Defensive Tactics- Available Now

Defensive Tactics is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com

The Writing Process- Part Two- The Story

Whether it's Dr. Seuss with his silly rhymes, or Brandon Mull writing about magical places, or Stephen King telling a frightening tale that will make it just a little bit harder to sleep at night, one critical need remains constant through genre and stylistic approach; the ability to tell a compelling story. Grisham and Twain, Hemmingway and Faulkner all persist as reader favorites, not because of the way they conjugate verbs or punctuate their sentences, but rather, people love them because of the stories they tell.

Sometimes authors get so excited about writing in first or third person, or using free-indirect discourse, or making their sentences longer, or shorter, or making the language of characters distinct with crazy dialects, that they forget their main purpose in writing a story; the story. Sure, we want to know the characters, their strengths and weaknesses and we want to know about their surroundings, their thought processes and motivations, but all of those things, as interesting as they may be, should be included in the writing as a way to advance the story.

The individual components of a story are not all-important in and of themselves. For example, amazing rims on a car, or new spark plugs may be great, but only insofar as they increase the value of the car, and make it go. Great rims don't mean much if the car is stuck in the driveway. Likewise, a beautifully constructed sentence won't have much value if it detracts from the mood or rhythm of the story.

Have you ever felt that the author was simply writing to impress himself, or is so enthralled about writing chapters and chapters about the sewer system of Paris that you've totally lost interest in the redemptive story? I have. By focusing on the reader, instead of the author, the author has an opportunity to stretch beyond his own comfort level and create something for others to enjoy, not merely pages to be tolerated as a sidetrack back to the story.

Hopefully an author's "ideal reader" is not himself. If it is, he will probably be enthralled with his own work, but will not likely expand his audience very far.

Focus on the story. Make the words count. Use literary tools to help you succeed in telling a compelling story. But remember, the simple act of using literary tools does not make writing successful, the story does.

The "Ideal Reader"

Throughout his book On Writing, Stephen King often refers to the "ideal reader". What is the "ideal reader"? you ask. Let me explain.

The ideal reader is the person you are thinking about when you are writing. On my first book, Defensive Tactics, my wife Mica was my ideal reader. As I was writing, I found myself asking, "What will Mica think of that", or I would imagine her laughing at a particular joke or scene. I was writing for her appreciation and to her sensibilities as she was representative of the general audience I was attempting to appeal to.

On my second book, Crater Lake: Quest for the Prison Key, my ideal reader was my 11 year old daughter. Crater Lake was written for a different audience in general, but just like on the first, I found myself wondering, what will Lindsay think about this or that, and I wrote scenes that I knew she would appreciate. What will scare Lindsay? When I figured it out, I wrote it. What will make her laugh and what will she think is dorky. I tried to avoid the dorky.

Even though my ideal reader was different for these two books, the concept is the same. I couldn't wait for them to read what I had written for them and ultimately, when I was finished, I listened to their feedback and made some corrections where I had miscalculated.

Thinking of someone you know well and respect, and what their reactions will be to certain content, can help guide you in the writing process. It places the focus on the reader, instead of the author. What the reader enjoys and finds funny, or frightening, or exciting and cool, is much more important than writing something that only I find interesting.

Defensive Tactics- Cover

Defensive Tactics is a story of struggle and escape from forces seeking to destroy.

Years after a family tragedy left him emotionally scarred, Jimmy finds himself in a desparate situation so he turns to an old friend. Paul is an up and coming FBI Agent and agrees to help Jimmy, but almost immediately regrets it when Jimmy starts making a play for his girlfriend, who is also an Agent in the Kansas City Field Office.

As Jimmy and Paul struggle to become true friends, they are pulled into Emily's undercover assignment aimed at bringing down a corrupt federal judge. The assignment turns out to be more dangerous, and more difficult than Emily first anticipated, forcing her to decide how far she is willing to bend morally, to see her mission through. As the three new friends fight to protect each other and overcome conspiracies of organized crime, they must evaluate who they really are, and who God wants them to be.

On Writing- Review

Stephen King is an amazing story teller. Even when he is telling stories about writing and the lessons he has learned. On Writing, is a funny, entertaining and insightful book about honing the craft of writing that every writer, or aspiring writer, should read.

