Ignition: How I Went Professional - Bruce Atchison

Stories were my childhood deliverers. The animals in Fables of the Green Forest temporarily led me away from the pain of my exile in Jericho. The Hobbit transported me into fantasy realms, the like of which I never dared hope for. Black and Blue Magic gave my soul wings during my sojourn in the tilted land. But we live in a practical world where money answers everything.

In the cold  wind of freedom, once my exile ended, my stories hid shivering in my heart. Inspiration went dormant as the struggles of public school and work ensued unabated. Nevertheless, a spark of my childhood fascination with the craft of storytelling survived deep within me.

Though I wrote on an amateur basis, I never dreamt I could be paid for my scribbling's. My abundant  supply of articles appeared in fan "zines" but payment seemed a total fantasy. Practicality held my muse prisoner so I only wrote CD reviews of electronic music albums and recycling tips for the work newsletter. Those utilitarian tear sheets bolstered my pride but remuneration seemed an impossible dream.

Out of the smoldering ruins of a lay off, I received a golden opportunity. The work counselor asked me about my hobbies. On the next visit, I presented him with a small stack of my photocopied tear sheets. Then he fanned my creative spark by telling me I could go professional. What had I to lose?

Certainly the magazine writing course helped me understand the value of my work but many editors rejected my fledgling prose. Then, of all publications, The New Age Journal purchased a Three-hundred-word article about a newly-formed choir of blind singers in Edmonton. I glided on air as I took that fifteen-dollar cheque to my bank. At long last, I became a professional writer.

But the path grew steep and rocky as I struggled to research magazine content and to write catchy query letters. I obeyed all the commandments of my teacher, yet few rewards arrived in my mail box for my arduous labours. In the swamp of despondency, I changed directions in the hope that the trail would grow verdant with remuneration.

So I mined the treasures of my life after taking an online course on autobiography writing.  Realizing my extensive manuscript was far too cumbersome, I divided it into memoirs. When a Man Loves a Rabbit was my first paperback. More than 200 bunny-loving friends purchased it and reported how much they enjoyed the amusing tales of my long-eared companions.

Success soon eluded me. Deliverance from Jericho was my second memoir. It bombed horribly. The sighted world couldn't relate to my narrative of being in a school for the blind for six painful years. So I racked my brain for a profitable and engaging topic on which to write.

How I Was Razed should have been a hit. I presumed Christians would be interested in how God led me out of a cultic house church to the sunlit land of his truth but few bought it.

So I turned my back on memoirs. God willing, I will write about who goes to heaven from the viewpoint of the Bible. I also hope to unleash those restless short stories pacing the back corridors of my mind. Slowly approaching retirement, my fear of being cut off from the pension I slaved so hard for is lessening. Even so, I'm learning to trust in the heavenly Father and to deal with today's evil. May my Lord be glorified by the work of my hands and this labourer be worthy of his hire.

Year of Freedom Writing by Pamela Mytroen

If I could write for a full year without financial or time restraint what would I write?

The first thing that comes to mind is that I would probably squander the year away saying, “Oh well, I have all day tomorrow to write, or all next week, so today I will just do this or that . . . .” When I am working full-time I finish more writing projects because I know I have to get it done now or it won’t happen. With my bad habit in mind, the first step on my year of writing would be to set up an accountability partner to ensure that I would write regularly. Come to think of it, that would be a great idea for my present life!

The second step to my wonderful writing year would be to travel to countries such as Indonesia, where Christians, unfortunately, are being persecuted. I would interview a few select people and write their true stories. These are amazing stories of surrender. While we struggle over deciding which pattern of granite to select for our kitchen countertops, they are deciding whether or not to make their faith known to their family, for which they could drown in their backyard swimming pool, or be stoned outside their city. These are stories of how sometimes the Lord intervenes miraculously and saves them from certain death, or starvation, or from physical harm. And yet even when the Lord is silent, still these dear Christians persevere and give their lives for Him. Christians in our affluent and soft-life society need to get a perspective on what is happening to their own family just a plane-ride away. These stories need to be told!

When I thought about having no financial worries, I realized that I would still do a lot of the same writing I’m doing today. Though they do not pay richly, the lessons learned and the friendships created are worth the effort. I would still write human interest stories because they yank me away from my comfy slippers-and-desk routine and drop me into new worlds where I’m forced to speak, negotiate, and relate with others, and even provide opportunities to express grace and love. I would still write devotionals because of the depth of relationship I find with Jesus, and the profound joy in sharing raw discovery with others. I would still write letters, encouraging notes, and especially little blog-type posts of daily life because they help us all remember that there is humour and beauty in every day. And I would still write short fiction because it’s an amazing ride and the vehicle drives home truth in a creative way.

This was a good topic because it helped me to realize contentment in all my current writing projects, but also helped me dream and focus on what I have yet to achieve.

What about you? If you had a full year to write and no financial worries, would your writing change dramatically or not?

 ~ Pamela Mytroen

Oops, It's Okay - Susan Barclay

If you're like me, you've probably made more than a few embarrassing mistakes in your lifetime. But have you ever made the same mistake twice, in reverse?

Travel back in time with me to 2009, the year my short story, A Bonny Blue Christmas, is published. I think it's for a Christmas romance anthology, but just a couple of days before it's to go to print I discover it's actually for a Christian Christmas romance anthology. Oops! Although my story doesn't contain anything I'd be ashamed of - I write for the gentle reader, after all - it doesn't contain anything overtly Christian either. Hold the presses!! I contact the editor, admit my faux pas, and ask if I can make adjustments. She agrees, and all is fixed. The story could be more Christian, given more time, but at least now there's something.

Fast forward to 2012. Another Christmas short story is to be published in another anthology. This time I think it's for a Christian anthology, but as I skim some of the other stories in the book before it goes to print, I realize that it's not. Oh, no! I contact the editor - the same one as the last time, no less - and offer to retract my story. She can use it another time. No, she assures me, she wants to use it now. And she wants my story to conclude the book, to leave readers thinking on spiritual things. I think that is totally awesome!

I've been fortunate enough to catch my errors in the nick of time, but you can bet I will be more clear of expectations in future! Some gentle advice for you, too, dear writer :).  My mistakes have turned out okay, but you can save yourself a lot of anxiety by writing right in the first place!

I invite you to visit me at my website and my blog Notes From Innisfree. Also, leave a comment on my January 19 post  by January 31  (tomorrow!) for your chance to win one of my anthologies!