Category: The Legend of Chip Journal

First, let me start by stating that I have nothing against devotional books or the authors who write them. I love to read devotional books and find them inspiring and uplifting. I’m simply answering a question that constantly comes my way.

Why don’t you write devotional books?

I asked myself this question several times while starting out on this writing journey. Any writing expert would tell you that, as a Christian, writing a devotional book full of inspiration would be a wise choice. That in this uncertain world, Christians crave inspiration, motivation, and a deeper understanding.

So why don’t I write devotionals?

I want to be inspiring. I want to write something motivational. I want to help my fellow Christians. However, I also want to tell a story that’s entertaining. When I look at my life, I just don’t see anything exciting or entertaining to write about.

As a child, I remember reading wonderful stories, full of excitement, adventure, and something else under the surface. A deep flowing river of emotions. Emotions full of values and understanding. Flowing directly from the author, and pouring out over the pages.

As an adult, I still love those books, and other books like them. Those authors wrote timeless tales of adventure, bravery, heroism, and valor. In their stories, you didn’t need superpowers or high tech gadgets to save the day. That sometimes the average person could win in the end.

However, nearly every one of those stories had one thing in common. The main character of their stories, “the hero”, always needed a little help. They couldn’t defeat the “Big Bad” on their own. That most of the time, help comes from unexpected places.

I write Fictional stories. My goals are to inspire and entertain readers, the same way that the authors of old inspired me and millions of other people. I believe that’s it’s still possible to be a Christian and write fantasy. That this is what I’ve been called to do.

Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Legendary.

It’s a question you can ask all day long and get completely different but correct answers.

“What time is it?”

Time. We’re obsessed with it. How to save it. How to spend it. Where can we get more of it? It arrives before we want it, and is gone before we know it.

My favorite movie is Groundhogs Day. If you’re not familiar, it’s about a guy who is stuck living the same day over and over for years. Every day he wakes up and the same thing happens all over again. I love this movie because it allows me to fantasize about what I could do if I had the same day to do over. What would I do with that opportunity?

The simple truth is that time cannot be saved. We cannot put it in our pocket or place it in a jar for a rainy day. Time goes on with or without us and yet foolishly we seek to somehow make it last longer.

We cannot go back. As much as we all love to dream of time travel, it’s just not relevant. Time is a metric. A measurement that we use to track and plan our lives. No matter what we do, we cannot add another second to the day. Time marches on.

My grand point to this post? It’s a question. What are you going to do with the time you have left? Are you going to attempt to fight against it?

Me? I’m learning to live with it. Better yet, live in it. In the moment. Understanding that this life isn’t coming around twice, no matter what lies beyond the veil.

What we do here is what we leave behind. Good or bad, our actions will determine our legacy. How people remember us. How our family remembers us.

It may sound odd to some, but writing Historical Fiction has made me evaluate my life a little closer. To ask the hard questions. What have I done while here on this journey to make things better? Have I shared love, kindness, and hope? I’m trying to, and I’m going to keep continuing to try.

I may never be a millionaire author, but I’m going to keep writing. My hope is that my writings will somehow inspire and entertain others in a positive way. I firmly believe that God has called me to do what I’m doing. If being a father, husband, and writer is all He ever asks of me, then I’m satisfied. By His grace, I’ll have left something positive behind.

What’s your goals? What’s your calling? Are they the same? Are you going to achieve them before the clock runs out?

Tick tock, tick tock …

An excerpt from my next novel, The Perilous Journey:

Taking his first step onto the cabin stoop, Chip bit back a curse as the wooden plank beneath his boot creaked. Gripping the pistol beneath his coat, he waited for Stymie to come racing out the door. To his surprise, the moment passed without any sounds or sudden movements. Instead, an eerie voice from within the cabin reached his ears, singing the same lyrical tune over and over again.
“We should not be here,
Though we must be somewhere.
So here we be,
Doing the deeds of the one,
That shall set ye free.
Be not burdened by yer fate,
Yer blood shall be used to clean the slate.
For I shall always bring to slaughter,
The sheep me Master bids me offer.”
The sing-song rhythm made his skin crawl. Worse though, came a sound that pierced his heart. A woman’s voice, weak and pleading, interrupted the demonic song.
“Please … please doth not do this!”
“Ah, but alas I must. Me Master would not reward me if I did not obey. Ye can stop this though. Ye can end yer suffering. Beg for me to end yer life. It be all that me Master requires of thee.”

The Perilous Journey – Coming Soon

I could write 1,001 stories where my Antagonist (aka the villain) wins. However, the truly amazing stories are the ones where he LOSES.

Problems exist everywhere you go. You cannot run from them. You cannot hide. You must face the problems of life and encourage others to do the same. Believe and have faith. Together, we are stronger.

#SaturdayMotivation

When I think back about what inspired me to write, I realize that initially I had zero inspiration. I wrote to escape. I wrote to express my feelings. I wrote to relieve stress.

I began writing to get away from adversity. To leave reality behind. Now, I find myself understanding life in a way I never thought possible.

Not once, when I began this journey, did I suppose that I would become a writer. To one day be the author of a published book was laughable. Today, as I write my second book, I find the whole idea maddening. Yet for some reason, I cannot stop. I cannot turn whatever this is off, and I don’t want to. I have found a purpose to write.

Writing Historical Fiction requires a deeper understanding of the past. You have to step into the shoes of those that have gone before you. While doing this, I realized that the inspiration for every modern accomplishment comes from someone that has gone before us.

Something that was said. Something that was done. Something. Something inspired someone to take the next step … to write the next passage … to invent the next modern marvel.

As a writer, we have the opportunity. Strike that. We have the privilege to do something that might change the world. And even if we only inspire one reader, we’ve accomplished something.

We’re always looking for inspiration, but we tend to forget that our writing can be inspiring to others. The biggest obstacle between a writer and inspiration is their own self-consciousness.

We rarely see ourselves the way that others see us. Yet writers have a tendency to write personality traits into their characters subconsciously. Traits that they often don’t even associate with themselves.

Does this mean that people subconsciously act without conscious thought? Do we truly know ourselves, but our conscious mind shields us from certain traits to prevent us from reacting in a negative fashion?

For example, an individual is a “hero” at heart, but lacks the common sense to prevent them from getting themselves killed. Does the conscious mind recognize this and suppress it, leaving only the subconscious mind to know of its existence? Does it lay dormant inside that person until it’s absolutely needed?

Another example, an individual has a “dark side” that is kept hidden away. They’re not aware it exists but it manifests itself in moments of extreme pressure. Does the conscious mind suppress the darkness, knowing that their moral code just isn’t strong enough to stay the course?

Can someone train themselves to spot the qualities that lay hidden beneath the surface? Does it require divine intervention or simply a special talent to assess a person’s soul? If you had such a gift or talent, how would you use it? What would you see inside yourself?

We blame human nature for the things we do that are wrong, but we never praise it for our good decisions. Is human nature all bad or can it be redeemed?

Who are we down deep inside?