Slave ship or Freedom ship?

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? Romans 6:16
No doubt you've heard the horrors of the slave ships which transported slaves from Africa to the Americas in droves during the slave trade years. In order to save costs and make a bigger profit, these poor men and women were crammed together in the hold, some in tiny boxes, others chained to planks, so the owners could bring over as many as possible in one trip. Often times they were shoved so tightly together that they couldn't move or even lie down. Heat and sickness and uncleanliness normally killed at least a third of them before they reached shore.  The owners were vicious, cruel taskmasters who cared not a whit when one of them died.

This is a good picture of our lives before Christ. Satan is the ship captain, we were his slaves, and he was transporting us to hell. And I dare say, he enjoyed seeing us suffer!  The Bible says that we become slaves of whoever we choose to obey.  We may not have wittingly obeyed the devil, but whenever we chose to do wrong, to satisfy our flesh, to disobey God, the chains around us tightened even more.

In Romans 6, Paul gives a great discourse on sin, slavery and freedom in Christ.  Before we knew God, we were all on the slave ship. We had no choice but to sin. It was our nature. Just think of a tiny child. The baby is innocent when he is born, but how long does he last in that state before his human nature takes over? Before he cries to selfishly demand that his needs be met? Before he hits his brother or steals a toy?  We are all born on the slave ship.

But God didn't leave us there! He sent another ship to rescue us! The ship, Salvation, captained by Jesus Himself. He delivered a mighty broadside to Satan's ship, crippling it, and then He boarded with swords blazing. He opened the hatch and called for any who wanted to come with Him, to come.

We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.  Romans 6:7

He set us free! He took us aboard His ship and now we serve Him.
Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.  Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. Romans 6:17-18

Slaves to righteousness? So we are slaves again? Hmm.. that doesn't sound good. I don't want to be a slave at at!  But in truth, we will be a slave to either Satan or God. The choice is yours. 

Here's the difference

• Satan's ship is going to Hell. God's ship, Salvation, is going to Heaven
• On Satan's ship you have no choice but to sin and do wrong
• On God's ship, you have the choice to NOT sin.
• On Satan's ship your character becomes worse and worse
• On God's ship, your character gets better and better

If I'm a slave to righteousness and to God, then why do I still sin? We all still sin because God is a gentleman and on His ship, we have a choice. We can still sin or we can choose not to. If we sin, we still get to remain  on God's ship, but our character will never improve and we will never get out of the bilge and the stink in the hold. We will never get promoted to work on the deck above in the fresh air. So, how do we get better?  It's a process called Santification. It doesn't happen automatically as some Christians believe. God doesn't just change us instantaneously.

The level of our santification is a direct measure of our obedience and yielding to God

Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. Romans 6:19

You must offer yourself, you must obey, you must yield. The choice is up to you.
So don't be a slave to sin anymore. Yield to God in ALL things, whether it be suffering or hardship or trials or temptations. Get out of the stinky hold and become a slave to righteousness! 

Tis a Writer's life for me -- Emotions!

I finished the final galleys for Veil of Pearls! I won't see that book again until it arrives on my doorstep a few weeks before it's release.  I also received another endorsement!

One can expect two things when they pick up a MaryLu Tyndall novel--endearing characters and a plot that sweeps you away. Hidden within the entertainment is a spiritual message that whispers to the corners of your soul. Give yourself a treat by losing yourself in one of her enchanting stories.
Kim Vogel Sawyer--Bestselling author of My Heart Remembers

Many authors will tell you that the entire purpose of good writing is to make the reader "feel" something. Anything!  Although I  am also an advocate of incorporating a moral lesson within a story and using it to bring the reader closer to God, I agree whole heartedly that invoking emotions is an important goal. Why else would someone pick up a book or go to a movie? We want to be moved. We want to feel something that may be missing in our normal, humdrum lives.. We want to fall in love, to feel the pain of loss, to cheer when good triumphs over evil. We want to ride the horse of victory across the battlefield, sail the Caribbean with pirates, soar in a WWII airplane, cry when death steals a character from our arms.  We want to experience life through our character's eyes, ears, and heart.

Somewhat easy to do in a movie where you have so many visuals at your fingertips. Not so much in a book. So, how do we do it? How do we infuse emotion into a scene so vividly, so realistically, that the reader feels what the character feels?

First of all, you must create deep, interesting, relatable characters that your reader will love and root for! (That's a whole other topic we don't have time for here)

Secondly, you must use the tools of setting, dialogue, sentence structure, and description to take the reader on a journey deep within the character, down into their soul, so the reader can experience what the character is experiencing.

