Into the Fire

****Political Update****

 

(Excerpts from the ACLJ)

Today [March 10^th, 2011] a Congressional hearing detailing how Islamic extremists are radicalizing American Muslims is taking place. Simply put, terrorist-related organizations are turning American citizens into home-grown terrorists.

There is no greater threat to our safety and the safety of our homeland than a radicalized American citizen intent on doing us harm.

For having the boldness to bring this emerging threat to light and trying to conduct a civil and rational discussion about this significant threat, the Homeland Security Committee Chairman, Representative Peter King, has been accused of racism, McCarthyism, and more. The ACLU and several other liberal groups have been trying to stop this hearing in the name of political correctness.

This is not about offending a group of American citizens - this is about understanding the clear and present danger that radicalized Muslim American citizens pose to our nation.

Our team on Capitol Hill has hand-delivered a letter of support for this hearing with a detailed briefing on this threat to the Committee.

The ACLJ is standing firm against the threat of radical Islam and the infiltration of Sharia law into the United States.
 
Even the current Attorney General sees the enormity of this threat, saying in a recent interview: ''American citizens - raised here, born here, and who for whatever reason, have decided that they are going to become radicalized and take up arms against the nation in which they were born ... It is one of the things that keeps me up at night.''

We cannot sacrifice national security for political correctness. We must protect the United States from any and all terrorism, either within or outside our borders.

The ACLJ has always stood, and will continue to stand, for faith and freedom. This issue is not about discriminating against American Muslims.

But there is no question: Radicalization is taking place in the Muslim community. There is a pattern of home-grown terrorism - American Muslims have been recruited and radicalized and are planning deadly attacks on our homeland.

It is time to closely examine what's behind this terrorist strategy - we as a nation must take the necessary steps to stop it and find out how we can make America safer for our children and grandchildren!

The House Committee hearing is critical, and Rep. King needs our continued support. 

 
Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel

 

Father, help us to be discerning and diligent and never afraid to call evil what it is. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Grammar, Craft, and the Elusive Excellence . . .

 

Once upon a time children were taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. As with most children, some had leanings toward the reading and writing and others favored mathematics. Still others grasped whatever subjects were thrown at them. There was a dress code, and there were report cards with grades from A+ to F. There were teachers’ pets and students who struggled right along with those who excelled. There were disciplinary measures in place for bad behavior, and they were exacted if necessary by the principal. The pledge of allegiance echoed from all classrooms every school morning. The primary weakness in the system in those days was a lack of knowledge concerning learning patterns and dyslexia. I’m sure some teachers sensed the differences in the way students processed and applied information, but the extensive study of learning styles and disabilities hadn’t been formalized into practical application.

 

Okay. Who knows the depth of learning for students across this nation today? It’s been reported that teachers at some high schools have been grading papers/essays submitted with shortcuts used in text messaging. If you read enough comments across various formats on the web, you will see just how poorly the language, spelling, and vocabulary skills have become. Proper grammar is past tense in these methods of communication and conversation.

 

So what does that mean to those of us who diligently learned our grammar lessons and have chosen to write fiction? To a degree creative writing gives us a license to compromise those strict adherents to proper grammar. Most publishers use The Chicago Manual of Style for “grading” what is and isn’t deemed acceptable for putting words in print. The freedom to break the standard of a more formal or strict style of grammar usage goes far enough to bring some diverse and unique styles into literature. Often depending on the age of writers, it can be apparent how little the formal methods of correct grammar were ever grasped and used—perhaps because in classrooms responsible for teaching English they were never regarded as important enough to explain and/or enforce. I’ve known some very bright high-schoolers who can neither write nor speak nor spell our English language properly. However, I’ve received corporate letters with basic grammar and spelling mistakes in them as well.

 

This is a long way around to my points. You know I’m a stickler about “the rules” of writing. I’m a rebel against their restrictive, formulaic nature and because the current rules are trendy and have only some validity in determining what “good” writing means or is. But one important and valid exception to my rebellion against these so-called rules is this: I believe in order to break their rules effectively you have to know how and why you break them. Good grammar is a disappearing art form, but it’s worthy of learning to insure the basic knowledge of real communication in both speech and the written word. Yes, a novel can be written in slang, ebonics, or whatever style a writer might choose. Someone will read it. Someone will like it. Someone will hate it. Anyone can get published if they know how.

