tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331492222024-03-07T04:13:30.037-05:00Musings and MeanderingsThis is my journey - a look at my struggles and discoveries, my dreams and setbacks, my daily walk toward eternity. Sometimes you'll catch glimpses of my forthcoming books, sometimes you'll discover background on my previous ones. Sometimes you'll just see the world through my slightly skewed eyes. Join me on my journey through this paradox called life.
(All text on this site is copyrighted by Steven James.)Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-20431022468867218322012-04-21T08:34:00.000-05:002012-04-21T08:34:07.119-05:00Why I Wrote Quest for Celestia<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Celestia-Reimagining-Pilgrims-Progress/dp/0899578861/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335015060&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><b>Quest for Celestia</b></a></h2>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8385067763738334"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I was in college and became a Christian, someone ended up handing me a copy of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Pilgrim’s Progress</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a book that John Bunyan wrote while he was serving a twelve-year prison sentence for preaching the Gospel without permission. </span></b><br />
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.8385067763738334"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From a literary perspective, his book was a groundbreaking achievement—it was one of the first (if not the first) novel-length allegories ever printed, and according to some scholars, for more than two hundred years it was the second-best selling book in the world, trailing only the Bible.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though I’m not typically a fan of “the classics,” I read it and it really impacted me. I’m no theologian, but the narrative-based look at the Christian life connected with me in a way no sermon ever had. The story made sense not just to my mind, but to my storyteller’s heart. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, honestly, the book is hard to get through. With its archaic language, heavy-handed moralizing, and blatantly obvious allegorical lessons, it’s almost inaccessible to modern readers.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, a few years ago when I was exploring writing a fantasy novel for teens, I decided to reimagine John Bunyan’s tale, not through the eyes of a preacher, but through the eyes of a storyteller. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a stand-alone fantasy adventure story, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quest for Celestia</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> takes readers on an epic journey through a land of giants, dragons, danger and deception. While John Bunyan’s themes, images, and fragments of thought have certainly found their way into this story, it’s not just a retelling of his allegory, it’s a completely new vision of the quest he tried to encapsulate in his tale. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stories live only as long as they’re retold or remembered. I hope </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quest for Celestia</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> will introduce a whole new generation to the fantastical, mythic story that spans the ages, the story that John Bunyan was imprisoned for telling to the world. </span></span>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-42373578870967784132012-02-13T11:16:00.000-05:002012-02-13T11:16:10.453-05:00Annoying Names in Novels<br />
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When authors try to be clever it annoys me to no end.</div>
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I would rather my readers spend their time immersed in my stories than looking for hidden meaning in the names or locations, so I was floored when one of my readers pointed out one time that the name Sevren (a villain who first appears in <i>The Pawn</i>) is Nerves spelled backward.</div>
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Man, I hadn’t noticed that, and I never would have used the name if I had.</div>
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Why? Because when readers see that, they’ll naturally start looking for more of the same and that would get in the way of their engagement with the story.</div>
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I’ve seen authors use Angela to represent—guess what?—an angelic, good character, my, how unobtrusive that is. Or Diablo as the name for a character who . . . well, you get it.</div>
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Yes, I know, Natasha spelled backward is “Ah, Satan” and could be your devil worshipping character, but please don’t fall into that trap.</div>
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Yes, you could use the name “Marie Annette” for a character who’s being used as a puppet. The name looks okay on the page, but say it aloud and you’ll notice that it sounds the same as “marionette.” As soon as readers notice this, what do you think they’ll naturally do?</div>
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Yes, of course, they’ll start analyzing every name, every location, to see what you, the clever author, are using them to represent. And when that happens readers are no longer in the story itself, but looking at it from the outside in and you’ve shot yourself in the foot. </div>
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Why do this to yourself? </div>
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Just use normal names. </div>
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Don’t let anything get in the way of the story.</div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-36923272985175427152012-01-02T11:14:00.001-05:002012-01-12T15:40:11.840-05:00Interview with Penguin Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQNUVSBjJ682lNvLthRZtDtD_hYTmbeUKQA3I_IqqvbGSYF8uRN1h9QGf7s9UF-bvozfVZunKAfD9ZhXyccvLHcV9TK3zpOY5_cns5FCnjnqrw8B4UYIziRhG4DcrZUoFCi3U/s1600/the+bishop+mass+market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQNUVSBjJ682lNvLthRZtDtD_hYTmbeUKQA3I_IqqvbGSYF8uRN1h9QGf7s9UF-bvozfVZunKAfD9ZhXyccvLHcV9TK3zpOY5_cns5FCnjnqrw8B4UYIziRhG4DcrZUoFCi3U/s1600/the+bishop+mass+market.jpg" /></a></div>
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Check out <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGL1dcT0pZ0&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">my interview with Penguin Books</a> who recently published the mass market edition of <i>The Bishop</i>.</div>
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<br /></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-77482337813917844792011-12-27T10:58:00.000-05:002012-01-12T15:42:22.881-05:00Spreading the News<br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.22852844838052988"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our cyberworld is connecting people better than ever believed possible. It has allowed me to interact with readers of my books like never before. Each day, I hear from people around the world who have read my books. Some have questions. Some have a bone to pick. Some simply loved the books and wanted to let me know. Well, just as the Web allows people to connect, it can also cause them to drown. With millions of other websites out there, millions of other authors, it’s easy to get lost. If you’re looking for a practical way to help spread the word about my books, consider one of these easy things to do:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Word of mouth—always the best.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. “Like” Steven James on Facebook at sjamesauthor.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Post an online book review. (A single review can go a long way. Copy and paste it to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/" target="_blank">CBD</a> and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>.)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Make sure your book stores and libraries carry my books. If not, request them to do so.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for your support!</span></b></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-40011338677982847022011-12-01T17:03:00.000-05:002011-12-01T17:30:16.754-05:00Fifteen Suspense Movies You Haven’t Seen But Need To<div class="p1">
Well, everyone, there are lots of great thriller films I could recommend (and I will someday), but I thought for now I’d pass along some of the little-known gems that are all on my all-time favorite movies list. Enjoy! (Use your discretion, of course. Some of these are rated R for a reason.)</div>
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15. <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>A Murder of Crows</div>
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14.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Night Train</div>
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13.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Following</div>
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12.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Black Book</div>
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11.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The Cry of the Owl</div>
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10.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Fear</div>
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9.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Blink</div>
