Fall Plans by Carol Harrison

  

   Photo by Carol Harrison

September has arrived and I watch school buses stop across the street to pick up and drop off their student passengers. Yet I no longer have any back to school routines or students leaving for school. What will September to December look like for me? As I thought about this, the calendar reminded me how quickly months are flowing by. Time to start seriously thinking about what I need to accomplish before this year finishes.

1. Attend InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship Conference

- I have already registered and am looking forward to connecting with other writers.
- It will be a time to learn from the keynote speaker and in the workshops.
- I always find it to be a time of encouragement.

2. Write the Christmas book for the grandchildren

- Choose which topic of memories to write about this year for their Christmas gift.
- Gather the memories - likely family recipes and the stories that go with them.
- Have it ready for printing by the end of November so I can ship them where necessary.

3. Read memoir

- After attending the workshop from Siretona Creative on memoir writing, I received the homework of reading some memoirs. Thanks, Connie, for the suggestions of possible memoirs to read.
- Research for writing memoir for myself.
- Read for the enjoyment and learning someone else's story.

4. Work on exercises for writing my memoir

- Character sketches
- Settings
- Timeline of what to include and figure out what can be left out

5. Write Inscribe Blog posts each month from now until December

6. Attend the local Saskatoon Writers' Club Inc meetings once a month

- Possibly write to submit to their prose and poetry contests in November.

7. Write in my journal more regularly

- There are times I don't write in the journal for weeks at a time. This fall I plan to write at least twice a week in it if not more. I think the consistency will maybe help my writing block to slowly vanish or at least ease it a bit.

8. Organize writing files on my computer

- Right now I have duplicates saved on the computer and pieces not placed in correct files. This will be a huge project as I have not done any organizing in years. It seems like a daunting task but I think it will be good to know what I have already written, what needs editing, and what is unfinished in its present state.

The prompt suggested finding ten things we might like to accomplish, but after eight I found myself thinking the list had already grown long and some parts will take lots of hours of work like the booklet I do every Christmas for the grandchildren and children as a way to pass on memories. Fall looks like it will be full this year. Now to get busy and begin to do them. I started by downloading a memoir e-book from the library. Time to sit and immerse myself in someone else's life for a little while. At least it becomes a beginning.

Carol Harrison lives in Saskatoon, SK and spends much time reading books for enjoyment. Now she will add some research material to the mix as she begins on these eight points for spending time this fall.

 

Walk Like a Postman by Marnie Pohlmann

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. - Psalm 119:105

I’m sure I first learned to walk in order to keep up with my brothers as they played with a toy I wanted, but it was my father who taught me to walk with purpose.

Dad was a postman, and on summer vacation, I was occasionally invited to walk the mid-morning portion of his route with him. I wanted to, because it usually ended in a treat from the ice-cream bicycle we would meet along the way. Dad walked fast, though. He had to cover a certain amount of ground. Sometimes I ran to catch up, but soon I learned to walk quickly alongside rather than dilly-dally along the way. No matter how hot the day was, no matter how heavy his mailbag, no matter how grumpy the dogs along the way, Dad walked with purpose to get the job done.

As young as I was when I learned to walk like Dad, I haven’t seemed to translate that physical walk to my spiritual or writing journey. I still wander all over the landscape. My trail of small size six footprints meander along, climbing around the mountain of my life. I may be going higher and higher, but I sometimes pause to play in the mud or flowery dales alongside the trail, forgetting I need to move forward. Occasionally I go to the edge of the path to look down on the valley below. Each circle of the mountain provides a different view of the same past. Each one closer, perhaps, to how God views the events of my life from His eternal perspective.

Looking back along that trail I can see points where steps I took led me into new territory that would be life-changing, though I seldom realized it at the time. One such step happened when we moved from small town living into a city.

I don’t remember how I found her number, but I screwed up the courage to phone. I spoke with Linda Wegner, leader of the local Inscribe writers’ group in Saskatoon. I asked about the next meeting. A few nights later, this small town introvert was driving along unfamiliar streets across a big city to a stranger’s home to meet people I did not know. I was not even sure if I should be in their company! These were writers!

(At this meeting I also met a writer who was a Professor at a local Bible School in Saskatoon. Later that year, when life changed our path again, my husband started his journey to ministry at that school.)

Half a dozen years later we left Saskatoon and I was heartbroken to leave the friends in the His Imprint writers’ group. When I settled into my new home, I put out word I was starting a Christian writers’ group. I need and enjoy the connection, the encouragement, the instruction, and the spiritual support. And I find much of what I need in my new Inscribe group in Northern British Columbia.

I am not published as much as some of the writers I have been privileged to meet along the way, but I have been inspired to be purposeful in my writing. I am encouraged to be purposeful not only in the practice of writing, but in the sharing of that writing. I have contributed monthly to this Inscribe writers online blog for over a year now, and this past February I started my own blog as well.

