Think, Reason, Believe...Pray

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

prayer.. (Photo credit: aronki)

Jean Purcell

Follow on Twitter @opinaripeople
and @OpineBookCafe

The Latin word opinari means "to think, to reason, to believe." It is the root of the English word "opine," a favorite of Sherlock Holmes. Opine is the word my husband and I chose to name a place we once had, where we went to reflect, read, and discuss..."Little Opine." At Little Opine we mainly worked on the overgrown land, made repairs and trips there to take trash-bins-on-wheels to the end of the drive for pickup days.

We visited Little Opine on weekends for a couple of years. In winters, we made wood fires in its little alpine stove. Little Opine is where I started to plan for the first book of our start-up publishing company, named Opine Publishing. Exhausted Rapunzel by Deirdre Reilly became our first full-length book, a humor book by a newspaper columnist we know very well.* 

Opinari, being the root of our name and ideas, continues to resonate with us. Think, reason, believe. Those words lead me to think pray. Writers of books for thinking readers need a life of prayer. The Psalms are a good start for those not yet practicing this.

I agree with the view that when one can hardly think, reason, or pray, we still believe. Faith remains because love remains. The times when we lean intensely into prayer for strength, steadiness, and love...are the times when it is most difficult to pray. Here is also where selected psalms can help us to pray. We can read and pray anywhere, sitting or kneeling, walking, enjoying the outdoors...

Everything done through Opine Publishing has been covered in prayer. We are human and Opine is a small publishing house. The new eStore features other publishing houses' books as well as our own. "And crown our efforts with success"...the pleasures, insights, and refreshment of memorable books.    

*first daughter

Opine Publishing titles:

Refugee Was My Name by Mogama/2012

The Mourner's Comforter by C. H. Spurgeon/2007

Only Believe  by Beryl Adamsbaum/2004

Not All Roads Lead Home by Jane Bullard/USA/expanded edition/2004

Seeking God's Face by Beryl Adamsbaum/2003-04/USA and UK editions

Not All Roads Lead Home/UK/original edition/Study Guide(out of print)/2000

Not All Roads Lead Home by Jane Bullard/UK/original edition/1996 

Be Ready to Give Answers

 
Whatever we are doing, we need to be ready to describe it succinctly and to tell why we do it, if we enjoy it, why, and if we find it difficult, and why, and other questions that are often part of our own inner dialogue about what's going on in our lives. 

I work with writers, and also I write. It is important to prepare written descriptions and to be ready to answer orally, depending on the inquiring media, whether print, web site and blog information ("about" tabs), and for anyone that interviews you for print, audio, or visual media: 

Be ready to answer key questions. You do not want to have to think as you answer. You want to be ready to remember what your answers really are, before the questions are asked. 

Be ready to give the same or similar answers every time. 

What kind of writing do you do? 
Short answer examples: The genres/categories of your writing-fiction, nonfiction, or personal narrative. 

Longer answer examples: If fiction/ based on a true story, or romance fiction, or adventure fiction, or historical fiction, or mystery, or children's, for example; if nonfiction, for example: how-to, essays, book (or movie) reviews, op-eds, news (or public interest) columns, biography, general information about...

What is your book about? 
Short answer example: You can choose from the genres above, with a little information: It's a novel about a family/navy,WWII, love and hate....use your information to its best advantage to spark interest.


Expanded answer example: It's a novel about two brothers caught up in a competition that threatens to destroy not only them but their community/corps/secret society....choose the best and most interesting and informative words that best describe the true central theme of the story. 

Another good example: Read the beginning of "'Mumbai Diaries' Review" in Related Articles at the end of this blog post! Notice how the words carefully selected to describe the 'about' flow to create interest.    


How long did it take you to write it? 


Are you working on anything else now? What are you working on now? Answer this kind of question in a way that will spark interest yet will not deflect interest from the present work. Refer back to the last published work and continue on its theme or title.

What helped you the most in the writing of this book (article/series, etc.)? Or, What kind of research did you have to do?


How did the idea come to you, to write about this?

How did the characters come to you, especially the villain? Is he/she modeled on someone you know?

What do you most enjoy about writing, and why?

What is most challenging for you, as a writer? 


How are sales going? This is a very personal question. If you have a publisher, defer to the publisher, who keeps the numbers. But speak positively about the potential for interest in this book and why people should read it. 

Why should I read this book? Why should anyone read this book? This is your chance to be ready, to answer clearly and concisely. For example: I wrote to tell a story that intrigued me. I wrote to bring the reader into it along with the characters (name two key ones, perhaps), and to keep the pages turning with increased interest.


Most of all, take your time, having prepared in advance with answers that are accurate, interesting, and, perhaps, entertaining. Be ready to open yourself up without being wordy and without faltering. You should not have that shocked expression, as if you had never thought about the questions you might get. 


Every interview, every summary you write, and every mission statement or book/article description you do for yourself will help prepare you for these moments. Opportunities may come at unexpected times, when a stranger in a group after a meeting or at a get together will ask similar questions of interest. 

Be true, be interesting, and be ready!

Related Articles

• Fiction + Research (twowritingteachers.wordpress.com)
• How to Do a Genre Study with Young Students (brighthub.com)
• The Top Ten Colleges for Writers in the US (brighthub.com)
• who says i have to write??? oh yeah...that's right...I did!!! (haight68ashbury.com)
• Blaze through nonfiction books like butter (freakrevolution.com)
• 'Mumbai Diaries' review: a long way from Bollywood (sfgate.com)

You Need to Know Your Strengths

'Had an interesting conversation at a reception today in DC. Someone told me about Gallup Press's Now, Discover Your Strengths book. It has a quick assessment tool, developed by the people who do stats and poll designs. The tool identifies five or more key strengths, such as analytical thinking, communication, and strategic thinking. It takes under 30 seconds to do the assessment. Then, a report is given. (Not yet sure how that works, but will find out.) Then, one can get information and ideas about how to develop weaker strengths.
As well as creative thinking and writing skills, we need to develop skills related to organization, planning, plotting, managing, strategies, analysis, Search Amazon.com. I'm going to order a copy and do the assessment. More later about this.