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8.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Best Laid Plans</div>
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7.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Dahmer</div>
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6.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Joshua</div>
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5.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The Dead Girl</div>
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4.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Enduring Love</div>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>11:14</div>
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Blood Simple</div>
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Hard Candy<br />
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What other recommendations do you have? </div>
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</div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-32177589235909659352011-11-28T20:19:00.001-05:002011-11-28T20:21:40.535-05:00The Rhythms of Life<div style="font: 13.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I recently sent in the first draft of my latest thriller, <i>Placebo</i>, and as I was mentally regrouping, I was reminded again of the rhythms of life—the seasons of stress and recreation, of the long nights sitting at the keyboard contrasting with the warm afternoons strolling through the forest. It struck me that without the two extremes, something seems to be missing in my life.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">If I don’t work hard I lose direction.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">If I don’t play I lose perspective.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Right before Thanksgiving when I was flying home from a meeting at my publisher’s, I sat beside a man who’d recently retired. He told me that for the first year he liked it, but then he got bored. “You can only play so many rounds of golf,” he told me.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">True enough.</div><div style="font: 13.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">We have deadlines, workloads, quotas, and we have Sunday afternoon naps, milkshake dates and family Uno nights. People who never take a break are just as annoying to be with as those who never take anything seriously. We have to live in this paradox or responsibility and relaxation, because when we slip into one extreme or the other—too much work or too much free time—we seem to become less human in the ways that matter most. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">So, here’s to the coffee breaks. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">And here’s to the reason we take them. </div><div style="font: 13.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Both. </div><br />
<div id="ytCinemaMessage" style="display: none;"></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-88929891624147381332011-08-08T12:15:00.000-05:002011-08-08T12:15:16.523-05:00RX: Writing<i>This week my intern, Tom Vick, will be heading back to college. It’s been a great summer working with him. I asked him to write one more blog before taking off. Here are some of his thoughts on how writing impacts his life.</i><br />
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From my first journal entry to my current book project, writing has been the best drug for me. <br />
A very addicting drug that causes me to see fictional characters and to speak in a slur of poetic metaphors that leave my friends saying “Whatever, Tom.”<br />
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Without a doubt, writing impacts my life. Once you start thinking like a writer one of many things will happen to you: <br />
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1. Others will think you are weird for “people watching” and then trying to make up a story about that person. <br />
2. Fictional people become your co-workers.<br />
3. If you have what it takes, people will listen to you, and your writing days in those indie coffee shops will pull readers out of their mundane lives. <br />
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When you’re a writer, ideas never leave you alone. There will always be that new character that shows up, the new twist ending you didn’t see coming, and histories of entire worlds so complex you would become a cranky grouch if you didn’t write them down. But writing doesn’t just help me create it helps me process life. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Whenever I have a moral dilemma in life—you know the kind that keeps you up long hours boring a hole into the ceiling above your bed at night—I write that problem down. Then I write every single thought on the page after that problem. Somewhere, if I keep at it, I will find a solution. Or maybe not. But I always make new discoveries about life.<br />
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Without this narcotic ink I cannot really think. <br />
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One of my worst nightmares is where I get carpal tunnel, all the trees are dead, and the word processors have evolved into humans-harvesting AI with a vendetta for all the times I’ve hit their keyboards. But for now I get to pursue the dream of writing.Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-41283398696140752442011-07-18T15:13:00.001-05:002011-07-18T15:15:00.454-05:00Your invitation to be ridiculous<i>This summer I have an intern from Taylor University named Tom Vick. I asked him to be a guest blogger for the next two weeks. His writing comes deep from the heart. Enjoy. </i><br />
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“What is this?”<br />
“It’s my portfolio.”<br />
She handed the manilla folder back to me. “You can do better than this.”<br />
“But—”<br />
“Tom, you’re a good writer, don’t settle for mediocre.”<br />
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That sort of talk was what I needed to propel me into my career. People believing in me helped me survive high school English critique groups. I could graduate knowing two or three English teachers thought I was going somewhere. Even now my old high school buddies respond with “Oh yeah, you were always good at writing stuff,” when I update them with my latest stories. But now looking back I realize it wasn’t everything I needed. <br />
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When you grow as a writer or as a person for that matter, you need more than the confirmation of your peers. My teachers believed in me. My parents cherished every written word. Even my friends thought I was going to make it big, but I always doubted.<br />
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In my junior year of high school, I published my first devotional. That’s when people started putting the pressure on me. They threw expectations at me. I didn’t want those because I had already aimed my arrows north of the bulls-eye. All that did was put my publishing career on hold for three years after those devotions. <br />
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The Word was a place of constant refuge for me and it proved my self-deprecations wrong. Jesus called his first followers with these words. “Follow me and I will teach to you to fish for people.” What a ridiculous invitation, to “fish for people” and what a radical following those words kindled. <br />
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Jesus Christ died on a tree for us. That makes me think we’re worth something to him. <br />
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Maybe he would like to see me use talents he wrote out for me before the beginning of time. Believing in yourself, a creature of selfish ambition is ridiculous, but with blood paid for my life I found out that setting expectations for yourself is a way to glorify God even though logically it’s unreasonable. That’s it. Be ridiculous. That’s the writing advice he can give you. Be as ridiculous as possible. You are a supernatural entity in God’s eyes capable of one day judging angels. It’s your free invitation to be ridiculous. <br />
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<div id="ytCinemaMessage" style="display: none;"></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-81069286897310946882011-06-15T14:55:00.001-05:002011-06-15T14:58:05.552-05:00A Few Thoughts on Creativity<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuZ-ZWyu2DvijjVtAqct-UTC_yvWhqTIIpxQSlme7tlzZcKZ-BZvz-b-C4TmqIXm6FezNmiE7I5Y2H6xp10y8bviE4vb-j4B3FIRIOex6AS6VqXDYz6ZM25VbNKQ8c7gZkgjk/s1600/Landscape+of+Butterflies+by+Dali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuZ-ZWyu2DvijjVtAqct-UTC_yvWhqTIIpxQSlme7tlzZcKZ-BZvz-b-C4TmqIXm6FezNmiE7I5Y2H6xp10y8bviE4vb-j4B3FIRIOex6AS6VqXDYz6ZM25VbNKQ8c7gZkgjk/s200/Landscape+of+Butterflies+by+Dali.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landscape of Butterflies by Dali</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="font: 10.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Undefine normal - </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The more I think about it, the more I’m starting to believe that typical exists but, normal does not. To use the word ‘normal’ to describe something seems to imply that other ideas that don’t fit the criteria you’ve established are abnormal. That is, not good. So, instead, try thinking of what’s atypical, what hasn’t been done to death before. It’ll lead you to find new solutions and give you new perspectives. Whether that’s with a novel you’re writing, a painting you’re creating, or a new recipe you’re inventing. </span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Reverse expectations</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> - Rather than thinking about what’s expected of you, think of what is not. But what you would accomplish if you didn’t have those expectations? What would you do if no one was looking over your shoulder? What would you write in your novel or sketch if there were no expectations, if there was only a dream to pursue?</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Explore relationships</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> - Look for unexpected connections, natural consequences of your idea, and apparent contradictions. Take this train of thought to its logical conclusion. Force yourself to stick together two ideas that aren’t typically connected. Be specific, not too broad. For example—I am going to write a 3000 word short story about a scuba diver with the opening line, “I woke up underwater and I knew I was going to die.”</span></div><br />
