, it has become so common to run against type that many stereotypes have lost their currency.

Humor

Swain sees humor as a “useful tool for changing pace, reducing tension, adding proportion, neutralizing purple prose, and maybe even unscrewing the inscrutable.”  He observes that: “Laughter is the noise a person makes when he or she attains release from the tyranny of the ‘should.’” (108-109)

Swain sees humor as composed of four parts:

An assumption about how the world works.An unexpected deviation from the assumption.Applying the alternative, if you look at the situation from another, perhaps warped perspective.An abrupt turn to make this alternative obvious. (109-110)

He observes that a story records how someone deals with danger while humor is primarily a danger to one’s vanity (126).

Assessment

Dwight Swain’s Creating Characters: How to Build Story People is a truly helpful book that fiction writers need to aid to their library. Swain is good at explaining why many of the author writing book tropes make sense. Why show, not tell? Because it allows the reader to offer their own interpretation rather than letting the author decide. Oh, right. Now I understand.

Footnotes

https://bearalley.blogspot.com/2014/0....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_...

Swain Explains CharactersAlso see:Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.netPublisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/trans_22 , Signup

 

 

The post Swain Explains Characters appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Meta-narrative: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 22, 2022

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Meta-Narrative Angst. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Openness: Monday Monologues (podcast), June 27, 2022
Also see:



Monday Monologue On March 26, 2018 



Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net,
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com.





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/trans_22 , Signup

The post Meta-narrative: Monday Monologues (podcast), August 22, 2022 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.