Category: A Writer’s Life

Day of Encouragement – 4 Ways to Encourage Others

Leave a comment

With all the recent happenings in our world, we could all use a Day of Encouragement. Here are 4 things we can do to spread a little encouragement today. 

  1. Say “Thank you”. Maybe you still know the teacher who made all the difference for you in high school. Perhaps a friend of yours has really been there for you. Was there a doctor who gave you or your loved one from-the-heart, skillful care? What about the author who’s been writing that series you love? Even if the act was done years ago, take a moment to write, call or in some way express your thanks.
  2. Ask a simple question to show interest in others. Let’s face it, we all like to be valued as people. Waitresses, retail staff and others often ask “How are you?” but may not be asked the same question back. A little courtesy can go a long way in brightening someone’s otherwise dull day.  
  3. Send a text or write a snail-mail letter just to put an little extra sunshine in someone’s day. Let the recipient know you are thinking of them and share something particular you appreciate about them. Perhaps you can let them know you are praying for them and share an encouraging Scripture as well. 
  4. Commend someone on a job well done. Do you see someone living well? Life isn’t easy – we all know what it’s like to have bad days. But let’s make sure we notice when people are doing well, too. That Mom in the grocery store with a toddler and a baby who is juggling her life (fairly) gracefully? She could probably use a compliment as much as anyone. And the nine-year-old who’s putting effort into learning good habits and multiplication tables? Definitely. 

And, in the spirit of the day, thank you to all of you who follow and read A Storyful Life. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments over these couple of years. Thank you for “liking” and sharing posts on Facebook. Know that you are being prayed for today. In the words of Ephesians 3:14-19 (ESV):

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

 

 

A Chance for Change

Leave a comment

“Every day of her life and the years she had yet to live people would be changed because of her story. Her life story.” ~Karen Kingsbury, Remember Tuesday Morning

Are stories just for entertainment, not changing anything about how readers live? If the true answer were “Yes”, most writers would lay down their pens and let dust settle on their keyboards. 

Why?

Writers scribble to bring joy, give direction, shed light, build or tear down barriers, cause tears, heal hearts and change cultures. Just ask Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Steinbeck, C.S. Lewis and Karen Kingsbury if you get the chance. 

Isn’t it remarkable that each real-world life is its own story – a subplot of the grand Tale of Time? And each real-world life is written for change just like the make-believe lives. 

Each life brings a chance for change but not just for itself. It’s a chance to bring change to someone else. Of course, those changes may be harmful or helpful. As we step into this chapter called 2017, let’s ask ourselves, what changes will our life stories bring this year as they intersect with others’ stories?

A kind word well timed?

An offer of grace?

A sacrifice of love?

A safe, warm place?

May we look to the Author and Finisher of our faith – Jesus – and take our cues from Him, asking Him to make the changes in us that need to happen so He can use us to bring good changes to the other stories He is telling this year.

A Tale for October 31st

Leave a comment

The Haunted Room. As we look ahead to October 31st, a night when much of the world wants to think of goblins, ghosts and other ghoulish notions, what better title for those seeking extra intrigue? (Read by flashlight or dancing fire flame for added effect!)

Yes, this story presents its fair share (or more!) of mystery, but even before you get into the action there is something engaging about this book. 

Right after the “Contents”, you’ll find a letter from the author, A.L.O.E. – A Lady of England as she was known when her suspenseful tale first hit the presses in 1889. Here is a snippet:

“It is under peculiar circumstances that A.L.O.E. sends forth this little volume. As it is passing through the press its author is preparing to enter on a new field of labour in the East, as an honorary member of the Zenana Mission in India…”

Ah, the Zenana Mission brings to mind another lady of England. Amy Carmichael went to India with the Zenana Mission in 1895 and stayed there until her death in 1951. Amidst her efforts to rescue girls and boys sold into such horrors as temple prostitution, Amy was also a writer though not of fiction (to my knowledge) like A.L.O.E. and a reader. Did A.L.O.E. and Amy ever read each other’s books? Did they ever meet, either in the British Isles or in India?

Such speculations aside, it seems safe to say that Amy would have approved of The Haunted Room if she had read it.

Shed some light on the subject and see (or listen!) for yourself as we move toward October 31st. 

Labor of Love

Leave a comment

A year ago, I met one of my favorite authors. The evening involved driving in rain so torrential I prayed a good part of the way home. However, it also involved showers of blessings.

Me and one of my favorite authors, Robin Jones Gunn

Me and one of my favorite authors,                       Robin Jones Gunn

For a story-loving heart, what could be better than stories of how God is using stories to change lives and – we hope and pray – those lives to change communities and those communities to change nations? The evening also included shared time with a special friend, international yummies, and, yes, oh, yes, a sweet little conversation with that favorite author of mine.

Now today I’m preparing a little note to post in the mail to that author. When it reaches her after a journey of thousands of miles, I hope she gets a smile on her face and a little glimmer of a reward for her labor of love.

Labor of love. Something I’ve learned from my Christian writer friends is that what they do is a labor of love. Love for words. Love for their characters. And even more, love for Christ and His truth and love for the millions of readers out there who need a little love. 

