Terry Pratchett: "Telling Yourself a Story"

"The first draft is just you telling yourself a story."

~Terry Pratchett

    I love the way this author puts it: telling yourself a story. It has a nostalgic feel about it; an almost musical tone, smooth and eloquent.
    And quite true. It sounds like a perfectly accurate way to summarize the experience of writing first drafts. Because for a lot of writers, it's the draft that no one else sees. It's the rough draft, the document where the bare bones of the story is placed just to see how it all fits together. In many different ways and by very different people, the first draft has been described as the one where we writers just write like crazy, shoveling in the main plot points without worrying about impressing others with quality (no wonder the concept of burning the first draft once the second one is complete is such a common writer's joke). The first draft is definitely something that can be exclusively for the person writing it.
    And the first draft isn't like hearing just any old story; it's the story we're creating, taking special time to build up. And that draft is full of so many firsts! It's the first time we actually flesh out the story, it's the first draft where we get to hear the characters speaking to each other, the first time we can see exactly how they act, and it's our first opportunity to find plot twists that didn't pop up in the plotting stage. With all these new discoveries and moments where we just have to make certain things up as we go along, writing the first draft is just like hearing a story for the first time, as told by oneself.
    It's definitely one of the most exciting and sentimental parts of writing a story; and Pratchett's quote here captures that concept fantastically, don't you think? Have you ever heard his quote before?

Psalm 63:8

 

"My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me."

Psalm 63:8 (NKJ)

    Isn't this such a sweet verse? The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear this is a lamb trotting after its shepherd; the next one is a father walking with his little one, a hand gently placed on his shoulder.
    God is our Heavenly Father; that's a wonderful fact that this verse is great for showcasing! As our Father and Lord, God walks with us and guides us, and throughout it all He has such a strong, caring love that He's always there, never absent, and never leaving us in the dust.
    It's an unbelievably great blessing to have such love from Him! And this verse has got to be one of the most touching lines in the whole book of Psalms; don't you agree?

Assumptions

    If you've ever read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, you know how assumptions can really mess a lot of things up.
    At its very basis, making an assumption is coming to a conclusion without sound evidence, going off what someone else claims about a person/place/activity, or just making guesses about it based on immediate impressions. Making assumptions means looking at a skydiving brochure and thinking, "death trap," without looking into all the safety mechanisms and careful planning that's put into the sport. In a less dramatic (but probably more everyday) example, making assumptions can be looking at a newcomer to a group who doesn't talk to anybody and thinking, "kind of rude how that person ignores the rest of us," without even walking up to say hello and figuring out whether or not the person's just really shy.
    That's the most common form of harmful assumptions, I think; the ones that smudge the reputations of others.  But then there's another kind of assumption that can do that kind of harm to the person making the assumption. Like thinking that an instructor hates you since they always seem irritated when you go up to ask them about something. The teacher isn't really being put down in any way, but it can still make a person a lot more stressed, upset, and hurt--and it'd be needlessly if the assumption is absolutely wrong! There are few other things more stressful than having the idea that one's being judged harshly by others; it can be so easy to assume that's exactly what's happening though. And having those kind of assumptions on a regular basis gets painful.
    The only good kind of assumptions I can honestly think of are the kinds that involve common knowledge and don't involve people. Like assuming that if a lightbulb's not shining, it's out of juice and needs to be replaced; or that when a library book that you know is in the collection isn't on the shelves, it's been checked out. Guessing on those matters rarely gives a person headaches.
   Releasing a lot of these assumptions, deciding to just not assume things about people, is such a relief! And it can actually be done since we know that God is in complete control of situations in life. Knowing that He's not going to let the worst happen (at least, not without an immensely good reason), there's a freedom to not have to try to keep tabs on everything. We don't have to try to figure out what everyone's thinking and doing; we don't have to make assumptions and worry about whether or not they're true. We can just rely on God, and keep living life without that burden.
    Which is an awesome way to live; don't you agree? :)

