Just like any addiction, one of the dangers of refraining from reading for pleasure is that when you do begin to indulge once more, there is no such thing as moderation.
I suppose it was bound to happen then, that when I did begin reading just for the sake of reading again, it would be in gluttonous fashion.
Since dropping out of the blogosphere a month ago, I have read over 15,000 pages of fiction. (If you need proof, just look at my house.) The good news is that I have finally come up for air, satisfied and with plenty to talk about.
Are you ready?
Showing posts with label Scribbles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scribbles. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Ffzztt!
Have you ever lived in a place with a fuse box? Can you recall the fizzing, popping sound that a fuse makes when it is overloaded with electricity?
I'm pretty sure that is the sound my brain made yesterday afternoon when I opened the fridge and the pitcher of grape juice dumped all over the floor. The purple liquid splattered over 60% of the contents of the fridge, my pants, and the surrounding cabinets before running under the grill and into the unknown darkness below the appliance. What followed was even uglier.
Why am I telling you this?
I have been spending a great deal of time studying about writing, publishing, marketing, platforms, and the business of being an author. I have not been spending much time on the business of being a wife and mother. My family is very supportive of my desire to write, but that's a little backwards for me. I want to be supportive of them, especially while my children are so young.
So, right about the time the fuse blew, a decision was reached. While I could no more stop reading and writing than I could stop breathing, I am going to stop pursuing publication for the time being.
What does that me for this blog? Probably only a few minor changes:
I'm pretty sure that is the sound my brain made yesterday afternoon when I opened the fridge and the pitcher of grape juice dumped all over the floor. The purple liquid splattered over 60% of the contents of the fridge, my pants, and the surrounding cabinets before running under the grill and into the unknown darkness below the appliance. What followed was even uglier.
Why am I telling you this?
I have been spending a great deal of time studying about writing, publishing, marketing, platforms, and the business of being an author. I have not been spending much time on the business of being a wife and mother. My family is very supportive of my desire to write, but that's a little backwards for me. I want to be supportive of them, especially while my children are so young.
So, right about the time the fuse blew, a decision was reached. While I could no more stop reading and writing than I could stop breathing, I am going to stop pursuing publication for the time being.
What does that me for this blog? Probably only a few minor changes:
- A slight shift in focus-less critique, more fun
- Fewer posts per week
- More access to complete stories--since I no longer have to hold back because of the possibility of publication, I can post complete stories rather than just segments. I will probably begin by posting the rest of Cricket. Yeah, I thought you'd like that.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Many Thanks!
Well vacation was...well, it's over anyway. Many, many thanks to all of my guest authors this week. I am in the process of designing a special token of my appreciation for your contributions. Sparkly, limited edition swag to be revealed...soon.
Regular posting will resume on Monday.
Regular posting will resume on Monday.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
First Date
As I head to the PO with my first manuscript submissions, I feel like I need to dress up. Make up, spiffy clothes, shoes that make me look taller, the works. Like I'm going on a date and first impressions make a difference. Why is it that I feel this way?
Teresa and Peggy have seen me in my grubs plenty of times, and no editor will ever know the difference.
I'm going to do it anyway.
Silly Stacy.
Teresa and Peggy have seen me in my grubs plenty of times, and no editor will ever know the difference.
I'm going to do it anyway.
Silly Stacy.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sedentary
A writer's job is inescapably sedentary. You read, write and edit sitting down...for hours...and days...in the same chair...watching the seasons change...
It will take a great deal of time to undo the damage of living with a knee injury for too long. However, I think I have found a solution that will help me get back in shape and allow me to keep up with reading (and restore blood flow to my rear). I've started listening to audio books on the treadmill. I know this is not a thunderous revelation. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I don't need the rhythm of music to keep me going, as I thought at first.
Now, if I only allow myself the indulgence of the books while I'm working out, then I can be sure that I will get back on the treadmill again tomorrow. Needing to know what happens next is probably enough. I wish I had discovered this sooner!
If you have an inactive job, what do you do to get (or keep) yourself moving?
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Fiction is a Lie, pt. 2
It probably wasn't very nice of me to leave you stranded in the middle of a moral dilemma yesterday. Let's fix that.
The question is, "Can a Christian justify writing and reading Fiction, when it is ultimately a lie?"
If great men like CS Lewis (who was wholeheartedly passionate about God) can write fiction (allegories aside), then the answer must be "Yes!" But even sincere men of faith can sin, so that can't be our only answer.
Fiction is an agreement between writer and reader to suspend truth for a time. Even when an author passes his work off with authority, there is a knowing wink between them. The knowledge that it isn't real to begin with is a safety line, allowing the reader to become fully immersed in the story with the guarantee that they will come out unscathed on the other side. This diffuses the lie.**
In spite of what Oscar Wilde said, art imitates life (I'm pretty sure my life has never imitated a Renaissance Masterpiece). To a degree, art also imitates truth, whether it intends to or not. Any story of good and evil is a picture of the battle between righteousness and unrighteousness, however subtle. Fiction (for a follower of God) must then follow certain standards. While evil does not always have to win, it can never be glorified. Characters don't always have to conquer their flaws, but they must be perceived as flaws. God must never be portrayed in a way that does damage to his Holiness.
In the answer, there is also an echo back (at the bottom) to what has already been said about reflecting our Creator when we create.
