| From my blog (that has since gone the way of the dinosaur). A post dated August 26th, 2005. |
a rumination
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Shucking Ruminations
Last night when I bought three ears of corn at Price and Pride, I had no idea the very next day,
today, when I stood at my kitchen sink making a mess as I shucked them and dunked them into
boiling water, that my heart would be pounding and my blood would be coursing hot and quick
through my veins. Why? Well, one usually doesn’t think about such things when they’re buying
corn at Price and Pride.
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
I have just spent most of the morning surfing a wee bit of the Web. Nothing spectacular. This
past week has been busy, and I finally returned home last night to my comfie bed and recliner by
the window overlooking the crashing waves of the Pacific. In other words, this morning was my
day off. And hey. I may just take the rest of the day . . . off.
Anyway, I guess what I'm feeling right now all started yesterday when I checked my e-mail and
found a note from my publicist. (I think it's in her job description to send me reviews as they
come across the scene.) Well, she sent me the review from Focus On Fiction, then added a note
at the bottom that said something like, "Try to remember your story will not resonate with
everyone." Not her exact words, but you get the gist of it.
Fine. And hey. I knew going in not everyone would "get" the story.
The reviewer at FOF is obviously one of those people.
Which is positively fine. No problemo in the least. She spoke honestly about her feelings after
reading the story and that’s what matters. Really. I’m speaking honestly now too. : )
Reviews. Hmm. Not something I want to waste the energy fretting about. Why? Well, here’s the
deal. Reviews are one thing: opinion. Good opinions, bad opinions. Good reviews, bad
reviews. Either way, no opinion will cause me to regret writing the story I wrote. It wasn’t my
story to write in the first place. No, that’s not a cop-out, and I’m not trying to be or sound
arrogant. I’m just telling it like it is. Being honest. Like a good reviewer. Any honest opinion
or review is totally welcome. And appreciated. So please, tell me what you think! Spell it out if
you want the world to hear! Don’t apologize. Don’t be embarrassed. And know that your ideas
and opinions matter.
If they’re honest.
And if they come from pure motivations.
I just finished eating all three ears of corn and flossing my teeth. My lips feel dry from the salt
and my hands a bit softer from all the butter. I’m wishing now I would’ve also bought a huge
watermelon. That would seriously hit the spot right now.
I should just end this post and close this subject for good, but I’m still a bit miffed. Part of my
Web surfing this morning took me to blogs that all seem to be dealing with the same thing: the
inferiority of Christian fiction. This has been a debate in the industry and among bloggers for a
while now, and I’m certainly not going to enter the fray. It just seems interesting to me that
novelists seem to be defensive and reviewers seem to be defensive and avid readers seem to be
defensive and people who don’t even care about anything seem to be defensive. I mean, I noticed
a review for my book at eopinions.com. The review generated a comment. I checked out the
comment. It was a review of the review—another reviewer actually critiqued the review. I
mean . . . wow. Where’s it gonna end?
You didn’t ask for it, but I guess, since you’re here at my blog and you’re still reading, it’s okay
to give you my two cents on this matter. That’s what I’m about to do. Last chance to bail out. It
is okay if you do. Bail. But if you stay . . . okay. Here goes.
My two cents. First, we really need to quit worrying about what the general market is doing.
How we compare. How and why they do what they do. How and why we do what we do. Why
we don’t "stack up" to them. Why they think we are "inferior." I mean, come on. God is God.
He is a big God. And He is in control. He knows exactly what the general market is up to; He
knows their hopelessness, and He doesn’t like it. That’s why He calls plain ordinary people who
love Him and who are available to Him to write novels in the first place. Novels that bring
hope. His hope. He has always known the power of story to speak Truth. So, Christian
novelists who really are Christian novelists do what they do by God’s leading. The story belongs
to God. The novelist is the conduit by which He tells His story. A big pot which He fills and
pours out at His whim. He is God. He is a big God. Even if the story turns out to be poorly
crafted, the message is still His. It is His tool to use, the same way the novelist is His tool to
use. And what novelist in the world—general market or CBA market—doesn’t need to continue
to study the craft and to work to expand its limits?
