Little by Little, Every Day - Susan Barclay

If you attended church a few decades ago, you probably remember the little chorus on which my title is based:

 Little by little, every day
Little by little, in every way
My Jesus is changing me

Well, if our writing habits follow this model, little by little, through Christ, we can change our world one word at a time.

"Let my teaching fall like rain, and my words descend like dew..." (Deuteronomy 32:2). Dew falls every morning, doesn't it? And dew is part of the hydrologic cycle that sees every molecule of water cleaned and purified so that life on planet earth continues. Dew drops are delicate, gentle beads that refresh the earth daily.

With all of the demands that life places on us, it can be challenging to write on a daily basis. But this is what is needed if our words are to "descend like dew." One author, whose name I've forgotten refers to it as "bum glue" - you must apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair. A crude, "un-dew-like" way of putting it perhaps, but effective. If you want to succeed in the call that God has placed on your heart, you must make the commitment to apply yourself daily to the task He's placed before you.

There are many writers who've made it a habit to write every day, whether their target is a certain number of hours, pages, or words. Graham Greene apparently wrote 500 words a day and then considered his work done; Frederick Forsyth is said to have written 2,000 and Anthony Trollope 3,000. We know the volume of work these men put out over the course of their careers, and the mark they left on the literary scene. Should those of us who belong to Christ do less? Not for the sake of our own fame, but for His, let us work diligently as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23).

Little by little, every day, let our words descend like dew, and may God use our words to change and heal others - and ourselves - for the glory of His kingdom.

So Many Books – Ramona Heikel

Spring and summer bring the huge used book sales, which excite me no end. As a writer, I not only love being surrounded by books, but I also find them full of inspiration and help for my own writing.

Besides, where else can I get so much pleasure for a couple of dollars?

I’ve noticed, though, that as I browse I ask myself, “With so many great works already out there that people are throwing out, why should I pen another one that might end up in the pile?”

Now, if stores were full of brand-new boring, unimaginative, ugly, useless, offensive stories, I’d see that my writing abilities were desperately needed. But this is not the case. There are so many talented writers. The children’s section—the area I’m most interested in—has shelves lined with brightly colored, engaging books that make my eyes pop open and bring a big smile to my face. “What a brilliant idea for a plot! What adorable characters, and such an uplifting message!”

So what to do? Well, I could stay away from the stores and the sales, and spend that big chunk of time writing! Sounds sensible, but no way. That’s too drastic a solution. Okay, let me think this through a bit.

I’m making an assumption that the donated books are not valuable, yet look at all the many, many (way too many) gems I’ve snatched up and cherished. One of my treasures from this summer is Children’s Stories and How to Tell Them, published in 1917 by The Home Correspondence School of Springfield, Massachusetts. Besides being lovely and practical, it is fun to think that even then there were writing classes by correspondence, which is what I am taking right now. At the sales I also try to limit myself to items I wouldn’t easily be able to find at a library or store. Pillow Problems and A Tangled Tale: The Mathematical Recreations of Lewis Carroll is one that meets that criterion.

And yes, the brilliant writers today seem to have the literary needs covered. But I’m sure glad Jane Austen didn’t stop writing when she saw that there were plenty of other excellent authors out there. Maybe one day someone will thank God that I wrote something a bit different, from the unique inspiration of my heart.

So would one of my books end up on the discard heap? Sure, it’s possible. But I believe that I am called to write and am very happily obeying that call. Yet my Boss may want me to compose stories for reasons other than publication. Whether my early reader or middle grade novel is cherished and kept, or ends up in the bottom box on the floor under a table of used books, is up to the Lord.


Posted by Ramona Heikel
Happilywriting.com

What to Write, What to Write - Kimberley Payne

When God first called me to write, I was so excited and ready to do His will. But I didn't know the first thing about the business of writing (besides the fact that I enjoyed it and kept a regular journal). So when I saw an advertisement in testimony magazine for the God Uses Ink (now Write! Canada) conference, I felt led to attend.

At this conference, I excitedly signed up for every class and booked one-on-one appointments for every spare moment. I couldn’t get enough! I learned all about writing for children, writing for newspapers, writing for magazines, writing for publishing houses etc.

From there, it was a process of elimination. I tried just about everything.... I tried writing poems, writing for children, writing articles, writing songs, writing book reviews, writing short stories etc. I liked it all but felt torn and unfocused. I needed to narrow my love of writing into where I best fit.

I took two excellent on-line courses; a devotional writing course (by Inscribe’s own Marcia Laycock) and a children's writing course. From these, I learned that writing for children was too tough for me, yet devotional writing felt natural.

In the meantime, I wrote a nonfiction book on health and fitness, articles on health, a weekly faith column for mainstream newspapers, and I started a novel. Through all this, I learned that I don't mind articles but only if I'm invited to submit. I don’t want to interview people. I don’t like research. I don't want to be a journalist. I like to write songs but feel that'll be in the future. And so on.

I am glad to have the opportunity to pursue my interests slowly and discover in my own time where God wants me. I also pray and ask for guidance daily. If you are called to write, there are many opportunities to use your gift – have fun and enjoy exploring your call!

Kimberley Payne
http://www.kimberleypayne.com/
http://www.fitforfaith.blogspot.com/