When the Bad Guys Sell their Cause a Little too Well

    I read a novel a little while ago that I was really disappointed in by the end. The premise was fascinating, and the setting and background story were genius, but I felt really let down by the main protagonist, who goes from being a really nice and noble person at the beginning to a coldhearted, corrupted murderer in the end. It wasn't even a tragedy story like Marissa Meyer's Fairest, where the character is expected to turn to the dark side over the course of the story; this was very sudden, and frankly out of character.
    One of the major factors that led up to this character's moral downfall (and another thing about the novel that saddened me as a writer and a person) was the way that the antagonists, the cruel and self-centered villains, presented their cause. There were multiple incidents over the course of the story where the main character was hearing the antagonists' view on a conflict both their sides were in. The antagonists' points were realistic, actually very important things to consider ethically, but when the cruel villains finished talking, everything was just left at that. There was no rebuttal from the main character, or from another one of the good guys; nothing happened in the story that provided a ray of hope, or any kind of proof that showed that the evil deeds of the antagonists were unjustified. By the end of the story (and even well before that), the villains' cause sounded righteous, and the virtuous side from whence the main character came sounded like the wrong one.
    Usually it's a pretty good writing accomplishment when a bad guy can sell their cause really well--it is logical for an antagonist to think they're right, after all; and when their corrupted logic can tempt the character, it's interesting for plot. But in this kind of situation where the bad guys had the final word when they didn't have to, and their claims sounded right when there were plenty of arguments that could have shown that they were wrong, I think the author really crossed a line. Because not only was the main character listening to the villains' argument, and watching their crooked claims go without defiance, but so was the reader.
   And while people don't believe everything they hear, stories still have a special sort of power that can potentially sway a person's views. Characters might not be "real" in the sense that they aren't walking on our streets, and the settings might not actually be established places on earth, but the principles of the story's themes, and the way that a reader can connect with characters is very real. So when a person writes a story with a great (at least, initially great) protagonist/narrator, and makes an un-refuted claim that  willfully evil actions can be justified and accepted, or that genuine goodness doesn't even exist, it's possible that a reader will make some partial connections to the real world and really accept this as truth. And that is a seriously horrible and tragic thing to happen.
    There are a lot of books where the established "heroes" of a society really do turn out to be corrupt, and where the villains do a top-rate job at persuading people to their side, but those stories don't push it too far like this book I read did. They don't absolutely blot out the line between good and evil. They show that the world can be a pretty corrupt place, but they also provide that goodness and truth can still prevail. They show how there is a difference between right and wrong. They let their antagonists make seemingly bulletproof arguments, but then they bring in someone who points out all the cracks and flaws and outright lies in it, who gives an argument of their own (or prompts the narrator to create one) that stands for truth, virtue, and the good things that the world really needs to stick to, not abandon.
    There are ways to apply the skill of persuasion to antagonists without going too far, but it is important to make sure that they don't go too far. Does anyone else agree with me on this?
    Have you read any novels where the antagonists' cause stands unquestioned? Or have you read a book that applies a healthy measure of persuasion, where the antagonists sell their cause really well, but not too well?

 

Psalm 32:8

 

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."

Psalm 32:8 (NKJ)

    This statement really shows something touching about the Lord as a Teacher. He guides us, encourages us in doing good, makes us wiser and kinder, and He does it so personally and kindly. Day by day, He makes us stronger, and He does it because He genuinely has our best interests at heart.
    His loving care in this verse is palpable; in teaching us, He guides us with His eye, carefully monitoring us, ready to catch us if we slip, and prop us back up again. It's easy to see that He wants us to grow stronger and closer to Him, that He wants us to do well.
    The Lord is a very caring, loving Teacher, isn't He? :)

A.W. Tozer: "To Be Right with God"



This is kind of what it can feel like when one tires to contribute
God's truth into a discussion.

"To be right with God often means to be in trouble with men."

~A. W. Tozer

    It's good to live life walking in God's ways. Believing His truth, we have peace and joy; staying away from things and practices He warns us of, we have safety; and in developing godly attributes (like love, patience, and faith), we have a full, productive life. Following God's will is good, both for us and for those around us.
    But we all know that living for God isn't a bowl of ice cream. We still go through problems that other people experience (though the Lord leads us out of them with far more peace), but more than that, we face problems that come because we choose to live according to the Lord's will.
    Like sharing the gospel, for example. That's good news (it's the message that God loves everyone and offers salvation from sins based on pure grace!), but in this world, it's not very acceptable to say that the gospel of Christ is absolute truth. Or that certain sinful practices are wrong. Just mentioning Christ in a conversation with friends can prompt them to walk away, or pretend to ignore you and keep talking about their own philosophy. And it's not just talking about spiritual matters, but sometimes just obeying God's commandments can get us in hot water--like refusing to join everyone else in approving of an ungodly practice. Following God's way instead of the often-popular sinful ways can get us glares, it can get us shunned, and in a lot of places, it can get us harmed or even killed.
    But doing what God says is right doesn't only get us in trouble; it's not merely some unpopular thing that we have to do. Doing God's will--hearing and obeying the things He teaches us--is a good thing to do. It's what's right because it's truth, and because the Lord is our God, our Creator and our Redeemer. He has always done the right thing, and His kind wisdom deserves to be harkened to.
    Plus, obedience is pleasing to the Lord (1 Samuel 15:22). And doing what's right in His eyes when it means losing approval from others is like making a sacrifice for Him, showing Him that He means more to us than being accepted by society. And I think that makes Him very, very glad.
    That makes a loss of temporary popularity worth it, don't you agree? Have you ever had a moment where you had to pay a costly price for doing what God says is right?

