Robin Lee Hatcher's Write Thinking

Embracing the Trials of Life

Today is Memorial Day in the US. For many, it has become more of an excuse for a three day weekend and a kick-off for summer activities. Hopefully, no matter where you are or when you read this, you will pause for a moment to say a prayer of thanks for those who have given so much, sometimes their lives, in order that we might be free.

For me, this is also a day when I remember my mom. My dad died when I was just a few months old, so there aren't any memories to flit through my mind about him. But there are lots of my mom. She was so selfless when it came to my brother and me. She poured herself into our lives in the best possible of ways, and I'm so thankful God chose her for my mother.

Last Wednesday on Write Thinking, I announced my goal of memorizing the Book of James over the summer and invited readers to join me. (I chose James for a number of reasons, as explained in that previous post.) Let me issue the invitation once again.

I also made the decision to use The Voice Bible translation for this endeavor, a new favorite translation of mine. You can learn more about TVB here. (No, it is not a paraphrase. It's a dynamic equivalent translation, as are the NIV and the NLT, for example.)

On Saturday morning, I began by reading chapter one of James and then I concentrated on the opening two paragraphs. Here's how the second paragraph reads (verses 2-5, emphasis mine):

Ancient wine press 

Don't run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line––mature, complete, and wanting nothing. If you don't have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it; and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking.

Wow! Don't you love the way that reads? I do.

Having finished reading through those verses a few times, I opened my Streams in the Desert, and this was part of the daily reading (emphasis mine):

Nothing pleases the Lord as much as praise. There is no greater evidence of faith than the virtue of genuine thanksgiving. Are you praising God enough? Are you thanking Him for the countless blessings He has bestowed on you? Are you boldly praising Him even for the trials in your life, which are actually blessings in disguise? And have you learned to praise Him in advance for answers yet to come?

Wow again! It felt like that paragraph was written to go with my James verses. Doesn't it?

When we embrace the trials of life with thanksgiving and praise, it changes us. We become mature and complete and wanting in nothing.

Amen.

~robin

 

Five Chances to Win a Copy of BETRAYAL

ATTENTION FACEBOOK FRIENDS/FANS/LIKES:

Heads up! During the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt that begins Thursday, May 31st at Noon, MDT, at my stop (I'm #18), I'm having a bonus contest where people who Like my FB Page AND subscribe to my e-newsletter (3 or 4 newsletters are sent per year) will be entered in a drawing to win a copy of BETRAYAL when it releases in the fall (a total of five winners).

But I've decided to give my current Facebook friends/fans/likes one more bonus chance to win a copy of BETRAYAL (an additional one in five chances).

All you have to do is Share my Page (not this post, my Page) on your own Facebook Timeline between now, 5/26, and Thursday morning, 5/31. To do that, click the down arrow next to the Message button, then select Share from the choices (see graphic at right).

After you've shared my Page, send me an email at fbmail@robinleehatcher.com (don't message on FB as they frown upon contests being operated via their site unless done so through special contest apps), telling me you've done so and your name will go into the drawing. Be sure your email shows your name as it appears on Facebook. The winners of the five copies will be announced on Write Thinking on May 31st.

Good luck!

~robin

 

My Goal for Summer 2012: Memorize the Book of James

I'm going to do it. I'm going to try to memorize the Book of James over the summer.

Ten years ago, when we hadn't been going to the Boise Vineyard for long, one of the pastors recited James. I will never forget how amazed I was, how wonderful it was to hear the words of this book (I consider it the "Book of Advanced Christianity") spoken from memory. They seemed to come from this man's heart, as if he really was James.

This morning, with memorization in mind, I read the first chapter of James in several different versions.

An aside: It's almost embarrassing, the number of Bibles I own. I have been given Bibles by the publishers I write for or have written for. I have bought others for myself because I've worn out a favorite Bible or because I wanted a particular translation or a particular study version or needed a small one for travel. (All of this in addition to my vast Logos Bible software.) I have also given away many, many new or gently used Bibles to local prison ministries and to a local women's and children's shelter. And yet my Bible shelf is still packed to the brim.

Anyway, after reading James 1 in the New American Standard (my preferred study Bible because it is one of the most literal, word-for-word translations), the English Standard Version (another word-for-word, though not quite as literal as the NASB), and the New Living Translation (a favorite dynamic equivalent translation for devotional reading), I opened the The Voice Bible (another dynamic equivalent translation). I reviewed The Voice in a past blog post. However, I was still amazed by how much I loved this version, how beautifully it renders the Scriptures into English, and I have decided it's the one I'm going to memorize.

Anybody care to join me? Pick your own version of the Bible, of course.

~robin

P.S. Here's a YouTube video of Psalm 23 from The Voice. Oh, the beauty of the Scriptures!

 

 

2012 Inspirational Readers Choice Award Finalists Announced

Congratulations to all of the finalists. This contest is judged by readers of inspirational fiction and so I'm always thrilled when one of my books finals.