 

The argument for bettering your craft lies in the zeal to produce what some call excellence. To never quit learning. To always seek improvement. As a writer, it’s next to impossible to be satisfied with all the words we write. We can love a story, our characters, our plot, our first paragraph, our ending, but we’re rarely sure we’ve gotten the very best out of ourselves. The perfectionists probably revise to the extreme seeking just that goal: the best of themselves aka excellence.

 

Excellence is like happiness. Fleeting. Rare. Celebrated. Contentment on the other hand acknowledges our humanity—our limited abilities to catch brilliance in every effort. It keeps us pressing on with words, knowing no matter how good we might get, someone will exceed our efforts. It’s humbling. And important.

 

Excellence hinges on different scales rendered by judges who fail to see their own prejudice. Most of us who’ve taken the time to absorb literature over many years recognize what we consider quality and even a mastery of language skills, but those very words we’d rate as supreme are ridiculed by others—just as we do the same for their preferences regardless of the individual arguments presiding over both pieces. That’s not to say there aren’t congruent scales to mesh the choices because saying there is no viable standard of excellence is to brand all literature with either a stamp of quality or a lacking of the same. But excellence has qualifiers by those who mark it and those who seek it. Those qualifiers simply must accompany the evaluation. We can explain our reasoning for proclaiming the excellence in a piece, but we must always consider another’s explanation might conflict with ours for reasons that individual thinks are just as acceptable, just as reliable.

 

And in all of this, as Christians, we cannot gloss over the spiritual overtones of our efforts to write. Is this what God has called us to do? Do we seek to produce excellence for Him or for ourselves—for the recognition from man over the pleasure of God? These need not be mutually exclusive in the result but they most definitely are separate in the intended goal. Is our table of excellence based on our efforts to please God or on the evaluations of man?

 

The spiritual element in the evaluation of our methods and goals outweighs all others. Our life is in Christ. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

 

 

 

For your glory, Lord. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Promote, Sell, Promote, Sell

 

Have you ever watched a commercial and thought, “I will never buy that product.” Have you ever watched a commercial and marveled at the clever presentation but didn’t remember the product advertised? And then of course there are the commercials that sell you on a product you’ve never tried. Your next trip to wherever nets a purchase of said product. After using, you either recommend it to others or contemplate writing a letter to the company for false advertising. Promotion, marketing, sales.

 

We’ve tackled the subject of marketing fiction here. At its best: marketing in the fiction world is guess work. I call it the black hole of marketing. What in the heck sells fiction to people?

 

Those authors who’ve achieved bestseller status have a built-in audience waiting for their next release. It’s generally accepted that most of the marketing dollars are spent on the publishers’ successful authors in spite of their established audience anticipating their books, telling their friends about the authors, buying their books. Strange how that works.

 

Veering away from the Christian fiction industry for a paragraph . . . How did I become aware of Vince Flynn’s political/espionage thrillers? Radio. Rush Limbaugh gave them high marks, and I figured the poignancy and lack of political correctness made them irresistible. This was just after the release of Pursuit of Honor. I immediately went to Borders and bought the book. Because I was so impressed, I read them all and now eagerly await his next novel. The idea of radio advertising only works in the right venue for a story and its author.

 

The primary purpose of marketing fiction is getting the news of a book release to its appropriate audience. This isn’t always as simple as it might sound. The unknowable audience out there is the one that can make your publishing venture a success. How do you find that audience?

 

Some of the various efforts to promote your work can be ineffective and/or expensive. Getting publicity from local newspapers can tap that unknown audience. Will they buy? Don’t know. A local television appearance can do wonders for promoting your work—or can it? Don’t know. Possibly a You-Tube presentation done well could get you noticed? Maybe? An interesting book trailer? Perhaps? And of course you rely on accelerating the word-of-mouth from those you’ve selected to be reviewers or the hip term now is “influencers” for your novel.

 

Even determining the specifics of your audience can aid your focus for marketing your work but then you have to find them. None of this is impossible, but sometimes it’s not easily accomplished either. We attribute certain factors to our audience of choice, but then exceptions surprise us in either wonderful or discouraging ways. And although the web reaches the entire world, we struggle to reach those who would find our book to their liking.

