Writing Naked by Brenda J Wood

 

I am writing naked right now. Oh, not that kind of naked!

What on earth are you thinking! No, not that kind of naked where I sit in front of the computer in my ancient, wrinkly body suit. No! NOT! The naked you mean is someone not covered with clothing or other protective layers. Does fat count? No.

The naked I mean is described as defenseless, unadorned, undressed, stripped and exposed, not adorned by artificial means, not covered with its usual covering. No concealing cover or even unarmed.

And at 5:00 a.m. this morning, coffee in cup and pen in hand, I write my naked truth for all the world to see. My failures, pretense and shame; my attitudes, pain and history; my experiences, self-destruction and memories.

Without this nakedness, my writing can only be described as boring. Without life experiences, we are nothing. We have nothing to share.

Think of a newborn babe who could tell you nothing at all about its experience on earth. But we? We gather stories every single day. Excuse me. Enough of that, it’s time for me to face the world and put on some clothes. It is awfully chilly to be exposed like this.

(Top Photo) By Moe Magners from Pexels.com

Brenda J Wood has authored more than fifty books. She is a seasoned motivational speaker, who declares the Word of God with wisdom, humour, and common sense.

What's In My Bucket? by Mary Folkerts

 

When asked how I fill my creative container, I think of my blue gardening bucket that I lug around my yard each summer from flowerbed to shrub border. In it is everything I think I might need to create a beautiful array of dahlias, snapdragons, cosmos, and rudbeckia.

Here’s the problem with my bucket. It has become a catch-all, with items lost on the bottom that never see the light of day. For that reason, I bought myself a new container this year, one that is shallow and will only carry the necessities.

I wrote a light-hearted poem about my blue bucket and its contents.

You might call us a Mötley Crüe
tossed in her gardening
bucket of blue.
Two left gloves
with holes in the thumb,
a spool of brown string,
pruners and some
odds and ends
she’s forgotten about,
a rusty old hammer,
a trowel,
and no doubt
torn, empty seed packets
strewn throughout—
and I.

It’s a bit of a game we like
to play—
who she will reach for first
in the day.
She, being the gardener
who makes things
grow,
trowel pipes up loud,
“It’s obvious you know.”
I help her plant, to dig up
the ground,
I’ll be the one
she’ll need around.
We all hold our breath
as she bends down low,
she makes her selection
And I'll have you know–
It’s not the first time
that trowel’s been
defeated,
for I am her favorite,
and have not been unseated.
She holds my shaft deftly
as she flicks off dried dirt,
she spits on my blade
and shines on her shirt.
She plunges me deep down,
to dig up the weed,
then I make furrows
for planting the seed.

With my long reach
I help scratch her back,
I prune off the dead stuff
and open the sacks,
of soils and mulches,
make holes for new flowers–
trowel can’t hold a candle
to all of my powers.

See, a gardener does more
than just plant the seed.
She cuts back and digs out
removing the weed.
That’s why she selects me
above all the rest,
I don’t like to brag
but I may be the best.

So at night when the waning
light sends her in,
she nestles me back
in the bucket with them.
And tomorrow we’ll do this
all over again.
I’ll let trowel think
that maybe she’ll win.
But what can I say
since I came into her life,
I’ve become her
favorite— her Hori knife!

I wonder if sometimes, that’s how we think of our writing. We can overstuff our containers with all the tools we think we’ll need for successful writing, but never use half of them. Maybe we just need a few favorite tools to help us stay motivated and avoid getting overwhelmed by everything out there.

Some tools I depend on for writing are–

- Grammarly Pro for sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation.
- I write a lot of quick notes as ideas come to me in my phone's notes app. I save them for future reference.
- I do most of my writing in Google Docs, where it is easy to find back.
- I’ve been writing my debut poetry book with Google Docs, using tabs to create chapters.
- Que Cards are wonderful to put ideas on, and then you can arrange them into a proper sequence.

For writing inspiration, the online community has been my lifeline. Without it, I don’t think I would have ever been able to share so much of my writing. What first really inspired my writing was becoming a member of Compel Pro Writers (with Proverbs 31 Ministries). Since then, I have also become a member of InScribe and The Way Back To Ourselves. These organizations (I’m sure there are many more) can all be found online. They are a place to practice your craft, but also a place for mutual encouragement along the way!

And always, God’s word inspires. This is where it begins and ends, for He has given the desire and ability to put thoughts into words, and He is the One who continues to light the fire within.

