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Truth is Stranger Than Fiction!

Filed Under Communication, Success
Posted on June 28, 2007 @ 12:32 pm by Marla 

I just had to make a quick post and add a link to a fun article that my husband e-mailed me today. It’s about an armada of yellow rubber duckies (yes, that’s right!) that fell off a ship 15 years ago and have been sailing the high seas ever since. They’re now “swimming” toward the coast of Britain. 

 

Check out the article at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1996553.ece! 

 

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Hook, Grab & Pull - Tips for Fiction Writers

Filed Under Communication, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Success, Writing Inspiration, flow
Posted on June 28, 2007 @ 8:27 am by Marla 

Hook, grab & pull - that’s how we reel in our readers and keep them engaged in our stories. Of course, like many things in life, doing this sounds easier than it actually is!    

 

The August issue of Writer’s Digest magazine contains an excellent article on this topic by Les Edgerton. He writes:

 

“The opening of your story carries an awesome responsibility. Consider this: The goals of your opening scene are:

 

       1. To successfully introduce the story-worthy problem.

       2. To hook the readers.

       3. To establish the rules of the story.

       4. To forecast the ending of the story.

 

If your opening fails to accomplish any one of these elements, then guess what - your opening will fail.”

 

Wow! If you sit there and ponder these four points for a moment, you will realize just how much skill is required to write a compelling story opening.

 

These four points were especially enlightening to me because I’ve just begun plotting out two novels. I went back and read the opening lines of several of my favorite novels to see how each author accomplishes these four objectives in his or her writing. Try it; it’s fascinating!

 

Questions? Comments? Tips for other fiction writers? If so, please post them here. Thank you! 

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National Novel Writing Month

Filed Under Communication, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Resources, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 27, 2007 @ 5:05 pm by Marla 

What? Write a novel in a month?

 

Yep. You’re not in need of LASIK (at least, I hope you’re not). You read that correctly. It’s otherwise known as “NaNoWriMo.”

 

Writing a book in a month sounds crazy, doesn’t it? I know it does, but I REALLY want to try it this year. Those who “do” NaNoWriMo write an entire novel during the month of November. For someone who self-edits as much as I do, I’m hoping that it will provide an impetus for me to just write with total abandon and surprise myself with what spills out onto the page.  

 

To help me prepare, I’ve been conversing with the “Mad Genius,” fiction guru Randy Ingermanson, about the ”snowflake method” that he developed for novel organization. I want to have my story plotted out, my ideas sorted, my characters developed, and my outline complete before I begin.

 

Yes, the fact that I also have four nonfiction books on the table can be daunting. But I have always wanted to write fiction, too, and I have recently had two well-respected writing mentors and friends recommend that I start now. So I am! Wish me well!

 

If you’re planning to do NaNoWriMo this year, too, please let me know! If you have done it in the past, please share your wisdom and advice with me. Thank you!  

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The Secret - And the Hype!

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 24, 2007 @ 9:31 am by Marla 

Well, people are finally admitting that The Secret isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. While faith and a positive outlook on life are certainly wonderful attributes to have, they don’t have any power unless they have their basis in God and the truth of His Word.  

 

The Secret is based on the law of attraction - essentially, the claim that we have the power to draw wealth and material blessings to ourselves and to create our own destiny. The Secret encourages people to take the God-ness from God and apply it to themselves. The only problem is, that’s impossible. 

 

Yes, the issues with The Secret begin when people start to realize that they aren’t God. We don’t control everything about our lives. Yes, God does bless His people in extraordinary ways, but the Scriptures also say that every person will face some trials and temptations in this life. Pain and disappointments humble us, mature us, make us appreciate all that we have, and force us to depend on God. They make us realize that life is both beautiful and tragic. The beauty is part of what makes it tragic, and the tragedy is part of what makes it beautiful.    

 

Living the Christian life is amazing; I have peace, joy, and freedom that I wouldn’t trade for the world. But I don’t believe that my faith in God entitles me to have everything I want. My goal is not to become as wealthy, famous or powerful as possible. My goal is to love God, love people, and faithfully serve both to the best of my ability.

 

As believers, we have the HOPE THAT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT - our hope in salvation through Christ. That’s our secret!  

    

For more information on The Secret and varying attitudes toward it, check out the informative article ”Critics of The Secret Bemoan Claims” at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070623/ap_en_ot/books_the_secret.  

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Compelling Marriage Memoirs

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Illness and Grief, Intercultural Marriage, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 24, 2007 @ 8:14 am by Marla 

Today, I’m recommending several marriage memoirs for you to read. Pick up one today - I promise that it will radically change how you view your relationship with your spouse, and it will remind you of what is truly important in your marriage!

