Black Christmas Plays

OK. So my inbox has been blowing up for black christmas play scripts, since i had the idea of writing one. But let me address a question I often get:

What's the difference between black [enclose a product doll, music, men] than any other thing[christmas play]?

In theme? There is no difference. African American Christians believe in the trinity and all belong to every christian denomination under the sun.

In story? There isn't a difference. The nativity story doesn't change. [i.e. New Jomandi's Playhouse's very popular the Black Nativity play that used to be held in Atlanta.]

In voice? Ah, yeah, baby. Here in lies the difference.

Black Christmas Plays usually contain current a variety of music genres: classical, hip-hop, current gospel hits, classic, the blues, you-mane-it-if-it-adds-to-the-mood-and-doesn't-blaspheme-God is in there. Also we have African american dance, rhythmic gymnastics, praise dancing and miming. A nice size choir, african inspired clothing, trumpet players and some real angels floating around the stage(yeah..i'm over imbellishing there.)

But my point is the Black Christmas Play is everything and nothing, but worth the go see.

That's why we infuze african american religious culture with panafricanism spirituality and the Gospels. This play isn't just an entertaining experience, but Altartainment(Don't coin my trademarked word. It's the name of one of my columns.) The goal of the black christmas play is to save all souls in attendance and resave the ones who forgot that they were running a race.

I'm getting excited. And so I'm writing one. A cute one for kids or a small church. Saint Philip AME and McKendree UMC(not a predominately black church, but my neighborhood church home) already have plans for our kids Christmas. But just in case some youth minister or small church is looking for a sweet, simple christmas play. Keep checking in. I will post a snippet of it around Thanksgiving. And if you like it, maybe we can talk shop. :)

Writing to see what the advent will bring,

Dee

PS. Claudia, I hadn't forgotten you. I plan to venture out the house tomorrow, so I can mail you that advent article.

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Electronic Paper?

 

  

Reuters Photo:

 

Reuters' Niclas Mika explains...

 In Neal Stephenson's sci-fi novel "The Diamond Age," a young girl's companion is a book with amazing qualities -- it talks, and the words magically change with the story.

A decade after Stephenson's book was published, what was once labeled science fiction is finding its way to the real-world market.

"Electronic paper" is a display technology that makes possible flexible or even rollable displays which, unlike current computer screens, can be read in bright sunlight.

Imagine the possibilities...

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Halo's Eve Tip#5: Revise!

Pray for my buddy, Gina Holmes, she travelled to Ohio yesterady, to be with her mom, as her grandmother will be taken off life support. Today's tip comes from Gina's Novel Journey Blog from her interview with author Alton Gansky. Check there this month, as I will be writing about how to write book reviews with a Christian point of view. 

 

 Gina: What’s  the worst piece of writing advice you’ve ever heard?

Alton: A good writer doesn’t need to rewrite. The ancient Greeks had a word for that kind of advice…baloney.

 

I agree.So I'm driving under the influence of Tylenol to Taste of Hong Kong, to pick up my chicken soup(it's the only thing that relieves my chest congestion) and Blockbuster for a movie for my little nurse, Selah to watch. No Carnival today. And write five questions for my Angela Benson interview, read a chapter of Stacy Hawkins Adams second novel, and oh yes...complete my revision of my novel. Of course there will be plenty of sleeping and sneezing between all that, but I'm about to head to my fuzzy red comfy couch once I return from my fresh air excursion. Fresh air helps my flu, too. It's 60+ degrees down here and sunny.

 

OT: I want to do a serialized novel starting next year, but I want to do it with other writers, anyone game?

 

Have you checked our poll? How many times do you rewrite?

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Halo's Eve Tip#4: High Concept Novel

So I have the flu. I'm sick, sick, sick.

But I didn't want to leave you hanging so here is quick tip that came way via my reviewing spot, Romantic Times via literary agent, Kimberly Whalen and Jenny Bent.(Purchase the December issue to read the full article.)

Agents'Survival Guide: Lesson 11
High Concept Novels: Turn the Ordinary into Extraordinary

What is a high-concept novel? The type of novel editors are looking for: "unique, has a catchy title,has a great one sentence hook, based on reality, can take a familiar element and turn it on its head." This HCN provides publishers with a great way to market the book.

Since we're talking about premise and story idea this week. Here is a tip to help you come up with a high-concept idea.

Whalen and Bent suggests:

"Find something you want to write about, then start thinking about what you'd love to happen in the real world, but never could."

