Does Atticism mean from the Attic? ..... Jocelyn Faire

There is a time for every Writing activity under heaven.

A time to write and a time to refrain from writing,

A time to read and a time to close the book, 

to read the world at large,

A time to listen, and a time to Be still and know that I am God

A time to try harder and a time to cease striving

A time for antonyms and a time for synonyms

A time for atticism and a time for simplicity

A time for writers argot and a time for common lingo

A time for questions, and a time for answers

A time for conundrums, and a time for the ho-hums

A time for letters and a time for numbers

A time for wide awake and a time for slumbers

There is a time to hold, and a time to be held

And a time to behold our God.

At times the words come slowly, at times like a rush

In season and out of season we ponder, and

There is a time to write, to right the confusion of life's ups and downs.    

When I find the season dry or when I try too hard,  I need to spend a time on soul refreshment ... usually in the form of Beauty.

Much of the stress and emptiness that haunts us can be traced back to our lack of attention to beauty. Internally, the mind becomes coarse and dull if it remains unvisited by images and thoughts which hold the radiance of beauty.

(Beauty: The Invisible Embrace—John O'Donohue)

Think of creativity as a spark, it needs a large stockpile of experience to ignite. If you do not open yourself up to life, then your creativity will just be a flash, and never a real fire.* (unknown)

* from the book 1001 Ways to Creativity by Arcturus Publishing 2013 

Atticism

\AT-uh-siz-uhm\noun

1. concise and elegant expression, diction, or the like.

2. the style or idiom of Attic Greek occurring in another dialect or language.

argot

\AHR-goh, -guht\noun 1. the special vocabulary and idiom of a particular profession or social group: sociologists' argot. 2. a specialized idiomatic vocabulary peculiar to a particular class or group of people, especially that of an underworld group, devised for private communication and identification Jocelyn is the author of Who is Talking out of My Head? Grief as an out of Body Experience She blogs at:  http://whoistalking.wordpress.com

Moving Forward with Words and Ideas by Sharon Espeseth

I enjoy when someone uses a common word, but gives it a different twist.

At the beginning of my year at Covenant Bible Institute decades ago, then President Rev. Wendell Anderson was introducing the new Dean of Women, Clara Mae Adamson to the students and members of the local Evangelical Covenant Church. "Miss Adamson," he said, "is a young woman pregnant. . . (significant pause) with ideas." The collective holding of breath was audible at the use of the word "pregnant," but more audible was the burst of laughter that followed his completed sentence. We all enjoyed Rev. Anderson's speaking skills, his sense of humour and wit, for he too was a man pregnant with ideas.

Sometimes I feel full of ideas, but sometimes I let those ideas get rusty and dusty, or they escape from my mind completely as other activities, events and distractions crowd into their space. I must keep that notebook for ideas handy and give these thoughts the time and attention they deserve.

I like a good phrase that is new to me. I had never heard the term "deficiency list," until my husband and I, unaccustomed to being renters, had a meeting with our new landlord. We had presented him with a list of things that needed repair. The gentleman said he didn't like a "deficiency list." This was a new term for both Hank and me, so we were both frustrated with his response and amused with this new term. How were we to get things repaired to a suitable standard without a list of what needed to be taken care of? I'm happy to report that some of the items on that list are getting looked after even if our landlord isn't working from the written list.

I'm glad God doesn't make a deficiency list for us, because I don't think we'd like that either. Our Heavenly Father loves us as we are, but he also loves us enough to want us to grow in faith. We can't be spiritual infants all our lives. Like the psalmist, I pray,

"Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I'm about;
See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong--
then guide me on the road to eternal life."
(The Message)

I get annoyed by phrases that are overused in the media, but maybe there's a reason. Nowadays we often hear broadcasters say things like, "Moving forward," or the double speak of, "At this point in time," when the speaker could say, "At this point" or "At this time." Is there anything wrong with saying, "Now"? Apparently these phrases are used to stress the immediacy of the "news" being given while it is still new.

The writer of Ecclesiastes begins the third chapter by saying, "There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on earth." (The Message) But speaking "at this point in time," I need to write and get thoughts and ideas that have been laid on my heart out there.

It's good to read, to listen to sermons and motivational speakers, to feel that our cups have been filled by God speaking to us through his word, through daily events, and through other people. Then it is our responsibility to use the inspiration that comes to us and share it in the public space.

We don't know who is in need of the message we've been given to share. For some person or persons today might be the appointed time when that missive needs to be delivered. At this point in time, I need to move in a forwardly direction with my writing.

To Everything There Is a Season - Tracy Krauss

I've been sitting in front of a blank computer screen for about ten minutes, pondering what to write. This is relatively unknown territory for me. "Writer's block' is not something I experience very often. Usually I find myself so busy with 'life' that when I sit down to write I have more than enough to say. What makes this day different?

I'm not sure. Perhaps I'm preoccupied with thoughts of my first grandbaby. (She is 10 days old and without a doubt the cutest baby ever born. Just sayin'.) Or maybe the untimely death of my son's friend on Canada Day after an ATV accident has me thinking about the brevity of life. My son had his own, unrelated, accident three weeks ago and has been off work recovering. I can't help but reflect on the fact that I could very well have been in those other parents' shoes...

These events are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of the human experience - literally life and death. It reminds me of one of my favorite passages from Ecclesiastics 3. "To everything there is a season... A time to be born and a time to die; a time to laugh and a time to mourn...' We've experienced both of these scenarios in very tangible ways this month. Yet, despite these milestones, ordinary life also continues at a steady pace.

As Christian writers we have the opportunity to record every aspect of life's journey. Whether we are offering hope in a dark situation or sharing our joy, we can inspire and encourage someone else simply by sharing our own experiences or creating stories that point to Christ. Good writing, whether fiction or non-fiction; poetry or prose, must offer something that our audience can relate to. Someone, somewhere, needs to know that they are not alone; needs to laugh, cry, empathize, ponder, and question.

This is our calling as Christian writers, no matter the style or genre. Continue to push forward in your calling, fellow writers. Someone, somewhere needs to hear from YOU.

Tracy Krauss continues to pursue her passion for writing from her home in Tumbler Ridge. BC. She has several novels and plays in print and is currently working on the 'next big thing' while enjoying her summer off from teaching. Visit her website at http://tracykrauss.com to see all her published work, or sign up for her newsletter to get all the latest.