tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post5292694427930880442..comments2023-10-20T07:44:27.722-07:00Comments on Brandon Barr: Writing for your children: a powerful motivationBrandon Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03850891283015240498noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-29720125284817382232009-01-22T10:54:00.000-08:002009-01-22T10:54:00.000-08:00Hi Amydeanne,Thanks for stopping by. Yes, I agree...Hi Amydeanne,<BR/>Thanks for stopping by. Yes, I agree, a story is quite a gift for a parent to give.<BR/><BR/>Hi Rachael,<BR/>Wow, that's a good question...one I'd really need to think on for a spell. But here are my thoughts:<BR/>I think one can relate/connect more to realistic fiction in a personal way. "Where the Red Fern Grows", "Old Yeller", "Of Mice and Men" etc. These stories hit us hard because we understand them so well...they are in our world and very real.<BR/>At the same time, speculative fiction can help us connect in these areas too, but I think the strength of spec fiction lies in its ability to reinvigorate that which has become familiar to us in our world. Speculative fiction is like parable. HOWEVER, now that you've asked this question, I think my above answer is too simplistic. I'd need to devote much more thought (and words) to this topic...maybe I'll write a blog post on this in the future...<BR/>Great question Rachael!!!<BR/><BR/>Amy :)<BR/>Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog. Yes, books are amazing. God speaks to us through the written word, so it truly is a powerful medium!Brandon Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03850891283015240498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-33190490305697573392009-01-22T06:29:00.000-08:002009-01-22T06:29:00.000-08:00Brandon, just read about your novel from gzusfreek...Brandon, just read about your novel from gzusfreek's blog. Congratulations! I'll look for it.<BR/><BR/>I often think how amazing it is when I read a book that I can touch minds with the author who may be long dead. When I write, I always have someone in mind, whether my children or someone else (real or imagined) who I want to desperately explain something to. What an amazing thing a book is.Amy Deardonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01360116339457651031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-43110318335959829672009-01-21T20:49:00.000-08:002009-01-21T20:49:00.000-08:00Hey Brandon,Thanks for your comment! So, question ...Hey Brandon,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your comment! So, question for you: do you feel that speculative fiction is particularly effective in dispelling that teenage "confusion" so many are enmeshed in? Or are all literary forms created equal in that regard?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-17754481808089447292009-01-21T17:07:00.000-08:002009-01-21T17:07:00.000-08:00Brandon, this is exactly how I felt! I know sever...Brandon, this is exactly how I felt! I know several people looked critical at this book, but considering audience and it's aimed at kids, hey I loved it, and I felt it even deeper that it was written for his own boys! what a legacy to leave!Amydeannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08833632264921874870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-34656125764807845782009-01-21T10:05:00.000-08:002009-01-21T10:05:00.000-08:00Hi Robert :)What you said is so true. A book is s...Hi Robert :)<BR/><BR/>What you said is so true. A book is so much different than other mediums...a book is tediously thought out, examined, re-examined, and then re-examined again through tireless labor. We want each word, each expression, and all the wisdom contained within to be exact. <BR/>That's what makes some books so timeless...it's only natural we would want to pass hard-learned truths and wisdom to our dearly beloved children.Brandon Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03850891283015240498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-86544616699113226132009-01-21T08:52:00.000-08:002009-01-21T08:52:00.000-08:00Great post, Brandon. I'm not participating in the...Great post, Brandon. I'm not participating in the tour this month due to trying to get my own query and proposal out the door, but you've touched a nerve with me here.<BR/><BR/>One of my primary motivations to write is to pass something on to my children. To give them something deeper by which to know me. <BR/><BR/>I'll be 42 in less than a week, and you could say that writing is kind of my mid-life crisis. My father died at 72, and although I hope to live longer than him, I have to face the fact that my life is half over. <BR/><BR/>What can I pass on that has a chance of outliving me? That has a chance even to be passed on to future generations of my children who will have never set eyes on me?<BR/><BR/>Writing. A novel. An adventure that speaks truth in just the way you have expressed it about "The Book Of Names".