These loves fuel these writers through the sleep-short days, the pouring out of themselves on paper that may sit on an acquisitions editor’s desk for months, the reading for work not pleasure, the struggling for just the right word, the cutting out of the beloved scenes that don’t serve the story, the researching for accuracy, the aching of rejection, the perusing of contracts, the downsides of success, the handling of budgets. 

Yes, all of this – all of this for love. 

In a glass-dimly way this may reflect for us the love that God showed His children by sending His Son Jesus to earth and that He continues to show us each and every day.

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss

to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,

to bear the dreadful curse for my soul?

~”What Wondrous Love Is This?” (Anonymous)

Apparently, National Author Day (US) isn’t until November 1, but considering what authors go through to craft the stories we enjoy, why not take a few minutes this weekend and send a snail-mail note, email or Facebook message to one of your favorite authors. Thank them for their work and let them know what you love about their stories. Maybe your encouragement will lead to a whole new tale…

If you would like to learn about the work of Media Associates International and how you can help train writers around the world to share God’s love and truth, visit their website. 

Woven

2 Comments
 

I Love to Tell the Story

Leave a comment

A Book Journal: A How-To Post

Leave a comment

Have you ever picked up a book and realized that you’d read it before but couldn’t really remember what it was about? I’ve found that keeping a “book journal” can be very handy, especially if you like to read a lot and don’t have the best memory! Also, I got started “book journaling” because I heard something like, “A good way to educate yourself is to read widely and write about what you read.” With that in mind, here are a few of my tips on keeping a book journal.

Generally, I’ve written two pages per book that I read. (If you don’t want to write that much, by all means don’t or just use a journal with small pages!) 

In each entry, I would include the following information:

  1. The title and author of the book (This comes first at the top of the page so I can easily look it up later.)  
  2. The date (I usually put when I’m writing the review, but you might want to put when you read the book.)
  3. My general reaction to the book (liked it, loved it, not my favorite, etc.)
  4. A short list of the main characters with a snippet about each
  5. A brief plot summary (more or less)
  6. My thoughts – that is, “I liked such and such…” or “This quote made me think about…” or “I would recommend this book for such and such age range.”

If you want more of an idea, here’s a glimpse at one of my book journal entries.

Teddy’s Button Amy LeFeuvre

May 21, 2013

This morning I finished reading another Lamplighter book, Teddy’s Button by Amy LeFeuvre. It is officially my favorite Lamplighter book, and I think will remain so for a long time.

Main Characters

Teddy (Theodore) Platt – a bright young boy with blonde curls and sparkling blue eyes who longs to honor and follow in the footsteps of his father who died as a soldier. The only item of his father’s that Teddy possesses is a cherished button from his coat.

The Rector, Mr. Upton – a godly man who shows Teddy what it means to be a soldier in the Lord’s Army [under His banner of love].

Mrs. John Platt – Teddy’s mother who loves her son in spite of his mischievous ways and prays that he would be a good soldier for the Lord.

Nancy – a sailor’s daughter who is at first Teddy’s “enemy”, but, by God’s grace working in both her and T., she comes to know Jesus, too, and to start quelling her tempestuous spirit.

Plot Summary

Teddy Platt wants to be a soldier in the Queen’s army just like his father was. His inspiration comes from a button off his father’s uniform, and he loves to tell its story. However, to be a good soldier he reasons that he must have an enemy. The new girl in town, who despises Teddy’s button and is a sailor’s daughter, seems the obvious choice. Thankfully, a thoughtful rector takes the time to show Teddy how much better it is to be a good soldier of King Jesus, waving His banner of love. Once Teddy “enlists”, he embarks on a journey full of battles with a foe much more troubling than Nancy.

My Thoughts

Mrs. L____ actually inspired me to read Teddy’s Button with a comment she made months ago. She said she thinks that this little book is the best she’s found for explaining sanctification to children. I think she’s right….Personally, I found it richly encouraging and instructive and challenging. There are so many grown-ups I would like to have read it. Maybe I can loan it to Grandma Hammer at least….

There you go! Maybe you would do your own book journal in an entirely different style. What would you change? I hope this post gives you a little inspiration to get the ink flowing into your own book journal however you choose to do it. Also, maybe you’ll be inspired to check out Teddy’s Button. Happily, I did get to loan it to Grandma Hammer, and I’m thankful for the memory of her saying she liked it. 

Twenty-Four Roses

1 Comment

This weekend I am getting to share in a very special anniversary celebration complete with twenty-four roses.

Twenty-three of the roses represent twenty-three years since a very special day and the work of God we have witnessed during that time.  It’s definitely one of those Psalm 118:23 moments.

This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.      (Psalms 118:23, ESV)

The twenty-fourth rose represents hopes and prayers for the future as we watch God’s story continue unfolding like the petals of a rosebud. 

I am also celebrating a much smaller anniversary this weekend – my first year of blogging on “A Storyful Life” is now complete! It’s been a sweet year of pouring words and bits of my life into now 53 posts. What a lot has happened in the days since my frist post called “Endings“! Know that I’m thankful for each one of you who has shared this adventure with me, and I’m looking forward to another year full of stories, letters, poems and interesting characters!

