The Three Steps of Writing

    I've heard it said that there are no "Three Steps of Writing," and I think it's true. In order to write the best way you can, there are a myriad of techniques, teachers, styles, personalities and quirks. Your writing style, and the way you write (trust me, those are different things), will be developed over a long period of learning and experience. And so, there are no "Three Steps of Writing Well."
    However, I believe that there are three simple steps to getting actual writing done, and they are all needed in order to learn how to write well.
    Step one is simple: Read. What you read will be reflected in your writing. I think that Luke 6:45 sums it up nicely: "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." Basically, that means that what you spend a lot of your time or thought on will be reflected in your actions or words. There is nothing you can read that has no effect on you -- it can affect you positively, negatively, or just confuse you, but
 everyone writes for a reason, that writing cannot be unread and its effects can be long lasting. Read a lot. Read what you want to write like, read different styles, read old writing and new writing, read both fiction and nonfiction, read poetry as well as prose, read about writing.
    Step two: Write. It's as simple as that. Learning about writing is important, and reading is important, but no matter how much of either you do, the surest way to improve is to write. You will never really be able to write as well as you want, but with (lots of) learning and (lots and lots and LOTS of) writing, you will be able to write well enough to put what you want on paper, the way you want it.
    Step three: Revise. Just plain writing will never be enough. Your first draft will always have something in it that needs tweaking, or taken out, or added in. That's the point of a first draft: it is nothing more than getting your framework on paper. Nothing will ever be perfect the first time around.
    In reality, writing is quite simple. In the words of Gene Fowler, "Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."

~Maria

Blowing the Horn

1. Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Ezekial 33:1-9

This passage describes the job of the Christians in America today. We are supposed to see problems and warn people about them. That is why I started the blog Blowing the Horn. On this blog, I will post testimonies of God's power and prayer requests. Stop by and follow me to help me spread the Word.

Here is the link to the blog: http://blowingthehorn.blogspot.com/

~Maria

Help Miroslav Get Adopted

     Miroslav is a five-year-old boy who was sent to an orphanage for special-needs children by his mother because he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She hoped that he could come home after a year of treatment, but the orphanage does not actually help the children, and Miroslav was unable to come home. His mother asked for help to find a family to adopt him. 

     McKennaugh Kelley, who wrote this post, described Miroslav's plight this way:

     [When they met Miroslav] He was turning two. We called him “Angel Boy”—I cannot explain the beauty of his spirit. He, in circumstances that no little child should live in, was so full of a sweet, heart-breaking peace. His eyes showed no contempt or anger. Ever. They only held love and a sad, mystified wonder at why he was left alone and uncared for.

     He had just been placed at an orphanage for special needs children due to his diagnosis of cerebral palsy. His mother still held rights. She was only allowed to visit him one day a week because she had entrusted him to this place. We got to see her three or four times over the seven weeks that we were there. Once, she brought Miroslav’s older brother, a rambunctious boy who enjoyed striking us down with his plastic sword. The boy showed a gentle side, though, as he bent and tenderly kissed Miroslav’s cheek. Miroslav smiled ever so sweetly at him. I sensed the love between these two brothers. I even felt that the mother cared deeply for her youngest son. Why, then, had she left him here?

     With the help of a translator, my family and I asked her if we could do anything that could assist her in bringing Miroslav home. Did she need money to take care of him? No, she didn’t. She said that he got the therapy and care he needed here. Our hearts broke as we thought, “If only you could understand! Your child gets no therapy. No special care. He spends all his hours behind crib bars, waiting for you. He is hungry, afraid, abandoned.”

     Miroslav’s mother told us that, in a year, he would come back to live with them. We knew what a year in this place could do to a child. “Oh, God,” we prayed, “keep Miroslav strong.”

When we left the orphanage, when we looked into Miroslav’s angel eyes one last time, we held hope in our hearts that he would be freed from this place.

     Back in the US, we were unable to get news of this little boy. Then, after more than a year had passed, we saw a photo of him with a missionary. The very photo in this article. He looked so happy, so joyful. But we knew that when the missionaries left, he would be back in his crib. Little Miroslav was still at the orphanage. His mother’s promise had not been kept. We’ll never know why. Still, he remained unavailable for adoption. We prayed. We asked God that his family would take him back, or else they would sign their rights away, so that he would have a chance to leave the orphanage.

Today, he is still in the same place, still waiting for his momma to come back for him. She never will. He is turning five. He will spend his birthday alone, in a crib.

     10 days ago, nearly 3 years since we told Miroslav goodbye, I received an email from a Ukrainian friend. In her words, “God is making the best for children who need him. Can you imagine that the lady from [the orphanage]…said ‘please find family for Miroslav’?”

It was an answer to prayer. He is available for adoption now. He can be freed. If only an adoptive family can be found.

     That’s where your part comes in: Share. Miroslav’s. Story.

     Most everyone knows that Ukraine has all but destroyed part of Kyiv in their rioting. I have seen photos of beautiful monuments that I stood under that are blackened, burned, and crumbled. It is shocking and terribly saddening to someone who has been there. But, even more troublesome, are the Russian troops who are taking over Crimea. Adoptions in that region have been stopped. Adoptions ARE still taking place in Miroslav’s region. Is time running out? Maybe. I don’t know.

