10 Things I’m Thankful For

Here in the United States, we’ll be celebrating a day of thanksgiving tomorrow. So in honor of that holiday, ten things I’m thankful for in my writing world:

1. The privilege to handle the powerful tools of language. During the last year, I’ve been impressed over and over again with the power of words, spoken and written: People are listening—often when I least expect it.

2. A network of friends and acquaintances, both writers and “normals,” whose persistent questions about my work often kept me on track.

3. The completion of a manuscript in under a year. A year ago I would have said that was impossible, especially with all the unexpected interruptions, distractions, and other time-eaters I’ve battled.

4. Reading books and watching movies aren’t leisure or time-wasters—but part of the job.

5. Sharon Hinck’s unbound enthusiasm for my work and especially for Metamorphosis. I doubt I would have had the courage to tackle more than a few chapters of Metamorphosis without it.

6. Continued progress toward publication. Within the past year, I’ve received affirmation from a published author who knows me only in passing, my first request for a full manuscript, the nicest rejection letters, and requests for more proposals than ever before.

7. Though writing can be lonely, I don’t write alone—whether brainstorming with my dad, receiving critiques from another writer, or the hand of God the Creator on my shoulders as I struggle to create order out of chaos.

8. My parent’s support, emotional and financial. Because of them I had the chance to pursue this field of writing and pursue it with a freedom and focus not otherwise possible.

9. My Genesis win, an unexpected—and somewhat unnerving—gift. I entered the first two chapter of an incomplete manuscript on a last minute whim, hoping for some good critiques. What I received was much bigger.

10. God, my Lord and Savior. He is so patient with my stumbling, despite which he provided all these gifts and so much more during this past year, including the courage, hope, and encouragement for me to keep going forward when I often faltered, despaired, and wanted to simply give up. To Him all thanks is due.

Twilight

Title: Twilight

Series: Twilight Saga #1

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Genre: YA (13-16) Vampire/Paranormal Romance

Excerpt from the Preface of Twilight:

I’d never given much thought to how I would die—though I’d had reason enough in the last few months—but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

I stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and he looked pleasantly back at me.

Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something.

I knew that if I’d never gone to Forks, I wouldn’t be facing death now. But, terrified as I was, I couldn’t bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it’s not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.

The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forward to kill me.

A high school junior moves to a small Washington to live with her divorced father, where she meets and falls in love with a vampire.

The Craft: Wow. The writing of Twilight is good.

No, more than good. Amazing. Once you get past the somewhat long descriptions and uneven cadence of the first chapter, the story, the characters, the words themselves pull you deep into this completely believable world.

The characters are dynamic, with a full range of human emotions and mixed motivations. Their arcs of growth are real, logical, and complete. The plot is well-paced, though its style is more of a romance than a horror. Plenty of tension exists internally and externally. The dialogue moves the story forward while being often, witty, playful, humorous, and a delight to the ear.

Not only is the story strong, but so is the writing—the very way the words are used. The description provides enough information without overwhelming the text. Bella’s narrative voice is unique and vivid, though it is sometimes weakened by her self-centered perspective on life. But it captures place, people, relationships, and Bella’s perspective on them all in surprisingly few words. To top it off, the words themselves are lyrical and the flow so smooth that you glide over the printed words as if they are made of ice.

In short, every element in Twilight is so strong that you are irresistibly pulled into the story until the words cease to exist. Only the images in your mind are real—just the way it should be.

The Content: The core of Twilight can be summed up in one word—forgery.

Much like a student’s copy of a master’s painting, Twilight closely mimics the truth in color and texture. But the “truth” portrayed in this story is not the truth of the Bible, no matter how much the values and morals may look like it.

Of particular concern is the relationship between the protagonist, Bella, and her vampire suitor, Edward—especially since this relationship is one of the biggest draws among female teenage readers. But Edward is not the protector/knight in shining armor that so many girls, including me, want. He is a predator—and I’m not talking simply about his vampire tendencies.

It is so hard to tell at first, for like the line separating hero and villain, the line between protector and predator is razor thin. In many external ways, they mirror each other. But the outcome, like hero and villain, is vastly different.

