Yes, You Can: A Guide to Writing and Sharing Your Story, by Isabella Morganthal

Today we have a rather special little book review! (For writers/prospective authors especially! :)) You may have seen the book review I did a little while ago of Worth It All by my author friend Isabella Morganthal. Well, Bella just released a new book! So today I'd like to share a review of her new book, Yes, You Can: A Guide to Writing and Sharing Your Story. 

Book Summary (from the back of the book): Have you dreamed of writing? Have you dreamed of being published? Self-published author, Isabella Morganthal shares her tips, wisdom, and advice in this new guide for writers! Sharing from over ten years of experience in writing, Isabella encourages writers to chase their dreams of being published someday. This fun guide includes advice on how to begin writing, how to edit, and how to publish and market your book. Also included are some fun story prompts to get your fingers writing and some creative writing exercises! If you're a new writer just starting out, or a seasoned writer looking for tips on publishing, this guide is for you! Yes, you can do this!

Discussions: Let's start with some things I loved. This book was quite simply fun to read. In Yes, You Can, Bella shares her experiences with writing, both with fiction and non-fiction, some lighthearted, some serious. She offers advice for developing one's writing, editing it, and how to publish your own books. (So far, Bella's self-published four books, including this one.) If you're interested in self-publishing, definitely check this book out. I thought the process was way more complicated, so that was interesting to learn about! Bella includes tips for formatting books, acquiring a cover design, and even after-publishing details like marketing and setting up book signings. Basically, Yes, You Can is a handbook for writers, with an overview of the writing/publishing process, complete with some writing prompts.  

Anything I didn't like? Not really. Except that I wish there was more of the book. :) Bella makes the most of every page, so it's very compact and rather short. Maybe it's just that I don't want to have to put one of her books down. :)

Overall, I recommend Yes, You Can! Bella writes with a conversational, friendly, personal style. She ties her Christian faith and love for Jesus into her book, keeping the importance of strong faith front and center. Strongly recommended for writers. :) 

You can find Yes, You Can: A Guide to Writing and Sharing Your Story by Isabella Morganthal on Amazon here. And while you're there, make sure to check out her other books!

May Photography

I have a new camera now! Here's some of what happened in May that I was able to capture with it. 

April showers bring May flowers... but this is a May shower. What's that going to bring?

Aha! It brought cicadas.

And their shells. 

Well, it brought some flowers, too. Love this mini carnation.

I'll do a lot for a good photo... even run the risk of getting stung. 

Other fun stuff...

Games at my class's completion-of-chemistry celebration.

Ice cream with friends. 

Foosball at a friend's graduation party. 

And it's Memorial Day today!

Red, white, and blue breakfast. 

Currently enjoying the comfortably warm weather and gradual lessening of schoolwork! What are you enjoying about spring? Are you doing anything special for Memorial Day? 

A Long Time Ago...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I saw my first Star Wars movie.

(Well, technically, it wasn't the first. My siblings and I had seen an episode of the Clone Wars once with friends. But we hadn't seen any of the actual Star Wars episodes.)

It was five years ago, in our family's schoolroom, where my siblings and I experienced Episode IV: A New Hope for the first time. 

It was amazing.

The plot...

A desperate rebellion. ("You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor." -Darth Vader) 
Tense fights with lightsabers. ("An elegant weapon from a more civilized age" -Obi-Wan Kenobi)
Swift, if battered, spaceships. ("You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought." -Princess Leia)
A dangerous rescue. ("Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." -Princess Leia)
Deadly races through space. ("I can't hold on!" -Wedge Antilles)

And the characters...

A hero eager to prove himself. ("I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you." -Luke Skywalker)
A dangerous villain. (heavy mechanical breathing - Darth Vader)
A quick-thinking, strong-willed princess. ("I don't know you are or where you came from, but from now on you do as I say." -Princess Leia.)
A cocky pilot with a patched-up ship and a tall furry companion/copilot. ("I expect to be well paid." -Han Solo. "Rrrowwwr." -Chewbacca.)
 A selfless mentor and master of the Jedi arts. ("Obi-Wan Kenobi... Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time." -Obi-Wan Kenobi.)