The first lesson I learned from On Writing is this, Don't Overplan your writing. What does this mean, you ask? Let me explain.

Stephen King writes because he loves to, but he also writes because he is disciplined. He has a writing schedule he keeps, and when he's not writing, he's reading, or watching TV and movies, all which help to spur his imagination. One of his pet peeves, and mine, is watching a movie or reading a book that is predictable. Maybe we identify the killer in the first scene. Maybe it is so obvious what the hero is going to do, we can just put the book down or turn off the show because there is no use in finishing. Why is so much of our entertainment so predictable? Because the writers follow the same patterns. They plan what will happen, and then write to meet that plan. Unfortunately, readers and even TV watchers are often too smart for this.

Stephen King was once asked "How come your books are so unpredictable"? He answered, "Because when I write them, I don't know what's going to happen next. If I (as the writer) don't know what will happen next, how can the reader?"

Writing needs to be a natural progression. Scenes need to unfold and characters need to develop organically, just as they do in real life. Now, every writer's process is different, and that is good, but it is hard to argue with the success Stephen King has enjoyed.

Most often, he begins his writing with a question, or a situation and then lets the writing unfold from there. For example, he might ask the question, "What would happen if a famous writer was trapped with a psychotic fan?" From that, he wrote Misery. Or, "How would a man who was wrongly imprisoned, reclaim his life and find joy again?" The answer, is The Shawshank Redemption.

We often need a blueprint, to keep us on track, but we shouldn't overplan every aspect of our story, or characters. Things become too predictable that way, and what fun is reading a 300 page book that you've figured out by page 20?

Wrong Number- Review

Wrong Number is a fun, quick read. I recommend it, and also recommend the review at the link below.

http://cedarfortauthors.blogspot.com/2010/05/wrong-number-by-rachelle-j-christensen.html

The Writing Process- Part 1

Every writer has their own process for finding material to write about, and even the physical process of writing itself. Some have a muse, or a picture they look to for inspiration, while others find interest in mundane daily activities. Some writers type on a laptop, sitting on their favorite chair or at a quiet desk, or scribble on pads of paper and then later reassemble their thoughts. No matter what process the writer employs, or the inspiration the writer may seek, the most important thing for a writer to do, is write.

A writer should write. Kind of a no brainer, right? It is, but just like other "no brainers", sometimes we fail to do the basic, simple things, like saying our prayers, getting the oil changed, or balancing the checkbook. We know we should, but we find other things to fill our time, or we simply fail to plan our time wisely.

The first thing every writer should do, is schedule time to write. Yes, this is basic. But we lead busy lives, coaching baseball and serving in our church and community. We want to spend time with our family and of course, most of us need to work full-time. Should I write in the morning or at night? On my lunch break? How much time should I alot? Whatever time works best for you, schedule it, and be diligent in sticking to that schedule.

We write because we love it. We want to express ourselves. We find satisfaction in creating something new. We write to magnify our talents. We write because we are curious to see where the story leads. Whatever the reason is, if you are a writer, or hope to be a writer, or just want to try it out, write...write...write. Its a "no brainer".

Kansas City Temple- Groundbreaking

On Saturday May, 8 2010, my family and I were blessed to attend the ground breaking ceremony for the new Kansas City Area Temple. Elder Rasband, Senior President of the Quorums of the Seventy presided at the event.

It was a cool and windy day and the children didn't necessarily appreciate all the dirt and cold, but 30 years from now, they will be able to tell their children they were at the groundbreaking for the first Temple in the Kansas City Metro area. Then, they will remember what a momentous day it was and how blessed they were to attend.

Now, we look forward to the Temple Dedication in a couple of years and hope to be blessed with tickets to attend there as well.

Far West Ward- 1st Meetings

On Sunday, May 2nd, the Far West Ward met together for the first time. To my knowledge, a congregation at Far West has not been organized since the saints were forced to flee in late 1838. For many, the creation of this new Ward is the fullfillment of a dream and an answer to prayer.

It was a wonderful day. Many members had a chance to bear testimony during fast and testimony meeting, and during a joint Priesthood/Relief Society/Young Men/Young Women meeting, we were able to discuss hopes and dreams for the Ward.