<div id="ytCinemaMessage" style="display: none;"></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-91736911603516310772011-04-22T16:21:00.001-05:002011-06-20T10:00:44.274-05:00Flailing at Success<div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today I was reflecting on success and it brought to mind some of the thoughts I shared a few years ago in my book </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Becoming Real.</span></i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After interviewing people about their definitions of success, author and speaker Denis Haack wrote, "Most people I've asked seem to have little trouble identifying the predominant version [of success] in society: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Success means attaining some measure of money, fame, power and self-fulfillment—and then looking the part."</span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I first read that, I had to ask myself how much of my life is spent in the pursuit of money? Or fame? Or power? Or self-fulfillment (however you define that)? And then looking the part?</span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGwphzB6sVfYc4ItnQGKZfJ87xPvbUcx6qDobMNXHv3C3QShMPMLgpnFvfZN4qPOqI-NSPs1TTSqcOfnjMpHTIFq5-bEL9iugiFzS97bT_uqw8bNrNT17WSOXajAX9BSPLk6E/s1600/21631n17ag1m676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGwphzB6sVfYc4ItnQGKZfJ87xPvbUcx6qDobMNXHv3C3QShMPMLgpnFvfZN4qPOqI-NSPs1TTSqcOfnjMpHTIFq5-bEL9iugiFzS97bT_uqw8bNrNT17WSOXajAX9BSPLk6E/s320/21631n17ag1m676.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of<a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1556"> nuttakit</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For instance, why do we wear the clothes we do? Or drive the car we do, or live in the house and neighborhood we live in? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"But," I can hear a voice inside of me argue, "I can't afford a nicer car or a better house!"</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">True. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But if I had the money, if I had the opportunity to get a better car, or nicer clothes, or a bigger home, well, admittedly, just like most people, I’d probably get them. After all, in our society, how successful are you—</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">really—</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">if no one notices?</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Money. Fame. Power. Self-fulfillment.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It struck me that when I die, God is not going to ask to see my bank account or my 401K plan or my abs. He's not going to ask me how many friends I had on Facebook or if any of my books were New York Times bestsellers or how much I can bench press. But I think he is going to ask me if I was faithful with the gifts, with the ideas, with the time he gave me.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I came across an instance when Jesus said, “A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God,” (Luke 12:21) and I realized that, for me, whenever my work becomes more focused on accomplishment than on faithfulness, I'm no longer on the road to true success, but am actually on a detour around it.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, I'm curious. What are the criteria you typically use to measure success? How do you identify or define a successful person? And maybe, most pertinently of all, are you a successful person?</span></div><div id="ytCinemaMessage" style="display: none;"></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-42544129588839451782011-04-05T11:14:00.002-05:002011-06-20T10:01:58.559-05:00Looking out the Window<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_ry6_w-CRJV4FOrSiXOnNJU0SWC1EP0lsvjC1Qpon2AnJ50gDb29_3lIuJiOSoqr0iUpwVmaJg11e7iSr3Ak3nyljg4p1ijHJjWTl1_czyQAo1jTaIB3ErDnEY8oxZ_x_-kD/s1600/Cumulus1X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_ry6_w-CRJV4FOrSiXOnNJU0SWC1EP0lsvjC1Qpon2AnJ50gDb29_3lIuJiOSoqr0iUpwVmaJg11e7iSr3Ak3nyljg4p1ijHJjWTl1_czyQAo1jTaIB3ErDnEY8oxZ_x_-kD/s200/Cumulus1X.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last week on my flight to Atlanta (this was before the Southwest plane’s roof blew off!) I sat next to a college-aged woman who’d never been on an airplane before. She didn’t hide how nervous she was and, though I tried to reassure her we’d be okay, as we took off she was seriously nervous. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">However, when we got above the clouds she just stared out the window and gasped, “Oh! Do you see this? It’s like an ocean with waves!”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I looked out the window. Just a bunch of clouds beneath us. “Sure,” I said. “It’s nice.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But she could barely contain herself as she saw them softly wisp across each other. “It’s the breath of God,” she said softly.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The breath of God.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Seeing the sense of wonder in her eyes, hearing the awe in her voice, struck me deeply. Here was a woman seeing something I’ve seen hundreds of times and she was astonished by the beauty of it, while I’d been staring at my in-flight magazine and hadn’t even bothered to look out the window.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Walt Whitman wrote, “A mouse is miracle enough to stagger sextillions of infidels.” This universe is full of whispers of God’s mystery, his presence, his character. But most of the time we’re too blind or busy or distracted to notice.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As a writer I’m supposed to notice what other people miss, see things from a unique perspective, help people open their eyes to the real world shimmering beneath the mundane, but it took a young woman seeing something for the first time to do that for me.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I remember thinking, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wonder is living around you, Steve, clouds are whispering by, carried on the breath of God.</span></i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So today, I’m trying to see life again.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Really see it.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As if I’m looking out the window for the very first time. </span></div><div id="ytCinemaMessage" style="display: none;"></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-45114839436536501612011-03-31T10:42:00.001-05:002011-06-21T13:06:50.632-05:00The Madness to Win<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_UfazT_8fiZwC0SG3IBeZ2-Z1feWvS32SE-15g0XkRXCYnkFOFzYbOiGfrVyjX7Fqwq0QaR1lpCGP35ZqFVImQebiQGLft1q1AZdm_gKiWEcMzW3ggc4dOl0aaSqX4QBx-bT/s1600/hoops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_UfazT_8fiZwC0SG3IBeZ2-Z1feWvS32SE-15g0XkRXCYnkFOFzYbOiGfrVyjX7Fqwq0QaR1lpCGP35ZqFVImQebiQGLft1q1AZdm_gKiWEcMzW3ggc4dOl0aaSqX4QBx-bT/s200/hoops.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">(Photo courtesy of </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=659"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">Salvatore Vuono</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">)</span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 11.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">March Madness made me think a little about my own history with B-ball.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And how it ended up shaping my view of competition.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I was in high school I was addicted to the game. I practiced three-four hours every day of the summer, sometimes shooting 2000 or more shots in a day. If I missed a day I’d practice six hours-eight hours the next. Nearly every night during those four years I slept with my basketball so that I’d be holding it eight hours a day more than my competitors. (I should mention that I was never a great player, but our team did manage to win two state championships.)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I got to college I asked a girl I really liked out on a date. After our meal, I wanted to impress her (hey, I’m a guy!) so I told her all about high school basketball, how hard I’d worked, how much I’d improved, and finally she said, “Steve, can I ask you a question?”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“Sure.”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“What was your god in high school?”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The question floored me and was one of the biggest kicks-in-the-butt that led me to eventually become a Christian.