Here's a sample from the book I'm currently writing. In the first samples, I've taken out all the emotion. The second samples are what I've written.
To set the scene, the characters are all Southerners on a ship headed for Brazil. They hate anyone and anything to do with the North. And they have just discovered that one of them, a lady named Eliza was married to a Yankee. We are in Eliza's point of view

Sample 1: Eliza was in shock as everyone's eyes snapped in her direction. Some of them registering surprise. Others already sparking with disdain.

Sample 2: Eliza’s blood abandoned her heart. It sped away in a mad dash that left her cold and empty. She couldn’t move. Could barely breathe as everyone’s eyes snapped in her direction. Some of them registering shock. Others already sparking with disdain.

Note the 'showing' of what it feels like to be in shock, rather than just telling the reader. That way, the reader can experience it right along with the character

Sample 1: Thunder sounded as rain poured down. Grant released Magnolia. His forehead creased. "Is this true?"
Sample 2: Thunder cracked a fierce whip across the sky as the sprinkles grew weightier, tap tap tapping Eliza’s doom on the wooden planks of the deck. Grant released Magnolia. Three lines as deep as trenches split his forehead. “Is this true?”

Notice the use of setting to invoke the image of punishment and doom so the reader "feels" the guilt of the character.

Sample 1: Eliza stared at the faces of the people. The seas grew rough. Rain poured down. Must she answer the question?

Sample 2: Wiping rain from her face, Eliza scanned the faces locked upon her like cannons upon an enemy. The seas grew rough. Lantern light shifted over them in bands of silver and black—black like the bands on their arms, honoring lost loved ones. The blame for their deaths now cast at Eliza’s feet. Rain pounded the deck. It slid down Eliza’s cheeks and pooled in her lashes until everything grew blurry. She wished they would all disappear. She wished she would melt into the deck. Anything but answer the question toiling on Grant’s face.

Notice the use of simile, comparing the gazes to cannons pointed at her. Then the use of the description of the lantern light to highlight the black bands which symbolized loved ones lost in the war, enhancing the character's guilt. Even the rain pounding the deck invokes anger. The blurry vision creatres a sense of the hopelessness the character feels.

Emotions! Emotions!! Use all the tools available to you to create a "mood", to invoke a certain feeling in your reader.. and they'll keep coming back for more! 

Wordless Wednesday!

Rough Seas Ahead!

Is Christianity a pleasure trip?

Ease, comfort, and pleasure!  Isn't that what our culture values the most? Just look at every advertisement, commercial, magazine, or self-help book. It's all about making our lives better, easier, more fun! From the car we drive to the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, we are a people who seek the good life!

Even our Christian culture has bought into the idea that as followers of Jesus, our lives should be blessed, comfortable and happy, right?  I mean the Bible is full of such promises:
Jesus himself said in John 10:10   "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
And the Psalms are full of verses about blessing and prosperity!

But in truth, I don't believe the blessings in these promises are the kind of blessings we think about today. They are soul and spirit blessings: peace, joy, love, hope. Things this world cannot understand. Does God bless you with money and success? Absolutely, He can and often does, if it fits in with His plan. But that's not His focus.

In fact I believe that Christians should expect to have an even harder life than those who don't believe. Whoa, that's a controversial statement!  When I say harder, I don't mean a bad life or a life of defeat.  I just mean harder.

Jesus' own words: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23
In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33


Listen to what Paul told the new converts spread throughout Asia . . .strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”  Acts 4:21-22
 
I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound very strengthening to me! Here's a another lovely description of the Christian life
 

But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,  partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one  Hebrews 10:32-34

Endured a great conflict of sufferings?  Accepted joyfully the seizure of your property? Are you kidding me?
I could list Scripture after Scripture telling Christians they will suffer in this life. Why Christian more than others? I don't believe it's simply because of persecution. (which none of us here in America have had to endure. . .yet). I believe it's also because we have committed our lives to a higher standard. We have committed to following a God who is about the business of making us more like His Son.

In other words, we've signed up for the voyage. We've put our signature on the articles and are now on the ship, but the Captain, Jesus, the One who will steer us across the sea to Heaven, He has to now take us bunch of whiny, lazy, spoiled, selfish kids and make strong, courageous, disciplined seamen out of us!  What a task!

