writing – janeduquette.org

Christianity, Devotionals, The Writing Life

Creativity and the Incarnation

February 8, 2020 janeduquette

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I feel happy and fulfilled when I do anything creative. I can feel depressed and useless when I ignore an urge to create. I believe, since we are made in the image of the great Creator, there is something in our Spiritual DNA that desires to create — a story, a painting, a song, a flowerbed, a delicious dinner. God works in us “both to will and do of His good pleasure.”

When I’m writing my novel, St. Anne’s, I feel fully myself. I know that nobody else can create the story I am writing. My unique fingerprint is on the work. It may be imperfect, but God will grow me through my obedience to His promptings. Sometimes words flow without effort. Upon re-reading a passage, I have thought, “Where did that come from?” When God’s in control, I write better than I know how to write.

I think all true creativity is incarnational, requiring only a willing vessel for God to use. The Father called the virgin Mary to be willing to create His only begotten Son. She agreed to the angel’s news with the words, “Behold the handmaid of the LORD: be it unto me according to thy word.”

The LORD is the Prime Creator, the only One who creates something out of nothing. When we humans create, we must use materials that God has already made.

God created color and the mathematics of perspective and line before the first person painted a picture.
God created music before the first human was led to build an instrument to demonstrate the melodies God put in his heart.
God created words at the very beginning. He is the Master storyteller.
God wants his children to allow Him to create beauty through them. True art.

[There is also false art, thrown together golden calves that are still worshiped by godless people. A lot of it is “modern” so-called art reflecting the chaos of a godless mind. It speaks only to people whose minds are also godless and in chaos. It is created with a motive of self-glorification and the fulfilling of fleshly lusts. There is chaotic music and pornographic writing — God’s gift of creativity gone wretchedly wrong.]

The most beautiful art that survives to this day seems to have been created by Christ-followers. I believe God painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel through the agency of Michelangelo.

I believe God used the pen of this artist to remind us of His love for us sheep.

Shepherd & Lamb

Who doubts that God used Handel to write the Hallelujah Chorus?

When you were a child, did you ever want to paint, write songs, or books? God creates those desires in us because He wills us to birth something that honors Him. Why do we let those impulses wither on the vine? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of man? Fear? Remember, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear.”

So, I encourage you to rebuke the whisperer of doubt and fear. Pray and begin. Take the first step of faith. Then another. As you take the first step, God will move. He will honor your faith step and empower you to do what He gives you the desire to do. Every creative person you have ever heard of — Beethoven, Rembrandt, C.S. Lewis–started out as a beginner, taking those first wobbly steps by faith.

God delights to take ordinary people of low estate and create through them. It is because we are ordinary that He receives glory. Take courage from the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary about the incarnation of Jesus. “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

Journey to Publication, The Writing Life, Uncategorized

Journey to Publication

October 31, 2018 janeduquette

: Lake Yale Word Weaver’s Retreat – 2018

Working on St. Anne’s

St. Anne’s is the working title of my novel. I brought my manuscript with me to the Word Weavers’ Retreat this past weekend. This Retreat was not a retreat in the sense of getting away from it all. This was more like getting serious about it all. Michelle Medlock Adams, a marvelous speaker, inspired us to not lose heart, to keep pressing on, to keep our priorities in order. However, most of the time was dedicated to what Word Weavers do, critiquing one another’s work.

I found the weekend both enlightening and confusing.

Enlightening: I learned about mechanics–those parts of writing for publication which are cast in concrete–things like layout rules, the correct use of ellipses and Em Dashes, which font is acceptable, rules for the use of italics. All of this was quite helpful.

Confusing: God comforted me, reminding me that critiques are given by human beings with often conflicting personal preferences. For example, I written the first page of St. Anne’s by jumping right into the action, hoping to hook the reader. One critiquing person said I needed to begin my story describing the setting so the reader could formulate a scene in his mind before getting into the action. So, I rewrote the opening for another review of the same passage. This time I was told, by a new critiquing person, that I should not start out with detailed setting information because most readers would prefer to jump right in to the action.

Hmm.

So, the Lord taught me that in a work of fiction, some people like narrative description, and other people like action. It’s a matter of preference. I will lose some people if I don’t begin with action; others will close the book if I don’t give them a setting first. People are different, and I won’t be able to please them all. I need to do what’s right for my God-given “voice,” and take the critique for what it is–one person’s opinion.

