Writing To Be Read and Other Guilty Pleasures by Bob Jones

"Work on projects that make your heart sing." Lady Bird Johnson

 

I write to be read. That is the concise answer to the questions, “Where do you find fulfillment in writing? Why do you write?” Precisely what you are doing right now is why this post came into existence. For you to read to the last word will make my day. Thank you

 

There was a solid measure of shame for answering this way. Writing to be read felt like a guilty pleasure compared to many friends who write for the sheer happiness of expression. They are quite content to fill pages of notebooks with prose only their eyes see. Not me. Well, not entirely me. The journals, jam-packed into the drawers of my writing desk, testify to a devotion to writing for myself. Every page is filled with quotes, Bible verses, prayers, musings, message ideas, and summaries of most days from the last 47 years of my life.

 

My feelings of guilt changed when I realized that writing engaging pieces that are good enough and relevant enough to be read starts with telling the truth. Not “the truth,” but writing about personal, real experiences and how they connect to a reader’s life.

 

TRUTH

 

Most people associate the truth with what is significant, and associating writing with truth can make writing significant.

 

Look at the positive effects of telling the truth when you write.

 

Truth and wholeness are correlative. Light dispels darkness. Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) The depth of vulnerability in a story sets readers up to find their own freedom. Case in point, Glori Meldrum got deeply personal in “Warrior,” her story of surviving childhood sexual abuse. Thousands of readers were inspired to action by the freedom Glori found despite the horror she endured as an eight-year-old and the resultant struggle with PTSD and anxiety.

 

Have you seen the connection between editing and truth? Editing is not just a way of cleaning up a piece. Think of it as getting closer to the truth. When you go back and read what you’ve written you see that you didn’t convey exactly what you meant. Asking, “What am I trying to say?” will get you closer to the truth. Editing ensures your word selection helps readers feel and engage the truth.

 

DANGEROUS

 

Fair warning, the truth can be dangerous. In the need to be truthful about subjects that matter, I write about experiences some readers would rather not know – abuse, divorce, addiction, disease, suicide, death.

 

My most read post on the Inscribe blogsite identified how Christian teachings can support domestic violence in the Church. I addressed this issue on behalf of all women who suffered or are suffering abuse in a Christian community and cannot find help or a way out. Women who experienced abuse courageously told their truth in the comment section.

 

Maybe writing to be read isn’t such a guilty pleasure after all. The wider your readership, the greater the desire there is to tell truths that matter. 

 

My other guilty pleasures? Macaroon chocolates, chocolate-covered almonds, chocolate ice cream, chocolate in my coffee. Seeing a trend?

 

Thank you for reading to the end. Now, if you would be so kind as to leave a comment you will affirm that what was written was significant. I will be grateful, not guilty.

 

That’s the truth.

 

I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.

Please follow my writing at REVwords.com

I would love to hear from you.

 

Writing and Lemon Meringue Pie - Ruth L. Snyder

This month we've been invited to share a metaphor for our faith and/or our writing. I've enjoyed reading other people's metaphors. Now I invite you to think of the similarities between writing and one of my favourite desserts, lemon meringue pie (made from scratch).

I was introduced to the joy of pie making (and eating) by my paternal grandmother. We spent many hours in her kitchen, side by side, baking. We also spent many hours at her table savouring homemade food. There was always dessert at Grandma's house—like her zesty, lemon meringue pie. Just thinking of it makes my mouth water!

When making a lemon meringue pie, we gather a number of tools and ingredients. For the crust we need a bowl for mixing, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a pastry blender, flour, lard or shortening, salt, an egg, and water. We also need a pie plate and an oven. For the lemon pie filling we use a pot, more measuring cups and spoons, a whisk, a spatula, flour, sugar, water, egg yolks, salt, and lemon juice. Finally, for the meringue, we need a bowl, something to beat the egg whites, a spatula, measuring cups and spoon, egg whites, vanilla, cream of tarter, and sugar.

Writing also requires a number of tools and ingredients. The tools can vary from a pen and paper to a dictionary, thesaurus, and software like Word or Scrivener. Ingredients include nouns, verbs, adjectives, metaphors, prepositions, and punctuation. We need an idea, a hook, and some type of cohesive form, like a short story, essay, poem, etcetera, to share our ideas.

