A New Year!

I posted this recently at my personal blog and wanted to share it with you too:

At this time of year most of us start thinking about the future---future goals, future pursuits, future dreams. It can be a great time of reflection, or it can bring us down as we think about all the resolutions we made and didn't keep.

But instead of focusing on what we haven't done, I'd like to ask you a question. What's holding you back from pursuing your dreams? Not just dreams of grandeur, but little things too. Maybe a desire to lose ten pounds. Or to spend more time with family. Perhaps you want to write a novel.

What if we didn't worry so much and dove in with abandon? What would our lives look like a year from now if we took a step out of our comfort zone and did one thing that God's dropped in our hearts?

How many years have you said things like, "Someday I want to _____"? I know I have many of those someday thoughts. Are they really that unattainable? Why wait for your kids to grow up or your hair to turn white before you pursue the things of your heart?

I'm not talking about shirking our responsibilities, of course. Our bills still need to be paid, our families taken care of. But I bet there's something we could pursue that would get us closer to reaching our dreams. Small steps are the key.

Let's not allow fear or what others think be our guides in 2011, but let's give our pursuits to the Lord who knows the exact next step we're supposed to take.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. --Psalm 32:8

What's your dream for 2011? What tiny step can you take in the coming weeks to get you closer to it?

Write Like You're Ten

Remember when you were a kid? How books were enchanting treasures to be savored page by page. The library was your safe haven and empty notebooks were to be revered. That's the way it was for me. I didn't think anything of enjoying reading and spending my Saturday searching for new treasures on the library shelves. An empty page or a blinking cursor (on my dad's word processor that I called the computer) was the start of a new adventure. I didn't think about who would read the stories. Or even what anyone thought of them. Editors were non-existent in my world (unless you count my teacher, who was also my mom!). I wrote for the sheer joy of it. Granted, I wasn't prolific. I wrote when the muse struck, and if she didn't I found something else to do.

But what I'd like to encourage you to do is remember that childhood joy you once had. Even if you've forgotten some of that now as an adult, it's not too late to go back. Writing can be a joy again. Here are a few tips on how you can do this:

1. DO NOT EDIT ... until you're done. Give yourself the freedom to just explore.

2. Write whatever YOU would want to read. Not what you think the market needs, an editor wants, or what your friends expect of you.

3. Take time to enjoy life too. Your hobbies and other interests will provide the best inspiration.

4. Thank the Lord for what you do have, not what you don't.

Does God care about your writing?

Hello fellow scribblers!

I've been thinking about what to write here for longer than normal. I keep staring at the screen wondering what I could say that would encourage, how I could share something that would lift you up.

Did you know that God cares about your writing?

See, sometimes we separate God from our lives and put him in a box that could never contain Him. As if all He's interested in is when we sit in a pew or chair at church, or sing a hymn, or are reading our Bibles.

God cares about every aspect of your life. Do you think He would have given you a desire to scribble if it weren't something He wanted you to do? But it's so easy to write off (no pun intended) the things that inspire us because we don't think God could possibly want anything to do with something we're actually into.

Far from it.

In case you think I'm getting on a soap box, this post is as much for me as it is for you. Honestly, I still wonder sometimes if I'm supposed to be a writer. And this is after being published. How could God want me to do something that seems so ... ordinary. Boring. Unmeaningful. Wouldn't he prefer I get up behind some pulpit somewhere and preach to the masses? Or go to a foreign country and pass out food to the poor. Those seem like worthwhile things.

But then I have to remind myself that He actually chose to put down his words in book form. If there had been a media more powerful, don't you think He would have chosen it?

See where I'm going with this? If you feel thoughts like this, you're not alone. I feel them. The other Scribble Chicks feel them. They're normal. But they're not necessarily from God. He doesn't fill our minds with doubts. His thoughts are peace. He leads by peace.

That's good news, don't you think?

Do you have to be called to write?

I recently asked my blog readers for interview question suggestions to include in the back of my next novel, Bound by Guilt. One person asked me this: "Do you view your writing as a calling from God? If so, how did you come to understand calling? Do you think you have to have a calling to write Christian based novels?"

What a great question! I want to try and answer it here.

Yes, I do view my writing as a calling from God, but for many years I didn't know for sure he was calling me to it. As I've thought about it, I realized God places dreams in our hearts as children for a reason. I always loved to read and write little stories as a kid. I didn't think it was anything more than playing around until later. But God knew. When we grow up, lots of times we let those childhood dreams fade for various reasons. I bet if all of us would think back to our growing up years and remember what it was we loved as children, and then tried to actually do some of those things as adults, we would find ourselves in a much happier place.

