mintbaby

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The word Freedom means different things to people depending on their history, their community and culture, and their perspective on life and living. It could mean independence from someone or some job or responsibility. Or it could encompass the simple idea of free will to complete your desire, to change the path of your life's story. There are so many possibilities to the word, and its meaning is so broad that I procrastinated on writing my blog until last evening.

Until my drive home from work.

I ruminated on the reasons why my writing production had fallen so drastically. At first the time to reflect and consider seemed a God-send. But after awhile even that motivation molded into a listless bit of nothing. Oh, I continue to occasionally think about this scene, or that twist, or this possible re-hash of the beginning, but the moment I arrive at home all thought or desire of actually working on my projects has vanished.

So, I began to question why.

Why do I believe I have no special talent or ability for writing? Why do I feel my fiction doesn't offer much to anyone other than myself or my family? Like many writers, the passion for creating characters and worlds and stories has grown with me from before my memory. Why would I now allow that passion to wane into a torment that would coerce me into giving it up?

While there are many possible reasons - including the possibility of spiritual attack to keep my stories from reaching those eager to hear the Christian message presented in fiction - one rang clear in the forefront of my mind, I had allowed myself too much 'Freedom'.

Instead of holding myself to a task or a goal on any level, I made the mistake of giving myself the supposed freedom to do whatever my heart desired. With the lack of any clear direction, my mind and inspiration soon grew too overwhelmed with the infinite possibilities to make a decision and a goal and then move forward. So I did nothing, comfortable in the fact that I utilized my long commute to/from work to hash out a clear picture of my romance rewrite.

Yes, it is good that I am using the time for something other than listening to music or letting my mind wander. However, what about the after? When I arrive at work, or at home, am I putting my thoughts into the computer or onto paper? Not like I should. Distractions were allowed to rule my heart and my inspiration.

I have done the one thing writers are to never do, grow complacent.

My time isn't being spent reading, or writing, or studying... my gift of freedom to myself has been squandered because I did not assign myself goals. So, when I did not experience the enticing euphoria of completion or accomplishment, my mind began to wander to lesser distractions.

Once complacency had a foothold, laziness soon followed.

Though stories and characters and conflicts cried out for resolve and the breath of life, their dismay did not tempt me. Instead, I began to feel even more pity for myself. Woe is me. I have all this time to write and yet I do nothing... wait... what? Why am I feeling sorry for myself when I am the one letting me slip into the mire of idleness? Why am I expecting pity when I am the one allowing NOTHING to happen?

I have the freedom to place my mind on the path of a goal. Or, I have the freedom to set aside my pen for a vacation of refreshing, no strings attached. It is my freedom of will and thought that allows me freedom for thought and creation. But I must always remember to respect the power of a goal on that freedom. Boundaries and goals help guide us, they are not a limiter. If anything, they swing wide the door of motivation because we see an end that welcomes the pride of accomplishment.

Other participants in the ChristianWriters.com Blog-Chain

• 7/1: Lynn Mosher, Heading Home
• 7/3: Brian Jones, Alambraidria
• 7/4: Traci Bonney, Tracings
• 7/5: Debra Ann Elliott, Sticks and Stepping Stones
• 7/6: Carol Peterson, From Carol's Quill
• 7/7: Cindee Snider Re, Breathe Deeply
• 7/10: Keith Wallis, wordsculptures
• 7/11: Liberty Speidel, Word Wanderings
• 7/12: Terrie Thorpe, Light for the Journey
• 7/13: Nona King, Word Obsession
• 7/14: Chris Vonada, I'm Just Thinkin'
• 7/16: Scott Fields, Dead Man Writing
• 7/18: Michael Galloway, Horizons
• 7/19: Adam Collings, The Collings Zone>
• 7/20: Victor Travison, Lightwalker's View
• 7/21: Edward Lewis, Sowing the Seeds
• 7/22: Sarah Grace, Write-Minded
• 7/23: Anita Estes, New Life Dialogue
• 7/25: Chris Depew, The Beulah Land Blog
• 7/27: Tracy Krauss, Expression Express
• 7/28: Marilyn, Life 101 Understanding It All
• 7/30: Chris Henderson, TheWriteChris

This is another installment of the ChristianWriters.com Blog-Chain. The subject matter this month: Resurrection / Redemption. Be certain to visit the others contributing to this topic from the link list.

Hebrews 9:11-14

Other bloggers in this month's chain:

• April 1: Chris Henderson, TheWriteChris


• April 2: Jan Christiansen, Refreshed by The Word


• April 4: Adam Collings, The Collings Zone


• April 6: Sheila Hollinghead,A Spring of Living Water


• April 7: Cindee Snider Re, Breathe Deeply


• April 9: Scott Fields, Dead Man Writing


• April 11: Nona King, Word Obsession


• April 13: Tracy Krauss, Expression Express


• April 15: Chris Vonada, I'm Just Thinkin'


• April 17: Keith Wallis, wordsculptures


• April 20: Victor Travison, Lightwalker's View


• April 22: Lynn Mosher, Heading Home


• April 23: Traci Bonney, Tracings


• April 24: Debra Ann Elliott, Writing with Debra


• April 25: Chris Perdue: The Bible Stop


• April 26: Chris Depew: The Beulah Land Blog


• April 27: Edward Lewis, Sowing the Seeds


• April 29: Carol Peterson, From Carol's Quill

A few very important basic facts to remember about writing, and the writing talent are going to be listed below. You might want to post these someplace as a reminder, which you will need. :)

1) "I've been writing stories my whole life and I've been told I'm very good, mostly by my family and English teachers, but I honestly don't think I am."

