Category Archives: Writing

A Writer’s Bucket List

Posted on April 3, 2012 | 3 Comments

I read a most excellent post by ‘The Write Practice‘ this morning titled ‘Henry Miller on How to Finish Your Novel‘. While the entire post is definitely worth a read – especially the 11 Commandments for writing – there stood out a section of the post which… well… moved me.

‘What Books Do You Want to Write Before You Die?‘

Oh my. What a question? In fact, it is so powerful a motivator that I question why it had not been asked before, especially when I know of so many power writers who passed before all of their projects were completed.

Someday, I will die, and all the novels I dreamed of writing will die with me. Therefore, what books must I complete to die satisfied?

That was the realization Joe Bunting had, Joe being the owner of ‘The Write Practice’. That stands as the statement which made me realize that we, as writers with a calling, should create a ‘Bucket List’ of the projects we feel pressed to complete before we die. Maybe we need to fan the flames of desperation to get these projects to the front of our minds? Similar to the imperative nature of evangelizing, there should be a drive within us to finish these projects. After all, aren’t we participating in another aspect of the Great Call? Aren’t we a witness to our audience?

Writing practice

Writing practice (Photo credit: Global Lives Kazakhstan)

So, I ask you, as Joe asked his readers, what books do you want to write before you die? Are the projects you currently have on your To-Do list worthy enough to be added to that list? I know a few of mine are not. This blog article has  completely altered my perspective, rightfully so. Now faced with the prospect of redefining my projects, I am reminded of the Smarter Goal List Carol Peterson encouraged us to put together in her post New Year; New You. I am also reminded of the wise saying, ‘Quality, not Quantity‘, which is not something that I have been focused on at present….

Perhaps now is the time to start?

Prayer: “Lord, I ask that you open my eyes to the end goal You have in mind for me. Fan the flames of my creative passion so that You may be glorified, others might be saved, and my heart fulfilled. Thank You for Your patience and Your grace. Amen”

Nona King

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Writing Rage

Posted on September 26, 2011 | Leave a comment
Medieval illustration of a Christian scribe wr...

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Karen Hancock, author of the Legend of the Guardian King series, posted about ‘Aggressive Trust‘ on 9/22/11. The post spoke about God’s perfect timing, first drafts, and what I call ‘the circle of the writing life’.

It really hit home.

The last several days I have been in agony and rage about what a struggle it has been to get any writing accomplished on my rewrite project. Because of the intensity of the struggle, I have allowed myself to become disheartened. Actually, I allowed myself to give up and convince myself that maybe I needed to go to a different project.

The thought of having yet another half-completed project waiting on the shelves for my attention did not appeal, but I didn’t know what other choice I had. If I continued to try to write through rage, the characters would have a war on their hands instead of the finding of true love.

Karen Hancock wrote how she began reading through some of her old journals to get herself into the mood for writing. She couldn’t believe that she had ever felt so negative toward a current writing project. As she read, she discovered that it was a common malady. She went on to write that God would reveal things about the story in his perfect timing. She only needed to wait. To let God “gather together the waters so that the dry land appears”.

“To trust Him to guide and to trust Him to come through.”

Bam. There it was, the request to trust God and give him the time to do what He was going to do. The reminder that hating our first draft is usual and customary. Once we get to the other side, it is a little easier. I needed to sit back and relax and LET GOD DO. Something. Anything. In essence, I tried too hard to make something happen. Because of that, nothing COULD happen.

I needed to let go and LET GOD.

So, I started praying about the characters, the story, the approach, the scenes… everything. I started going to God’s office again, as I once did, and invited Him to come along on this rewrite project. Wouldn’t you know it, yesterday on the way home I began brainstorming again. Last night I wrote out the general outline for the entire novel, and this morning I finished writing chapter one and feel a little more comfortable in my writing skin.

Thank you, Karen Hancock, for the reminder to just relax and enjoy being a writer.

