What We Can Learn from “A Wonderful Life”

One thing I enjoy this time of year is watching the Christmas specials like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” One of my friends recently reminded me of a line that guardian angel Clarence tells George toward the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Clarence says, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

We as writers can get easily discouraged. An e-newsletter I receive from American Christian Writers noted that writing is a profession with a 99 percent rejection rate. Ouch.

By nature, we want to succeed. As writers, we want to make a difference. However, many times, we simply can’t know what impact our writing is making in other people’s lives.

I like what Helen Keller said. Though she was not talking about writing, I can see an application for writers. She said, “I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”

That reminds me very much of something Jesus told his disciples in Luke 16:10. He said, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.”

As Clarence told George, we may never know what an “awful hole” we would leave if we weren’t around. We may not be able to see the impact of our writing, but we can trust that at least in some small way, our writing is touching someone’s life. So press on.

Self-Publishing My Story: One Year Later, Part 2

One of the best moments in my self-publishing experience was receiving the package that contained the first copy of my printed book. That copy represented so much hard work come to fruition.

However, for me –as for any self-published author – it also represents much hard work yet to come. Last time, we started to take a candid look at self-publishing, and I’d like to offer some additional thoughts from personal experience.

Megaphone Marketing

If you’re not an assertive person by nature, marketing your self-published book is going to be the hardest part of the process.

Even if you are an assertive person, finding the time to market your book – unless you have the luxury of not working a full-time job – will be a challenge.

In all honesty, writing your book and getting it published is a breeze compared to marketing. Make the most of free tools like Amazon’s Author Center. Write your own press releases and publish them on services like FreePressRelease.com. Find out if your alma mater will consider carrying your book in their campus store.

In short, get creative.

The Journey is What Matters

You may have heard the saying by Ursula K. LeGuin, “It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

That quote aptly describes how I view my self-publishing story. Do I want my book to be successful? Of course. Am I writing book two? Absolutely.

But self-publishing isn’t a walk in the park. You sometimes have to lay aside your “great expectations” and set realistic goals. You have to understand that you will be doing all the heavy lifting involved and that you are a marketing department of one.

Yet despite the challenges, self-publishing is rewarding. It is a journey. It is a chance to share creativity and meaning with others.

So would I do it again? I smile and say, “Yes.”

Self-Publishing My Story: One Year Later, Part 1

This November – the 30^th to be exact – marks the one-year anniversary of self-publishing book one in my Wings of the Dawn planned series. As I look back over my self-publishing adventure, I want to offer an honest perspective on self-publishing and answer the question perhaps you are wondering, “Would you do it again?”

Remove the Rose-Colored Glasses

All writers – self-published or not – dream of seeing their books lining the shelves of bookstores and topping the New York Times’ Best-Seller list.

There is a time to dream, but there is a time to set realistic expectations as well. If you are considering self-publishing, now is that time.

First, understand that you will have some stiff competition. According to Publisher’s Weekly, 764,448 titles were produced in 2009 by self-publishers.

Also, there is no guarantee that you will see ROI on the cost of self-publishing. In his article Self-publishing a book: 25 things you need to know, David Carnoy offers this statistic, “The average self-published book sells about 100-150 copies--or 2/3 to 3/4 of your friends and family combined (and don't count on all your Facebook acquaintances buying).”

You need to ask yourself the question, “Why do I want to self-publish?”  If the answer is, “To make a lot of money,” self-publishing may not be the solution for you.

I view self-publishing as an investment. Of course, it is a financial investment – averaging between $1000 and $5000, according to another article from Publisher’s Weekly. Beyond that, it is an investment of time, creativity and passion.

If you just look at numbers, you may not see the return you want. If you look at self-publishing as the achievement of a personal goal – as the chance to put your story in someone’s hands and help make a difference in someone’s life – then you might find in self-publishing a large reward. And if your story just happens to start flying off the shelves, consider that icing on the cake.

You Are Going to Get Dirty

Roll up your sleeves, and be prepared to get dirty if you’re thinking about self-publishing. No one is going to do the work for you.

Yes, you can find a self-publishing company that does the type setting, designs a cover and gets your finished book available online. And yes, you will pay a fee for all of those services.

However, these companies don’t generally edit or proofread your work. Thanks to my background in English and the patience of my kind father, I didn’t have to hire an editor. But for many authors, getting professional editing is essential.

Besides the editing, you must take ownership for every aspect of the process. For example, my initial cover design failed my expectations. I spent hours researching the type of “girl” I wanted on my cover and making calls to my project manager at Xulon Press, the Christian self-publishing company I used.

