Paint By Numbers? Be Unique!

Paint By Numbers? No Thanks. I'd Rather Be Unique

Recently, I was invited to participate in one of those painting parties. Have you ever heard of them? 

It's a party that consists of attendees painting a painting based off of the teacher's sample painting. It's a fun social way to be creative while eating and drinking (wine at some parties...)

I've seen the final product of these parties on social media and the one thing I noticed was that all the paintings look the same. So, before I arrived at the party, I thought about what I would paint. 

The artist posts the sample painting on the invite. After studying it, I lay in bed one night, thinking about what I would paint. "I'm not going to paint the sample painting. That's just a guide. I'm going to paint what I want to paint."

At the party, I began filling my canvas with the bright colors of a sunset while the instructor taught about the brushes and mixing the paints. I have a degree in visual arts, so, as an artist, I already knew about mixing paint and using the brushes. As I filled my canvas, I felt  like a rebel going against the grain. It felt fun to be different. It felt great to be unique.

After a while, the other attendees walked around the room and when they came to my painting, they stopped and studied it. 

"I didn't know we were allowed to do something different," one lady said. 

Be Unique

Isn't that how it is? We go through this life thinking we have to be exactly the same as the other women around us. We frown upon women who dare to go against the norm. 

Why?

Why are we women, especially CHRISTIAN women, so hard on each other? I really want to know the answer to this question. I mean, shouldn't we encourage one another instead of tearing each other down?

Yes, as a Christian woman, I once was told by another Christian woman that I was sinning because I did not homeschool my son. 

I lost many Christian friends when I revealed that I was not a virgin on my wedding day. 

I was told I was selfish for not having more than one child (without being asked why I only had one child. Had this woman asked, she would have learned that God only allowed me to have one child...)

I have been judged for working outside the home.

I have been judged for...gasp...bottle feeding my son instead of breast feeding him. Oh the horror!

And the list goes on and on.

Why do we do this to each other? Where in the Bible does it say that we women have to be exactly alike? I have studied the Bible many times and never saw that verse anywhere. 

Instead, I found a verse that says we are to be the same as Christ who sought out the broken, flawed, and despised people of the world. 

Broken Vessels

Take Ruth, for example. Ruth was a Gentile. She was a Moabite woman. Yet, God chose her and used her to do great things. As a result, Christ comes from her lineage. 

The Samaritan woman is another example. Christ sought out this scarred Gentile woman. She was in a part of the world that was seen as unclean. She was a broken vessel living in sin, but Christ spoke to her, confronted her sin, healed her, and used her in a mighty way. 

His disciples weren't men of prominence. Instead they were lowly fishermen or even a despised tax collector, yet Christ called them, changed them, and used them in a mighty way. 

So, why do we expect perfection from those around us? Why are Christian women so harsh toward one another?

It just doesn't make sense. 

Finish Product

When I finished my painting, it stood out from the others. The instructor loved it because I went "outside the box" and used my creativity. She loved that I did what others had not. And, as I walked around, I noticed that some had decided to make their paintings their own after they had seen what I had done. 

"I didn't know we could do something different," asked that one attendee. 

"Of course you can," I said. "That's what's so amazing about painting. You can express yourself."

It was fun to see how others had expressed themselves once they realized they could. 

Celebrate Your Uniqueness

Instead of judging other women who aren't doing things the way you would do them (I know, How dare they, right??) encourage them. Use your uniqueness to encourage women. 

Do you have a unique story to tell? Tell it to encourage women. 

Do you have scars to reveal? Show them to encourage other women who may have scars, too. 

Do you have gifts or talents that may be different than what others have? Use them to encourage others. 

 Philippians 2:2-5

...complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus...

Instead of worrying about being just like that perfect woman you know who raised seven kids and still has a twenty inch waist and has a clean house and bakes her own bread and sews her own Halloween costumes...worry more about being just like Christ.

 Aspire to have His mind. 

Celebrate who you are in Christ. After all, He is the great artist...the divine designer who created you as one unique creation to be used by Him. 

Now that's a work of art to celebrate!

Blessings,

Ruth

4 Important Writing Questions...

I don't know about you, but I LOVE Writer's Digest Magazine. I obtain so much helpful information about writing from this magazine and their Facebook page.

Earlier today, they posted on Facebook an article about the importance of answering 4 questions from an agent during the pitch session at a conference.

