NaNoWriMo Countdown 10 days

In honor of NaNoWriMo being 10 days away, I am going to post part of a short history story I am writing as background to my NaNo Novel. There are seven parts to this story and I will post one letter a day for the next seven days. Then with three days to go, maybe we'll learn a little more about my main character? 

To the High Consul of the Court, 

The Mage Jennan,

I hope that this letter finds you well, and is not entirely unexpected. It’s been sixth months since I have had the pleasure of your presence in court and I miss your sharp wit and unexpected insight. I did not think that our friendship would suffer from my move from crown prince to King, but my free time has only become more restricted.  I have heard that you and Britten have discovered some remarkable things. You will have to bring them with you so that we can add them to the library. I need you in court Jennan, so that we can discuss this magic and what it will do to our kingdom.

I am surrounded by men grasping at power, and the shifting trade routes are causing some frustration. Many would have me take what you are doing and use it as leverage. From what you have written, it does not seem like that kind of power. The power to strengthen buildings or heal the sick is power that will help grow our kingdom, not tear another apart. I grow weary of the war-mongers but I must admit that they have a point, the kingdom’s around us are concerning and we can use all the help we can get.

Despite these issues, I am more concerned about the disturbing rumors about what Britten has been doing, and what you have denounced. What could put such a rift between the two of you? Practically inseparable, you were always equals as you experimented. What is this kind of magic that you would spurn its knowledge while your brother experiments freely? I have heard only that it is violent, but what in our world isn’t? If there is merit in this magic, I would know of it. Bring as much of your experiments and your brother’s with you when you come. It may be that even unsavory power is power worth having. Leave Britten behind however, he does not have your poise in court and has never been one to garner favor with my advisors.

Sora sends her love, and reminds me to ask you to bring your family. Your son must be close to five now. Last we saw of him he was barely toddling around! Bring him so that our children can learn to know each other just as we did.  

His Majesty the King,

Tairen

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 11:1-15:21

Welcome onto the scene the final plague. It is interesting that the majority of the passage speaks not of the importance of the death of the firstborn, but on the redemption of those that the Lord passed over. There is an overwhelming majority of verses dedicated to the way that Passover will work in the future, how they are going to keep the feast and how they will worship the Lord by remembering what he has done for them.

The parallels between the Passover feast and what will become Holy Communion jump off of the pages. The entire point of the feast is to celebrate the redemption of the Israelites out of Egypt. Redemption from a life of slavery and brought into the household of God as the firstborn, consecrated to him and inheriting the promised land.

“You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt’ and it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes.” Exodus 13:8-9a

Our salvation comes through the blood of Jesus, shed on the last day of the Passover and sealed with a new covenant meal on the Passover feast night. Our act of celebration through Communion is just like that of the ancient Israelites, a celebration of what the Lord did for us, bringing us up out of slavery to sin and brought into the household of God as his child, consecrated to him and inheriting the Kingdom.

Next time I take communion, I am not only going to think about the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for my sins, but I will also remember and thank God for his incredible plan, and his faithfulness through the ages. His plan has always been the same, from the time of Moses to now. So let us tell our children, “it is because of what the Lord did for me when I was saved from sin.” And let us keep it as a sign on our hand and as a memorial between our eyes. Amen. 

Investing in my Creativity

My creative streak has been on strike. You know that feeling when you think “I’m a writer! I should have great ideas!” Well, it’s been fleeting the past few years, drifting in and out in fits of brilliance (which are really quite mediocre) and making me long for the days when I dreamt about my characters and day dreamed plot lines.

In an attempt to kindle my creative genius, I have made myself some goals at the beginning of the summer. I have been listening to some creative writing podcasts since the beginning of the year and was ready to make myself buckle down and write. Goals went like this:

1. Using the writing prompt from my podcast write something every week.
2. Starting in September, outline a novel for Nanowrimo
3. Starting in October, research my novel for Nanowrimo
4. In November, write my novel
5. Starting in December, revise and rewrite my novel

So far, so good. I have been writing twice a week and started using this blog to keep me accountable. It’s hard to track progress if you can’t have a timeline. In September, I started a huge spreadsheet that has the plan for my novel and did a basic plot outline. Now, I am in the middle of fleshing it out, filling in details and crafting my characters.