So what are some of the characteristics that make Edward a predator? First, he’s arrogant and egotistical. He carries a disdained for human limitedness, is far too sure of himself, and pushes the boundaries between him and danger until no margin remains.

Then there is how he acts toward others. He manipulates to get what he wants. He has a vicious temper and a tendency toward vengeance. He shows no scruples invading other’s thoughts if it suits him. He shows little or no protectiveness toward anyone beside Bella, including their families, for even a predator will “protect” his prey from another predator.

Yes, Edward can be charming and chivalrous, like opening doors for Bella. But he stalks her on her shopping expedition to another town, watches her consistently at her home without her knowledge, spies on her through other’s thoughts, and nearly kidnaps her against her will. He makes no attempt to enter her world, but draws her away and isolates her from friends and family. And trust is not a two-way street: he compels her to answer his questions while keeping his own secrets. I don’t know much about abusive relationships, but all these things seem to point to such a relationship for Bella. But her obsession and willingness to excuse any and every fault in Edward keeps her from seeing the warning signs.

And teenage girls are pointing to this book and saying this is the type of relationship they want with a guy?

I know. It is so easy to justify Edward’s behaviors alongside with Bella. His anger was toward the villain’s predator thoughts toward Bella. His stalking saved Bella’s life. But resulting good does not make the original behavior good, which leads me to the second major problem with Twilight: desensitization.

Desensitization simply means the systematic removal of the normal barriers we protect ourselves with and is a bigger topic than I can discuss here. (I will soon begin a series on it during my normal fiction and faith posts.) However, Twilight uses the flow of language, story structure, and point-of-view to destroy any defenses the reader might attempt to erect, creating a textbook on how desensitization works. For whether it’s the vampire thread or Bella and Edward’s relationship, the reader is quickly moved from “is this wrong?” (rationalization) to “how can this be wrong?” (calling evil good).

One quick example is the pervasive lying in the story. At the beginning, Bella feels guilty for lying to her mom to keep her from worrying. Then as her relationship grows with Edward, she starts lying to “protect” him (which, by the way, is another warning sign their relationship isn’t quite right). By the book’s middle, she lies to her friend Jessica and her father Charlie about an upcoming date with Edward so she can avoid uncomfortable questions, and at the end she lies consistently without a flicker of conscience.

These are only two of the biggest concerns. There are other flaws in the content as well: Bella’s self-centeredness and defiance of authority (parental or other), her obsession with Edward, her belief that all her worth is tied up in Edward, and of course the whole problem of “good vampires.” (This topic is also too large to address here, but in short blood is sacred in Scripture—both animal and human—and drinking blood is one of the few things forbidden even for Gentile Christians.)

There are some positives in this book, too. Some sweet teasing is exchanged between Edward and Bella. Edward encourages her to tell her dad about their relationship. Edward’s family is tight-knit—I especially loved the baseball game. Bella’s relationship with her dad grows in some positive ways in the book. The violence occurs off the page—we never see the vampires feed, for example. The sexual content in this book is kept mostly to hand-holding, kissing, Edward holding her, and couple milder such elements—clean by the standards of many secular YA books. Edward exhibits some of the benefits of restraint. Bella willingly puts herself in danger to save her parents.

However, the love depicted between Edward and Bella is, overall, the love of obsession, idolatry, and lust, exhibiting few qualities found in First Corinthians 13.

Summary: Great writing is a pleasure to the mind and soul, but great writing comes with its own set of problems: Ideas that would cause only concern under normal circumstances become unusually potent and dangerous, able to slip around normal barriers we place around our hearts as readers and Christians.

Therefore, I highly recommend that Twilight should not be read, especially by its target audience (preteens and teens). Let me emphasize this again: this book is very persuasive and powerful, influencing even those trying to read with caution and discernment, and should be avoided.

Rating: Craft—5, Content—0, Overall—0.5

Note: If you wish to see my detailed footnotes of specific content problems (too extensive to include here), please email me at the address listed on my sidebar or contact me through my main website.

Shade

Title: Shade

Series: None

Author: John B. Olson

Genre: Adult Supernatural Suspense/Horror/Vampire

Excerpt from the prologue of Shade:

“Recite the Gateway Prophecy. Now!” A hooded man swung a staff in a sweeping arc toward a young boy’s face.

