Quills: Inspiring Codes

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This month: some of the codes, beliefs and philosophies that inspire our writing.

PATRICIA REDING

Author of Oathtaker

Patricia's Website

This is a loaded question—and not one fully answered in a few short paragraphs—but I can share some general thoughts . . .

At the outset, I would say that this topic makes me think of posing the following question to a judge: can you render a decision without letting your ideology play any part?

(Read More on Patricia's blog!)

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ROBIN LYTHGOE

Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories

Robin's Website

In all honesty, I don’t think the limited space of this format is up to the task of dealing with the subject. The best we can do is skim the surface of the tender, personal area that is our beliefs, codes, or faith. Do I have faith?

(Read More on Robin's blog!)

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KRISTIE KIESSLING

Author of the short story Sanguis Dei 

and the poetry collection Light and Dark 

The Way of the Warrior

Japan, her people, and her language has fascinated me since grade school The beauty and mystery of such an ancient place takes me to a land I've never seen, but long to visit. From this far off isle comes a philosophy that strikes a chord in my soul and meshes with the beliefs that inspire and underscore every aspect of who I am as a writer. 

I believe we are all made in the image of God and the very notion of Bushido's essence, Life in Every Breath -- as spoken, I admit, by a character in a movie I adore -- expresses the fullness of heaven on earth in individuals. The "Way" is a term used to describe the path of the Warrior, but it is also how some early Christians talked about the path of following Christ. The dual reflection captures my soul. It gives rise to the imagination of lands where people value the stamp of the Creator's very image upon them. Such an understanding demands respect of one another in a way that merely being human does not. The breath of that Creative force animates us and connects us as nothing else can and to me, this notion of life in every breath then becomes the Breath of Life in every person.

We each have a destiny with which we will someday reckon -- that of death and of meeting God face to face. That meeting and how we are predestined to handle it is shaped in some small, mysterious part, I believe, by how we take that Breath within us and transform it. We can mutilate it, and breathe it out as poison upon our brothers and sisters, or we can submit to it and breathe it out from every pore as the perfume of the very Life it came from, that of the Creator.

I have a job given to me by divine mandate: to love those around me as God has loved me and given himself for me so that I may be one and whole with him. Not because the doing of this makes me good or righteous, but because he has given me righteousness by his sacrifice and thereby I reflect his goodness in my actions. In my expression of the gifts he has given me, my desire to write and weave worlds where love is the center of the tale is the ultimate desire to reflect that job of loving one another. There is no manner in which it is not reflected in me when I put words into a story.

May you know that Life in every Breath you take.

Questions from the Author, 2

Last week I asked a question. A two part question, in fact and I got some good answers. (You can read them here.) I've very much enjoyed your participation in that part of the question! Thank you again!

The first part went as follows:

If someone powerful told you they wanted an intimate (as in very personal, not sexual) relationship with you, and you knew conflicting things about said someone, but held the general opinion (from what you knew) that they were good, would you be interested in such a relationship?

Now for the second part of the question.

What if it were revealed to you, after say a week of pondering the question (;D) and without room for doubt, that this person who desired an intimate relationship with you, was God. (When I say "God" I do mean the God of the Judeo-Christian theology.) Would you desire that relationship? 

I have more questions, but I'll stop there for now. I am interested in personal, individual answers here, not generalizations. Feel free to answer both questions if this is the first time you've seen them. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks very much!

April: National Poetry Writing Month

I love poetry. I have for many years. One of my favorite poems is "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe. I've long wanted to memorize it (it is on my bucket list). I've even written silly versions of the Raven in homage.

This month is National Poetry Writing Month. There is a website for it. Of course there is. There are websites for everything. I'll link to that at the end of the post. On the site, it says this:

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets throughout the United States band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

That is a fantastic idea. I could wish that they'd done this when I was in school. I loved to write poetry when I was a child. One of my first poems, which my mother lovingly preserved, was: "I love God! I love Him. I loooooove Him." Clearly, an amazing piece of free form verse.