By far, this is the most pre-prep work I have EVER done writing anything. I have my characters and setting almost fully fleshed, I have a detailed plot outline with every scene beginning middle and end, it looks like I will have 26 decently long chapters in first draft. I like my character, I am beginning to crave putting fingers to keyboard and diving into this thing! Only 16 days left!

Finally I feel like my brain is starting to think like a writer again. This novel is not the most ingenious plot line ever, no it doesn’t have any crazy twists or something so completely out there. This is me, sitting down and just dropping something back into my bank of creativity. I need to invest in my writing ability and work on crafting a great story. I can always revise in the crazy twists and strange attractors. Right now, I’m starting to feel like I’m getting in the groove of writing, I’ve been focused and determined.

I think, I am willing once more to call myself a writer. 

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 6:28-10:29

The Lord is the almighty creator of the universe who wants to be in relationship with his people. In this passage, the Lord spends the entire time talking first to Moses, through Moses to Aaron, through Aaron to Pharaoh, and through his actions, to the people of Egypt and Israel. The Lord is proving not only his power and glory, but also his love for his people. Not only does the Lord punish Pharaoh, he uses the opportunity to prove to the god-king that he is not, in fact, a god. He humbles not only Pharaoh, but the entire Egyptian population, proving over and over that their gods are powerless in the face of the Lord. The Israelites are separated out in impossible ways, flies avoiding their land, death avoiding their livestock, darkness avoiding Goshen. The Lord is clearly distinguishing between his people and the rest of the world and Pharaoh sees it, he just doesn’t want to acknowledge it. If he acknowledges it, he acknowledges that the God of his slaves is greater than the god he thinks he is.  

But that is who God is. He is the almighty creator of the universe, controller of life and death, water, flies and locusts, darkness and light. What the plagues demonstrates is the power of the creator of the universe and the lengths he will go to for the love of his children.

Now that, is awesome.

Brain - meet procedure manuals

I.                    Creating numbered lists is sometimes a formatting nightmare.

A.      Microsoft Word alternately:

i.                     Decides it will cooperate, making everything align perfectly

ii.                   Decides it doesn’t know what you are talking about and things come out looking like they don’t match

iii.                  Decides it knows what you want even though it is not what you want and it won’t listen to you when you tell it its wrong

II.                  Trying to outline what you do in a way that tells others what to do is hard

A.      Translating your personal procedures into simple steps requires a lot of forethought about:

i.                     What you need to talk about

ii.                   What comes first and what follows (you can’t just start writing stuff down, you won’t remember something)

B.      Translating your personal procedures into simple steps requires a lot of thought about:

i.                     Common terminology, you can’t always use the jargon terms

ii.                   Screen shots of what you can’t explain but just need to show

iii.                  Not relying solely on screen shots

iv.                 Not relying solely on words

C.      Translating your personal procedures into simple steps requires other people to:

i.                     Read through your steps for clarity

ii.                   Follow your steps and let you know what is missing

III.                Creativity taking a back seat to numbered lists leaves you thinking that your brain is tapped out

A.      Creativity seems to fall flat when you have been crafting words for work all day long

i.                     Your brain fails to think of interesting vocabulary when you have spent all day in one corner of your language skills

ii.                   Fatigue emanates from that area of your brain that relishes the blinking black cursor as a challenge

B.      Fifteen pages of procedures leaves you dreaming of bullet points not plot lines

i.                     Waking up thinking about how to make B follow A kind of kills the attempt to figure out what happens to your character next

ii.                   Your plot and scenes start reading like a list rather than a descriptive experience.