“‘The ancient enemy’”—the boy ducked and hopped backward on feet bound together with new hemp rope—“‘in the last dark days of hunt shall rise up to destroy the Standing.’” The boy twisted his staff upward, deflecting the next blow in a fluid motion that circled his staff beneath his master’s defense. “‘Only the long-awaited shall stand.’”

The man sprang back, spun around, and swept at the boy’s feet. But the boy leaped into the air even as he brought his staff down on the man’s shoulder, pulling back on the blow an instant before impact.

“Good!” The old man smiled against the strain of another swing.

“‘By becoming the enemy, he shall shield the world from the enemy’s dark—’” The boy flinched, just managing to parry the next blow. He shuddered as a cold shiver crawled up his spine. Something…something dark…touched his mind like a foul stench.

“What is wrong, child? You’ve dropped your guard.”

The boy frowned up at his beloved master. “Do you not feel it?”

“Feel what? Are you ill?”

“I don’t know. It’s awful—wicked!”

“Don’t use slang with me, boy. If it’s wickedness you fell, you need look no further than yourself—” A rasping gurgle choked off the old man’s voice. His eyes rolled back, then clamped shut until the creases surrounding them showed white against blood-redskin. Veins bulged at his neck as his lips drew back from his teeth in a piercing scream.
“Evil!” The man’s howl echoed around them as he smashed his staff into the boy’s shoulder, knocking him to the floor.
A grad student must separate fact, fiction, and delusion on when she can sense the feelings of her homeless rescuer.

The Craft: The writing of Shade is easy on the eye for smooth and fast reading. Though not the most lyrical or beautiful prose ever written, its simple and straightforward style serves the story well, a solid anchor among the swirling mists of character confusion.

And the characters are often confused, dragging the reader right along with them. Don’t expect any author intrusions to help you here! You’re on your own. The reader knows only what the character knows—and sometimes not even that much; these characters have secrets and surprises just like any human. So while the deep visceral connection with the characters might be missing, you bond and connect with them, if for no other reason than from the necessity for survival.

As for plot, it is not as spine-chilling as I feared, but the story moves at a fast, page-turning paces that takes the breath away. The lack of chill--which will be off-putting to some--was a delight to me and makes the story more accessible to those who, like me, are not horror fans. (What can I say? I just have a too-vivid imagination for the genre.) And while I know some readers have complained about how long it takes to clarify what is really going on, I enjoyed the surreal feel and the challenge to put the pieces together before the characters.

My one “big” complaint was how quickly things became strange after we enter the heroine’s point of view in Chapter 2. While as a writer I understand the need to cut to the heart of the plot by this point in the story, I as a reader wanted to know Hailey a little better before being dumped into such swirling mists. Personally I think the sense of confusion and fear might have been stronger if we had lingered with “normal” Hailey for a little longer.

But whatever the flaws at the beginning, the end more than made up for it. It is the kind that causes a big, contented sigh and makes the reading worth the while.

The Content: When you can’t tell delusion from reality, what do you—what can you hold onto? In many ways, this is the underlying question of Shade. For what we can touch, taste, see, smell, and hear may or may not be real. At the same time, the intangible and inexplicable—these may be the most real things around.

As for other content issues, the one that will stir up the most concern is the vampire mythology that’s incorporated. While we could get into a whole discussion on whether there is any way to redeem or have “good” vampires—a topic I may get into one of these days—Mr. Olson portrays vampires in their traditional style, as evil and a source of darkness. For me, that’s no different than having demons and treating them as evil. More troubling would be the treatment of the good as evil or the evil as good, but that is not a problem in Shade: The lines between good and evil are kept very clear.

Summary: I really don’t understand why Shade has not been published before now. The writing, while not stunning, has solid prose; the story is clean and entertaining; and the content treats the supernatural within the boundaries laid out in the Bible. Accessible to even young teenagers, Shade will be an enjoyable read for many and a must-read for those who like thrilling suspense, vampires, or psychologically challenging stories.

Rating: Craft—4, Content—4, Overall—4.3 out of 5 stars

Buy Shade here, or see my review of book two, Powers, here.