Inspired by her high praise of my art, and encouraged by my own inner thrill at writing something so profound, I penned many further classics, such as the inevitable, though unoriginal, variations of "Roses are Red," and the timeless "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells."

Since that time, I have endeavored to create works completely my own -- though there is nothing new under the sun -- and somewhat advanced in style. I've shared some of those lines here with you. In honor of National Poetry Month (and my daughter's 18th birthday), I've also put together a collection of some of my poems. Available for $.99 on Amazon, and on Smashwords, it is called "Light and Dark: poems of passion."

The cover was beautifully designed by my friend and writing partner, Robin Lythgoe.

I'll provide a sampling here of the Title Work:

Light and Dark

gleam light and sparkle

sun on the water, illusion of warmth

oh, glamour and shine

 bewitcher, boggler,

 lure of the lurker –

beware innocent of shadow and brine –

flash of cold silver, chilled blood of the deep

 watches the swimmer,

the splasher,

the lark

the darkness and depth hide fin in green-weed –

devour,

rejoice 

I am an evil ignorer of form, I admit it. But that, to me, is what poetry is all about. Not structure, form or rules, but passion and heart. Though I will be the first to admit that structure has produced some of the most beautiful, fluid words ever put to parchment. I say only: this is me, I hope you enjoy.

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41

Saturday Road Trip

Have you ever shouted, or heard someone else shout, "Road Trip!!"? I have. I love those words. They are the battle cry to adventure and I love to leap on that warhorse and surge into the fray. Of course, the modern warhorse is a 7 passenger SUV, but so what? I love it and I want to GO-GO-GO!

In this new year, I want to go places and do things, I want to love more and write more. I've been busy, busy, busy BEING over the last month. Being with my family and enjoying that time. My son and husband are off from college until the 23rd. My daughter is back to school but it doesn't really feel like it yet because "the boys" are home. My brother has a job and this is VERY exciting! He hasn't worked in over a year but I believe that God has provided and my bro just needs to follow through.

I spent a week, maybe more, being down - a lot of illness for me this holiday season and a lot of neck pain sucked my spirit into some dark places. Spending some time in prayer and having pain medication helped a lot. I do feel refreshed and ready for what lies ahead. I'm still excited by the possibilities.

In the first weeks of 2012, I rediscovered an old friend (Tosca Lee) and read one of her books (written with Ted Dekker). It is called Forbidden. It's an excellent read and you can find it HERE.  I must wait until I can afford to read some of the others - I got Forbidden for a low introductory price when I got my Nook for Christmas. Two gifts in one!

Speaking of the Nook... I LOVE it. I would have probably loved a Kindle as much, but the very idea of turning it on and getting a book more easily than I might walk to the library - or even to my own, at home library - is fantastic. I love books, I want to hold books and read them, feel the paper in my hands, yes, all of that. But I love the Nook too and my darling husband for his sweet generosity in surprising me with it.

And I can't play games on my copy of The Robe or my collection of Tolkien. It just doesn't work...

Maybe this road trip is more of a Sunday Drive (hm, something for the future!), but it is an idea with a destination in mind. I want to take hold of 2012 in both hands. I want to make it a year I do the best I can do for God, for my family, for my writing. I have my BPA free water bottle, my bag of nuts, a wallet full of hope and a revved engine. I'm ready to go.

Who's with me? Robin?

Road Trip!

Sight-seeing - A Book Review: The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Some people groan... let's be honest; most of us groan when we hear the word "labor." My friends, we should be thankful for our ability to work. Labor is listed in Genesis as God's gift to us before the Fall of Man. It wasn't part of the judgement for man's disobedience. It wasn't meant to be a burden, but rather a life-fulfilling effort, a joy, believe it or not. While you rest on this Labor Day, I hope you enjoy your cookouts (it's raining here, we'll be cooking indoors), the beach, the mountains or wherever else you go. Before you launch into a new season of busy-ness, take some time to relax and refresh with Jody Hedlund's most recent labor of love, a wonderful historical fiction novel called The Doctor's Lady.

