It’s Time!

It’s June 5th. The temperature outside is 103 degrees. Time to start writing those Christmas articles!

How can anyone possibly think about Christmas when it’s so hot eggs can be fried on the patio cement?

Some suggestions.

Turn on the Christmas music CD’s. Or if you’re really hip, put the MP3 earplugs on.

Start singing. I know. Strange, huh? But, hey, we’ve got to get into the Christmas spirit so we can write!

Look at the Christmas pictures you took last year. If you were five pounds lighter BEFORE you indulged over the holiday, then best skip this one. Too depressing. You won’t be creative. In fact, it could lead to a trip to the gym instead of writing.

Turn down the cooler. This is only if you have an evaporative cooler system. Try that with air-conditioning and you’ll find the electric bill will be higher than the paycheck for your article. Who wants all that effort just to pay a bill?

Think about your past holidays. Did anything funny, strange, special, unique happen? Can you write an article using that as a springboard? If you had a boring holiday (sorry), maybe even that could be a starter.

Warning: Be sure and turn off the music, put up the pictures and turn the cooler back up before the rest of the family comes home. They may think you’re crazy. Of course, all us writers would understand perfectly!

Doing strange things to be a writer, Gloria

Holiday Writing Blog

What can we write about for publication in the Christmas season? As I jot this blog down I have read what Catherine and Marge have already written, and their great points about seeking the “different and unusual” slants for the season. Children, of course, haven’t seen as many Christmases come and go that we writers and the editors have. Still, the freshness can delight them, too.

When we write, we first have to determine what God wants us to write about. There are many choices. Should we write a short fiction or non-fiction piece for children? A story about Santa and his elves is a questionable theme for Christians. A child deprived of a new toy that “everyone” has, but then receives in a miraculous way misuses God’s gift of writing. We can write for the secular market and still show God’s love for His little children. And we can demonstrate the love of parents for a child in helping her to have a giving heart instead of being materialistic.

Or should we write for adults? We can encourage the lonely adults who sometimes fall into depression at the holidays to seek out another lonely person. In down economic times like now is a great time to show ways to give without paying a dime. And writing about easing typical holiday stress so we can all enjoy the “season of love” is a welcome subject, too.

Of course, the joy of writing about God’s marvelous gift Who gave up His glory in Heaven with His Father to be born as a helpless baby, eventually to be a sacrifice for the world’s sins—that’s the best of all! Whether a simple children’s story for Sunday School papers, or a beautiful word-picture or poem of the first Christmas for adults, the list is endless, and much sought-after by publishers.

So have a joyful time writing for this happy season, and by the way—Merry Christmas!
-contributed by Shirley Shibley

Think Familiar…with a Twist!

When writing for holidays, there are two important details to keep in mind: People want to read about the familiar. Yet they also want something fresh and new with a twist!

To help gather ideas for holiday stories, first I read a lot of favorite holiday stories and look for what is “familiar.” For instance, when I wrote a Christmas story for a children’s magazine, I discovered that a common theme of many Christmas stories is a mishap centering around children performing the Christmas play.

I decided to use this common and familiar theme in my story.

Then I prayed about presenting a Christmas play mishap in a fresh, new way. As soon as I considered using a different and unique cast of characters, I knew I’d discovered my twist. I decided to have a cast of underwater sea creatures performing the play!

I pitched the idea to the magazine editor and landed the assignment to write Christmas Under the Sea.

If you’re considering writing a manuscript for a holiday, first do your research. Read favorite stories based on your holiday and make a list of familiar and common story ingredients. Then pray about finding a twist to present your story in a fresh, new way.

-Contributed by Nancy I. Sanders

Christmas Trees, Candles, and Candy Canes

Years ago I was asked to write a feature story for the December edition of a children’s magazine. The editor asked me to tell the Christmas story in a new and fresh way, never wavering from the TRUTH of Scripture.

A new and fresh way? I thought. How many children’s books and magazine stories have been written about the birth of the Savior? Hundreds upon hundreds! How many new and fresh approaches can there be? I wasn’t feeling that creative. So, I prayed…and there it was! I ran the idea by the editor and he said, “I’m not sure that can be done but give it a try!”