 

Before anyone jumps in here with platitudes about excellent craft, a great agent, and all the other typical publishing jargon: stop. We’ve all read too many novels which fall far short of “excellence”—some are bestsellers and other authors disappear after fulfilling their first contracts. Some of those who disappear are more entertaining and write better than the bestselling authors. So leave the platitudes for someone else’s blog.

 

Good writers don’t get published. Poor writers do. Poor writers don’t get published. Good writers do. There are all kinds of hoops required, and I so admire those who jump through all of them. They’re to be commended regardless of how and what they write. Some of both are great marketers and some are not. Some go overboard and some hide.

 

I’m quite sure most of us would be willing to do something, even lots of things, if we knew it would work. Selling fiction isn’t like shilling the new hard working bathroom cleaner. And it costs more.

 

Not everyone responds to the same stimulus when it comes to buying a book. Brenda Anderson told us she’s more influenced by the lower ratings on an Amazon review. I don’t read reviews until after I’ve read a book, and I almost never read an Amazon review. Brenda Jackson noted she searches particular fiction sites to find books, and sometimes she finds them there, sometimes not.

 

It doesn’t matter how excellent, how lavish, how smartly a fantasy novel is marketed: I’m not buying it. No matter how good it’s supposed to be. So genre selection matters because the focus or target audience matters.

 

Readers (and writers), take note. What sells you on a novel? After all is said and done, maybe it’s easier to admit what doesn’t sell you on a novel. And I’m willing to bet that writers’ criteria differ significantly from readers’ criteria. Maybe that’s part of what makes it so difficult to do.

 

 

Father, you’re the designer. You know all things. Our steps are ordained by your guidance. Help us to obey your Spirit all along the way. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.    

   

Fun stuff . . .

 

Writing is fun to a point. Breathing in the inspiration and exhaling the words to make it come alive is exhilarating and . . . fun. Almost everything that follows the construction and completion of a novel is not fun. For me. Although I love people, interacting with readers and writers, and many other meaningful connections with those in the biz of publishing, the nuts and bolts of “process” on the road to publication is not even slightly fun. Not to say it’s not important, required, necessary—insert your own description. It’s just not fun.

 

Cover design is fun. It’s so utterly cool to be involved in it, to have real input, and then to watch what emerges from the skilled and talented imaginations of cover artists. Fun.

 

Discussing stories, recommending novels, getting the feel for what an individual likes to read and then telling them about the perfect books for them . . . real fun.

 

So what’s fun stuff for you in the book biz?

 

 

Lord, thank you for the pleasure and work and the learning experience. Walked with you, it’s meaningful. Apart from you not only can I do nothing, it all means nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

What works for ya?

 

Author Mike Duran poses some interesting commentary about marketing on his blog (http://mikeduran.com/?p=11871#comments).

 

So I ask you. Readers and writers alike, what sells a novel for you? Really. We know covers play a part, back cover copy, and all those things including the cost of a book. But what clinches why you decide to buy a novel?

 

Think about what appeals to you? Does marketing even or ever affect what books you buy?

 

What role does marketing play in your selection of books?

 

Think about it and feel free to leave your opinions on marketing, what you think genuinely works, or if you don’t see anything that really works for you. 

 

Appreciate all thoughtful commentary.

 

 

Father, help us to do our part to share our stories. Help us to follow your instructions and to do our best—whatever we’re to do. And, Lord, may we be diligent in prayer about all things. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Letter to a friend . . .

 

There are basics in writing and storytelling. Because of this, every individual who hears the call to write must go through boot camp and understand those basics. Some of us who've loved to write ever since we learned how to hold a pencil or a crayon learned them quickly and eagerly pursued them. We read most of the assigned novels in school with gusto--except for Hemingway and Faulkner of course. ;)
 
As we lived life and experienced multiple authors, we formed our voices and our preferences and took to the pen or keyboards with earnest efforts to create fiction or poetry or both that would rock the world. However, in the course of pursuing that kind of writing we reluctantly accepted perfection doesn't exist in man or on earth, and that some people would laugh at or degrade our work while celebrating the stuff we considered paltry, weak, and unmoving. Whether it was sparse and sterile or overblown and self-centered, readers raving about what we considered rubbish spat upon our hopes and withered our confidences.
 