Second cent. Anything the Holy Spirit is able to do, say, or work through the life of a child of
God will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and lift people’s eyes to the wonder of the work of Jesus
on the cross. I mean, if we think the Holy Spirit is going to work through us to do anything
different, we are mistaken. The Holy Spirit has one agenda and that is to magnify the Son of
God. So, if we long to have the Holy Spirit working in our lives, and especially through our
lives, after He works, what we say and do will lift up Jesus Christ.
Christian novelists who patiently wait for the Holy Spirit to guide their work will write stories
that glorify Jesus, no matter how openly or subtly. Christian critics and reviewers who patiently
wait for the Holy Spirit to guide their work will speak and write reviews that glorify Jesus, no
matter how bad they think the story turned out. In some cases, yes, if nothing good can be said
about a novel, the best thing is to say nothing at all. Don’t include the review or
endorse/advertise the book on your site. Don’t agree to write the review in the first place. Let
someone else write it. Or work harder in your craft to write a review that is honest, yet still
honors the guidance of the Holy Spirit in that novelist’s work. If, after praying and re-reading the
novel, you still don’t get it, admit that you don’t, tell us why, and leave it at that. That is honest.
And that shows you are willing to take ownership of the review. "This is my review of this
story. I read it twice and don’t fully understand it. This is why. And this is my opinion."
After reading a novel, any novel, it is never wrong to say, "It just didn’t work for me." What is
wrong is to say, "This is why it won’t work for you either."
Brothers and sisters, through the Holy Spirit, may the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in everything
we say and do.
Because . . . unfortunately . . . most of the time it is amazingly clear to others when we do
something in Christ’s name but the Holy Spirit is not anywhere even close to guiding us into it or
through it.
But . . . then again . . . even if it is clear, who are we—who am I—to question it.
Or criticize it.
Okay. I think that’s it. Though I would love to hear your comments, questions, and ideas about
this subject, I will not be the one continuing this subject. I’m done with it. Spent. Let the
novelist write stories. Let the critics do what they do. Let the reviews come. Let God be in
control and Jesus Christ be exalted.
As for me, I’ll just be here vaya-ing con Dios.
I don’t think that’s proper English or Spanish, but oh well.
: )
Hope all y’all are vaya-ing con Dios, too.
donna
Last night when I bought three ears of corn at Price and Pride, I had no idea the very next day,
today, when I stood at my kitchen sink making a mess as I shucked them and dunked them into
boiling water, that my heart would be pounding and my blood would be coursing hot and quick
through my veins. Why? Well, one usually doesn’t think about such things when they’re buying
corn at Price and Pride.
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
I have just spent most of the morning surfing a wee bit of the Web. Nothing spectacular. This
past week has been busy, and I finally returned home last night to my comfie bed and recliner by
the window overlooking the crashing waves of the Pacific. In other words, this morning was my
day off. And hey. I may just take the rest of the day . . . off.
Anyway, I guess what I'm feeling right now all started yesterday when I checked my e-mail and
found a note from my publicist. (I think it's in her job description to send me reviews as they
come across the scene.) Well, she sent me the review from Focus On Fiction, then added a note
at the bottom that said something like, "Try to remember your story will not resonate with
everyone." Not her exact words, but you get the gist of it.
Fine. And hey. I knew going in not everyone would "get" the story.
The reviewer at FOF is obviously one of those people.
Which is positively fine. No problemo in the least. She spoke honestly about her feelings after
reading the story and that’s what matters. Really. I’m speaking honestly now too. : )
Reviews. Hmm. Not something I want to waste the energy fretting about. Why? Well, here’s the
deal. Reviews are one thing: opinion. Good opinions, bad opinions. Good reviews, bad
reviews. Either way, no opinion will cause me to regret writing the story I wrote. It wasn’t my
story to write in the first place. No, that’s not a cop-out, and I’m not trying to be or sound
arrogant. I’m just telling it like it is. Being honest. Like a good reviewer. Any honest opinion
or review is totally welcome. And appreciated. So please, tell me what you think! Spell it out if
you want the world to hear! Don’t apologize. Don’t be embarrassed. And know that your ideas
and opinions matter.
If they’re honest.
And if they come from pure motivations.
I just finished eating all three ears of corn and flossing my teeth. My lips feel dry from the salt
and my hands a bit softer from all the butter. I’m wishing now I would’ve also bought a huge
watermelon. That would seriously hit the spot right now.