“You did it!” the editor said after reading What Can a Baby Do? I used talking animals but stayed true to the Biblical message. It was eventually published as a picture book, The Baby Who Changed the World by Faithkidz. The Lord has allowed this book to be performed as a play in a Christian school and several churches. What a thrill it was to watch children in costumes use their funny “animal” voices to tell the story on stage! The book has been recommended as a Christmas favorite by Homeschool Teachers as well.

My challenge was this…could I use talking animals in the stable and
still stay true to, and not contradict the Scriptures? After all, if there had been an ox, a cow, a dove, a sheep, etc., in the stable (and there could have been), they surely didn’t carry on and create a rambunctious, rollicking ruckus about what kind of baby would be born in their stable that night!

An editor at a major Christian publishing house once told me something like this…Never change actual Biblical truth for the sake of fantasy, but go ahead and write fantasy as long as it doesn’t change Biblical truth.

I translate that idea this way…Christmas trees, candles, and candy canes can’t be saved from their sins. An inanimate object like a banana or a pencil shouldn’t quote Scripture or hold conversations with the very REAL Jesus. Icicles can’t melt, die and go to the very REAL Heaven.

Living creatures in a story can certainly know about and speak of their wonderful Creator! They shouldn’t however, accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. THAT would change Biblical truth. The gift of salvation is provided for humans.

Creating CHRISTIAN or SAVED animals or inanimate objects can make the Bible seem like a fairy tale. Little ones have difficulty separating reality from fiction. We want the Bible to be credible to children and never present it as a compilation of fairy tales.

In The Baby Who Changed the World I communicated the TRUTH that Jesus came to love and rescue sinners. Humans. The donkey that carried Mary tells the stable animals that a SPECIAL baby will be born in their midst that very night. The ox is adamant that this special baby will be a baby ox. The cow disagrees. “What’s more wonderful than a newborn calf?” she says. The dove is certain it will be a baby dove, and so on.

When they learn this baby will be God in the flesh, they’re ecstatic! Why? Because they know that the Creator has provided a way to save humans from their sins. After all, they’ve observed their human masters. “Humans are baaaaaaad,” bleats the sheep. None of the truths of WHY Jesus came and WHOM he came for were compromised.

So, go ahead and write about Easter, and the birth of the Savior. Write retold Bible stories using children as characters that watch exciting events unfold.

YOU can make the Bible come alive in a new and fresh way for children!

It doesn’t matter that the Christmas story has been told a different way hundreds upon hundreds of times. The TRUE stories of the Bible will continue to be retold by Christians, with the creative vision given to us by HIM!

Sheryl Crawford

Re-Thinking Holiday Manuscripts

Nearly everyone enjoys writing for the holidays, especially Christmas, and most editors say they are looking for holiday articles and stories.  HOWEVER, a problem arises when we write using the same themes in much the same ways.  Editors are overwhelmed with manuscripts, for both children and adults, about the real meaning of Christmas, the overload of gifts and parties, a child who is greedy but learns to share, a mom who is too harried to enjoy this special time, or an angelic child who helps an old grouch see the love around him.  While all of these are valid ideas, in truth most people (and certainly editors!) are weary of reading about them in all-too-familiar stories.  Other writers have found ways around this dilemma, and we can, too.

 

If you’ve read (or seen the video) of Barbara Robinson’s “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” you’ve seen how she took an occurrence familiar to all of us but turned it around to create a different, meaningful, and hilarious story that has endured over the years.

 

Over 45 years ago, Charles Schultz added new dynamics to the idea of the commercialization of Christmas, combined it with the Biblical, original Christmas story, and created the classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

 

And, many years ago in “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens gave us the original Scrooge who learned that good will and friendship trumps greediness every time.

 

Of course, these talented writers have already done the above, so is there anything left for the rest of us?  Of course there is.  We just need to put creativity to work.  Try thinking about all your Christmas experiences.  You might even want to make a list.  Then think about ways they were meaningful to you, or ways you would have liked them to be different, or what you’ve learned over the years from them.  THEN, after your first draft is committed to paper, take some time to add an unusual twist (even if you have to invent something!) that will give readers (and editors!) a new idea to consider.