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And that’s where the trouble began, because I liked to win and I was willing to work harder than anyone else to do it. But I also realized how easily basketball could become my god. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then, when I really began to study the teachings of Jesus and the authors of the New Testament, I realized that humility mattered more to God than victory. One day it struck me that all competition has, at its core, self-promotion. After all, the only way for me to win is for you to lose. That means I am honored and you are not.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was forced to ask myself, “How can I love, serve and honor someone (above myself), while I’m wholeheartedly trying to defeat him?”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chrysostom, one of the early Church Fathers, said that the cause of all evils was ambition. The New Testament reiterates this idea: “</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,” (Philippians 2:3).</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Think about it this way. A person from the other team misses the shot that could win the game for him, and my team and my fans cheer. That other player already feels bad, how is cheering over his failure a way of serving him or valuing him above myself?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 8.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 18.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yes, I still play hoops, still love the game, but that question always sticks in my mind. And sorting out where the quest for excellence ends and selfish ambition begins is still just as hard for me as ever.</span></span></span></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-41013269698695553192011-03-23T12:54:00.004-05:002011-06-21T13:08:42.825-05:00To Tweet or Not to Tweet?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NDVNp7Vi2ElQIohzaaeTM7nd9vcP35y-6PYnxnkXLukUarieOoX9oqjGSbBrW1qt-fiZN0tbqSOMjJ7uWJbEz-hVees0Yps9fhoZ3L6mPCJkVKW4V1SgmhS73Z7UC1TLCLUn/s1600/19113_7042_m.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587335501397831058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NDVNp7Vi2ElQIohzaaeTM7nd9vcP35y-6PYnxnkXLukUarieOoX9oqjGSbBrW1qt-fiZN0tbqSOMjJ7uWJbEz-hVees0Yps9fhoZ3L6mPCJkVKW4V1SgmhS73Z7UC1TLCLUn/s200/19113_7042_m.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Recently I was at a seminar on social media by a man who has 40,000 Twitter followers. He told us the story of how he was having trouble with his cable connection and sent out a tweet complaining about it. The next day Comcast’s truck was at his doorstep and they laid brand new cable for his entire block!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now, that's certainly impressive, but it got me thinking—is there any other form of mass communication that you could send out a complaint like that to 40,000 people and it not be narcissistic? </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In other words, imagine walking up to 40,000 people at a time and complaining to them about the speed of your cable connection, or sending out 40,000 letters or emails, or an announcement on the radio or television to 40,000 people that your cable connection was slow. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">How does it benefit 40,000 people to hear that you’re annoyed at the speed of your computer’s cable connection?</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Pascal, a 17</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> century philosopher and mathematician, wrote, “We do not content ourselves with the life we have in ourselves; we desire to live an imaginary life in the minds of others, and for this purpose we endeavor to shine."</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Facebook and Twitter give us the chance to do that: to constantly insert ourselves into other people’s minds with the trivialities or our own lives. So, here are a few questions I’ve been asking myself lately about my facebook posts:</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px;"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Am I using this post to get what I want, to maintain a certain image or identity, or to bring other people a better life? Who benefits from this?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If I were to give up this aspect of social media, would I feel that something important is missing from my life? I heard about a study of college students in which they had to give up social media and networking for a week and after three days one girl needed to see a therapist. “I feel like people might have forgotten about me,” she said. She needed to know that she was living in other people’s minds.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If no on “likes” or comments on one of my status updates, photos, blog entries, etc.… do I feel overlooked, hurt or slighted? Honestly, sometimes I do. And when I do, I can’t help but think of Pascal’s words once again.</span></li>
</ul><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What do you think? Is it (or isn't it) self-centered to inform 40,000 people that your cable connection is annoyingly slow?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Computer keyboard image compliments of </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.FreePhotos.com"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">www.FreePhotos.com</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">)</span></span></span></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-9635158453059517032011-02-06T15:43:00.005-05:002011-06-21T13:09:10.421-05:00A Plan Beneath the Obvious<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7S-4kh50Id8aj-eY2dqBlHwQoOLAm0cf4rKwSIpLlTcslnUBspnuUx6woDgdu6LkahL7P-PI0FBbIJvYoUHBGwSxy6xBRmkNsFBy3ECPrrhhxs1Eq0ymxJEtlrARyRJcJGPd/s1600/05_45_18---Worship-Service-Background-Image_web.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570681427266329826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7S-4kh50Id8aj-eY2dqBlHwQoOLAm0cf4rKwSIpLlTcslnUBspnuUx6woDgdu6LkahL7P-PI0FBbIJvYoUHBGwSxy6xBRmkNsFBy3ECPrrhhxs1Eq0ymxJEtlrARyRJcJGPd/s200/05_45_18---Worship-Service-Background-Image_web.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 134px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 27.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Last week when I was at the <a href="http://www.breitbart.tv/braveheart-screenwriter-randall-wallace-at-national-prayer-breakfast/">National Prayer Breakfast in DC</a>, I was reminded of the Bible verse that says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who</span></span></span><span style="font: 8px Optima; letter-spacing: 0px;"><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></sup></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 27.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It’s a pretty astonishing promise for those who are pursuing God, for those who love him.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 27.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Well, here was my thought: there’s a plan beneath the obvious; there’s a future that our circumstances cannot overcome.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 27.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">No matter how many setbacks we face, how much bad news we get; however severe the illnesses we struggle with or how deep the rifts in our relationships, the default setting for the life of those who love God is eventual blessing.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 27.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So, if you’re facing a setback today, be assured that God is bigger than your circumstances and is able to weave a blessing through time to bring you closer to him in the end.</span></span></span></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-81333600089509500572011-01-26T13:05:00.004-05:002011-06-21T13:09:37.592-05:00Creating the Right Setting for Your Novel<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLGBzpz16B1BC2u_IH-9QqaOKJ2iS7ZHHjfGSqeRnGs-OOBsGA5eEshw_nqf-XaVbWFDazObflGIOjnA6LdWYyOmZaugNzDnmD_OMdn17-EGW3q4tGtgKrdWP4alGdLpfRPMs/s1600/creepy_house.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566862950376368386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLGBzpz16B1BC2u_IH-9QqaOKJ2iS7ZHHjfGSqeRnGs-OOBsGA5eEshw_nqf-XaVbWFDazObflGIOjnA6LdWYyOmZaugNzDnmD_OMdn17-EGW3q4tGtgKrdWP4alGdLpfRPMs/s200/creepy_house.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 129px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;">Don’t let your story be transplantable. Is the setting integrally woven to the plot? If not, work at making it indispensable so that you cannot just pick up the story and plop it into another location. Ground your story in a specific time and place. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;">Think of setting as a character. Remember, the actual characters in your book will have a specific goal, attitude and (perhaps) history with regard to their environment just as they would for any other character. Let them express this in the way they respond to situations and other actual characters within that setting.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;">For example, if your protagonist visits the beach and this brings back memories of the time when he was ten and his brother drowned at the lake, or his experience playing beach volleyball in college, or a sense of peace, all of this will affect his actions, mood and demeanor. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;">So, ask yourself, “How does the setting make the characters feel? How does the setting affect the psychology of the characters? How do they interact with it? What annoys the characters about this environment? What gets in the way of them reaching his goals? What disadvantages does it cause them? What assets does it provide?” Show each person’s response to it. Give all of them an active relationship and attitude about each location.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;">I keep these questions in mind when I write:</span></span></div><div face="'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;">Is the relationship between the characters and the story environment clear?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;">Are the attitudes of the characters clear (or at least strongly implied)?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;">Are there ways I can reshape the story to make the setting more significant to the plot or resolution?</span></li>
