Nancy B. Kennedy

This morning, I read the very sad news of the Army chaplain who was killed in Afghanistan. You can read it here.

Chaplain Dale Goetz was the first Army chaplain killed in action since 1970, during the Vietnam War. The Air Force has not suffered a chaplain's death since then, and the Navy may not have either.

While writing my upcoming book, Miracles and Moments of Grace, I spoke with military chaplains from all branches of the service. Several of them told me that military personnel often view them as something of a rabbit's foot, that if they have "the Chap" with them, all will be well. Even more than that, there's an unspoken belief that chaplains themselves are exempt from harm, because they have "an in" with God.

But it doesn't always work that way. One of my chaplains tells a story of riding in a convoy in which two soldiers were killed. He grieves their loss, and is grateful his life was spared. But he told me emphatically that he doesn't believe God protects him any more than anyone else, that his life is no more precious to God than anyone else's.

The last year that I have spent speaking with military chaplains has been the most exciting and the most rewarding year of my career. I have loved telling the stories of these chaplains who are charged with the spiritual well-being of our nation's military. Though I did not know Captain Goetz, I have come to know many of his fellow chaplains. I am sorry for the Goetz family's loss.

"Ma’am, Thanks for contacting me. I’m currently sitting here in my hooch in Baghdad. It is nice to know someone wants to tell our stories."

These words of gratitude came to me from an Air Force chaplain deployed in Iraq last year. He had gotten word that I was writing a book of stories told by military chaplains, and he had one he wanted to tell me.

This chaplain's story is one of about 50 stories I'm telling in my book Miracles and Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories from Military Chaplains. My editor and I are working feverishly so my publisher, Leafwood Publishers, can meet the launch date of March 2011.

I've heard so many wonderful stories -- touching stories, heart-breaking stories, even funny stories. One chaplain talked down an armed homicidal soldier, and another composed a dying soldier's last letter to his family. One told me of how a simple Christmas card helped him overcome his homesickness in Korea. Another chaplain led a "whispered service" surrounded by the enemy in a Vietnamese jungle. One chaplain tells of being tracked down by the NCIS at the request of the woman who later became his wife!

Our military's chaplains are eyewitnesses to amazing displays of divine intervention, whether in small moments of grace or through events experienced as miraculous. It is these moments that I want to bring to life, so that these spiritual advisors and mentors to our nation's three million active and reserve duty military personnel can be recognized and celebrated.

I'll be blogging about my chaplains and their stories in the months to come. I'll also share some well-known and some lesser-known stories of chaplains whose brave and selfless actions landed them in the history books. I've never enjoyed writing anything as much as I have these stories. I can't wait for you to read them!

I was reading this article Story Love on salon.com today by Jean Hanff Korelitz (cousin to Helene Hanff, who wrote 84, Charing Cross Road.) Ms. Korelitz explains in the article why she stopped writing literary fiction and began writing thrillers. She says this:

"Though I never stopped reading those novels praised for their prose, imagery and characterization, I have developed a tendency to hurl them across the room with increasing velocity. If nothing has actually happened after a hundred pages or so ... whomp! Some of those flung opuses, moreover, are by authors I had previously esteemed for their writing; but their writing alone, alas, is no longer enough to hold my esteem. Harold Brodkey? Beautiful writer. Whomp! Louise Erdrich? Beyond compare as a crafter of sentences. Whomp! After all, I think, life is short: TELL ME SOMETHING."

I just had to share this because I love it! And because Ms. Korelitz is doing a reading and signing of her book Admission this Sunday, June 13, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Princeton Elks Club to benefit the Hopewell Borough Public Library. A worthy cause!

Last fall, I wrote an article about two missionaries, Walter Erikson and Edward Tritt, who were martyred in 1952 while working in the country of Dutch New Guinea (West Papua today). It was published by the mission agency's magazine TEAM Horizons.

After the article appeared, I got a call from the college the men attended, Columbia International University. They wondered if I would expand on the article for their magazine, Connection.

The Connection editor gave me free reign to write as much as I wanted and submit as many photos as I had. In this magazine, we were able to tell a more complete story of the murders. I interviewed classmates, the men's fiances or their relatives, people who were inspired to mission work by the men's sacrifice.

You can read the Erikson-Tritt story here in CIU Connection. It was a privilege to work on this story that might otherwise have been lost to history.

I've never gone on at length about writing. I'm not a teacher, for one thing. But, also, so much about the act of writing seems so basic that I don't want to insult anyone by harping on it.

But recently, I had the eye-opening experience of reviewing excerpts of first novels from aspiring writers for Amazon's annual contest. For the assignment, I read 40 excerpts of about 10 pages each, everything from mystery to science fiction to general literature.

For each excerpt, I answered three questions about the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript and my overall impression of it. Then, I was asked to rate for prose style, originality and interest level, among other criteria.