That's how I came to understand callings. By finally realizing my dreams were from Him. It doesn't mean everything's been easy, mind you. But now I have something to fall back on. I can know, yeah, he put those there. I need to pursue them.

But here's the thing. Do I think you have to have a specific calling to write Christian based novels? Let me put it this way: Do we have to have a specific calling to go out and share the Lord with our neighbor? No, because God has already commissioned every one of us to go into all the world and share the gospel. True, some are called to a more specific type of evangelistic ministry like standing behind a pulpit, but we're all called to share. The same could apply to writing. If you use your writing as a means to share Christian truths and principles, then you're fulfilling God's greatest calling right there.

I think if you have a desire to write, that's a good clue God wants you to pursue it. You don't have to have some lightning strike moment to know. I didn't.

When saying "No" is really right

I don't know about you, but it's really hard for me to say "no" to people. That's a good quality for us to have in life, I think, to a degree, but there comes a time when it can be detrimental to our writing.

If your schedule is too full to write, it might be time to look at all the things you're saying "Yes" to and maybe saying "No" to a few of them in the future.

See, there are lots of great things we can do in life. Some of them even feel like writing (think going to the library, surfing the internet, or even reading a writing how-to book). But if we're not producing the pages we'd like in our respective projects, it's time we did something.

I once asked Sibella Giorello, a fantastic author and good writing friend, her advice for aspiring novelists. She said, "Ask yourself: 'What do I love to do, besides write?' Then kill it."

Each of us will have different things to um . . . kill. Maybe it's your time on Facebook, going to the movies, or even reading a novel. I'm not saying you have to completely give up everything in your life besides writing. Not at all. Having outside interests keeps our wells primed. And they help to keep us sane sometimes too! But there's always something we can cut.

For me it's definitely internet time. What is it for you?

How to Write When the Calendar's Full

Hope you're having a great summer! Sometimes it's hard to make time for our writing when our schedules are filled with beach trips, swimming, chilling in the AC, reading great books, and the fun things of summer. Not to mention the daily activities of life that kept us busy in all the other seasons.

But here's something I've been pondering: How important is my writing to me? It's a valid question we all need to ask ourselves. Is it the first thing we put on the back burner when our schedules get crazy? I have to admit, that's often been the case for me. Which is not what I want. When God puts the desire to write in your heart, it's there for a reason, and it's up to us to answer that call.

How do we do that in our crazy busy lives? Pretty much like with everything else, we have to choose to make the time. Now I'm not saying you have to sit down every day for five hours or else you're a failure. But what if you tried setting a word count quota for yourself?

My writing mentor James Scott Bell (author of some amazing books on the craft as well as terrific novels) has advocated them for years. And now I see why they're important. How many of us can sit in front of a computer and just stare at it for HOURS? Um, yeah. Setting a word count quota will force us to write. It doesn't have to be 5,000 words. What if you just started with 500? Or even 300 or 100 if that will get you to write. Those words will add up, and you'll feel better at the end of the day.

Horse Sense

It started when I was a kid taking riding lessons. Then we got a cute Appaloosa pony named Raisin which my sister and I rode for a couple years. I turned twelve or thirteen and for some reason lost interest in these magnificent animals. We gave Raisin back to her original owners (a happy ending for her) and eighteen years went by with me being horseless. I don't think I ever really forgot this love though. It comes out in my stories. My first novel Thicker than Blood (started when I was fifteen) features a young woman living on a ranch where horses are a part of her everyday life. My second novel also involves the animals.

Now I've started being around horses again, learning what makes them tick, how to communicate with and train them, and how to ride again. As I slowly progress, I'm learning some things I can apply not only to my horsemanship skills, but to life too.

Yesterday I was watching a DVD by a trainer named Mark Rashid. I'm learning a ton from this guy. I love his philosophies and gentle techniques. I heard him say, "It's only a big deal if you make it a big deal." He was talking about your horses' behavior (or your mistakes), but I realized how important this maxim is to life too. How many times do we blow a situation way out of proportion when in fact it really wasn't worth worrying about?

Through horses I'm learning to take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy life a little more. It's not all about training and striving for success. There's a place for all of that, but sometimes it's okay to just get on and take a trail ride. Enjoy the scenery. Thank God for what we have. Horses have been a great reminder for me to stop and smell the . . . er, well . . . stop and smell something!