Starring John Olson!

The Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy blog tour has returned! This month I’m pleased to announce we’re featuring John Olson’s supernatural suspense/horror novel, Shade.

It has been my privilege to attend a couple writing conference where John Olson was present and to sit under classes he has taught. He always packed a boatload of information into his lessons, propelled by a wonderful dry sense of humor. And usually there was a story or two about his infamous Christian “vampire” novel that no publisher in the industry would touch with a sixty-foot pole: Shade. (For the full story, check out the acknowledgements page in Shade.)

Anyway, Shade has now finally made it into print and truthfully I don’t understand why it wasn’t published sooner. But more on that in my book review tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out his website for more information about him and his books or stop by some of the other tour participants:

Brandon Barr, Jennifer Bogart , Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand, Kathy Brasby, Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour, Stacey Dale, Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper, April Erwin, Karina Fabian
Todd Michael Greene, Katie Hart, Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell, Jason Joyner, Kait
Magma, Margaret, Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Eve Nielsen
Nissa, John W. Otte, Steve Rice
Mirtika or Mir's Here, James Somers
Robert Treskillard, Steve Trower, Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac, Laura Williams, Timothy Wise

Words of Whimsy Bookstore

Most Friday afternoons I post reviews of sci-fi and fantasy as I search for the best speculative books, both in craft and content.

Now you can browse and purchase those books in my new bookstore, Words of Whimsy. Working as an Amazon affiliate, I have brought together the best book, as well as some of the moderate stuff, I’ve read and reviewed. Now you can see my recommendations at a glance or search those recommendations by age.

Why not stop by and have a look around today?

Blankness

I sit, staring out the window, mind blank.

I should work. I need to work. There is so much that I have to get done, so many lists that await doing. Stories to write. Manuscripts to revise. Books to review. Magazines to read. Email to check. Blogs to compose. A desk to clean.

Behind me, a clock ticks off seconds.

Time slips through my fingers until I end each day with more undone than done. No one source is to blame. Distractions sidetrack me. Projects take longer to complete than expected. Revisions multiply because a stories is not as polished as I thought. Endless interruptions disrupt the flow.

Fresh snow dusts the ground.

Is there no end to the white? White pages of paper unmarked by a pen’s black ink. White computer documents begging to be filled with words. White text boxes empty of emails and blog posts. Only inside my head is there no white. There it is all black, formless, chaotic, waiting the Creator’s command.

A chill seeps through the walls.

Autumn has given way to winter. The light of inspiration has become weak and covered in clouds. The vibrant gold and red and green of descriptions have faded to brown and gray. The flow of ideas has frozen solid. I sit, staring out the window, mind blank.

Will spring ever come again?

When in Doubt: The Overriding Principle

We have studied the biblical foundation for fiction. We’ve measured our maturity. We’ve explored personal limitations. We’ve built our guidelines and created checklists. We’re armed and ready to move boldly through the fictional realms.

Then we bump into the book or movie that defies it all.

It meets only half of the biblical guidelines. It borders the edges of our maturity and personal limitations. And the checklists? Forget it. Half the questions don’t even seem to apply anymore.

What to do now?

Thankfully, we’re not the first to encounter this problem. The Apostle Paul faced a similar complication in Romans 14. Yes, this passage talks about eating meat, but the same principles are relevant to fiction. (Replace “food” with “books and movies,” and equate veggies to Christian fiction and meat to secular works.) So what does Paul say about our uncertainty?

“But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. “ (Romans 14:23)

Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? But when you dig into the verse, you will find that this statement is for our protection. Consider a movie. Which images are easier to avoid—the ones you are trying to erase from your memory or the ones you’ve never seen at all? Like a man defending a castle, we can keep the enemy outside the walls of our mind at bay with less work than the one within our heart’s gates.

So when in doubt, face about!

The Lamb Among the Stars Part 3: The Infinite Day

Title: The Infinite Day

Series: The Lamb Among the Stars #3

Author: Chris Walley

Genre: Late YA (16+) Apocalyptic Sci-fi

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Infinite Day:

The lord-emperor Nezhuala stared at the Blade of Night through the porthole of the tiny autoshuttle.