After "graduating" to actually constructing novels, we labored over what the Lord had for us to do, to write, over what we might want to indulge or even over what others would command us to create in order to be "successful" or to "get noticed" or to "impress and compel readers" to buy our books. And in that whole process we heard absurd absolutes and Nazi-ish musts for quality writing, and some of us decided we didn't buy into any of it. Not only did "great" writing not appear in most of the published forums, it rarely appeared, in spite of all the grandiose claims about how to write and only "the best" getting published; we discovered those were smokescreens from an elitist mentality that published books for a perceived group of readers, eliminating a great number of them in the process.
 
All that gobble-dee-gook to say this: at some point a writer decides who he/she is and they either like their own stuff or they don't. Yes, they struggle with the "This is definitive junk!" syndrome v. the "This is so good!" condition and everything in between. But if they don't like their own stuff, they're fools to continue writing or they're just pretending they don't like it.
 
The whole point of my "disagreements" with you was based on the idea of absolutes in such a subjective body of work. What works for one definitely does not for another. And both are equally championed by their fans. Some people need concrete instructions to proceed and others go on instinct. Each of them needs a basic foundation and knowledge to do the project, but both approach it differently.
 
Hurray for the articulate craft book authors. They can diagnose and diagram and deconstruct for the methodical minded, but sometimes making directions for the seat-of-the-pantsers is like force feeding me Pepsi over Coca Cola. Ain't gonna happen, baby.

 

With love,

 

Nicole

 

 

Father, you’ve created me for a purpose. I’ve squandered a lot of life pursuing my objectives. Hopefully, no more. I want to want what you have for me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

 

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Acts 9:3-9 (NIV)

****Political Update****

 

Many countries of the United Nations (U.N.) are no friend to Israel; but for more than 60 years, the United States has given its unwavering support - until now.

The Palestinian Authority is pushing the U.N. General Assembly to pass a resolution condemning Israel's right to build settlements. Of course, we would expect the United States to speak out in support of our historic friend and most crucial ally in the Middle East. But no.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is saying that the official position of the United States and the Obama Administration is that the Israeli settlements being targeted by the Palestinian Authority at the U.N. are ''illegitimate.''

This is America turning its back on its strongest ally in the Middle East in the midst of the most dramatic turmoil we have seen in the region in decades. We cannot let this stand.

We need Israel to stand solidly as a bulwark of freedom and democratic values in the Middle East, especially in the face of a regime change in Egypt, chaos in Libya, Iranian warships trolling the waters, and growing turmoil in nation after nation throughout the region.

Israel is our friend - our staunchest ally. In this critical hour, the United States and President Obama should be SUPPORTING Israel, not criticizing and undermining our one most valuable partner in democracy. The ACLJ is working through multiple channels, from our Jerusalem, New York, and Washington, D.C., offices, to ensure U.S. support for Israel in the face of such opposition.

Courtesy of the ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice)

 

Lord God, please don't ever let us turn our backs on the peace of Jerusalem. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Ocean pull . . .

 

For someone who prefers absolute quiet for sleeping—but rarely gets to experience it—I do love the sound of the surf anytime. I can’t fall asleep to a radio or television because my ears want to listen and translate the data. Same with music. Always want to hear the lyrics or recognize the tune, and if it’s on low, my ears will strain to decipher the melody or voice. But the pull of the ocean enchants me.

 

We try to visit the coast at least once a year in the “off season” for tourism which means it’s often cool or cold, windy or rainy or both, and not too much traffic on the beach. The smell and sound of the sea beacon me and fill me with respect and awe. God is indeed big and in charge of all things.

 

When it’s not too cold, we leave the sliding glass open so the back and forth of the waves can serenade our sleep. Relaxing to the consistent sound of the push and pull of the ocean.

 

 

Father, you separated the mighty waters. You know all things. Thank you for the beauty of your creation. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Because there are so many . . .

 

What will set your book apart from all the others? We’ve talked about the importance of titles, covers, lengths, errors, marketing, audiences, reviews, and anything else we could think of having to do with novels and their sales.

 

Let’s go back to covers. Covers give the first impressions, perhaps titles run a close second. The problem in bookstores is that only so many novels can be faced out on a shelf. Especially Christian novels in secular establishments. They’re usually filed back in a corner with maybe two sections of shelving under “religion” or “inspirational fiction” where no one but believers will go. A high percentage of those novels will be by Ted Dekker or Karen Kingsbury. That’s the beauty of selling online. There stands the cover and details of your novel right there for anyone to admire or pass over.