 

-My favorite is A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. It’s exquisite! In this book, Vanauken tells the story of his love for his wife, Davy, and how they grew to know the Lord at Oxford through the influence of Vanauken’s mentor and friend, C.S. Lewis. This book also contains the text of the letters from Lewis as well as Sheldon and Davy’s poetry. Their lives and their love for each other were truly exceptional.

 

-Another fantastic memoir is The Best Day the Worst Day by prizewinning poet Donald Hall. Hall married Jane Kenyon, another extremely talented poet. This is the story of their life together and Kenyon’s long, hard-fought battle with leukemia. 

 

-Another is The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, winner of a 2006 National Book Award. Following her husband’s death, Didion published this personal account of how she dealt with the crushing grief while also caring for her daughter, who was in a coma in a New York hospital. 

 

If you have other excellent marriage memoirs to recommend, please let me know by posting a comment here. Thank you! 

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A Wee Bit of Cultural Wisdom

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Intercultural Marriage, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 21, 2007 @ 8:35 pm by Marla 

Hello, fellow Leapers! Today, I’m going to take you on a “magic carpet ride” (à la Steppenwolf) and give you a peek into some funny and interesting traditions and practices of other cultures.

 

-Did you know that in Albania and Bulgaria, people nod their heads up and down to mean “No” and shake their heads back and forth to mean “Yes”?

 

-There’s a culture in Brazil, the Pirahã tribe, that lives only in the present. Their language utilizes absolutely no past tense verbs and no subordinate clauses. For instance, instead of saying, ”When I have finished eating, I would like to speak with you,” a Pirahã would say, “I finish eating, I speak with you.” The Pirahã people also have no words to refer to numbers or colors. Linguist Daniel Everett explains the core of Pirahã culture with a simple formula: “Live here and now.” In their culture, the only thing of importance that is worth communicating to others is what is being experienced at that very moment. “All experience is anchored in the present,” says Everett.* 

 

-In Asian cultures, white is the color of mourning. Red, rather than white, is the color traditionally worn by brides. In addition, sending white flowers to a loved one for any occasion other than a funeral is considered very offensive because white flowers are associated with death and mourning.  

 

-In many cultures, objects are considered to have a certain inherent life or energy. Some objects are “hot”; some are “cold.” Some are considered “clean”; some are considered “dirty” or “unclean.” I recently read an example in which a Canadian woman (married to an Indian man) was cleaning her house and placed a pair of shoes neatly atop a pile of her husband’s books. When he returned home from work, he was horrified and immediately removed the shoes. He explained to his wife that in India, books were considered “clean” and “sacred” because of the wisdom they contained. Shoes, on the other hand, were considered to be some of dirtiest objects in the Indian culture. Under no circumstances would an Indian person have put the shoes on top of the books.

 

Wow! Who knew? I do understand that, though, because books are considered sacred in our home, too.

 

I learned a pretty funny cultural lesson myself when I went to Romania in November of 2001. I had bought clothes, accessories, bath products, and other gifts to give to Catalin’s family. One of the gifts I had bought was a bottle of Curve perfume by Liz Claiborne, which was popular at the time. When I gave it to Andreea (now my sister-in-law), you would have thought it were a grenade from the way everyone stared at it. 

 

Years later, my husband finally told me that “Curve” in Romanian means, well, let’s just say, “women of the night.”

 

Whoops!    

 

Anyone else out there have some “cultural funnies,” mishaps, or interesting social or cultural taboos that you want to share? Please post a comment here! Thank you.

 

*For more info, see Spiegel Online, “Living Without Numbers or Time,” by Rafaela von Bredow, available at this link: http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,414291,00.html

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Poets, Here’s Your Chance!

Filed Under Communication, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Poetry, Resources, Success, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 20, 2007 @ 11:23 am by Marla 

Hello, fellow poets and writers! I recently discovered a great writing and publishing opportunity that I’d like to share with you. During the months of June, July and August 2007, POETRY Magazine (which is THE foremost poetry journal in the U.S.) is accepting submissions from writers who have never before been published in the journal. The competition will still be intense; however, during these three months, the editors will be open to work from poets who are new to its pages.   

 

For more information, please see POETRY’s Website at www.poetrymagazine.org. They also offer half-price subscriptions to their magazine, and it’s an excellent value. As far as I know, POETRY is the only literary journal that prints and mails an excellent, full-length subscriber issue every month. I read it from cover to cover as soon as I get it in the mail, and then I continue to read and refer to it at later points. Some of the best poets in the world are published in POETRY. I’ve learned so much from the poetry, essays, letters, and comments contained within its pages. The new editor, Christian Wiman, is doing a phenomenal job!  