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a member of Proverbs 31 Ministries' COMPEL Writers Training, involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/ or connect on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/

Hand Me That Wrench by Sharon Heagy

The 'farmer five.' I may have mentioned this phenomenon before. It is the time frame required when the farmer needs a hand. "Can you come and help me?" he says, "It will only take five minutes." Please understand that a 'farmer five' is very rarely or dare I say ever, five minutes long. Shut off the stove, turn off the coffee, grab the kids, pack a lunch. You may, by some miracle, be gone for five minutes but the reality is that you will probably be gone all morning, all afternoon, or all day. Could be sunrise to sunset, there is no real way of knowing.

If the farmer requires help with livestock, that requires one skill set, but if he needs help with machinery, it's important to know what tools may be required and how to identify them. It took this city girl awhile to grasp a basic understanding of the multitude of tools that are out there. Take wrenches for example. There are Open End wrenches, Box-End Wrenches, Crescent Wrenches, Torque Wrenches, Pipe Wrenches, Oil Filter Wrenches, Ratcheting Wrenches, and Allen Wrenches, which do not look like wrenches at all. And that's only a few! It's of utmost importance to know which one is required when the farmer says, "Hand me that wrench."

There are hammers - claw hammers, sledgehammers, ball-peen hammers, welding hammers. Screwdrivers - flat head, Phillips, Robertson, and Torx head with various sizes for all. There are over 15 types of pliers and over 18 types of saws. Nuts, bolts, sockets and ratchets, oh my! Some use hand power, others use electricity and still others are powered by air. Air!

The bolt size in relation to wrench size confused this 'nut' the most. "Bring me a 3/8 bolt and a 9/16 wrench." This sentence caused me to pause. Why would a 3/8 bolt need a 9/16 wrench? Shouldn't a 3/8 bolt need a 3/8 wrench? Not wanting to ask questions during a stressful farm fix, I kept my questions to myself. Took me a lot longer than necessary to figure out that a bolt and the head of the bolt are actually different sizes and it took me a very long time to commit to memory which size of wrench fit which bolt head or nut. I still struggle. Apparently, it is necessary to purchase an abundance of 9/16 wrenches. They were one of the most common sizes we used and often got lost in the dirt when fixing in the field. If they ever germinate our fields will be full of them and we will be able to recoup the loss.

Writing has a fantastic and expansive set of tools too. First there are the instruments; computers, typewriters, printers, notebooks, journals, page markers, labels and paper in a variety of quality and colour. There are multiple computer programs that boggle the minds of we who are less than tech savvy. Stationary stores are bulging with a plethora of different pens, pencils, markers, and highlighters. I LOVE stationary stores. I ooh and aah down the aisles and inhale the smell of fresh paper and swirl around in comfy unaffordable office chairs.

Our tools are put to good use when we fill our chosen brand of blank pages with words. Verbs, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, prepositions, conjunctions, determiners and interjections combine to make sentences and paragraph after paragraph. We can dangle our participles with the best of them. And don't get me started on punctuation! Now you've done it! Exclamation marks, periods, question marks, colons, semicolons, apostrophes, hyphens, dashes are a light offering of all that is available.

Next come genres, and sub genres. Fiction has romance, fantasy, mystery sci-fi and history in forms of novel, novella or short story. Poetry writers are not just writers of rhyme. There are writers of haikus, sonnets, odes, ballads and elegy. Non-fiction contains such entertainments as memoir, travelogues, devotionals, essays and journals. To write all the categories would take up this entire blog post.

Once you've written something worth reading, the next step is publishing; traditional, self-publishing, hybrid publishing, digital publishing, print on demand. What an abundance of things to learn. It can be incredibly overwhelming. It's all high tech now with no SASE. Now I only get bills and the occasional card in the mail instead of standard rejection letters. The world of publishing continues to change rapidly. Good thing there are wise people who keep up with it all. They are an invaluable asset to a writer's journey.

All of this information is causing me a little anxiety. How about you? Maybe you are experienced and know not to panic. (Sharon, don't panic.)

The writer's energy is fuelled by endless cups of tea or coffee and many a tank of water. It's important to stay both hydrated and awake but not shaky. Be sure to eat, take breaks and move around. Though our tools are powered by the brain and hands and even our voice, there is something much more important with which we need to engage. It's air.

Stop. Take a breath and let it out. Close your eyes. Pray. This is where the power of the writer begins. We need to allow the breath of the Holy Spirit to wrap around the synapses of our brains, and run down our nervous system to our hands to write or type. This Way is the beginning, middle and ending. Him. As the paraphrase of Proverbs 4:12 (NKJV) says "As thou goest, step by step, I will open up the way before thee." There is no need to grasp it all. No need to know all the steps. Just write. Pray, breathe and write and He will let us know what we need to know when we need to know it. Enjoy the process and don't get discouraged. Keep writing and may you be blessed each and every time you come to the blank page, or the partially finished book, or to the end of an article. Let Him be your air, your breath, your source of power and write.