I love my cover, and I think Xulon Press did an excellent job designing it. Just realize that if you’re self-publishing, you need to know exactly what you want and be creative in communicating your vision effectively. (For the record, I would recommend Xulon Press if you are shopping around for a Christian self-publisher. They offer several packages to fit your budget and work with you each step of the way.)

So would I do it again? Come back next week for more “hindsight” advice and my honest answer to that question.

Christian Fiction and Communicating Truth

Do you have to be a Christian writer to communicate truth in fiction? Last time, I asked that question, and today, I want to offer an answer and implications for Christian fiction writers.

To begin, let’s clarify that by truth, I’m not talking about facts such as historical accounts or scientific realities like gravity. Obviously, the encyclopedia and dictionary contain accounts and definitions which we generally accept as accurate – regardless who penned the words.

By truth, I am referring to a worldview that accurately pictures the eternal God in his relationship to mankind – He, the Creator and Redeemer; we, the created, fallen and redeemed – and yes, I would argue that the Christian writer has the best chance of portraying the correct relationship people have to each other and to God.

Let me clarify what I mean by worldview. Your worldview is the lens through which you see and experience life. I like the definition Francis A. Shaeffer, well-known author, philosopher and theologian, offered in his book How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture. He used the term presuppositions, meaning “the basic way an individual looks at life, his world view, the grid through which he sees the world.”

The question that naturally follows is this: How does the Christian writer present truth in storytelling without being didactic? Must Christian fiction writers always pen stories with a Christian message central to the plot?

I have two thoughts to share from the wisdom of two different college professors. One professor frequently reminded my class that our writing should not be “preachy.” And I agree. After all, no one likes someone "shouting at" or "lecturing" them.

The flip side is that we can do too thorough a job of being objective that we leave our readers without a trace of an underlying Biblical perspective. That brings me to my second professor. On one of my papers, she left this comment, which I will never forget.  She wrote, “The essay could have been written by an unbeliever. Should not everything we write identify that which defines who we are?”

The Christian fiction writer has a responsibility not only to remain true to the characters and plot but also to himself. After all, should not everything we write point to the One who redeemed us, who gave us a story to tell?

I used the word “worldview” earlier, and I am going to use it again, because the Christian worldview is at the heart of the matter. It influences everything I write – nonfiction or fiction. Undoubtedly, it should show in my writing.

Perhaps a story will not end with a clearly defined message of salvation. However, maybe it will present the theme of finding strength in Christ in our weakness and develop a dynamic character who grows through adversity. Or, perhaps the conflict will stem from mankind’s fallen human condition – pride or rejection of absolute truth and values – propelling the characters through a natural sequence of consequences.

In short, though a Christian thread may appear in the story, Christian truth itself may not always take the stage front and center.  C.S. Lewis seemed to be of that opinion when he said, “The first job of a story is to be a good story; and if God wants the story to carry a Christian message, that will come in of its own accord.”

There is clearly a balance, and every Christian writer, depending on his audience and genre, needs to find it for himself.  However, I would leave you with this challenge: Don’t be afraid to let your writing reveal that which defines who you are.

Truth in Fiction: Are You Reading Well?

A friend of mine came up to me recently and asked, “So, what are you reading these days?”

That is a good question to ask anyone in today’s culture where so many people simply prefer to watch television than open a book.  The average American above 15 years old spends 2.7 hours a day watching TV – which accounts for about half of a person’s daily leisure time – according to the latest American Time Use Survey Summary released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The amount of time spent reading varied greatly by age group, but young adults ages 15-19 averaged 6 minutes per weekend day. Ouch.

However, the point I want to make is not that people should read more – clearly an understatement in today’s society.

The question I want to probe today is this: What are we learning from what we read? In other words, are we reading well? For those of us who are writers, I add another question: Are we writing well?

The answer to those two questions may be more closely connected than you may think.

I like what Neil Postman says in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death. While making the argument that the written word always carries meaning, he makes this statement: “A written sentence calls upon its author to say something, upon its reader to know the import of what is said.”

I see a two-fold responsibility in Postman’s statement. First, the author is responsible for saying something, and second, the reader is responsible for understanding the message conveyed.

Of course, every writer has something to say. As Postman says, “It is very hard to say nothing when employing a written English sentence.” So yes, every writer has an object – and a bias – in writing.

With that in mind, the reader should approach books with critical questions. What message is the writer conveying? Is the writer consistent in conveying that message? Is that message developed effectively and convincingly? In other words, the reader should be actively reading.

