The Things We Authors Must Learn

When I started writing, I learned that I must show more and tell less. That meant describing the places and people I was writing about. I worked on that and improved.

There were more instructions, one of which was read a lot. No problem with that because I loved to read, and so I read more of the genres I wrote in. More inspirational pieces, more poetry, more children's books. I’ve learned from people further on in the journey, writers who’ve paid their dues and worked hard to get to where they are. Authors whose writing I enjoy, whether they’re household names or not.

It seemed I was always hearing a new set of directives. At workshops, at conferences, and from fellow writers. It’s like anything else, the more of it you do, the more you study, the better you understand and process it. That works for me, because as I write, I process information and figure out how I feel. Well, maybe not hard science and math, because my brain doesn’t handle those as well.

Then there’s the matter of social media and promoting the books we write, whether alone or in tandem with other writers. That’s a whole different matter. I have a Facebook page and a website, which I also have invested in.

My current learning curve, quite steep I might add, is moving a blog from one place to another. After collecting the files, uploading them to the right place, I learned I needed a new domain and I could have that within my website. And so I did the work on my own of acquiring the new domain. That was likely the easiest part.

 I was already using that blog platform, so once I can access the site, I may be home free. Well, maybe not free because I had to pay for help, to actually get it up and running. Once I can get in — just happened today — I can post again. It has felt like quite a lengthy project between my work and my summer activities.

Being a Christian is a process too, one where we get into it and learn along the way. A long way. We try to understand a teaching and put it into practice — not always the easiest thing to do. Unlike paying someone else to do it, we have to put in the time ourselves and ask for help when we need it. And we will eventually learn if we just stick with it. We’ll learn what we’re able to absorb.

 Our prayers may not always be answered as we’d like — something I learned a long time ago — but they will be heard. And that experience doesn’t stop me from asking again when I need wisdom or direction. Or to say thank you for a prayer that's been answered.

 We are assured that God loves us, that Jesus took on our sin for us that we might be redeemed and forgiven. That part is out of our hands, already done. It’s grace that makes it possible.

Carolyn Wilker is an author, editor and storyteller from southwestern Ontario. In her spare time she spends time with friends and family. Her trusty cell phone camera is ever ready for interesting new pictures.

Please note the new location of Carolyn's blog, Storygal. http://www.storygal.ca/ 

Stop by and leave a comment.

 

 https://www.carolynwilker.ca/

Learning Discipline through Blogging

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

Today’s topic is the title of a devotion written by Melony Teague.  It is one of ninety devotions in As the Ink Flows: Devotions to Inspire Christian Writers & Speakers. The writing prompt asks: “Do you blog? If not, consider creating a blog as a form of self-discipline in your writing life. If you do already have a blog, how can you better use it as a tool to establish the habit of writing daily?”

Mel’s prompt encouraged me, and fellow author Claudia Loopstra, to jot down the benefits of consistent blogging.

We came up with seventeen; can you help us reach twenty?

A blog can:

1.       Honour God

2.       Be a forerunner to a book

3.       Provide personal accountability

4.       Stretch our minds and spirit daily/ weekly

5.       Share our spiritual gifts

6.       Be a witness to others

7.       Hone our writing skills and vocabulary

8.       Improve our ability to write concisely (300-500 words for a topic)

9.       Market our published works

10.   Create a ‘brand’ for our writing

11.   Highlight other authors and their  published works

12.   Share information

13.   Encourage  others to start the habit

14.   Provide conversation starters and comments

15.   Develop our ‘voice’

16.   Build relationships

17.   Become a published article

Love is in the Air ... and in the Vacuum of Cyberspace by Steph Beth Nickel

First, I must say, “Thank you, Glynis, for the invitation to post regularly to TWG blog.” Guest blogging is, indeed, something I love to do, thus, the title of today’s post.

Guest posting … there are conflicting ideas about the wisdom of inviting others to post on your blog. After all, don’t readers pop by to read what you, the blog owner, have to say?

That certainly may be true if you are the author of several books with a following of thousands or tens of thousands. However, many (most) of us are not at that point.

Plus, some blogs, like this one, are set up with the intention of having a number of different contributors.

Here are six things I love about guest posting:

1. I don’t have to come up with a topic. Sometimes my eclectic interests make it a challenge for me to zero in on my target audience and what I should write about for my own blog and website.

2. People I wouldn’t reach otherwise read my words—and hopefully, are encouraged.

3. By writing for others and seeing how they lay out their site, I get ideas for my own online presence.

4. I am becoming increasingly adept at using sites such as pixabay[dot]com and picmonkey[dot]com to create graphics to include with my posts.

