Why I Wrote Cecile's Christmas Miracle - Ruth L. Snyder

People write fiction for many different reasons, several of which have been discussed already by other bloggers this month. As a Christian writer, I take my writing seriously. I believe that God has gifted me with an ability He expects me to hone and use to accurately reflect His image. This doesn't mean that what I write has to be heavy theology. In fact, I believe that God is just as delighted with me expressing His image through a creative, fun story (fiction) as He is with a thought-provoking devotional (non-fiction).

On December 5th, my novella, Cecile's Christmas Miracle, will be released in e-book format on Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. (This is the 7th story in the Kathi Macias' 12 Days of Christmas series with Helping Hands Press.) There are several reasons I wrote this story:

• To introduce people to the beautiful country and people of Botswana, where I spent several of my growing up years. Botswana is a land-locked country in southern Africa, most of which is part of the Kalahari Desert.
• To force myself out of my comfort zone. I'm very comfortable writing short pieces and haven't written a novella or novel before. I like a challenge and this was an opportunity to write a longer piece.
• To give people an enjoyable story that would make them think.
• To show people in North America what it's like to spend Christmas overseas, where it is celebrated in the middle of summer with no snow, no turkey, and perhaps no family nearby
• To remind people of the true essence of Christmas. In North America we often define Christmas by traditions (turkey and mistletoe), weather (snow), and shopping (gifts). People celebrating Christmas overseas are often stripped of these facades and forced to truly focus on the birth of Jesus Christ.

I found it enjoyable and challenging to write this story. It was fun because I was able to relive some childhood memories and share a treasured part of my life many of my friends know little about. It was also gratifying to rise to a challenge and conquer it. The challenge came in crafting a plot that was believable and entertaining, but also true to life and educational. When I did my research for the story, I was horrified to read about the resettlement of the San Bushmen. It was challenging to present that part of the plot in a way that didn't put anyone down, but at the same time showed the struggles that expatriates face in foreign countries.

What about you? Do you write fiction for any of the same reasons I do?

Ruth L. Snyder

Ruth L. Snyder was privileged to spend the first ten years of her life in southern Africa where her parents served as missionaries. Ruth now lives in north-eastern Alberta with her husband and five young children. She enjoys writing about her journey of faith, special needs, and adoption.

http://ruthlsnyder.wordress.com

Fairy Tales and Fiction - by Marcia Janson

 "Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality.  It’s a way of understanding it."  ~ Lloyd Alexander

I get a real kick out of reading fiction, particularly mystery novels. I read on the couch, in bed, on the bus or train, in restaurants or on a bench by the ocean. My body is parked in one place, but my mind enters into another realm where people are different from me and yet the same. I get to experience exotic cultures and landscapes and contemplate issues I may not choose to dwell upon in my own day-to-day life. A good storyteller has a way of nudging past surface thoughts and instilling something at a deeper level.

I remember when I was six and just learning to read. Our grade one teacher introduced us to the standard curriculum readers of the day and, once I’d got the hang of it, I would zip through them quickly and look for something more interesting to read. My mother had two ancient fairy tale books, a remnant of her own childhood. I’d noticed these large tomes sitting on the bookshelf, so one day I pulled one out to have a look and was hooked. The stories were populated with ogres, fairies, castles and dark forests – pretty edgy for a six year old and possibly the stuff of a few nightmares. Nevertheless, they opened my mind to a world beyond the vanilla-bland adventures of Dick and Jane and resonated with me in an indefinable way.

Looking back, I think the graphic depictions of good versus evil within those fairy tales hinted at something I’d sensed in the world around me. Although there was much to enjoy in life, I had intuited that all was not right with the world. Many years later, when I became a Christian, those vague intuitions finally made perfect sense. There really is another reality beyond the mundane physical world and there is an “ogre” in the dark places of the forest. Thank God there is a strong and pure hero who sweeps in and fights for us, vanquishing the nasties and overcoming evil with good.

Those fairy tales I used to read never once mentioned God or devils or Jesus Christ, but they did communicate grand truths. They refused to gloss over how things really are and may, in fact, have whetted my appetite for the greatest story ever told. That’s what I’d like to do with my own fiction writing. Wouldn’t it be grand to stimulate a desire in people to see beyond the physical realm? To create a word melody that attunes to a chord vibrating deep in the human spirit? I’m not sure how to do that, but I’ve decided to pick up my pen and get started, trusting that as I commit my writing to God, he will direct my steps.

Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. ~ E. L. Doctorow

http://marcia-rolling.blogspot.ca/
http://thinkingcatcato.wordpress.com/

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Photo credits: Fairy Tale book-http://www.flickr.com/photos/clotho98/5572544048/
Forest path-http://www.flickr.com/photos/_belial/409842297/