The Tenacity Interviews - Marcia Laycock

Marcia’s writing began in the attic of her parents’ home where she wrote stories for her dolls. They didn’t complain so she kept it up. God has blessed her with publication in magazines, newspapers, on radio and the web. Her work has garnered praise from notable writers Mark Buchanan, Sigmund Brouwer and Phil Callaway. Her first devotional book, The Spur of the Moment won an Award of Merit at Write Canada and her novel, One Smooth Stone, won the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award in 2006. Marcia writes a weekly devotional column that goes out to over 4,000 people. Her devotionals have been published by The Upper Room and The Quiet Hour, among others, as well as in anthologies compiled by Multnomah and Thomas Nelson. Marcia is currently the Sunday devotional columnist for Novel Journey.com and was a contributor to Hot Apple Cider. Visit her at http://www.vinemarc.com/

1) When did you know for certain being a writer was a goal you weren’t going to give up on?
In thinking on this, I’m not sure it was so much a goal, as something I always was – I began writing when I was very young. But there was a gradual dawning about the responsibility I felt as a writer, as people began responding to my devotional column (The Spur), originally published in our local newspaper. I was blown away when people told me how my words had affected them and began to realize that God had given me a ministry and a task to perform. I was to type the stories; His Spirit did the work in the hearts of the readers. That reality often takes my breath away. (to use a cliché), J and makes me realize I can’t stop until God tells me to.
2) How many manuscripts/articles have you written that haven’t yet seen the light of publication?
Oh boy, I don’t think I could count them. I have 5 book manuscripts in my computer, some that have been sent out a bit, some not. Some are finished, some still need work - a couple that I intend to work on this year. I think the timing may be right for them now. I also have a number of stories/articles – those that weren’t targeted for a publication, but sort of ‘came to me’ – that haven’t been published yet. With those, I’ve found that opportunities come along eventually and then they seem to slip into place like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. I just had one of that type published in a literary magazine.

3) What were the top three obstacles you encountered on the road to being published?
In my last year of high school (an eon ago!) my English teacher said, “If you don’t have something significant to say, don’t write.” My self esteem was so low at the time that I immediately stopped writing! I was sure no-one would ever want to read my words. I had a sense that I needed to just go out and “live” and find something “significant” to say. That took about 15 years! Then I became a Christian and the light went on.
Since trying to be published, which began 20 years ago, I’d say the top three obstacles are:
1. My own procrastination
2. My own proclivity to get involved in all kinds of “good” things at the expense of my writing time.
3. My own fear of rejection

4) Which personal strengths did you use to remain tenacious in your quest to be published?
I have a large streak of Irish stubbornness in me. I’m a bit like a bull terrier that gets the taste of something good in her mouth and won’t let it go.J That something good is the belief that being published is a means to God’s ends. And I was also trained, by some very tenacious teachers, to finish what I started. That works against #1 above.

5) Can you be tenacious and content at the same time?
Only by staying in step with what God wants. When my tenaciousness steps beyond that, then I get frustrated and even angry that things aren’t going the way I want them to go. When I remember that it’s all under His control and He knows what’s best for me and how to accomplish His plan in the best way, then I relax and am content, even joyful, while tenaciously pursuing my goals.

6) Has your dream changed at all? Grown bigger? Smaller?
Oh yes, the dream keeps shifting and growing bigger, in a way. The first dream was to publish something, anything. (That was accomplished with a poem that garnered a cheque for $1.25 – U.S funds!) Then it was to see my words have affect. That’s still a big part of my dream now – more than being on a best sellers’ list, it’s to know that God has used my words to change a life. That makes it all worthwhile.

7) What advice do you have for a writer who is facing “no” right now?
Be obedient and patient and trust that God is working for your good and the good of others. I went through a difficult time a number of years ago, and escaped into writing a fantasy novel. I became obsessed with it. Then I attended a retreat and someone stood up one morning and said the Lord had told him to say these words – “What you have done is good, but your obsession with it is not.” I knew exactly who He was talking to. It was agonizing for me, but I quit writing fiction for about 5 years, until I felt that the Lord had released me to go back to it. My husband said a wise thing to me at that point – “Maybe God wants you to write from a place of strength, relying on Him, instead of weakness.” I realized I’d been going to my writing to provide what only God could provide for me – identity, affirmation and peace. Getting those things from anywhere other than God is idolatry. I believe we must continually guard our hearts against that and obey His “No” when we hear it.
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Love those top three obsticles. I think many of us can see ourselves in one or more of them. Thanks, Marci for the warm wake up call to keep the first thing the first thing!

I bid you good writing.

Marcia Lee Laycock - Part II of Finding Your Voice

It looks like ICRS fever has deadened the comments section of this, and many other blogs. ICRS is a HUGE Christian retail extravaganza taking place in Orlando, Florida. Editors, authors, agents, store owners, publishers, distributors, and all aspects of the Christian music industry gather there each year to see what's new, what's hot, what's wonderful in Christian retail.

It's thrilling to me that, while I'm not actually participating this year, I have, for the first time, people there representing me and my books! My fantastic agent is there, as are both my publishers and editors. It's very exciting as I try to imagine what all goes on there.

