Wonder is More than a Word by Alan Anderson

 

The word “wonder” came to my mind for this post. I mulled it over and determined to present more than a mere dictionary definition of wonder.

Wonder is everywhere. Throughout life, there are people, times, events, scenes, etc. used to spark life in our sense of wonder. These experiences take our breath away, fill us with praise, and drive us to improve our craft as writers.

This sense of wonder is a curiosity about something we want to nurture. There are sources of inspiration in life that fill me with wonder. This inspiration is what I always hope to nurture through my writing. Please indulge me as I present ideas of how I see wonder.

 

Wonder in Another’s World

One of my granddaughters was born with multiple health challenges. Her name is Whitney. When she was two years old, medical professionals concluded she lives “in her own world.” A simple way to explain this is, not everyone she meets will form a close relationship with her. She decides, in her own way, whom she will welcome into her world. She allowed me into her world when she was an infant. This fills me with wonder to this day.

My relationship with my granddaughter is one of seeing wonder in the simple things in life. For instance, Whitney can enjoy playing with her stuffed toys every day. She never becomes tired of watching animation adventures on her iPad. She walks around her bedroom with a photograph of my parents, whom she never met, and talks to them in her simple language other people can’t understand. When she is outside, she looks up at the sky with her hands raised, as if reaching up to heaven.

Whitney shows me wonder in another world! She has taught me to seek wonder in everyday life.

 

Wonder in Walks

The dike a few minutes from where I live is a gateway to inspiration and word pictures for this writer. Sun rays of summer fade to be replaced by an autumn overcast of misty clouds. Within a few minutes on my walk, birds, such as finches, chickadees, and thrushes, fly from trees and add colourful life to the sky. I welcome the clouds and birds as I thank God for His creation.

I remember a walk on a beach on Vancouver Island a few years ago. I loved the crunch sound the small pebbles coating the beach made with every step. A sight I discovered piqued my sense of wonder. Small, colourful flowers had pushed their way through the rocks, sand, and pebbles. In this, I saw an illustration of tenacity, the value of never giving up.

 

Through such experiences, words in my head trip over each other as they begin to gather and anticipate being sent into the world. They want to encourage readers to walk in wonder. Walk along riverbanks and feel the cool autumn breeze as it floats across the water and brushes one’s uncovered cheeks. Such experiences leave me to want more.

 

Wonder in Our Words

Dear writer friends, never quit on your world of wonder and words. Words you pray over and send into the world. Like precious seeds of sweet-smelling flowers, scatter your words into the landscape of the souls of your readers. Like a lovely flower poking its way through sand and beach pebbles, persevere. Have faith your words, once settled in the hearts of your readers, will grow as strong as oak trees and strengthen the faith of people in need of hope.

A Question

My friends, what fills you with a sense of wonder? 

 

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, where he finds inspiration for his writing. He occasionally writes articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan is the new BC/Northern Regional Rep. for InScribe. His website is https://scarredjoy.ca.

V is For Vision by Bob Jones

Vision is taken for granted until you lose it. And then everything comes into focus.

 

I suffered a full retinal detachment in May 2020. Saturday morning, my first day off in weeks. When the vision in my right started to diminish as a green colour seeped in from the side, I dismissed it as something that would pass. There was no pain. No visible signs of trauma. Why worry?

 

Monday morning at my ophthalmologist’s office was the first step to recovery from a full retinal detachment. Two surgeries, six months of recovery later, I was informed the nerve damage was so great I would not regain my sight. 85% of retinal surgeries in Alberta are successful. Mine was in the other group.

 

The surgeon gave me a stern warning that the next time I had any symptoms of a retinal detachment I should immediately get to the clinic.

 

That day came on October 1^st.

 

Late in the evening, my good eye started to experience colours and flashes of light. Anxious, but calmly, I told my wife what was happening. She packed us up in record time and drove us from our lakeside cabin to Edmonton.

 

My first reaction was, “I can’t go blind. I’m only 70. I’ve got so many more things to do.”

 

A retinal migraine. Have you heard of that? Me neither. But that was the diagnosis. My good eye is still 20:20. Rest required.

 

Thank God for sight. And mercy.

 

Blindness is not the end of life or function, but sight is so much better for living.

 

When vision is threatened, everything comes into focus. And even with half sight, you can still see the whole world. And sometimes better. You see clearly what really matters.

 

It’s easy for our vision to be distracted by catchy but unimportant things.

 

It’s the same with a writing vision.