As we embark on building a Ward from the ground up, it is wonderful to know, that as long as we do things in the Lord's way, we can make our Ward family into something special. We are limited only by ourselves: our willingness to spend time and effort in accomplishing the missions of the church as we strive to become a Zion people.

Creation of the Far West Ward

When Heavenly Father calls any of us to serve within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he places in us great trust. He knows our capabilities but even more importantly he understands our hearts and desires. He blesses us with opportunities to stretch and grow as we mold our lives and become the kind of people he wants us to become.

On Sunday, April 18th, 2010 I was sustained as the Bishop of a brand new ward at Far West Missouri. It is always exciting to receive a confirmation that Heavenly Father is pleased with our efforts and testimony, and in this case, it is also very exciting to have the opportunity to organize a new ward from scratch. To my knowledge, there has not been a ward at Far West since the saints were expelled from Far West in 1838. This fact alone makes this new ward historic. But for our ward to become what our Heavenly Father desires, we must strive to become a Zion people.

"The Lord called his people Zion because they were of one heart and one mind, and they dwealt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them." (Moses 7:18)

That is what our Father expects from us.

More important than where the ward is located, is who we are as a people. We all have the opportunity to stretch and grow to become what our Father wants us to be. As we dedicate ourselves to righteous living and service, as we express our love for the Savior and testify through our service, as we strenthen our families and our youth, we will progress towards being a Zion people.

These are exciting times. As always, our first priority should be upon growing our testimonies of the Savior and serving others, as he would have us do.

Escape from the Dark

After a long process of writing, editing and a lot of hoping, I have received an offer to have my first novel published.

Escape from the Dark should be out by the end of the year.

After agreeing to help a friend from his past, FBI agent Paul Stephens questions the wisdom of allowing Jimmy into his life and introducing him to Emily. Jimmy is intrigued by Emily’s beauty and poise, and he is not hindered by thoughts of loyalty or propriety as he pursues Paul’s girl.

As a recent transplant to the Kansas City FBI Field Office, Emily is assigned to a taskforce aimed at bringing down a corrupt Federal Judge. Thrown together amid the turmoil of Emily’s new undercover assignment, the three friends face intense emotional, spiritual and physical challenges. As they struggle to navigate through burgeoning relationships and the rigors of the investigation, their bond of friendship strengthens, as they become the people they truly want to be.

The First Five Pages

The First Five Pages: A Writers Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile is a valuable book for any aspiring writer to read. The rejection pile at any publishing office contains the vast majority of all manuscripts submitted to them.

I have to admit, when I completed my first book, I thought I was kind of special. I thought I had accomplished something unique. Little did I know, everyone and their cat has written a book and all hope to have their work published. When I read The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman, my eyes were opened a little bit and I realized I was actually just one of the masses.

What made my work special? How would it stand out in the crowd. When I realized that publishers are inundated with manuscripts, and that their main goal is to simply get through their pile of paper, it made me realize I may need to rethink my first 5 pages. I had to make my first 5 pages interesting enough, that the editor would find it worth their time to keep reading.

The first thing I did, was re-read my manuscript and cut out 3/4 of all adverbs and adjectives I had included, thinking it made the text rich and beautiful. I realized that the extreme use of adverbs and adjectives simply made my work seem silly and amateurish.

This was a great read, and very valuable for me personally.

Meeting with Elder Nelson

On Saturday, November 7th, 2009, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. The Stake Presidency was being reorganized and Elder Nelson was assigned, along with Elder Anthony Burns of the Seventy, to come to the Liberty Missouri Stake to reorganize the leadership. Elder Nelson Stated in our Priesthood Leadership meeting, that with the rapid growth of the Church, and the ever increasing numbers of Stakes and Districts within the church, the days of having an Apostle of the Lord visit one Stake for a conference is likely behind us. With that in mind, I view my opportunity to meet with him privately , and be interviewed by him, as a once in a lifetime blessing.