Hedlund's The Doctor's Lady is based on the real events recorded in the diary of the first woman to attempt the overland trail west that became known as the Oregon Trail. There is irony in writing this review for me. When my children were young, we came across this great little computer game by MECC (Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium) called "The Oregon Trail." The player assumes the role of a wagon leader guiding his party of settlers from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon's Willamette Valley over the Oregon Trail via a Conestoga wagon in 1848. The game kept a record of your trip which was available to read as a rather dry diary at the end of the game. The kids could not get enough of playing it during their elementary school years, learning about American history while having fun. The Doctor's Lady made a connection to that memory for me, yet, it is no prosaic story like the Oregon Trail's gaming diary. Rather, it is brought brilliantly to life by blending Hedlund's love of history and her daring as an author to ask "what could have happened?" She weaves a sprinkling of historical fact with good writing and a clever imagination.

The Doctor's Lady took me on a sweeping adventure across America of the 1800's. The characters are lively and engaging and the plot grabbed hold of me.  I read sixty pages immediately, but was interrupted until the next day. When I picked it up again, I read straight through to the end. I honestly could not put this book down until I reached the final page.

I don't usually read romance novels, but this is not your typical romance. Beyond triggering the memory of the game and times with my kids, I connected with this story in ways I had not expected. I experienced the frustration of Priscilla and Eli at the decision of the Missionary Board - a decision my modern sensibilities and personal experiences told me was short-sighted. I felt Priscilla's agony at not knowing the joy of motherhood because I have three children of my own and can't imagine what life would be like without them. Hedlund's writing made me feel as though I were there in New York. On their journey west, the characters traveled through Williamsport, PA, a place only an hour south of where I live and have been to many times. My mother-in-law grew up there. I have heard many stories of her childhood and I could imagine the sights and sounds. I was swept along with these intelligent and intrepid people. The more I knew, the more I wanted to know and the more I cared.

The story of Priscilla and Eli brings with it the timeless message of hope in hopelessness. It is a reminder of what being a person of faith in difficult times - and in times of joy - can mean. It is also a reminder of all that was challenging about our young nation's early years, full of hardship, loss, discovery and triumph.



Jody Hedlund is an award-winning historical romance novelist and author of the best-selling book, The Preacher's Bride. She received a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in Social Work. Currently she makes her home in Michigan with her husband and five busy children. Her second book, The Doctor’s Lady was just released and is available now.

Find Jody:

Facebook: Author Jody Hedlund

Twitter: @JodyHedlund

Her  website: jodyhedlund.com

Tell your friends about Jody's BE A TRAILBLAZER contest!

In celebration of the release of The Doctor’s Lady, Jody is offering her readers a chance to win an incredible pioneer prize package valued at $300.

Visit the Contest page or find Jody on Facebook to learn more, submit your entry, and tell your friends.

*~*~*
Announcing YOUR chance to win a copy of 
THE DOCTOR'S LADY
signed by Author Jody Hedlund:

Directions for the Journey is offering one print copy of “The Doctor’s Lady” signed by Jody Hedlund. You have several opportunities to enter this drawing. You may do just one, two or all three of the options below and each option equals one entry of your name into the hat from which the winner will be drawn.

The only Rule - You MUST have a U.S. Mailing address (No P.O. Boxes please!)

Entry option #1 - Post a reply to this blog article and tell me how much you'd like to read Jody's book.

Entry option #2 - Visit my facebook author page and mention this blog post there.

Entry option #3 - Come back on September 10, 2011 and post a reply to the upcoming Interview that Directions for the Journey will be doing with Jody.

The entry window for the drawing is now open and closes at 11:59 PM September 12, 2011. I hope you get to enjoy this marvelous book soon. God bless you and thanks for reading!

Cul-de-sac

Wikipedia tells us: a cul-de-sac (literally "bottom of bag" in French) is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road (UK, Australian and Canadian English) or court (American and Australian English) meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet. 


