WRITING BEYOND THE FENCE

For years my mother sang with the Senior Choir. One of the songs they kept in rotation was Jesus Be A Fence Around Me. Basically the singer is asking for God’s protection in the form of a fence.

Physical fences give a sense of real and sometimes, false security. They are made from a variety of materials and can be plain or ornate. These man-made barriers have a proper place in our lives, but can also become the crutch it was not meant to be.

That brings me to the one fence we have yet to discuss – the invisible fence.

By combining technology and obedience training, a system was developed to keep pets within the confines of their owner’s property without the physical presence of a fence.

In a sense many writers place themselves behind an invisible fence as they succumb to writing only what they are told that the reading public wants. Industry has sold the spin that says that they know best what the reader wants and therefore you (the writer) must conform in order to be marketable.

For years, in order to be accepted we have placed ourselves, our souls, our stories our flavor behind the false security and constraints of the invisible fences designed inside literary board rooms.

By playing it safe we became complacent and our readers have suffered. Lost has been the opportunity to read about the little girl who flew to the moon or taking a journey through starlit skies with a chocolate hued superhero.

We are in an industry built upon expressions born out of our creativity. So then why do we accept those expressions going unwritten or watered down for the sake of compliance?

Fences in and of themselves are not a bad thing, but when we allow them to keep us from moving beyond our own yards, stifle our growth and creativity, we need to revisit the reason why we write. Are we doing so only to be like the others, or will we dare to step away from the norm and give depth, intrigue and the unexpected to the deserving reader?

Developing a novel into something memorable takes dedication and skill. You owe it to yourself and your craft to utilize those tools in order to move beyond the confines of the familiar; that safe haven behind the fence.

Despite the spin, readers are clamoring for more. Because they are I leave you with this:

Fences – are you NOT writing to your full potential behind one?

Until next time be blessed and remember – There is no such thing as an acceptable loss in God’s Kingdom!


Linda!

The Loss of Innocence

The other day I was sitting with my laptop poised to work on an editing project. Instead of working my spirit was filled with conversations I've had with peers. Some were angry, others were embarrassed by complicit actions as they gave in to what others deemed suitable for the book buying public.

Subsequent conversations revealed that although they acquiesced to industry pressure, altered and unpublished stories cried out stirring them from sound sleep.

It caused me to reflect on how as an author I was caused to grow up fast within an industry that I once saw through innocent eyes. I learned that I had options and that there is an audience for a variety of works that recognize my culture, speaks to my value system and presents my people in realistic rather than stereotypical settings.

Lost in thought my pen to write. Below is the result of that subconscious flow. I do not consider myself a poet, yet I believe that this was placed in me to give to you as a form of encouragement.


The Loss of Innocence

So often I reminisce about days gone by
Those days when only sunlight blinded innocent eyes

When I rubbed my eyes, cloudy became clear
I am ashamed to say I was beset with fear

What happened to us? Where did we go?
Did we give up our value for new seeds to sow?

What became of our heritage as we harvested new crops?
Did we devalue them as unnecessary like evaporating dew drops?

No longer confined to the rural life of small towns and farms
We have moved to the city, oblivious to unseen harms

Gone are the leisurely days of reading old friends
Instead we are bombarded by volumes of texts with disturbing ends

What happened to Zora, to Nikki, to Langton?
What happened to literature I once ravenously fed on?

Where are the stories that speak to who I am?
What value do I derive from the King of Siam?

The written word is a gift that should be continually opened
Not quailed by the edicts in boardrooms where our voices have not spoken

We’re not buying this, the reader isn’t looking for that, they say
How would they know, their attention has not come our way

I am not just a ball player, a drug addict, a hooker, a joke
I know that I have something of value to say, for people listened when I spoke

I am more than a hustler, illiterate and gay
I speak with love, caring and authority, why do you dismiss what I say?

The value of my heritage is not yours to legislate for a dime
Give me what I desire to read, for what you push on me is a crime

Stop telling me who I am and who I should be
Come down from your ivory tower and deal with me

I be the one who writes the words that sing
I be the one who writes the words that soothe as well as sting

I be the one who writes the words that give hope for an expected end
I be not the one touting statistics of a predisposition to sin

I be the one who reaches into your soul to encourage you to walk in authority
I be not the one who suggests that you remain on bended knee

I be not the one to beg and plead to shine
I be the one who looks to the future understanding the destiny that is already mine.

So if I know this and come to you presenting my valid case
Who are you to deny my right by insisting that I stay in my relegated place?

A place where only the fast life, the prison, low-living and the sports court is what you want me to see
The sun is out of my eyes, I see so much more than that in me.

My place is where God sends me whether that be to the masses or a collective few
Your job was to guide me, to present me to the public as new

What I’ve come to understand as my anger subsides and my eyes see anew
I see that for now I cannot change your mind, for you are determined to be you

So you do you and I’ll do me
With or without your help if that is the way it must be

I will write the stories that uplift, educate and teach
I will do so in the spirit of excellence within my reach

Do not be fooled into believing that my reach is limited
My reach is as wide as God desires as long as I keep Him in it

In what you may ask and I’m glad that you did
The answer is simple, my purpose, my gift from God, via the vision that is His

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
Rather than succumb to the limitations you place, but pretend not see

I cannot place all blame fully upon the practices you choose
You are addicted to the power driven by a system rooted in YOU

So in knowing what I know I must simply say
Today is the beginning of a brand new day

I return to a place where my understanding is not skewed
I will see through new eyes the panoramic view

I will write, I will learn, I will publish, I will market
I will take full responsibility for the gift in my pocket

My gift is of value it is woven in the heritage of my community
It is a place where we help one another, where ideas and practices are rooted in purity

We will write the stories of love and of grace
We will use the pen to indelibly champion the plight of our race

Our place is among the stars, in the boardrooms, kitchens, garages, wherever we choose
Our places were predestine, we were given a choice, with God on our side we have nothing to loose

Tonight as I reminisce about days gone by
I will do so with intension, no longer seeing through innocent eyes

To Encourage You

Of late I have had serious conversa- tions with close friends.