We were thrilled by the story of a galaxy ruled by the evil Empire, a band of rebels fighting to overturn it, a hero with a mysterious past and destiny. 

Now, five years later, I've seen every Star Wars episode produced (and I'm waiting impatiently for Episode VIII! What does that trailer even mean?!)

Anyway, today is May 4th, so naturally I had to talk about Star Wars. Because every Star Wars movie is still a thrilling adventure complete with lightsaber duels, space chases, a villain, a hero, humor...

A New Hope was just the beginning that day five years ago. What a beginning.

When young Luke Skywalker stumbles upon a distress call from Princess Leia, a captive of the evil Empire, he sets off with mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi to rescue her at once. Along the way, he must learn to master the mysterious, long-hidden Jedi arts of lightsabers and the Force. For far too long, the galaxy has been reigned over by the Empire, most notably the intimidating Darth Vader. If Luke and the gang of friends he's picked up can rescue Leia, the desperate Rebel Alliance will stand a chance of destroying the Empire's ultimate weapon the Death Star and restoring peace and freedom to the galaxy. 

The story continues with Episodes V, VI, VII, and soon to be VIII. There's also the prequels, I, II, and III. Each of them is a segment of the events of the Star Wars saga, each introducing new characters (including some we'd perhaps rather not see "ahem" Jar Jar Binks) and suspenseful plotlines (which I can't describe for fear of giving secrets away). 

So there are the duels, the chases, the action, the humor. But there's more.

Goodness. Evil. Light. Darkness. Love. Despair. Captivity. Freedom. Choices. Loyalty. Trust. Hope. 

Redemption.

The Star Wars saga was first and foremost the story of Anakin Skywalker. Anakin, phenomenal mechanic, Force-user with exploding potential, best pilot in the galaxy. Rescued from a dusty desert planet to be trained as a Jedi, his destiny was glorious. 

But as Anakin Skywalker grew older, he became rebellious. He didn't want to do as the Jedi Masters wanted. He wanted to choose his own path, to do things his way. Because he was scared, scared of losing those whom he loved. His desire to protect them was not the problem; his conduct because of it was. 

He began to view his Jedi mentors, once his greatest heroes, now his enemies. They would not -- could not -- allow him to do as he wished, have what he wished. He began to make desperate choices. Driven mad by his obsessive fears, he chose a dark path, and forsook his friends in a chase after what he thought would help. 

But it did not help or heal anyone. Instead, it flipped the galaxy into darkness under the hand of a sly Sith Lord, brought agony to the Jedi and the Republic, and scarred Anakin forever with the heat of the fires of Mustafar. 

A prophecy had been whispered about Anakin. That he was The Chosen One. That he would bring balance to the Force.

But Anakin chose darkness, when the galaxy needed him to be light. 

His closest friend and mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi cried out of this as he and Anakin dueled, each believing the other a traitor. Obi-Wan fled and distributed Anakin's two children among friends and relatives to keep them safe. Then he hid. It was no longer safe to be a Jedi, one of the guardians of peace and freedom. Those times were over. 

Until a certain young man intercepted a message from Princess Leia and there was a chance to hope. 

Because there was a chance to save Anakin, athough no one, least of all he himself, knew it. He did not deserve to be pulled from his painful life of the Sith Lord Darth Vader he had become. He had made a rebellious choice and done things on his own terms. 

Yet in the end, he received the opportunity for something different, something better. 

Redemption.

It's similar with us. We chose to do things our own way, to walk the paths we wanted, instead of walking by God's commandments. We were darkness, when God had made us to be light. But he gave us the choice, and we chose sin. 

Then he sent his Son to pay the price for our wrongdoing. And that Son redeemed us with his blood. And now we have a glorious inheritance.