 

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.

Running on Fumes by Susan Barclay

 

 from Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay

                                         

This month’s writing prompt presents a challenge. For me, it must read, “How do you fill your creative container and strengthen your craft when time is not your own and you’re running on fumes?”

The simple answer is, it’s hard. Near impossible for me if I’m honest.

Filling your creative tank and improving your craft require time, opportunity, and practice. Time is a precious commodity in these days of caregiving and sleep deprivation. Getting up before others rise, when I can do it, is time I use for prayer and connecting with others online for friendship and support. I have a limited amount of time for writing – contributing content to this blog is currently the biggest part of my practice in that regard!

Opportunity sometimes comes in surprising forms. This semester my son took a creative writing course at his college. It was an elective we felt he would do well in as he’s inherited his momma’s writing gene, and as the course comes to an end, he is sitting at 99.6%. (Pardon me if I brag, LOL.) When we discovered that he’d have weekly writing prompts, I said I’d do them too. It’s an “opportunity” I took advantage of the first few weeks but discontinued when the exercises got more difficult and time-consuming. However, for the major final assignment, I’ve had the opportunity to provide my son with editorial suggestions and that has been a gift to both of us. One’s craft is strengthened through the analysis and revision of work as much as it is through the initial writing.

If I had more time, I’d write more. I’d work on revisions more. I might take classes, read more on the subject of writing, listen to podcasts, attend writers’ conferences. I’d get out in nature more often and take more pictures, both fillers of creative containers, for sure!

I’m part of two book clubs and since reading is also an important part of strengthening one’s craft, I’m thankful for the challenge of reading a minimum of two books each month, ten months of the year. An excellent book I read some time ago on the subject of writing is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Rennie Browne and Dave King. In Downriver Writing, Jane Ann McLachlan (from whom I once took a course) shares her best writing process. I also recommend Cary Tennis and Danelle Morton's Finishing School (which I first wrote about here), Janice Elsheimer's Creative Call, and Stephen King’s On Writing, which is both a how-to and an intriguing memoir of sorts. FellowScript Magazine, published by our own InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, is a valuable resource.

Other titles I hope to get to on my writing bookshelf include, in no particular order:

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

To Be Told by Dan Allender

Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract by Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook

Writing Young Adult Novels by Hadley Irwin and Jeannette Eyerly

Arc of the Arrow: Writing Your Spiritual Autobiography by Carolly Erickson

Being a Writer by Travis Elborough and Helen Gordon

Writing for the Soul by Jerry B. Jenkins

Memoir Writing for Dummies by Ryan G. Van Cleave

The Portable MFA in Creative Writing by the New York Writers Workshop

WriteShop, volumes 1 and 2 by Kim Krautzer and Rebecca Oldar (a teacher’s manual I purchased when I was homeschooling my children years ago)

I haven't gotten around to reading Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, but I still have plenty of unfilled pages in books I picked up at Indigo several years ago: 300 Writing Prompts and Complete the Story.

When I do have time to read these, where do you suggest I begin?!

_______________________________

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

Keep Our Words Alive by Alan Anderson

 

Our writing prompt for this month’s blog posts asks:

How do you fill your creative container? How do you strengthen your craft? What writing resources do you use? Share books and publications, quotes, podcasts, and other resources you’ve found helpful.

So far this month I have learned a lot from our other members. I hesitate to think about what I can contribute. Yes, indeed, I often lack confidence in how I answer writing prompts like those for this month.

Nature, Solitude, and Charlie

When my creative container needs to be filled, there are a few resources I hold close. On sunny days, the first thing I do is have a quiet time of meditation outside. I leave all my writing materials inside where they can await me.

While outside, I often sit on the porch with Charlie, my poodle pal, and we watch the local birds who share the backyard with us. An extra fun time is when hummingbirds zoom around and do aerial acrobatics. They seem to have no cares in the world. Watching the birds provides all the creative recharge I need for at least this part of my day.

On less sunny and warm days, I sit inside at home in a spot where there are few distractions. I like to be alone as I mull over writing projects. Chronic health issues I live with have played havoc on my concentration; therefore, I find periods of solitude help me focus and recharge.

There are times of solitude, both inside and outside, where I sit in a comfortable spot just to be. Charlie is often with me. Over the years he has taught me the fine art of curling up on a mattress with no agenda. He is the master of the mattress curler.

I write in solitude most of the time: no music, no chatting with others, no noise, just the words jumping out of my head onto a page. I read over the words with no compulsion to edit or change anything for the moment.

