Showing posts with label Ken Kuhlken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ken Kuhlken. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

LORILYN ROBERTS BOOK REVIEW: “Midheaven,” by Ken Kuhlken






As a Christian, I found Midheaven a fascinating read. The protagonist is a 17-year-old girl, Jodi, in her senior year of high school on the threshold of adulthood.  The story begins with her hiding in a cabin in the Toiyabe National Forest, barely surviving on cans of food brought to her by her longtime friend, Charley.

Her life is miserable, like a beastly animal, rather than the beautiful young lady attending Mount Rose High School the year prior.

Little by little, the reader is introduced to the people in her life: Her dysfunctional parents; Mr. Oswald, her favorite teacher; Charley, her friend but not “boyfriend”; Maggie, her best friend, who marries Geoff, a Christian “freak”; and other, less important characters in the plot but important in the development of the theme of the book.

The characters represent a type or archetype worldview that is flavored with a distorted understanding of Christianity. Each person in his own way has been either enriched or destroyed by the perversion of his beliefs that justifies his sinful actions.

We have all seen these “types” in our own life: The holier-than-thou Christian who judges and beats you over the head with the truth; the woman, as in the case of Mr. Oswald’s mother, who is the epitome of a Jezebel; Mr. Oswald, who will never accept Christianity because of his mother’s influence; and Charley, who doesn’t profess to be a Christian, but who is more a “Christian” than most; and Jodi, who longs to be loved and accepted. To gain that love, she compromises her virginity with a jock at school, who later taunts and bullies her.

Underlying the main plot are multiple subplots—each person struggling with his own sin, making poor choices, and hurting others in the process. The one thing that seems to be missing in everyone’s life is “love,” except for the forbidden love that arises between Jodi and Mr. Oswald.

When Jodi is shown a video of herself secretly taped by someone making love to Mr. Oswald, her world begins to unravel. She becomes shamed by her actions and conflicted in her newfound faith, knowing what she is doing is wrong, but unable to conquer her guilt or feel God’s forgiveness.

Mr. Oswald is a coward, and it’s his cowardice that destroys him—without God’s love, we will do cowardly things that ultimately hurt ourselves and others, shattering lives and dooming us to death.

The long-planned escape to Paris to live “happily ever after” never happens, and Jodi becomes a victim of everyone’s expectations for her, living in her own self-imposed solitary confinement.

But there is hope: She kills the charlatan who attempts to destroy her; she sees God’s beauty in the animals of the forest, in the trees and the flowers and the lake that bring her comfort and peace. And Charley is there, the always faithful friend and not her lover.  She asks herself, “Every day I wonder – what kind of man will sacrifice to help me please a God he doesn’t yet believe in?”

Jodi sees the berries in the forest, “still tiny and green.”  A dog attacks her that she fights off, and she discovers beneath his snarly teeth a scared creature, “whimpering and cowering.” She loves the unlovable and cleans the trash from the meadow.  The reader is left with hope for Jodi, and to ponder what it all means.

 ******

Ken Kuhlken earned BA and MA degrees in English at San Diego State University and an MFA degree in Fiction Writing at the University of Iowa. He is the author of novels, short stories, feature stories, and book reviews. His stories have been honored with Pushcart Prize nominations, a National Endowment for the Arts Literature fellowship, as a finalist for PENs Ernest Hemingway Award for the best first published novel, as a finalist for the Shamus best novel award, and as the recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martin’s Press Best First PI Novel Award. He has taught in the MFA program at the University of Arizona and in graduate and undergraduate programs at San Diego State University; California State University, Chico; University of San Diego; Christian Heritage College; and Azusa Pacific University. Ken teaches writing and literature at Perelandra College. Visit Ken at: www.kenkuhlken.net







Wednesday, April 6, 2011

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “Love Your Characters,” by Lorilyn Roberts: Based on Ken Kuhlken’s Book “Writing and the Spirit”



Love Your Characters

A recent event popped into my head where I misjudged somebody’s comment. Fortunately, it bugged me enough that I said something about it to my daughter, who promptly straightened out my misunderstanding. I was thankful she did and later wondered how many times I’ve misjudged someone and never knew.


As a fictional writer, it’s important to understand the inner workings of even the most bastard character. The psychology of being is at the core of every living thing and crucial to what makes each individual unique. If we want to make believable characters, we better know what makes them itch, do something stupid, or surprise the reader; but to love them? I am not sure I can do that. Perhaps I can love getting to know them better as I create them, but I don’t know if I have the power of Dickens to love my antagonistic characters the way he did.