After reading my 40 excerpts, I have come to see the wisdom of continuing to repeat the basic advice that aspiring writers need to hear. Here is my take on the basics of writing:

1. Write about what you know. Don't write about urban gang life if you've never set foot in a city. If you know nothing about the FBI, don't write a thriller based on its inner workings.
2. Know the English language. Proper use of spelling, grammar, punctuation and usage is essential. Many writers apparently think it's not. Editors are not your moms -- they aren't going to clean up after you.
3. Read your writing out loud. Not only will you catch mistakes, you'll also improve the flow of your narrative and the strength of your dialog.
4. Life is people. Some stories were so plot driven that characters were stick people, pawns in the writers' hands. People are fascinating -- explore them!
5. Get your head out of the video games. Most of the writing lacked depth. The effects of cartoons, video games, and jittery animation were painfully evident. Writers tossed off pop references, one-liners and snarky asides to stand in for any real scene-setting or character examination.
6. Be an original. Most literary themes are as old as the hills. You can breathe life into them, but your take has to be fresh.

Writers, I urge you to take note of any and all advice you receive. Mastering the basics is essential. And good luck with next year's contest!

I have got to get a digital camera! We visited family in Rochester, NY, over the weekend and took a walk along the frozen shores of Lake Ontario. I've never been a fan of the cold (moved away as soon as I could!), so I'd never seen Hamlin Beach in the winter.

The wind must come in off the lake and whip around in circular patterns. The beach was lined with conical "snow dunes" with carved-out interiors. It looked like a long line of snow forts! The "floors" of the forts had a few inches of snow piled up, so of course we immediately started in on a snow fight!

I've looked for photos of these snow dunes online but can't find any. I've resisted digital photography as I love film and my dad worked for Kodak for 30 years. I'm supporting his retirement every time I buy a roll of film! But I can see the beauty of digital. I could have posted photos on my blog now. But, NO! First, I have to go to CVS and have my photos put on a CD. It does seem kind of silly, doesn't it?

We're having a cold snap here in the Northeast. The temperature has been in the teens (with wind chill) for over a week.

Even though I hate the cold, every time it gets this cold, I race outside to try a science activity I've had posted on my bulletin board for years. It never works! I want to blow soap bubbles that freeze as they fall. I think it has to be colder still.

If you live in an even colder climate than mine, would you try it for me? Head outside, stay out of the wind and blow a few bubbles. They should freeze before they fall, and then roll around on the ground.

Look at the amazing photos of frozen bubbles this talented photographer has captured. How beautiful they are!

If you're successful with this activity, let me know how it went. I think my husband and I will have to take a trip to the northern climes of Canada, Finland or Norway sometime. It's always been his dream to see the Northern Lights. I guess I'll have to go along, shivering and shaking, if I want to see these bubbles, too!

When I read a book, I always turn to the acknowledgements and scan down the names to see what writers have to say about their editors. I've been an editor in my career, as well as a writer, so I like to see that side of the desk get its due.

When I got my start as a freelance writer twenty some years ago, I worked at a great local paper, U.S. 1. It bills itself as Princeton's business and entertainment paper. It's targeted exclusively to the Route 1 business corridor, not to any one particular town along it, like Trenton, Princeton or New Brunswick.

The editor there, Rich Rein, has a stellar background in journalism, dating back to his days at Princeton University and then his writing days at Time and People magazines. Despite my journalism degree and my years as an editor for Dow Jones, it is Rich who really taught me what it is to write a story.

Now that the newspaper is celebrating its 25th anniversary, I thought it was high time to acknowledge Rich's influence on my career. So, I wrote a column titled What U.S. 1 Really Taught Me. Well, actually I titled the column "What Rich Rein Really Taught Me," but I guess he didn't want to take all the credit -- or blame. When you read the column, you'll understand. Hope you enjoy it! (Sorry, Rich!)

In 1952 Dutch New Guinea, two young missionaries trekked into the uncharted Bird's Head area of this Indonesian island. In doing so, they lost their lives.

The story of these two men isn't as well known as the widely reported story of Jim Elliot's party of five missionaries killed in South American four years later. Because of the involvement of a Life magazine photographer, the latter story came to the nation's attention in a big way.

But now, more than fifty years later, the pioneering efforts of the earlier missionaries, Walter Erikson and Edward Tritt, have borne surprising fruit in the very same way that the Elliot party's did.

I wrote an article about these two missionaries to what today is called West Papua. It was a supremely satisfying story to research. I interviewed people directly involved with the story and had first-hand access to letters, diaries, newsletters, photos and trial documents. This allowed me to re-create the incident in greater detail than is possible for many early martyrdom stories.

You can find the story of Erikson and Tritt here in the magazine TEAM Horizons. Scroll down to Legacy: Erikson and Tritt and click on View. Then open the document as a PDF file.

Often, when tragedies occur in our lives, we have no idea why we have been called on to suffer. It is the privilege of the families and co-workers of these two men to be witness to the rewarding ending to this story more than 50 years later. I hope you enjoy reading it.