Christian Music

Hello there,

This may seem off topic, but considering it is on the subject of song writing I'll count it towards the subject of writing.

Christian music nowadays is known for being un-creative, repetitive, theologically incorrect, and generally shallow.
And I was wondering, why is that?
And why is it that so many deeply talented musicians follow the frame that Christian culture has made?
And why is it that when I sit down, wanting to write a out of the box worship song or general Christian music, I can't?
Well, I've been thinking, and I've come up with a few thoughts.
So I wrote them down, and here they are if you care to read them.


1. Christians took away creativity so we don't "show off"

It's true that worship is not a concert. It simply isn't. It is a time between man and God, and it's important that Christians don't get that confused or let selfish desires get in the way of worship
But, things like musical talent are gifts from God, and we are to use our gifts and talents to praise Him.

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given us, let us use them..."
- Romans 12:6

If practically anyone can pick up a instrument, be taught four chords, and then be able to play practically every worship song... talent, or effort, are lacking greatly.
And that isn't good.

And I'm not saying that every Christian song should be near impossible to play, or that it being so easy to play is bad. The problem is why it's so simple, not the fact that it is.

So please, do not think me to be of the devil when I say this;
Things like guitar, bass, drum, and piano solos, complex rifs, complex vocals, "extra" instruments, and deeply thought out lyrics, or even no lyrics, are perfectly acceptable in a Christian song.
And if you are a Christian musician and you are more concerned with the people listening to the music you are making as opposed to God, the problem is where your heart is, not your instrument or song.

And I do not say this while claiming to be guiltless. I play in a praise team, and often lose the reason that I am playing and focus instead on hitting the next note, or thinking of the congregation instead of God, or even just letting my mind wander, while I am supposed to be praising and helping my fellow believers praise by playing music.

And on the note of writing uncreative music, as I said I do the same with worship music. It all comes out like every other Christian song.
Repetitive chords and lyrics, passionless words, and general uncreative things litter my songs when I try to write a worship or general testimonial/encouraging song.

Which leads me to my next point...

2. Christians are forcing music out of themselves 

For many Christian artists, making Christian music is their job. It's how they put bread on the table, so if they want to get payed, they need to produce music.
And as is the case with any career artist (or general artists, really), forcing art out of yourself drains you and produces passionless and meaningless art. The words grow hollow.
That isn't normally a big deal, moral-wise, but for a Christian career artist, it is. Because hollow, inaccurate, meaningless words, when spoken to God, are best left unsaid.

"But I say to you that for every idle word men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment." 
- Matthew 12:36 NKJV


3. Christians need to be careful of their intent

If you are writing a worship or Christian song just to do it (like I mentioned I did), or just to make money, or for your image, or for attention and popularity... you shouldn't write the song.
Or, you shouldn't play the song.

And that's a hard and scary concept for career Christian artists, because, as I said, words lose meaning when they're a source of income.
But, Christian, God will be with you and provide for you.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"
 - Matthew 6:25-30 NKJV

I'm not saying you need to do this. I don't know you or your circumstances. Maybe you truly mean every word you speak in your songs.
But if you need to step back for a bit, especially to reconnect with God, don't let fear for you or your family stop you.

3 (1/2). Other stuff

Other things I don't really have enough to talk about, are...

- Christians mimicking secular music in attempt to make their music better
- Christians not knowing or noticing the theologically incorrect and/or complacency in our modern music
- The fact that hymns, which often directly quote the Bible, are amazing and we should have more revamped versions of them



I didn't write this post to guilt or insult anyone. Goodness knows, I'm plenty guilty of the above, so I do not hold myself higher than anyone else for having these thoughts.

I made this post because the fact that Christian music has grown so shallow, complacent, and uncreative is not good, and is undeniable.
It's especially disturbing when you think of the fact that secular, and even satanic, music is often more creative than Christian music, when we are the ones who have something truly amazing to be passionate about

It is my hope that this post makes us Christians to stop and think for a bit, and maybe spark a passion that causes some Christian out there to write a genuine, thought out, and creative song for God. Goodness knows He deserves it.

I hope you found the above thought provoking and insightful.
If not, I'm thankful that you read it anyways (assuming you didn't just skim through, as I am often guilty of) and hope that you at least liked it.

Until I write to you again, I remain most humbly

 ~ Edna Pellen


P.S. Here's a wonderful cover of a wonderful Christian song, you should check it out: Heart Of Worship, cover by Tommee Profit

Never Have I Ever blog tag

Hello friends! 