</ul><div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;">So, here it is in a nutshell: Treat the setting as another character and give the people in your novel an attitude toward it.</span></span></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-84618475467440760682011-01-18T12:48:00.005-05:002011-06-21T13:11:00.684-05:00Why do stories matter?<i>Last week I was a guest blogger for <a href="http://www.thebigthrill.org/">The Big Thrill</a> and the topic for the week was “Why do stories matter?” I thought I’d share some of my thoughts here as well. Enjoy.</i><br />
<br />
The topic this week really got me thinking. Obviously, stories matter to us all, they help us make sense of the world, we enjoy them, we find deep meaning in them, empathy, etc… but is there more?<br />
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When I was considering all of this, I remembered watching Braveheart and how, amidst one of the battles, I’d realized that one day I will die.<br />
<div><br />
Yes, obvious, I know.<br />
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But here’s the thing, the paradox of it all—I while already know I’m going to die, I don’t seem to really believe it. After all, if I did, I would live differently, worry about different things, prioritize in other ways.<br />
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In a way, the story opened my eyes to a truth I already knew. Novels use a pretend world to help us to better see the real one. And it seems to me we need constant reminding. Because we know all sorts of things that we don’t seem to believe: love conquers all, eternity is but a heartbeat away, relationships are more valuable than possessions, etc…<br />
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I know this sounds a little odd to say, but stories help us to start believing the things we already know. After a story that has deeply engaged us, we drink in life more deeply, notice the sunsets more, the laughter of children more, value relationships more. Maybe that’s why we cry at the movies even though we know the stories aren’t real. Because the truths of life and death and love and hope and romance are real and we start to resonate with that.<br />
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If a story is well-told, when we “suspend our disbelief” during it, we actually open ourselves up to finally stop suspending our disbelief in reality and—if only for a moment—-to begin to truly believe in our hearts the truths we already know in our heads.</div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-47921485503995638522010-10-27T08:42:00.005-05:002011-06-21T13:11:27.106-05:00Dropping Scenes that Work<div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;">As I work on my book I’m always tempted to include scenes that I think would be good, or that I want to see in that story, but more often than not, when I actually take the time to read through the book from the beginning, I realize that the readers don’t really care about those things.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">That’s happening to me now as I work on <i>The Queen</i>. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I feel this tension between the desire to include stuff that I think would be good, and stuff that is contextually necessary. I find it easy to forget that my goal is to tell a good story, not to impress readers.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">If you are a writer, don’t let what you <i>want to happen</i> interfere with <i>what needs to happen</i> to make the story work.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As you write your story, as you build the narrative world at the beginning of the tale remember that every character, every struggle, every significant setting that you introduce is a promise to your reader of the importance of that person, place or conflict to the story.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eventually readers will care more about you keeping your promises to them, by showing the relevance of all that storytelling. And keeping those promises by giving the reader what he wants is more vital to telling a good story than including witty snippets of dialogue or clever descriptions of characters or fun little scenes that strike a chord. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When I finally finish a novel of 500 pages, I will have at least that many pages written that I cannot use, not because the scenes and dialogue aren’t good, but because they aren’t vital.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">And so, here it is, one of the hardest things for me to remember when I am writing: <i>context determines content. </i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It isn’t so much about what you include, it’s how well it fits and how well it meets reader expectations about where the story needs to go.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px; text-indent: 14.4px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
</div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-59246016198935905542010-10-22T12:12:00.005-05:002011-06-21T13:11:50.375-05:00Twists that Work<div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.6px;">Lately, as always happens when I’m editing one of my novels, I found myself ripping apart my writing on <i>The Queen</i> and coming up with little hints and reminders to help me improve my writing next time around. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.6px;">I’ve decided to start sharing some of these for aspiring writers, but also for readers, so that they can begin to see the process I go through as I develop my stories. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.6px;">So, this time it has to do with creating satisfying twists.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.6px;">While I was editing today, four truths struck me:</div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.6px;">1 - The story that precedes the twist must stand on its own and not depend on the twist for its meaning, context or value. A twist has to be the icing on the cake and not the icing on the liver.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.6px;">2 - A twist is simply something that’s unexpected. If readers see it coming, it’s not a twist, it’s a disappointment. However, it must also flow logically from what precedes it. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.6px;">3 - Twists drive the story forward as long as they add layers of meaning to the preceding story-line. A twist must cause the reader to rewind the story in their minds and then replay it with the new information that the twist provides, and find that the story is deeper than they ever imagined.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.6px;">4 - The bigger the twist, the more essential that the story make sense up until that point. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Optima; margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.6px;">So here is my mini-hint, my reminder to myself: <i>Always twist the story forward. </i></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8iYZBLVZaEUm8gA1MY7t5RskitH1M6zDdjyXsV06TBXHvobOn9sZGJxieAJ13g6keLuxSnEuxgeXIz6Y2EY1PpQjlWjhaooTVJmUpMS_DkMppRRK1STWBaJauiQ6v0Vxh2ZG/s1600/thumbnail.aspx.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br />
</a>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-81740528310015276292009-12-08T10:17:00.011-05:002011-06-21T13:12:16.178-05:00How to Desensitize People to Violence<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTa77XZtuoWIpn98wx4arL0GVG9l51VNrv9r2KCupzKVzVnvRxCnbTrRTgzsZTeljQu_UjTE7opGmJcZxXMVmbVccYwaIc732y3S8sxVcqpmm0U0_nlcySjVjV1RrC3g-i54k/s1600-h/thumbnail-1.aspx.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