C.      Writing prompts start looking like chores rather than exercises to keep your brain sharp. A number list sounds like an easier exercise then trying to create a story or idea out of your benumbed brain.

IV.                Time to put down the procedures and attempt to do something more creative…

But tonight… that is not going to be a writing prompt. It’s going to be planning characters and scenes for my novel. So, brain meets procedures and insists on thinking in terms of bullet points? Why not put that super organized brain to creative work. Let’s outline!

Devotions: Life of Moses Exodus 5-6:27

In chapter 5 of Exodus, Moses does exactly what God told him to do. He is flying high from the confirmation of the Israelite leaders and goes and asks Pharaoh, to let his people go worship for 3 days. And then the unthinkable happens, Pharaoh says no. Moses must have reeled, maybe even asked again, wait, what did you say? I thought I heard, no? No! Oh you really did say no! And then, to top it all off, Pharaoh makes life even harder for the Israelites that Moses is trying to deliver – again! This is Moses second attempt in his life to be the leader that delivers his people. And understandably, both he and the Israelites hit rock bottom. They cry out first to Pharaoh and then to Moses, who cries out to God. (This order is a little backwards so I think the children of God still have some learning to do!)

They are discouraged, and frustrated! Moses asks God why did he do this? Why did he bring him out here only to fail? The circumstances of his calling had changed dramatically. He went from being called on the mountain of God to deliver his people to being told no and causing more hardship. Moses must have felt like God needed to revise his plan. It wasn’t working! Something was wrong, either him, or the Pharaoh or maybe even God’s plan in the first place.

In chapter 6 God answers Moses. (For being such a whiner, Moses sure gets some pretty compassionate responses back from God, revealing God’s character.) In this chapter, God outlines who he is, what he will do and that Moses will do it. Almost an exact repetition of what he told Moses on the mountain.

To Moses – the change in circumstances demanded a change in the plan.

To God – the plan never changed.

How many times do I get discouraged about my circumstances? God calls me to something, and when I move to obey him my life changes, the people around me change, my support structure shrinks or my personality seems to do back-flips on my ability to do what I am called to do. But even though I think it’s time to go back to the drawing board, is God asking me to continue? He sees all, I have limited vision. Maybe, as with Moses, the set-back that I feel requires a complete plan overhaul was part of the plan the whole time. God’s plans are infallible, and he will make a way, because he is faithful to see it through.

If God has shown you a plan, and you think that circumstances have now made that plan void, be quiet and listen. Is God still saying the same things? Maybe your change in circumstance doesn’t require a change in God’s divine plan for your life, and for the world. 

Writing Prompt: Support Group

                “He just won’t listen.” Cassie says to the three people sitting around the table with her, her fingers wrapped around a chai latte. “He walks away when I want him to fight, he speaks like a pacifist when I want him to get angry. I try to make him angry and he just gets sad! I don’t know what to do with him anymore!”

                “I understand completely!” A small blonde woman on her right says, taking a sip of her tea with a grimace, “My Taisly says one thing, does another and is different from home to school! I don’t know whether she is two people in one or if I’m just incompetent!”

                “You aren’t incompetent!” The man across from Cassie says, “Darla, your Taisly has just got to be split into two people. Maybe she has a younger sibling?”

                “That could work.” Darla says, her eyes going glazed and looking across and over the shoulder of the man on Cassie’s left.

                “Whatever you do.” Cassie says, “Just don’t make it cliché.” They all shudder, and Roger leans across the table to take Darla’s hand.

                “Write through it. It’ll come out. Same for you Cass. Get through the first draft. They’ll fall into place eventually. Maybe your M.C. doesn’t like being the war-causing rabble-rouser you need him to be, but that can give him depth can’t it?” Tom nods at Roger’s words.

                “Yes.” He says, “Focus on the positive. You are at the halfway point. Don’t give up now!”

                Cassie sips at her chai, and looks around the circle. “Well, that covers characters, how are your plot outlines going?” Everyone groans and Roger stands up.

                “I’m going to need another latte for this conversation!”