Psalm 32:1

 

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."

Psalm 32:1 (NKJ)

    Amen, and amen!
    The Lord's forgiveness is sweet and strong. Sweet and joyous in the fact that it's made acceptance by and a relationship with Him possible; and strong in the fact that it actually happened, that God found a way to forgive us of our sins without compromising His perfect integrity.
    At the end of the day, when there might be some regrets on one's mind, remembering the completeness of the Lord's forgiveness is not only a huge relief, but it's strengthening because it lets us know that we're still covered by Christ's redemption, that He'll still gladly be with us.
    Being forgiven, redeemed by the Lord so freely, is a blessed thing indeed. Amen?

Ernest Hemingway: "About what Hurts"

Things that hurt really hurt. So writing about those
things should naturally be accurate, right?

"Write hard and clear about what hurts."

~Ernest Hemingway

    The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of things that hurt is death.
    That's a difficult subject to write about, isn't it? Because it's a touchy, sensitive thing that many people go through; and the last thing we would want to do is misrepresent its effects in our writing--or worse, misuse it just to make the story more dramatic.
    I once read a book that did just that (though I won't name names). Near the end of the story, the main character's best friend dies. And a couple chapters later in the final battle, the best friend's sibling also dies with long-winding last words, which pushes the main character into a very palpable fury/grief that (naturally) gives her the strength to destroy the enemy. Those character deaths were infuriating not just because it came off as cliché, and not just because it seemed awfully convenient, but because it was so unnecessary. Both of those characters didn't have to die--the sibling, at least, could have lived on and overcome his grief--but they were offed as if it was exactly what they were meant for, like the only reason those characters existed was to make the protagonist feel gutted in that one moment. The dramatic air around the losses was also kind of obscuring the fact that death had occurred; it made what happened seem unrealistic, and easily forgettable once the book is closed.
    However, in Kiera Cass's The One, there's a scene that doesn't make that kind of mistake, and lines up perfectly with what Ernest Hemingway is advising in his quote. In one of the last major scenes (SPOILER ALERT!), there's a surprise attack by the vicious rebels, and in the chaos and carnage, a lot of secondary characters are killed. It was a really gut-wrenching plot twist (and personally, I thought a few too many characters we've come to care about were lost), but in the scene's context, a high death toll makes a lot of sense. If the enemy had attacked so directly, and only nameless wallflowers (or nobody at all) had been harmed, the story would have totally lost the realistic element the author had created so artfully in the series. Plus, the shock and sadness that the scene prompts is exactly what a person should feel when they hear about such an event. Kiera Cass didn't gloss over anything; she made the bitterness of death bitter, and gave the topic of death the solemn recognition it deserves.
    Have you ever just stopped because a book is so good (or not good) at portraying the gravity of hard, hurtful things in life? Have you ever gotten really stressed about portraying death in a story as realistically as possible?

 

Psalm 63:6

 

 

 

"When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches."

Psalm 63:6 (NKJ)

    This is truly a good, good thing. Lying in bed late at night just remembering the things God has done, thinking about His ways, and even speaking with Him in prayer.
    Because when it's night, it's like the world has stopped and the needs of the day are put on hold. At night, lying in bed, everything's still and calm and relaxed, and there aren't so many distractions as there are in the day. It's perfect for having a calm, whispered conversation with the One who doesn't need sleep.
    Do you do this often, meditating and praying while lying in bed? Isn't it wonderful?

Penny in the Gutter

Gutters are wet and uncomfortable, and stepping or tripping into
one is very unpleasant, but when you find a penny there,
it's a nice, small bright side to the situation, right?

    Life is good--but as we all know, it doesn't always go well. Sometimes unfortunate things happen; disappointments that bring us down. Sometimes multiple disappointments happen all at once, and that kind of discouragement can really make a person feel ill.
    But thankfully, God is in our lives, so there's always good reason to have hope. He's promised that since we've let Him be our Lord, everything that happens to us happens for a reason (Romans 8:28). And because of that assurance, we can also trust that we'll never be in a situation where there's nothing but disappointment and failure. In every low and dark place, there's going to be a bright side. In every huge mistake, there's a lesson that'll help us avoid getting back in the same situation. And in every disappointment, there's always a hope that God will use it to bring about something good.
    It might really be difficult to hold onto that kind of optimistic thinking when one's actually going through problems, but it is true. I've recently just had a time where I got hit by one discouragement after another after another, and though I definitely wasn't confident that the problems would just disappear, understanding that God is in control and wouldn't let everything just be a disappointment was a real anchor to hold to. Soon after calming down, I realized that all of those discouragements had actually opened the door to an awesome (and rare) opportunity that otherwise would have stayed closed. And realizing the blessing that was made available was like finding a bright, round, precious penny in a gutter. Something really good came out of the bad situation, and it's something that'll last a lot longer.
    So while discouragements we have to face in life aren't easy to ignore at all, there's still a sure hope that bad situations don't have to be all bad. The Lord is our God, and He has a talent of using difficulties to create good, amazing things.
    That's such an awesome, comforting thing to be able to hold to. Amen?

