by Jason Joyner | Oct 4, 2007 | Biblical worldview, Blog, fiction, writing craft
Real Christians don’t get “pissed off,” they have “righteous anger.” Or perhaps disconcerted, infuriated, or provoked might be better.
I was checking out the new design for the Relief Journal (cool new digs gang!), when I read a post from the editor. He talks about a little controversy regarding Reconstructing Natalie, by Laura Jensen Walker. Apparantly a site called The Timothy Report is run by a pastor/webmaster/Christian book store employee. He had the book by Ms. Walker brought to him by a distraught customer, because the main character is battling breast cancer and gets “pissed” at some point, or says she’s “pissed off.” So this gentleman is posting a notice on his site to complain to Thomas Nelson, the publisher, if other people are tired of such lines being crossed in Christian fiction. The charge is that this book is lower standards for the CBA.
This reminds me of the discussion I had concerning the “Christian Marketplace.” Now this person is responsible for this book not being available at his bookstore and making it sound like it is some horrible tome, corrupting people as they read it. It is frustrating to see a book about a subject that really is ripe for use in Christian fiction, yet it is torn down for a choice of one word.
*Cough* Excuse me, I think I just choked on a gnat…
I haven’t read Reconstructing Natalie, so I don’t know if it is any good as fiction, as a work of art. I do know that I wouldn’t condemn a book on the choice of one word like in this situation. What I did do is write the editor listed on the Timothy Report and supported her for producing fiction willing to tackle difficult subjects.
/end rant
You can see the letter in question at the Timothy Report here.
You can find the original post at Relief here (look for the second part of the post):
by Jason Joyner | Oct 4, 2007 | Biblical worldview, Blog, fiction, writing craft
Real Christians don’t get “pissed off,” they have “righteous anger.” Or perhaps disconcerted, infuriated, or provoked might be better.
I was checking out the new design for the Relief Journal (cool new digs gang!), when I read a post from the editor. He talks about a little controversy regarding Reconstructing Natalie, by Laura Jensen Walker. Apparantly a site called The Timothy Report is run by a pastor/webmaster/Christian book store employee. He had the book by Ms. Walker brought to him by a distraught customer, because the main character is battling breast cancer and gets “pissed” at some point, or says she’s “pissed off.” So this gentleman is posting a notice on his site to complain to Thomas Nelson, the publisher, if other people are tired of such lines being crossed in Christian fiction. The charge is that this book is lower standards for the CBA.
This reminds me of the discussion I had concerning the “Christian Marketplace.” Now this person is responsible for this book not being available at his bookstore and making it sound like it is some horrible tome, corrupting people as they read it. It is frustrating to see a book about a subject that really is ripe for use in Christian fiction, yet it is torn down for a choice of one word.
*Cough* Excuse me, I think I just choked on a gnat…
I haven’t read Reconstructing Natalie, so I don’t know if it is any good as fiction, as a work of art. I do know that I wouldn’t condemn a book on the choice of one word like in this situation. What I did do is write the editor listed on the Timothy Report and supported her for producing fiction willing to tackle difficult subjects.
/end rant
You can see the letter in question at the Timothy Report here.
You can find the original post at Relief here (look for the second part of the post):
by Jason Joyner | Oct 1, 2007 | Blog, fiction, non-fiction, writing craft
I’ve been taking a little break from writing over the last several weeks. There were two big events that were drawing my attention: the worship weekend with Noel and Tricia Richards, and I have a major certifying exam for my work that I take in 2 weeks.
I still think about my projects and issues in general, but I’ve definitely been distracted from my usual level of pondering. However, some aspects of creating are not as easy to turn off.
I’m trying to use this time as a step back from what I’ve been working on and seeing what weaknesses I can work on and what strengths to play up. This is happening to a degree, but my brain is not necessarily cooperating. It’s not something I want to turn off anyway.
I’ve been coming up with MORE ideas.
Jeez, brain. Aren’t I having enough trouble tackling the mess you’ve already conjured up for me? No, you like being in a frazzle, so why not choose this particular time to inspire me with projects that could be as worthy of attention as what I’ve been spending the last 2+ years on. Man o’ live!