Today, I am doing another blog tag, the "Never Have I Ever" blog tag, awarded to me through Mary, of the blog Wild Writing Dreams. 
(Mary is a hilarious and great blogger, go check out her version of this tag here).


Rules:

1. Link and thank the blogger who tagged you.

Thank you, Mary!

2. Include the graphic somewhere in your post (or make your own).

At the top of the post! I made this one, but there's others out there too. :)

3. Answer the questions truthfully and honestly.

Will do!

4. Tag three bloggers

Will do (again)!




1. Started a novel that I didn’t finish

Ehh, yes, I have. But I didn't toss them out all together. I have several books that I paused and will continue some day. But I don't think I ever really gave up on a book (not that I have problems with doing that, especially if the content in it is inappropriate).



2. Written a novel completely by hand

Alas, I have not, for that would require having completed a novel.



3. Changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft

No, and I never ever will! Names are far, far too important to a character to change willy-nilly. Once, I changed a side characters name and the spelling of another name, but other then that, no (not even when a friend of mine said that my main character had a weird name in so many words)



4.Written a story in a month or less

Well, that depends on what you mean by that. I have written many ballads within days, but if you mean something a novel... No, though I have written the length of a novel during NaNo. 

I also wrote a couple flash fiction/short stories that I lost the original documents for, but they were completed within a month. They were probably no more than 2k words, separately. 



5. Fallen asleep while writing

Nope, but it's been close. Lots of zoning out and brain wanderings. I'm pretty sure my brain up and leaves when I really need to get late night writing done.



6. Corrected someone’s grammar in real life/online

As a beta reader and friend to many writers who sometimes ask for help with editing, yes, quite often. 
Outside of that, probably at some point. I try not to because I'm a little sensitive to it myself (being dyslexic and all), so when I haven't been asked to correct grammar I don't. 



7. Yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of a novel

Ah, most definitely. Usually it's during NaNo when that happens. 



8. Used “I’m writing” as an excuse

I have, though I'm not overly proud of the fact.


9. Killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life

No, I'm not that demented. 
Though who knows, that may change.



10. Used pop culture references in a story

Mm... I don't think so. Though I am pretty sure that pop culture has stolen some of my story stuff straight out of my head and turned it into movies and memes.

Oh wait, yes! I am giving a character a literal arrow to the knee as a sort of nod to Skyrim (I remembered this while answering the last question)



11. Written between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Yep, up until... Three in the morning, I think. 

(Note from editing Edna: I actually drafted the majority of this post at around one in the morning, because I couldn't sleep.)



12. Drank an entire pot of coffee while writing

No, I'm not fond of coffee. I admit it is a practical tool, and good on occasion, but I could certainly never drink a pot of it. Two cups of it is enough to fill me with anxiety for days. 
Tea would be a different story, but even then I switch from caffeinated to herbal at around midnight, otherwise i would never fall asleep.


13. Written down dreams to use in potential novels

I have! I have this one story about dreams brewing in my mind that came from a dream.
Wait... It did, didn't it? Oh well now I'm second guessing myself.
Either way, I'm pretty sure I have.


14. Published an unedited story on the Internet/my blog/Wattpad

No, I haven't ever published a story, actually. The closest I've come is putting my poetry up here. The post called something like "poems written in a sick haze" was generally unedited, given I was sick and didn't care about such things, and the poem under my tab "The Name" was edited, but poorly (and yes, I still have it there despite that).


15. Procrastinated homework/schoolwork because I wanted to write

Once I had to write a story for school and when I did I put off all the other schoolwork until it couldn't anymore. 
Does that count? 


16. Typed (or handwritten) so long that my wrists hurt

Yes, to both typed and handwritten.
During NaNo last November, I wrote it all on my phone, so I constantly had my arms up and wrists locked. 
It was a obnoxious sort of pain, very dull but persistent. But I couldn't let that bring me down and stop me from writing, so of course I continued to write in that exact same position for the month. 
And because moving my arms and stretching them and resting my wrists is clearly way too much work, even when typing at a keyboard, I will likely continue on and get arthritis (or, arthwriteis). 



17. Spilled a drink on my laptop/computer (or notebook or typewriter) while writing

Yes. Too. Many. Times.



18. Forgotten to save my work/draft

Ahahahahaha. We don't talk about that. 



19. Finished writing a novel

Sadly not. I have written the length many times, but somehow managed to never complete it.



20. Laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene

I don't think so. It doesn't sound too out of character for me, but I can't recall a time where I did.