I learned a second thing that confused and surprised me. It is now fashionable to write sentence fragments punctuated as sentences. As a former English teacher and a mere novice to publishing in this millennium, I was saddened. It was like witnessing the end of literature as I have known it. Now I’m not talking about writing dialog. Dialog is different. I get that. For dialog to sound realistic, it probably should be in short bites, like people talk. However, modern writers are encouraged to write narrative passages that way too. It smacks more of text messaging than novel-writing to me. This weekend I read lots of unpublished manuscripts wherein the writer often wrote so-called sentences using no verbs.

At all.

Period.

C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.

I guess my blessed reassurance from the Lord applies here too. People have different tastes. My tastes are more old-fashioned.

I don’t think I will embrace this radical change easily. Maybe I’m too old to change?

The books I like to read are old-fashioned. Seldom do I encounter fragments in the writings of Rosamunde Pilcher or C.S. Lewis, my favorites.

Will my tastes change?

I hope not.

Maybe.

Alaska, Devotionals

THE FINAL DAYS OF AN ALASKAN SUMMER – PART ONE

September 13, 2018 janeduquette

Alaska worked wonders again this summer. We go there to decompress …

to escape the world …

to stretch wide in the vastness of the land …

…. and to work with our hands.

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DECOMPRESSING:

The World is too much with us in the Florida city where we live for eight months. We go to Alaska four months to decompress. The damp air is pure and deliciously fragrant with spruce, moss, and wildflowers. Merely walking around the property is restorative, refreshing the soul. Every wildflower declares the glory of my Creator who is intimately aware of my every step, every thought, every breath. He created this blossom for me to enjoy today.

Consider the lilies of the field. They toil not, neither do they spin. Yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” JESUS

Now the days are shorter, the mornings noticeably cooler, and the birch trees dance against the cobalt sky. Winds toss these tall branches with a distinctive rustling sound, reminding me of Jesus’ words–

“The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but can’st not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth. So is every one who is born of the Spirit.”

Do you experience the God you cannot see, but you can hear, and feel?

This Alaska Summer, Lord,

You provided yet again …

unfettered Time…

on Your vast Land …

rejoicing in Your Presence…

knowing Your Spirit like the wind …

invisible but palpable …

moving as You send…

Lord, I’m so grateful!

Amen

Alaska

Alaska Road Trip Days 7-9

May 1, 2018May 29, 2018 janeduquette

Sunday, April 29 – (Day 7) We enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in a hotel in Garden City, Kansas Saturday night, but I awoke often, aware that I was in a strange place.

We got away about 8:30 heading due west toward Colorado. Soon after crossing the border, we picked up a US highway heading due north, leaving Denver far away to our west. Traveling through big cities was something we do not want to do. Out in this area of the country, most roads run at right angles, so there is no hypotenuse to make our trip shorter. This day we saw a lot of plains, newly planted wheat fields, plowed fields, more cows, (but not as many as yesterday) lots of windmills. We saw the factory where they built the windmills yesterday, and the vanes must be 50 feet long! We saw our first roadrunner, a couple of pheasants, a mule deer, and lots of red-tailed hawks.

Our practice has become to set a preliminary destination for the day. After noon we ask Google if there are any campgrounds near our destination town. We call the campground and learn the street address, input the info into our Garmin navigator, and then relax and let her melodious voice guide us to our destination. HOWEVER, it is crucial that the address be absolutely correct — no Highway 11, when it should be Highway 11c. This was the case on Sunday afternoon. Garmin sweetly guided us down a dirt road to a vacant lot behind some cow pens and dirty shacks. And then after we re-entered “11c,” she guided us through many small subdivision to reach the actual address about 5 miles away. We camped at Boyd Lake State Park. Now the trees are getting smaller and the parks have fewer of them. Most all the trees were mesquite, and their leaves have not come out yet. In fact, we are rapidly leaving springtime behind.

It was 80 degrees when we set up camp. Surprising! Tom made spaghetti for dinner, and we turned in early. After the sun set, the temperature dropped quickly into the 40’s by daybreak. We have an electric heater, though, so we were fine to sleep so long as there is electricity.

Monday, April 30 (day 8) We got off about 8:15, heading north on Interstate 25 to Cheyenne, Wheatland, Douglas, and finally to Casper, Wyoming.

We broke our vow of “no interstates” today. The few state roads there are did not go where we needed to go.