Solitude gives me the time I need to reflect on what I am to write, as the words caress a page. In solitude I am never lonely, but sometimes I crave the company of others. When I visit a local coffee shop, I love watching people. I don’t have to chat with them, but I enjoy seeing how they interact with each other. I don’t know of many writer types in my area, so I rely on online contact with writers. Sometimes when I chat with writers online, Charlie sits on my lap and once again curls up and snoozes.

Keep Words Alive

When my creative container needs to be refilled, I turn to the creative work of other writers to help keep my words alive. Our InScribe Writers Online blog is my immediate go-to resource. I can always trust the writers who post there, and I am confident in their skills.

I joined Substack a couple of months ago and noticed a few of our InScribe members are on Substack as well. I hope this platform helps to keep my words alive.

A few years ago, I found an interesting and interactive website for poets from the University of Pennsylvania. The website is https://modpo.org/. This group offers helpful ways to improve and develop one’s poetry skills. There are also courses one may enroll in to strengthen one’s skills. Dear readers, please take the time to look around this website.

My InScribe friends, thank you for the encouragement you offer to us all as we endeavour to develop our craft and keep our words alive. Together we can be a voice of hope to the world. Lord have mercy!

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.

Filling Your Creative Well by Steph Beth Nickel

Photo Credit: City Architecture Countryside - Free photo on Pixabay

The Most Important Well to Fill

As Christians, the most important well to fill is our spiritual well . . . through prayer, the Word, and fellowshipping with other believers (in addition to other spiritual disciplines).

And as stewards of our God-given creativity, it's important that we do our part to keep our creative well full.

Filling Our Creative Well

Below are five disciplines that contribute to the filling of our creative well:

1. Observing and Developing Relationships with Others: While much of the creative process can be a solitary endeavour, observing others and developing our relationships with family, friends, and other creatives plays a vital role in filling the well. Inspiration is all around us. And when we spend time with other writers, we often come away energized and eager to get back to the page.

2. Interacting with Fellow Writers: Not only does time with our fellow writers energize us, we often gain insights from them, get ideas on how to push past a barrier to completing our WIP, learn about new markets for our work...and so much more. Personally, "talking shop" with even one other writer fills my creative well more than almost anything else.

3. Setting Goals: While some writers will insist that we must write every day, others find it better to set aside a block of time once or twice a week. There are countless factors that make each of our lives unique, and we must find the process that works best for us. When we set a writing goal, we must be willing to adjust it if, after giving it "a fair shake," we are not getting the desired results. Setting goals can be helpful, but beating ourselves up for not achieving those goals can do far more harm than good.

4. Scheduling: Are mornings your most productive time? You may want to get up half an hour earlier and devote that time to writing. Does it work better for you to write in the evening after the house is quiet? Instead of scrolling on your phone or watching one more TV show, you may want to reclaim that time and use it to get the words on paper (or the computer screen). And because life is often in a state of flux, our schedule may need adjusting...often. And that's okay.

5. Gathering Supplies: This may seem unimportant, but for some of us, our favourite pens (in a multitude of colours), a shiny new journal, our favourite scented candle, and instrumental music playing softly in the background can be just what we need. 

Below are three resources I find particularly helpful:

1. Podcasts: Listening to podcasts hosted by fellow writers reinforces and adds to our knowledge of the craft and the business side of writing. Three I listen to are Writing at the Red House hosted by Kathi Lipp, Helping Writers Become Authors hosted by K.M. Weiland, and The Modern Editor hosted by Tara Whitaker.

2. Craft Books: There are a plethora of books I would recommend, including these two that I am currently reading: The Intuitive Author by Tiffany Yates Martin, and Dear Writer, You Still Need to Quit by Becca Syme.

3. Novels: There are several reasons to read novels, among them inspiration, developing a sense of genre expectations, learning to recognize what draws us in and what tempts us to set a book aside. And even if we don't write fiction, a well-written book can motivate us to polish our own work. Plus, reading for pleasure is a great way to spend some of our downtime.

And of course . . .

The Key Component

We can read countless hours each day and add to our knowledge base. We can create an extensive list of goals and schedule multiple writing sessions each week. We can nurture our relationships and people watch for hours. We can gather all our favourite writing implements and set up our personalized creativity corner. We can even join writers' groups (such as the InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship) and attend virtual and in person writers' conferences.

However . . .

If we don't actually spend time writing, our creative well will never be full. While the disciplines and resources are important, let's never forget to devote adequate time to putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

Note: Each writer must determine what "adequate time" means to them.

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in this year or next. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

The Resource of Shimmering Images by Sandi Somers

Writers occasionally talk about where we get ideas and inspiration for our writing, but we don’t usually think of them as being a writing resource. Yet they are!

