by Jason Joyner | Apr 12, 2012 | Blog, christian fiction, fiction, Trying to catch up Thursday, violence, Writing Wednesday
Sometimes Writing Wednesday can tip into…Tipped Thursday? Hmm, I’ll have to work on that one.
Anyhoo.
The massive success of the book and movie version of The Hunger Games has brought up the subject of violence in literature again. Some people look at the deeper meaning of the story, and some people can’t get past the teen on teen violence.
They must not remember high school.
Kidding! However, the world of Christian fiction has an interesting dichotomy. Sex and naughty words are a no go, but violence is tolerated/accepted much more. Mike Duran has a good post on this conundrum that I recommend.
I’ve talked about it at length here. My most recent post linked to a couple of articles that took opposite viewpoints.
I also participate in blog tours for books regularly. In 2007 there was a book featured that had some scenes that stimulated my thoughts on the topic of violence.
It ended up spurring six days of posts, with some great discussion on all of the posts. Since it seems relevant with the Hunger Games discussion, as well as catching me up quickly to my blogging delay, I present links to each of the posts.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
The take home points were that the Bible is not sanitized when it comes to violence, but it is also not written to entertain but to narrate events that happened and to show consequences. If a Christian author uses violence, it should fit the story and not be done in a gratuitous manner, and they should be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in how to show it. We can’t be afraid of the professional weaker brother, but discernment is always a good thing to exercise.
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What say you? Have you noticed excessive or gratuitous violence in a CBA book before? Is there a level for “too much?”
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by Jason Joyner | Apr 12, 2012 | Blog, christian fiction, fiction, Trying to catch up Thursday, violence, Writing Wednesday
Sometimes Writing Wednesday can tip into…Tipped Thursday? Hmm, I’ll have to work on that one.
Anyhoo.
The massive success of the book and movie version of The Hunger Games has brought up the subject of violence in literature again. Some people look at the deeper meaning of the story, and some people can’t get past the teen on teen violence.
They must not remember high school.
Kidding! However, the world of Christian fiction has an interesting dichotomy. Sex and naughty words are a no go, but violence is tolerated/accepted much more. Mike Duran has a good post on this conundrum that I recommend.
I’ve talked about it at length here. My most recent post linked to a couple of articles that took opposite viewpoints.
I also participate in blog tours for books regularly. In 2007 there was a book featured that had some scenes that stimulated my thoughts on the topic of violence.
It ended up spurring six days of posts, with some great discussion on all of the posts. Since it seems relevant with the Hunger Games discussion, as well as catching me up quickly to my blogging delay, I present links to each of the posts.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
The take home points were that the Bible is not sanitized when it comes to violence, but it is also not written to entertain but to narrate events that happened and to show consequences. If a Christian author uses violence, it should fit the story and not be done in a gratuitous manner, and they should be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in how to show it. We can’t be afraid of the professional weaker brother, but discernment is always a good thing to exercise.
—
What say you? Have you noticed excessive or gratuitous violence in a CBA book before? Is there a level for “too much?”
—
by Jason Joyner | Apr 9, 2012 | Blog, charity, giving, Mission Monday, smart giving
Here on Mission Mondays, I like to bring out on occasion ways for people to make a difference right where you are. We don’t always have the opportunity to go to places with needs (and there’s always the needs right where we are anyway), but if there’s a issue that touches your heart, it is nice to make a difference.
For instance, Idaho doesn’t seem to have a high rate of human trafficking (although I’m sure it is more than we know), but it is an issue I care deeply about. Therefore I like to support organizations like International Justice Mission.
How do we know what we’re doing makes a difference?
First of all, you can check with a group called Charity Navigator. This organization rates groups by financial stewardship and accountability. If most of the money goes to help those it is intended for, it gets a good money number. If it has policies in place to be transparent and accountable, that score goes up.
This is not the only resource people should use, but it is helpful to get an overview, especially if you’re looking at a new charity you’re not familiar with or it is a hot topic issue (the Haiti earthquake for example).