I read the article and decided to answer the questions here.

In the column written by author Lisa Katzenberger, she thoughtfully explains the importance of the questions and knowing how to answer them...

How would you answer the following questions?

1. Are you working on anything else?  For me, the answer to this question came easily because I am ALWAYS working on something else. I have about a dozen book ideas in my head as I type. Plus, I have new ideas pop into my head during the year. I get ideas from my job (I'm a writing teacher...), my students, books they are reading, movies I watch, etc. Just ask my student. They'll tell you how I often talk about the plot of my next book.

I find it is important to have that next story in line. That way, when I type "the end" on my current WIP, the mourning period is short. I am back in the saddle and ready to begin plotting out the next big idea. I also think agents like this answer because it shows them that I am a writer. This is my career and not a hobby. I want them to see that I am serious about my craft.



2. Who are your favorite authors? This question is tough for me to answer because I am not a voracious reader in that I tend to start many books and then put them down after a few chapters. But, I am working on that! So, for me, I'd answer Susan May Warren (I am reading her books), Susan Meissner (Just started one of her books), J.K.Rowling, of course. She is an inspriation to me. Karen Kingsbury (I love her latest true crime story!), and Jodi Picoult. I just started her book,  "Lone Wolf" and am enjoying it.

I would next explain to the agent that I am a bigger fan of non-fiction: Biographies and autobiographies along with historical narratives. These books help me with research into certain eras I am writing in or with voice to make my dialog or exposition sound more real.

I feel an agent could see by my answer that I do appreciate good story telling techniques in the genres I write. I tend to research writers who are on top of the market (John Green is another favorite...) and see what they are up to next.



3. What kind of writer are you?  This question is much easier for me to answer. I have to confess, I did have to rehearse the answer a few times, but that's okay.

I am a writer who writes about flawed protagonists with real struggles but who are determined to reach their goals no matter what. They don't always wish to "save the day" but sometimes that task is thrust upon them and they desire to follow through. They have caring hearts and big dreams, and they tend to be humble and cerebral. I write more plot driven stories, but I aspire to write character driven literature some day. My writing is strongest through dialog and description. I consider myself to be very good at sensory writing and plot twists. Just ask my readers!

But, most of all, I am a writer who wishes to impart a theme or "message about life" in my stories. My desire is for the reader to walk away from my book having learned something or connected to the story in some way. Faith, hope, stay-the-course, never give up, are just some themes I place in my stories.



4. Where did this story come from?  Good question!  I love asking authors this question when I get to meet them. And I really love it when readers ask me this question. I find most of my stories come from other stories I have read or have seen in a movie. Sometimes they come from real life events that I have experienced or someone else has experienced.

The idea for "The Children Under the Ice" came from a spelling test I was giving a class of 6th graders. The idea for "The Dragon Forest" came from a love of dragons and the King Arthur legend.

The idea for my current book came to me back in 2004. I would read the military blog posts (milblogs) via the internet at the height of the Iraq War and was amazed at how these men and women wrote about their combat experience minutes after it happened. It was then that I read about how civilian journalists would embed with the troops to report on the war. Unfortunately, many of these journalists would twist the account to fit their agenda of turning Americans against the war effort. I would read in the milblogs how angry our troops were to see their actions distorted by the journalists they had trusted. And then I read about a missionary who started a sewing center in Iraq to provide work for Iraqi women.

As a result, I put the two ideas together and have a book to write with these themes running through: Fight the good fight, stand up for the truth, persevere, and learn to trust and love again.


I feel I am ready to answer these questions for any agent and I look forward to it at the next writers' conference I will attend!

What about you? How would you answer these questions? Are you ready to answer them?


Blessings,
Ruth

Write About What You Love...

"A lot of people tell writers to write about what they know.
And that's good advice because it gives you a lot of things to draw on.
 But I always like to add that they should write about things that they love.
 And by that I mean things that fascinate them or excite them personally..."

-Suzanne Collins

http://www.talesofsuccess.com/suzanne-collins-writing-tips-18713/

Write About What You Love

As soon as the evil Maleficent transformed into that purple and black dragon in Disney's The Sleeping Beauty, I was forever in love with... dragons! I love their strength, beauty, and mystique. So, when it came time to write a book, the subject I selected was dragons, of course.