It's one thing to know what the tools and ingredients are, but it's another thing to know how to use them. Anyone can take a list of tools and ingredients and throw something together. However, it takes a recipe, some skill, knowledge, and practice to use the tools and ingredients and come up with a lemon meringue pie—especially one with a flaky crust, filling with no lumps, and fluffy meringue that melts in your mouth. There are many things that can go wrong when we make a pie. If we don't use enough lard, the crust is hard. If we use too much lard, the crust is crumbly and hard to work with. If we don't have enough heat for the filling, it won't thicken properly. If we have too much heat (or get side-tracked and don't stir consistently), our filling will scorch.

Most people know how to write their names and make simple sentences. However, it takes skill, knowledge, and practice to put sentences together to create writing that is cohesive, entices the reader to keep reading, doesn't jar the reader, and evokes emotion. Many things can go wrong with writing as well. The message can be obscured when the author mixes metaphors, or goes off on a tangent. The writing can be flat and boring if a writer leaves out the senses and just tells the story instead of helping the reader experience it.

Just as lemon meringue pie has three distinct parts, most forms of writing consist of an opening with a hook, the body where a message is shared, and a conclusion. Each part must be well put together to form a delicious dessert or an enthralling tale. A boring introduction, like flat meringue, will probably result in the piece being discarded without going any further. Telling instead of showing, like filling without enough flavouring, may also result in the reader moving on to something that is more zesty and appealing. A dissatisfying conclusion, like a tough crust, will most likely leave a bad impression on the reader. When our writing is well put together, like a delicious lemon meringue pie that tantalizes the taste buds, our readers will gladly leave positive reviews and will want to know what else we've written for them to enjoy.

Hmm. I think it's time to make another lemon meringue pie. (I still use my grandmother's recipe!)

Ruth L. Snyder enjoys making lemon meringue pies with and for her husband and five children. She is loving being a grandma and is working to pass on good memories and recipes to her grandchild. Her goal in writing is to spread hope and put a smile on the face of the reader.

Guilty Pleasures ... by Jocelyn Faire

Pleasure was to be viewed with suspicion in the hard-working, religious community of

 
my childhood. It was not high on the to do list. Although my family did not fit into the church community, when I became a Christian, it came with a list of Thou Shalt Nots. Thou shalt not have pleasure, well not too much. But one could find guilt-free pleasure in hard work and church activity.

Pleasure as noted in my online dictionary is defined as: enjoyment and entertainment, contrasted with things done out of necessity. Most of daily life is done out of necessity.

Pleasure –A more recently acquired taste.

I have two women I connect with on a deep spiritual level, and for the past four years we have begun the tradition of The Pink Mountain Retreat, to enjoy life, to encourage each other, and to drink in God's beauty. In one of the earlier times as we were eating and laughing, Rita said, she envisioned God smiling down on us, taking pleasure in the three of us enjoying our time. I must admit, my mind questioned her idea. Would God really take pleasure in us having a good/rich time?

I am beginning to believe so. John Eldredge in his book, Beautiful Outlaw, retells the story of Jesus' meeting the disciples on the beach after he has risen. It is Jesus' familiarity with his friends, the way he casually approaches them, and then asks about the fishing (again) and suggests as he had once before – Why not try the other side? – implying an insider joke. As if he delighted in their company.

When do I feel God's delight? In good company, where the spirit connects.

And in the presence of Beauty.

I have listed myself as a seeker of beauty. When I am in the presence of beauty, I feel the Father's pleasure. The skies, the oceans, the flowers, the mountains speak comfort and caring into my soul. Beauty is God's universal gift to us, it is found everywhere.

John O'Donohue in his book Beauty, The Invisible Embrace has said that: “Beauty touches and renews our hope when it takes us out of the grid of ordinary time and brings us to another place, a place where history ceases and the weight of memory relents, a place ever ancient and ever new ... No one is ever immune to beauty. Regardless of background, burdens or limitations, when we find ourselves in a place of great beauty, clarity, recognition and excitement awaken in us. ... there is an eternal beckoning of the heart that touches what is still innocent in us.”

God is at the heart of the Big Picture Beauty.

The soul needs beauty as much as it needs love.

What advice would I give to someone who is discouraged and needs to feel God’s pleasure?

To seek out beauty.

Ruthlessly eliminate hurry.

Take the time to waste time in the presence of beauty. (Guilt free!)

In thinking about the Father's Day, and beauty this song springs to mind:

This is my Father's world,

 and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me ringsthe music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

Jocelyn is author of the book Who is Talking out of My Head?  

She blogs about hope in the hard places at:  http://whoistalking.wordpress.com