Take Every Thought Captive

The wind blows across your face as you look to the horizon with binoculars. A pistol is strapped to your leg and a machinegun slung over your shoulder. You stand on the battlements of a stone and iron fortress along with your regiment. You all are dressed in boots and camouflage, bullet proof vests, various weapons, and a keen countenance. Amid the array of watchful eyes is a Man who stands a head above the rest. He is not armed to the hilt as everyone else for He does not need weapons. None looks Him in the eye as He stands at your right, His hands crossed over His brawny chest. He is called Guardian and it was He who helped you build the fortress and the army therein.

You sigh and shake your head, the wind tugs at your hair and clothes. “Nothing,” you say. “Nothing at all. No one’s coming.” You lower the binoculars and glance at Guardian.

“Keep watching.” You grimace. “You don’t want someone inside who shouldn’t be. Remember the fire? That dangerous boy almost killed us all and we could have shot him before he corrupted everything. Glad that’s over with. But you weren’t here to watch.” Your nostrils flare at the mention of recent failures, but you hold your tongue. “Watch. And keep watching.”

You lift your chin and obey. You see threw the binoculars a dirt road that winds through the countryside and meets with your fortress gate. Some of your men lie behind trees, their faces painted with browns and greens to hide even more. They wait, their hand on the trigger and ear close to the walkie-talkie. You look to the road again. You stiffen. A truck approaches, a trailer filled with cargo bounces behind. “There,” you whisper and hear Guardian take up His own binoculars. You seize your walkie-talkie and draw it close. “Red Team, copy.”

“Copy for Red Team. Go ahead Team Leader.”

“Stranger approaching. Three o’clock. Surround and take in for questioning.”

“Copy, Team Leader.”

You watch through your binoculars as your men get into position. Without a sound, they leap from hiding and the truck screeches to a stop. A man is pulled from the driver’s seat and forced to the ground. He obeys with wide eyes and a paled face. His trailer is unloaded and the contents strewed across the road. You watch as your men pick through one thing at a time. The newcomer’s hands are bound behind him and he is dragged to his feet. With machineguns pressed against his back, he is led to the fortress.

“Open the gate,” you shout and hear the sound of metal gears grind! You eye the stranger as he enters your fortress and you glance at Guardian. “Well? What do you think of him?”

Guardian shakes His head and ascends the battlement’s steps. “Question him.”

“That takes time—” Guardian turns and looks down at you, His eyes narrowed and jaw set. You look away and clasp your hands behind your back. “I’ll question him then,” you mutter.

“I urge you to do these things to keep you safe,” Guardian shakes His head. “Not to burden you.” You glance at Him and see the sincerity in His gaze. “Choose what you would rather have: relax and let anyone come in and out of your fortress to corrupt, and start fires, and murder the men. Or, take everyone captive and learn who they truly are?”

You lift your chin and walk down the stairs. “Let’s go talk with him,” you say and follow Guardian to the interrogation room. Men guard the doorway and salute Guardian as both of you pass. The interrogation room is small and lit by a naked bulb which hangs over a metal table. The stranger is seated at the table and his hands are tied to his chair. Solders stand on his right and his left, fingers on their trigger. You eye the man and look him up and down. He is dressed in cowboy boots, jeans, and a worn shirt. A baseball cap sits cockeyed his tuft of black hair and his eyes, brown like chocolate, dart this way and that. You sit across from him and state your name. “I am the keeper of this fortress. Everything within these walls first belonged to me, then I gave it to Guardian.” You motion to the hulk of a man behind you. “And in turn He gave me the responsibility of its protection. Now, we can do things the hard way or the easy way. I have no intention of killing your. So, what’s your name?”

The man looks from you to Guardian and back again. He licked his lips and swallows hard. “Um, Sam,” his voice cracks and he clears his throat.

“Where do you come from?”

“Ridenvill.”

“And what brings you here?”

“I’m a teacher. I’ve come to teach the children who live here.”

Your brows raise. “A teacher, huh? And what do you teach?”

“The basics. Math, reading, writing, geography, and so on. But, my passion is teaching warfare. The logistics of building a fortress and protecting it well.”