“It is finished,” he said, his words barely audible above the vibrating rumble that enveloped him. He found himself held spell-bound by the scale of the structure. Even riding at four hundred kilometers an hour, it would take him nearly sixty minutes to travel from the facilities at the summit to Way Station Nine, the lowest level the craft could safely reach. From there he would take the elevator to the base.

I need to make this journey. There are issues I have to raise with the powers. I do not trust the high priests, and my commanders are little better. He heard himself give a small groan. And I need advice on the war. I have to be sure that the powers will act on our side. They all need to put forth their strength, and especially the One.

He looked out of the porthole again. It was not just the scale of the Blade that overpowered him; it was also its complexity. While at a distance it looked like a smooth needle, this close—barely a kilometer above it—he could see that the surface was interrupted by a varied array of immense struts, tensioning devices, and thrusters. Far from being a static structure, the Blade of Night was a dynamic construction. He passed over a vast towing point. And, when the time is right, it will be moved.

“And I built it,” he whispered. A bridge between the realms! One of the greatest achievements of mankind—grater than the mausoleums of the Worlds of the Dead, greater than any fleet of starships ever assembled. As great as the Assembly Gate network—but that had taken them millennia and incalculable armies of men and machines. And this was made by me!

***

A forester-turned-commander and his friends arm themselves against the evil encroaching on their worlds.

The Craft: The Infinite Day is a book of rich language and detailed descriptions. In places, it slows down the story. In others it helps increase the tension. But overall it provides a colorful background for an intricate story.

Like the language, the characters of Infinite Day are complex and detailed. Ranging from the heroic to the villainous, with many divided hearts between, the characters have become fully human. Virtues and vices span the spectrum, mixed and matched until—like real life—it’s not always clear who is on which side. Yet all the choices, both heroic and villainous, are understandably motivated, occasionally spawning sympathy for the villains and frustration and fear for the heroes. The human heart is truly contains worlds of potential, both for good and evil.

The plot continues to be complicated. Some twists are predictable. Others are not. But all forms a cohesive book—a somewhat amazing feat considering the amount of time, space, and points-of-view it covers—with plenty of tension, every thread coming together for a dramatic climax.

Which brings me to the end. Important in any story, the climax and wrap-up are vital to the final book of a series. Many of the series I’ve read fail in this area, often leaving me with mixed emotions. The Infinite Day does better than most. The one irritation was the author intrusion that presented an alternate ending. Knowing what else could be in ways takes away from what is, especially for a happily-ever-after reader like me. Nonetheless, the real ending is quite satisfying.

That leads me to the one major flaw of this book: the intrusion of the author/omniscient narrator. Each appearance of that narrator jolted me out of the story and dissolved the reality made by the complex characters and detailed descriptions. Well-done narrative summary by a POV character would have been as effective, I believe, without the irritation to the reader. As it is, the frequent intrusions (especially during the last 100 pages) detract from rather than add to the tension.

One final warning: If it’s been a while since reading book 2, The Dark Foundations, it will take some time to get into the book and untangle the numerous characters and events.

The Content: Each successive story in The Lamb Among the Stars series has become a bit darker. It is expected, considering story structure and the predominate topic (evil), and The Infinite Day is not an exception to that rule.

So what makes this story so dark? Several different elements can contribute, but in The Infinite Day the main factor seems to be the overbearing sense of evil, both externally and internally.

Externally, the strength of evil increases to the point of hopelessness; more time is spent in enemy territory as evil acquires a human face; and the human tool is high, with several of the characters you’ve come to care about die. In addition, the spots of humor are few and far between, making the darkness even heavier.

Internally, readers must face the darkness of the human heart and the razor-thin line that barely separates hero from villain: every hero has the potential to become a villain and every villain has the seeds of a hero. Compounding this problem is the yearning for the redemption of certain characters—only to watch them walk away from that opportunity.

Is this darkness bad? I don’t think it is necessarily so. The death and violence are handled well so that you usually know what happen from one line of description and character reaction. The presence of evil forces the read to confront its many manifestations and nearness to each of us. But most of all, the darkness causes the light of truth to shine more brilliantly: God’s patience, His power and might, His outstretched hand of grace, the many opportunities for redemption even when not deserved, God’s trustworthiness when all things seem black, the wonder that He should set His love upon such a fickle creation.

