Writing for Entertainment: When is it funny? by Michelle M. Brown

Authors often struggle with knowing if they have infused their writing with emotion. Nonfiction writers record the facts about life events and, this genre does not allow the writer to create a story for the sake of entertainment. Recently, as I wrote my memoir, there were times when I had to distance myself emotionally to ensure an accurate account and, in that distance, I questioned if I didn’t lose the most critical part -- the emotional impact.

One powerful emotion that would attach value to any piece is humour, yet it can be the most difficult to add and complicated to define. Humour is influenced by experience and shaped by the natural inclinations and personal beliefs that are held by the reader. It is relative to a situation and how the reader relates to it. When we read a story, it is our ability to connect to it and how we view the peculiarities of life that define the emotional impact. Humour, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

In the book of Luke, Zechariah was struck mute by the angel Gabriel, because he did not believe Gabriel’s words.

“And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time."” Luke 1:19-20 ESV

The story continues with Elizabeth giving birth to a son as foretold by Gabriel.

“Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, "No; he shall be called John." And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name." And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.” Luke 1:57-66 ESV

There is humour to be found in this story. Zechariah was mute, not deaf. He may have written the words, “I can hear you, you fools” before he wrote anything else. Humour can be found in the absurdities of the moment, in the details that are not immediately obvious, and in the struggles we all share.

To fully succeed in writing for entertainment, a writer will include humour by telling a story that notes the idiosyncrasy and oddities that come with life. The unexpected in the normal.

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Michelle M. Brown was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada. She has a background in Marketing & Design. An avid hiker and adventure junkie she has embarked on a journey to conquer 50 adventurous activities in her 50th year.

CHRISTIAN FICTION? by Bryan Norford

Fiction writing is God’s idea. The Bible’s full of it. From the stories of Nathan’s ewe lamb; Jeremiah’s marred pottery; to Isaiah’s vineyard; the Old Testament spins many tales of humanity’s broken sinfulness and God’s restoration.

Jesus’ many parables simply followed a long tradition explaining the truths of the kingdom. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like . . .” was His signature beginning of stories that told of God’s love and redemption, or of judgment to come for the unrepentant.

Christians throughout the centuries—whether writing for believers or unbelievers—when driven by the Holy Spirit, have attempted at some level to express the nature of God, and the godly values derived from Him; and much of that was written through fiction.

C. S. Lewis claimed: “Any amount of theology can be smuggled into people’s minds under cover of romance without their knowing it.” His fantasy yarns in Narnia, and his humorous banter in Screwtape Letters point to the truth about God just as much as the logic of Mere Christianity.

So writers, who are Christian, have imaginations inspired and fired by the Holy Spirit as they write their modern parables. From romance to high adventure, their signature “Once upon a time . . .” (rarely used but always understood), points to sublime truths that raise the human condition.

But are these pictures of God’s character, often concealed in figurative language, understood by the reader? That question raises another question; why use parables? Contrary to popular perception, parables conceal, as much as reveal, the truth they proclaim.

Isaiah was the first to record God’s warning that a calloused people would, “be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving” (Isaiah 6:9). When the disciples asked Jesus why He used parables, He quoted that passage from Isaiah (Matthew 13:14).

Previously He’d said: “The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you, but not to them” (Matthew 13:11), explaining that the one who has will receive abundantly, and those with nothing will lose even that.

His words, like a riddle, remind us the same Holy Spirit that inspires the writer, also illumines the reader. An open heart will prompt the Spirit to give more understanding; a closed heart will lose even the opportunity.

This life may never reveal those drawn to Christ through our writing, fact or fiction. Be assured, He will not inspire us unless someone awaits our message.

What is a Christian Writer? by T. L. Wiens

I have no problem identifying myself as a writer. I completed nanowrimo three times over in one year. I’m not claiming to be a good writer—just a prolific one and for that reason alone, I have no doubts about the writer side of the equation.

Christian is a much more daunting identification. in Acts 11:26, we are told the word Christian is first used in Antioch. For years, I’ve thought about it as simply a follower of Christ or a believer but this name says much more.

