My Very First Main Character Kill-Off

So, I’ve been stuck. I’m writing the second book in a four book series, and it’s time to kill off a main character. I kind of know how it’s going to happen, but I want to make sure I do this character’s death justice. Is that weird? I’m going over death scenes repeatedly in my head, trying to pick out the right scenario, and I’m thinking, “Who does that?” I guess writers do that…and psychopathic serial killers…

I’ve done a little research (oh, Google, what would I do without you?), and I found some good advice. These are great points to keep in mind, I think, as I put my character on the chopping block:

1. Make sure you want to kill off this character.

2. Consider the emotions you want the reader to feel during the kill-off scene.

3. Make sure the death happens in a way that moves the story forward.

Anyway, I’ve got to get past this scene so I can write the rest of the story. How did you handle your very first main character kill-off? 

An Old and Familiar Story Gives Something New

So I was reading in John (fourth book of the New Testament) and one of the accounts of Jesus and the adultress struck me differently than it has in the past. I’ve heard the story a million times; I’ve read it, read about it and heard it preached about, but for some reason this is the first time that it really struck me as a show of God’s ultimate grace, undeserved by us, yet freely given.

For those of you who may not be familiar with stories from the Bible, the story goes like this:

Jesus was teaching as he often did, when the Scribes and Pharisees (i.e. the guys always trying to catch Jesus in some kind of trap in order to discredit and get rid of him) brought before Jesus a woman caught in adultery. They said that according the Law, she should be stoned and asked Jesus what he thought about the whole thing. As far as I can tell from commentary reading, the trap was this: If Jesus said, “Stone her! It’s the Law!” he would have been caught in the trap of not knowing the law fully, because according to the Law there had to be a certain amount of witnesses and the man as well as the woman were to be stoned if the sin met the qualification for capital punishment. If Jesus said, “No, don’t stone her!” the Scribes and Pharisees could have used that against him, saying that he really didn’t care about God’s law and wasn’t qualified to teach the people.

Anyhoo, Jesus begins to draw in the dirt with his finger, kind of ignoring their question, and when they snap their fingers and ask him again, he says this: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” With that, starting with the oldest, each of the Scribes and Pharisees left, leaving the woman there. Jesus then asks the woman, “Is no one willing to condemn you?” She says no, and then Jesus sends her on her way, saying “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on, sin no more.”

Now, previously, I’ve heard this story in relation to judgment and so on, and it is a good reminder of the value of forgiveness among each other and that when we make mistakes, there is grace for us. However, today, when I read this story, it hit me differently, and here’s how: Jesus was qualified to stone the woman. He was the only one qualified to judge her harshly, and yet he gave her grace.

The reason that touched me was that it made me consider the relationship Jesus has given me with him and each one of us who follows him. It’s not as though he were simply a judge and jury and decided to forgive me based on some kind of evidence or because I was good enough or because he thought it would be a good idea to cut me a break. He is qualified and able and would be perfectly justified in condemning me, as he would have been with the alduterous woman, but instead he died for me and intercedes for me now so that I can recieve grace! 

I’m so grateful, and I’m glad for the reminder of all that Christ has done for me. I don’t normally write about my devotionals, as this blog is not necessarily for that purpose, but I wanted to share because of how much God’s love and grace means to me.

This is my last week of online classes for the semester, so I should be able to get back to posting regularly soon!

Last Week of Classes!

So, this is the last week of my online courses through Liberty University Online! I have a ton left to do, but once this week is done, I’ll have a break for Christmas. I will have to start back up again next semester, but I will be dropping down to part time, so I think that will free up quite a bit of time. Speaking of which, someone just recently said they don’t know how I “do it”, meaning, how I go to school, raise my kids, homeschool, and write. And you know what the answer was? I don’t!

That’s why I’ve decided to drop down to part time with school. I have said from the beginning that I will have to adjust and readjust in order to keep my priorities in line, and that’s what I have to do now. School was taking too much from the other areas of my life. I can’t be a full time student and give all the attention to my kids that they require at such a young age. I have written very little over this past few months as well (as you could probably tell from my blog posts). 

Hopefully, dropping down to part-time schooling will help me find a balance in my life, but I guess life is a lot of trial and error when it comes to this kind of thing. I’m realizing more and more that it does no good to hold onto what my current idea of what life should or should not be with a tight fisted stubbornness. God might have different ideas or take me down a different road. And if I hold onto what I think I want, I might miss out on the joys of what God has in store for me. 

Are you trying to make something in your life work, even though that thing is taking away from something more important? How do you decide it’s time to re-prioritize?