The landscape changed dramatically — many more rusty rock outcroppings, antelopes, fewer cows. We had intended to head northwest into the Tetons and Yellowstone, but weather forecasts said that snow was likely, and much cooler temperatures in the mountains. So…. we changed our plans and stayed east of the mountains in rather long hills. We broke our vow of “no interstates” when we got up this far. There are fewer state roads, and they didn’t go the way we needed to go.

We slept in a Motel 6 last night in Casper, Wyoming, and it only cost $49! Since campsites average $30, we figured it would be okay so as not to have to seek out a campsite far away from our planned route.

Tuesday, May 1 (Day 9) One really nice thing about motels is that you don’t have to break camp at the crack of dawn in the cold. We have only been making coffee in the mornings at camp, then stopping along the road for a hot truck-stop breakfast and a gas fill-up. So, this morning we were up and away by 6:30, heading north out of Casper, Wyoming on I-25. Tom was the animal scout. We saw a LOT of antelope this morning, and Tom managed to get a photo of this one beside the road. We crossed into Montana about noon. The hills here were greener, and looked sort of like what I think Ireland must look like…

When we set out this morning it was very foggy, and we could see only about 150 feet ahead. This was on an Interstate, mind you, so I just crept along through the whiteness at about 45 mph. We would crest a hill and be in sunshine until the next valley. Thank God the sun burned it away after about an hour. We went on through the Bighorn Mountains to Billings, and then picked two State roads north to Lewistown. It was getting colder the further north we traveled. Unmelted snow made white spots on the northern slopes of hills. I don’t know how many more days we will be able to camp in this tent camper.

But right now we’re camped at a commercial RV park in Lewistown, MT. The state and national parks are too far away from our planned route. Tom had all the best intentions of cooking some chicken and broccoli and making a tossed salad this evening. However, right after setting up camp it began to rain a cold windy rain. Not being the sort of person to give up, Tom tried to adjust pots, cutting boards, even the car (!) to baffle the wind from blowing out his propane stove. After about an hour he gave up, and we drove into town to pick up a pizza. Tomorrow’s another day. The chicken will keep.

It’s cold and windy tonight, and is supposed to get down to about 35 degrees. My little electric heater is cranking. I’m still sitting up at the dining table typing away at 9:15, taking advantage of the wi-fi provided here at this RV park. Tom and dog Jack are snuggled into a warm sleeping bag. Time to join them.

Tomorrow’s plan is to get through Montana and cross into Canada! Half way Home!!

Thank you for joining me this evening. God bless!

Journey to Publication

Journey to Publication #1

March 27, 2018April 17, 2018 janeduquette

On my homepage, I mentioned that I wrote a novel ten years ago. Lately, I have felt the urging to dig it out again and try to relearn the publishing business which has changed so dramatically in ten years… not to mention since the 70’s.

Publishing is not new to me. In the 1970’s, my husband and I wrote and illustrated books and magazine articles as a way to make money when we lived on our sailboat, but publishing was so different then — portable typewriters, carbon paper, and snail mail.

Nowadays, the market is so glutted with self-published books that standard publishers need a guaranteed return on their investment.

Nowadays, unless you’re Stephen King or Annie Dillard, a publishing house will not give you the time of day without an agent.

Nowadays, an agent will not give you the time of day without an “on-line presence,” and a “following.”

So, the website.

In February I attended my first Florida Christian Writers Conference at Lake Yale Conference center. Fabulous! Hundreds of professional and aspiring writers who love Jesus in one room! I was very encouraged by the response to my novel from a NY Times bestselling author. Also, a poem I wrote won inclusion in a soon-to-be-released book. So, that was encouraging.

However, from all sides I learned that my manuscript of St. Anne’s is about twice as long as it should be for consideration by a standard publisher. I also learned that belly-aching about how much harder it is to publish in today’s marketplace is sort of stupid really. It is what it is. So, no more belly-aching. Promise!

Nowadays, I spend a couple of hours a day mercilessly editing St. Anne’s, and I spend more than a couple of hours a day trying to learn about how to use domain names, servers, hosting services, et al. Then I study even more to learn how to use this software to prepare these web pages without accidentally pushing the wrong button and erasing everything I wrote for the past hour. AAGH ! It has happened a few times. Oops, that was belly-aching, wasn’t it. Sorry.

Please pray for me that I continue along the path God has set before me, that Satan, that old discourager, is kept at bay, and that I finally succeed in entering the 21st Century, technologically speaking.

So, the website.

Thank you for reading!

Jane