Devotion: Not Just Another Love Story

by Sherma Webbe Clarke | @sdwc8181 

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) 

I received three red dresses this past Christmas in a variety of shades and styles. Is red my favorite color? No. Did I thank the giver sincerely each time I opened a box and pulled out another red dress? Yes. Will I try to wear each dress in appreciation of his gifts? Yes.

Starting on Valentine’s Day.

After all of the red that surrounds the Christmas season, I need a break. Time to settle back into my usual colors and clothes. But as Valentine’s Day approaches, I begin to think about red again. And love. I open my Bible and mine for stories of love.

1. John 3:16 

One of the first verses I learned as a child was John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This verse acts as a synopsis of what I know about God, from creation to end-time events. This verse contains hope, a promise, and a future. The plan of salvation is the ultimate gift to a fallen race of people from a loving Father. During a visit to Jerusalem, I walked in the footsteps of Jesus when he cloaked himself in humanity. What caused the Lamb of God to leave the throne room of heaven to live a life of poverty in a sin-sick world? Love.

2. 1 Corinthians 13 

When I was a young adult (oh, so long ago!), it was almost expected to include a reading of 1 Corinthians 13 at weddings. The Love Chapter. The happy couple would look into each other’s eyes as the characteristics of love were declared. My husband once gave me a small pamphlet that contained this passage of scripture in an abundance of versions. Each version held a different tone, from Old English language to colloquial, but the message remained the same. Love never fails. Now as an older adult, I understand that the theme of this chapter transcends romantic or marital love. The love of God should flow through us and drench every area of our lives. In our ministry positions, demonstrate a loving spirit. At the workplace, be kind. When faced with an obstacle, exercise wisdom. God’s love is the answer to the complexities and is the source of joys in our lives.

3. Luke 15:3-32 

Jesus, the Master Storyteller, talked about God’s love in short stories called parables. The Bible says ‘parable’; these days we might say ‘flash fiction’. Of the three parables in Luke 15, the relationship between the wandering son and hopeful father is the most poignant to me. The imagery in this story is compelling and vivid. I imagine a stubborn boy walking away from his heartbroken father. I picture the split screen of an empty, self-indulgent lifestyle versus the stability of home. And when the repentant young man finally returns home, he experiences quick forgiveness and is restored to his former position. Our patient, long-suffering Father waits for us to come to our senses and turn or return to Him. And when we do, He wraps us in His righteousness and calls us His own.

4. Psalm 23 

Because the word love does not appear in the twenty-third Psalm, the chapter is an effective example of showing, not telling. David set his words to music and many of us have the lyrics committed to memory. He depicts God as a shepherd, a leader, a comforter, a protector, and a provider.

While occasions like Valentine’s Day put the focus on temporary gifts such as flowers, chocolates, and romantic dinners, the love language of the Bible appeals to us on a deeper level. Not just for a day or a season, but eternity.

About Sherma . . . 

Sherma Webbe Clarke is a contemporary fiction writer and a 2017 ACFW First Impressions Finalist. Her inspirational writing has been included in Christian devotional books: Grace Notes and Blessed. She loves to take her husband by the hand to explore nearby and far-flung areas of the globe. This wanderlust has its perks. She credits many of her story ideas to these adventures. Quiet, early-morning walks along the railroad trails on her home island of Bermuda provide inspiration when she is homebound.

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Short Reads

by Jeanette O'Hagan @JeanetteOHagan

I love immersing myself in a thick novel with a large cast of characters, a stunning out-of-this-world setting, a convoluted twisty plot. But I will confess to a growing love and appreciation short fiction, stories that can often be enjoyed in a single sitting. Many classic and well-know tales fall into this category, from Aesops' fables to biblical parables to Grimm's fairly tales. Other memorable short stories include O Henry's heartbreaking Gift of the Magi, Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl or (novella size), Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol.

With the constraints of busy modern lives and the ease of publishing them online, short fiction is making a comeback. There are a number of Christian writers who have written shorter works.

Types of short fiction:

1. Mirco-Fiction - up to 100 words.

Though hard to write well, these are becoming increasingly popular with mobile phones and texting and Twitter (280 characters). Clearly, every word must count. 

Ernest Hemingway's famous example of a six-word story is as follows 'For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.'

2. Flash Fiction - between 100-1000 words.

These stories can be used as 'palate cleansers' between longer stories in magazines or may be included in collections and anthologies.   Breath of Fresh Air Press  publishes the top ten entries for the  Faith Writers Challenge (750 words on a weekly theme) including Genre-lly Speaking (each week focused on a different genre) or As Time Goes By (the themes all revolve around time). 

These are great to dip into when you have a few spare minutes to be refreshed and inspired.

3. Short Story - between 1,000 - 10,000 words

This is often what we think of as a short story. Many competitions, periodical, 'zines and anthologies require this length - often around 2000 to 3000 words.  Speculative fiction (sci-fi and fantasy) have bigger words counts of between 7000-10,000 words.

A good short story can be like a short black, a shot of imagery, emotion, life. It may enjoyed over a cuppa, but leave you pondering for hours afterwards. 

These days, short stories can be published as stand alone works as ebooks (for instance, my The Herbalist's Daughter or Lakwi's Lament)

4. Novellettes and Novellas - 10,000 - 50,000 words

There is confusion with the term 'novellette'. For some, it means a novella while for others it is a short piece that falls in between a long short story and a novella. While a novella is often 20,000 words or more up to 50,000.