Inspiring ideas are so important that the writer Lisa Dale Norton called them “shimmering images”. She explains:

“A shimmering image is one of those memory pictures you’ve had for years.” It is “a memory that rises in your consciousness like a photograph pulsing with meaning ….You have thousands of these images inside yourself.” They stay with you. You can’t get them out of your mind. “They have energy….these images flitting into consciousness are stories waiting to happen.”[i]

Let’s unpack “shimmering images” and their implications for our writing.

Shimmering images can spring from all five senses

While the idea of “images” brings to mind the sense of sight, they’re also driven by the other senses. The aroma of baking bread reminds me of coming home from school with the house filled the delicious fragrance of my mom’s baking that day, and I couldn’t wait to bite into a piece and taste it. I love the feel of the sun’s warmth on my face as I step outside on a warm April morning. I can be absorbed in my thoughts, but when a bird sings, my attention is immediately drawn to the sound of its melody. Yet these experiences are almost always accompanied by sight.

Shimmering moments take us back to the context of our experience

We see our younger selves as we were then, where we were, and the mystery that surrounded us. For example, in a spiritually transformative event in Colombia, I was debating: should I go home to Canada and stay? or should I go home for a break and return to Colombia to engage in wider mission work? I remember where I was in the missionary guest house, sitting on a rocking chair, feeling the overhead fan blow cooling breezes onto me, and hearing the parrot announce, “Tobito! To-BI-to!” as Tobito the cat strolled into his line of vision. I recalled the sacred silence that followed, and knew my place was back in Canada. It was a powerful moment.

Shimmering images can even occur in an unexpected thought

I think of Tolkien. As a professor in Oxford University, he was marking student papers, and out of nowhere popped the thought that went something like this—“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” He said he had no idea where the idea came from, nor what a hobbit was, nor what he’d do with it. However, the image went on to become a major driving force for writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Shimmering images can arise from all areas of life

Everyday events, from ordinary to breathtaking, become charged with significance. My years growing up in rural Alberta, my hobbies such as reading, gardening, skiing in winter, quilting, and bird watching have all inspired shimmering images.

Farther afield, I lived in Colombia, travelled to other countries, and taught English to immigrants and refugees from 130 countries. Not only have I grown in understanding of many people, their customs, and beliefs, these experiences have given me a wider world view and new shimmering images that energize my writing.

Shimmering images have great emotional impact

It has been said that we remember significant moments because of their emotional impacts. Something startles us, makes us laugh, gives us joy or awe. Or we remember our hurts, a difficult relationship, our rise of anger when we see injustice. All these emotional impacts give shimmering images their power, and according to Norton, are the source of our most potent stories.

Shimmering images can lead to universal themes that touch the hearts of our readers

Our stories can become effective bridges between us and our readers. Readers may not experience the same situations we write about. But larger themes leap off the page and embed themselves into their lives—themes such as hope, forgiveness, healing, growth in our relationship with the Lord, answers to prayer, and more.

And that is why we write. From the heart of shimmering images to the greater themes that touch people’s lives, the Lord asks us to be His co-writers, sharing His greater story. “Go…and tell (others) what great things the Lord has done for you…” Jesus said (Mark 5:19).

In this way we share His love and redemption to a world that so desperately needs Him.

Sandi Somers’ writing passion is to help readers grow their faith in Jesus, including their vision of what God wants them to be and do. She writes in several genres—devotionals, personal essays, and Biblical fiction. Sandi lives in Calgary, Alberta, the delightful city between the Rocky Mountains and the Prairies.

[i] Lisa Dale Norton, (Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir, New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2008), 28-29.

Image by Yuri_B by Pixabay

Cultivating Curiosity ~ Valerie Ronald

 

When my daughter took her niece to the museum, little Hazel was fascinated by each different display. With her nose pressed to the glass, she asked the same question every time. “What does it do?” Her auntie had to think quickly to come up with answers to satisfy the curiosity of a three-year-old.

Curiosity is natural in young children˗˗preschoolers ask an average of 26 questions an hour! However, as people age, curiosity often declines due to reluctance to ask questions or reticence about revealing what they don’t know. A strong desire to discover and understand keeps the mind active, boosts the memory, and improves learning capacity. Cultivating curiosity is a way to slow down the aging process of the mind.

Curiosity is a writer’s best resource because it works as an engine for generating ideas. It drives the creative process, sending a writer down trails of inexhaustible possibilities for writing projects. It fuels the imagination, prompts research in areas of genuine interest, and brings fresh energy to the page, keeping readers engaged.