I've been looking at my house lately as if it is a cul-de-sac. I feel a bit as though I'm getting lost in it and in the work we must do to make it comfortable, not merely livable. We re-did my second son's room - new paint, new floor, new area rug... new bed that my renaissance hubby built all by himself. We are going to spend a good portion of this week on my daughter's room before our oldest son comes home from far away to start up college again at the end of August. This means that for two weeks, my daughter's stuff will be in #1 son's room while both #2 son and daughter will be sleeping in the living room because it is air conditioned.  We hit 103 degrees last week! The upstairs, even with an air conditioner in our room, can be unbearably hot.


We ordered the new floor for her room which we will lay down ourselves. After doing four rooms of the house already, we've gotten fairly good at it. I know we won't get to the upstairs hallway this year, but I tore up the rug there in anticipation. My husband came home, stared up the steps that day and said, "I did not authorize this!" He cracks me up. I took down the last of the closet walls this past week. Poor Fred, again coming home in the middle of my demolition, stood gape-mouthed at the bottom of the stairs. I called down, with mischief in my smile, "What? Didn't you authorize this either?" Poor guy.


Sometimes it feels as if there is no outlet in my house for all the changes I want to make, all the things I want to do. Sometimes, I am certain, that the house sucks up all my time and the only way out is to get out completely. That's not possible, of course. Not yet. Too many people relying on us, too many things yet to accomplish in this place and time. I am thankful for that. God is good and constant. He gives us what we need when we need it. And, honestly, I enjoy demolition so very, very much! There is nothing quite like taking a crowbar to some 2x4s.

I have also read in Wikipedia, that in military parlance, the term "cul-de-sac" refers to a situation where an army is "hemmed in on all sides but behind." I have had that feeling too, lately.  Especially in regard to my writing. While trying to rewrite a short story that started out at just under 900 words, I've managed to make it 5,000 words; but, I am not sure that it's better yet. I feel, more or less, as though I am surrounded by words and the only way out is to retreat to the original story and start over again. 


The cover art for the tale is fantastic, however. An idea I had for it was taken to the next level by Robin Lythgoe, fellow author and artist whose magic with manipulations is simply divine, pun respectfully intended. That very accomplishment - more hers than mine, yet somehow still ours - gives me the vague feeling of helping others achieve things rather than doing so myself. While the world may think so, I think that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Yet, I fight against the notions of the world and often feel as though I must conform. This blog may even be a level of that conformity. Sometimes that troubles me. I confess to being eager to take that step myself of work available to the public. In that positive vein, here's a pretty little glimpse of the cover over which I am, all selfish paranoia aside, extremely excited! 


"Cul-de-sac" is also used metaphorically to mean a line of thought or action that leads nowhere. I have been considering the value of my efforts at writing. What is the goal? Who am I promoting when I write? Writers desiring to sell their books would answer that they promote themselves. The many blogs about social media - all enjoyable reads with a plethora of good advice - would say the same. So, am I to promote myself? That goes against the grain of my core belief: that Jesus is Lord and it is God alone I must glorify and promote with my life and all the talents he gave me. That life is inclusive of my writing. I am not a writer who also happens to believe. I am a believer who also happens to love the written word and storytelling. I am not alone. Before me, there have been many others who are indeed famous: Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, John Bunyan, G. K. Chesterton and Madeleine L'Engle to name a few. I've been reading a book about my conundrum. Written by Dave Harvey, called Rescuing Ambition. In this book, Dave explains how we are all on a quest for glory. The question is, whose glory? Ambition is not a bad thing. It is a God-implanted drive to "improve, produce, develop and create." The book is easy to read, but I am having a hard time with it because it speaks to the core of my own drive and ambition to simply ... be known. I never thought I had that. I always believed I didn't really care if anyone read my stories. The truth is, I do. And I care even more if those stories glorify God. I think, that both things are possible. I think that my ambition, nurtured and put to work for the glory of God will satisfy all the dreams I have ever had in ways I couldn't possibly imagine.


I also think that Dave Harvey has a pretty good promotional video.