Writing Games: Matchmaking

    Happy Valentine's (or "Galentine's") Day, everyone! :D Guess what today's post is going to be about?
    Romance! Relationships and couples in fiction are awesome; they usually have perfect chemistry, we can see their whole beautiful story together, and the characters were actually made for each other. Another awesome thing about fictional couples that writers like us can enjoy is that we can actually make our OTPs ("one true pairings;" two characters we think would make the perfect couple) happen in what we write, whether it's in one of our own stories, or if we're writing fanfiction about other novels/shows.
    Now often, the main characters of a story already have a love interest, but that doesn't mean that a writer can't experiment by writing scenes where they're in a relationship with someone else (there's no harm done to the original couple, after all). It's pretty interesting to tinker with character relationships this way, figuring out how well things would work out between the main character and other characters in the story. Or, in an even more interesting experiment, with a character from a completely different story.
    Is there a character in another novel that would be the perfect partner for your protagonist, antagonist, or sidekick? Would Tris Prior (minus Four) be a perfect match for the kick-butt hero ? Would Sherlock and his mindpower be a great partner for the brilliant best friend? What would make them so great for each other? Shared (or opposing!) characteristics? A similar taste in friends? Shared interests, hobbies, or favorite past-times? What makes them work well together?
    Playing matchmaker like this can be really fun, but the creative exercise gives even more than that. Even though the characters probably won't actually be together in the story, the thought put into what made the characters compatible for each other, and what they would actually do together is good for learning about what the character from one's own story is like in a relationship; and that can help with the romance subplot (or main plot) in the story. Plus, if one's trying to come up with a love interest to give a character, this writing game could help come up with the right characteristics for them to have.
    So which fictional character from another story would be a perfect match for one of your characters? What makes them compatible? Or would the character be the kind of person who hangs out with their friends and family on Valentine's Day?

Psalm 1:2-3

 

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

Psalm 1:2-3 (NKJ)

    A tree planted right next to a clean river has basically everything it needs: nourishing water, nourishing soil, sunlight (maybe not directly mentioned in these verses, but I think one can assume that it's provided), and a secure place to stand. It's a very nice analogy to the word of God, and how it blesses us. Just like the tree gets all those benefits in the place where it's been planted, we get the blessings of nourishment, light, and a secure foundation in the word of God as we dig into it.
    And another really wonderful thing that this verse points out about the word of God is that while we can definitely experience these things while reading it, thinking about it just as we go along also gives the nourishment, light, and security! Having godly principles on the brain while commuting from one place to another, and recalling stories in the word every now and then for reflection opens up doors to a righteous mindset, deep and thoughtful prayer with the Lord, and joy in accomplishing things throughout the day.
    So the word of God is a major blessing that we can experience during quiet times while reading the Bible, and at practically any moment. Isn't that awesome? :D

The Many, Many Blessings of Christian Music

    In Colossians, there's a verse that goes like this: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (3:16; NKJ).
    When I read somewhere that by "spiritual songs," Paul was talking about the kind of Christian music we hear on the radio today, songs about God and the Christian life, it was awesome! Songs that are totally dedicated to God are special, and there are a lot of great things that Christian music does.
    Spiritual songs like this are, firstly, pleasant and clean. There are so many non-Christian songs I've heard with powerfully beautiful music, but I can't bring myself to sing to it or even think about the song because it either alludes to something less-than-pure, or they spike up the lyrics with profanity. But there's no need to worry about that in Christian songs because they never have foul language; the sound of it is good, and the content is safe.
    Christian music also holds something we can relate to very deeply; thoughts and accounts of life as a Christian. The lyrics are about what it's like to be redeemed, what following the Lord is like, what struggles God gets us through day by day. We know these things well, and hearing others sing about it is like finding someone whose favorite book is the same as yours, or making friends with someone who loves to do a certain activity that you also adore. It's exciting and encouraging!
    Songs about God and the Christian life also serve as a reminder, stirring up our memories and bringing spiritual things to mind. Casting Crowns and Tenth Avenue North do this a lot with their wonderful songs about God's grace and deep love, and songs by Mandisa are full of joy and encouragement; and then there are awesome albums like FM Static's "Dear Diary," which has a bunch of songs that portray a person's coming to faith in Christ. Listening to all these songs and the stories they tell is like reliving parts of the past, remembering how God's worked in our lives, and how He's still leading us. Those kind of topics are very helpful to remember while listening to them, and later when situations bring the lyrics back into mind.
    On top of all these things, there's the vital point that Christian music is something we can worship the Lord with. Not only is it enjoyable, but it's really a good thing to do, "For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful" (Psalm 147: 1b, NKJ). Christian songs extol His awesomeness and give Him glory for His perfect works and character. Undoubtedly, the music's got to be as beautiful to His ears as they are to ours. Plus, it can be done anywhere; singing along to the radio on a car ride, hanging around the house, and it can even be done without music when one knows the lyrics of the song by heart.
    Ah, there are so many blessings in Christian songs. Aren't you glad we have so many to sing? :)

