Timothy's Thoughts

W e’ve looked at the first four questions from Andy Stanley’s pod cast . Today, we look his last question. In lecturing, people remember a small percentage of what we say. In writing fiction, we don’t really think about the need for people to remember. Just the fact that we are communicating through a story will improve retention significantly. We are most interested in people remembering our theme and the action they need to take. If they don’t remember those, our time is wasted. But if people remember our story, they will probably remember these as well. So, do we need to ask: What can I do to help them remember? Andy Stanley talks about sending trinkets home with the congregation, so that they will remember. Of course, you can also use object lessons. One time, we had a Sunday school lesson on the furniture in the tabernacle. I set up the classroom with the candles to represent he candlestick and the show bread and burned incense. I took our small group of adults in there, with noth...

T he topic of inspiration is the next question from Andy Stanley’s pod cast . Why do they need to do it? Years ago, people didn’t realize the danger of smoking. Smoking didn’t lose its popularity until people were able to explain that it is bad for people’s health and the health of the people around them. Today, people are being told to stop smoking with the added incentive that they may receive money from their employer. They have a reason to do it. If we expect people to take action based on our novels, we must address the question of why they need to take action. As with showing what they need to do, we do this through the example of our characters or it will come across as preachy. We do so by either revealing the danger that our characters are in if the action isn’t taken, by showing the good that will come if people take action or both. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin , the call to action was an end to slavery and inhuman treatment. The reason that unfolds in the book is that while some of ...

T he next question from Andy Stanley’s pod cast deals with application . In teaching a Bible study, preaching a sermon or just speaking to potential book buyers, application is very important. We want people to take some kind of action, either change something in their lives or write out a check to pay for a book. But that’s non-fiction. What about fiction? What do they need to do? Jesus often taught using stories. He told of a traveler who was attacked along the road. As he lay there dying, two men respected by the men Jesus was speaking to looked at him and went on, not wanting to be bothered, but then a man despised by the Jews came and helped the man, even going above and beyond what was required. Turn from being self-righteous and pursue true righteousness, was the application, but Jesus didn’t say that in so many words. Instead, he revealed the application through contrast. You think you are righteous, but you aren’t even as good as a Samaritan is what he implied. They were fi...

N ovelists spend a lot of time writing. When treating it like a full-time job, it can take a month to write a novel. Sporadic writers may take a year or more. The whole time, the writer is wondering if it is a waste of time. We wonder if anyone will want to read what we have written. That leads us into the next question from Andy Stanley’s pod cast . We want other people to believe that what we have written is worthwhile. Why do they need to know it? We talked yesterday about the theme of our novels, or to use Andy Stanley’s term, the one thing . We don’t usually sell novels by telling people we’re going to teach them something, and yet, stories have a higher purpose than entertainment. Stories have always been the most efficient way to convey information that people will remember. Stories must be entertaining, or people won’t read them, but we must never forget their higher purpose and as such, we must write in such a way that people see what we are telling them as relevant. If you ...

E ver wondered how you can get you’re your readers’ attention? Though not specifically addressing that question, in his March 2009 pod cast Andy Stanley talks about five questions that can help. He was speaking to a group of pastors on the subject of how leaders would effectively communicate their vision to an audience, but it occurred to me that these five questions apply to writers as well. Their application in the non-fiction realm is obvious. Most of what he says in his pod cast applies directly, so I want to focus on the fiction realm instead, with the assumption that you will go listen to his pod cast. What do they need to know? Novels provide information. You might think of a historical novel and some historical tidbit that you gleaned from its pages, but that isn’t what we’re talking about. What people need to know is the events of the story. Our readers need to know the problems our protagonist faces, how he tries to solve them and the result of his actions. But which proble...