     Is there a homestudy-ready family out there that could rush through the paperwork and claim Miroslav before he’s stuck behind crib bars forever? There must be. But it may take many of us to reach the right person. You can take the first step towards finding Miroslav a family by pressing the Share button.

     Not all great things are hard.

     The person who wrote this article can be reached at mckennaugh [at] inbox [dot] com or 570-549-2442. Please visit the original post at http://therebelution.com/blog/2014/04/help-miroslav-get-adopted/#.VEVX1PldWwE for more information.

In Christ,

~Maria

The Grammar Rant

The short-and-easy, hate-grammar-but-want-to-write-person's checklist.

1. Don't write alot. You don't write alittle, abit, acantaloupe, aporkchop. Don't write alot.
2. Avoid repetitions. Repetitions are annoying. Repetitions draw away from the story and to the repetition. Constantly check for repetitions. Only use repetitions for specific purposes.
3. Commas are a wonderful invention that keep sentences from running together like this one is and can prevent odd sentences like this one: Let's eat Grandma vs. Let's eat, Grandma. Commas can save lives. Use them.
4. Proper punctuation! Some things, like exclamation points and periods, can be interchangeable. Other things, like question marks, aren't. Don't end a question with a period! It makes the question sound flat and confuses the reader. For instance: Don't we need to get lettuce. vs. Don't we need to get lettuce?
5. (How often do you see parenthesis in books? Not that often, right? [You never, ever see double parenthesis {Avoid parenthesis like the plague}])
6. The dreaded -ly word! Really, suddenly, abruptly, angrily, sorrowfully, happily, faithfully, amazingly, beautifully, prettily, lovingly, gently, harshly, personally. These sneaky little pirates like to steal the "umph" from your descriptions. Unless these descriptive words are necessary, don't use them. When you edit, search for -ly words and pick and choose the important ones. Let your descriptions stand strong on their own!

Tune in again for more grammar/spelling points!

~Maria

Writing Prompt

"Every breath hurt."

Who is saying this? What does it mean? Physically or emotionally? A beginning or an ending?

Write a paragraph from this sentence.

~Maria

Isaiah 55

Isaiah 55

King James Version (KJV)

1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Thoughts on verse 2: What do we spend our money, time and worry on that has no eternal value?
Verses 8 and 9: God is in control of everything, and He is so much wiser than us! Whenever I think about that, I feel kind of silly for worrying.
Verses 10-11: God's word always does something. Just like when rain falls and waters the grass and flowers, God's word sows seeds or waters seeds already planted. You never know how God might use the sharing of scripture.

~Maria

Writing Prompt

A father and daughter? Husband and wife? A policeman trying to keep a child safe? A family being arrested? Is it the beginning of a story, or an ending?

Write a short description of everything this picture could represent. Pick one that grabs your attention and run with it.

~Maria

NOTE: I did not take this picture. All copyright belongs to the photographer.

Writing Prompt

Culture is a powerful and complex part of our world. Nomads, farmers, villagers, city people, rich, poor, artistic or academic, everyone has a culture.

Think about different cultures: Spanish, French, Norwegian, Native American, Indian, Japanese. Now think about “subcultures:” America's southerners, people from Louisiana, different casts in India, the wealthy of society, the beggars. What character can be given depth and interest by changing their nationality? What could be unusual? Think about different types of people and try switching around their nationality: The construction worker from Louisiana, the soldier from France, the Native American chef, the wealthy Norwegian mountaineer.

~Maria   

Writing Prompt of the Week

Since I missed last week (trip to the Creation Museum & Kentucky Horse Park), I will post two prompts now.

What is something that you would not expect to find a character liking? Maybe a shy, quiet girl enjoys turkey hunting or deep-sea fishing. Maybe a hardened warrior is an avid pottery collector. Maybe your villain is an expert on teas.

Think about your characters. Try to give each one something surprising -- either a hobby, a memory, or a cherished object.

Music plays a huge roll in a film. Ben Botkin (a composer himself) says that "if script is king, then music is queen." A lot of people like to listen to music while they write. Soundtracks or contemporary music can provide inspiration. 

Listen to soundtracks while thinking about your writing. Think about how, if your novel were a movie, what scene would go with each song. Try "storyboarding" a scene in your head. See what ideas or scenarios the music gives you.

~Maria

Writing Prompt of the Week

Pain, fear and secrets give depth to a person. Fear was last week's prompt. Now, what pain does your character have? A regret? A memory? Or is it a physical ailment, one that keeps them from doing things they would like? If your character doesn't have a pain, brainstorm until he or she has one.

~Maria

Writing Prompt of the Week

Two this time!

What is your character's greatest fear? Write a scene where your main character or a secondary character has to face their greatest fear.

What food does your character hate? Write a situation where he/she is served their least favorite food and feels compelled to eat it.

~Maria

Writing Prompt of the Week

Well, let's see if I can keep something going on this place...

Think of a compass and a sword. What do they mean? What kind of person do they belong to? Were they found by someone or given as a gift? What story do they have? Who can own them that seems unlikely?