My wife said something earlier this year that has stuck with me since regarding our kids: write the stories they would want to read. I know my current WIP doesn’t qualify, so I’ve considered some other ideas, one of which seems to be gelling a little. Then Sunday I had inspiration for a possible non-fiction project. Great.
Actually, I’m not complaining. It is good to have ideas to play around with inside my noggin. There’s just too many temptations – which to choose?
by Jason Joyner | Oct 1, 2007 | Blog, fiction, non-fiction, writing craft
I’ve been taking a little break from writing over the last several weeks. There were two big events that were drawing my attention: the worship weekend with Noel and Tricia Richards, and I have a major certifying exam for my work that I take in 2 weeks.
I still think about my projects and issues in general, but I’ve definitely been distracted from my usual level of pondering. However, some aspects of creating are not as easy to turn off.
I’m trying to use this time as a step back from what I’ve been working on and seeing what weaknesses I can work on and what strengths to play up. This is happening to a degree, but my brain is not necessarily cooperating. It’s not something I want to turn off anyway.
I’ve been coming up with MORE ideas.
Jeez, brain. Aren’t I having enough trouble tackling the mess you’ve already conjured up for me? No, you like being in a frazzle, so why not choose this particular time to inspire me with projects that could be as worthy of attention as what I’ve been spending the last 2+ years on. Man o’ live!
My wife said something earlier this year that has stuck with me since regarding our kids: write the stories they would want to read. I know my current WIP doesn’t qualify, so I’ve considered some other ideas, one of which seems to be gelling a little. Then Sunday I had inspiration for a possible non-fiction project. Great.
Actually, I’m not complaining. It is good to have ideas to play around with inside my noggin. There’s just too many temptations – which to choose?
by Jason Joyner | Sep 20, 2007 | Blog, fiction, writing craft
I recently finished a Christian fiction series that I’ve been working through for the last several months (in between blog tours, ya know). The author overall did a wonderful job with these books. It seemed for a little while that a pattern was developing and the story was becoming predictable, but the author managed to zag instead of zig and made the final book that much more interesting. Kudos on that one!
The individual books always managed to finish off in a satisfying manner, although you knew that there was more to come. I’d been waiting a while to see what happened in the end. When I came to the very end though, I stopped and wondered to myself, “Is that it?” I found the denoument to be quite unsatisfying as a reader. I didn’t want all to be “happily ever after” for the heroes, with every situation neatly resolved, but all the build-up seemed to drop. I can’t recall if that was the reaction of others who read this series, but I had a little disappointment from that.
I would still recommend the series to people, but there is a little tarnish on what was an excellent series. Now, I’m not naming the series because I don’t want to debate what happened there. I’m just using it as an example of not finishing strong in your writing.
I say this because I think I really have to work at finishing strong. The way I write is usually that I have a scene pictured mentally, and I see the setting, actions, emotions, and have a sense of the dialogue, as well as knowing where I’m going with it. But I suffer from a bad habit from high school days, which was never taking time to write a rough draft. My writing was strong enough I could get by with my first effort. Mind you, I would edit as I went, but it doesn’t help my attempts at writing now.
This is pertinent because I have an internal editor that won’t shut up. I really try to get into a groove with writing, putting words on the page, but I get hung up frequently by trying to word things just right the first time. It becomes a battle to get much production done in my limited writing time. I wrestle with my keyboard (not literally), trying to balance my editing with actually getting somewhere!
Finally I reach the end of a passage or story. I’ve battled, flailed, and otherwise made myself push through to this point. There is light at the end of the tunnel! Unfortunately, this is where I override that nagging in my head and rush to the finish. Phew! I did it…except I didn’t. By hurrying the end, I lose the emotional/suspense/build up I’ve been doing, and the story suffers.