I was in Walmart yesterday at the Humana Medicare counter signing up for yet another healthcare plan(beind disabled and under 65 is a miracle in this country) I saw droves of Narnia books at the checkout center. Now I read the Lion, the Witch...ions ago, but when I opened the book and began to read...oh, yeah, baby I was back into something magical again. [Cheap Suggestive: Add the hardback color book guide to go along with the movie to Selah's christmas stocking]

Needless to say the story begins with a family who was split up. The parents passed on. The children were left with a quirky old benefactor. Every children's book has the premise nowadays. But there's something both real and extraordinary about the setup. They get to go into a wardrobe and do unimaginable things. Now my novel isn't as fantastic. But I thought about what Whalen and Bent said. I definitely want to write about a single mother and love the whole idea of her renting a dad for the day. I do that with my Sunday School class dudes all the time, especially for donuts for dads and stuff like that. My brother will escort her to the Girl Scouts Father Daughter Dance. I'm renting men all the time and paying them in buckets of banana pudding in lieu of compensation. But what if a woman rented a dad, who was more than what he said he was. What if....my eyes widened, my chest rises...i hear angel's voices singing in octaves higher than mariah carey...BAM!! You'll have to wait and see. Shoot. I'm trying to get catch an agent or editor's eye. Here.:) Anyway...

Tell me about your novel(i'm house bound all weekend anyway.) Why do you want to write your particular story and what would you love to happen to the people inside it?

Dee

PS. Please ship me some Peach Fresca. A sister is nauseated like a pregnant woman in her sixth week. (Note: I'm not pregnant!!) And pray for me. Selah's school has their fall carnival tomorro,w and I wanted to take her. Cry Cry.

CF's Gifts for a BookLover: #1 Adapt-a-Lap

Since you all are wondering what to get us for Christmas, Christian Fiction thought we'd hook you onto our holiday picks. Watch out for more to come as the Holidays approaches.

Any book reviewer[Marina would agree] would love an adapt-a-lap. To be able to write a review, while reading another at the same time would be divine. And if you are a sweets baker like myself. To have one on the kitchen counter, while I try to review the last batch of books for the year and make gingerbread cookies at the same time. You can use this thing Mmm. Mmmm. Mmmm. We need an Adapt-A-Lap.

Injured Soldiers Fundraiser

Project Valour-IT is a project of Soldiers' Angels [a 501(c)(3) charity], providing voice-controlled laptops to soldiers with wounds that prevent the use of conventional computers. The donation page is here.If you want to join the friendly fundraising competition, please read on: Here.

In honor of my daddio(a Vietnam Vet and retired Marine,)and my cousins Jonathan, Telly and Isaac, who are serving in Iraq right now, I will be raising funds for the Marines at Holly Aho's site.

Dee

Halo's Eve Tip #3: The Beauty of Simplicity

Today I wanted to address a question Claudia Burney had about simplicity in premise creation.

 

Claudia's concern...

My problem is that sometimes I just want to tell a very simple story. All that stuff about raising the stakes makes me wonder if using different techniques in writing books would cause me to lose the integrity of the "simple" story I want to tell.

 

Last year, I took a year-long writing working with Chuck Palahniuk. The workshop helped me in such a way that my query to acceptance ratio for my magazine articles and short stories have jumped from 1:10 to 1:3. For real.

 

One of the things that he taught me that I have tried to include in everything I right now is taking a minimalist approach to my writing. That is...building the story from a skeleton model then adding to it to create more authority, to create atmosphere, to buttress theme, etc. Chucky P teaches many techniques to help achieve this. (That is why I'm still a part of the writing workshop.)

 

And as I told Claudia, the Holy Spirit has been talking to me firmly this year about writing a simple story, so that Christ could be illuminated through it. Can't tell you how many stories I've review last year that was all over the place. My prayer partners and crit gal pals of the Atlanta Christian Writer's Group have been working with me all year to stay focused on that one task. So I agree with you, Claudia.

 

Moreover, I would like Claudia and for you to see that these tips shouldn't clutter up your story, but help you bring the heart of the story out, so that ultimately when I pick up your book to review it, your story shines on every page. Afterall, Christ gave us simple, but logically complex stories that still resonate with us today. You hope to follow in his footsteps or at least allow him to carry you through times like editorial revisions and deadlines.

 

As I've spoken earlier this week about my troubling premise, I want to show you how this premise hindered my first draft first chapter. Then I will also show you how raising the stakes in my premise helped my revised chapter have a simple beauty to it, if you will. (When I say beauty, I mean voice and style not ...)

 

Go to the Christian Fiction Message Board to see the difference. The chapters will be uploaded around 11am EST. I have to take an interview with a Bishop in ten minutes. The job calls. :)

 

Thanks Claudia, for a great question.

 

Dee

 

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