 

If you’d like to submit your own work during this open submission period, the address is:

 

POETRY Magazine

444 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1850

Chicago, IL 60611

 

Definitely let me know if you have work accepted! Thank you! 

 

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Life Is A Highway…

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 20, 2007 @ 10:46 am by Marla 

The Pope recently issued a formal statement encouraging drivers to be more cautious and considerate on the road. Along with that, he created the “Drivers’ Ten Commandments” as guidelines for drivers to follow. Now, I definitely was surprised to hear about this, but I was also glad. Dallas drivers certainly need to read these commandments - and KEEP them! 

 

For those of you who don’t know, I’m originally from Indiana. I know, I know: it may sound like corn country, but most people there actually drive quite well. I’ve noticed the following:

 

1. First, in the Midwest, people understand how to MERGE. Meaning that they will actually slow down to allow another onto the highway. Revolutionary! Dallas drivers are absolutely clueless when it comes to this.

 

2. Second, in the Midwest, people actually drive more slowly when it’s pouring rain, snowing, sleeting, hailing, or if any other type of precipitation happens to be falling. In Dallas, you’re on your own. Personally, I’m usually not afraid to drive in ice, snow, rain, or what have you; however, I AM afraid of Dallas drivers. Let the driver beware!   

 

3. Third, (and this really bothers me), some of the rudest and most inconsiderate drivers in Texas have a Jesus fish stuck on the back of their cars. People, if you’re going to drive like that, please leave the Ichthus at home. If you’re going to broadcast the fact that you are a Christian, then PLEASE act like one!

 

4. Fourth, road rage here is just plain scary. In Indiana, I can’t remember ever being honked at, flipped off, or yelled at while I was driving. However, I must say that I’ve heard more than a few honks (etcetera) in the ten years I’ve lived here. Yet I’m a good driver - and an extremely defensive driver! My husband tends to be a little more aggressive in the car than I am. I always tell him to be careful because here, unlike in Indiana, you never know when somebody’s got a sawed-off shotgun in the back of their 4 x 4 that they’re rarin’ to use!     

 

5. The moral of the story is: let’s treat people in cars the way we would treat them if we met them on the street. That hunk of metal and rubber doesn’t entitle us to be rude or careless. Our call to “love God and love people” is the same no matter where we are! 

 

For more “deep thoughts” on this subject and to read the “Drivers’ Ten Commandments” issued by the Vatican, please check out Anne Jackson’s hilarious blog at www.flowerdust.net. Thanks! Any comments would be welcome and appreciated.

     

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God is On the Move

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Intercultural Marriage, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Resources, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 17, 2007 @ 4:02 pm by Marla 

Bono, the lead singer of U2, was asked to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast in February of 2006. His new book, On the Move, records the compelling insights he shared that day as well as his powerful call for Christians to rally around the hungry, hurt and suffering people of this world. The book also features exquisite, heartwrenching photos taken by Bono himself during his travels to Africa. In On the Move, Bono says this:

 

“The one thing on which we can all agree is that God is with the vulnerable and poor. God is in the slums and in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. 6,500 Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store. This is not about charity; this is about justice and equality.” 

 

In our own intercultural ministry and our missionary travels throughout Europe, my husband and I grew to understand more of Christ’s heart for people and the intensely personal nature of His ministry. He poured Himself out as an offering to those around Him, drawing from a deep well of compassion for their hungers and their griefs. Instead of repelling people with judgment and condemnation, He drew them irresistibly, lovingly, to Himself. He always chose to meet people’s physical needs FIRST; then, He addressed their spiritual needs.   

 

Why, then, do we expect to be able to answer people’s spiritual questions and help them discover God when we ignore their hurts, their hungers, their needs and their desires?   

 

In the book of Matthew, Jesus illustrated the vital social nature of the gospel this way:  

 

“The King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’  

 

Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  

 

The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:34-40) 

 

The truth is that the faith that unites us is SO much greater than the petty arguments that divide us. What can you and I do today to meet a physical need, and in so doing, to address a deeper spiritual need? Let’s be “Jesus with skin on” to someone longing for forgiveness, hope, grace, and restoration. 

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New Literary Journal Accepting Submissions

Filed Under Communication, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Poetry, Resources, Success, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 16, 2007 @ 8:29 am by Marla 

Hello! A new Christian literary journal called Toward the Light: Journal of Reflective Word and Image is currently accepting submissions of poetry and visual art. The next deadline for submissions is September 1, 2007. The journal also features a poetry competition and a photo contest. All of you talented writers and photographers out there, please check it out at www.towardthelight.net.

Blessings! 

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