A novella (and to some extent a novellette) allows more complexity, with perhaps more characters and twists and  develops over a longer period of time, though there is generally not room for subplots (as there may be in a full-sized novel).

While novellas are not generally popular with publishers, with the advent of ebooks and Indie publishing, novellas have become much more popular.

A novella may be a prequel.  Depending on the size, it might take two to three hours to read and might be enjoyed over a long lunch or a lazy afternoon. A novella can be a stand alone (e.g. Meredith Resce's romance Where There is Smoke), part of a series (my Under the Mountain series starting with Heart of the Mountain) or a serial with episodes and seasons (Adam David Collings Jewel of the Stars), or a prequel to a novel series.

Novellas and short stories can also be included in anthologies with multiple contributors (eg Glimpses of Light or  Noblebright's Still Waters), as a collection (as in  my Ruhanna's Flight and other stories) or as a boxed set of novellas usually with different contributing authors, (e.g. an Aussie Summer Christmas boxed set).

Why read short stories

They:

• Often can be read and enjoyed in one sitting or over a short period of time, so are great when you are busy or have limited time or mind-space for reading.
• Can provide a nice transition between enjoying longer works.
• May fill the story gaps in larger well-loved tales (as prequels or sequels or tell the story of secondary characters), and thus expand on a story universe.
• Can be a great introduction to a new authors or genres. A short story usually are lower in price and take less time to read. With an anthology or boxed set you can sample a variety of authors, some you might know and love, others that are new to you. 

A well-written short story can be memorable and satisfying and stay with your for a long time.


Do you like reading short fiction? What short stories or anthologies have you enjoyed and could recommend to other readers?

Jeanette O’Hagan first spun tales in the world of Nardva at the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fantasy, science fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. Her Nardvan stories include a mixture of courtly intrigue, adventure, romance, and/or shapeshifters.

Recent publications include Akrad's Children—a Young Adult kingdom fantasy; Heart of the Mountain and Blood Crystal— the first two novellas from the Under the Mountain series; plus Ruhanna’s Flight and Other Stories. She has stories and poems in seventeen other anthologies, including The Quantum Soul, Tales From the Underground, Like a Woman and Futurevision.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and a Master of Arts (Writing). She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and children.

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Glimpses of Light

By Jeanette O'Hagan and Nola Passmore

Be challenged, captivated and moved by these imaginative reflections on faith, help in time of need, joy in the midst of tragedy, and surprising encounters with God.

During 2015, the International Year of Light, twenty-one authors from Australia and the United States have come together to explore the theme of 'glimpses of light'—finding light in dark places—through short stories, poems, flash fiction and creative non-fiction.

Glimpses of Light includes contributions from respected and award-winning authors and poets Jo-Anne Berthelsen, Paula Vince, Lynne Stringer, Adele Jones, Jo Wanmer, Jeanette Grant-Thomson and Ellen Carr, as well as exciting new talent.

Profits from this anthology go to CBM Australia, giving sight to the blind.

~~~~

In 2014, I spoke to my fellow co-editor, Nola Passmore, about the concept of producing an anthology to celebrate the Year of Light with profits going a charity like CBM (formerly Christian Blind Mission) in conjunction with Christian Writers Downunder. At the beginning of 2015 we invited contributions for the Glimpses of Light anthology.

Nola and I were pleased with the creativity and quality of the entries we received and delighted that our contributors were prepared to work with us in two rounds of editing plus proofing. We greatly appreciated our support team, including our back-up judges, editors and proof-readers – Jo-Anne Berthelsen, Lynne Stringer, Christina Aitken and Paula Vince. We’d also like to thank Australian romantic suspense author, Helene Young, for allowing us to use her gorgeous photo for the cover.

The anthology includes short stories, poems, flash fiction and creative non-fiction on the theme of glimpses of light (light in dark places), written from a Christian worldview and values, some with a more overtly Christian content than others. There are a number of speculative fiction entries, dramatic suspense, family drama, poetry and creative non-fiction.

We believe this is a delightful and inspirational anthology that is both encouraging to Christians and suitable to give to non-Christian friends.

We are currently running a blog tour - with a chance to win prizes from Jo-Anne Berthelsen’s (until 12th), mine (until 14th) and (from Monday) Adam Collings blog. The tour will continue with another six stops until the start of February.

Glimpses of Light is available for purchase in print and ebook format from Amazon.

JEANETTE O'HAGAN enjoys writing fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. She is writing her Akrad’s Legacy Series—a Young Adult secondary world fantasy fiction with adventure, courtly intrigue and romantic elements. Her short stories and poems are published in Tied in Pink romance anthology, Another Time Another Place, Poetica Christi’s Inner Child, Let the Sea Roar, Like a Girl.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and, more recently, a Master’s in writing. She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life and communicating God’s great love. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and children.

Website: jeanetteohagan.com

NOLA PASSMORE'S poetry, devotions, inspirational articles, and short fiction have appeared in magazines, journals and anthologies in Australia and overseas. Although she’s a former academic with qualifications in creative writing, psychology, and Christian ministry; she’s found that you can never underestimate the power of friends and mentors in the writing journey.

With ringleader roles in Quirky Quills and the Toowoomba chapter of Omega Writers, she’ll be nagging (oops, encouraging) other writers for some time. She and her husband Tim have a freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish.

Website: www.thewriteflourish.com.au