<div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Some people have asked if my novels, which contain violence, aren’t exacerbating the problem of violence in the world. If they are not desensitizing people even more to violence and perhaps even inciting it as people imitate what I write about. </span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here are my thoughts on the issue, and I’d love to hear your comments. </span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First of all, I agree that our world is desensitized to violence. I believe this happens when evil is mute and sanitized (TV shows where people get shot, fall over, there is no blood, no grief, no mourning), glamorized, or ignored. I think we become more sensitized to violence when it is portrayed with honesty.</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So first, muting evil. Some books and television shows do so by diminishing the value of human life. A person will be killed and no one grieves. Cut to commercial. Come back and solve the crime. This is not real life. Death hurts because we are people of dignity and worth. Death matters because life matters. Unfortunately, this muting of violence often happens in books that are labeled “religious fiction.”</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This also frequently happens in the news media. Think of a news program: “A suicide bomber killed 62 in Iraq.”</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">When you hear that do you weep? Do you mourn? No, because it is sanitized. Only when you see the screaming three-year-old children with shrapnel in their face, the desperate widows, the bodies in the street do you feel, do you recognize the impact of the violent, evil act. </span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Movies such as the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Saw</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> or </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Friday the 13th</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> films glamorize violence. The most interesting person is the serial killer. This desensitizes people to violence. And since we tend to emulate those we admire, I believe movies or books that glamorize or celebrate violence draw people toward it. </span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In my books I want people to look honestly at what our world is like, both the good and the evil. The evil in my books is not senseless, people’s lives are treated as precious and I want my readers to hurt when an innocent life is taken. The only way to do that is to let them see it on the page and then reflect on its meaning. </span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I think that an effective way of dissuading someone from doing something is to make them see it as deeply disturbing. And the only way to make people disturbed by evil is to show it to them for what it really is. </span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Thoughts? Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear back from you.</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Optima; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
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</div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-30364424895374921372009-11-13T13:35:00.015-05:002011-06-21T13:13:41.836-05:00Why I Write About Evil<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjE-_plX2x8P8PlJ4CYi2RR7vSWkFNiCsFItrGDnQhCbcxZPhKUOKWsRwIo8DJb5ac1hw5P1z_u6KSTdaSo874LDZ3SQv-9uyy35b5SRb0U5RMmR_yZbqtc-2Xbtx5WtEg-BP/s1600-h/the+pawn+-+mass+market+cover.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403659097185330738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjE-_plX2x8P8PlJ4CYi2RR7vSWkFNiCsFItrGDnQhCbcxZPhKUOKWsRwIo8DJb5ac1hw5P1z_u6KSTdaSo874LDZ3SQv-9uyy35b5SRb0U5RMmR_yZbqtc-2Xbtx5WtEg-BP/s200/the+pawn+-+mass+market+cover.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 124px;" /></a>I thought I would take a moment and respond to a thoughtful comment / question from the previous post. The reader asked about the spiritual content of my novels, wondering if a Christian would enjoy reading them.<br />
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I often get asked if my books are “Christian” or not and I’m not always sure how to respond. If you are looking for a narrativized sermon, then I would suggest you bypass my fiction.<br />
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When I write my novels, I don’t do so from an answer, such as “It’s good to have faith in God,” or “We should all tell the truth.” Stories are built on tension, not resolution, so trying to tell a story simply to make a point would result in something that isn’t really a story at all, but a lesson dressed up as one.<br />
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It’s actually very sad to me that the most virulent and hateful comments I get about my books come from Christians who do not like the violence the novels contain. (Go to Amazon and check out the reviews for The Pawn. It’s informative.) Non-Christians seem to rate the books more on the quality of the writing, the plot, the artistic excellence. I genuinely respect and appreciate that.<br />
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Some people whom I’ve met seem to believe that a story needs to talk about God or have a conversion scene if it is to be considered a “Christian” story, but I was speaking with a pastor one time and he pointed out to me that there are no conversion scenes in any of the stories of Jesus. Also there is no mention of God in the book of Esther in the Bible. So, is Esther a “Christian” book?<br />
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Other people consider a book "Christian" if there is no sex, violence, nudity, offensive language, and so on. Considering the content of the Bible, that seems like an odd and arbitrary criterion list to me.<br />
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We live in a violent and fallen world. Rather than shy away from difficult and painful topics, the Old Testament includes frightening and vivid descriptions of murder, beheadings, cannibalism, sorcery, dismemberment, torture, rape, gore, blasphemy, idolatry, erotic sex and animal sacrifice. In the stories of Jesus, people are beaten, killed (Matthew 21:35), tortured (Matthew 18:34), dismembered (Matthew 24:51), and allowed to suffer forever in the fires of hell.<br />
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I believe that the Bible includes such graphic material to show how far we as a race can fall, and how far God came to rescue us from ourselves. That's what I hope to do in my novels as well.<br />
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So, what would make a book unChristian?<br />
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I believe an unChristian book (or movie or painting, etc...) would be one that celebrates the things God abhors, or promotes an agenda that he detests.<br />
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In my books I never glamorize violence or make evil look attractive. However, I believe that including graphic material within the broader context of a redemptive story, just as the Bible does, is appropriate when trying to reveal the truth about human nature and our relationship with the Divine. For the record, when I write my novels I strive to<br />
<br />
(1) uphold the dignity and worth of human life,<br />
(2) as much as possible avoid showing violence on the page (most of it occurs off the page, in the minds of the reader),<br />
(3) show that ultimately, hope does not come from inside ourselves, but from God,<br />
(4) honestly portray the universality of evil,<br />
(5) celebrate life, love, imagination, beauty and family,<br />
(6) validate the purpose and meaning of life within the context of the broader scope of God's story,<br />
(7) tell the truth about the world--exposing the grief and horror as well as championing the hope and joy.<br />
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If you’re looking for inspirational books, or more theological offerings, please check out my books "A Heart Exposed," "Story," or “Sailing Between the Stars.”<br />
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Stay open to joy.Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-43226340112089840292009-07-28T12:59:00.006-05:002011-06-21T13:14:49.619-05:00Book Release Party<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWULh-ROS3ISihNahDoV2tn5ftA5ISYtb7rizNBb9wFdBqsiAswyyadS_A40K4aCN2WWiZtkC5Ca5Q3Xio7nGUhea5EvrXxP_SJ50KBwUjcB5RQCxWkFAL_pMBsfxI2vQreMrh/s1600-h/cover+art+for+the+knight+-+final+draft.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363576780632858226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWULh-ROS3ISihNahDoV2tn5ftA5ISYtb7rizNBb9wFdBqsiAswyyadS_A40K4aCN2WWiZtkC5Ca5Q3Xio7nGUhea5EvrXxP_SJ50KBwUjcB5RQCxWkFAL_pMBsfxI2vQreMrh/s200/cover+art+for+the+knight+-+final+draft.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 129px;" /></a>Come to the Book Release Party on July 31st to celebrate the release of <i>The Knight</i>, the 3rd installment of the Patrick Bowers series. The party will be held in Johnson City, TN at Cranberries located at 600 N. State of Franklin Rd at 7:00 pm. Be one of the first to enjoy the thrilling ride as Patrick Bowers leads you on a twisting and complicated chase through the mountains of Colorado. Beware: You may not get any sleep until you finish this book!<br />
