I learned the word synchronicity when I started studying the concept of creativity. I’ve probably given it some added meaning over the years of being acquainted with it. To me, a synchronicity is a simultaneous, coincidental, serendipitous happening engineered by God. It’s always a thrill to experience one. Continue reading “Synchronicities in Life”
Tag: Faith
The Light Comes On
Over the past few months, while I’ve been working on my novels, for the Florida Springs Trilogy, I’ve had many questions. Along the way, I pondered what makes a good path for excellent writing, and how to use my word processing program to help me along that path. I offer three of my musing for your delectation.
- What trigger can alert me that I’m writing myself into a passive voice?
- How can I disable spell/grammar checker’s correction about a single rule, one that I wish to ignore maybe forever?
- Is my spell/ grammar checker always right? I already knew the answer to that one. A friend sent me a funny list of things the computer thinks are right, but are not, and vice-versa. Today, however, I experienced a delightful example, so I want to share it with you.
A writer’s blog on polishing your own work helped with the first question. Look for the ings, it said, when you have an ing you may have a was or an is making the sentence passive. Suddenly I moved ahead. (Not suddenly, I was moving ahead.)
The next answer came from one of my mistakes. I polished away blithely clicking on the Ignore Rule unaware that I had shut off some of the suggestions for that document permanently. That works. If you don’t want contractions click on Ignore Rule. Novelists, who want their writing to sound casual, and to move the reader along, often go ahead and use contractions.
My example for the spell checker’s sometime frivolous pronouncements follows: in my poem, Woodrat the title had a red line under it. The top choice for a correction was woo drat. Since I don’t know what a woo drat is and don’t much care, I kept woodrat, even though it wasn’t strictly correct. After all, it is my poem.
When I was almost home, the sun shone suddenly in my eyes. As I slipped my sunglasses from my pocket, I realized that the Holy Spirit who lives in me knows all about writing and everything else. He answers when I ask for His help with the smallest, seemingly most unimportant matters. In other words, the light always goes on, sometimes immediately, sometimes later. I rejoice.
I also take suggestion from people. Do you have any? Please be gentle. Please, don’t tell me about commas. I have an exterior editor for that.
Arise; shine, for your light has come. Isaiah 60:1
God, Research and Facebook
God has a way of putting the right people in our lives at the right times and I never cease to be amazed when I experience this. Last Wednesday I stopped in at the historical society to look up some businesses in the old city directories. As I walked in, there were four ladies and a man already sitting around a table chatting. I found the directory I needed, sat down and started flipping through it. My ears perked up when I heard one of the ladies ask the man about a meeting she thought he had attended. They went back and forth for a minute, my interest growing until she mentioned she was trying to get the information for someone who had asked on Facebook. (You know the page You grew up in…. ) I smiled and spoke up. “That was me,” I said. The lady turned around and the man came over and asked what exactly I was trying to find out. I explained I was trying to determine what year the last family left the area on North Merritt Island that was bought by the government for the space program. This led to a wonderful conversation about a few of the families they knew of from the old days.
I’ve also been looking for Vietnam veterans to get feedback on a battle a scene in Jessie and a friend saw me mention this, again on Facebook, and offered to ask his dad some questions. We shared a couple of emails and he arranged for me to meet his dad over the weekend to get a real sense of what it was like to be on the ground in Vietnam. Meeting Bill, hearing his stories and his feedback on the scene I had written was a humbling experience. I was nervous about interviewing him and asking him to relive a painful time, but he was so kind and easy to talk to the time flew by. Not only was my need supplied, Bill was actually involved in battle the same time as my fictional character.
God Is Able
I found this in a church bulletin once and thought I would share it with you.
God is Able
By DiVoran Lites
From the frog that peeps and leaps,
To the bog that silent sleeps,
Your ways, Lord, are undiscoverable.
From the bright fuchsia myrtle,
To the sunning, fresh-spring turtle,
Your ways, Lord, inscrutable.
Unfathomable
Untraceable
Uncountable
Your call on me, Lord, irrevocable.