“So tell me,” you lean across the table. “How would one protect their fortress?”

“Well,” Sam continues, “you must build a firm fortress first. Something with one door, and no other openings. Not even windows. Nothing can get in or out without the founder’s say so. It must be watched, all day every day, with guns and weapons ready in case of an attack.”

“And who would attack?”

“Oh, um . . . there’s several enemies. Murderers, thieves, tricksters. Anything that could ruin the peace in the fortress.”

“And what is done to any threats?”

Sam looks you in the eye and holds your gaze. “They are killed. There and then. Without warning.”

You grin and sit back. You stare at Sam then look up to Guardian. “What do You think? I think he’s fine.”

Guardian stares at Sam and Sam cannot look His way. Guardian nods and looks back to you. “He’s fine.”

Sam breathes out a deep, loud sigh and a smile lights his eyes. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“You will be watched still,” you say as you stand. “One of my guards will follow you around until you prove yourself. I think you will do fine, but just to make sure, my guard will shoot you on the spot if you do anything to threaten my fortress.”

Sam nods and looks up at you. “I should hope nothing less.” His hands are untied and he stands. “Pleasure meeting you,” he says and you two shake hands.

“Likewise. See you around.” You turn to leave the interrogation room, but stop. Your men at arms have another person bound and held captive. It is a woman and she stares at you with wide eyes. You study her in the brief moment of silence you have. Her long hair is done up and her dress drags the ground. Her chest heaves with each breath and fear darkens her blue eyes. Sam clears his throat and passes by with a respectful nod to you and Guardian.

“And who is this?” you ask.

“I’m Tina,” the woman says. She looks to the gun tied to your leg and trembles.

“Bring her in,” you say and seat yourself at the table once again. “Alright, Tina,” you stare at her as she is tied to the chair. “What brings you to my fortress?”

“I’m a shopkeeper,” she whispers, her voice small. “I . . . I’ve come to make an honest living.”

“Really. Alright, what do you sell?”

“Bread. I’m a baker. Treats too, like pastries, sweetened muffins, cakes, and such. Very nice things that I’m sure your fortress and people will enjoy.”

You nod. That does sound nice. You have not tasted a slice of cake in years. “Very well. I think that. . . .” Your voice trails off as you notice her necklace. It consists of a cord tied to a small, wooden box. You stare at it and blink. “What is that? What’s in it?”

“Oh, this?” Tina glances down at the trinket. “That holds some special, rare . . . things. I might use them for my business, or a side job. They are so lovely I think everyone should have some. Especially you.” You look at her as a smile pulls her lips up. “Yes, you are a good commander I see. You should have some now.”

Your eyes narrow and you look to the box. “What is it?”

“Open it and see.” Guardian’s eyes flash between you two, but He says nothing. You reach forward and remove the necklace from her. You open the box and look in. Your heart quickens. Your eyes widen. A grin plays with your mouth. It was what the small, hidden side of you wanted! So beautiful! So lovely! And it came to you. At last!

Guardian looks over your shoulder and His brow furrows. “That is not safe. That will compromise you—”

“Is this all you have?” you ask.

Tina shakes her head. “I have more. Much more.” You look to her and back into the box.

Guardian studies your face and shakes His head. “Bad. You know it.” You force yourself to breathe as your hands itch to remove the desired thing. You don’t move. You watch Guardian out of the corner of your eye. You see He disapproves and you remember He will not force you to do anything. You alone must choose what happens: If Tina should go, or should she stay with her trinkets you crave? Guardian says your name. You ignore him.

Tina watches you, and you feel her gaze burn through you. “Keep it,” she whispers. “As a gift. And when I move into the fortress. . . .” You meet her gaze. “I’ll show you more.”

“Remember the fire,” Guardian says. “Remember how innocent the boy seemed. How pleasant it began, but then disaster struck. You lost sixteen of your best men to the flames!”

“I only offer you freedom,” Tina whispers. “A freedom He cannot give; the freedom of desire.”

“She will destroy us!” Guardian hisses. “All of us! The women and children too!”

“I’m here only to serve you, master.” You swallow hard at Tina’s words. “To serve you better than anyone else can.”

