Beyond Common Sense

I was asked to take part in the #My Writing Process Tour by Wendy MacDonald at   http://greenlightlady.wordpress.com/.  Wendy is a remarkable photographer and poet, and she does a beautiful job of combining the two talents on her blog. She is in the process of publishing her first book and I can’t WAIT to read it. Take a moment and check her out – you won’t be disappointed!

So, here are four questions that we are to answer:

1) What am I working on?

Right now, I’m in three phases of the writing in process: 1. Because Twelve Smooth Stones is primarily self-published (Kirkdale Press published the ebook edition), I have to do the leg work, if it is going to sell.  I have it in two local businesses and plan to visit several other local spots to see if they would feature my book in their shops.  It is also “traveling” with an evangelist friend of mine, so they can sell it on their products table!  That is very exciting! 2. I’ve written a trilogy on the End Times and have entered it into a contest sponsored by Westbow, the self-publishing arm of Thomas Nelson.  Once I know the results (if I win anything) I’ll get it out there on the market.3. I’m writing a historical fiction about Philemon, which has required a lot of thought and research.  Who was Philemon? When did he get saved?  Was he married?  What sort of business did he run?  Why did Onesimus run away?  I pray that my sanctified imagination doesn’t run too far away on this one!

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Probably the biggest difference that I can see is my use of scripture: I use A LOT of Bible verses in my books. As the wife of a fundamentalist Baptist preacher, I’m very concerned with providing books that will strengthen the reader’s faith and walk with God, perhaps even lead an unbeliever to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  I like my books to be entertaining, but entertainment is not the main focus–Jesus Christ is the main focus.  My words may entertain and even inspire; His Words will change lives.

3) Why do I write what I do?

Did I just answer that?  🙂 1. Bring glory to my God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 2. Grow my reader’s understanding of God and the works of His Mighty Hand in our lives. 3. Teach my readers about either an historical event (in Twelve Smooth Stones, it was the Holocaust and the birth of Israel as a nation), or teach them about the Bible. (Strong Delusion is a trilogy about the End Times and will hopefully put some reality into the promised future events. Philemon will put some “meat” on the skeleton story about Onesimus, the run-away slave.) 3. Keep my readers spell-bound with a great plot!  I love a great story with a surprise ending!

4) How does my writing process work?

Each book has been a gift from God. It starts with a tiny seed-thought.   For example: What if a young Jewish girl had a locket decorated with twelve stones, each representing the twelve tribes of Israel?  What if that locket somehow became the object which “connects the dots” from her Jewish heritage–twelve tribes of Israel, to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ–the twelve jeweled foundations of heaven?  That was the seed-thought for Twelve Smooth Stones. 

Strong Delusion Trilogy is the product of my burden concerning 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” As our Lord’s second coming draws closer, I see more and more false doctrines affecting God’s people.  One of the most dangerous teachings is that a person who has rejected the truth about salvation will be able to be saved after the Rapture.  Strong Delusion Trilogy deals with this in three books: A Moment in Time, set as a flashback and dealing with a pastor’s daughter who is playing the Christian game but has never truly been born-again;  Angel of Light covers the first three and a half years of the Tribulation; and Thy Kingdom Come covers the last half of the Tribulation. THESE were exciting books to write and I can’t wait to get them out there. I’m just waiting on the Lord’s leading on how to proceed.

Once the thought has been established, it seems as though I can’t think about anything else! While I’m doing the mundane tasks of washing dishes or driving, my thoughts work out the plot so that when that moment comes for me to write, I’m ready!

By far, the main ingredient in my writing is prayer.  When the plot stops and I’m not sure where to take it, I pray.  God has answered those prayers in such awesome ways!  At times, as I reread my manuscript, I am amazed that I wrote it!

As a pastor’s wife, my writing always seems to be on the back burner.  Writing is a full-time job, and unfortunately the writing part, although the most enjoyable aspect, is the part that takes the least amount of time! (I submitted Twelve Smooth Stones to Christian Manuscript Submissions and Kirkdale Press found it; however, because of the amount of time it takes to find a literary agent and learn to understand the marketing world of books, I’ve chosen to self-publish at this point with createspace.com .   It is also a lot of work, but I enjoy creating the cover and writing the synopsis of the book.  In the end, it’s all my work–a very fulfilling experience.  Also, I’m not out to sell a million books, although that would be nice.  I suppose every Christian writer hopes to be the next Jeanette Oke or Beverly Lewis!  I just hope to encourage some, influence others, and bring praise and glory to my dear Heavenly Father!!

 Unfortunately, three writers I invited could not do this, but I really wanted to participate anyway.  Not sure how it works, but I don’t think the whole process will desist because of it! However, Rebecca Davis consented, and she is definitely an expert in the field.

Rebecca Davis is a writer, teacher and storyteller who lives in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. She has written several books for children as well as magazine articles for adults, and loves to speak about the Lord. She and her husband, Tim, have four children.

Her first book, With Daring Faith: A Biography of Amy Carmichael won the C.S. Lewis Gold Medal for Outstanding Christian Juvenile Literature. Her new series, Hidden Heroes (including the books With Two Hands: Stories of God at Work in Ethiopia and The Good News Must Go Out: Stories of God at Work in the Central African Republic) is named for the great Christians whose names are not household words. These books provide stories that she, as a member of the South Carolina Storytelling Network, loves to tell to children in churches and schools.