21. Cried while writing a scene

Many many times. But to be fair, mostly in the story I a co-writing with my sister, Liana,  or something in relation to it.
I think my leading independent WIP, Roslyn, has made me cry a few times as well.



22. Created maps of my fictional worlds

Yes! I love making maps! I nearly completed Roslyn's map digitally, but of course, the laptop on which it was made and saved died.
I have a lesser completed physical version of the map, but I am sure I have forgotten much from the completed version.


23. Researched something shady for my novel

Yes indeed. I spent quite some time trying to find the solutions to a near deadly wound I gave my dear side character, which meant researching a lot of vital organs, arteries, and the like, as well as trying to research arrow wounds for a literal arrow to the knee online.
All I got for the latter was a bunch of Skyrim memes and topics, and the more of those that I got, the more shifty and specific my searches became.



My Three Nominees for this Tag:


1. Maple from Maple Quill Penning Magic

2. Mattie May from The Blossoming Writer

3. R.M. Archer from Scribes and Archers


Nominees' questions:

The questions are the same ones that I answered, but to make answering it a little more convenient, here's the list:

Have you ever...

1. Started a novel that I didn't finish
2. Written a novel completely by hand
3. Changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft
4. Written a story in a month or less
5. Fallen asleep while writing.
6. Corrected someone’s grammar irl (in real life)/online.
7. Yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of a novel.
8. Used “I’m writing” as an excuse.
9. Killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life.
10. Used pop culture references in a story.
11. Written between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
12. Drank an entire pot of coffee while writing.
13. Written down dreams to use in potential novels.
14. Published an unedited story on the Internet/my blog/Wattpad.
15. Procrastinated homework/schoolwork because I wanted to write.
16. Typed (or handwritten) so long that my wrists hurt.
17. Spilled a drink on my laptop/computer (or notebook or typewriter) while writing.
18. Forgotten to save my work/draft.
19. Finished writing a novel.
20. Laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene.
21. Cried while writing a scene.
22. Created maps of my fictional worlds.
23. Researched something shady for my novel.

And that's the end! I hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to snag the tag and use it on your own blog. 

Side note, I think my posting schedule is evening out a bit. I have a few posts that need a few edits before being posted, but are mainly done, that should keep Bleeding Ink active more than usual. I also have a few things coming up that I'm really excited for (my top secret mission that I can't tell you about yet). So stick around!


Regards, 


                     ~ Edna Pellen

"Everlasting Gold", Mattie May Book Debut!

Dear reader,

I have another exciting book release to rave about!

Mattie May, of *The Blossoming Writer*, will be publishing her debut novel, a historical fiction by the name of Everlasting Gold, this spring!
Here is the blurb for it:

"With America on the brink of Civil War, the successful Dr. Billy Taylor is sent by the infamous Knights of Golden Circle to find the stolen gold of the robber Rattlesnake Dick.
When he needs to get to California without suspicion, he uses his estranged brother Philip's family.
Little does he know how his heart will be caught by his young niece Angie. 
When everything comes undone, will there be forgiveness?
Will Angie still love her uncle after what he has done to her and her family?"


I have had the pleasure of reading the occasional snippet from this story, and if those are anything to go by, it'll be worth the read. 

Please help spread the word of this upcoming release, and show some support to a indie writer by buying her book when it releases later this spring. 

Mattie May is a Christian teen writer. As soon as she could read a desire to write her own stories was kindled. She was always taught the importance of history and soon her love of writing and history were combined into historical fiction.
She lives in central California with her family, two german shepherds and too many cats. 

You can follow her on Facebook, @Mattie.May.Author, or on her blog The Blossoming Writer



Be sure you stop by her blog or Facebook for more information, as well as offer her a encouraging word. Publishing a book is no small thing, you know. 


When her book is released, I have every intention of buying, reading, and reviewing it, so stick around!


   ~Edna Pellen

P.S. I again will remind you that I am still writing posts and being productive towards this blog in the awkward season of only being able to post occasionally, so please bear with me as I figure this out.

Bleeding Ink's Anniversary of Existence + First Spam Comment!

Greetings, my friends,


Last November through December was a very busy time, so much so I nearly forgot December marked this blog's birthday (only remembered it while in a conversation with another blogger, R.M. Archer, who has released a short story collection you should go check out), and I was unable to post anything special.

But here we are, a year and almost three months old. And have we grown much? No, not really. And that is most likely thanks to a very inactive year, at my own fault.
But Bleeding Ink is still here, and I'm still here, and posts are still here.
So I count the past year as a win.

