What would Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren say? by Sharon Heagy

 In our everyday encounters with our fellow humans, we may be bombarded by recommendations and opinions offered by family, friends and neighbours, both solicited and unsolicited. Some of this advice is good and solid, based on experience and knowledge. Wise words build up and encourage, even when they may be tough to hear. Other advice can be hurtful and demeaning and leave us drowning in a discouraging puddle of tears. 

In 1943 columnist and nurse, Ruth Crowley, started writing an advice column for the Chicago Sun-Times under the pseudonym Ann Landers titled, "Ask Ann Landers." She wrote from 1943-47 and from 1952-55 when the column was taken over by Esther "Eppie" Pauline Lederer who composed the column until 2002. 

Not to be outdone, Esther's twin sister, Pauline "Popo" Esther Phillips began writing a rival advice column for the San Francisco Chronicle titled, "Dear Abby" using the pseudonym Abigail Van Buren whose name she derived from the name Abigail from the book of 1Samuel and Van Buren a former U.S. president. She wrote this column until 1987 when her daughter, Jeanne Philips, took over. She continues to pen the feature to this day. 

When "Popo" took up her pen it caused quite a competition and a lengthy estrangement between the sisters. Both women used a "straightforward, tone, practical advice and a firm but modern moral sensibility" as well as "humour, including sarcasm and one-liners, in their responses" according to the Jewish Women's Archive. But from what I remember reading the columns in the daily paper as a kid, their advice wasn't always wise or helpful and sometimes held a mean streak. But what do I know? I was only a kid and was not wise to the ways of the world or the adults in it. It's not like I spent a lot of time reading advice columns. My leanings led more towards the funny pages. Oh boy, that's an antiquated phrase. Perhaps I should say comics. Yet even the word newspaper is almost antique. 

Writing this post posed a challenge as I have received numerous good tips and some great advice from a plethora of sources on the internet, in books and in person. How do you choose the absolute best? Each one suited a particular time in my writing journey. Perhaps what has tickled and inspired my author's brain would be a yawner to you. On the other hand I have gleaned some great stuff this month from the posts of others. See, that's the thing, we all need to seek out great advice.

How do we do that? There are a few places I have found terrific motivation and would urge you to give some a whirl.

1. Attend conferences and workshops and WorDshops. Take a class. Attend events wanting to nourish and excite the writer within!  Be teachable and find out what sparks a fire in your belly. Take LOTS of notes.

2. Read books about writing. Anne Lamott, Annie Dillard, Natalie Goldberg, Stephen King, Julia Cameron & Brenda Ueland have all written inspiring books on writing. Grab one and get food by gnawing on their knowledge of the craft.

3. Don't dismiss anything, even if it seems dry and uninteresting. Dig deeper because there may be a nugget from the Lord that is worth the mining.

4. Read Scripture and let the Lord speak to your heart.  Some of my favourites regarding those called by God to write are;

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,"

1Samuel 15:22 "But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

Psalm 102:18 "Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord."

Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. 

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."

And finally, take all those suggestions, throw them in the tub and bathe them with prayer.

Write on, my friends, write on and may God's hand be upon your words.

Sharon Heagy writes from the wonderful town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan where she lives with her husband, a big dog and furry cats. She writes to bring hope and humour to a world that needs both. She can be reached at sharonheagy@gmail.com 

Thanks for taking the time to visit today. God bless.

The Best Writing Advice by Dana-Lyn Phillips

 

What is the best writing advice you have ever received, and why?

I am extremely new to the craft of writing. In fact, it has not even been a year since this new world opened up to me, and I’m not embarrassed to admit that…it’s a lot! It used to be that writers would write for a newspaper, magazine or a book and that was their sole focus. Seems to me it was simpler back then.

Now, with websites, social media outlets, and endless talk of ‘building your platform’, the world of writing seems as though it’s become quite complicated. If that weren’t enough, according to so-called “experts” you now need to add audio to your work, live stream Q&A periods, reply to every comment, and post notes five times a day in order to even hope to be successful.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many writers out there who are managing all these different avenues – and doing it well, but that’s not me.

I have received a lot of great writing advice throughout the past year but the message that stands out the most is from an article written on Substack by Grant Herbel. On August 26, 2025, Grant posted an article titled “How to Know if You’re Actually Called to Write: The Relief of Shifting from Seeking Tasks to Receiving Identity”. In Grant’s article there are three sentences that spoke loudly to me.

1. “You’re not a writer who happens to be a Christian. You’re a Christian who may happen to write as one expression of your identity in Christ.”

2. “The goal isn’t to become an influential writer or build a successful platform. The goal is to lift up Christ, who will draw all people to Himself.” (John 12:32)

3. “When success becomes faithfulness rather than follower counts, the metrics anxiety dissolves. You’re free to write from rest rather than striving.”

All three of these quotes describe who I want to be as a writer. I don’t want to be driven by numbers. I don’t want strangers telling me what hoops I need to jump through to be successful in this industry. I’m here only because God orchestrated a big change in my life and He led me here – to the world of writing. If I’m being completely honest, I still question why I am here, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is what He wants me to do right now. So I show up and I seek His guidance as I move forward.

