Negative Grammatical Constructions

William Shakespeare is almost universally recognized as the greatest writer of the  English language in history.  He is known to have used double and triple negative constructions for emphasis.

A double negative has two negative words in one sentence.  The effect of two negatives is that the second negative negates the first, rendering the meaning as a positive statement.

In a triple negative construction, the third negative returns the meaning of the sentence to a negative form.  Think of “No, not never!”

The Puritan preacher Thomas Lye (d. 1684, England) pointed out such a construction occurring in Hebrews 13:5.

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5

Lye said that this construction could be translated as "I will not, not leave thee; neither will I not, not forsake thee."  Effectively, this is a quintuple negative.

ἀφιλάργυρος ὁ τρόπος, ἀρκούμενοι τοῖς παροῦσιν. αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκεν, οὐ μή σε ἀνῶ οὐδ' οὐ μή σε ἐγκαταλίπω,  οὐ is translated in English as "no," or "not"  God will never leave or abandon us.

The Christian Origins of Several Science Fiction Writers

Science fiction is often considered to be an atheist endeavor and many science fiction writers would agree.  It is interesting though, how many of them had religious upbringings, many specifically Christian.

Robert A. Heinlein, Baptist; Gene Rodenberry, Baptist; Jules Verne, Roman Catholic; J.R.R. Tolkein, Roman Catholic; Stanislaw Lem, Roman Catholic;  Karel Capek,  Roman Catholic; Anthony Burgess,  Roman Catholic; Jerry Pournelle,  Roman Catholic; George Lucas, Methodist; Stephen King, Methodist; Beverly Cleary, Presbyterian; Piers Anthony, Quaker. 

Marcher Lord Press

In medieval times a marcher lord was a knight who was given lands on the extreme borders of the kingdom.  His charge was to patrol and protect the territory and to develop it to the point where it would no longer be the "frontier."

Jeff Gerke is the founder and owner of Marcher Lord Press, which publishes Christian speculative fiction.  Marcher Lord (http://www.marcherlordpress.com/ ) is an actual small run publisher, not a vanity press, and uses a POD (printing on demand) format.  Instead of print runs in the thousands, a print run is one book.  A successful book may sell hundreds of copies instead of thousands.

Seminary trained Gerke is a novelist, editor, and now, publisher.  His company fills a niche, with Christian fiction which a Christian Booksellers Association publisher would not consider.

My own personal interest in Marcher Lord came about because I have several unpublished science fiction novels either completed or in progress.  Marcher Lord is not Doubleday or Putnam or Scholastic, but it apparently has hundreds of aspiring authors who have submitted novels for Mr. Gerke's consideration.  So many, in fact, that he has had to close his acquisitions for up to a full year because of his backlog of submissions.

Etymology

To help them to continually improve their writing so they can choose just the word they want for a particular situation, many writers study etymology. The study of word origins adds richness and depth to their use of words. Many writers know exactly the effect a particular word will have upon their readers and, they know why. Words carry a lot of "baggage;" underlying meanings which make sense when they are explained but which resonate below the level of conscious thought.

The word "etymology" is derived from "etymon" (ετυμον: Greek for "true meaning"), plus "logos" (λογοσ: Greek for "word" or "study.") A word's history is traced by studying the history of its usage, the meanings of the root words from which it is constructed, and its changing meanings and usages over the years.

An example is the derivation of the word "depend," "De" (Latin for "down") and "pendere" (Latin for "to hang"). The word "pendere" was also involved in the development of the English words "pendulum" and "pendulous." So, to depend on someone is to "hang down" from them. Without the one doing the supporting, the "depender" will fall.

The believer is in a state of dependence upon the grace of God for his/her salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:17.

Christian Writers Seeking a Literary Agent

      Words to the wise among those Christians who aspire to be published writers. Your very first step should be to make sure you have done all the necessary background work: you must understand grammar, composition, spelling, hooks, syntax, voice, how to control the speed of the reader, etc.  If any of these things leave you staring into space go back and study some more.  You don't have to become an expert on all these things to be a writer, but should at least have an idea what they are.  Having something to say must be matched with knowing how to say it.  You wouldn't try to drive a car before you knew where the brake release was, would you?

       Once you are ready to try to secure the services of an agent for what you write, be aware of this uncomfortable fact: the odds against you ever getting an agent and/or ever being professionally published are astronomical.  There are literally thousands of well-qualified writers wanting the same few available agency slots.  Most of them will have only limited or no success in their writing careers.

      There is much more "product" available (yes, I said that) than can be professionally published or, for that matter, even given more than a cursory glance by a prospective agent.

If your book doesn't arrive at just the right time and in front of just the right set of eyes, it will probably be glanced at and tossed into the "slush pile," destined to receive a rejection slip.

      Literary agents are very helpful to a writer.  They're your "foot in the door," so you should keep on improving your writing and submitting your work to them, even as you accumulate a thick stack of rejection slips and letters.  You'll know you're getting closer when you begin to get polite, personal responses from the agents.  This is the time to be, to quote Elmer Fudd, "... vewwy, vewwy, caweful."

       Not all literary agents are really literary agents and not all people associated with Christian publishing are Christian.  Some are total frauds and some are just "questionable."  One of the numerous writer's help websites, Writers Beware, says it has a list of almost four hundred questionable agencies.  One of the listings, Writer's Literary Agency and Marketing Company, has at least twenty-three aliases, including The Christian Literary Agency.

      Warning signs:

1. Charging up-front fees before any sales are made.

2. Offering paid editing  or publishing referrals.  A literary agency should not own or be financially affiliated with companies which offer these otherwise legitimate services.  It creates a conflict of interest.

3. No record of prior sales can be found.

4. Any misrepresentation of the agent's qualifications.

5. Non-standard contract terms.

      The best way to ensure ethical behavior from an agency is to deal only with an AAR (Association of Author's Representatives) certified agent.  AAR agents must must pledge themselves to a very high standard of ethics.  You can expect a very high standard of service.  The flip side is that they can, and will, expect certain things from you or they will not represent you.

      Some CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) agents are not AAR certified.  Most can be assumed to be ethical because of the specialized nature of what they do.  A few may not be