Okay, “magic” might be a slight exaggeration…
But I’m SO relieved to have finished my book trailer! This technically- challenged chick had to pull out all the stops (and maybe a little hair) all in the name of staying current as an author.
Good grief, writing a book was the easy part…
As a disclaimer, the TEARS TO DANCING book trailer is far from perfect, horrifically poor in the clarity department according to my “high definition” sons, and is not the greatest piece of editing you will ever encounter. But I did it all by myself! Yes, it took me 10 days, perusing thousands of images and tutorials on how to use IMovie, but I actually quite enjoyed the process. Sort of.
How do you condense a book into a handful of pictures- scenarios that encompass the essence of the story?
How would you portray YOUR life if you had to make a tantalizing trailer on it?
Would it be a romance, a comedy of errors, or a mystery? Would it be filled with drama, pain, dreams dashed, or mountains conquered? Think about the highlights mixed with the unexpected.
Your life is absolutely fascinating!
I would have to include several images in mine:
* a young ballerina with big eyes and big dreams
* an 11-year-old preteen kneeling by her bed, Bible open, making the most important decision of her life
* a couple of kids playing in top hat-and- tails and a wedding dress (oh, wait- that’s our wedding!)
* a beautiful pink, frilly, frilly baby
* a plane skimming across the world to a distant land
* joy, a long-awaited perfect baby in a blue Peter Rabbit suit
* shock, as baby number 3 weighs in at over 10 pounds…
* the cover of a certain recently published book!
And so on. Of course, those are just some of the highlights, and in reality it would have numerous freeze- frames of fear, loss, tears, and devastation interspersed along the way, because that’s how life is. If I only had happy little snapshots, there wouldn’t be much of a story.
When I press the rewind button on the movie of MY life so far, I see some of those chilling moments when my eyes are desperate, my cheeks covered in tears. It’s painful to look back on, but in hindsight I know that the tough times have made me stronger, brought me closer to God, and given me the ability to reach out to others.
There was a movie made several years ago about my family- my father’s conversion from alcoholism to born-again Christian specifically. It’s been shown worldwide to audiences looking for something real, something true. It points to the power of Christ, and captures the hopelessness and hollowness of life without Him. Maybe sometimes it IS good for us to look back…
I love hearing a person’s story. Anyone’s story. It’s completely unique, their very own to treasure or share. Our lives are incredibly interesting- complex, individual, and unpredictable, yet woven intricately into the lives of others. Not by chance or happenstance, but by a masterful Designer and Director.
We have seasons of joy and times of sorrow, vignettes of mourning and memories of celebrating. The book of Ecclesiastes says “there is a time for everything”, which really is the premise of my novel. A time for tears, but also for dancing again. All in God’s time…
In finishing, why yes, you can see my book trailer below if you insist! But remember this movie magic is just fiction. It’s NOTHING compared to your story, because yours is real and vital and precious!
Enjoy!
TEARS TO DANCING by Laura Thomas- book trailer
