Courageous Movie Review

Posted by Lily-Bea on November 12, 2011

Courageous is the latest production from the folks at Sherwood who gave us Facing the Giants and Fireproof. This movie, cinematically, is the best one yet. The action sequences are riveting. (Okay, understandably it’s not James Bond explosives etc. but, nontheless, the screenwriters created HIGH stakes by having the audience emotionally invested in the lives of the characters.)

Here’s a little overview:

When tragedy strikes the life of a small town deputy sheriff, he is left with a decision to become angry or grateful. The grief is enormous, and his whole family is affected. There are no good answers. He puts the responsibility on himself as the leader of his family to bring them all out of crippling grief to the point where they can inspire others to make a difference.

There, I don’t think I gave anything away ;-)

Got to say…I don’t usually cry at movies, but with this one I just couldn’t help it. (Good screenwriting/acting.) Also, there were some great humor scattered throughout the movie. It was very funny.

Personally, I left the theater challenged to make some changes in my attitudes. I realized I had gotten too attached to a comfy apathy regarding one particular ongoing situation in my life. Courageous inspired me to re-engage, with prayers, and with hope.

If your looking to do something this Saturday, go see Courageous. You won’t be sorry, and it will definitely put things in a good perspective for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

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Two White Boards

Posted by Lily-Bea on November 6, 2011

Sometimes you just need two white boards. After I finished reading the latest draft of my manuscript out loud, my dear mother declared (and rightly so) that the last conversation was downright yucky, and, her dear little face twisted up as though she was solving a massive algebra problem when it came to the structure of the final scene. *sigh*

One thing about my writing…I love layers. I love plot twists. It can make for a challenging conclusion though. So, after this epic fail, I betook me to the sunroom to watch some news with grandma, eat, play with the cat, and wait for inspiration.

No inspiration came.

I do want to get this book out the door in February, and my prelim readers need the book ASAP. I’m not going to let a little snarl hold things up. So, regardless of inspiration, I went back to my room (Mom kept saying it really wasn’t that bad, she just didn’t understand–but honestly, if my brilliant mother with her excellent processor couldn’t get it, I have little hope of a ADD ridden teenager figuring it out,) I cranked up some inspirational soundtrack music, and started outlining.

 False King

I have a white board in my room, which is tagged with all kinds of reminders on plot points to insert at various places throughout the book. I quickly used up the rest of the space with the outline of the final scene.

Moving the elements around proved problematic, I wanted a master list to go by. So I hauled my auxilary board down from the Garret (My writing room upstairs affectionately named after Joe’s place in Little Woman.)

With said tools at my command, I have unraveled the snarl, and all that’s left to do is the typing. I couldn’t imagine doing it without a whiteboard. :-) Or even two.

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Waltzing

Posted by Lily-Bea on November 2, 2011

Well, Josh got married and I needed to find something to cheer me up since my best buddy and friend for twenty+ years was moving on and marrying off…so I tracked down ballroom dancing classes at the local community college, thus, (somewhat self-consciously) embarking on my great ballroom adventure of 2011. Got to say, after the first two lessons, I found my confidence increasing, and the instructor didn’t mind my singleton status at all. I wound up taking everything from Tango to East Coast Swing, and, although Cha-Cha is my favorite, I must admit there is something blissful about the rythym and circular motions of the waltz, it’s rather romantically dreamy, if you have a good partner.

I’ve got to hand it to the guys–they have a very tough job. Not only do they have to lead (with their chests moving first, keeping their hand firmly on the lady’s shoulder blade, and keeping their feet centered under them) they’ve got to plan a string of successive pattens to get the girl from point A to point Z without boring her with a repetitive box step, stepping on her, or running her into a table or something. (Not to mention negotiate through all the other novice couples out there.) Yes…the men have a tough job.

But at least they know where they’re going.

A woman must always have a slight hesitation to her motion, always pressed into hold with her partner, eager to decipher the next indication, the raise of a hand, or the pressure of a turn, to know what is coming next. A woman cannot out think her lead, jumping ahead to guess which pattern is coming next. Haha, my poor partner had to put up with me swinging into a twinkle when he was really trying to do a fan turn. Poor man!

The woman must stay in the moment, stay in hold and stay slightly hesitant. I say slightly hesitant instead of listening…but it’s essentially the same–a communication without words, a yeilding, a trust to the intentions and designs of the dance’s architect.

This is dancing. This is life.

As I hold tightly to God and move forward in the basic pattern of life, I must keep a hesitant attitude, listening for his direction, because He always keeps me guessing. But, I know He won’t let me go. I just need to trust Him, follow his lead, and see where all the twists and turns take me. I don’t think I’ll be disappointed one little bit. :-)

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New Hobby Discovered

Posted by Lily-Bea on April 18, 2010

It’s not spelunking. It’s not photography. It’s not collecting Dove chocolate wrappers…it’s Movie Talking.