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</div><div>Visit <a href="http://becomeavictim.com/">www.becomeavictim.com</a> for more information about the party and to see how you can enter the drawing to have your name as one of the vicitms in Patrick Bowers's next adventure, <i>The Bishop</i>.</div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-939279391308200862009-05-20T05:44:00.002-05:002011-06-21T13:15:08.066-05:00Writing Effective Dialogue #2 of 2<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Here are some more dialogue tips. You might want to read the previous blog first to get the context. Enjoy.</span></i></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;">______</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Structure and Formality </b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Alex smiled, “Great. Okay, we’ve talked about staying focused as well as the art of digressing. What else adds to effective dialogue? Franklin?”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“I was thinkin’ ‘sentences,’ you know?”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">An awkward pause. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“What, specifically, about sentences?” </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Well, dere’s a certain way, ya know, when some people write, that the sentences are structured. But it’s different when ya talk.” </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Stacy agreed. “I think I know what you’re saying, Alex. When people speak, they don’t always use correct grammar, they talk in sentences that have a shorter number of words, they use more contractions and they sometimes blur words together. Consequently, in order for sentences to sound natural to our ears, we need to write them in such a way that they’re not too structurally complex or intricately woven.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Mm, hmm,” said Moesha.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Right,” said Alex. “Now we’re getting into the nuts and bolts of dialogue writing. When people speak, they’re less formal. So, keep your sentences brief. And use contractions more often and more consistently than you would in the narrative sections of your story. And, use more idioms.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“All right,” said Stacy, “I think we get your drift.” </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Clear as mud,” said Nadine. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Consistency and Redundancy</b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">For a few minutes no one said anything. Finally, Jason broke the silence. “Something I don’t think we’ve really mentioned yet, is that each character should speak in a consistent and distinctive voice. When you listen to some TV shows, everyone sounds exactly the same. They use the same idioms. They speak in the same style sentences. They crack the same kind of jokes. That’s evidence of poor writing. And the same thing can happen in fiction--and nonfiction--if you’re not careful. Good dialogue reflects the uniqueness of each of the story characters. Their grammar, word choice, and sense of humor can all be unique.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Moesha nodded. “Mm, hm.” </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Great,” said Alex. “And there’s one more thing I need to mention that’s a pet peeve of mine.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Was dat?” asked Franklin.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“It’s annoying when the writer tries to show off by using all sorts of different words to talk about the dialogue. Attributions should disappear so the reader hardly ever notices them.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Yeah,” exclaimed Stacy, “I hate that, too.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Me, too,” chipped in Nadine. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Mm, hm,” rejoined Moesha.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“That’s so true!” observed Jason.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Yo,” quipped Franklin. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Great,” summarized Alex. “So we all agree. Let’s not do that. It just distracts the reader. Just use ‘said’ and be done with it.” </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Something else that distracts me,” said Jason, “Is when the same author uses the same word too much in the same sentence or in the same paragraph.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“I agree,” agreed Franklin. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“And don’t restate what’s already been said,” said Nadine. “It’s redundant to keep restating everything.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Yeah, and you don’t need to keep re-saying the same thing in different ways. Either say it, or explain it, but not both,” explained Alex.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Pace and Flow</b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Nadine scribbled something in her notebook and then looked up at Jason. “In your fiction writing, have you ever used a question to get a conversation going?”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Sometimes, yeah. Questions can be good conversation starters. So can observations about the setting--by that I mean the surroundings--or responses to dramatic situations. All of those things can be used to spark a conversation.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Stacy cleared her throat. “I’ve noticed something else, Nadine. Sometimes when only two people are carrying on a conversation, you don’t need to include attributions at all because the reader will naturally be able to keep the speakers straight, just by the flow of the conversation.” </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Really?” asked Nadine.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Yeah.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Are you sure?”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“I’m sure.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“They won’t get confused about who’s talking?”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“No,” said Stacy. “You can trust your readers. Tell ‘em only what they need to know.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Huh.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Jason agreed. “You got it, Stacy. It’s an insult to the readers when the author always identifies the speaker. Most of the time, context speaks for itself.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Stacy beamed and glanced down at the table. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Alex smiled broadly. “Okay, then. To summarize: good dialogue expresses something about the characters, moves the story forward, is natural-sounding, easy-to-read--”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Rather than cumbersome,” interjected Stacy.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Right. And yet there’s an artistry to it. Sometimes you gotta break the rules in order to make the story work.”</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Mm, hm,” said Moesha finishing up her burger. “What’s for dessert?” </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Plot,” said Alex. “But not until next week.”</span></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-9731248194597292742009-05-20T05:40:00.004-05:002011-06-21T13:15:33.445-05:00Thoughts on Writing Dialogue #1 of 2<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I'm teaching writing this week in North Carolina and I thought I'd share a few thoughts on writing dialogue from the course I'm teaching today. </span></i></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">_____</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Alex plopped down next to Stacy. “So, we’ve gotten together today to talk about writing effective dialogue,” he said.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Nadine nodded. “Yeah, and I’m glad. Most writer’s groups never get specific enough for me. Too much info on general stuff. I really need some nuts and bolts advice to help me with my novel.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Great, well then, let’s get started.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Stacy shifted in her seat. “One of the things that bothers me the most about novice writers is the way they handle dialogue. Instead of letting each person talk naturally and in turn, they just let one person keep on talking until she’s delivered a veritable <i>speech</i>. Nobody else gets a chance to say anything. The man or woman--I want to be inclusive here--just keeps rambling on and on and on and that’s just not how people talk in real life! Conversations don’t work like that. No one ever gets a chance to explain everything that’s on her mind all at once without interruption.” She paused and looked around. “Right?”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> “Das, right,” agreed Franklin. “Yo. Dat, or de writers jes start makin’ up der own way of spellin’ wurds rather than lettin’ somun express hisself by just his word choises. Know what I’m sayin’?”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Yeah, it’s too hard to read when writers do that,” agreed Nadine. “Don’t you think so Moesha?”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Moesha took a bite of her cheeseburger and mumbled, “Mm, hmm.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Okay.” Alex looked around the restaurant table at the other five writers. “So, those are two great points. Who can summarize them for us?”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Well,” Jason said, “let’s see… first of all, in effective dialogue, exchanges are brief. Back and forth. Good dialogue mirrors real speech because people speak in spurts rather than long lectures to each othe--”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“And sometimes people interrupt each other?” said Stacy. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Right. And sometimes folks just let their thoughts trail off… and…” he paused to consider his response. “And clarity is essential. Dialect is best expressed through the judicious use of idiom rather than by the creative respellings of words.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The other writers nodded in agreement while Moesha took another bit of her burger. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Focusing vs. Digressing </b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Stacy cleared her throat. “Well, written dialogue might <i>mirror</i> real speech, but it isn’t exactly like it.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Yo. Why do ya say dat?” asked Franklin.