 

Whether yours is a book or a blog, a poem or a screen play, you have your sights set on what you want to accomplish through your writing. That vision gets you through discouragement, setbacks, rejection, and disillusionment. Vision is everything.

 

R.J. Palacio has a vision for writing. She contributed a series of books on kindness to the literary realm. And her writing is moving. It provokes thinking  ignites emotion, and changes behaviour. Have you read her books, Wonder, or White Bird?
 

A writing vision is powerful.

 

In my role as a church coach, I remind pastors that vision raises money. People functionally give out of obedience in stewardship but they give passionately and generously because of vision. Vision, not budget, creates provision.

 

My vision for writing is to be a hope dispenser. I write to give hope to readers. And to other writers.

 

What is your vision? Please leave a comment below. Thank you.

 

Bob writes about hope at REVwords.

 

Timely Reading, Timeless Writing by Bob Jones

When writing starts where people live - their questions, struggles, and concerns - and

then offers a timely and helpful word from the Scriptures, people are more

interested in hearing what else the Scriptures have to say.

Have you ever read someone’s story and thought, “That’s exactly what I needed to read”? Your writing will do that for someone else. Affirmation for what we write is like gold, but it’s the comments about how timely the content is for a reader that inspire us the most.

“This was exactly what I needed to hear to start my day! Thank you!”

“This is definitely what I needed to read today… absorb it and now live it.”

“Just what I needed to hear this morning to strengthen me and know beyond any doubt that God has me.”

“You don’t know how much I needed to read that today.”

 

Timing is Everything

Timely words - the right words at the right time - are a gift from God. Inspired words can be most inspiring when truth meets need. 

 

Amy Rees Anderson is an author and a highly sought after keynote speaker and a frequent lecturer on college campuses. She posted this prayer on her blog on June 13^th with the comment: Hopefully one of you reading this will find this poem to have exactly the words you needed to hear at exactly the time you needed to hear it too.

The Knot Prayer

 

Dear God:
Please untie the knots
that are in my mind,
my heart and my life.

Remove the have nots,
the can nots and the do nots
that I have in my mind.

 

Erase the will nots,
may nots,
might nots that may find
a home in my heart.

 

Release me from the could nots,
would nots and
should nots that obstruct my life.

 

And most of all,

Dear God,
I ask that you remove from my mind,
my heart and my life all of the ‘am nots’
that I have allowed to hold me back,
especially the thought
that I am not good enough.

AMEN

-unknown

 

The beauty of a book or blog or archived content on the web is that people can access it from anywhere, at any time. Timeless words can become timely. The comment below resulted from the reader encountering content I published three years previous.

 

“I accidentally came across this article. It touches me deeply. I wanted to keep myself isolated from anyone and anything that could hurt me. I now realize I was afraid, holding myself in a mental prison because I wanted to be the peacemaker and it was taking my peace of mind. Keeping up the expectations of everyone else. I am learning how much He loves and cares for me regardless of my situation.” 

I look for comments right after I post content, especially on the Inscribe Writers blog. How about you? Are you ever discouraged by a lack of immediate response from your invitation to connect or comment? I hope this post will encourage you that your writing is timely and can have a timeless effect for good.

 

Timely Conversations

Timeliness is not only about people engaging writing, but writers engaging people in random conversations. As you seek God for inspiration, pay attention for God’s direction.

Julia Cameron, famous for her book, The Artist’s Way, and for the practice of Morning Pages, says,

“When we seek daily spiritual guidance, we are guided toward the next step forward for our art. Sometimes the step is very small. Sometimes the step is, "Wait. Not now." Sometimes the step is, "Work on something else for a while." When we are open to Divine Guidance, we will receive it. It will come to us as timely conversations with others.”

What content have you written that was inspired by a timely conversation? What might you encounter today that would be the creative breakthrough you are praying for?

Do you feel God’s nudge to write something today that the Spirit can use in a timely manner? What are you waiting for?

 

Thank you for reading. And commenting. 

Bob and his wife Jocelyn are both Reverends and write at www.REVwords.com

Patricia MacLachlan and Poetry by Joylene M Bailey

 

I know I've said this before: Patricia MacLachlan is one of my favourite authors. You may be familiar with her book Sarah, Plain and Tall, for which she won the Newbery Medal. It was produced as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie in 1991, starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walken. 

The movie is wonderful. The book is brilliant.

In an interview, MacLachlan once said that she wanted to create an intense emotional experience for the reader using very few words. It's because she's a genius at saying so much with so little that I love her work.

