Halo's Eve, Tolkien, & The Christy's

While you're surfing the net looking for news about Hurricane Gamma, veer your board to Crosswalk.com. There's an article on the Christy's and the emergence of better written christian fiction.

 

Got this tip from Tolkien via Debra Murphy at Idyllist Press.

 

There cannot be a story without a fall.

 

Isn't that a great tip? I wrote this quote down a while back. And now as I read through my entire manuscript, that sentence haunts me. Something bad must happen to Laurel or had happened to Laurel. Something bad had to happen period. It's hard to hurt your characters even when they keep you up at night. But there isn't a story without Frodo getting his throat rung a time or two. Right? How are you assaulting your main character?

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CleanFlicks vs Gibson's Passion

Altar-Net is talking about Mel Gibson's controversial lawsuit against CleanFlicks for   trying to purify The Passion of Christ despite the movie's recut version this year.  

 

 Christian creatives lately have been talking about building their works for art sake as well as for Christ. Gibson's very realistic version of flaggelation is brutal. The movie's purpose was to not only heighten empathy levels with Believers, but to also answer some question non-believers may have had about Christ's divinity. Yet, although many understand's Gibson's purpose, CleanFlicks thought that to accomodate its' viewers the movie should be sanitized in order to be stomached. Their purpose is just as valid. So who's right? Or is anyone right? And should Gibson continue the suit? Moreover, what will this suit mean for other christian artists whose works may do more harm than good to some audiences. In this case, the Passion Movie exciting teenage boys to view the movie as a snuff film, instead of a study on unconditional love and long suffering.

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No Christ at Wal-Mart

Sorry, I haven't posted this morning. I was in CPR and First Aid Training all day at the Gwinnett County Fire Department. Great class. Anyway...

So I'm driving home, thinking about getting Selah's lay-away out of Wal-Mart early to get ahead of Christmas shopping for once. And notice something different in the store. No "Merry Christmas."

That's right. According to Wallyworld's PR people and every local television station, Walmart has adopted "Happy Holidays" as its new slogan over "Merry Christmas." So that it's non-Christian customers will not be offended. Great move. I understand their position on a business standpoint. So I hope they understood mine when I closed my lay-away today. 85% of this country is Christian or at least believe in Christ, so I beg to ponder how business savvy this move is. My only hope is that more Christians put their money where Christ would be shopping for Mary and Joseph, if he lived in 2005.

 

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Anne Rice at Well

My buddy, Chris Well has posted a Conversation with Anne Rice on His Learning Curve Blog, which includes an excerpt link. Christian Fiction has spoken about her new novel all year, here's more to whet your appetite. Faith*in*Fiction's messageboard has also been buzzing about the book and Rice's decision to write this story in first person. Unlike non-Christian writers, most Christian writers have concerns about stepping over their boundaries with what is sacred and what can be imagined. Based on Rice's answer, she doesn't fall into that category.  

 

Knopf Publisher asks, "Jesus Christ narrates this book. Explain your decision to make him the narrator."

Rice: Jesus is the first-person narrator of this book because the use of first-person narrators is the way I know how to write a book with the greatest power and chance of artistic success. The intimate voice of the narrator in earlier novels worked powerfully for me.

 

Do you agree with Rice's reason? Should Christian concern themselves with what's sacred instead of art for art's sake? Is this debate philospophical or should it also be spiritual?

 

Dee

 

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Halo's Eve Tip #13:Attention to Detail

Author, Terry Burns gave some choice writing advice today on Gina Holmes, Novel Journey Blog.

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

Terry: People who tell us we don’t need to pay attention to rules and conventions but should write it the way we want. To me ‘rules’ means grammar and formatting, the basics, and must be followed to the letter. ‘Conventions’ are different genre to genre, but basically are what a number of editors like to see done in work they publish. We can choose to break some convention, but should do it only if we know why we are doing it, and with a full knowledge of why it is an accepted convention. We also have to keep in mind that when we choose to do so, we are probably limiting our market by ruling some editors out who believe strongly in the convention. The less our publishing credits, the less likely they are to accept work that doesn't fit within established rules and conventions.

Last year in my writing workshop we were taught to follow convention, but break them sparingly and for a reason just as Burns said. I often drop nouns from sentences for rhythm purposes.  My example: An excerpt from one of my WIP's, Safe in Her Arms...

Pop. Triple Pops. The distant gunfire popped through the island's calm.

Laurel jerked forward out of her sleep. She looked around. Pulled her sheets closer to her chest. Trembled.(against convention example) I'd forgotten about all this craziness. She said to herself.

War. Constant. War. Haiti's verity reminded. Something had to be done here. She thought. Haiti deserved some sort of peace. But how would she accomplish this? God only knew.

I hope those two sentences aren't the reason an editor rejects me, because I like the way they sound aloud. But if an editor tells me to change the sentence, then I would. Are there any instances when you go against grammar in your stories? Let's talk about it at the discussion board.

 Dee

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Dee's Christmas Story

Dee Stewart has revised her Christmas Story that was published in last year's Rejoice! Atlanta Newspaper. Here is a snippet of it. You can click on its title to read the story in its entirety.

 

The Shepherds:

A Christmas Love Story

by Davidae Stewart

 

...It’s Christmas Eve and Martinique hasn’t heard from Rico. She would like to attend church tonight and pray for his safety, but the Judge and his wife have left Martinique with their newborn daughter, Lourdis, to attend a Christmas Party at the Governor’s Mansion. All the other domestics have gone home to be with their family. Rico is all the family Martinique has.

She and Rico came to America three and four years ago, respectively to find the American Dream. And to their surprise, they found each other, while working--more like hiding out--in the same affluent, Alpharetta neighborhood. Martinique, a caramel coated Betty Boop with dark flowing hair that fell well over her shoulders, fell even harder for Ricardo, a cinnamon-kissed, Columbian six-footer with a strong build and a stronger gaze, who worshipped the honeysuckle smell of her hair and the little bit of Spanish Martinique knew.

To be continued...

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2006 Genesis Contest

 ACFW 2006 Genesis Contest Rules

Eligibility – The 2006 ACFW Genesis contest is open to ACFW members unpublished in fiction in the last seven years (no published print or electronic works of 20,000 words or more). Authors of library bound fiction dissertations are eligible. Contracted authors are not eligible. Previous Noble Theme category winning entries are not eligible. Manuscripts under consideration by a publishing house are not eligible. Genesis entries may be submitted to other contests.

 

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