 

Unless you have an “in” at the bookstore(s) where your novel is featured, it’s possible very few people will notice it—great cover and all. Why? Because there are so many novels to go through, limited funds for purchasing them, and predestined selections in the minds of consumers which will not be rocked by even your great cover.

 

There are some outstanding efforts made by authors in the Christian fiction market to sell their books. We’ve also discussed the over the top efforts by some which tend to revolt readers like me. But there’s only so much anyone can do to sell a book. Too many books, so little time. Readers aren’t so different from any other shoppers. They find a few authors that work for them, and like any other product, they return to buy their wares: good, lousy, or indifferent covers included.

 

As Christians we must consider the spiritual side of this problem. Most of us will insist we write because it’s a calling. Most of us will dedicate our efforts to and for the Lord’s glory. Most of us will say we accept the path he’s designed for us, but in reality we lament that “our” books aren’t selling like we think they should—or hoped they would. Suddenly, the novels are no longer God’s books: they’re ours and apparently no one wants to buy one. Great. We consider how we’ve “failed” the Lord, and did He really ask us to write? There are so many songs and dances in which we avidly participate in our minds as the truth of no or low sales sets its claws on our psyches. What does it mean for us?

 

The practicality of “because there are so many . . .” hammers us like a nail into wood. What do we do to set our work apart?

 

Sometimes there’s nothing we can do. We’ve written a book we’re not ashamed of. We love the cover. Those who’ve read it have said it touched their hearts. But no one else is buying it.

 

There’s only one scripture I can give you here, and even though it’s perfect for this situation, because it’s given so often, don’t let it ring like just another cliché.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

 

He’s well aware of how many novels sit upon shelves all over this world. He has a plan for yours.

 

 

Father, you have a plan for each of our lives. If only we would follow it . . . In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Judge me not?

 

Christians are always being accused of judging people. Rarely is the world accused of judging Christians.

 

In the famous words of Jesus:

 

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

 

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

 

Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)

 

If you’ll notice in this instruction, Jesus is talking about a Christian (brother) judging another Christian (brother) for doing something wrong when the first is guilty of the same or another sin which he’s apparently blinded to in himself. Later on in Romans, the second chapter, Paul writes:

 

“. . . Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”

 

Romans 2:2-3 (NIV)

 

What the world doesn’t seem to understand is that defining sin isn’t judgment. There’s no question all of us Christians and non-Christians alike judge one another. Some of us do it silently, but God hears. Some of us do it vocally and vehemently. We’d be wise to memorize the scriptures which tell us the measure we use on others will be used on us. The whole reason for these warnings is to identify our potential hypocrisy in condemning others for the same sins we’ve committed.

 

We might not expect the world to point out our sins to us, thinking perhaps that they’re oblivious to the lines drawn between right and wrong. However, the world is usually the first to recognize sin in those of us who’ve proclaimed our faith because in spite of all the denials of God and His Word, in varying degrees unbelievers are well aware of what the bible speaks of as wrong or evil. And certainly with the enemy of our souls rejoicing in our failures and prompting the condemnation of our actions, we cannot escape the judgment of those watching our sinful behaviors.

 

We who believe walk a fine line between identifying sin in our lives and in others’ lives. Our first obligation is to take care of our problem(s) and not to hide behind the “everybody’s doing it” smokescreen or the “holier than thou” finger pointing while concealing our guilt.

 

There’s no shame in revealing or declaring what sin is in this world. It’s sinful to murder babies in the womb just as it would be to kill infants once they’re born. It’s sinful to have sexual relations with the same sex. It’s sinful to sleep with another’s mate. It’s sinful to tell a lie for selfish gain or to hide sin. The list goes on, but those who offer condemnation in their private judgments fail to admit their levels of secret sin. Christians are required to judge themselves first. To take care of their own problems. To judge what sin is, not who’s doing it—because we all are in some capacity.

 

I know this topic seems far removed from our discussions of writing, but it’s something to keep in mind as we look at the Christian publishing industry and point out whatever successes and failures exist in the business of producing books. It also ties in with the way reviews are presented, opinions expressed.

 

Just some thoughts . . .

 

 

Father, forgive me. Continue to convict my heart. I’m desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.