Over the Internet, the telephone and across the table from one another, we have reminisced over days gone by, our personal goals, the economy, family, retirement and of course our new president.

Two within my inner circle are the happiest homemakers you could ever meet. One, for the first time since her children left home, has entered the workforce. Another has moved from being a hands-on professional into the realm of academia. Me, I’m juggling a day job, family, ministry and my passion for the arts.

The commonality of the varied conversations rested in the fact that each of us have dared to step out to make at least one of our dreams, reality.

In my quiet time I began to reflect on what took me so long to reach for the stars. Why was I such a late bloomer? Was it a lack of education, time, finances or opportunity? To be completely honest it was a bit of all of the aforementioned.

I love writing, but without the foundation of an English or journalism degree I believed I could never be a writer. Busyness, rather than effective use of time was a convenient excuse for not admitting to my lack of discipline. Finances was something I had, but did not consider to be enough for meeting my business need. Opportunity must be recognized and coupled with preparedness in order to be seized for success.

Until I understood that the only thing holding me back was me, I stumbled around with a severe case of the ‘woulda, coulda, shoulda’s’. We all have dreams. Some of us even have visions of grandeur. The point is that dreams remain dreams unless acted upon. If I wanted to become a writer I had to do more than think about it, I had to learn how to write. Beyond this I had to learn to manage my time in order to study. With the goal of someday publishing, I began to realistically look at my budget in order to determine how this endeavor would be financed. When the opportunity came to present my manuscript to an editor, I was as prepared as I could be. That preparedness combined with the chance meeting led to the success of publishing my first novel.

Beyond the publishing, my teacher gene kicked into overdrive. My passion for helping others is as strong as my love for the written word. As strong as my passions were and are, there have been serious challenges to the dream. There will always be challenges to achieving your dreams and it will cost you something. What you will have to determine is if you are willing to pay the cost for achieving your dream and in the process, lend a hand to help another?

1 Timothy 2-4

1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

CELEBRATING THE DREAMER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI_tQ5DdFAk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n53GuVt0tlY&feature=related

Are you just dreaming or are you seeking to be part of the solution?

THANK YOU

We are humbled by this honor and take this opportunity to thank each of you who have given support through participation, words of encouragement and extension of suggestions for the future.

BWChristialit is the sibling site of the online Christian writing group with the same name. Our primary purpose is to be of assistance to the aspiring, novice and seasoned writer.

You are encouraged to come often as we endeavor to give more to the literary community in 2009.

Think on These Things

Virtually every newscast speaks to the downward spiral of the nation’s economy. The close of 2008 saw our nation in an economic decline many equate with the Great Depression.

The end of the year, in the eyes of many brings the opportunity to refresh. In many cases the results of our national condition has placed the necessity before us. Do not dispair, that forced choice, refreshing, may be the blessing we did not know we needed.

As authors we may be concerned about the possible decline in contract offers, grim forecasts for future sales, offers for and/or extension of invitations for public and private events. The list of concerns can become extensive.

Today’s post comes to encourage you.

I am reminded of the story of Abram and Lot. God told Abram to leave his home; to separate from that he was familiar with. But, Abram took Lot, his nephew. Although Abram was blessed, he also had to deal with controversy. One such challenge was having too much property and having to decide to separate from Lot in order to maintain without strife between them. Given the choice, Lot, seeking self-preservation, chose the most fertile land, leaving Abram, the Uncle who provided his wealth, with the lesser of the land.

Often we believe that the situation we’re in is our source and apart from it we cannot survive. Lot believed that by selecting the preferable land he would have all he needed to continue to maintain the lifestyle he had grown accustomed to. In his haste, he neglected to understand that often, less is more.

After the separation, God spoke to Abram (Genesis 13:14-15) “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”

By today’s standards Abram would be considered a fool. That view comes from not understanding that, sometimes, in order to grow, to be further blessed, you may have to let go of what has become familiar; what you thought was the maximum blessing.

The unfamiliar brings with it a measure of uncertainty and for some, a bit of fear. Fear of the unknown is not uncommon. What is far too common is allowing it to stunt your growth.

Some of us may lose contracts, opportunities to speak, friendships we thought had been forged in the fire and maybe even that job that allowed us to support our writing career. The fear of this is natural, but we cannot allow it to cause us to spend more time lamenting about it than taking advantage of the time, the blessing, that may be placed in your hand.

If you find yourself in any of the aforementioned situations I encourage you to revisit your most current written vision and then think on these things:

*How do you see yourself going forth despite the stumble in the plan?
*Is there necessity to upgrade/tweak the process?
*What ideas do you have that you have wanted to develop, but haven’t had the time to do so?
*What continuing education can you now take advantage of in order to hone your writing,

oratory and/or marking skills?
*Who do you know who needs mentoring and could benefit from your generosity and expertise?
*Are you willing to mentor for free?
*Have you considered cross-promoting with others?

I encourage you to go forth looking at the half-full glass rather than the one that is half-empty. In your trying times be mindful that: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”