The Befores and Afters

It's always been like that.

Think of marriage. BEFORE, it's courtship,
a time of getting to know the person with
whom you hope to spend the rest of your life. The special dates, flowers, then the ring and marriage.

Now, AFTER where you discover the real
person you are now living with for the rest of your life. And hopefully you have made a wise choice! (Happily I did. After many years we are really in sync with each other in every way)

Now what about the BEFORE of a holiday. The anticipation of spending a time of true relaxation in that special somewhere you've always wanted to visit. First buying the air tickets, checking your luggage can withstand mishandling. Insurance in case things go awry. Maybe some new clothes?

And the AFTER? No matter the weather, I can read for hours without bothering about cooking, cleaning or washing. Oh, joy! I soak up the freedom. The exhilaration of new sights, new experiences. I feel refreshed and ready to face my everyday life at home.

Now take the BEFORE of a book. It starts with with a thought, a premise. Add more thoughts, the plot. Then the delving into the protagonists' characters. Now the writing which could have already begun.The editing. Beta readers. The proof reading.  And finally .... da-dah! THE BOOK! 

But now comes the AFTER. Oh, it's well and truly been completed, and its author can enjoy the pride and satisfaction of all that hard work, the sacrifice of other pleasant outings, late nights etc.
Then comes the hunt for a publisher ..... And eventual publication!

I thought of the Lord God  BEFORE creation. Behind each day of creation week He had planned the reason and the order of things that would come into being. If we as mere humans plan and reason, it's because our dear Lord made us that way. Life never generates from nothing spontaneously. Even the most brilliant of scientists admit they do not understand where LIFE came from. Yet our God, Ex Nihilo, formed the universes, our planet and our humankind from nothing that ever was. And so we live, and breathe and experience our being.

And the AFTER? I am so looking forward to being with HIM forever. To see my Saviour, Jesus, face-to-face! And what a marvellous reunion that will be! As the hymn writer wrote;

When the trumpet of the lord shall sound and time shall be no more
When the morning breaks Eternal, bright and fair,
When the saints on earth shall gather over on the other shore,
When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there!     

BIO:

Indie Publisher, Rita Stella Galieh, has written a trilogy of historical novels & also contributed to several US anthologies. She is now completing a third historical romance series. Besides her weekly blog, she can be found on Facebook and www.ritastellapress.com  

 After their marriage, she and her husband attended Emmaus Bible College, and were also involved with Christian Television on Sydney’s Channel Nine. Currently she co-presents Vantage Point, an Australia-wide Christian FM radio program. She enjoys giving her fun-filled presentations of ‘Etiquette of the Victorian Era’ in costume.

This glorious quest

When this blog is published I’ll be in Russia, so please excuse me if I don’t respond quickly to comments. While I’m sure I’ll be having a wonderful holiday, I have set myself a writing task – or at least a preparation for writing my next novel. Developing a new plot is top of my tasks.

I’m reminded of something Bryce Courtenay said when I heard him speak in Canberra a year or so before he died. “Character is plot,” he insisted. “Develop a great character and the plot follows.”  It’s been something that’s come back to me over and over, and so it is where my mind begins when I think of plot. I go back to characters who have impacted me in past stories or real life and reconsider their qualities. What is it that makes them great?  

I’d love to develop a character like Paul of Tarsus; with a goal that both inspires and antagonises, a higher calling which brings out the best and worst in those around them, naturally evoking both a protagonist and antagonist, and plumbing the depths of human nature. I want a character who can rightly claim to have ‘‘fought the good fight … finished the race … kept the faith.’’ (11 Timothy 4:7) The crown for such a character might be the achievement of a seemingly impossible task. It might be fulfilling an onerous goal, or overcoming an apparently insurmountable problem. It might be winning the love  of his or her life. If a story leaves a reader inspired to reach for their own stars, or challenged to take up a goal previously given up on, if it starts them on a new journey, with renewed courage or faith, then I’d feel the story was worth the telling and the character worth writing about. 

One of the people I've found inspiring is Barbara Streisand and when I hear her sing the song, 'The Impossible Dream,' it seems to me to suit her very well, although apparently it's a song originally done by Andy Williams. Nevertheless, the words must surely arouse motivation and passion in anyone. I think there's a story hidden in almost every line.   

To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right without question or cause
To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest 

And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To fight the unbeatable foe, to reach the unreachable star

These are the qualities I’d like in characters in my novels. Perhaps that in itself is a quest too lofty. But in my travels I will be watching out for people, for stories, for inspiration. I often find when I’m away from my regular routine, when my mind is open to new experiences, new places and people, a story emerges, a character takes shape. That’s what I’m hoping for during my adventure in Russia.

I’d love to know what others do when planning a new novel. How do you find your plot? Your characters? What do you look for most?  What do you hope to achieve with your story?
Carol Preston

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Her earlier novels Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream have been re-released by EBP. Her new novel, Next of Kin, is soon to be released by Rhiza Press. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website  

 

 

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach