Turn the Other Cheek by Lynn Dove

As a writer, called by God to write, there are certainly times when I have allowed the world to discourage me.  It is a lonely venture being a writer.  As a Christian writer I feel a great obligation and responsibility to represent God and not bring discredit to Him or to His Word.  Christian writers face the same struggles and pressures as any other writer, but we also face a spiritual attack from the enemy who does not want us to write our message of Hope to a fallen world.  Understanding your calling as a Christian writer, will help you deal with the criticism aimed at us from time to time from the world.


Every writer has to face the inevitable.  It may come in the form of a scathing review of a book you have published, or a nasty comment left on social media that maligns your character or your writing or both!  Let's face it, it is a trial by fire we must learn to endure when criticized.  I don't like it, I don't want it, but when I get it, it's up to me to deal with it in a God-honouring manner. 


I don't lash out at the "trolls" on social media, who like to argue for argument's sake.  Not responding to hateful comments from faceless people on the internet is the easiest way to deal with that kind of criticism.  I wrote an article on my Journey Thoughts blog that deals with those type of people. 
https://lynndove.com/2018/11/23/do-not-feed-the-trolls/


It's harder to ignore negative comments posted on book sites that criticize my books.  Critical reviews are one thing, but reviews that just hurt and demean are quite disturbing.  Thankfully, I haven't had to deal with many of those kinds of reviews, but still they hurt when I read them.  In one instance, a reader, (a self-proclaimed Satan worshipper), spent her time maligning the Christian content in my book.  To that, I just had to wonder why she was reading a Christian book in the first place.  Then I took heart that she had read the book cover to cover!  Who knows?  Maybe a seed was planted?


I have discovered that, as a writer, you can't please every reader every time.  The way to avoid having your heart hurt by negative criticism is to slough off the comments that are mean-spirited, but learn to embrace those comments given in "love" that you learn from to make you a better writer. 


Writers have tender egos, I certainly have one, but I appreciate those who have read my work and critique it honestly and give practical advice on how to improve my writing.  I especially appreciate other writers who take the time to comment and to encourage me.  Based on their example, I have a basic rule when I write a book review, or comment on someone's blog: if I don't have something nice to say, I don't say anything at all.  I know how hard a writer works to perfect their writing, and I would rather encourage than criticize them.  Certainly, there are times when writers want a critical review, but again, I try to focus on their writing strengths and give helpful suggestions that will improve their writing.  Again, there is a right and a wrong way to criticize.  The goal should be to uplift, not tear down.

Lynn Dove is the award-winning author, of the YA “Wounded Trilogy”- a contemporary Christian fiction series with coming-of-age themes. A wife, mom, grandmother, and free-lance writer with articles published in several magazines and anthologies including Chicken Soup for the Soul books, her blog, “Journey Thoughts” is a Canadian Christian Writing Award winner. Readers may connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and at lynndove.com

Hanging in there..... By Vickie Stam

Psalm 138:3 "As soon as I pray, you answer me, you encourage me by giving me strength." NLT


This past summer, I thought the moment for action had arrived. I could no longer ignore the desire in me to continue writing my life stories. The need began as soon as I pulled the familiar blue binder from the shelf in my closet, the one where I had compiled some of my favourite  childhood adventures and the heartaches transpired as an adult.     

Upon leafing through it, I was immediately taken back to those days when I sat at my computer. A good part of my day  slipped by as I plucked away at the keyboard. My life seemed to unfold on the screen in front me.

The art of putting words together to paint a true depiction of my life was something I enjoyed doing even if some of those stories were filled with pain and sadness. My children, family, and friends along with the places I had visited were all described in such a way that would surely help the reader see them in their mind.       

Still, I wasn't sure how to bring those stories back to life once again, especially since they had laid dormant for some time. It had been months since I had attended a writing class. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to sign up for another class or join a writers group, something I had often thought about doing. I had hoped a writer's group would offer monthly meetings in a year round setting, as opposed to a weekly program that was only going to end after eight or ten weeks.      

I began to search the internet, after-all, that had always proved to be the easiest way for me to find what I was looking for even if I wasn't quite sure exactly what that was. Google has been a great source of information for me. Helpful whenever I'm feeling undecided. I simply type a word or question in the google task bar, sit back and wait to see what shows up. 

Scrolling through some of those answers, I came across a writer's group that was an hours drive away but after learning that the attendance from their previous meetings was low, I felt a little discouraged. Three seemed to be the operative number of committed writers. Of course, I had never been part of a writer's group so I must admit that I  wasn't even sure if three was a good number or not. Needless to say, I wrote the information down and kept it handy in the event that I didn't come across anything closer to home.

During my search, I also found a writing class. An "intensive writing class." "Not for beginners." It too was an hour away from home with the premise of 'critiquing' as the main focus. That sounded both exciting and frightening to me. I had never critiqued my fellow classmates writing nor had any of my work ever been critiqued before. Critique means criticism. They go hand in hand, I told myself. I was a little worried about how I might react to negative criticism, but I signed up anyway.

I have to say that rising to the task of critiquing and being critiqued has certainly proved a challenge for me.    

Yet, over the course of the class, I've learned:

-Prayer is very important.   
   
- Other people's opinion can sometimes come across as very harsh.  

- The tone in which things are said can sting. 

- I need to continually ask God to give me strength to face new challenges.  

Ker-Pow! My First "Critique" - Ramona Heikel

During my second year of university, I wrote a column in the student newspaper, The Oredigger. As the secretary of the student body it was my job to take minutes at each meeting of the student council, and then write an article about the meeting to help students keep informed of student government activities and issues.

After publishing my first article, the editor said to me, “These meetings are pretty dry. Can you spice up your articles with some humor or something?” I assured him I could, and for the rest of the school year I wrote lighter articles, trying to draw readers in by a humorous narrative of our monthly meetings. Since the editor merely thanked me each time I stopped by the newspaper office to hand him my typed sheets (no email in those days!), I assumed he was happy with my writing.

Then, while reading the last issue of The Oredigger, which came out at the end of the school year, just before everyone finished their finals and left for the summer, I came upon a letter to the editor that stopped my heart. A student complained that throughout the year the student council articles had been annoyingly cutesy and unprofessional, not befitting an upstanding population of students such as ours. At the end of that letter was a note from the editor, saying that he had no control over the article that was submitted by student council.

I felt sick. I was so shocked to find out that after 9 months of articles, not only had a reader disliked them so much that she went to the trouble to gripe about them for several paragraphs, but had also waited to speak up until I had no chance to redeem myself. Not only that, I felt betrayed by the editor for apparently agreeing with her, yet never mentioning his dissatisfaction to me throughout the year, or at least showing me the letter before it went to publication to give me a chance to respond.

However, I took their criticisms to heart as I re-read some of my articles, and I had to agree. They were way too cutesy. See the sample for yourself, and I think you’ll agree. So now I was embarrassed and ashamed, and not just a little, or for a short while. I just re-read that letter to the editor (which I saved…why?) and I feel the same emotions as I did in 1977. And I still have trouble not being cutesy.

It was an awful experience, but I’m sure that it took the edge off subsequent critiques and rejections, and it taught me some good lessons about consideration for my audience and keeping in mind the purpose of a piece of writing.

It occurs to me also that this is not the only time in my life that God has used a traumatic experience to take the edge off of others that followed. Maybe that is one way that I can give thanks in all circumstances, knowing that right in the midst of them God can be using them to strengthen me and give me wisdom for the future.

(By the way, in case you’re wondering, the caption on the photograph mentions slides of a wet t-shirt contest, but that was only a ploy to get more people to come to the meetings. They were actually scenic slides from a trip to the mountains—honest!)

Posted by Ramona
www.happilywriting.com