Our family members and teachers often see beyond the writing to the talent hidden beneath. We, on the other hand, are our own worst critic; forever and always we will go through phases when we abhor something we previously thought was pure literature. I have come to believe that this is one of the basic instincts a writer needs in order to continually strive for improvement (and eventual, unattainable perfection). It is okay to hate your writing; just don't allow yourself to throw anything away. Especially not when you're in a phase of hating everything that you've written. You will never know when you can use it, maybe not even in the original form you had intended it. Believe me, I'm speaking from long and hard-learned experience (mourns over lost scenes).

2) "I mean there are authors on fanfiction.net that write so well I almost want to give up writing."

Never allow another writer's ability persuade you to give up. If writing is your passion, truly, then you should instead use these writers as a guide. A way to learn and absorb different styles and genres so that you may eventually find your own, if you haven't already. Each writer has their own unique ability, as well as a singular influence (life experience), that no other writer will have. Perceptions are also different, and these differences will affect your style as well as the story you have to tell.

3) "I know part of my problem is I just start writing on a whim, like I'll get an idea and start writing without planning anything out so eventually I have all these plot holes and stuff later."

Believe it or not, writing on a whim is something that is encouraged by writing magazines such as Writer's Digest, and even my college writing professors. It's a writing exercise that is very important to the duty of honing our ability. Believe it or not, sometimes the best story ideas are found when "writing on a whim" and "without planning anything out".

In addition, when first attacking a storyline or story idea, it is best to write out all that comes to mind, plot holes and everything. This is called a "rough draft" or what I call the basic skeleton. Once you have that down, your mind is more freely able to wrap itself around what is yet needing to be written; the flesh waiting to be added and those pesky holes waiting to be filled. Sometimes a book/story will go through several "filling out" stages, which is par for the course. You can't see a next step until you take the previous ones. It's all part and parcel to the writing process.

Oh, and another thing to note, a writer is never EVER "done". There is always something to be found, changed, or made better. In fact, I was told this by a published author, who then proceeded to show me the corrections in his *published* book. :-) Why are we never truly done? Because we're never truly done learning about the craft of writing. Which should be an exciting prospect, and not a depressing one!

4) "I also think I have a problem with holding back, like I don't want to fully put all my potential into a story because I'm scared that if it isn't liked then I suck, because if I don't use all my potential and it isn't liked I can just say I didn't put a lot of work into it."

This is a mindset that is very dangerous for your future potential, as I'm sure you're aware. Unfortunately, writing with abandon will take time. Once you become more firmly comfortable with yourself as a person, this will be seen, also, in your writing. This will be something that we'll work on little by little. :-) Once I read your writing, I'll give you some phrases/mantras that you will be required to repeat each morning/evening/whenever you write. It will seem silly, but once it's a habit, you might begin to see the difference in your writing.

I hope these little bits help you.

Update:

• be the original creation of entrant;


• be fictional;


• be in the English language;


• be of interior black and white text with no images in the document;


• not currently or previously have been the subject of a publishing agreement with any publishing house (but an entrant may submit his/her self-published novel if he/she retains all worldwide distribution rights in and to the novel);


• not include the entrant's name anywhere in the Manuscript, Excerpt or the Pitch; and


• meet the content guidelines found at www.amazon.com/contentguidelines

• The full/complete version of your manuscript (the "Manuscript"), which must be a novel between 50,000 and 150,000 words;


• Up to the first 5,000 words, but no less than 3,000 words, of your Manuscript, excluding any table of contents, foreword, and acknowledgments (the "Excerpt");


• A pitch statement (cover letter/summary) of up to 300 words (the "Pitch");


• Other registration information as asked for on the entry form (such as name, contact information, book title), and


• An author photo (if desired), which must be in .jpg format (at least 72 dpi and 500x468 pixels)

• be in Times New Roman and 12-point font; and


• be double spaced and paginated with a 1-inch margin on all sides (in a manner enabling reformat to single-space display easily, i.e. no "hard" returns to achieve double spacing).

Today, instead of working on finishing my story I began revising my husband's 2009 NaNovel. He has wanted to do a joint novel venture for a few years, and now with my dwindling interest in my own stories, it seems the timing is ripe.

Is this the break I need to figure out how I want to proceed? Or is this the next bit of learning that I must endure to further hone my craft? Lately I have been concerned that my characters are becoming a bit two dimensional and predictable. I am not as 'mean' to my characters as I once was. Instead, I have a tendency of pampering them with the easy answer or quick resolve. There are not enough... facets to my heroes to make them interesting.

For some, new and old, this blank page is that first, gaping step into the discomfort zone. It is the leap into the maw of the unknown. We've dreamed about it, agonized over it, and dedicated ourselves to the journey beyond the terror of that first paragraph. For others, the blankness  is little more than an annoyance. It might entail only a mocking whisper as they tap their pen against the starkness, searching their mind for that first poignant sentence.

Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, or fic) is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator."

1. You must stay true to the characters in how they speak, act/react in any given situation.


2. You must stay true to the setting created by the original creator, keeping the facts of the game and the game universe clear and concise in your head as well as in the characters' everyday lives.

The ChristianWriters.com Blog Chain

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