“Kill her.”

“I have other things too. Better things. Things you’ve only dreamed of!” Your heart races within you.

Guardian shouts your name. “Kill her!”

“Don’t lose this chance,” Tina warns. “Don’t let it slip away.” You look down into the box and close your eyes tight. “Let me stay.”

“End her!”

“And I will open your eyes to new and—”

The room fills with a blast. The guards flinch, then relax. Tina, her eyes rolled back and mouth gaped open, falls and collapses to the ground. Blood trickles from the bullet hole through her temple. Smoke lifts to the room’s ceiling. You raise your chin and draw back your outstretched pistol. You slam the box shut and hand it to Guardian. “Deal with this. Please.” Your voice shakes. “I am . . . it will be my undoing.”

Guardian smiles as He takes hold of the box. “Well done.” He lays a hand on your shoulder. “I’m proud of you.”

You look his way with a smile. You glance down at Tina and glare. “Well done, men,” you say and walk towards the door. “Clean this up, then back to your posts.” They salute and you walk out of the room, back to the battlements. “Where will you put the box?”

Guardian looks down at you and you glance away. “I will worry about that. And don’t think of it anymore. Keep watch on the wall.”

“Yes, Sir.” You grab the binoculars again and look to the horizon. You heave a deep sigh and feel your shoulders relax. Another fiend dealt with. You straighten your back, determined not to allow other threats to enter and destroy your fortress. You keep watch. . . .

. . . . and you will not be moved.

Things to Consider:

1.      Do you know how to “take captive every thought” (2 Corinthians 10:5b)?

2.      What do you do when a potentially compromising thought knocks at the fortress of your mind?

3.      Is your mind a fortress or an open door?

4.      Can you recognize dangerous thoughts before they reach your mind?

5.      How do you deal with them?

6.      Why is it so vital to protect your mind?

7.      How does God help protect your mind?

Dialogue: The Art of Conversation

When you talk with someone, what do you pay attention to? Most people listen to the words being said ONLY so that they can understand the conversation. That is all fine and dandy, but as writers we must go above and beyond. When talking with people, it is good to listen, not only to understand, but to see the words they use, how long their sentences are, if they use gestures, if they stammer, their vocabulary, and so on. The key in creating beautiful characters is by always watching the people around you and taking mental notes.

Today we will talk about conversations, how to write ones that work, what to do, and what NOT to do.

In stories, it seems as though we've strayed from reality. Characters always talk in complete sentences, with words that make perfect sense, no one interrupts anyone, and everything is crystal clear. That's not how it is in real life. When people talk we might not be clear, we can't think of the word we are looking for, and the other person interrupts.

Now, like I've said a thousand times, there is a balance. Do not write EXSACTUALLY how people talk. If we did that, it would take ten pages to get to the point. However, there should be at least five to seven sentences of random conversation to remind the readers the characters aren't made up people, but living, breathing human beings (somewhere in the writer cosmos). At the beginning of a scene, I have my characters end a random, useless conversation; such as about their cold, how they don't like their boss, why they should have a vacation and where they would go, and so on. Throughout the dialogue, when you get to the main point of the conversation, don't forget to keep reminding the readers that the characters are real. I do this by having the main point of the conversation remind a side character of a tangent. Such as the point's about what to do with grandma's ashes, and someone mentions a pottery bowl she always liked, and that reminds a side character of the flowers they hadn't watered yet. Make it short and simple so that the scene can go back to the main point. Tangents are good, but not all the time. Don't to more than three of them. I usually just do one. It's good to make the conversation realistic, however, if overdone, it can annoy the reader. A lot.

Characters should have an individual speech pattern, their own filler word, and communication style. It's not as difficult as it sounds. What are filler words you hear every day? Um, ah, er, well, you know, dude, and stuff, etc. What kind of motions do you see? People put their hands on their hips, point this way and that, cross their arms over their chest, wave their hands to and fro, etc. What type of words do people use? Do they use simple words ("Look over there! That's real cool, isn't it?"), or do they sound sophisticated ("How interesting, take a look at that!"). What kind of vocabularies do you hear every day? There's limited ("That's a nice sub shop place. Real good place to eat."), average ("My boss needs to take a hike! He's demanding and unreasonable!"), and the vast vocabulary ("I conquer, one must contemplate the necessary steps before proceeding."). You can make several different combinations of these dialogue techniques to create a fresh character. Mind you, don't make a character's speech patter too far out there, the purpose is to make them sound realistic. 