Does it have to be real (or true) in order to honor God? Can a work of fiction still acknowledge the preeminence of the Almighty? Can you write about dragons and fairies without insulting the Creator of the Universe? This is not a topic that can be adequately addressed here. I can only ask the questions and point to one resolution. You have to finish the wrestling on your own. If you can answer these questions to the satisfaction of your conscience, with the help of the Holy Spirit, then let the lies fly!
*Young children miss the wink between author and reader that renders fiction safe. If you cannot supply the safety line for them, then the nightmares at 2am are your own fault for letting them absorb something they aren't ready for.
The question is, "Can a Christian justify writing and reading Fiction, when it is ultimately a lie?"
If great men like CS Lewis (who was wholeheartedly passionate about God) can write fiction (allegories aside), then the answer must be "Yes!" But even sincere men of faith can sin, so that can't be our only answer.
Fiction is an agreement between writer and reader to suspend truth for a time. Even when an author passes his work off with authority, there is a knowing wink between them. The knowledge that it isn't real to begin with is a safety line, allowing the reader to become fully immersed in the story with the guarantee that they will come out unscathed on the other side. This diffuses the lie.**
In spite of what Oscar Wilde said, art imitates life (I'm pretty sure my life has never imitated a Renaissance Masterpiece). To a degree, art also imitates truth, whether it intends to or not. Any story of good and evil is a picture of the battle between righteousness and unrighteousness, however subtle. Fiction (for a follower of God) must then follow certain standards. While evil does not always have to win, it can never be glorified. Characters don't always have to conquer their flaws, but they must be perceived as flaws. God must never be portrayed in a way that does damage to his Holiness.
In the answer, there is also an echo back (at the bottom) to what has already been said about reflecting our Creator when we create.
Does it have to be real (or true) in order to honor God? Can a work of fiction still acknowledge the preeminence of the Almighty? Can you write about dragons and fairies without insulting the Creator of the Universe? This is not a topic that can be adequately addressed here. I can only ask the questions and point to one resolution. You have to finish the wrestling on your own. If you can answer these questions to the satisfaction of your conscience, with the help of the Holy Spirit, then let the lies fly!
*Young children miss the wink between author and reader that renders fiction safe. If you cannot supply the safety line for them, then the nightmares at 2am are your own fault for letting them absorb something they aren't ready for.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Fiction is a Lie
A dear friend of mine says that "What if" questions are all lies. She is a godly, Christian woman whom I respect deeply. And she is right. If it causes worry, doubt or a lack of faith in God's ability to protect and provide, then "what if" is most certainly a lie, and we need to crush it before it takes hold.
Which brings us to fiction (writing or reading). Yesterday, we looked at how all fiction is born of the question, "What if?". If we follow my friend's logic, all fiction is therefore a lie. Once again, she is correct. Magic, vampires, fairies and the like have no foundation in reality or fact. Do we then need to crush them like worry or doubt?
As a follower of Christ, that question doesn't have such an easy answer for me (but hang in there). In Sunday School, the 3rd & 4th graders and I are studying the types of things the Bible tells us we should think and speak about. (I hesitate to say I am teaching them because that is often not the case.) Phil. 4:8 says we should think about things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy. I compared that to 8 gates our words need to pass before they are allowed to enter the house where we dwell. According to this verse, fiction doesn't even pass the first gate.
The class has also talked about how everything we do should bring glory to God (I Cor 10:31). That includes changing diapers and cleaning our rooms. Even the most menial tasks can bring honor to our Heavenly Father if they are done in His service and for others. That doesn't mean we have to sing the Hallelujah Chorus while on diaper duty. It does mean having the mind of a willing servant.
Just to make sure you have the same headache I have, let's add 2 Cor 10:5. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ". I'm pretty sure Sauron and the One Ring fall into that category.
Take a deep breath. I'm not trying to shoot down the entire genre of fiction. We'll pick this up tomorrow. Right now, I need an aspirin.
Which brings us to fiction (writing or reading). Yesterday, we looked at how all fiction is born of the question, "What if?". If we follow my friend's logic, all fiction is therefore a lie. Once again, she is correct. Magic, vampires, fairies and the like have no foundation in reality or fact. Do we then need to crush them like worry or doubt?
As a follower of Christ, that question doesn't have such an easy answer for me (but hang in there). In Sunday School, the 3rd & 4th graders and I are studying the types of things the Bible tells us we should think and speak about. (I hesitate to say I am teaching them because that is often not the case.) Phil. 4:8 says we should think about things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy. I compared that to 8 gates our words need to pass before they are allowed to enter the house where we dwell. According to this verse, fiction doesn't even pass the first gate.
The class has also talked about how everything we do should bring glory to God (I Cor 10:31). That includes changing diapers and cleaning our rooms. Even the most menial tasks can bring honor to our Heavenly Father if they are done in His service and for others. That doesn't mean we have to sing the Hallelujah Chorus while on diaper duty. It does mean having the mind of a willing servant.
Just to make sure you have the same headache I have, let's add 2 Cor 10:5. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ". I'm pretty sure Sauron and the One Ring fall into that category.
Take a deep breath. I'm not trying to shoot down the entire genre of fiction. We'll pick this up tomorrow. Right now, I need an aspirin.
Monday, February 22, 2010
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