A Living Word

Leave a comment

I’ve thought that if I had lived during the era of the War for Independence and could have picked my husband’s profession, I’d choose printing. Laying out rows of type (backwards so that the text would appear left-to-right on the printed page) seems fascinating, and I’d like to think that I wouldn’t mind at all if Mr. Printer’s hands and apron were all ink-stained. What would that matter compared to the joy of promulgated news, knowledge and noteworthy notions? Besides, I figured I would be able to manage the print shop nicely (all right, with some help) if my hero joined the ranks of the American militia. After all, we would surely strive to practice what we printed!

Yes, if my last name were Gutenberg itself I’d be rather thrilled (though I admit to true partiality to my real last name as is…It’s rather a handy title, you see.) But why Gutenberg, you ask? Ah, well, it was back in the 1400s that Johannes Gutenberg invented the first movable type printing press. This invention made possible faster and economical printing of all kinds, especially books. 

Thanks to movable type, phrases like these haven been printed and distributed around the world:

“Humility makes great men twice honorable.” ~Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac

“If I can stop one Heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain…”  ~Emily Dickinson 

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” ~Charles Dickens

“Elementary, my dear Watson.” Sherlock Holmes, via Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The writers behind these words wrote them for various reasons, I’m sure, but, I think, they all understood that what someone reads affects him. Whether their goal was to instruct, encourage, inspire, or amuse, they counted on the power of the printed word. If what people read only goes in their eyes and out the back of their heads and doesn’t change how they live at all – even for moments – I think most writers would scurry off to a different profession. The world certainly knows that writers don’t write for the money involved!

Yes, words have power. Yet books fall apart, ink fades and paper decays. Words really cannot live on their own. They are like marionettes, sitting motionless unless someone gives them action.

There is, however, one Living Word. It is of this Word that a German – who demonstrated that he believed in the power of words by nailing a parchment to a chapel door in Wittenberg on this day 498 years ago – wrote the following lines.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,

And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;

The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever. 

~”A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, Martin Luther

And it is of this Word that it was written first by hand and then printed for all the world to read: 

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ~John 1:14, ESV

Now that’s a Living Word. 

And what became of Martin Luther’s words nailed to the Wittenberg Chapel on October 31, 1517? Those Ninety-Five Theses sparked a movement that took Europe by storm and, arguably, changed the course of history: the Reformation. Whatever your view of that event, it does show that words (especially when they are brought to life by actions) have power. Let’s remember that on this Reformation Day.

Ties Between Writer & Reader: How a 19th-Century Lady of England Connects with Her 21st-Century Guatemala-Born Reader

Leave a comment

When I cracked the cover of The Haunted Room, the author’s preface caught my attention. Writing under a pseudonym, A.L.O.E. (A Lady of England) penned this preface in 1889 more than a century before I picked up a reprint of her book. In the preface’s second paragraph, she says, “If there be, as she fain would hope, something of a tie between a writer and those familiar with her works….” Ties between author and reader? Yes, I, for one, found some connections with A.L.O.E. even though her life and mine are separated by time and (usually) the vast Atlantic Ocean.

As she opens her novel with what could be called a kind of snail-mail letter to the reader, A.L.O.E. confides that she will soon be moving to India where she hopes to work in the “evening hour” of her life. I can definitely relate to her feelings on leaving home since I, too, have come and gone from both of my homelands, the land of my birth and the land of my family. I wonder if A.L.O.E. ever came to feel as if India were her homeland just as much as England? I know Guatemala will always be home to part of my heart.

With her move, A.L.O.E. of course anticipates learning a new language and asks for prayers from her readers in this new venture. Ah, I have stood in her shoes (and even still do) as I’ve tried my tongue at learning a new language or two. A.L.O.E.’s words also bring to mind my Spanish students who I’m sure can empathize with her as well. Let’s state it plainly: learning a language is hard, hard work. However, what a joy it can be to communicate with someone in the language that not only makes sense in his head but also sings in his heart! 

The Hidden Jewel book picLastly, A.L.O.E. referred to “Indian gems”. This reminds me of a book my dad read to me when I was a little girl about Amy Carmichael, another woman who worked in India. The Hidden Jewel is a historical fiction novel that tells of Amy’s struggle to rescue young Indian girls from temple slavery. Perhaps I’ll have to pick up that book again. At any rate, I connected with A.L.O.E. because of her view of people. She called these people “gems” – that is, something of intrinsic value. Like A.L.O.E. I also believe that each human being has worth whether they be an English lord or an Indian leper.

The Haunted Room picThus, thanks to A.L.O.E.’s short note to her readers, I have discovered these ties between us across the decades and the ocean and am rather excited to keep reading her book. It’s appearing to be just the thing you’ll want to pick up for a good read on October 31st. After all, it is called The Haunted Room! 

And, perhaps, more authors should write to their readers in their books. Do you think A.L.O.E. ever envisioned a Guatemala-born girl reading her book in the year 2015? Who knows? Who might read what you write some day in the future? Now that might make us be careful what we write..