<BR/><BR/>If I am never published, so be it. I will be happy placing my novel in God's hands, and through him, to my children.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-62714361676879649932009-01-20T22:04:00.000-08:002009-01-20T22:04:00.000-08:00Hi Keanan. Interestingly, once I reached middle s...Hi Keanan. Interestingly, once I reached middle school, I stopped reading young adult fiction and began reading books aimed at adults. I think most kids do. So in writing any book, I keep teens in mind, because I know they could be reading it too.<BR/><BR/>One sad thing I've found is that almost all books for children and teens are about children and teens...what happened to adult role models. When I was a kid, I loved reading about adults...not teens.<BR/><BR/>In my own writing, I hope to give them an adult hero...Brandon Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03850891283015240498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-13807465513718878642009-01-20T21:09:00.000-08:002009-01-20T21:09:00.000-08:00For almost a year now, my niece (the one who's bee...For almost a year now, my niece (the one who's been starring in my blog posts lately) has been waiting for me to finish a story about a boy named Emerson. She's ten; Emerson's seventeen. I was uncertain about trying to interest a pre-teen girl in the adventures of a teenage boy, but the way she took to The Book of Names helped put those concerns to rest.<BR/><BR/>I work with kids every day, but have none of my own; despite completing a course in writing for children, I still feel unsteady on my feet when venturing into that territory. God bless those who boldly go.Keanan Brandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12638962927055276969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-49993531581544332642009-01-20T08:12:00.000-08:002009-01-20T08:12:00.000-08:00Hi Eve,Thanks for adding to the discussion. I als...Hi Eve,<BR/>Thanks for adding to the discussion. I also write for myself as well. It also depends on the type of story I'm writing. Some are more focused for adults, while other I know will pick up the interest of younger readers.Brandon Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03850891283015240498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-34080149775923403292009-01-20T07:14:00.000-08:002009-01-20T07:14:00.000-08:00I have my kids and other people's kids in mind whe...I have my kids and other people's kids in mind when I write as well. Though I must admit I write primarily for me :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185060505158684073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-48763706204767009952009-01-19T16:51:00.000-08:002009-01-19T16:51:00.000-08:00Hi Booksforlife, thanks for stopping by.Hey Rebecc...Hi Booksforlife, <BR/>thanks for stopping by.<BR/><BR/>Hey Rebecca,<BR/>I agree. It's easy to have knowledge stored up in our heads. But nothing spurs heart knowledge (which is born of true conviction) like personal experience. And books can take us--through story--into limitless experience. Through good fiction, we can learn, and hopefully...grow.<BR/><BR/>Hi gzusfreek :)<BR/>A nephew can be like a son! My aunt has been like a second mother in my life, and I love her deeply.<BR/>I don't have kids yet either, but I work with youth at my church, and I know how daunting all the struggles are that they face. I write in part for them (and those like them) hoping to guide them ultimately to the life-giving knowledge of God.Brandon Barrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03850891283015240498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-44534061568271070302009-01-19T13:44:00.000-08:002009-01-19T13:44:00.000-08:00Well said. I don't have kids yet, but am really at...Well said. I don't have kids yet, but am really attached to my nephew. When I write, I carry him with me.<BR/><BR/>What a compelling story -- Briggs' life, I'll have to pick up The Book of Names. I think I've heard of it.<BR/><BR/>I'll also visit the tour. Thanks for the post!KM Wilsherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11250774015974420209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-21436867504293941142009-01-19T13:22:00.000-08:002009-01-19T13:22:00.000-08:00We want to come to understand by ourselves. For th...<I>We want to come to understand by ourselves. For this, fiction can be a wonderful teacher.</I><BR/><BR/>Excellent point, Brandon. I think as we discover the truth for ourselves, even in fiction, the learning goes from head-knowledge to heart-knowledge--the kind we are more apt to act on.<BR/><BR/>BeckyRebecca LuElla Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06823550402103559922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325191.post-83358667880705601552009-01-19T12:21:00.000-08:002009-01-19T12:21:00.000-08:00That's interesting! I didn't know that he lost hi...That's interesting! I didn't know that he lost his wife too... <BR/><BR/>I liked your post! <BR/><BR/>~BooksRae Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05917354721738337104noreply@blogger.com