Christianity Today had a helpful article that reviewed ten different strategies that are popular for charitable giving right now, from clean water initiatives to giving animals through charity gift catalogs and laptops for disadvantaged kids. Several economists looked at these from a cost benefit and effectiveness rating. There were some surprising findings.
Corrective surgeries scored a little lower than one would expect, due to the higher cost per benefit. The gift catalog of giving assorted livestock or animals didn’t rate very well, and this may change what I do next Christmas (even though my kids enjoyed this). The laptops initiative scored the worst and clean water projects scored the highest. Check out the article for more in depth information.
We all want to know that what we’re doing to help really helps. Hopefully these two links help with discerning the best way to give in the future. It doesn’t hurt to do our homework.
Have fun telling that to my kids though…
by Jason Joyner | Apr 9, 2012 | Blog, charity, giving, Mission Monday, smart giving
Here on Mission Mondays, I like to bring out on occasion ways for people to make a difference right where you are. We don’t always have the opportunity to go to places with needs (and there’s always the needs right where we are anyway), but if there’s a issue that touches your heart, it is nice to make a difference.
For instance, Idaho doesn’t seem to have a high rate of human trafficking (although I’m sure it is more than we know), but it is an issue I care deeply about. Therefore I like to support organizations like International Justice Mission.
How do we know what we’re doing makes a difference?
First of all, you can check with a group called Charity Navigator. This organization rates groups by financial stewardship and accountability. If most of the money goes to help those it is intended for, it gets a good money number. If it has policies in place to be transparent and accountable, that score goes up.
This is not the only resource people should use, but it is helpful to get an overview, especially if you’re looking at a new charity you’re not familiar with or it is a hot topic issue (the Haiti earthquake for example).
Christianity Today had a helpful article that reviewed ten different strategies that are popular for charitable giving right now, from clean water initiatives to giving animals through charity gift catalogs and laptops for disadvantaged kids. Several economists looked at these from a cost benefit and effectiveness rating. There were some surprising findings.
Corrective surgeries scored a little lower than one would expect, due to the higher cost per benefit. The gift catalog of giving assorted livestock or animals didn’t rate very well, and this may change what I do next Christmas (even though my kids enjoyed this). The laptops initiative scored the worst and clean water projects scored the highest. Check out the article for more in depth information.
We all want to know that what we’re doing to help really helps. Hopefully these two links help with discerning the best way to give in the future. It doesn’t hurt to do our homework.
Have fun telling that to my kids though…
by Jason Joyner | Apr 4, 2012 | Blog, humor, what are you laughing at, writing craft, Writing Wednesday
|
| LOLZ! So funny! |
Last week I was part of a blog tour for the book Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos. One aspect of the book that was always brought out was its humor in the way it dealt with serious issues of faith. Matt’s sense of humor didn’t resonate with everyone, but everyone recognized it was a valid device to get points across.
So how do we make others laugh in our writing?
I am writing a suspense. I hope it is suspenseful. I hope it keeps people turning the pages. But I also want there to be some laughs in the midst of it. Not only do I enjoy that type of writing, I think it helps control the mood. If a writer can disarm a reader with a laugh at one point and hit them with a gut punch of drama later on, the reader has more of an emotional ride from it.
I’m the type that really enjoys laughing. My favorite writing combines suspense, good characterization, and a sense of humor. Some of my favorite authors are James Scott Bell, Tim Downs, and Rene Gutteridge. They are all known for a clever or witty voice. Even in a serious book, they have moments where the reader is disarmed by a funny comment or piece of dialogue. Heck,
I read the romance Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones because of her humerous writing.
I try to do that in my own writing. I like to find the little surprise or twist that catches people off guard. I don’t know if it is working, but if it makes me smile after reading it over again, my feeling is it has potential.
What do you think? Do you try for humor in your writing? If so, how do you go about putting the funny in there?
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