Why Bother Blogging?

     Why bother blogging? Why learn a new writing skill? Why not stick with what you are familiar with? These questions and a dozen more flooded my mind. 

    When I returned from the 2013 Write! Canada Conference, I had a decision to make. Would I heed the advice of Kim Bangs, whose writing workshop I attended, or would I ignore her recommendation. You see, Kim Bangs, now of Baker Publishing, strongly urged all in her class to begin blogging.

    Did I want to begin blogging? No way! And no thank you.

    But the Holy Spirit might also be called a gentle whispering nag. In the days following the conference, the Spirit kept whispering, "When are you going to start that blog?"

    After a time of resistance, I finally relented.

    "Okay! I'll write that stupid blog."

    Actually, it wasn't the blog that was stupid, but the author had a lot to learn, and he needed an attitude adjustment as well. 

    I stumbled about for a while as I tried to discern a theme and purpose for my writing. Eventually, I began writing devotional posts on the Psalms. Once that decision was made, I settled into a routine writing rhythm, knocking off a daily post of consistent length. In due time, I had devotional posts for every day of the year, and all one-hundred-and-fifty psalms in the Bible—enough to fill three 265-page volumes.

    Why bother blogging? Well the answers have been coming thick and fast for a number of years now. Answers come in a variety of ways. Most often they come in the comments left by blog readers. At other times they come through words spoken directly to me, or through Amazon book reviews. 

    But perhaps the biggest answer to that question came on September 25, 2021 at The Word Guild Gala when I won the Grace Irwin Best Book of the Year Award for Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer, Volume I.

    Yes, my blog posts on the Psalms became an award-winning book with a significant cash prize attached. You never can tell where following the advice of a writing professional might take you. That's especially true if it's accompanied by the Holy Spirit's urgent prompting.

     All three volumes of Psalms 365 are available for the Christmas season. They are a great way to begin the new year. For a closer look or to purchase click here.

    
    David Kitz is the author of numerous books and the chair of The Word Guild.

Reflections on a Get-Away

silent auction table 

Yesterday I arrived at the Guelph Bible Conference Centre for the Refocus writers’ retreat. What a treat to see fellow writers I’ve met at previous conferences whom I’ve not seen in several years. And what fun to catch up on news of what's happening in their life and how their writing is going. It was equally good to meet new writers and those who’d been writing awhile who are new to us.

 

Guelph Bible Conference Centre

Coming back to this place was refreshing in itself, where I started on my first writer’s conference experience when it was called God Uses Ink and where I felt comfortable among people who thought like I did. I held their skills in awe, especially those who had multiple books published or credits in magazines. That was huge for me as a new writer with two publishing credits to my name. I held them as positive models in whose tracks I hoped to follow and writers I hoped to learn from. I was not yet ready for the critiquing (at my first conference) that I would someday learn to do and to teach others.

 

 the chapel

What’s different now is meeting in the new chapel and staying in the comfortable inn rooms. Instead of coming with two published articles, I come with two completed, published books of my own, credits in magazines and anthologies, attributing my success to what I’ve learned from others in those conference, inspiration of other writers, and the persistence to keep going.

 

our meeting room in the chapel

 Remembering those whom I have learned from in conference sessions, personal and online discussions and the Word Guild online forums, I observe what’s changed in the organization since then, such as moving to Facebook for discussions and virtual book launches, and having one of our original founders taking part in the retreat.

There was a change in leadership at one point from our co-founders, Nancy and Wendy, who set us on a good path. We mourn the death of Wendy this summer and acknowledge that there comes a time for changes in leadership and that others with leadership capacity are stepping forward, such as Sara and Donna Lee who organized this retreat. We thank them for their efforts and time.

 

Sara Davison

Yesterday afternoon, fellow writer, Donna, and I took the opportunity to work on our book project together. We looked at what we’d already written and plotted how to move ahead and get the next content written. We’ll try it out on our memoir classes this fall and get some preliminary feedback before taking our project to completion.

 

Donna Lee Sisson

Brian Austin, with some bargains at the book table

Therefore we look at refocusing, and as Donna Lee so aptly put it in her message at worship this morning, refreshing ourselves for writing in the coming days wherever we find ourselves and where God is leading us to write. She shared with us two verses in Proverbs, chapters 4 and 11, to inspire us. And I share them with you too, to perhaps inspire you as well.

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Proverbs 4:25 (NIV)

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24 (NIV)

 

Kathleen and others hard at work

 

 

 

Are Leaders Born or Made?—Carolyn R. Wilker

I read a message in our writer’s group forum this week in which a member posed the question, “Are leaders born that way or are they made?” I had to respond. God-fearing or not, I think leaders are made. It’s true that some individuals who are outgoing may seem to be natural leader material, and they might, indeed, be asked first. But it doesn’t mean they’ll do the job any better.

Allow me, for a moment to share an experience of my own. When I was a new writer, someone in leadership of The Word Guild said we ought to get ready to speak—to offer a workshop, talk about being a writer (“on account of curious people”) and promote a book. At the time a book was the furthest thing from my mind since I’d only written short pieces such as book reviews and articles. How many would it take to make a book? Nevertheless, as nervous as I was just thinking about speaking in public, I spoke about my fear to a fellow writer. She told me about Toastmasters. I said I’d think about it. I had many commitments with daughters still at home and put it off. At least three months. 

Then, in September, I got a call that put more urgency to the matter. After writing a column for our city newspaper, I was called on for an interview by the editor of my hometown Gazette. This is getting serious. I got some coaching from said leader of our writers’ organization and right away made plans to check out Toastmasters. Long story short, after thirteen years of practice in speaking and taking on executive positions in the club, speaking in the community and book promotion, I look in the mirror at the leader I’ve become. In that time, I’d promoted not one book, but three or four, and taught seniors at the community centre for most of those years. At the beginning, I wasn’t running out there saying, “Pick me.” I started because someone else believed in me. Oh, my! Looking back, I see where it's taken me. Looking ahead, I wonder, What else?

Participating in the Toastmasters area speech contest a year ago

In June, I said ‘yes’ to a district leadership position in District 86 Toastmasters for the coming year. That never would have happened otherwise. In fact a lot of things I’ve done could be attributed to that experience, including storytelling.

 

 Promoting my latest book

 

Giving a workshop for Write Kitchener in 2013

Thus my answer to the question: Are leaders born or are they made? I answered positively, “They’re made.” Citing biblical leaders who were afraid of the challenge put before them, they didn’t beg for the position, but they were promised help along the way, that they’d be given the words and tools. Just think how much more prepared Moses would have been had he received leadership training in advance, or that Jonah ran the other way and still ended up going where God told him. And a man in our time who saw possibilities that seemed impossible—Nelson Mandela, a man we see as a true leader.

I take on my role, sometimes still anxious, but less afraid than before because of other leaders who could point the way and answer questions. When people say they will pray for me for a particular challenge, I accept it and believe it will help. The Toastmasters training has helped me be more professional in my presentations, such as not clinging to the lectern, avoiding 'ums' and 'ahs' and all manner of distracting mannerisms, but instead knowing how to prepare my notes, or not use them, and calm those butterflies in my stomach. The strength from God is a great asset. And so I affirm that leaders are made. That’s my truth and I’m sticking with it!

Carolyn Wilker is an author, editor and storyteller from Ontario, Canada.

http://www.carolynwilker.ca/