Curiosity need not be limited to the real world. It crosses over into the imagination to explore possibilities beyond our physical limitations. A prime example is the complex fantasy realm of Middle-earth conceived by author J.R.R. Tolkien. He created a highly detailed mythological world with multiple people groups, languages, histories, and environments. As Professor of English and Literature at the University of Oxford, Tolkien lived and worked where his considerable intellect and curiosity could access extensive resources to inform his epic trilogy.

If I wrote only about what I know and have experienced myself, my writing portfolio would be limited. Curiosity sends me searching for the answers to why and what if?, opening imaginative possibilities I can transform into words on a page. I may live a simple, quiet life, however, the possibilities of where my mind can take me are endless.

A short story I submitted to an InScribe FellowScript Fall Contest grew out of my curiosity about living in a church no longer in use. A Stone Ghost was written because of the following questions and the answers I imagined: 

Who would be interested in buying an old church? ˗˗ A sculptor creating larger-than-life statues requiring open space and high ceilings.

What affect would the atmosphere of an old church have on a man embittered towards God because of his wife’s death? ˗˗ He plans to sell its valuable stained-glass window, then changes his mind when moonlight through the window illuminates one of his statues, sparking an encounter with God.

What catalyst needs to be added to make the story plausible? ˗˗ A motherly woman who asks the sculptor probing questions that help him look at his own pain, then take a step toward healing.

As a curious writer, I constantly observe details and scenarios I can file away for future writing projects. People’s mannerisms, conversations, and responses noted during social interactions give me material for creating believable characters. Curiosity about an environment motivates me to investigate it further, with the possibility of incorporating it as a setting. With vast amounts of information available at my fingertips on the internet, I can accurately write about places I have not been to myself. Eye-witness observations may have the advantage of my unique viewpoint, but they are not always possible.

Trying to write without employing the resource of curiosity seems like an impossible task. Curiosity gives us permission as writers to explore wherever our imagination wants to go. Because we are writers, we won’t be labelled obsessive when we spend days researching obscure topics like the history of shepherding or symptoms of Asperger syndrome. We will be considered curious.

Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.
– Leo Burnett

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction, and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.                                

The Christian Writer’s Toolbox by Peggianne Wright

A carpenter learns his trade over many years. He will have begun as a novice, with little or no practical skills but a desire to create and craft and build with wood. He will quickly learn that there are essential tools he'll need for virtually every project and highly specialized tools needed when an elaborate, customized creation is underway.

As Christian writers, we will each assemble our own toolbox to aid and assist us in our craft. The basic tools will likely prove to be the most useful and relied upon in the whole kit. Just like a saw, hammer, screwdriver, level, and measuring tape, my personal writing toolbox consists of these primary tools: Mentors, Training Programs, Reference Material, Continuing Education, and Passion.

Mentors

Over the years, I have followed a number of Christian writers, artists, and personalities. Though, as I have matured in my faith, grown in my spirituality, and developed and improved my writing skills, many names have been added and then removed from my list of favourites. Just like when we meet someone new, it takes time to learn about them and to link their personality, writing style, belief system, etc., with our own.

Some have, what to me feels like, an enduring presence that shares their personal walk with the Lord in ways that help me strengthen my own. My tendency to embrace a more traditional teaching style leads me to the writings of such revered teachers as Chuck Swindoll, Henri Nouwen, and Jen Wilkin, to name a few. Naturally the writings of prolific men of God such as Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, and A.W. Tozer have filled my nightstand for years.

Training Programs

Depending on the direction our writing is leading, there are training programs available to gain practical experience in the craft. Online webinars and various workshops and courses, both free and paid, are abundantly available. One can become overwhelmed with the offerings available so it's wise to go slowly and choose carefully. My favourites include Kingdom Writers (C.J. & Shelley Hitz) and Becky Kopitzke.

In years past, in an effort to develop and improve my writing skills I enrolled in the Compel Pro Writers Training offered by Proverbs 31 Ministries (Lysa TerKeurst). When I realized I wasn't gaining the kind of practical training I had hoped, I found Flourish Writers Academy created and hosted by Mindy Kiker and Jenny Kochert. There I enjoyed a special online community of like-minded Christian women and gained practical knowledge and training in the craft of writing that helped me in my publishing journey.

Reference Material

In the 21st century, we can count it a blessing that there is an endless stream to reference material available at our very fingertips. This comes with a caution however, since we must carefully discern the source and validity of material we obtain. And now, even more urgently, it's critical to use extreme vigilance where AI is involved. I personally avoid AI whenever possible (although we all know it's embedded in and controls so much of what we do these days.)