Please pray for ICRS and the people there. Pray for safety in traveling and in all they do. Also, pray that God's will be done on every level of the event. It's so easy to get caught up in the fun, dazzle, and shear volume of what's out there, but the heart of these people is to glorify God though various means, and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

And, after you finish praying, read on for the second (and final) installment of Marica Lee Laycock's guest post on Finding Your Voice. It's one of the "trickiest" aspects of writing, I think, largely because it's something that must be developed over time. Read on for more fab info on voice.


Finding Your Voice Part 2

Think of three of your favourite authors. If you picked up a book by each one with a blank cover that did not reveal their names, could you tell which book was written by which author? Chances are it would be easy, because each has a distinct way of telling a story. They use words differently, sentence length and structure will vary, and the very tone of the writing will give them away.

So how do you develop your own voice? Young writers, like young painters, often find themselves copying the voice of a master. Years ago I wrote a short piece about my daughter that still makes me chuckle when I read it because it is so obvious I was reading a lot of Walter Wangerin Jr.’s work. I can hear his ‘voice’ in the story. That’s not all bad. As a painter learns the craft by imitating the masters, so we too as writers can learn a lot by imitating the master writers. But as young painters move beyond their masters, so we must move beyond our favourite authors.

How? The answer is simple, yet difficult. It’s kind of like trying to be humble – the very act of trying can create the opposite affect. The best way to make it happen is to simply relax and write. Write in all kinds of genres and write just for fun. Write a blog. Write a letter. Try free-fall writing. And poetry – write poetry even if you don’t think you can. Write from your heart, write with the mind and soul that God has uniquely given you. Write with integrity and honesty.

Over time your voice will shine through because over time you will discover who you are as a person, as a child of God and as a writer. As you face the challenges of that discovery, be brave enough to let “you” out onto the page. It’s what your readers are looking for – your voice, your way of putting words into concrete form. The more open and vulnerable you are on the page, the stronger your voice will be.

And don’t worry. As a child matures into an adult, your work will mature with the ring of your own voice. Write. And just let it happen.

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Remember, you can visit Marcia on her website: http://www.vinemarc.com/marcialaycock.htm
She also has a book trailer for her novel One Smooth Stone on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkDhsqDkPic
Visit, leave a comment, and rate the trailer!

I love these book trailers. I think I see a future blog post about book trailers - a how to, and a who does them post.... sound good?

Okay all you non-ICRS attenders. Get your thinking caps on and share with us your experience with Voice. What's yours? How did you develop it? What's distinctive about your voice? How have you managed to make your voice stand out without drowning your characters?
This is a critical aspect of writing, and I know we can all learn from each other here. Don't be shy!

I bid you good writing.

Welcome Guest Blogger - Marcia Lee Laycock

Marcia Lee Laycock was raised on an island in Lake Huron, ran away to Alaska and then the Yukon, had a “road to Mayo” conversion in 1982, leaped by faith into Briercrest Bible College with her husband in 1985 and landed in the “promised land” of central Alberta in 1988.
She's also had the privilege of living a few miles south of the Arctic Circle (Dawson City Yukon) and a couple of degrees south of the equator (Papua New Guinea).

Marcia is the author of One Smooth stone. This book won the New Canadian Author Contest sponsored by Castle Quay Books and The Word Guild

"One Smooth Stone is a crackling good tale of crime and punishment, damnation and redemption, that is at once grimly real and deeply hopeful." (Mark Buchanan, author of The Rest of God and Hidden in Plain Sight.)

You can visit Marcia at her web site:

http://www.vinemarc.com/marcialaycock.htm

Marcia has agreed to tackle the tricky topic of voice. Many writers new to the craft have questions about voice. What is it? How do I attain a unique voice? In her two part guest blog, Marcia begins to answer these, and other questions.

Finding Your Voice Part 1

The voice coming out of the recorder did not sound like me. I wrinkled my nose. I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of it. But the interviewer laughed. “Everyone I interview says the same thing. Keep in mind, this is an electronic version of your voice. It’s not the real thing.”

That got me thinking. What is the “real thing” in terms of my “voice” as a writer? Everyone tells us we have to have one, and that it must be strong and distinctive. But how do you know when it’s good enough? How do you know if you even have one?

First of all, yes, you do have a voice. It’s an amazing thing, but each of us is unique and our work reveals that uniqueness. Just look at the work produced for a single theme in a writing contest. Even if the parameters are narrow and the guidelines restrictive, the variety that results is amazing. Each of us comes to the writing with our own experiences, our own perspectives, our own stories, and we tell them with our own distinct voices.

To some extent your voice is determined by the story. For instance, if you are a female writer using the point of view of a male protagonist, your voice will be different than if the protagonist were female. Sometimes the voice is determined by the characters you create. I wrote a story some time ago about a pastor’s wife. She was quite serious about life and the voice reflected that. As the story unfolded another character emerged who was a lot of fun – she was never on time, often disorganized and talked non-stop. Everyone loved her. Her voice was so distinct she began to take over the story.

Underlying the characters is your own voice, and this is where things get a little tricky. I’ll discuss that next time.

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What's your voice?

Chime in on the comments section of the blog!

I bid you good writing.