What I've Learned from Joan of Arcadia

I'm a little late in discovering this tv series, but so far (after watching the first season) I'm really enjoying it. Sure, some of the theology's a little off (and I could do without some of the teenage romance angst), but it's still refreshing to find a show that values family and God.

The story revolves around teenage Joan whom God begins appearing to in various human forms. He gives her simple assignments which she at first eschews. It's a little hard to wrap her mind around God appearing as a trash truck driver or a hot guy at school. God just shrugs. She has a free will, and he can't make her do the things he asks. Of course, she's a good kid and does eventually obey. For the most part.

But this isn't a commercial for Joan of Arcadia. What struck me after watching one episode in particular (I believe it was "The Fire and the Wood"), was something God said to Joan. She didn't understand how her getting a job at the local bookstore or joining the AP Chem class had anything at all do do with, well, anything. What difference did it make?

God then explained reality strands. Joan did something that affected somebody who then did something that affected Joan who then did something to help somebody else, and on and on and on. What God was saying to Joan was you do what God asks because He asks, not because you can see how it'll all pan out. Later, you might see it, but even if you don't, God does. He knows how something that seems inconsequential to us can vastly affect a life.

I thought that was a really cool explanation. It reminded me how I need to listen to the still small voice of God (since that's how he most often speaks to us) and obey it ... even when I can't see what difference it could make.

Looking back to encourage us today

What if everything that's happened in your life thus far was to prepare you for today?

I had the chance several months ago to sit in on an interview my sister Tracy did with Duncan Phillips, the drummer for the Newsboys. He had a lot of great things to say not only on the band, but on living positive and being a Christian. A few of his quotes stuck out to me:

"I look at how much hard work it was [the early stages of the band] and also how loyal and faithful our Creator was through all this. There were so many what-ifs. I look back on it now with hindsight. I can see the hand of the Lord there in various situations. There was no way they could've happened by chance. Looking back encourages me when I look forward. I look forward now with courage because there have been a lot of times in our careers, especially just recently, where it was like, “Oh my gosh, what are we gonna do? This thing's over; we're not getting anywhere.” But the Lord has been good."

Notice his quote, "Looking back encourages me when I look forward". That says something to me today. I daresay all of us have experiences where God has moved in our lives, only we didn't recognize God's hand until later. In hind sight. Duncan continues:

"I know in my heart that He is real. I've seen what He's done in my life over the years. It's one of the great things about being a Christian for a while now - I can look back and see all the incredible things that could not have happened by chance. They happened because of an ordained process that can only come from the Creator, Someone greater than me."

As a writer, I see how true these statements are in my own life. Every experience, good or bad, can be used in my writing. In order to write deeply I need to have something to draw from. I'm turning 31 this year, but the Lord has blessed me with some amazing experiences.

I was traveling the country in my early 20s for our family business and have been in all but four US states. I saw my first bald eagle outside Flagstaff, Arizona sitting high and mighty in a huge pine tree. I helped put out a forest fire on the road up to Estes Park, Colorado. I saw a grizzly bear eating a dead animal carcass in Yellowstone National Park. I've driven down the streets of San Francisco at one o'clock in the morning. I saw the Twin Towers a week before they went down.

The funny thing is, as I was experiencing these things (and many more like them) I had no idea I would need them later in life. But as I write my novels I'm finding myself using these specific details. Recently I wrote about watching a hummingbird diving toward a stream, its shrill tweet sounding like a distant policeman's siren. That came from my own life too.

But here's the thing that goes back to what Duncan was saying. We ALL have experiences in our pasts that color our today. What if an experience we first thought of as negative actually developed our character into something that will impact our future? Our ministries?

I don't believe God purposely causes bad things to happen in our lives to teach us things, but I do believe He can help us through them. We can learn from the negative. And maybe we can use the experience in a book someday!

God has a specific plan for your life. He's ordaining your steps even now. Knowing that can change our outlook on life.

It's You, Not the Guitar

I'm thinking back to a time when I was in the middle of a crowd, pressed in on each side by complete strangers. All of us were waiting for the next band to start at a local Christian rock festival. I was minding my own business trying not to think about how much my feet were hurting (I'd been standing for hours by now).

Two guys stood behind me and started talking with each other, introducing themselves and seeing if they had common interests. One guy was a gangly, fourteen or fifteen-year-old who looked like he was much older. The other probably was college-aged. Conversation quickly turned to music, and Mr. 15 couldn't help but point out he played guitar, bass guitar and drums. I smiled to myself.

