D is for Diligence by Carol Harrison

 

As I thought about which D word to write about for this post, I kept coming back to the words diligent, diligence, and due diligence. Diligence comes from the Greek word that means attention or care. A person who is diligent will have character traits like determination, steadfastness, and attentive to details. But diligence is a skill we can learn.

I think writers who are diligent will:

1        Work towards a goal

o   Not everyone enjoys the idea of setting goals, but we all need to have an end result in sight so we know where we need to go.  

2        Plan small steps towards the goal

o   A goal, especially a large one, can be daunting. Planning out small segments takes some of the overwhelming feeling away

3        Do those small steps one at a time

o   Setting a goal and planning those small steps is only the beginning. We actually need to work on doing those small bits so we can reach the final product whether it is a book, an article, a plan for more education, or anything else

4        Push through the obstacles

o   Obstacles show up in my life all the time, blocking me from writing. I realize I’m not the only one to experience obstacles.  

o   Some things like specific appointments, getting sick, or an unexpected obligation are legitimate reasons to put writing on hold for a time but I need to remember not to let them morph into excuses later.

5        Don’t settle for good enough or have the attitude that it doesn’t matter

o   Too often I get impatient and settle for good enough. And then get upset about dong it again. Doing the best I can is being a good steward of the gift God gave me to tell stories in various ways.

6        Produce excellent work

o   This is where obtaining critiques, edits, and more edits comes into play. I am so grateful for early readers and those willing to give critiques before the piece, especially a book, goes to the editor.

7        Finish what you start

Business uses the phrase, due diligence often. Yet there are ways we need to apply this to writing. Some good questions to ask to show due diligence in writing can include:

1.      What does the reader expect and need from this piece of writing, this story?

2.      How much research should I do to help make my work authentic to the time, place, and events in it?

3.      How do I incorporate that research without just being an information dump?

4.      Am I using words and phrases correctly to show I understand their meaning and allow readers to figure it out too.

5.      Does the wording I use reflect the time period of the book?

The list isn’t exhaustive but it gives us a start in the process of doing our due diligence in our writing.  

I also think being diligent with our writing means we will make time to write and then stick to it as much as possible. I have lots of project ideas, sometimes multiple ones going on at the same time. I need to learn to set the order of priority for them. Checking deadlines and writer guidelines and then following them is so important.

As writers, we always need to be honing our craft. I had the opportunity to sit down with Saskatoon’s writer-in-residence at our local library. She asked why I had sent work in and come to this meeting. My answer was, “There’s always something more to learn.”

I love to share stories both orally and in writing. Sharing the story of Jesus and His sacrifice on our behalf, continues to be something I love to do. Do I share it enough in my writing? Do I gently share or beat the audience over the head and preach to them?

In I Timothy 4 Paul charges the young man and pastor, Timothy, about being diligent in sharing the gospel. In verses 11-15, we see Paul’s instructions which apply to all of us who follow Jesus.

Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters, give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.

I think these are important for us in our everyday lives, not just when we sit down to write our next book, story, article, poem, or anything else.

May we entrust ourselves and our work to the One who gives us the abilities, the desire, and the command to share the gospel with others. Then be diligent and steward all He has given as we write. 

Carol Harrison lives in Saskatoon and enjoys telling stories. Sometimes she writes them as well. Her favourite times involve telling the stories of Jesus to those who have never heard or
heard them all their lives. 

Come and Rest In God's Promises by Carol Harrison

 

Come and Rest in God’s Promises

As I reread my January blog post, these ending sentences needed to begin this month’s post. This year, the God of all compassion invites me to come and find rest in His promises. He longs to encourage me while I continue to be a good steward of the gifts He has given.

What has that looked like during this year? What have I done to be a good steward of His gifts? Have I taken God at His invitation to come and rest in His promises? These questions needed to be reflected on and an answer obtained in order to write this post. I mulled them over and over before formulating a response because too often the negative voice of the enemy interrupted, poking a finger at the lapse of trusting God fully or with questions like, “Did you really do all you could?”

The months of this year have lapsed into history. There isn’t a do over button to push and change the scenarios to what I wished had happened with my writing or the marketing to go with it. One thing I have realized over the course of these last few months is that the writing is only part of good stewardship. The marketing – letting people know my writing exists is another part of being a good steward.

Do I like promoting myself and my writing? Not really. It is so much easier to tell people about my friends’ writing. Yet at the Inscribe conference, Grace Fox mentioned that we need to think about feeding God’s sheep and not building our platform. This changed my mindset about the entire subject of marketing my own work. If I don’t get the word out, how will the words I’ve written feed and encourage others?

This brings me to the resting in God’s promises aspect of what I’ve been invited to this year and all the time. Trusting God to provide like He’s promised to do. Trusting He is with me no matter what tough stuff exists in my life. He always keeps His promises and one of them is to never change and provide all we need through Jesus.

This year has been one filled with less writing but more editing pieces already written. It’s involved being at a number of craft/trade shows with my books and talking to many people about writing, my own books, and looking at the possibility of author readings or other activities to get the books in front of more people. I’ve had to trust God for the words to say, the courage to say, “I’ve written these books. What can I tell you about them?”

Circumstances haven’t changed much in the last year. Medical appointments fill the calendar more often that I would want. Writing gets pushed aside when no energy remains for creative endeavours. I question what needs to happen in this season of life just like I did back in January. But resting in God’s promises has given me a better perspective. I need to just live one day at a time and sometimes one hour or minute at a time, ready to pursue whatever God puts on my plate to do at that moment.

God encouraged me through a variety of ways. Sometimes the encouragement is like the trickle of a tiny creek and at others times pours lavishly over me but it never disappears. It comes in the form of a positive comment, a sharing of ideas, a good workshop to learn new things, a hug from a friend, or being given an award. There have been fellow believers who have laughed with me and prayed for me. Over and over, in so many ways, I’ve been reminded of the unchanging promises of God. I just need to rest in them and trust God’s got this.  

 

 

As a speaker and published author, Carol Harrison is passionate about mentoring people of all ages and abilities to help them find their voice and reach their fullest potential. She shares from her heart, with stories from real life experiences and God’s Word to encourage people and help them find a glimmer of hope no matter what the circumstances. She believes we need to continuously grow in our walk with God and lives out her storytelling passion by speaking and in her writing.