How does He do it? By making our voyage smooth and easy? By giving us lavish meals and comfy hammocks to nap in on deck? NO!  Any good captain knows he must be hard on his crew. He must give them tasks that are difficult and taxing, tasks that stretch the limits of their strength and endurance. He must make them stand watch for hours on end with little sleep. He  must command they climb the shrouds into the tops to stand on the highest yard until they are no longer afraid of heights. He must order them to scrub the decks and polish the brass until their hands are red and raw. He must drill them on guns, and sails, and navigation until they can do it in their sleep.

Wait a minute, I signed up for the Caribbean cruise... what's going on?  Where's my umbrella drink?


And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope. Romans 5:2-5

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance  James 1:2

Jesus wants you to be able to weather the storms of life. He wants you to survive and in your strength and wisdom, to help train others. He wouldn't be a good Captain, otherwise.

Now, you can opt out. You can disobey His orders and lolly gag around the ship, complaining about the food and the work and the arduous tasks  But watch out, there are rough seas up ahead. And you just might fall overboard!

Tis a Writer's Life for me! Character Quirks!

Happy Friday, everyone! Well, I received my galleys for Veil of Pearls this week, so I was forced to drop my writing on Forsaken Dreams and switch into edit mode once again. This is my LAST CHANCE to make any minor changes to the manuscript. And they mean minor! I can't change anything bigger than a comma or a word or small phrase.  Wanaaaaa!  I can't tell you how hard that is!

Anyhow, I wanted those of you who are dieting with me in the new year to know that I've lost a whopping 3 pounds! Yes, you heard it here first. LOL.  But hey, it's better than gaining, right?  Besides it's hard for my petite 5'1" frame to lose weight.. My body fears it will soon be starving and fights the loss with everything it's got!







But I digress. Today I want to talk with you about character quirks.  Yes I said quirks. Let's face it, in a book, it's much harder to define and separate characters than it is in a movie. On the screen, it's obvious who is who because you can SEE THEM!   Yet often times, in a book, no matter how much description of the person the author has given, I have trouble separating them from others. We authors much work must harder than Screenplay writers to define our characters. So, aside from phyiscal description which is often forgetable, how do we do it?

One way is by assigning unique and interesting quirks to each character.
What is a quirk?  The dictionary defines it as a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; a mannerism.
It's anything that the character does, says, or behaves like, that is unique to him or her and that sets him apart from the other characters.

Examples of quirks:  Plays with hair, huffs, scratches face, lifts chin, sweats profusely, always wears a scowl, always negative, quotes from famous books, interrupts, sniffs alot, clumsy, fearless, rude, limps, extremely organized, stretches neck, paces.

Well, you get the point.  Just look around you at family and friends and see if you can pick out at least one quirk each one has. I bet if you really observe them, you'll have no trouble in finding at least one. For example, I have a girlfriend who is always brushing her bangs aside and her favorite expression is "Don't get me wrong but..."  My husband is notorious for shaking his had whenever he gets frustrated or is contradicted. My daughter laughs nervously when she doesn't know what to say. 

So, if you want to make your characters real to your reader, you're going to have to give them quirks. However, it's important to choose our quirks well. Don't assign a sniffing quirk with a character who is strong and in command. Don't assign the "he never bathes" quirk to the hero you want women to swoon over!

As an example, in The Redemption, Charlisse, my heroine, came from an abusive childhood. She was insecure, frightened, unsure, yet also very brave and bold. I gave her the quirk of always playing with her hair when she got nervous.

In my recent release, Surrender the Dawn, the hero Luke is always rubbing his earlobe when he feels guilty. Why? Because he injured it while trying to rescue his parents from a burning building. An attempt at which he failed.

So, choose your quirks wisely. They can be something physical or they can be some unique phrase the character says or they can just be a certain behaviour that sets them apart, as in the heroine I'm writing now. Whenever anyone orders her to do something, she does the opposite!! (I modeled her after myself!)  Or, it could be a combination of all those things. 

The important point is to make them match the character's personality, and also equally important, Don't OVERUSE them to the point of making your reader toss your book across the room. The goal is to have the reader know who the character is, before you even tell them, just by what he or she says or does.  

Clear as the bilge?

And last but not least, this is how I pictured Cassandra Channing from Surrender the Dawn!

Whoops, now I'm out of characters until the release of Veil of Pearls!!  But I'm planning on putting all of these character's pictures on the pages of my blog real soon, so if you need to peek while you're reading the book, you can.

Wordless Wednesday!

FIRE!