Other notes: As an apocalyptic story, some of the events from Revelation are reflected within, often with an interesting and unusual twist. And also therein is contained a potent warning: no matter how close we think we are or are not to the end times, passivity is not right. Evil is evil and should be resisted by the child of God.

Finally, the occult is touched on several times, but it is always properly portrayed as something evil that will ultimately lead to trouble and destruction.

Summary: The Infinite Day is a story of complex characters and well-tensioned plot against a detailed background written in rich prose. Yes, the tale is full of darkness, but the light at the end rewards the effort of the traveler, bringing this series to a satisfactory conclusion. Highly recommended for teens and adults, and easily accessible to the reader not familiar with the sci-fi and fantasy genre.

Rating: 4 for writing, 5 for content, 4. 6 overall

Ready to buy The Infinite Day? Click here. Or also check out my reviews for The Shadow and the Night and The Dark Foundations.

More Than I Can Ask or Imagine

I push send and flop back in my chair. The email was short. No more than a half-dozen paragraphs. Yet my heart pounds as if I just ran a footrace.

My friend assured me that it would be okay to query this author for some help. He had seen samples of my work and seemed to like what he saw. He would be happy to give me what I needed, my friend said. Nonetheless, asking for the contact information of his editor made me feel like a newbie looking for a handout. But my most recent rejection left me with few options.

To reward my daring, I munch on a Whopper from my candy stash and wonder what it is that I wanted from this email anyway.

I can almost hear God laugh and ask, “Yes, what is it you want? Really want?”

“I don’t want the author to hate me and see my request as me using him.”

Silence. I squirm.

“Okay, so I’m kind of hoping he will give me some extra help.”

Too vague. Dream. Dream BIG.

I bite my lip. What did I want? “I’d love for him to offer to put a good word in for me with the editor.” There. I said it. Something big, concrete and measurable—I will be able to tell if my request is granted.

God finally seems satisfied.

I open my email a few hours later. An answer from the author already awaits me. My stomach dives for my toes like a frighten child under a bed. Is this good or bad? The mouse arrow hovers over the email for a full minute or more before I dare click on it.

I skim the letter. What is this? My brain, like Jell-o, repels the words. I read them again more slowly.

The author didn’t offer to put in a good word for me or even supply suggestions on how to approach the editor like I requested. He wrote the editor himself and practically pitched my novel for me.

This time I know God is laughing at me, like a father who gave his daughter a brand-new convertible when she asked for an old beater.

Even daring to dream big, I could not dream big enough.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Checklist for Personal Limitations in Fiction

Culture
Where do you live?
--What issues or topics predominate in your area?
--Which worldviews are most common?
--What stories should you avoid that would reinforce the negative already around you?
--What stories would help counteract the negative?

What kind of work do you do?
--Is your job solitary or people-intensive?
--Creative or logical?
--What kind of people do you mainly interact with (gender, age & worldview)?
--What stories should you know to connect with these people? (In the world)
--Which stories would counter act the negative? (Not of the world)

Relationships
What is your gender?
--If female, are you aware which stories drains your ability to cope with reality or that you tend to impose on reality?
--If male, which stories desensitize you to problems or cause a disconnect from reality?

What is your marriage status?
--If single, are you careful about falling in love with love and how graphic sexual portrayals become?
--If married, do you know how the stories affects your perspective of your marriage?
--If divorced or widowed, do you monitor your reaction and favor the implied, so you can limit how far you delve into the past?

What other relationships fill your life?
--Do you have children or grandchildren?
--Are you a mentor?
--Do you fill a leadership or teaching position?
--Are you aware of your fellow-Christian who may not be as mature as you or has other personal limitations?
--What image does your fiction habits project?

Personality/Experiences
Who are you?
--Which stories build up your strengths?
--Which stories prey on your weaknesses?

What have you experienced?
--Which stories exploit past problems/sins or reopen old wounds?
--Which stories bring healing and increase your understanding of yourself and the world around you?