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Well, sometimes in real life we just talk about trivial things--our jobs, the weather, clothes--”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“I wouldn’t say clothes are trivial,” interrupted Nadine.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Stacy smiled. “You know what I mean. Or the news, or who won the Mets game, or whatever.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Franklin wrinkled his brow. “And so…?”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“And so, when you write, you have to use dialogue to move the story forward. Every word has to serve a purpose and not just take up space.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“That’s a good point,” said Alex. “Writers are sometimes tempted to just put pen on paper and see where it takes ‘em. Too often, though, sections of dialogue just turn into sections of drivel. The story doesn’t move anywhere. It just stalls out. So, dialogue must always be purposive.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Jason had been tapping his finger anxiously on the table next to his chicken wings.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Alex noticed. “Did you have something to add to that, Jason?” </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“I think so.” He folded his arms and gazed toward the ceiling. “I’m not disagreeing with you or Stacy… it’s just that … well, if dialogue is too focused or too direct, it can also become too predictable for your readers. Sometimes you’ll want your dialogue to pool off in different directions. Yet, the real narrative artist can even do <i>that</i> in way that supports the story.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Nadine was busy writing everything he said in her notebook. Stacy sat a little too quietly watching him. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“I don’t git it,” said Franklin. “Give me an example.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Well, let’s see… we’re talking about writing, right?”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Everyone nodded.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“So, let’s say we were writing this conversation down. You know, inserting it into a story or something.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Who’d wanna read about us?” asked Nadine.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Just pretend. So, if we were turning this into written dialogue, we could leave out all the stuff we said when we first got here--before we ordered our food--all the small talk--”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“That’s what I was saying before,” interrupted Stacy. “That’s what I meant when I said you have to use dialogue to move the story forward.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Jason took a deep breath. “Right, I know. I’m not arguing with you. But we’d want to include more than <i>just </i>the conversation. If we only included the bare bones stuff, it might tell the reader about our discussion, but it wouldn’t necessarily reveal the personality of the characters or the inner tension of the story. The readers want to see the motivations, the traits, the quirks, the uniqueness of each character. All of this can be shown by the careful use of digression.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Well,” Stacey said, “I don’t see how you can show all that by just a few words of dialogue.” She clinked her spoon loudly as she stirred her black coffee. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Jason sighed. “Forget it.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“No,” said Alex. “This is good. You’re right. You brought up a good point. We can go too far to one extreme or the other. That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it, Jason?”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Pretty much.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Alex continued, “By digressing you can insert clues to what motivates your characters, throw red herrings to the reader--for, say, a mystery novel--foreshadow important events, or add new dramatic elements to the storyline.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Yeah. That’s what I was trying to say.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Moesha nodded and wiped ketchup from her chin.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px; text-indent: 36.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
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</b></div>Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-14348754456892088302009-04-26T20:49:00.005-05:002011-06-21T13:16:05.967-05:00AwakeningMy daughters and I spent some time outside today in the absolutely beautiful spring weather here in eastern Tennessee.<br />
<br />
Smelling the day. The flowers. The sunlight. It reminded me of how important it is to drink in each moment deeply. To experience life, to enter it, embrace it.<br />
<br />
In reference to the idea that all of God's love, all of his presence is available each moment, Jean-Pierre De Caussade, a Jesuit priest in the early 18th century, wrote, “So every moment of our lives can be a kind of communion with his love.... This tremendous activity of God, which never varies from the beginning to the end of time, pours itself through every moment and gives itself in all its vastness and power to every clear-hearted soul which adores and loves it and abandons itself without reserve to it.”<br />
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Every moment all of the riches of eternity are available.<br />
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I needed a spring day to remind me of that once again.Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33149222.post-3615085543970188962009-04-23T21:30:00.014-05:002011-06-21T13:16:42.009-05:00Updates on my thrillers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48ToWb0fBP9pINm1sfWNEuEivvDVrbOGa3RPRi6IV6W2Jg1fMdLRY5ME_Fv-48iL0qd3LGTaJiTI7y99QyCrumx-rh733mdg8OFwWTnXlju2vs3cHBJFrCODGMmy6o8vc4662/s1600-h/the+knight.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328090435063781826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48ToWb0fBP9pINm1sfWNEuEivvDVrbOGa3RPRi6IV6W2Jg1fMdLRY5ME_Fv-48iL0qd3LGTaJiTI7y99QyCrumx-rh733mdg8OFwWTnXlju2vs3cHBJFrCODGMmy6o8vc4662/s200/the+knight.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 129px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8jmrqVF_yREYDS6d5eMvgc34Y8Grze6XtJXY802fKc1BUA-HfISfrwe8BoiQCZt3b_ae86wNjbYMQIio8rGIoIBP1ulRzpPuNthC6g6LA3nwNgc0GMsHI1YIrU4vuLdJtXeM/s1600-h/The+Rook.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328084196768177634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8jmrqVF_yREYDS6d5eMvgc34Y8Grze6XtJXY802fKc1BUA-HfISfrwe8BoiQCZt3b_ae86wNjbYMQIio8rGIoIBP1ulRzpPuNthC6g6LA3nwNgc0GMsHI1YIrU4vuLdJtXeM/s200/The+Rook.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 134px;" /></a>Recently we received some good news that my novel <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0800718976/ref=cm_pdp_arms_dp_img_4">The Rook</a> </span>is one of three finalists for a 2009 <a href="http://www.christyawards.com/">Christy Award</a> as the best suspense novel published by a Christian publishing house last year. The winner will be announced in July.<br />
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Last year <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pawn-Patrick-Bowers-Files-Book/dp/0800732405/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240542762&sr=1-1">The Pawn</a> </span>was a finalist as well, and I'm thrilled that both of my novels have made it to, well... the final cut.<br />
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The thir<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDLx_2kjce3JreL4yKo8o5Bf_45OgmN3ugbszH1V5M8-72S1APoc3_T1ta4ZfLDmcW85EdbxvrX6aW4RixzHN1qqePNDkb_vq4-B9sP1P-rql7-ESKRfkdbMa51yswRrd4M1n/s1600-h/pw+ad+for+the+pawn.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328095260118537874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDLx_2kjce3JreL4yKo8o5Bf_45OgmN3ugbszH1V5M8-72S1APoc3_T1ta4ZfLDmcW85EdbxvrX6aW4RixzHN1qqePNDkb_vq4-B9sP1P-rql7-ESKRfkdbMa51yswRrd4M1n/s200/pw+ad+for+the+pawn.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 150px;" /></a>d installment in The Bowers Files, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0800718984/ref=cm_pdp_arms_dp_img_2"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Knight</span></a>, will be released th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFyJUTYaudYISW6kZQxOdEY0k0qh0JUIhrP3t2iAvb71dyMOm_zooK0rGGaoSvW3QBwKaAJVfKx96dS-lRaLen82tuH7eythUzx_FyDjy4RfLMMKWZGLmGB_W2jD2nmh1FZ8V/s1600-h/the+pawn+-+mass+market+cover.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328086914867337122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFyJUTYaudYISW6kZQxOdEY0k0qh0JUIhrP3t2iAvb71dyMOm_zooK0rGGaoSvW3QBwKaAJVfKx96dS-lRaLen82tuH7eythUzx_FyDjy4RfLMMKWZGLmGB_W2jD2nmh1FZ8V/s200/the+pawn+-+mass+market+cover.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 124px;" /></a>is summer, as well as a mass-market paperback version of <span style="font-style: italic;">The </span><span style="font-style: italic;">P</span><span style="font-style: italic;">awn</span>--with a cool new cover. Thanks to all of you for supporting this series!<br />
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Check out any of the novels on my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1F2L30AG4GGET/ref=cm_ad_14/103-2244858-9641415">Am</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1F2L30AG4GGET/ref=cm_ad_14/103-2244858-9641415">azon Connect</a> page. More soon!Steven Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06278428481369971137noreply@blogger.com0