A Character's Family Members

    Ah, family members; you've gotta love 'em. Every person from the favorite uncle to the distant cousin is so unique and awesome in their own way. It's really cool to see families in fiction, not just because of the awesome beauty of those kind of relationships, but because being part of a family ourselves, we can relate to their family matters.
    Parents seem to be the most prominent family figures in a person's life at any stage, including adult life. In Kathy Reichs' Bones novels, the protagonist has a mother she talks with, and who helps her on at least one occasion with her mad computer skills.  Then of course there are the parents with roles in YA fiction, usually giving guidance or insight to their kids. Very close uncles and aunts can also fill in these parental roles really well too, acting as role models (or just really, really fun figures!). These kind of mentor characters can have so much wisdom and just have an admirable role in a story.
    And then there are siblings. They make great minor characters; in Kiera Cass's Selection series, the protagonist's younger sister gives her encouragement that motivates her to stay in the competition. But even when siblings don't play a major role in the story as characters, having them around can set up for existing conditions--like if a character has a baby sister who takes all the attention of their parents, conveniently giving the protagonist lots of time to themselves and the other characters s/he's with in the story.
    Overall, just like in real life, family members also tend to shape aspects of a character's personality. Lots of fictional villains turned to the dark side partially because of a bad home situation, and many good guys draw inspiration from a noble relative. Some characters end up echoing their own parents or older siblings (which could be considered a flaw they eventually overcome), and some are determined to become the polar opposite of them. There are tons of ways that a character's family influences who they turn out to be, and those little details can add so much depth!
    Not to say that every single character should have a family member popping up in the story, but I think the relevant details of a character's relationship with their family is good for character development. Plus, in writing, it's always pretty good to have some nice backstory information in stock just in case it eventually becomes applicable in the story, right?
    What are your thoughts? Do you have any favorite fictional families?

Psalm 92:4

 

"For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands."

Psalm 92:4 (NKJ)

    God is the Creator of many works. He's the Maker of all creation, He designs every individual person, He shapes our lives into something beautiful once we give ourselves to Him, and of course there's the mighty, incredible work that is salvation.
    The natural world we live in is breathtakingly beautiful with colors and light; and the intricate uniqueness of each person is interesting and fascinating; the way God makes great, helpful things happen in our lives is just awesome; and of course, the salvation that the Lord won saved all of humanity--it's grace powerful enough to wash away all our sins and let us be with the Lord. That is a wonderful, wonderful thing!
    All of these works of God are wonderful things, worthy of getting excited and joyful about; don't you think? :)

Solomon's Fall

    Solomon was a wonderful king. The wisest of all the rulers of the earth, he had a very close walk with God for many years. He judged wisely, built a magnificent temple for people to worship and serve the Lord in, he wrote over a thousand proverbs (many included in the Book of Proverbs), and Solomon really loved the Lord (1 Kings 3:3).
    But then in his later years, things went wrong. He married multiple wives, and they convinced him to start worshipping their pantheons of false gods. Worshipping and building temples for idols this way and that, Solomon totally turned away from the true God. He fell, and it was a long, long, long fall.
    Personally, I think Solomon eventually turned back to the Lord later in life. In the Book of Ecclesiastes, he recounts times where he sought fulfillment in construction projects, knowledge, and endless pursuits of fun; this could easily be an account of the years he spent in idolatry, looking for purpose in life without considering the Lord. But at the end of it all, he resigns with the conclusion that true fulfillment comes with taking heed to the true God, that it's "the whole duty of man" to "fear God and keep His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13; NKJ).
    If Solomon really did turn back to the Lord and repent, then the situation wasn't a complete tragedy. But still, the way that such a wise man fell away from the Lord is sobering. Solomon had a very strong spiritual walk before he slipped; plus, as king of Israel, it's doubtless that he was doing serious praying for guidance in leading the nation. Solomon was ultra-righteous, and if he could slip up in idolatry (or anything that would divert someone from their walk with God), anyone could. Temptations and distractions are frighteningly powerful and destructive.
    But yet, even when someone has fallen back, there's incredible hope and relief from the Lord; His grace is vast, "forgiving all iniquity" (Psalm 103:3), and God is so merciful that He not only forgives us when we ask His forgiveness, but He also helps us repent from the things that made us fall. He offers redemption and restoration in Christ, reaching down to us so we can come back to Him, even when we've fallen; even like Solomon did.
    Now that's amazing grace. Isn't it wonderful to notice these kind of redemption stories in the Bible that we see in our own lives as well?