I should just end this post and close this subject for good, but I’m still a bit miffed. Part of my
Web surfing this morning took me to blogs that all seem to be dealing with the same thing: the
inferiority of Christian fiction. This has been a debate in the industry and among bloggers for a
while now, and I’m certainly not going to enter the fray. It just seems interesting to me that
novelists seem to be defensive and reviewers seem to be defensive and avid readers seem to be
defensive and people who don’t even care about anything seem to be defensive. I mean, I noticed
a review for my book at eopinions.com. The review generated a comment. I checked out the
comment. It was a review of the review—another reviewer actually critiqued the review. I
mean . . . wow. Where’s it gonna end?
You didn’t ask for it, but I guess, since you’re here at my blog and you’re still reading, it’s okay
to give you my two cents on this matter. That’s what I’m about to do. Last chance to bail out. It
is okay if you do. Bail. But if you stay . . . okay. Here goes.
My two cents. First, we really need to quit worrying about what the general market is doing.
How we compare. How and why they do what they do. How and why we do what we do. Why
we don’t "stack up" to them. Why they think we are "inferior." I mean, come on. God is God.
He is a big God. And He is in control. He knows exactly what the general market is up to; He
knows their hopelessness, and He doesn’t like it. That’s why He calls plain ordinary people who
love Him and who are available to Him to write novels in the first place. Novels that bring
hope. His hope. He has always known the power of story to speak Truth. So, Christian
novelists who really are Christian novelists do what they do by God’s leading. The story belongs
to God. The novelist is the conduit by which He tells His story. A big pot which He fills and
pours out at His whim. He is God. He is a big God. Even if the story turns out to be poorly
crafted, the message is still His. It is His tool to use, the same way the novelist is His tool to
use. And what novelist in the world—general market or CBA market—doesn’t need to continue
to study the craft and to work to expand its limits?
Second cent. Anything the Holy Spirit is able to do, say, or work through the life of a child of
God will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and lift people’s eyes to the wonder of the work of Jesus
on the cross. I mean, if we think the Holy Spirit is going to work through us to do anything
different, we are mistaken. The Holy Spirit has one agenda and that is to magnify the Son of
God. So, if we long to have the Holy Spirit working in our lives, and especially through our
lives, after He works, what we say and do will lift up Jesus Christ.
Christian novelists who patiently wait for the Holy Spirit to guide their work will write stories
that glorify Jesus, no matter how openly or subtly. Christian critics and reviewers who patiently
wait for the Holy Spirit to guide their work will speak and write reviews that glorify Jesus, no
matter how bad they think the story turned out. In some cases, yes, if nothing good can be said
about a novel, the best thing is to say nothing at all. Don’t include the review or
endorse/advertise the book on your site. Don’t agree to write the review in the first place. Let
someone else write it. Or work harder in your craft to write a review that is honest, yet still
honors the guidance of the Holy Spirit in that novelist’s work. If, after praying and re-reading the
novel, you still don’t get it, admit that you don’t, tell us why, and leave it at that. That is honest.
And that shows you are willing to take ownership of the review. "This is my review of this
story. I read it twice and don’t fully understand it. This is why. And this is my opinion."
After reading a novel, any novel, it is never wrong to say, "It just didn’t work for me." What is
wrong is to say, "This is why it won’t work for you either."
Brothers and sisters, through the Holy Spirit, may the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in everything
we say and do.
Because . . . unfortunately . . . most of the time it is amazingly clear to others when we do
something in Christ’s name but the Holy Spirit is not anywhere even close to guiding us into it or
through it.
But . . . then again . . . even if it is clear, who are we—who am I—to question it.
Or criticize it.
Okay. I think that’s it. Though I would love to hear your comments, questions, and ideas about
this subject, I will not be the one continuing this subject. I’m done with it. Spent. Let the
novelist write stories. Let the critics do what they do. Let the reviews come. Let God be in
control and Jesus Christ be exalted.
As for me, I’ll just be here vaya-ing con Dios.
I don’t think that’s proper English or Spanish, but oh well.
: )
Hope all y’all are vaya-ing con Dios, too.
donna
| Shucking Ruminations Transferred from my blog, a post dated August 26th, 2005. © 2005 Donna A. Fleisher |