Knowing who I want to be as a writer, and knowing who my co-pilot is in this endeavour, doesn’t rid me of confusion from the things I read and hear. It’s still really difficult to wade through the contradictory advice that comes daily, from every direction.

Somedays I still question if I am making the right choices in my writing, or if I am doing all of the things that I should be doing to move forward, but then I remember who is in control and I trust His leading in my career and in my life.

God led me to writing, God gave me the articles I have written, God helped me to create a space on Substack. And God knows why I am here, at this moment in time, and what His future plans are for me. I want to stop focusing on numbers, as a measure of success, and instead focus on lifting up Christ, who will draw all people to Himself. If I can do that, then I can trust God will do what He wants with the numbers.

 

Dana-Lyn is a wife, and mother to teenage boys as well as a 14-year-old cava-poo named Hockley. She is passionate about encouraging Christian women in their faith and is stepping into her mid-life "calling" as a writer. Her happy place consists of a comfy chair, a great book, a hot cup of coffee and a chocolate…or three! You can read more of her work at https://plansfargreater.substack.com

Do What You Can by Susan Barclay

 

I was hoping to refer back to a previously written post on the best writing advice I’d ever received. Unfortunately, if I wrote one, I wasn’t able to find it. Fortunately, I can still answer the question for this month’s prompt!

First, I agree with much of what’s already been shared by others here over the last two weeks, including (but not limited to) Alan’s, “keep writing,” and much from Brenda’s multi-point post. Carol’s “Do I really need those words?” reminds me of Stephen King’s admonition to “kill your darlings.” And I absolutely love Peggianne’s advice to “pray first.” So essential, though sadly I admit to often forgetting.

The best advice I received recently was in a response to my June 2024 contribution, R is for Retirement, where Alan shared, “I write regularly, but in a way that suits me. I know some of our dear writing friends write for so various hours per day, or every other day. I don't follow this pattern. I write according to my writing energy level on a particular day. There are days I can write for four to six hours, whereas some days only two or three. I am my timekeeper. If I have a deadline, say for our InScribe blog or something else, I make sure I meet the deadline with time to spare. The thing is, I do what I can and what I love in my writing.”

This model meets my needs in this current season as I am still providing 24/7 care to my elderly mom, whose birthday is today. I would tell you how old she is, but then she would have to kill me! I am not ready to stop writing for such a dramatic reason, LOL.

So, I aim to follow Alan's suggestions:

● I write as regularly as I can, “but in a way that suits me…according to my energy level.”
● I aim to meet the deadlines for InScribe Writers Online, with time to spare.
● “I do what I can and what I love in my writing.”

I’m thankful that while God equipped me with the gift and love of writing and wants me to use it, Christianity is not a works-based faith. He knows what’s going on in my life and He knows my heart. He doesn’t want me to beat myself up over something outside of my control (my available time and energy level in these trying days). While I wait for a time when I am free to write more, I trust His good reasons for extending this period of shared suffering. His ways and timing are perfect, even when we do not understand.

If you are going through a hard time where you feel your life is on hold, what advice do you give yourself?

______________________________

 

For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com.

Keep Writing by Alan Anderson

 

The Why to keep writing

The writing prompt for March has been a brain scratcher for me, but I finally settled on how to respond. After being a contributor to our blog for ten years, I have received a lot of encouragement from our group. Welcome advice and counsel from more experienced writers have also accompanied this encouragement. The title of this blog post might seem simple to many of you, but it summarizes my response to our prompt.

We, as writers, receive the words, “keep writing,” as an encouragement to persevere in the craft we all love. We can never underestimate our love for the written word. This love is a powerful motivation for us to continue developing our writing skills.

My personal response to the Why

Lord willing, I hope not only to keep writing, but to write well. I pray the words I write will outlast my life here on earth. With the years seeming to pass at a quick pace, I realize there will be a year that will be my final one on earth.

The past year, and into 2026, has challenged me with health conditions in no hurry to end soon. My writing energy has suffered as well. Concentration to keep writing is now a daily challenge. This is where perseverance becomes part of my writing endeavours.

I keep writing as part of who I am, the way God created me to be. Indeed, I am not everyone’s go-to guy for such things as writing advice. In fact, I shy away from giving advice most times. I would rather listen to a person hoping to help them come to their own decisions.

I keep writing to offer hope to people, and perhaps this is a strength of my words. As writers, we don’t have to go far to find people in need of hope. I write to let them know they matter. I hope to assure people someone cares for them. Hope to remind them God loves them, as do I; therefore, I keep writing. There is no reason to stop.

I keep writing with words wrapped in prayer. This is pleasing to God. He loves us to pray for each other. InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship has a special place in my life; therefore, I pray our ministry together makes the world a better place. I conclude with a prayer I wrote in a previous post for those who are serious writers and InScribe in particular.

Bless our words, O Lord,

as they make their way into the world.

Help them touch hearts,

Heal minds,

Blanket souls in eternal love.

Allow our words, O Lord,

To speak long after we have gone to our blessed hope.

May they live as seeds of Your love.

  

Alan lives in a small village called Deroche, British Columbia, with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He enjoys walking on the dike near his home, with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. He has occasionally written articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog is https://scarredjoy.ca. He also writes on Substack.