Dear Writer - by Susan Barclay

My best 'Dear Abby' look

It’s been a busy month. I just completed the 7^th annual A-Z Blogging Challenge (minus Q-U, but that’s another story). Unfortunately, I didn’t have the prep done ahead of time and that’s something I will ward against another year. – All this to say, my response to this month’s Inscribe theme is likely to be briefer than I’d prefer.

If you’ve been reading Inscribe consistently, you’ve probably heard the prompt already:

As you think back over your writing apprenticeship, share some of your key discoveries, turning points. What would you do differently? What advice do you have for a new writer?

1. I wouldn’t put off the writing bug once I’d caught it. Forget that whole image of the starving artist and the necessity of being practical. Youth is the time to try things out and to see where your dreams might take you. Once you have “responsibilities,” you’re less apt to explore creative avenues if you haven’t already started along them. And if you wait until retirement, who knows if you’ll make it that far?

2. Learn as much as you can about your craft. Take courses, whether in an actual classroom or online or via correspondence. Whatever works best for your schedule. Attend conferences and workshops to learn more and connect with other writers.

3. Join a writers’ collective to give and receive feedback. Again, this can be online or in person. I like in-person myself but, either way, what you glean is invaluable in your development as a writer. And if you stay in a group long enough, the relationships you form become precious.

4. Read, read, read. Read good writing and bad writing so you learn how to distinguish between the two. 

5. Support your local bookstore and the work of local authors. They will return the favour.

6. Accept opportunities and walk through open doors. You never know where they might lead.

Probably the most important piece of advice I have – hence saving it for last! – is to pray over your writing. Pray that God would guide you in what to write and what to do with it once it’s completed. God wants to be involved in all that we do; He cares about the things we care about. He is waiting for us to come to Him to ask for wisdom and blessing. Dear writer, you do not have because you do not ask. If you’ve been doing things in your own strength, why don’t you change that starting today and see if He won’t do a major work in your writing?

_______________

Susan’s website can be found at www.susanbarclay.wordpress.com

Spurred and Spurring by Sharon Espeseth

" . . . Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another . . ." (Hebrews 10:24 NIV)

Spurring and being spurred on, that is the connection I have with Women Word Weavers, which is our Barrhead writing group, and InScribe Christian Writer's Fellowship, which I have been a member of for several years. Both of these groups inspire me, teach me, encourage me, and try to keep me honest and accountable about my writing. Thankful for my writing colleagues, I try to give back in kind to my fellow writers in each of these groups.

I have previously written about my InScribe and WWW mentors/friends in my September 10, 2015
blog on Inscribe, "There's No Ship Like Mentorship" and also in my November blog, "Growing with InScribe Then and Now". I will try not to repeat myself.

In both groups, I find our friendships deepen with time, but often on meeting a new writing colleague there is an instant connection. We are a diverse, but like-minded group. We trust one another with our writing and with our personal struggles. We pray for one another and encourage one another in our writing and in our lives.

Since Women Word Weavers was formed before we became a Satellite group of InScribe, we do not require members to adhere to our faith, but we are free and open to write, share, and discuss Christian matters. Most of my writing, for example is faith-oriented or at least expresses my Christian worldview.

For either group, I get excited when our next meeting, workshop, or conference approaches. We regulars, in either group, don't like missing meetings or conferences. "Kindred spirits", we enjoy each other's company and savour the inspiration freely shared. Glynis Belec in her blog on the theme of writing partnerships mentions that her group sometimes becomes a therapy session when one of the members is experiencing struggles. " . . . (We've) got each other's writerly backs," Glynis says. Can anyone identify with that?

At our WWW's meeting on Feb. 8th, I asked the group to share their comments on what our Barrhead group does. Susan said, "The last meeting made me go home and get this long-time idea down on paper." She then shared this writing, a ready-for-critique and soon-to-be-submitted article on the topic that had been on her mind for ages. Susan plans to submit this piece to a denominational publication. Yahoo!

Other members talked about great writing prompts, stretching our writing, extending our boundaries, trying new genres, and getting used to reading our writings to others. We take turns chairing meetings with each chair doing her best effort to spur us on to fresh, open writing.

Women Word Weavers

We  also take turns bringing snacks, not to outdo one another, but to buoy ourselves to higher levels of writing. True! Our discussion momentarily turned to olives, bologna as a gift from Dorene who couldn't be at the meeting, chocolate, home-made bread, and apple crisp with whipped cream. Tears, hugs, and laughter also came to mind. As members, we help one another believe in our writing and aid one another to see writing dreams come to fruition.

We talked about our much-loved member, Mabel, who is presently in hospital dealing with cancer. We are missing this gentle, soft-spoken woman for her wisdom and serenity.

On our way to visit Mabel recently, Glenice and I had grabbed a grocery-store bunch of tulips and a card. When we removed the tulips from the cellophane sleeve and put them in a short vase the nurse provided, we were aghast to see the tulips flop horizontally. We laughed at the sight, but we brought them to our friend as something for her to care for. Mabel shared our laughter and said the tulips inspired her to write a poem.

I passed on Steph Beth Nickel's "12 Benefits of Belonging to a Writers' Group" to our satellite group members. After Marianne, a Word Weaver who spends much of the year in Switzerland, read Stephanie's blog, she replied, "A good writing group matters, because it sucks to write alone!!!"

Marianne has tried unsuccessfully to start a writing group over there, but it seemed writers there aren't as open about their writing. On her trips back to Alberta, she tries to fit a WWW meeting into her schedule.

We are blessed to have our writing group(s). May we continue to spur one another on to love, good works, and good writing. "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us." (2 Corinthians 5:20a ESV)