Heart Art: Writing with Purpose

There are times, when my very right-sided brain tiptoes to that great divide and suddenly plunges its colorful toes into the waters of word count and spreadsheets and structure. I'll admit, the chill hits almost immediately, my pulsing creative juices freeze, and I wonder if I've committed to a business I'll never master completely.

My brain just wants to play with the colors of words, the textures of scenes, and the weaving of character journey. My fingers itch to get the words out, the essence out, the glorious swirling in my heart out.
But...
If I focus on the word count, the hours, the deadlines--THE NUMBERS--then I may as well turn off the writing light in my heavily one-sided brain and walk away from my story.

Of course, there is a delicate web of all these things coexisting. And I've yet to lack in word count, miss a deadline, or not gain something from "roughly" plotting out my chapters. However, if I am not careful, I get so tangled up in the overwhelming spin of numbers, my love for the craft is suffocated.

Maybe it's because I've tasted the reward of allowing my heart to overflow in my writing without inhibition? It's during those moments when I trust God, and write whatever comes through my fingertips, when I keep my heart bowed down and my eyes up to the One who guides me, that art of writing bursts upon the page.

Over this past year, I've written, rewritten, and edited three different stories of mine. They have different characters, different themes, different settings--even different time periods--but the journey I've taken through each of them, is the same.

The gift I've received as I allowed my heart to flow in the depths of the plot, has been a glowing purpose, deeper than anything I
could have come up with in an outline or a chart.

This past year I have found that my greatest joy isn't in the completion of the story, but in the realization that those bursts of creativity somehow thread together and when it's all flipped over, they reveal a very purposeful journey within my story's bounds.

Perhaps, the purpose is the very center of a creative session, the very essence of what makes art beautiful. Purpose is what keeps a patron staring and wondering at a piece of art for hours on end--without worrying about the hours spent, isn't it? Analyzing, deciphering, wondering about the artist's intent--about the whisper of the human condition--about the intricacy of a brushstroke with so much power bulging in its meaning.

When I write from the heart, casting aside any thought or concern for the numbers, I am an artist creating. And somehow, when I've poured out my words in complete obedience to the One who fills my heart, my story elements fit like a puzzle with this surprise purpose, and this thing we call story...

Or what I'd like to call, Heart Art.

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Angie Dicken is a mom of four children and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she writes historical, historical romance, and dabbles in contemporary romance. Her debut, The Outlaw's Second Chance from Harlequin Love Inspired Historical releases in September of 2017, and her novel, My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah from Barbour, releases in November 2017. Angie is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. 

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Letters, Words, Hearts

Nomade by Jaume Plensa

When a writer walks through a sculpture garden, her heart frenzies at the meanings behind the art. From one artist to another, we get it. Don't we? Read this description of Nomade:

"The sculpture exemplifies Plensa's ongoing interest in ideas presented in written text, as wel las the human body and how it perceives the world around it. He has described individual letters or symbols as components that have little or no meaning on their own, but blossom into words thoughts, and language when combined with others. Plensa's screens of letters offer a metaphor for human culture, in which a person alone has limited potential, but when formed into groups or societies, becomes stronger."--from the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park Visitor Guide


At first glance, this piece of art is a simplistic sculpture with letters that I've recognized from the time I could speak. I even snapped a shot of my new kindergartner in front of it, thinking, a perfect backdrop for her school beginning.

But, it's not just that.

Not when you stand beneath the towering nomad at night, with the lighting just so--hinting that there is something more. And there is so much more after reading the artist's intent, isn't there?

Writer, have you ever considered that while your letters and words might not be unique, but the connectivity of them in a unique order, with unique meaning, translate into a story of great potential? One that describes the human heart in a special display of humanity?

In the art above, I have found a beautiful example of the existence God has invited me into, not just as a human (hehe), but as a writer.

Writers are part of this special metaphor of culture. We are individuals that cleave to a whole society of artists and become stronger in our relationship. Not only on a personal level, but in our art. A book is never only one person's doing, is it? I am learning that after receiving my first revision letter (all you experienced authors snicker, I know). But, after years of critiques and chipping away of my pride, I receive the voices of editors without anger. Fright, well, yes. Uncertainty? A smidge. But, after learning to value of others' voices spoken over my work, I cannot help but accept and revise. I know that this book will only make it to a shelf by the hands of many. It's potential is limited in my hands alone, it must be given over to others.

Writers, we are not islands, even if we choose to be as we write in our caves. We are connected to this fantastic whole which make our potential burst forth into the flowering of creativity refined especially for the human heart.

In a matter of days, I will join in with the whole. I'll be among the people who share my vision to weave Christ's love in the crafting of letters and words and stories. And the writer people to which I belong, as individual as each of us may be, will find that we are so connected by passion and art, that our potential rises to heights beyond ourselves.

The ACFW conference is a mirror image of this art above. As many individuals unite for a cluster of days to form this beautiful whole.

I daresay that whole actually takes on a different body.

Not a nomad.

Possibly a Savior. One on a cross.

We are all parts of the body of Christ, individuals working together to strengthen this goal--

God's love displayed by letters and words.