The Bible will always be my most important reference tool; this goes without saying. But, my shelves are lined with other books including The Christian Writer's Manual of Style (4th Edition), The MacArthur Study Bible, The Chronological Study Bible, as well as several other writers' guidebooks and manuals. My trusted 40-year-old paper thesaurus has been replaced by Google, and I refer often to websites such as Bible Study Tools, Blue Letter Bible, and Bible Gateway.

Continuing Education

As Christians, we are perpetual students, as we study God's Word. Depending on the scope of your writing, further theological training may be desired. I have enrolled and participated in several online courses offered by the Dallas Theological Seminary. I've also found theology focused courses created by Jen Wilkin on the Lifeway Christian Resources website.

Passion

Without this incredibly essential tool, we are unlikely to touch the hearts and minds of our readers and even less likely to point them to God. It's imperative that we find ways to refresh and enliven our faith on a daily basis so we can share God's Word with others.

Beyond the Basic Tools

As we become skilled in our craft of writing, we may wish to specialize in certain genres and areas of Christian life. From non-fiction writing such as writing devotionals, bible studies, or other life resources to the world of fiction, we'll need additional tools to help us achieve success.

Others' Books

Reading is a lifeline for writers. It's imperative that to become a good writer we need to be a great reader. Choosing books that are part of the genre we wish to pursue, reading and deconstructing them to really understand the technical aspects of the writing will help guide us to improvement. Take care though, to avoid being a "copycat" and remain true to your own "style".

Community

Regardless of what genre we write, connections with our community will inspire us in ways we can't imagine. Taking time to just sit and write what pops to mind after a social event, a shopping excursion, a dentist appointment can be the seeds of some wonderful, heartfelt, and realistic writing.

Our church family can be of immense support in our writing careers. Having trusted friends to bounce writing ideas off, or folks to help promote your writing, or even personalities on which to base fictional characters can be invaluable. But, we must always take care to nurture our relationships in a way that doesn't take advantage of our friends and families.

Music

Listening to music, for me at least, is a multi-layered experience. Having lived to half way through my 6th decade, I have listened to—rough guess here—likely millions of tunes. Coming from a musical family, I have learned (but not mastered) five instruments and own a collection of hundreds of albums, CDs, and cassette tapes. But, the point here is that music has a way of speaking to a listener in ways we cannot understand. It will invoke memories and emotions and can even kick-start our imaginations. Using music to inspire our writing can be rewarding in so many ways.

Lived Experience

It's no secret that our writing can be inspired and/or influenced by the experiences we've lived through. I found that I had to eliminate a certain Christian writer from my bookshelf because her whole collection was based on her husband's betrayal. And, I left her writing group specifically because I felt that they focused on tragic life circumstances as a way to become a good Christian writer. Coming from a loving family upbringing, I began to feel I was "too blessed" to be the kind of writer they were training.

ALL of our experiences, good and bad, play a role in how and what we write. We get to choose what our focus will be. But, no matter what blessings or difficulties God has placed in our lives, if we can craft them into stories that benefit others and point to Him, our writing will truly be considered a success.

"Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15 NLT)

Peggianne Wright is a published author and is the founder of the pet parent ministry Paws To Pray, blending her passion for the Lord and all-things-K9 to form this unique, faith-based community. Peggianne is an ardent Bible study student, devoted dog mom, wife of 44 years, and lover of music. Her blogs Spiritual Scribbles and Fur-Kid Fanatics can be found on her website www.PawsToPray.ca and you can follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PawsToPray/ and on IG @Sister_In_Prayer.

Fill 'er Up by Bob Jones

This month’s writing prompt asked how I fill my creative container.

That’s an interesting query.

In a recent online discussion with a group of religious leaders, the facilitator asked us to list the reasons why we do what we do. And then to share why what we do may encounter resistance.

My writing at REVwords is inspired by people and the challenges they face. They overflow my container.

These are some of the reasons and resistance that make up my writing world.

Reasons
•  Be an advocate for others.
•  Defend others who need a friend to stand with them.
•  Be a voice of those who don’t have a platform but have a story.
•  Broaden the perspectives of those willing to stretch.
•  Raise up issues to higher importance than is often attributed to them.

Resistance
•  My content offends some readers, so they break connection.
•  Deficiency of clarity in my writing leads to misunderstanding.
•  Defensive reactions to dissenting views and critique.

During that discussion, we were challenged to think about how we could get a broader hearing on divisive issues. How could I communicate what is meaningful in a way that would draw a more diverse audience and inspire less resistance and more conversation?

Exploring that kind of thinking is going to fill my creative container. I posted my first attempt at that in the post, C-9, 18, and 5:14 (Galatians). Let me know how I did.

