Getting to Know Me
I like quirks. We all have them – usually more than one. In my writing, I give each character at least one personality trait that is only theirs, something that sets them apart from someone else, that gives them a bit more color, that makes them a little more human.
Quirks are like birthmarks. Most people have at least one; it may be smack in the center of one’s forehead for all to see, or (like mine) at the nape of the neck, hidden under layers of hair so no one knows it exists.
So, here’s one of my quirks. I love patterned socks, striped tights, any kind of funky foot coverings. And I wear my Birkenstocks or Mary Janes so my socks can be seen. No, it doesn’t make me unique, but along with my other quirks – showering in the dark, eating foods in primes, sleeping with my window open year round, cracking my knuckles, and dozens of others – it makes me… well, me.
Tell me, what makes you, you?
Don’t Leave Them Where You Found Them
When I was 16, I wrote a letter to Mrs. Grace; she was my honors English teacher, third period. I mailed it to her that summer before I left for college, just a pretty little floral note card with a rose colored envelop. In the letter, I thanked her for inspiring me.
I heard, several months later, that Mrs. Grace was quite touched by my note. In fact, she showed it around the school so several other teachers (one of the teachers who saw it told this to my mother). I’d had an awful English teacher experience the year before, and honestly wanted nothing to do with writing. Mrs. Grace changed all that. A quick letter was the least I could do, and I never expected it to mean so much to her.
Well, on Monday, I went to teach my weekly homeschool literature classes, and the mother of one of my prior students – a young man who is a freshman in college this year – told me that, when she spoke to her son the night before, he told her that he felt unprepared for all his college courses, except his English course. And, he said, he knew he wouldn’t have been doing well in English without his two years in my classes.
I knew, then, how Mrs. Grace felt.
I teach because I love writing and words and books, and I want my students to share just a little of that enjoyment. And, knowing that I have had a positive, tangible impact on one of my students – that’s a reward in itself. I’ve left my fingerprint on this young man, on all the kids in my class, I hope.
Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing, as Christians? Leaving Christ’s mark on others? There was a musical on Broadway – briefly – about 20 years ago, Chess (lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, a.k.a. the BB in Abba). In one of the final songs, Endgame, Anatoly (the tortured Russian chess player) sings, “They leave all those they touch the way they found them,” referring to people who don’t pay attention to anyone because they are so wrapped up in their own lives. I think of this line often – I don’t want to be one of those they, someone who leaves people how I find them, who isn’t allowing myself to be used by God to show Him in the lives of others.
Am I doing this? Not as well as I could be. The Lord has brought me far, but not nearly as far as I need to go. Still, my prayer is that no one I touch is left where I found them. And, as I look back on my life, I see others God has used to touch me, to bring me to places He wants me to be.
Like Mrs. Grace.
For $1 a Day
I sponsor a child through Compassion International. From its website:
In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.
Founded by Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean war orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training.
Today, Compassion helps more than 900,000 children in 24 countries.
My little boy, Cristian, is celebrating his ninth birthday on Sunday. I’ve been his sponsor for two years (I previously sponsored another boy for several years who moved out of the program area), and I try to write him a letter at least every other month, and send him small paper gifts like bookmarks, sports cards and coloring pages. Cristian lives in Colombia, on the plains of Bosa, where the average monthly income is $166. And my donation of $32 per month allows the staff of CDI Vida de Naciones to provide Cristian with Bible teaching, nutritious food, medical exams, dental care, social events, recreational activities, academic support, counseling, hygienic instruction and moral lessons.
According to Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities (and named one of TIME magazine’s “50 Coolest Websites” in 2006), Compassion International gets a 4-star rating – the highest rating possible. Compassion spends only 7.6% of their annual $200 million budget on administrative expenses, and only 8.4% on fundraising efforts. The rest, 83.8%, goes directly to program costs. In fact, Compassion grabbed that four-star rating for sound fiscal management for the sixth consecutive year. That puts Compassion in the top 1% of charities evaluated by Charity Navigator.
I’m not trying to sound like an infomercial here; I honestly feel this is an organization that should be supported, one that takes seriously the Biblical mandates of caring for widows, orphans, the poor, and who spreads the Gospel by taking care of children’s bodies, minds, and spirits. Plus, the organization is a faithful steward of the money donated to it. Visit Compassion’s site and see what its about.
What Not to… Write?
I just received the December issue of Writer’s Digest and laughed at Sharlene Martin’s “Query Madness.” Martin is the founder of Martin Literary Management, and gave some honest-to-goodness real life examples of queries she’s received. Yes, these are real letters.
I’m finding finding an agent is not so fun a task. Could you e-mail me a couple of addresses and links of agents? I have a stack of books to sell. Like a hermit I write for an aeon then I come out of my lair (page 61).
Wait, it get’s better.
My book rocks. You could thank me for even taking the time to let you drool over it. Shucks. I’m even going to propose to let you represent me, ’cause today is one of those days (page 61).
If Martin wasn’t an established literary agent, I’d be tempted to think she made some of these up.
We have written a “self-help” book. It actually is more than just self-help because it helps others also. Our book is like none you have ever come across. In fact, we challenge you to find another like it (page 62).
Now, honestly, I’m wondering how, with all the “How to Write a Query Letter” articles out there, anyone could think letters like these would help their writing career.
But geesh, why didn’t I put more time into this if it’s so important to me? Well, I hope either you will “get the energy” through these words, or you won’t. So I think I could write “peanut butter and jelly” fifty times on the page and either you would get me or you wouldn’t (page 62).
If you’re contacting an editor or agent regarding your book, a query letter really is your chance to make a first impression. If you need help, try one of these books:
Give ‘Em What They Want
The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock
Writer’s Guide to Queries, Pitches & Proposals
How to Write Irresistible Query Letter
Put Your Title to the Test
Ever wonder what makes a bestselling novel title? Apparently, the Lulu Titlescorer can tell you. It boasts a 70% success rate.
The Lulu Titlescorer has been developed exclusively for Lulu by statisticians who studied the titles of 50 years’ worth of top bestsellers and identified which title attributes separated the bestsellers from the rest.
We commissioned a research team to analyse the title of every novel to have topped the hardback fiction section of the New York Times Bestseller List during the half-century from 1955 to 2004 and then compare them with the titles of a control group of less successful novels by the same authors.
The team, lead by British statistician Dr. Atai Winkler, then used the data gathered from a total of some 700 titles to create this “Lulu Titlescorer” a program able to predict the chances that any given title would produce a New York Times No. 1 bestseller.
The fruit of this work is presented here, in the form of the Lulu Titlescorer: a program that you can use to gauge the chances that your own title will deliver you a New York Times No. 1 bestseller.
I checked the title of my work-in-progress, Things Found in the Morning, which scored a 63.7% chance of becoming a best seller. Not bad.
Try it out. If you come up with anything brilliant, let me know!
