In Defense of Prayer

On Monday night I posted the following request on my Facebook account: Tomorrow, please pray for my daughter. It is her last day of testing, and two of her most important tests: Math and Japanese. Truly, she needs your prayers. I really don’t know what to pray for, just know that we need them. Thanks, R

Never would I have thought that I needed to defend my request. If you are reading this post hoping that I will defend the post, you might want to stop reading right about now.

I don’t expect my Facebook friends to know me, they couldn’t possibly know that yesterday I functioned on three hours of sleep, worked in my garden, helped my husband construct a frame where we will lay tile (yes, my toe really is broken), fixed dinner, took my daughter to a job interview, and wrote over a thousand words for a short story collection. My Facebook friends don’t know that I do NOT have cable television, that I don’t care who is on American Idol, or Survivor (is that show even on?) I live in Atlanta where I desperately try to be as unplugged from television and its bad news as much as possible. Friends know that if something bad happens in Atlanta, please call me on the phone, otherwise I’ll be working, doing, and living the life I so love.

My face-to-face friends also know that I am not a bible scholar. I am a believer, a sinner, a reacher-out to God on a daily basis. I pray for strangers, random people, friends I know, and sometimes I even pray for myself.

So imagine my shock when I found the following comments to my prayer request: (name withheld)

 I believe deeply in the power of prayer, but I have to say now that my prayers are those who are victims of the devastation in Oklahoma. That is deep and horrific suffering there, and those folks need great prayers for healing. I’m a mom, and yes, I know the need to pray for a daughter. Mine has been through some life threatening times. What we need here is perspective . I do hope you send up some prayers for the many tornado victims. I mean this. I do not take prayer lightly. It is a deep focus of my spiritual energy merging, I hope, with God. So please do send some focus and prayers to those in the deepest need. I’m sorry but Math and Japanese tests don’t compare to the loss in those tornado torn states.

There are many reasons why a person might post something of this nature. Which is visited her Facebook page to see if perhaps she lived in Oklahoma, had posted a plea for those she knew. There were none. No prayer requests, no mention of the victims in Oklahoma at all. What troubles me further is that this person is an author, a colleague, someone who while I do not personally know, made a conscious decision to take the time to write this on my wall. I don’t really understand why she did and that’s ok it is what it is.

As an author there is an unwritten rule that unless you are a Christian author, published by a “Christian Press” it is in your best interest to keep God in a box, beside your bed, taking Him out only when you need Him, never during a book signing, conference, conversation where someone else might overhear, become offended and decide not to purchase a copy of your work. Now if you have written about a controversial subject, or one that uncovers the evils of the church, then by all means talk all you want. Otherwise, answer questions in an indirect manner, politically correct of course. Don’t offend someone who might be there to purchase copies of your book.

While I was in Texas speaking at the Pulpwood Queens I met a group of Queens who had a photo of their friend, Susan. Susan’s image sat at the table with them, wore a different tiara each night. Drawn to them for personal reasons, I asked about Susan’s illness, cried with these ladies, understood their concern, admired their love and devotion to a friend. When it was my turn to speak on the panel, I am sure that some people were offended when I began my talk by asking for prayer for Susan, whom I did not know other than having just learned that she had cancer and was in the fight of her life.

Here me clearly, selling books is not a priority in my life. At that moment, praying for Susan was.

As an aside: perhaps this is why I don’t have a book contract, because I won’t put God in a box, because when asked, and sometimes when not, I try to give God the glory and credit for my life. He gave me the writing gift, I did nothing, nothing but provide the fingers, and even those are not my own.

I don’t mean to ramble, but this morning as I prayed I was just overwhelmed with the suggestion that my prayer was less important than those in Oklahoma. Or worse, that someone thought I believed my prayers were more important than the victims in Oklahoma. Then I remember God himself says, “come all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. (All). God doesn’t prioritize, saying: “Today is BIG PRAYER day. Don’t bother me with little prayers. No! Don’t bother me with those small prayers, I don’t have time. God does not prioritize sin (no big or little sins) man does; and He does not prioritize our prayers. He is always waiting for us to reach out to him with every concern.

God didn’t say, “Today is Renea’s day. I’m only listening to her prayers. Today, she gets everything she wants.”

Because honey, if God proclaimed a Renea day my mouth would ramble things that I really, really want:

Could there be food for those hungry, the starving, those who won’t eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner, not those who have run out of ice cream and feel a slight twinge

Could the abused children be removed from their circumstances, could they know love

Could there be peace, just today since it’s Renea Day- could we have a day, where no one is murdered, where no one dies from violence, (please, it’s my day)

Could there be jobs for the mom’s and dad’s who have been searching for years

Could there be healing from terminal diseases, all of them… not just cancer

Can those struggling with addiction be cured

Could there be love, a hunger to love one another instead of saying something to harm another

Could rain be sent to drought ridden areas, and sun sent to those areas underwater

Could the homeless be comforted, the dying not be alone, could we learn to love each other

Could we ALL reach out to you and be hungry for more of YOU, Lord

 

Author Conference at Kennesaw, Georgia May 18, 2013

May and June are typically the busiest months for book releases and writing conferences. This year I have the honor of leading a workshop titled, Creating Memorable Characters Through Dialogue. 

Dialogue is an excellent way to describe a character without saying, “she had red curly hair,” or “she was angry.”

Remember, words are power. While it is the author’s job to create believable characters, they should also develop memorable characters. Dialogue is an excellent way to do that.

For those who can’t attend the conference, here is one of the many tips I’ll share. This is an excellent way to find the voice of your protagonist. Sit down, literally, with them. Have a discussion. Ask questions. Listen for their response. Interview them. Document their responses.

What you don’t want to do is force your protagonist, or antagonist. Making them bend to your will is a recipe for disaster.

Now, regarding using dialogue. Under the show, not tell category, my beloved friend and mentor, Wilma Dykeman, could have written Lydia was desperate, hungry to read books.

Instead she used dialogue in her book The Tall Woman. She used it brilliantly I might add, in the following excerpt:

Lydia speaking after learning she was denied access to books.

“No need to be down-hearted. I always say if you can’t go to town in a buggy, use a wagon, and if you don’t have a wagon, use shank’s mare. Now where’s that first book on the world’s geography?”

This dialogue shows the reader that Lydia was desperate, and determined to read even if she had to walk ten miles and collect a single book. This my dear friends, is how you use dialogue to develop your characters.

For those in the Georgia area, please click the links below to register for the conference. Only a few spots remain. See you there!

Red Clay will be held on Saturday, May 18th in the Social Science Building at Kennesaw State University

This Conference will host workshops in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, mystery and thriller, teen fiction, and book publishing and marketing. Workshops will focus on molding and shaping one’s craft Furthermore, each workshop is designed to leave writers with techniques, tips, and tools to apply to their own craft.

We have an outstanding list of speakers for you at this years event! Terry Kay, 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award winner, will offer the keynote speech at 9:00AM. Afterward, attendees will be able to choose the workshop that is most applicable to their writing endeavors. Clickhere to view the workshop times. Our speakers are covering everything from the writing process to publishing. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the experts and connect with other writers!

Click here to read more. Stay informed by joining our mailing list.

Renea Winchester is the award-winning author of  In the Garden with Billy: Lessons About Life, Love & Tomatoes. In 2012 she released Stress-Free Marketing: Practical Advice for the Newly Published Author. 2014 will see the release of In the Kitchen with Billy: Farming, Friends & Fried Bologna Sandwiches. She is currently working on her first novel. She would love to hear from you. Visit her at www.reneawinchester.com