I couldn't see either of their faces, but I have a feeling Mr. College was smiling inwardly too. But he took it all in stride and kindly humored Mr. 15. Then talk turned to equipment, i.e. amps and types of guitars. Mr. 15 was desperately trying to sound like he knew everything there was to know about these sort of things. Then he said something that almost caused me to chuckle out loud.

"My guitar makes me sound bad," he said.

What?

"Yeah, if I had a really good one, I'd sound great."

Um, okay. Your guitar makes you sound bad. Hmm. I wonder if it would've made Jimmy Hendrix sound bad.

I got to thinking about this little exchange later, and it reminded me of how often we all choose to blame our equipment rather than acknowledge our own weaknesses. If I only had that iMac I could write so much better. If only I didn't write in my kitchen but had my own office. If only I had a better this or that ...

The way I see it, if we can sound good (or, excuse the grammar, write good), or do anything well on what we have, then that's the sign of true talent. If we can develop our skills on what we've been given to use today, then maybe God'll give us something better tomorrow. It's sorta like that parable which talks about being faithful in the small things.

We don't have to have the latest gadgets or the most expensive equipment to become good at whatever we've been called to do. What really matters is our attitude. Will we make the most of what we've been given today?

How important is thanksgiving and the writing life?

The writing life can be full of ups and downs. One minute we're high in the sky because someone said something nice about our endeavors, the next we're down in the dumps because a rejection letter came in the mail. I think this is probably the bane of most creative types. We're often emotional people. We have to be. It's what allows us to dig deep into ourselves and pull out characters. We have the ability to literally feel what our characters feel.

This emotional response in writers (and all artists, really) can be a curse if we don't learn to harness it properly. But it can also be a tremendous blessing! We're able to put ourselves in someone else's shoes maybe a little easier than the average Jane/Joe. We can empathize with pain---because we've felt it, either literally or vicariously through our characters.

But here's the thing. Instead of letting ourselves be ruled by our emotions when it comes to rejections and disappointments, let's look at them from a different angle. Every rejection you receive is one step closer to an acceptance. Why look at the glass half empty?

I wanted to share with you a Scripture that's helped me on more than one occasion. It comes from Philippians 4, starting with verse 4. Here goes:

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Stop right there for a moment. Rejoice. That's what thanksgiving is all about. Rejoicing in what we have, whether it's where we want to be or not. I bet there's something in your life to thank the Lord about. Maybe it's just the good food on your table. Or the blue sky. Or much-needed rain. Or your beloved pet. Or your spouse. It was important enough for Paul to mention twice in this verse.

The Lord is near. No matter where you are right now as you're reading this. You can know this for certain. God is with you. Right now. Looking over your shoulder. Loving you exactly as you are.

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

In this day and age, there's a lot to be anxious about. You know what? That's not God's best for us. But he doesn't just command us not to worry. He shows us what to do instead! And that is: present our request to Him. Ask Him for help. How many times is God the last resort in our lives? Why not make Him the first person we turn to in times of stress?

7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

After we've given thanks, after we've presented our requests to God, here's His wonderful promise to us: peace will fill our hearts. I love that line "which transcends all understanding", meaning we can't make sense of it! That's because it comes from God. Allow God's peace to fill you today, even amidst all the hustle and bustle. He loves you so much. Hey, He died for you, too. Pretty cool, huh?

One more thought. Writers and readers ... God cares about your writing. He wouldn't have put the desire in your heart to do it if He didn't have some way to fulfill it, if it wasn't in His plan for your life. He's the one who put your dreams inside of you! If you commit your way to Him, and seek His will, it'll all work out perfectly in His time.

Keep trusting. Keep writing.

Are You Daring to Dream?

Some time ago I watched the movie October Sky. Based on the memoir Rocket Boys by Homer Hickham, the movie tells: "The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes."

I was encouraged by this movie in ways I hadn't expected. Homer wasn't afraid to follow his dreams, despite severe opposition from his father and other towns folks. I kept asking myself as I watched, "Would I have had the guts to follow my dreams when faced with that kind of opposition?" Probably not. And unlike Homer, I have a supportive family.

The movie challenged me to strive for more and give my writing all of my dedication. If a teen boy like Homer can do it, so can I. But I need to want to succeed as a writer as much as Homer wanted to succeed with his rockets. And the cool thing is, wanting something badly is half the battle. Homer was horrible at math, but he studied and learned and eventually understood it. Deep in the mines he was pouring over his textbooks during lunch breaks. He got little sleep. He was dedicated to his dream.