Respect

    Having stories is a funny thing; sometimes it's a lot like the way we writers are with ideas. One day (usually right after finishing a big manuscript) we don't have a novel-length story to tell, and we're looking high and low to find one; but on other days, when we do have a fabulous story to write, there are a dozen other shiny story ideas, all screaming to be written immediately! And as much as it'd be awesome to dive into writing them (particularly when a severe case of writers' block has struck with the current work), it can't be done because there just isn't enough time.
     Alas, there's no remedy that'll magically enable us to ignore other ideas for just a little while, or grant us super-speed-writing to make the wait for the next project shorter. But there is something that can definitely help us cling to the story we've made a commitment to working on: respect. Having respect for the gift of writing, and respect for the story itself.
    Showing something/someone reverence doesn't just mean to think of something as amazing and wonderful; it can also mean having a deep understanding of how important it is and being unwilling to brush it off as common. Respecting a person means paying close attention to what they're saying and not glancing at your watch to see when you can take your leave. Respecting the gift of storytelling would probably include making quality time for writing and not going about it with a "ho-hum" attitude. And respecting a story (particularly the one currently being worked on) would mean not forgetting what potential it has to be fantastic, giving it time and focus, and sticking with it until it's finished.
    Being able to have this kind of respect is great not only because it helps us keep working on the story to the end, but because the ability to respect something is a really strong character aspect. It makes us better as writers and as people!
    So what are your thoughts? Has respect for writing or the story itself been the vital thing that's ever kept you from giving up?

Nahum 1:7

 

"The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him."

Nahum 1:7 (NKJ)

    It's awesome how this verse is phrased to say that God not only protects us, but "He knows those who trust in Him." Because it's one thing to know you're being protected, like a law defends someone's rights, but when the one protecting you actually knows you, it's so much more personal and secure. It's like being put under the watch of a guardian or parent; they not only care about you deeply, but they know your strengths and weaknesses; which way is best to take and what things that need to be avoided at all costs.
    And the Lord knows us! Isn't that a wonderful blessing? :)

A Couple Thoughts on Deadlines

    We all know a little bit about deadlines. We've had them in school whenever there was work to do outside of class, but the projects and essays that have later deadlines were always a little more stressful than the regular homework, right? Because even though there's a lot more time to do it, there's a lot more work too, and there's a serious pressure to do that work instead of using that lovely time to do more interesting things. And when a person is prone to procrastinating, and they find themselves working to finish it on the last day, they're pushed into doing something that feels totally uncomfortable: forcing oneself to write something because there's a terrible consequence if they don't.
    But deadlines aren't all bad and stressful; there are a lot of good aspects about them too. Overall, they can help a person be motivated to not be lazy, and it does get a job done by a specific time. But there are also certain upsides to different kinds of deadlines--ones that involve our own writing projects instead of academic work. For example:
    Writing group-related deadlines. Writing groups are awesome! We get to hang out with writer friends, and we can share writings to get feedback; everybody benefits! But of course nobody would want to be waiting a long time to get that precious feedback, so there's doubtlessly always an agreement to have comments/thoughts and new writing ready by the next meeting. But a great thing about having a deadline like this is that the people holding us to it are fellow writers. And fellow writers can understand writer issues that might cause a temporary delay (like severe writer's block or just sudden busyness in life) and be sympathetic. Plus, writing with the knowledge that someone is looking forward to reading the work is an extra pulse of motivation!
    Writing workshops and/or conferences. There's one coming soon in the area I live in, and I'm working like crazy to have something ready to bring. The approaching deadline is definitely a little stressful, and it can't be moved to a later date because it's an official event, but it's not all worrisome and full of pressure because the event is an exciting thing! Writing workshops and conferences are an adventure to look forward to, like going off to college or heading on a dream vacation. And preparing for it is like packing and re-packing a suitcase; you don't want to be sloppy or forget anything important, but it's still fun to prepare for because it's going to be so awesome!
    NaNoWriMo. It's so weird. A wonderful, wonderful, weird. Because NaNoWriMo takes something impossible (writing a whole first draft within thirty days) and manages to make it fun. It's a crazy, coffee/hot chocolate packed dash to make a word count, but the environment NaNo creates is so inspirational and encouraging that the process isn't just a haggard rush. There are tools to track your progress on the novel, a space to write little blurbs as if the book were already published, and there's a whole community to be part of. NaNoWriMo gives a quick, quick deadline, but it's thrilling all the way!
    Personal goals. Like starting a story in January and saying, "I want to have the first draft done by the end of March." This kind of deadline is great because it's one that a person makes for themselves based on a personal understanding. The goal doesn't just come from how fast a person can type in one instance; it's based on past experiences and a knowledgeable approximation of how much time a person would actually have for writing. Plus it's also flexible; if the goal-setter gets really sick or becomes tied up in a monstrously time-consuming project, they can stretch the deadline a little. And in the end, when the goal is met, there's an extra layer of satisfaction because sticking to a goal is an awesome skill, writing-wise and life-wise.
    There are so many deadlines and so many reasons to enjoy them! :) Isn't it cool?