This new hobby may prove dangerous to my health. Some people greatly resent any vocalized disturbance which breaks the trance of suspended belief in a make-believe world. But honestly, if you’re going to a movie with another writer, or worse, an editor, the temptation is…titanic.

I went to see Clash of the Titans with my plot-savvy mother and thoroughly enjoyed identifying and analyzing the plot devices. (Which in this movie were obvious given the absurd premise.)   

So, if you’re in a theater and you hear…..”Ok, all his friends are going to die here, so he’ll have to be alone for the final battle.”…two rows back. It’s probably me and mom.

Or not…

One instance of Movie Talking comes to mind when I was annoyee rather than annoyer, during the classic Count of Monte Cristo no less. The lead villain could have borrowed this woman’s manaical laugh to deepen his chill factor.

In retrospect, it was fun for one time, but I will defer to my fellow theater goers and restrict my new hobby to a good ole DVD rental. Some poor writer poured  blood, sweat, and self-doubting fears, into creating an engaging story, transporting people into an imaginary world on an extraordinary adventure, and I feel like a hypocrite in defeating that purpose with a whispers of, “Well, he’s got to have somebody to love because his dad made such a point of that in the beginning,” and, “Aha, he’s reconciled his inner struggle!” and, ”What’s the point of that owl statue anyway?” (I was disappointed it didn’t turn into some kind of helpful brain washing tool.) 

Hmmm. What do you think? Are there some movies where it’s more appropriate to talk? Dramas, comedies, action flicks? Never in a theater?

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Conferences

Posted by Lily-Bea on March 1, 2010

If you’re a writer and you haven’t gone to a conference. Go to one! Then go to another one, and then another. Attending conferences in a string is like reading a well-crafted novel, characters reappear and plot threads begin to weave.

The Writing for the Soul conference in Denver, Colorado. is worth every penny. This organization is devoted to helping writers develope their craft, and more importantly, to develope a vision for their writing in line with God’s purpose. Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggie Tales spoke on Friday night, cutting to the core of who I am as a writer…an achiever with big dreams. From that point on, at nearly every meal, someone spoke about how much that particular message impacted them. I understand why. Phil was talking about abandonment to God–letting go of all the dreams God has given in pursuit of God alone.

This conference also gave each and every attendee the opportunity of three appointments with editors and agents and a bonus appointment with a mentor from the Christian Writers Guild. Do your homework before you go, and you’ll enjoy the experience very much. I met with the fiction editor from Tyndale and asked her some questions about her publishing house. My current project isn’t a good fit for their needs, but I pitched my new novel idea to her and she liked it. When I met with Rachel Zurakowski from Books and Such Literary Agency she asked me to send her the manuscript!

I just got back from Write 2 Ignite. This is an up and coming group that focuses on Christian writers for children and young adult books. This conference had great workshops and a fun atmosphere, and oodles of resources. They had a heavy emphasis on teen writers, which is absolutely terrific! I reconnected with Kim Peterson, a guild mentor I’d met back in October at the writing retreat at Ridgecrest (Great hands-on instruction on developing the writing craft.)

If you’re a writer and you’re on the fence about going to a conference…Get off the fence and go! It will challenge and encourage you to take your writing to the next level. Besides, it’s great to be around other writers who understand what you mean when you lament that you’ll have to kill your character. You’ll see the same people at a few, make new friends, and begin weaving a brand new story. What could be better?

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Austen’s Opinion of the Novel

Posted by Lily-Bea on February 1, 2010

“‘Oh! It is only a novel!’ replies the young lady, while she lays down her book with affected indifference, or momentary shame. ‘It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda’; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of it varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language.”  – Jane Austen/Northanger Abbey

Oh yes, a novel is a wonderful thing. It’s a seemingly safe place to probe the depths of motivation. To watch the decisions of others and understand, for once, why they did what they did–a priviledge rarely afforded in real life. And in this safety, you can come more easily face to face with who you are and why you do what you do. Yes, a novel is a wonderful thing.

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Seize the Day or Stick to the Plan?

Posted by Lily-Bea on January 30, 2010

February 18th will be here before I know it. Jerry Jenkins’s conference for writers in Denver, Colorado promises to be a gold mine experience, if I’m prepared.

Oh, I’m preparing all right. I was ripping ancient college orientation materials out of a folder absconding it for better use…when my twenty year old brother strode into my bedroom/office and served me with this document.
Jenkins Family Ink.
MEMO
To: Lily Beatrice Jenkins
From: Joshua Caleb Jenkins
CC: The Dog (Bessie)
Date: 1/30/2010
Re: Snowball Fight

Dear Madam, you are forthwith hitherto cordially invited to participate in a deathmatch format snowball fight, commencing at your earliest convenience….activities will be followed by mac n cheese, and hot chocolate…please rsvp asap.

My Decision: I would be absolutely crazy not to.

What do you think? Should achieving goals get chucked to the side for quality fun?

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Hello world!

Posted by Lily-Bea on January 4, 2010

Here comes the blog…Go comment happy!!

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