One last point: think before you speak (or before you write your character speaking). 

A doctor's way of communicating should differ GREATLY from a farm boy's style. A girl from a rich family in a big city will talk differently from a girl her own age, but who was raised in the country by her father. When decided a characters means of communicating, don't forget to factor in their past, who raised them, what type of atmosphere they grow up in, what shaped them to be how they are in your story, what career do they have, what type of friends they hand out with, and so forth. All these things effect how a character, and people in real life, communicate. 

I know, I know, there's a lot that goes into dialogue and character communication. That's okay! It’s what makes a good story great!

Exercise:

Throughout today, pay attention to your own communication style. What words do you use and don't use? What gestures do you make? When do you stammer/speak clearly? What do you talk about at work, with your friends, or in school?

After you have a good understanding of your own communication style, get to a quiet place. Write down your style and WHY you have the style you do. Do you say "rats!" because your mom did? Do you wave your hands in the air, like your best friend? Do you talk about sports or the latest fad, because that's all you know/were raised with?

Evaluate yourself. Discover why you communicate the way you do.

Once you know the origin of your communication style, read everything over. Select a character and, based on what you found about yourself, give them their own speech patterns/gestures with a source, just as you had done for yourself. Your evaluation of your own communication style is an anchor for the character’s style.

Happy writing!        

The Message Behind the Words

In this day and age, there are so many stories and means of entertainment its crazy! All these movies! All these books! All these TV shows that are about "something new" and "something we've never seen before". Yeah right. Let's be honest here, there's no new stories, no new ideas, and no new topics. But there's one thing that stories these days are forgetting.
The message behind the words.
It's annoying to devote time to a book/movie that doesn't give anything to the reader/audience. What do we get out for a story? What deeper meaning was given though the narrative? Most of the time all we get is a cool story that has interesting characters we gave our time to because there was nothing else to do. Instead of depth, there's epic wars, drama that blows our minds, that bad guy in leather who wants to destroy the world, and the hot chick and the ripped guy making out in the end because they won (and the writers wanted to give the reader/audience a warm fuzzy feeling at the end). Brain candy, that's what I call it. Pure sugar that eventually will make a cavity that must be ripped out.
There is more to a story then entertainment. In fact, I view stories as a means of teaching and revealing the human heart in a new light in a entertaining way. A story is not just a story, it is a means to show the world what is truth and what can be. It gives us dreams. Gives us life. There can be power in a story, yet few are willing to roll up their leaves and go digging for it.
But what do I mean, you ask? Do I want every story to have a philosophical tone that looks deep into the human psyche and shows all our weaknesses and how to overcome? No! What I mean is this: the purpose of a story is to show, even if it is a tinny sliver, the truth of life, its woes, its joys, the stupidity of mankind, and what happens when hardships arise. Truth. That is all that is needed. A honest character admitting things we would never say, yet agree with. Characters who struggle and band together in a way that we have always dreamed of. Reveal the world though your story, not just a cool story with a plot your mom says is nice. You are a writer. You have a responsibly to give more then a tale. And you can.
First, you must understand life and what you believe enough to relay it in a understandable way. I'm not saying I have life figured out (I don't, not by a long shot) however I have allowed my mistakes, past wounds, and God to teach me wisdom. I wish to show what I have learned to my readers so that they may learn too.
Second, discover a story that will bring your truths alive. Make vivid characters that are so real a reader can almost touch them. A plot that carries the characters though events that amplify their very nature. And, one of the most important, end it honestly; for not all endings are good. That's okay, such is life.
Third, write as honestly as you can. Be true to your characters! Be true to your readers! And, most of all, be true to yourself!
Find the meaning behind the words. It's there, you just have to go looking for it. Yes, its difficult, yes, most people don't do it, yes its odd, but yes, if you find the meaning, your story will become immortal. Immortal as the stars.