This is my particular struggle, and how it typically plays out. I don’t think the author of the series had this type of problem – it may just be me that feels that the ending was a little flat. I know there are a lot of ways for the ending to suffer. However, this is one of the worst things an author can do! If we’ve managed to hook the reader, given them something interesting and entertaining to spend their valuable time, only to rob them from the pay out they were expecting – boy, I can’t imagine a bigger way to lose people. A book I can’t get into is one thing; a book that burns me after that investment of time will cause me to forget the author forever.
I don’t know of any magic solution to this dilemna, except for being disciplined and realizing that we need to finish strong. To use a football metaphor (just for you Mark), the best teams are the ones who can put the game away and hold on until the end. Those who struggle with letting their opponent back in will win some, but lose too many to be the best. I have to learn not to give up with the goal line in sight – sometimes the last few yards are the hardest to get.
Here’s to the study and work we put in as writers – may we learn the skills we need to stay strong from start to finish! If anyone has any thoughts on this – tips or tricks to avoid this pitfall, please leave a comment. Maybe we can revisit this topic if there are good suggestions.
by Jason Joyner | Sep 20, 2007 | Blog, fiction, writing craft
I recently finished a Christian fiction series that I’ve been working through for the last several months (in between blog tours, ya know). The author overall did a wonderful job with these books. It seemed for a little while that a pattern was developing and the story was becoming predictable, but the author managed to zag instead of zig and made the final book that much more interesting. Kudos on that one!
The individual books always managed to finish off in a satisfying manner, although you knew that there was more to come. I’d been waiting a while to see what happened in the end. When I came to the very end though, I stopped and wondered to myself, “Is that it?” I found the denoument to be quite unsatisfying as a reader. I didn’t want all to be “happily ever after” for the heroes, with every situation neatly resolved, but all the build-up seemed to drop. I can’t recall if that was the reaction of others who read this series, but I had a little disappointment from that.
I would still recommend the series to people, but there is a little tarnish on what was an excellent series. Now, I’m not naming the series because I don’t want to debate what happened there. I’m just using it as an example of not finishing strong in your writing.
I say this because I think I really have to work at finishing strong. The way I write is usually that I have a scene pictured mentally, and I see the setting, actions, emotions, and have a sense of the dialogue, as well as knowing where I’m going with it. But I suffer from a bad habit from high school days, which was never taking time to write a rough draft. My writing was strong enough I could get by with my first effort. Mind you, I would edit as I went, but it doesn’t help my attempts at writing now.
This is pertinent because I have an internal editor that won’t shut up. I really try to get into a groove with writing, putting words on the page, but I get hung up frequently by trying to word things just right the first time. It becomes a battle to get much production done in my limited writing time. I wrestle with my keyboard (not literally), trying to balance my editing with actually getting somewhere!
Finally I reach the end of a passage or story. I’ve battled, flailed, and otherwise made myself push through to this point. There is light at the end of the tunnel! Unfortunately, this is where I override that nagging in my head and rush to the finish. Phew! I did it…except I didn’t. By hurrying the end, I lose the emotional/suspense/build up I’ve been doing, and the story suffers.
This is my particular struggle, and how it typically plays out. I don’t think the author of the series had this type of problem – it may just be me that feels that the ending was a little flat. I know there are a lot of ways for the ending to suffer. However, this is one of the worst things an author can do! If we’ve managed to hook the reader, given them something interesting and entertaining to spend their valuable time, only to rob them from the pay out they were expecting – boy, I can’t imagine a bigger way to lose people. A book I can’t get into is one thing; a book that burns me after that investment of time will cause me to forget the author forever.
I don’t know of any magic solution to this dilemna, except for being disciplined and realizing that we need to finish strong. To use a football metaphor (just for you Mark), the best teams are the ones who can put the game away and hold on until the end. Those who struggle with letting their opponent back in will win some, but lose too many to be the best. I have to learn not to give up with the goal line in sight – sometimes the last few yards are the hardest to get.
Here’s to the study and work we put in as writers – may we learn the skills we need to stay strong from start to finish! If anyone has any thoughts on this – tips or tricks to avoid this pitfall, please leave a comment. Maybe we can revisit this topic if there are good suggestions.