As a member of the Stake High Council, I was one of the nearly 30 members of our Stake interviewed as a potential new Stake President. Now, having never been a Bishop and only being on the High Council for a mere 6 months, I viewed the liklihood of being chosen as Stake President somewhere between impossible and 1% probabilty. I was right. Largely, because there wasn't much risk in being called upon as a Stake President, I approached my interview with enthusiasm, and with the simple mindset that I would enjoy every minute I was able to talk with him. As it turns out, I had 5 minutes.

When I entered the room, Elder Nelson and Elder Burns stood to greet me and indicated where I should sit. Elder Nelson was taller than I expected and for an 85 year old man seemed unbelievably spry and energetic. I sat and Elder Nelson pulled out my profile sheet I had submitted to the Stake 2 weeks earlier. He reviewed with me briefly some of the information on my profile such as, my age, where I met my wife and went to college, where I work and my duties there. He noted with interest that I served my mission in the Independence Missouri Mission which includes the Liberty Stake. He asked about my mission Presidents but embarassingly, I only remembered the name of my second President. He then asked me about men I would recommend to be Stake President. I gave him three names and explained why I chose them.

After those formalities were finished, he turned to the comment area of my profile sheet where I had taken the opportunity to ask a question. The question was: In the early days of the restored church, leaders regularly spoke of spiritual manifestations, visions and revelations. In modern times the Brethren do not tell us of similar experiences. Why is this? Did the early restoration period have more of these unusual manifestations whereas the leadership now primarily receives revelation and inspiration by the power of the Holy Ghost? Or is it a policy, or decision to keep these experiences private and sacred?

I asked the question because I regularly hear members of the church make statements about how the Prophet and Apostles have all seen the Savior personally and sometimes insinuate that they sit accross the table from the Savior in meetings etc. While I don't doubt this is possible, I had never heard it stated as fact and I would prefer to base my beliefs on fact, rather than supposition. His answer was simple; I paraphrase.

In the early days of the restoration greater spiritual manifestations and visions were required to accomplish the work of the Lord with relatively unexperienced men. They received the manifestations they needed to progress the work, and of course restore the keys of the Priesthood. The needs today are different, and in 25 years, they could be different still, but the brethren are skilled at recognizing the promptings of the spirit, and they rely on the Holy Ghost for their direction. Now, this in no way precludes the possibility that some have received special manifestations, or that they are still possible, but the Holy Ghost teaches and guides the Brethren, just as it teaches and guides us, which is why we must all learn to recognize and act on the promptings of the Spirit.

The five minutes went very quickly, in fact I had to look at my watch once I left the office to ensure I got my full five minutes. I did. Later I had the opportunity to attend the Priesthood Leadership Meeting, the Saturday Adult Session and then the Sunday morning Session where the new Stake Presidency was called and sustained. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.

Based on my simple experience with Elder Nelson, and knowing that the other members of the High Council and Bishops had very similar experiences, I have no question in my mind, but that the Holy Spirit directs the Prophet and Apostles in all they do. Perhaps the greatest difference between them and us, is their ability and confidence in recognizing and acting on the promptings of the spirit.

Like a Dog to his Vomit

After the death of his father, Lot went to live with his uncle, Abraham. When the Lord commanded Abraham to move to the land of Bethel, Lot also went. They separated their households and Lot had first choice of the land he and his household would possess. Abraham settled the remaining area.

The land Lot chose was fertile and beautiful and it appeared he made a wise decision about where he would establish himself. But Lot pitched his tents near the city of Sodom while Abraham took his household in the other direction toward the land of Canaan.

Lot was a good man and tried to teach his children the gospel but he lived in one of the most evil cities on the earth. The city was so wicked the Lord prepared to destroy it. Abraham was worried for Lot and his household because he knew Lot was a good man and he plead with the Lord to spare the city if 10 righteous people could be found. The Lord agreed that if 10 righteous people could be found He would not destroy the city. Sadly, 10 righteous people could not be found.

The Lord sent two angels to destroy Sodom but first they met with Lot and warned him to take his family and quickly leave the city. Lot’s married children refused to listen and would not leave. Only his two unmarried daughters were obedient and agreed to leave the city.

In the morning the angels told Lot to “Arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters, which are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.”

Lot hesitated. Maybe he thought about his home and possessions, but more likely he was thinking of his married children who refused to leave. The angels knew there was no time to waste so they took Lot, his wife and his daughters by the hand and led them out of Sodom.