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Interview with Dana Pratola, author of ‘The Covering’

Posted on August 5, 2011 | 13 Comments

Welcome to Word Obsession! Today I will be interviewing Dana Pratola on her new novel, The Covering, released today by White Rose Publishing. Congratulations, Dana, and thank you for being with us today.

WO: What is your novel, The Covering, about?

Dana: The Covering is about Tessa, a Christian woman who is called by God to stand in the gap for a man she’s never met. When she does meet Gunnar, she learns he’s arrogant, unsaved and hostile. But he’s also HOT!  She can’t understand why God would toss her together with a man like him, knowing she would be attracted, so she wonders if it’s a trick of the enemy to make her stumble in her faith. Meanwhile, Gunnar is tormented by demonic visitations and looking for any way out. Killing himself might be the only way to end his miserable existence. But God has other plans.

WO: When did you first get the idea?

Dana: Truthfully about 5 years ago. I started it,  then put it aside for a long time as I worked on other projects. When I finally got serious about it, it just came together.

WO: Who is your favorite character in The Covering, and why?

Dana: Wow. I’m supposed to say the faithful Christian woman, right? I’d have to say Gunnar. I love that he’s intense and driven. But aside from that, while Tessa definitely learns a lot about herself, he grows and changes the most and I love to see strong character development.

WO: If you had the opportunity to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

Dana: Finsh about 3 years sooner.

WO: Do you have plans for a sequel or another book?

Dana: There are characters in this book I would love to see tell their stories, but no sequels yet. As for other projects I have 4 books in the works.

WO: What has been the best and the worst sides of your publishing experience?

Dana: Seeing God work is the BEST. I know He put the desire in me to write, but He always intended it to be seen in order to be effective, and the way He worked it out is amazing to me. I don’t have a WORST. Maybe not getting enough free copies. :)

The Covering | Excerpt

“Your pastor says I’m marked for death.”

The abruptness of the announcement left her momentarily speechless and quite unsure she’d heard correctly. “What?”

“He thinks the devil’s trying to kill me.”

She looked closely for any sign of humor, but Gunnar didn’t have a sense of humor she was aware of. “Why does he think that?” she asked.

“I told you I have nightmares, right?” Tessa nodded. Gunnar ran his finger along the edge of his napkin. “Well it goes a little beyond that.”

Tessa listened, enthralled, as Gunnar described in terrifying detail what he suffered in the night. A few things made more sense – his hostility for one – and she now had a better grasp of what pushed him toward suicide. God, how had he coped so long with the torment?

“I’d say Pastor’s right,” Tessa said when he finished.

“Great.”

The waiter arrived with their plates then disappeared. “You said when you had the gun to your head,” she shivered inwardly, “it didn’t feel like you. It felt like you were being driven.” Gunnar met her eyes across the table. “I believe you were.”

“Demons, right?” he asked. Tessa inclined her head. “Can they do that?”

“They can’t pick up your gun and shoot you with it,” she said. “But they can be persuasive.”

“Yeah,” he grumbled.

Tessa glanced around the small room. To an eavesdropper the conversation would seem like mumbo jumbo and ordinarily she wouldn’t care if strangers thought her “out there” or weird, but she kept her voice low in consideration for Gunnar’s privacy.

“When was the last time you had one of those dreams?” she asked.

“It’s been a while. Thank God.” He made a sound exactly between a chuckle and a snicker. “I mean that.”

This time when Tessa reached for his hand he left it under hers, turning it upward to lightly grip her fingers. “But you don’t think it’s the end,” Tessa said.

He topped her thumb with his and rubbed gently. “It’s like they’re constantly hovering. Waiting for the right time.”

Tessa refused to acknowledge the chill that swept through her.

“I know when they come for me, I won’t be able to stop it,” Gunnar said. “And one of these times they’ll pull me back there and I won’t come out.”

______________________

Thank you for coming, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into what promises to be a wonderful romantic tale!

Nona King

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