Perhaps you are wondering, “Ok, so I get how a nonfiction writer conveys truth, but what about a fiction writer? Don’t fiction authors just write make-believe stories?”

I would argue that the “make-believe” holds a unique power of its own. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.”

The power of fiction is that it uses the vehicle of our imaginations and actively involves us in the drama. We suffer through the protagonist’s mistakes, exult when the hero vanquishes the villain, or feel wronged when justice is not served.

Here’s another way to look at what we can learn from “make believe”: Fiction can depict human nature so well that in reading it, we discover something about ourselves in the process.

So I argue that truth is waiting to be found in fiction. Do you have to be a Christian writer to communicate truth? I’d like to leave you with that question to think about for next time.

Of course, there are bad fiction novels – bad either because they are written poorly or because they don’t say anything worthwhile.

Good or bad, we learn from what we read. So I ask you again: Are you reading well?

Missing the Cheese? It’s Time to Move On

Have you ever felt as if you’re watching your life go by – and you’re an observer and not a participant? Maybe that’s because your cheese has moved and you haven’t.

Cheese? Yes, cheese. That’s the analogy Spencer Johnson, M.D. uses for success and happiness in his bestselling book Who Moved My Cheese?

The setting is Chicago where some friends have gathered after their high school reunion. Looking back, life hasn’t treated them quite as they expected it would. One of the friends, in talking about how his life has changed, mentions a story that made a big difference in his perspective. At the request of his friends, he tells the story of two mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two Littlepeople named Hem and Haw.

Stop right there. I know you are seriously thinking about never finishing this blog post – after all, two mice and two Littlepeople? Really? I know, it sounds strange, but keep reading.  It might help to understand that the short book, less than 100 pages, reads like a parable. The characters are imaginary, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll discover there’s a little bit of each of them in all of us.

At the beginning of the story, the characters are in a maze looking for cheese. You've probably heard the expression, “the maze of life.” That’s the reality of their situation: the maze is dark and is an easy place to get lost. But eventually, they find a huge store of cheese that from all appearances, will last forever.

It doesn’t, and the rest of the story explores how the four characters deal with the disappearance. Keep in mind that cheese is what makes you happy.

Some of the characters take the situation at face value and realize that since the situation has changed, they need to change too. Others don’t want to deal with the problem and rationalize the situation. Surely the cheese will return, because after all, aren’t they entitled to the cheese?

Some are fearful of moving on, because leaving their current situation means moving away from where they are comfortable. It could mean failure: What if they don’t find new cheese?

Johnson does an excellent job illustrating how people respond differently to change and the mindset change that must occur to overcome fear.  By the story’s end, he summarizes through one of his character’s experiences what he calls “The Handwriting on the Wall” – how to make the most of change.

We all want to be successful in life. If your cheese has disappeared or is starting to get old, do something about it, because, “things change and are never the same,” as Haw discovers. “That’s life! Life moves on. And so should we.”

For more information about this book, visit www.WhoMovedMyCheese.com

Writer’s Pep Talk: Building Strength from Failure

No one likes to fail. For a child, failing a test or a grade can be devastating. As adults, failing to be accepted into a college program or getting a desired job can be a hard blow. For writers, receiving a rejection letter to a book proposal or query can feel like the end of the world.

And yet, failure isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Oftentimes, it makes us stronger.  

Think about failure in terms of exercising. If you’ve had a personal trainer, gone to a gym or perhaps read books about working out, one expression you might have come across is this: pushing yourself beyond muscle failure.

Now what does that mean? Basically, when you’ve pushed your body to what feels like the limit and yet you push yourself even more, that’s when you build muscle.

Physically, going beyond the end of your strength means that next time, you’ll have strength to go even further. That’s endurance.

Applying that same principle to writing isn’t much of a stretch. Someone isn’t going to like your style. Someone is going to turn you down. Someone is going to criticize you.

So what. Press on.

There are dozens of stories about now-famous authors who were turned down. Check out the Schuler Books Weblog’s article called “30 famous authors whose works were rejected (repeatedly, and sometimes rudely) by publishers.”

One of those famous authors was ee cummings whose book of poetry The Enormous Room was rejected by 15 publishers before he self-published it. (Go self-publishing!) The ironic ending is that he dedicated the book to those same 15 publishers.

So yes, failure hurts, but we can choose to learn from it and be better for it.

Remember the words of Winston Churchill: “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

As C.S. Lewis said, “Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.”