The angels commanded them, “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.”

Despite being commanded not to look back on the burning cities, Lot’s wife could not resist the temptation. Unwilling to surrender her will to the Lord’s, unwilling to let go and turn away from the thing she had been commanded, she looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.

We may look at the example of Lot’s wife and say, “what was she thinking? How foolish. I would never do that.” And hopefully we never would.

But are there things in our lives from which we have been commanded to turn away or give up, that we just can’t bring ourselves to fully eradicate from our lives? Do we turn back to our bad habits or sins longingly, like a “dog to his vomit”?

The image is pretty disgusting, but it’s supposed to be. Why in the world would we want to return to our sins like a dog returns to his vomit. Returning to our sins is just as foolish, but we do it.

To go out of Babylon we must turn away from our sins and not look back. We must be willing to give up anything that the Lord requires.

Maybe we are asked to sacrifice our favorite TV show on a Sunday afternoon when we should be doing our home teaching. Or maybe it is sacrificing an addictive habit or behavior, or the pride of a grudge we are holding. Maybe we need to sacrifice leisure time and money to attend the temple or invite a non-member to a family home evening. Maybe we find it difficult to sacrifice our money by paying tithing and a generous fast offering.

Is it safe to say we all have a habit or behavior or maybe even an attitude that we need to turn away from? I think it is. I know it’s true for me. As long as we refuse to turn fully away and not look back, we are keeping our foot in the battlefield of Babylon and Satan has us in his sights. We think we are at a safe distance but we’re not.

We may think our sin is small or insignificant. We may think that even with our faults we are still more righteous than others, but the truth is if we refuse to remove ourselves out of Babylon we are susceptible to the ravages of battle. Because of our carelessness or curiosity or maybe our stubbornness, we are too close and we are in danger.

Babylon: Too Close to the Battle

On the night of July 20, 1861 more than 30,000 Union soldiers prepared for the first major battle of the Civil War—It’s known as The Battle of Bull Run because it was set against the distant backdrop of the Bull Run Mountains (also known as the battle of Manassas)

Meanwhile, in Washington DC there was great excitement for the impending battle. The politicians and media were whipping the citizenry into a frenzy, speculating about a decisive and immediate Union victory that would crush the Confederacy. With this in mind, Sunday morning, several hundred people, newspapermen, politicians and average civilians gathered to what they considered a safe distance, high on a rise 5 miles from where the battle was to take place.

As the battle waged, the spectators reportedly ate picnic lunches and drank lemonade but many became dissatisfied with their distant and obstructed view of the battle. Union soldiers visited the group and reported that a sweeping victory was imminent. On this news, some of the spectators, including Congressman Ely of New York decided to get a closer view of the action.

At about 4:00 PM Congressman Ely strolled down the road when a bullet struck the ground near him. He dodged off the road and hid in the trees and at 5:30 he spotted a line of Confederate infantry emerging from a nearby grove. Two officers approached him and asked who he was. When he told them he was a Congressman they arrested him.

Atop the ridge the remaining civilians recognized that the Union Victory was quickly unraveling as the Confederate cavalry charged up the hill. Military officers, dignitaries and civilians were all caught up in the chaos of a full retreat. Fortunately no civilians were killed.

Despite being what they thought was a safe distance from the danger of battle, these people discovered they were too close, but it was too late. It was not safe. Some, like Congressman Ely were enticed by curiosity and excitement to move even closer to the danger. They thought they could avoid the threats but they were wrong. They were caught right in the middle.

We might look at this example and say something like; “it serves them right for being so foolish and getting that close. I would never do that.” Or we might think how grotesque it is to take a picnic lunch to watch a bloody battle. Hopefully we would never be caught up in such foolishness. But are we?

The spectators at Bull Run symbolize the nation’s naïve view of the impending Civil War. They didn’t fully understand the risk, or appreciate the danger. Are we sometimes naïve of the spiritual battles that surround us? Do we underestimate the danger to ourselves and to our families? Or might we be found on the ridge of the battlefield hawking t-shirts that read, “Battle of Bull Run: Been there, Done that.”