Why not? For me, it was a no brainer: Kids love dragons and I was writing a book (The Dragon Forest) for kids.

I also love ghost stories!  My love for ghost stories led me to write another book series about a group of kids solving a murder mystery with the help of...ghosts! The Children Under the Ice was a fun book to write because of my love for this genre.

But for many writers, coming up with an idea can be a struggle. Why? There are so many ideas to choose from! 

The above quote is from a list of writing tips found over at Tales of Success blog. Suzanne Collins lists 5 tips on writing and this particular tip stood out to me because I agree with it wholeheartedly.

What about you?

Do you write about what you know or what you love... or both?  I find it easiest to do both, frankly.

Suzanne Collins once stated in an interview that she knows about war because her father fought in war, studied war, and taught about war strategy at the War College and West Point. She also listed several books she had read as a child that were about children battling each other and dystopian themes:

Theseus

Lord of the Flies

1984

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

By reading the list above, one can easily see how influential these stories were to Collins who deeply loves each book and rereads them annually.

Do you love a certain theme or era or hobby? Write about it!

Write What You Know

Writers should love stories and storytelling. It is a passion of mine to tell stories, both fictional narratives and personal narratives. But to write a story is entirely something else.

I know much about art, drawing, painting, etc. I know about teaching because I am a teacher. I know about what it's like to be married to a military man. What I don't know is war or combat. My next book will be based in the Iraq war during 2007. So, in order to make my story seem real to the reader, I must study and learn more about this time in US history. But I love to write about wartime romances, and this is why I chose this period to write about. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed the research about this time in US history.

What about you? Do you find it easy to write about what you know?  Or do you prefer to learn about a subject and then write about it? Or do you just "wing" it?

I highly recommend the article about Suzanne Collins over at Tales of Succes blog. She provides some thoughtful insights about her writing process.

Now...get to writing!


Blessings.
Ruth

Purpose in Writing: To Entertain, Right?

Who Needs Conflict Anyway?

Who Needs More Conflict?

Today while teaching my students about writing, we discussed how conflict makes a story more interesting.

Why?

Because that’s life. Life is full of plot twists, struggles, obstacles, triumphs, and failures.

 

The Story Mirrors Life

An element of plot that every quality story needs to grab the reader and hold them in is strong conflict.

What is meant by “strong” conflict?

Think about life. What does strong conflict look like?

People don’t want to read stories about happy perfect people with equally perfect lives. That’s boring. That’s unrealistic. And it’s not true to life.

I asked my students to imagine no conflict in their favorite stories. No conflict means no adventure, no risk, no...story!

In writing, good writers try to mirror life even if the story is set in fantasy. The conflict should mirror life.

Why?

Because people want to read about a character who has struggles in life. That’s what makes the reader connect to the story. Readers have struggles of their own…and they want to read about someone who has overcome those struggles.

Urgent!

So when you write about conflict, make it STRONG conflict. Make it urgent. For example…

I love World War II history. A few years ago, my family was fortunate to visit the National Marine Corps Museum at Quantico. Inside this amazingly detailed museum, we enjoyed the section about Iwo Jima. As we were leaving that section, we ran into an actual veteran of Iwo Jima.

There he was along with his wife. The two had married before the war when they were still teenagers and there they were, still standing side-by-side, real life survivors. The fact that anyone could survive Iwo Jima is almost a miracle, but to be able to meet a veteran of Iwo and ask him questions about his experience was an absolute thrill. 

This man lived through STRONG urgent conflict. He overcame extreme obstacles. That’s a man people want to meet.

• Holocaust survivors
• War survivors
• Disease survivors
• September 11^th survivors
• Plane crash survivors
• Survivors!

That sense of urgency is what escalates a story to that next level.

Urgency should be in your story as well. Readers want to root for your character as she confronts each obstacle. They want to see how this ordinary flawed character deals with such conflict. Will she survive? Will she save the day? Will she solve the crime? Stop the killer? Escape the danger?

Or will she fail?

These are questions people ask themselves every day. That’s the sort of conflict that a reader wants to see in your story.

Don’t disappoint them.

Life is disappointing enough. Make your story the light at the end of that tunnel. Give your readers the hope they need.

Make your story count.

That’s what readers want!

Your turn: How do you add conflict to your stories? Do you try to mirror life in your stories?

Blessings,

Ruth