All the Places to Love (above) is the most beautiful children's book I've come across. Her words are spare, but enough to settle into your heart.

When I was older, Papa and I plowed the fields.

Where else is soil so sweet? he said.

Once Papa and I lay down in the field, holding hands,

And the birds surrounded us:

Raucous black grackles, redwings,

Crows in the dirt that swaggered like pirates.

When we left, Papa put a handful of dirt in his pocket.

I did too.

It reads like poetry. And I think that's why, years ago, I decided to take poetry classes. I wanted to learn to be less wordy, to write tight, to make words sizzle. With poetry, every word speaks. And isn't that what makes poetry profound?

Please allow me to share some snippets from poems I've recently savoured. I dare you not to be affected or astounded by at least one phrase. 

No, no, there is no going back

Less and less you are 

that possibility you were.

More and more you have become 

those lives and deaths

that have belonged to you.

...

Every day you have less reason

not to give yourself away.

- Wendell Berry [1993-I]

*****

The work of the world is common as mud.

Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.

But the thing worth doing well done

has shape that satisfies, clean and evident.

- Marge Piercy [To be of use]

*****

This day is all that is

good and fair.

It is too dear

with its hopes and invitations, 

to waste a moment on yesterdays.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson [From a Letter to His Daughter]

*****

Was it for this I uttered prayers,

And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs,

That now, domestic as a plate,

I should retire at half-past eight?

- Edna St. Vincent Millay [Grown Up]

*****

The birds have vanished down the sky

Now the last cloud drains away.

We sit together, the mountain and me,

until only the mountain remains.

- Li Po [Zazen on Ching-t'ing Mountain]

*****

I'm so thankful for authors and poets who worked hard on their craft, with purpose and dedication, so that someday this reader would be touched and inspired by their words. I can only hope to do the same.

~~~~~

Feature photo by Joy Bailey

Joy lives and writes in lake country, Alberta, where she resides on three pretty little acres with The Cowboy, a couple of seniors, and a couple of pets. Her latest story was a bedtime one for the grands, about a purple horse named Secret, and her turtle friend, Lightning Bolt. Find more of her joy-infused writing at her blog, Scraps of Joy.

Junie B. Jones Inspires by Joylene M Bailey

 

~~~~~

I was introduced to Junie B. Jones when my daughters were in elementary school. She was precocious and brave. Endearing, despite her hilarious escapades. I thought her creator, Barbara Park, was ingenious.

I love to read books written for children and young adults. I admire authors who can enter the world of a child and bring us with them. Keep us engaged. And certainly, not every writer can do it.

Park's brilliance was that she could get into a kid's brain. She could tell a story with a five-year-old's voice, from their point of view, and still give a glimpse into what the adults in the scenes were thinking and feeling. 

Barbara Park did something else: she inspired and encouraged me. She showed me, through Junie B. Jones, that writing for children--from their point of view--was doable. More than that, it was publishable!

But it wasn't easy. For example, the chapter book Junie B. Jones and some Sneaky Peeky Spying is 66 pages long. That blows my mind. A children's writer must say everything needed in the fewest possible strong and interesting and just-right words. No, it's not easy. But I do enjoy trying.

I too love to get into the head of a kid. I love the unpredictability, the unique words that come out of their mouths. Their fresh perspectives. It's the most fun I have writing.

I got to wondering as I prepared this post ... did Junie B. Jones inspire me to write for children, or was I drawn to Junie B. Jones because I was innately drawn to writing for children? I still don't have an answer to that one.

Do you find yourself drawn to read the genre in which you write? When you're working on a manuscript, do you purposely read only the genre you're writing in, or do you find it more beneficial to read other genres as well? Does your reading in those genres inspire and encourage you as a writer?

Margaret Atwood's most famous advice for writers is, "Read, Read, Read. Write, Write, Write." Makes perfect sense. I write better when I read. Not just because I'm reading words that are well put together, but because I'm also gleaning from the author how they've formatted their work, how they've used foreshadowing, how best to write dialogue, etc. And for me - when I read books like Junie B. Jones, I'm taken into a child's world. It helps me to get into my own character's head, to bring me into their perspective.

And then the fun begins.

    After that I behaved myself very good. I sat up real straight. And I did all my work. Work is when you use your brain and a pencil." 