Galatians come from Galatia, Ephesians come from Ephesus. I haven’t gone back to the Greek on this one but in English, it’s hard to miss the form of the word Christian. Just as Galatia was the hometown of Galatians, the early Christians appeared to those around them as coming from Christ. What about the early followers of Christ inspired those around them to see them as having Christ as a homeland? Kind of goes against the Oliver Wendall Jones saying, “Some people are too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.”

I love Jesus—no doubt about that but do the people around me see me as a Christian? Or am I just a church attendee and in the world’s eyes that makes me a Christian? It’s a struggle that I think I’ll continue to fight, doing my best to live a life worthy of being considered a Christian because of my love for Jesus. I think my writing will reflect my heart, just like the overflow from my mouth. And maybe I will earn the title of Christian writer.

How Did I Become a Christian Writer? - Janis Cox

I've been asked a question:

Are you a Christian writer or a writer who is Christian?

I would say I am a Christian writer. After giving my life to Christ I wanted to learn more and more about Him. I took Bible studies; read my Bible; memorized Scripture; discussed difficult passages; asked the Holy Spirit to help me understand more and more.

The Bible is my focus.

Now I feel confident to spread the Word of God - to feed His lambs. That is not to say that I have learned it all - I am the first to admit that there is an endless ocean to knowing God.

As for the writing part - I have gone to Write!Canada (a conference for writers and editors who are Christian) for the past 8 years. I read books about writing. I read many other books. I journal every day. I pray (both talking and listening).

And I believe my writing is improving, because I am writing more. I am encouraged by comments on my blogs. I blog on my own blog He Cares for Us, 5 times a week. I co-ordinate a group blog called Under the Cover of Prayer. At Family and Faith Matters I write once a week. And for Inscribe Writers Online I post once a month.

This forces me to write.

In the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell,  he states that to become really good at something you need 10 000 hours. "

"Outliers are those who have been given opportunities — and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them."

So I am beginning on that journey. I will get better with more study, more prayer, and more writing.

Can I improve? For sure. Learning never ends. Even with a passage of Scripture it speaks to me in a different way at a different time. The more I become aware of the Holy Spirit and the more I ask to be a part of His service - the more He shows me.

Then there is the other side of my life - painting. God has led me to paint in watercolour. I love it. I am working at merging my two loves - as I illustrated and wrote a children's book called Tadeo Turtle. Once again the more I paint - the better I get.

But as long as God wants me to write - I will write. And if He wants me to paint, I'll paint.  If He takes me in a different direction, then I will follow that path.

Being ready, being aware and being surprised by Him each day.
Blessings,
Janis

CANADA STRONG AND FREE by Bryan Norford

It has been the mantra of civilised conversation that we should never discuss religion or politics. Strange! When these two subjects have the greatest influences on our lives. And religion and politics have been intertwined since history began, and contrary to common wisdom, is true in Canada today.

Like Glynis Belec’s blog, we left England for Canada in 1965, and forty seven years later, this is definitely our home. When we left England, we left a Christian culture. Of course, not everyone was a Christian, but Christian values were generally accepted. It was true of Canada when we arrived here.

How things have changed! The western world is now largely pagan, with Christianity a poorly tolerated sideshow on the fringes of an ever wilder circus. This is true of Canada, which has been a leader in this transformation; particularly on abortion and gay marriage.

The retreat from Christianity has been accompanied by the loss of the sanctity of life. Abortion is accepted and legal up to birth, and assisted suicide and euthanasia are front and centre in the courts. Sex is now a recreational pastime, while marriage has lost its meaning and has been abandoned by a growing segment of society.

This decline can also be measured by ballooning debt, increasing violence and an increasing self-serving population, yet is labelled “progressive” by its proponents who consider these changes freedom from the oppression of religious restrictions.

Even the Christian population is frequently flaccid and seduced by secular rhetoric. While a surprising number of Members of Parliament in all parties are Christians, they are hamstrung by weak support from Christians, who are frequently ignorant of the changes in our country’s culture.