5. As is the case for many writers, a looming deadline serves as a great motivator.

6. As a result of guest posting, I have developed friendships with those for whom I blog and others.

And six things I love about inviting others to guest post on my blog:

1. It provides encouragement to other writers who do not have their own blog.

2. It validates those who question the relevance and worth of their words.

3. It gives timid writers the opportunity to connect with an “audience.”

4. It gives these writers the opportunity to encourage my readers.

5. It gives my readers the opportunity to read something unique, something with a different voice.

6. When I was blogging regularly, it gave me a break.

So, to my fellow TWG members—and others—who welcome me to their blogs regularly, “Thank you! The vacuum of cyberspace is anything but dark and dreary because of you.”

If you have a blog, do you invite others to guest post? Regularly? Every now and then?

Do you guest post for others? What do you love about doing so?

"Take Your Time" - by Heidi McLaughlin

I am fixated on the British Open Golf Tournament taking place in Scotland at the Royal Troon Championship course.  It’s the 3rday of the tournament and Phil Mickelson, my favourite player, is in the lead. I focus on his drives, short pitches, brilliant putts and the interaction between him and his caddy. “Jim Bones” Mackay has been Phil’s caddy since 1992 and they have established a trusting relationship.  

This part fascinates me.  On every tee box both Phil and “Jim Bones” go through the routine of Phil’s next shot. They establish wind velocity, precise yardage, angles and hazards. Conversation takes place back and forth; they pick the right club, Phil steps up to the tee and then I hear Jim Bones' last words, “Take your time.”  With that simple, yet powerful send off for success, it feels like everyone can breathe again.

We need to hear “take your time” more often. We live in perilous times where we take pride in how much we can pack into one day.  Taking our sweet time about anything is simply not an option. It might even be considered laziness.

Little children teach us to savour the moments. They love to take their time playing with Lego, sitting and listening to stories. We are the ones who teach them to hurry. I can still hear myself, “Get your coat on we’re running late.” “ Quit fooling around, you need to eat your lunch so we can get out of here.” I wonder if subconsciously we learned that it’s bad or wasteful to take our time.

Our relentless pursuits to find fulfillment and success cause us to become weary, overwhelmed and sometimes cynical. I don’t think we were designed to hurry our way through life. Jesus modeled simplicity. “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-29 MSG)

I confess I am also a card-carrying member of the rat race of blogging, tweeting, posting articles, Facebook memes, Instagram, Pinterest and on and on. But with all that we've invested in becoming writers and speakers I would like to suggest that we pause and “take the time” to learn from Jesus and enjoy our journey. We are to throw off all those things that are “ill fitting” and focus on the things that will bring us joy on our pathway to success. So I have to ask myself, “What do I need to take the time to throw off so that I can live freely and lightly?”

Not many of us have a “Jim Bones” to help us become successful and remind us to “take your time.”  But we have Jesus who says we are to watch and learn from Him how to live freely and lightly.  Jesus never hurried. He took time to interact with people and model The Father’s love. He focused on His purpose. He changed the world. What can you and I learn from Jesus that will help us to stop hurrying,  “take the time” and enjoy our privileged season as writers and speakers?

Heidi McLaughlin lives in the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagan Valley in Kelowna, British Columbia. She is married to Pastor Jack and they have a wonderful, eclectic blended family of 5 children and 9 grandchildren. When Heidi is not working, she loves to curl up with a great book, or golf and laugh with her husband and special friends. You can reach her at: www.heartconnection.ca

Heidi's latest book RESTLESS FOR MORE: Fulfillment in Unexpected Places was released July 14th, 2016 and can be purchased on her website or amazon.com

Goodbye

This will be my last blog post.

When sifting through my goals for the year and the next ten years, I am having to prioritize what I most want to do with my time. I am primarily a fiction author and I would like to write fiction – something I haven’t been doing at all lately. I also am a part-time college instructor and the owner of a small publishing company. I am working 50-60+ hours per week and need to remove something from my schedule.

When I examine the phenomenon of blogging, I would compare it in the print world to a column. Though I have done many things in my writing career, I have never been inclined towards being a columnist. Even when I was editor of a small newspaper, I would write news and feature articles and some profiles, but I always sought out others for the regular columns. So that is perhaps part of the issue here – why I dread it so much when my turn is coming up to blog – it’s just not where I’m naturally inclined as a writer.

I think there are some excellent bloggers out there. Sheila Wray Gregoire, Tracy Campbell, and Jean Ann Williams come to mind. I have been an active part of The Word Guild blogspot for the past five (or possibly six) years and would love to continue to support it but I know there are many other fine writers out there who will continue on.

So farewell and thanks for all who have read my posts in the past. Thanks especially to Peter Black who regularly comments on all of our posts. It’s great to know that someone is out there!

Dorene Meyer

Author of Jessie's Secret launching on March 28 at McNally Robinson in Winnipeg, MB