Junie B. Jones

~~~~~

Feature image by HANSUAN FABREGAS from Pixabay.

Joy loves creating stories for children from her home in lake country Alberta where she lives with The Cowboy and an Entlebucher Mountain Dog named Chara. She recently won first place for her children's story, Willard, in InScribe's Fall Contest. Find more of her joy-infused perspective at Scraps of Joy.

J is for Jesus by Susan Barclay

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ~John 1:1-5

It’s uncertain who actually wrote the book of John, but I can tell one thing: he had an ear for poetry. Read the above passage again. Do you hear it? Do you feel the rhythm? Do you see the beauty of the author’s writing? Doesn’t it inspire you as if you are inhaling the fragrance of Christ himself?

If you’ve been a believer for any length of time, you know that the Word being described here is Jesus. Jesus is the Word. He is also the author of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and the hero of history (his story, God’s great story). In every Christian’s story, he is the central figure. Through his life, death, and resurrection, we are inspired to follow Him and to become like Him.

In our writing, we can inspire others to come to know Him too. In a fictional work, we might depict the spiritual life of a character, the movement toward God and God’s orchestration of events and positioning of people to draw the character toward him. In non-fiction, we might write about Christian living, important figures in Christian history, commentaries, memoir, health, even the beauty we find in creation. We might write devotional books. I suppose the list of topics is as broad as our imaginations.

There is a lot going on in my life that I can’t write about right now. But I know Jesus is with me and for me. I know he is drawing me closer into relationship with him and developing my character. I recently attended a presentation given by Philip Yancey in which he talked about life’s struggles and noted that life isn’t fair, that the world isn’t working as it should. God is on the side of the sufferer, he said, and feels our pain even more deeply than we do. He talked about how pain redeemed is more impressive than pain removed and that God is the great Recycler of everything we wish were not. Because we experience pain, we are able to come alongside others to comfort them in theirs, to bring light.

Just give me Jesus, Lord. And help me to make him known.

 

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

C is For Cookie by Lorilee Guenter

 I grew up watching Sesame Street with Cookie Monster devouring any cookie he saw. As a reader, I devour good writing (and not so good writing). As a writer, I want my writing to be as enticing to the readers as those cookies.

A good cookie needs the right number of ingredients, in the right proportions, mixed according to directions. Some are baked. Some are left to cool. Likewise, all good writing follows a recipe that includes word images, grammar and spelling. Different genres need different ingredients just as different cookies do. I would not be happy with a mystery that didn't solve the crime by the end of the story. I would not be happy with a chocolate cookie that lacked cocoa.

Every writer, no matter what genre, needs community. While the act of writing is solitary, the craft of writing is not. Through workshops and classes we learn to hone our craft. Critique groups and editors help us polish the work. They help us determine if one spice, one element overpowers the others. Family, friends, or a group of other writers can help us take a break to regain perspective. They encourage us to keep going when we want to stop. In addition, they might be willing to listen as you talk through the roadblocks in front of you.

Every writer needs that spark of an idea they can build upon. We each find inspiration in different places and different ways. There is one commonality, attention. When I rush through life, or let distractions pull at my attention, I miss opportunities. I also miss details that could add interest to my words. Distraction busies my mind so I neglect to pause and consider what I am seeing, hearing or learning. It tells me "I don't have time," or "my words don't matter anyway."

I have a bad habit of trying to taste the cookies before they cool enough to touch. This results in a burnt tongue and difficulty tasting the blend of flavours. In editing, it can be useful to let the writing cool so that when you re-read it you can taste the flavour of the words. Then you will be better able to notice what blends well and what is out of place. A small group of first readers can offer feedback on the results just like taste testers do with cookies.

A good baker knows the right time to take the cookies out of the oven. Too little time and they are raw in the middle, too long and they are burnt. Neither is optimal. Too little editing and other work on a manuscript, whether short or long, can leave the reader wishing for more polish. Too much editing can take a piece that sparkles and turn it into a flat specimen, burnt around the edges. Most writers struggle with under cooked stories instead of overcooked ones. Some writers have been know to take a match to old, unappealing work so no one tastes the stale words.

As Christian writers we have one powerful ingredient in our writing: prayer. Through prayer and contemplation, the Holy Spirit takes our offerings and multiplies them. The power in our words, whether we write in the secular market or Christian market, comes from the Word. When our writing is baked with prayer, we can be confident it will find the right audience. It gives us the courage to share our words.

A dessert table with plates of cookies and sweets is enticing and full of choices. As a community of writers, our offerings should also be enticing and full of choice so there is something for everyone. 

At the end of the day, when we set aside our writing, we can reward ourselves with a good story and a cookie.