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Angie Dicken is a full-time mom and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she has written seven historical novels and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Angie also spends her time designing one-sheets and drinking good coffee with great friends. Check her personal blog at www.angiedicken.com and connect at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dicken.angie, 

Twitter: @angiedicken
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Into The Silence

Photo by Dan
freedigitalphotos.net

Angie's post yesterday spoke to my heart and affirmed what God has been whispering to my soul. God is able. He is able to take my messy life and make something of it for His purpose and glory. While my life may not look like what I thought it would...or should...it is a life lived for the One and Only, and there lies it's value.

As writers, we eye the prize of publication at the end of the goal line. But what if we never obtain the prize? What if the prize is really in the journey of writing, using the gifts and desires God has given us to put words on paper that only we shall see? Or maybe the prize is the blessing your crit partners gains from reading your words. Or maybe the prize is the hope you instill into your mother while reading your prolific prose? We don't know His will for our writing, but we do know He is good and His love endures forever.

When I confided to a friend of mine that I was struggling with anxiety and depression, she suggested I read Into The Silent Land by Martin Laird.  Published in 2006, this book is a guide into the Christian practice of contemplation. After reading the introduction, my heart ached to discover the close communion with God that this book described.

So often we chase after God, feeling like He is far. We go through processes and steps to find that closeness, to bring Him near, when in fact He is already near. He is in us.

In the introduction of Into the Silent Land, Laird states "...union with God is not something we are trying to acquire; God is already the ground of our being."

In our busy world it is easy to forget this. Our chaotic mind clutters the reality of God in us.

Laird states, "This ignorance is pervasive and renders us like the proverbial deep-sea fisherman, who spends his life fishing for minnows while standing on a whale."

We need still the clutter of our hearts and mind and center our being on God. It is there that we find peace. It is there where we find our purpose. It is there where we find meaning for life.

Where are you focusing your attention? On writing? On social media? On publication?

Focus on The One and Only. He will bring your life into sharp focus and you will find your heart's desire in Him.

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is a minister's wife and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

A Fine Balance For A WIP

I can't help it. I just love to research different cultures and pour their treasures into my manuscripts. It's the world traveler in me, and also, I have some amazing family members who have inspired me to delve into their history.

Regardless, I like to write fiction with a flare for cultural collision, whether it be an Amazonian native and a Spanish explorer, or a girl victimized by legalism and a boy impassioned by grace. 

I love it when opposites attract.

During the beginning stages of my current wip, I asked Alley Cat, Pepper, to take a peek and let me know if the culture thing was going to work in this market. Because my story starts out with the heroine and her first husband (she is widowed at the beginning of the story) Pepper asked if he was going to be the hero. I hadn't even thought of that. I was planning on killing him off *snicker* because I wanted my heroine to fall in love with an immigrant (and work out a bunch of her issues)...but then I thought,

“Hey, it might be more sellable to nix the immigrant, and have the story develop around the couple struggling in a coal town.”

I thought about it, and weighed my two ideas on the mighty scales of Market and Heart. I was impassioned by the immigrant story because my grandparents were immigrants and the story is set in my grandfather's hometown. But...I have gone down the road of an unusual story, and it ended in heartache.

Hmmm.....so what did the scales say? They tipped toward my heart and the story already forming in my mind. But I kept market in mind as my setting is America, and I have a handful of comparables already lined up. I am going ahead and writing with attention to the market without compromising my heart.

When deciding what story you should choose, it really is a matter of Market and Heart, and deciding how to find that balance that gives you a unique but sellable story.

How to consider each:

The Mighty Market:

Keep the market in mind if you want this WIP to be the one that hooks an agent or publishing contract. I semi-finaled in Genesis and placed third in a RWA contest, with a novel that bombed with agents and publishers at conference.

The unanimous answer: “It's not going to sell.”

Do I regret writing it? No way, I love the story. Do I feel like I wasted my time pitching it at conference? Eh, a little. If I had known what the market expected, I wouldn't have had a complete meltdown on the phone with my husband after my first conference appointment! ;)

So, if you have a story that you are pretty sure is way unique, and you don't have an agent or a publisher steering you in the right direction, then consider setting a goal...such as:

To develop craft...to enjoy the story...to thrive on inspiration. 

But, if you are hoping to break into the market with this WIP, then be sure to consider the market, without compromising your creative juices.

(Ok, for those of you who choose to take the challenge of writing a break-out novel, then let me tell you I am cheering you on with all my heart! :) )

Your Unique Heart:

image by qthomasbower at Flickr

After considering market, my heart begins to put its fists up. Stories that inspire me, elements that keep me up writing into the wee hours, are just not always a “typical” match in the market. So while you need to consider the market, you also need to choose a story that makes your heart speed up as you think about it, that taps into your talent and breaks the writer's block dam. If you have to tweak the story to be a better fit for the market, then so be it, but make sure you don't kill the passion, don't fall away from what makes YOU write.

It's a fine balance, isn't it?

Don't forget, you can always tuck away story ideas until you hit it big and everyone's waiting for your next novel, even if it's about a martian landing in the middle of the Sahara Desert!

So, do you have concrete examples of how you weighed the market and your inspiration to come up with your wip?
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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and CEO of a family of six.