Friday, March 25, 2011

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “Love Better,” by Lorilyn Roberts: Based on Ken Kuhlken’s Book “Writing and the Spirit”



Fear of being judged is a great spoiler of creativity. Unnecessary rules affect me the same way, and I run from negativity like the plague. I have learned it is better for me to be alone when I am “in the spirit” and writing; hence, my frequent trips to Starbucks.

“Perfect love casts out fear” is one of my favorite passages from the Bible. I have come to believe that those who say negative, unloving things-in reviews, in comments, or in other aspects of living-either are insecure or narcissistic. I may not know which, but I avoid those types of people like roaches. I can make my own pity party without their help. Instead, I seek out those who are full of the spirit. Most noticeably in the John 3:16 Marketing Network, we have individuals who are uplifting and caring about others.


I love the song, “We are one in the spirit, we are one in the Lord...” May we love better as we write because we write what the world needs to hear. As the song goes, “What the world needs now, is love, sweet love...”





Friday, March 11, 2011

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “Be Perfect,” by Lorilyn Roberts: Based on Ken Kuhlken’s Book “Writing and the Spirit”





The context here of “be perfect” should be considered active, not passive. We can never be perfect in the passive sense, but with God’s help, we look forward to what we can become. We can try to write the perfect story, the perfect book, the perfect whatever, knowing humanly-speaking we won’t achieve it, but also knowing we are a work in progress. If we walk with God, the more we learn about Him, the greater the possibility of achieving perfection.



I believe some saints of the arts have come close. I think about the perfection of Handel’s Messiah and Pachelbel’s Canon. When I was in Italy I visited The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. I stared at the painting for about thirty minutes all alone (a gift in itself) admiring its beauty. Even in its compromised condition, the artwork was perfect for me. The amazing masterpiece brought me into a sweet communion with God which I had not experienced for a long time.

As far as the art of writing, we have the greatest story ever told in the Bible. While there may be copying mistakes, do we really see them? I get so “in the spirit” with the beauty that comes close to perfection that I forget it was written by imperfect human beings.

Why would God not continue to dole out creativity like that today? I believe He does. We don’t strive, but we do give God our all, knowing that when we create, we become most like Him, the Creator. As a child of God, we know He seeks to give us more than we could ever ask. When we think of art and developing the talents He’s given us, we can come close to perfection.

Otherwise, why would demons waste so much time destroying creative minds? Look around and see the beauty; it is all around us—in nature, in museums, in music, and in books. God’s creative spirit indwells and woos us to believe in miracles, redemption, love, and hope in art. The world needs us and God blesses us with our creativity for His good pleasure.




Thursday, February 17, 2011

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “Get Real,” by Lorilyn Roberts: Based on Ken Kuhlken’s Book “Writing and the Spirit”



Becoming the person God created me to be has been fraught with unbelievable obstacles. I don’t know whether it is so with others, but from the time I was a child, I have struggled with being “me.” 

A broken home at an early age, unrealistic expectations, lack of spiritual truth, insecurity, and a failure to recognize me as “created in God’s image” kept me on dead-end roads for years.

The gumption never to give up in search of truth was God’s gift. His unconditional love has enabled me to overcome the demons from the past, the lies I believed, and the grace to let go of the hurt. Redemption is the reward in this world for a life well-finished in spite of perilous beginnings. And for that I am thankful.



CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “Creative Writing Killers,” by Lorilyn Roberts: Based on Ken Kuhlken’s Book “Writing and the Spirit”




I have discovered the greatest killer of creative writing is lack of sleep. The second greatest obstacle is worry—about the future, my family, my career, or not being in control.

In recent years, I have made sleep a priority, but I haven’t conquered this dragon. On some days he roars out and I’m beat completely. I tell myself, this, too, shall pass. Tonight I will get a good night’s rest and tomorrow I will begin again. The first step, though, is recognizing the need and then pursuing the need with commitment. I have found that commitment is attainable, though not without sacrifice. Sometimes other things don’t get done. But to be creative, I must get sufficient sleep; no ifs, ands, or buts.

The second obstacle presents a more slippery slope. I call this the battle of emotions. My human nature is to worry; my spiritual nature is to trust God. As pointed out in the chapter, I must begin with the “spirit” to even have a chance of winning this battle. Without God, I can’t do anything. My writing is stale and I don’t even have a desire to write. All my energy is consumed with whatever I am besieged with, and the result is depression.

I have come to realize there is something circuitous about this; I write not to become depressed, but I can’t write if I am depressed. So it begins with the Bible, focusing on God, and prayer. These tenets of the faith help me to be in the right mindset to overcome evil, and I believe it is evil that prevents me from writing. It is a battle of the mind for control—worry versus trust, belief versus unbelief. These battles, though, can be woven into wonderful stories with redemption. That is why I write.