The prompt also asked what strengthens my craft, the writing resources I use, and my go to publications, quotes, podcasts, and other resources.

Lately, I’ve been influenced by the people I follow on Substack and podcasts. Each one of them writes with creativity and passion. They’re not tentative in taking on big issues and speaking truth to power.

Bishop Mariann Budde – Reflections on Courage, Faith and the Work of Love

Brian Zhand

Bob Rae

Beth Allison Barr – Marginalia

Anne Applebaum – Open Letters

NiJay K. Gupta – Engaging Scripture

Anne Lamott – Hallelujah Anyway

Patti Miller – Isn’t That The Craziest Thing

Kristin Du Mez – Du Mez Connections

Anne Lamott shared a story a few weeks ago in her Substack. She told it for people doing important work. People like Inscribe writers.

“The writer Mark Yaconelli told me years ago of holding a retreat one weekend where a hundred people from all over the world came to hear his teachings on how to work with disenfranchised and severely depressed young people. He spoke to the gathering for a few hours about tools that he used to create community and connection with young people suffering loss and isolation. At some point, he handed out a Mexican beach blanket to each person, and asked them to lie down and rest.

A physician who worked with young AIDS patients had flown in from South Africa the week before, and she came up to him, furious. She said that she had flown 10,000 miles at enormous expense to learn his techniques and did not want to be told to take a nap like a kindergartner. Mark nodded sympathetically and asked her to do the best she could.

When the hour was over, the woman came back to him, weeping. She had fallen asleep. She said that she had not understood how exhausted she was.”

Happy Easter. He is risen so you can lay down.

Thank you for reading and commenting. I always look forward to your engagement. It’s the best part of writing.

A Few of My Writing Resources by Lorrie Orr

April's prompt is all about Writing Resources. How do you fill your creative container? How do you strengthen your craft? What writing resources do you use? Share books and publications, quotes, podcasts, and other resources you’ve found helpful.

Please remember that if you have difficulty writing to a particular prompt, you are free to write something else with a writing life focus.

Resource: a useful or valuable possession or quality that a person or organization has, for example, money, time, or skills

When I'm stuck for something to write, I often find definitions help me get started. A dictionary is definitely a resource, along with a thesaurus, and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. The latter is useful for matters of grammar and punctuation.

Dozens, hundreds, even thousands of resources useful to the writer abound in libraries and on the internet. The key is to discover which resources are most useful to me. A search engine is a great resource and I can quickly scroll through the various suggested sites to see which might pique my interest or fulfill a need.

I write some things by hand on paper, but most of my writing is done on a computer, specifically my Surface Pro 8, a cross between a tablet and a desktop. With it I can write anywhere. I use Microsoft Word as my writing tool and find it very useful. Another tool I use is my iPhone, useful for jotting down thoughts on the go or for taking photos of things I don't want to forget such as signs, logos, etc.

My greatest resource is my mind. Without that unseen, complex part of me that's hard to define, I am a shell. With my mind I see, hear, taste, touch, and feel. My mind motivates my behaviour and my emotions. Just thinking of all those synapses constantly firing in my brain is enough to make my mind explode. I am "fearfully and wonderfully made." When my mind is in tune with God's Spirit, it is indeed a marvelous thing.

Since my mind is so important, I must care for it properly so it will serve me well throughout my life. I must nourish it carefully, minimizing the garbage that can hinder its function. I am careful about what I put into my mind, focusing on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, as the Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4. Things that fit those descriptive words in my life become more resources for my mind to employ in writing.

I am also cognizant that my mind needs rest and relaxation. During stressful times of life, I am learning to pull back and let my mind recuperate. Time away from writing is just as important as the writing itself. A good night's sleep is something I appreciate more and more. My mind needs gentleness as well as occasional reminders to "do the next thing".

Tea is my hot drink of choice when I sit at my computer. In summer it's a glass of cold water with sprigs of mint or lemon balm. A comfortable chair and a table at just the right height are useful, although I can sit on the couch and write, too. Being in a good position helps me to focus on my writing rather than my physical state.

Creation is also an immensely powerful resource. While walking this morning I thought about how so many people play music or listen to podcasts while walking. I don't. My mind is full to overflowing with thoughts, prayers, songs, and stories. When I write, I find that mental pictures absorbed from what I've seen in nature often provoke a written response.

These are just a few of the things that help me to write.

I could include a vast number of websites, blogs, SubStack writers, and more in this blog. But I'll leave that to you. What resources help you to write?

Lorrie Orr writes from her home on Vancouver Island,

finding beauty and grace in the natural landscape.

Her memoir of 21 years in Ecuador will soon be published,

and you can find more of her writing on SubStack and her blog.