 

While we’re at it, we can think outside the Christmas box.  There are so many other holidays throughout the year that we do ourselves (and again, editors) a favor when can come up with ways to deal with some of the more “neglected” holidays, again adding a new twist and bringing a fresh perspective to Valentine’s Day, Easter, the 4^th of July, Thanksgiving…even Arbor Day!

 

 Contributed by Marjorie Flathers

Journaling for the Holidays

This year, when the first day of December arrived, I opened a brand new journal — my Christmas journal — and began writing a kind of stream of consciousness mixture of present experiences and past memories.  It was an experiment in trying to capture the Christmas spirit by writing about ordinary things — by recording descriptions of people and places that mean — and meant –something special to me. I always hesitate before writing the first sentence in a new journal, but I gathered my courage and put pen to paper. The result ranged from the weather to an angel with a broken wing.

Here is my entry for the beginning of the holidays:

I awaken to a perfect California winter day — clear blue skies and a gentle breeze. The leaves of the liquid ambers dot the lawn in irregular patterns of yellow and brown, for we have not had enough frost to turn them crimson. A few end of autumn roses sit bravely on bare stems, and the last of the mums drape themselves over each other like languishing ladies in yellow and white gowns.

It will soon be soup weather — fresh vegetable, I think. I dream of it simmering on the back of the stove, but know that won’t happen until I peel the carrots, chop the onions, and roll ground turkey into tiny spicy meat balls to add the last twenty minutes.

The Christmas tree comes out of storage, and my son and grandsons set it up in the living room, then open the boxes of ornaments. There is nothing formal about my tree, for it holds baubles from China, Egypt, Italy, Mexico, Greece, and the Holy Land, along with old family ornaments and the hand-made paper stars that, years ago, were folded and dipped in starch and silver sprinkles.  If we wanted ornaments in the years of World War II, we made our own.

I help the boys as they clip colorful glass birds to the limbs. “These are very old, aren’t they?” Brandon wants to know.

“And fragile,” I remind him.

Then we unwrap my mother’s creche set — the one she brought back from Italy. The figures are carved from lovely, smooth olive wood and are quite beautiful. But I treasure most the plaster of paris angel with the broken wing that my Sunday School teacher gave me when I was about nine. She has golden hair and a white robe, and a little smudge on her face from childhood kisses.

The Italian creche set has an angel, too — one that is a work of art. But mine has a heart. I know this because so many memories come with her when I lift her out of the box.

That’s all I wrote for the first day of December. I wonder if, buried among the boxes and tissue paper wrappings, I might find a story about that angel with the broken wing. I will just keep journaling and see what develops.

 

Submitted by Marilyn Donahue

A Holiday Advent

Since December’s topic is “Writing for the Holidays,” I thought it was appropriate to start this blog on December 1^st with the Season of Advent.

Back in June I received an assignment from Clubhouse Jr. magazine to write an article and provide a craft project for Advent Calendars for their December issue. For those of you who find it strange to write a winter topic in the midst of summer heat, I assure you this is normal. Most magazines require a good six month gap between the writing and publishing of an article.

So I headed to the library (in my shorts), pulled out as many books on Christmas and Advent as I could find, and began the research process. I also checked internet sites, looking for places that made Advent calendars to find any history on the subject.

Once I put the article together, I began to tackle how to create a kid-friendly calendar-making project. I looked at the various calendars available, read through other hands-on projects, and came up with a game plan. After a visit to the craft store, and turning on my Christmas music, I cut, glued, and created, taking pictures and jotting down notes as I went along. I e-mailed the final results (including step by step instructions and digital photos for the calendar) and waited for a reply.

The article was accepted, but the editor felt the project was a little more involved than they wanted. Would I want to try again? Of course! So I set to work and came up with another idea that was accepted. You can view the article and the project in this month’s issue of Clubhouse Jr.          

Writing for the holidays is fun, but you must set your mind months ahead. I have a deadline in a few days for a Mother’s Day newsletter article. Maybe I’ll find some pictures of spring flowers for inspiration.

Contributed by Catherine L. Osornio