by Lorilyn
Roberts
When do we realize, if ever, we
aren’t as good as we think we are? The best of us need critiquing, teaching,
input from others, and wise advice from those who have gone before. Rare is the
writer who comes along and is so gifted he sweeps anyone off his feet. More than
likely, the author will land on his buttocks when an editor points out all the
flaws in his “Nobel prize-winning piece.” Or worse, his book or article may not
even be fit to be fetched to the dogs (I know, too much hyperbole, but you get
my point).
I thought I knew how to write a
children’s picture book. I didn’t. I attended the Florida Christian Writer’s
Conference several years ago with my manuscript The Donkey and the King. I anticipated an editor might gasp with
delight at the wonderful story and beg me to sign a contract right on the spot.
I imagined floating out of the conference in storybook land and racing home in my
red firebird, patting myself on the shoulder for my creativity and talent.
Yawn. We’ve all had visions of grandeur.
The truth is writing is hard. Rules
need to be followed until you learn them. You can decide which ones you want to
break once you have mastered the techniques. I was a graduate of the Institute
of Children’s Literature at the time, but I was very much a newbie. For
starters, I needed a critique group. There wasn’t one in my city, so I formed
one.
Fortunately, a kind author at the
conference went over my book and gave me valuable input. I took her advice to
heart. I went home and wrote and rewrote. What were some of my mistakes? I used big words—three-year-olds don’t know
big words. The story was too long. Little kids have short attention spans. I
had some concepts out of order—I needed a fresh set of eyes, someone who didn’t
know my story, to point these out to me.
Since I published The Donkey and the King, I’ve received my
Master of Arts in Creative Writing. I’ve learned more about writing than I ever
thought possible. I cringe now when I receive emails about “how to create
content” or “how to outsource content” or “how to write a book in a
weekend.” Writing is an art. If you
don’t have the fire in your gut to write good content, don’t expect a reader to
have the fire in his gut to read your outsourced book. Whatever happened to passion
and creativity and sacrifice and hard work? What about the desire to learn how
to write better?
I hear from time to time writers say,
“I don’t like to write, I just like the finished book.” If you don’t like to
write, why are you writing? If you aren’t willing to invest in the process to
make your writing better, like attending writers’ conferences, joining a
critique group, taking writing classes, and reading books on writing, how can you
become the writer God gifted you to be? If you don’t have the passion to write,
you won’t push yourself to reach a higher level in your writing. Will God bless
your half-hearted efforts?
Don’t let the “roaches” out there eat
holes in your bank account either. Flee from those sharks who promise wannabes
they can produce content without a sweat and make a million. Where is the roach
spray when you need it? I zap those emails in a heartbeat and hope people
aren’t gullible enough to believe them.
Writing is an art—not just the
artwork that is drawn or written on the pages of a book, but the art that is
etched in the reader’s heart. Have you, the reader, been changed by the author’s
message? Encouraged in your walk with God? Convicted of sin in your life? Art
should add meaning and culture—and good art should represent some aspect of our
Creator. Our words should convey that deep down; otherwise, for who or what are
we writing? To glorify ourselves? God forbid.
The Donkey and the King grew out of my visit to Israel in 1991. The story is an
allegory to the book of Philemon in the New Testament. The slave, Onesimus, ran
away from his master. Along the way he met Saul who witnessed to him and urged
him to return home. On every page in The
Donkey and the King is the hidden word “good.” The lesson in The Donkey and the King speaks to all of
us: There is good in the world if we
look for it and listen to God’s voice.
One of my fondest memories in my
writing journey is when I read The Donkey and the King to a young Sunday school class. The kids stayed afterwards to
find the “good” hidden on every page. Now available in Kindle, the drawings can
be enlarged to search for the hidden word, and the font can be made bigger for easier
reading.
Creativity and the passion to share is
what all authors should embrace—and strive to perfect. I want to believe I give
my all for the reader’s enjoyment. And then, just maybe, I might get an Amazon
review praising my well-written book. God rewards those who are diligent and
faithful in His service—and I remind myself of that when my feelings don’t
match reality or someone criticizes my book unfairly. It happens too often.
Spiritual warfare is part of the Christian’s world and writers are not immune. In
the end, we know who wins.
My advice: Learn all you can and enjoy the writing
journey. Share your story, conquer evil with good, be passionate always, and leave
your mark on the lives of others. Through your words, you can influence future
generations with the art of writing, and that’s worth striving for.
*~*~*~*
The Kindle version of The Donkey and the King is all new and updated. The artwork has been rescanned from the original drawings, and the text can be resized for young readers. Click on the artwork on each page, and enlarge the drawing to look for the hidden word “good.” The Donkey and the King will entertain young ones and help them to become lifelong lovers of books and reading, all while teaching them about Jesus and redemption.
*~*~*~*
Lorilyn graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama in 1991. Her studies included spending two weeks in Israel at the start of the Gulf War and touring England, Australia, New Zealand, and several countries in Europe. She later attended the Institute of Children’s Literature and earned her Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Perelandra College.
When Lorilyn was in fifth grade, a teacher accused her of plagiarism in front of her classmates. Little did Lorilyn know the humiliation of that would later lead her to a writing career. When not writing books, Lorilyn provides closed captioning for television.
Lorilyn says, “When I start to doubt that anyone is reading my books, I remind myself of the millions of people who have read my captions, even all of my mistakes. The best thing about creative writing is you can make your words perfect. With captioning, it's live and you only get one chance to get it right.”
Lorilyn has two daughters whom she adopted from Nepal and Vietnam as a single mother. She homeschooled both of them, the older one through high school, and believes that the hope of the United States may rest on the conservative values homeschooling families instill in their offspring.
“If we fail to teach our children how to live out their Christian faith practically, we will have lost an opportunity to impact the world for good. It only takes one generation to forget the past. As JRR Tolkien said, ‘There is some good in this world and it’s worth fighting for.’”