It is the writers of history who have had the greatest influence for good or evil. Where are the Christian writers in Canada who can intelligently explain the dangers of our race to godless paganism? Christianity has gained prominence in the past because of the eventual bondage of today’s ungodly pursuits and the real freedom to be found in Christ.

 “God, keep our land, glorious and free,” should be the prayer of every Canadian Christian. But it should also be the intent of every Christian writer. Someone, somewhere, will one day catch the popular imagination, revealing the madness of secular western attitudes. That could be one of us!

"Why should the Devil have all the good music?" - Bruce Atchison

"You mustn't listen to that ungodly racket," elderly Christians often admonished me when I was a teen. Those church members had absolutely no grounds for concern. My commitment to God was so strong that I often sang along with the radio, replacing the secular lyrics with praises to Jesus. Those elders never understood that rock music fed my soul in a way that Christian Contemporary Music utterly failed to do. In my upcoming How I Was Razed memoir, I tell how I found a record that provided me much-needed encouragement in the spring of 1978. Though the manuscript still needs extensive editing, here is how I discovered that the Devil didn't have all the good music after all.

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To keep from sinking into the depths of despondency, I borrowed records from the Edmonton Public Library's downtown branch. After a hard day of visiting firms and filling in application forms, I made a point of stopping there on my way home. Among the secular records, I found an album called Bootleg by Larry Norman. I had heard of this Christian rock star while attending high school but I couldn't afford to see him in concert. When I put the first disk of the double LP on the turntable, I felt like the ugly duckling discovering he was a swan all along. Here was somebody actually playing serious rock music with lyrics about Jesus. Songs like I Think I Love You, Ha Ha World, What Goes Through Your Mind, Blue Shoes White, and Why Don't You Look Into Jesus? "fed" my soul. Larry's tunes had none of the condescending attitude of Sister E's "young people's" LP, or the corniness of Sister R's "spritely tunes." Though "home taping" is technically theft, I recorded the songs I liked best and listened over and over to them. Three decades later, I bought the album directly from Larry's Solid Rock label and asked the Lord for forgiveness.

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Please visit the Larry Norman website to learn more about this remarkable Christian rock pioneer. Though he died on February 24, 2008, his music lives on. As for information about me and my books, Please visit my Inscribe writers group page.

Christ in Me -- Janet Sketchley

I’m still trying to grasp the simplicity—but liberating power—of Christ in me, my hope of glory. The Bible promises that in Him we have everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

The Holy Spirit lives in me, and the Spirit is all I need for life and godliness—if I’ll let Him influence how I live.

The Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, meekness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). My natural spirit is selfish, and none of these good things.

I used to think the fruit of the Spirit were attributes God would develop in me. I’d become more patient, for example. But wouldn’t that be like expecting oranges to develop on an apple tree? I am more patient than I was, and that’s His doing, as I learn to walk His way a bit. But that’s not my natural spirit, that’s me getting used to His and letting Him shape my responses.

The Holy Spirit hasn’t been grafted onto me to grow—I’ve been grafted onto Him. So I’ll grow as I draw my strength and nourishment from Him. But the thing I come back to is this: He’s already there, invited in and received by faith, even though so rarely seen. So when there’s a stimulus, I can choose how to respond—if I’m submitted to Him and not being selfish.

Think of a standard doorway from a room. Two full-sized people can’t exit side by side; one must go first. LORD, please help me to hold back, to let Your Spirit go out first. Not only does He deserve first place, but His presence will change things in a good way.

This makes me see what Paul says to the Galatians in a different light. Galatians 3:3 says, “After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (NIV) He’s talking about the goal of righteousness and salvation, and about them beginning with faith but now trying to hedge their bets by observing the law. But the verse also speaks to me about righteousness and godly living.

Am I trying to do it by human effort? No wonder it’s not working too well. The Spirit isn’t going to take me over and push His way out. Like Anne Graham Lotz says, God is a gentleman. He has manners. I have to choose to let Him out.

© Janet Sketchley, 2008
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.