But we're different from Anakin Skywalker, though. For one thing, the redemption in Star Wars is a story, and the redemption in our lives is a reality. For another, our redemption is far greater and brighter. We did nothing to merit salvation and receive life through Jesus's death. But Jesus atoned for us and rose from the dead and we will be with him for eternity. 

And this is why Star Wars resonates so deeply with so many people; we identify with it. This is why storytelling is so important; it shows people truths in an alternate setting, and we return to those stories to understand the truth.

"The stories are true. All of it." -Han Solo

This is Star Wars -- a tale of light and darkness and redemption and hope. 

"What chance do we have? The question is, what choice?" -Jyn Erso

May the 4th be with you. 

Easter Sonnet

A sonnet based off Easter reflections.

Christ came to earth a child born low and meek

A child born deep within a cattle stall

A child named what an angel's voice did speak

Months ere he came to earth to die for all.

He came to earth a man his own knew not
A prophet from the town which no man praised
A prophet speaking news with glory fraught
But only few believed his sacred name.

He came to earth a Lamb to die for men
A priest who spilled his blood upon the tree
A priest they laid beneath the ground; and then
He rose and conquered death in victory.

Christ died for us and reigns as holy King;
Throughout eternity his praise we'll sing!

To Serve - Easter Reflections pt. 3 - Easter Sunday

We've looked at how Jesus took the role of a servant at the Last Supper and the crucifixion, and now we're wrapping up this series with Part Three of the Easter Reflections series. We've come to the joyful culmination - Jesus's resurrection!

No one expected joy at that time. Jesus, the Master, the Teacher, the Lord, had been taken off the cross and buried in a tomb. A stone was rolled over the entrance to the tomb, and Roman soldiers guarded the entrance, in order to quench the zeal of those who had put their faith in Christ. 

They did not expect what was to come just a few days later. 

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:1-10)

He had risen. 

Despite the sickening betrayal, the long hours of agony and humiliation, the final horrific moments on the cross, despite his death -- Jesus rose. 

He came as a servant, to do the will of his Father. He came to conquer death. He came to be the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb without blemish or spot. The only sacrifice that could cover the sins of mankind. He paid for them with his life -- and then rose from the dead victorious. 

This came as a shock to the Pharisees and the soldiers, who had not believed in him. It didn't make sense to them, and they certainly didn't want that news getting out. 

Some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. (Matthew 28:11-15)

They succeeded in spreading the false account. It's sad that so many people were -- and are -- willing to believe that Jesus did not rise from the dead. That he was simply a good teacher, or the blasphemous heretic the Pharisees called him. The Jews chose to believe instead that the soldiers had slipped up in their guarding duties. That they had fallen asleep, and inadvertently permitted the disciples to come, roll away the stone, and whisk the dead body of their master away -- all without waking the soldiers guarding the tomb. They were satisfied with the weak explanation for why the tomb was empty.

But not everyone took the lie for truth.

Jesus revealed himself to his disciples. All were shocked. Some believed instantly. Some doubted, most notably Thomas.

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:25-29)

He also gave his disciples a charge -- a command that is for every Christian. 

"Go therefore and teach disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus came to earth a servant. He is our King, yet he chose to live as a servant. The people expected a king who would sweep in and drive out the oppressive Romans. Not a child born in a stable, a man from Nazareth ("Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"), a teacher speaking in miracles and parables. Not he who admitted he "had nowhere to lay his head." No, he came to earth "not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

He came as a servant, lived as a servant, conquered death as a servant, all according to his Father's will.  

If we believe, truly believe, that Jesus is the Son of God and that he paid for our sins with his death, rose from that death, and stands now at the hand of the Father interceding for us, we have life. Abundant, eternal life through his name.

Because Christ came as a servant, to wash us clean, so that we may serve him. 

Easter is significantly more than a spring celebration with candy bunnies and eggs. Easter is a time to remember and rejoice in the work of our Savior and Redeemer. We have the opportunity, the privilege, the command, to serve him with all that is in us. And what else could we possibly do? We owe him all and everything. 

Now is the time to serve.

May you have a joyous Easter!

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)


All Scripture quotations from the ESV.