How dedicated to your dreams are you? God puts dreams in our hearts for a reason. He has some way of fulfilling them if we will commit them to Him and follow that still small voice leading us. Don't be afraid to do something toward your dreams today. Even if it seems incredibly small. You won't be able to take big steps until you take the small ones.

Recharging Your Passion

It was May 1st. I had a lined notebook and my favorite pen. One little story idea was all that I knew, but I started writing what was to become my first novel. My main character was to be a real estate agent. Her sister lived on a farm. And I wondered if the sister on the farm was to share Jesus with the other.

That's it. No outlines. No plot summaries. Nothing. Of course, the story changed dramatically over the years, but the gist remained the same, interestingly enough. (And the book later became my first published novel.)

I still have that notebook and occasionally go back and shudder at my teenage writings. See, I knew nothing about writing a novel. My only experience was the many books I'd read. But you know what? That was a good thing. I didn't come into it with any pre-conceived notions. I just wrote.

And this is something I need to remember. I wrote because I loved it. As time went on and I learned more, it didn't come as easily to me. Words were harder to pull from my mind. But there's something beautiful about those first attempts. I believe fiction writers need to write, first of all, for themselves, and THEN think about their audience. Because if you're not interesting yourself with your story . . . then honey, you're going to have trouble finishing that novel.

Maybe you're stuck right now in your writing. Or maybe you're not a writer at all, and you feel like your life is just stalled. May I suggest going back to the basics and remembering what used to excite you? Perhaps it's something that still can. Did you always want to write a fantasy novel but got side-tracked on the latest fiction fad? Have you always wanted to travel to Alaska but let life drag you down? It's never too late to live your dreams. Sometimes it might take time to reach them, but start today by taking a step in the right direction.

Filling Your Well

Have you ever hit a point in your writing where nothing seems to flow? Where it feels like you're pulling teeth to get out one single sentence? Rest assured, you're not alone. Every writer feels this way from time to time. Here's something I'm learning that helps unstop the pipes and allows your creative waters to start flowing again ... living life.

Sometimes as writers we will devote so much time to pouring out our thoughts and emotions on the page that we don't take time to refill. The well runs dry. If that's you today, why not try this: take a day off and play with a ten-year-old. Go to the movies. Pull out a pad of paper and just start sketching what you see. Or ask someone who works in the profession of your main character if you can follow them around and soak up what they do.

I found the latter suggestion especially helpful recently. Several of my novels take place on a working cattle ranch. And when you're working on a ranch, you're going to be riding horses. For the month of January I've been volunteering at a local horse barn. In the morning we feed the horses and turn them out to their pastures. In the evening we bring them in and feed them again. I've learned a ton just from being around these great animals. But I've especially learned from watching others much more experienced and seeing how they handle situations. Soaking in their expertise has helped me immeasurably.

So if you're stuck today, may I suggest take a deep breath and chilling for a bit? :) It's okay to take a break. Trust me, you'll come back super-charged and ready to tackle that next chapter!

Make 2010 A Year of Big Dreams!

Someone recently asked me to share my advice to teens who aspire to write. I'd like to share the 4 tips I gave as my response here. Because now that 2010 is upon us, we need to keep on dreaming big. God's got great plans for you this year!

#1: You’re never too young for God to use you.
He often puts desires and dreams in our hearts when we’re young to guide us into our callings. Are you passionate about reading, books, and writing? Are you happiest when creating? Allow yourself to pursue those dreams. Chances are God’s given them to you for a purpose.

#2: Follow your heart
It’s easy to talk ourselves out of our dreams. But don’t let yourself, or your friends, or anyone. You have the desire for a reason. God’s got great plans for you!

#3: Bloom where you’re planted
There are always steps we can take right now. Don’t wait until you’re older to begin following your dream. You don’t have to go to college or take a million courses (though some choose that route). I personally learned best by reading other novels and books on the craft.

#4: Be flexible
If we had our way, our dreams would come true right now. But you know that Scripture in Jeremiah 29:11 that talks about God’s ways being higher than our ways? It’s so true. It took 14 very long years before my book was published, and I had to learn to trust God, even when I didn’t feel like it.

I’m glad now that I didn’t get published right away. If my dreams had come true the way I envisioned, it would’ve been a lot harder journey. Commit your life, and your writing to God, and he’ll make sure you get where you need to be at just the right time.

Never give up. It doesn’t matter if you’re seventeen or seventy. I know of many writers who didn’t see success in the publishing arena until they were over fifty. It’s never too late, and it’s always worth pursuing your dreams. Never stop learning.

I look forward to seeing what God brings about in this new year!