Long Contemporary
– tie for 3rd place

A Time to Heal by Barbara Cameron (Abingdon)
The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould (Harvest)
The Amish Nanny by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould (Harvest)
Chasing Sunsets by Eve Marie Everson (Revell)

Long Historical

Deeply Devoted By Maggie Brendan (Revell)
The Doctor’s Lady by Jody Hedlund (Bethany House)
Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen (Bethany House)

Short Contemporary
– tie for 1st place

A Place to Belong by Linda Goodnight (Love Inspired)
The Caregiver by Shelley Shepherd Gray (Avon Inspire)
Love Finds You in Sunset Beach, Hawaii by Robin Jones Gunn (Summerside)
Light the Fire by Mary Manners (White Rose)

Short Historical

Frontier Father by Dorothy Clark (Love Inspired)
The Earl’s Mistaken Bride by Abby Gaines (Love Inspired)
Belonging by Robin Lee Hatcher (Zondervan)

Romantic Suspense

A Killer Among Us by Lynette Eason (Revell)
Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper (Multnomah)
Murder at Granite Falls by Roxanne Rustand (Love Inspired)

Women’s Fiction

The Fine Art of Insincerity by Angela Hunt (Howard)
Forever After by Deborah Raney (Howard)
Broken Wings by Carla Stewart (FaithWords)

Novella

The Gentleman Takes a Bride by Louise M. Gouge (Love Inspired)
A Perfect Plan by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson)
The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall (Waterbrook)

Name Your Favorite Romantic Couples

I'm often asked if I have a favorite among my own books. The answer is no. Each is special to me in a different way and sometimes for very different reasons. However, I do confess to having some favorite characters.

But let's talk favorite romantic couples. 

From my own books, at the top of my list would have to be Cleo and Sherwood from Fit To Be Tied. Such a mismatched pair. They delighted me. I had such fun watching their love grow. 

Angel and Michael from Francine Rivers' classic, Redeeming Love, stand out in my mind. Definitely not lighthearted like Cleo and Sherwood, but oh-so-memorable. I learned so much just "watching" Michael Hosea talk to God, and I yearned for Angel to discover true love, both with Michael and with the Lord.

How about from the movies? I find those much easier than books actually. Perhaps that's because I watch movies over and over but there are only a few books that I've read multiple times (Redeeming Love; Gone With the Wind; etc.).

I'll start.

Who doesn't love Bob and Grace in Return to Me? Okay, if you don't, don't tell me. I simply won't understand. I get so caught up in their romance. I cry and I smile and I sing through this movie, and the ending in Italy. Ah ...

It goes without saying that Scarlet and Rhett from Gone With the Wind would be on my list (both book and movie). Not a happy ending as written by Ms. Mitchell, but that's the nice thing about an imagination like mine. No matter what anyone else thinks, I know they got back together and love triumphed in the end.

Okay, your turn. Name some of your favorite couples from books and/or movies. Feel free to expand on why.

~robin

 

No Right Way ... No Easy Way

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader." -- Robert Frost

I believe Mr. Frost had writers like me in mind when he said that.

Although I can't recall a time when I've cried while I'm writing (I think I'm concentrating too hard on getting the words down), I have been known to cry when I've read over a scene later. Two books have caused me to weep crocodile tears when I reached "The End": The Forgiving Hour because it was God's book more than mine, and I was amazed at what He'd done with my offering. And Ribbon of Years because Miriam, the protagonist, is the woman of faith I hope to emulate throughout my life.

However, I don't think crying over our own work is what's important or even what Mr. Frost meant. I think it's the tears of life that a writer requires. Life comes with laughter and heartache, good times and bad times, mountain top highs and dark valley lows. The novelist must experience them all. No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.

As a bonafide seat-of-the-pants writer, I'm surprised all the time by what direction my characters take me. One reason I'm an NOP (no outline person) is because if I do a detailed plot outline so that I know the whole story including the ending, I no longer want to write it. If I already know the ending, there will be no surprise waiting for me. So then I want to come up with another story, one that will surprise me when I reach the end. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.

Whenever I speak to aspiring writers, I tell them, "There is no 'right way' to write a novel. You have to try everything until you find what works for you." I have good friends who, when they explain their writing process, make me want to bang my head on the desk and babble nonsensically. My creativity entirely shuts down at the methods they share. I have learned to be mostly content with the way I was wired to create, even though I sometimes wish there was an easier way. But the truth is, just as there is no "right way" to write a novel, there also is no "easy way" to write a novel.

I am getting close to the halfway point in my current manuscript. Still lots of surprises ahead of me, and in this particular story, more laughter than tears. I am having a great deal of fun torturing my hero with a strong-willed heroine who likes to collect strays.

Now I'd better get this posted so I can get back to writing and discover what happens next.

~robin

P.S. Just for fun, here are a couple of photos from Mother's Day brunch at my daughter Micki's home. The first is of the two of us. The other is of the flower pots she gave to her mom (moi), her stepmom, and her mother-in-law.