Have I gathered other bloggers to help celebrate? No.

Have I prepared a funny story to share? No.

Have I prepared any kind of creative content in honor of it? No, I have not.


So let the day go on, and if you can find a spare moment, think of this humble page and use it to remember and appreciate all the writers and authors who started small, and all the writers authors who are, now, still small.
One day, they will blossom and finally be recognized as the literary artists that they are.


Now you may be wondering about the second part of the title, "First Spam Comment".
That's right, I've finally hit that milestone. And a strange, yet joyous milestone that is. I have finally reached the ears of random companies and bots.
Surely, I'm only one step away from being noticed by some wealthy, kind-hearted publisher in search of hidden talent, which I totally have.

What was the comment, you may be asking?
Don't go searching for it, you won't find it. Because I deleted it. Because it was spam.

But this was the comment:

What it says, in case you can't read it: "What a lovely and interesting blog. I have read many blogs on the internet but I like your post the most. Thank you for sharing it to our readers", and then there is a list of links, all having to do with Vietnam.

Well, Viet Nguyen, from the bottom of my heart let me say thank you for your kind words. I am honored that, out of the millions and millions of blogs that you've read, I have the humble honor to have written your most liked post.

I also apologize that I didn't respond to your comment in the comment section, that I did not click any of your links, and that I deleted it, but it is spam after all.



So there you have it, a missed blog anniversary and a first spam comment that happened two months ago.
I give you such quality content, don't I?


 Have any thoughts, spam comments, critiques, ideas, or questions, please feel free to reply below (however if you make a spam comment, expect it to be deleted).


  Wishing you well,


                         ~ Edna Pellen  (author of Bleeding Ink for one uneventful year)

R.M. Archer's Blog Tour! Story Review ~ Escape Room

Greeting once again, dear readers!


Happy first day of February! To start off the month, I give you...

 My Escape Room story review!

Let the strenuous act of restraining myself from spoiling the story commence.


I loved this story, much like I said in my *Silence story review*, this has a very quick fish hook beginning. In the graphic above you see the beginning paragraphs of Escape Room, which give just the briefest of looks into the story.
That first paragraph drops you in the story, the second causes curiosity, and the third (which is not in the graphic) keeps you there.

And then it just keeps going, and going, and going, and then- what's this?? It's... it's over??? Already???

I would greatly appreciate a sequel, if you can't tell.


Here's a brief run down...

The Characters:

They are smart. They are really smart. They get stuff done, and move quickly. Which, though it may be a common trait for short stories in general, is so refreshing in comparison to stories where characters mosey along and bicker and add to their pile of problems.
These characters have their priorities straight.
And, each one has something unique to them, that sets them apart, which isn't something I'd usually expect from a short story, but really added to this one.

The Plot:

If you can't tell, it's about a boy trapped in a room that he has to escape.

But wait- there's more! Which I won't tell you because I don't want to spoil it!

So, you best just go read it for yourself (it's worth it, and I mean come on, it'll take you maybe a half hour to read, or a hour at most if you're a very slow reader).


Do I like it more then Silence? That is a tough question.
There were several elements in Silence that I simply adored, and because I know pre-orders aren't arriving yet, I know you haven't read it yet, and I know I still can't spoil it.
So I can't tell you about all of those elements.
But I'll brush over it.

Silence had very powerful moments in it. It was a roller coaster of doubts and excitement.
Escape Room didn't have those same powerful moments, but it did have more character interaction and was faster paced.
So, I like them both for very different reasons.


To quote myself in my previous review, the door of potential is wide open with this story and I would love to see it continue on.
Go buy the collection, read Silence and Escape Room (and the others, of course), then come back and tell me what you thought about them, and if you have a favorite out of the collection (also, tell R.M. Archer on her blog!).


Maybe, on the anniversary of the release of this story collection, I'll come back and give a completely spoil-filled review, that way I can explain more and show specifically what I did and didn't like.
But I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

Find "Escape Room", "Carnival of Hearts", "Silence", and "Caithan" here: **Link**

Follow the blog tour here: **Link**

To learn more about her and her stories, as well as get wonderful writing advice, find and follow Ms. Archer herself here: **Link**



So, now that that's all done, I can disappear again, this time for a complete decade!
I'll try to post more here and there then I have of late. I've fallen into a creative rut, and am still limited in my posting abilities.
I also need to figure out what's up with the email notifications, as the words are too lightly colored to be seen.
Lots of construction and confusion.

Until we meet again, 

                           
                                               ~ Edna