I'm learning to write like a postman walks.

It's All About Connections by Steph Beth Nickel

It all began well over a decade ago …

Actually, it began long before that, but I won’t go back that far.

Connecting with Other Writers

Ruth Waring spoke to the ladies’ group at my church. Because authenticity marks her writing and speaking, I felt a connection and sought her out after the meeting.

She asked me where one could connect with a writers’ group in Southwestern Ontario. And the rest, as they say, is history.

We didn’t form Women Writing for Christ (WWC) until several years later. From time to time, I would  email Ruth and see if she’d found a group to join. Eventually, four of us began to gather at 

Ruth’s home once a month to learn the craft of writing.

Connecting with Industry Pros

That first year, we took the plunge and went to Write Canada … wearing matching t-shirts no less. Hey, we were green—very, very green.

It would be years before I went to the conference a second time, but when I did, it was like going home. Same venue. Familiar faces. And that incredible feeling that envelopes me when I hang out with other writers and industry pros.

And it was my connection to Write Canada that led to some amazing and unexpected opportunities, opportunities God had planned for me all along.

Connecting with New Friends

There I met Ron Hughes. (We were in the same continuing class.) Because of his “radio voice,” I told him if I ever turned a children’s book into an audiobook, I would hire him to narrate it. And thus began a friendship that led to my involvement in the podcast HopeStreamRadio.

I don’t imagine Ron expected me to jump into the ministry with both feet when he called to see if I knew anyone who might like to get involved. Since he approached me in 2014, I have written hundreds of devotionals and also some book reviews that have “aired” on the daily program.

It blows me away to think that words I write are being heard around the globe and that the Lord just may be using them for His eternal purposes. Mind-boggling!

Did I gather around Ruth Waring’s table thinking that one day I would be writing for an international podcast? Definitely not. After all, the podcasting patent was first issued in 2009. (Thank you, Wikipedia.)

Did I chat with Ruth after our initial meeting with the thought that she would introduce me to Deb Willows, the Paralympian whose award-winning memoir I co-wrote? It never even entered my mind—and still leaves me shaking my head.

And then there is the connection I made at Write Canada with members of InScribe. This connection led to working on the 7 Habits anthology as well as moderating the professional blog and writing regularly for it and this blog … not to mention making some amazing friends.

And on and on it goes.

How about you? Have you taken baby steps into the world of writing only to discover surprising opportunities? Are you an experienced writer who is set on a specific course? While focus is important, I encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open. Your path, like mine, may take you somewhere you never imagined you’d go.

Happy Connecting, my friends!  

Collective Numbers by Marnie Pohlmann

I am eight of nine. Or perhaps that should be nine of 11. Or maybe I can best describe myself as just one of many or one of the collective.  Yes, I am a Trekkie (a fan of the Star Trek television series and movies).

Marnie's sibling collective

I was raised in a large family. My two sisters are the eldest, then came five boys, then me, and my younger brother. We also had two foster brothers who lived with us for most of my years at home, and many other foster children who came and went. Sometimes, when Mom wanted me, she called out the whole list of names before getting to mine.

There are other numbers society applies to me as well. One in 9 Canadian women diagnosed with breast cancer (2010 estimate). One in three girls in Canada who were sexually abused as a child.

Not all statistics are discouraging. 35 years of marriage is a good number, as uncommon as that is becoming in today’s world.

Being a nameless number is my comfort zone. I like being part of a crowd, yet invisible. I can observe life, participate when I feel confident, or fade into the background as needed for safety. And I love extended time by myself, playing or reading or imagining. When I need encouragement, though, my brothers and sisters are always there for me.

As a writer, enjoying alone time to work with words is a must and being a silent observer is very helpful. The writer in me also feels the need to be part of a larger crowd; a collective who understand my quirky ideas, give me feedback, and encourage me to keep on with perseverance.  I have a small writing family in Peace Region Christian Writers. We meet monthly to share our projects, try new skills, and cheer for one another.

I have found a writing collective at Inscribe. Membership allows me to be part of an extended writing group, yet remain as invisible as I please. I love the Yahoo list serve, where I can lurk in the shadows while benefiting from the conversations. This is a closed group not because it is elite, but so it is safe for our sensitive egos. My favourite part may be the monthly Word Challenge, where I can try various writing forms. The feedback received is amazing, yet all entries remain anonymous unless one actually wins. We are not in competition, but are growing together, much like a family does.

Assimilation into Inscribe has given me courage to venture out to meet the flesh and blood writers (not cyborgs!) at the Fall Conference or a WorDshop. I have dared to send pieces for publication. Recently I bravely started writing my own blog, Phosphorescent. Once again, I’m blessed by encouragement from my writer friends as well as non-writing friends and family.

Peace Community Church, Taylor, BC

In the eternal family of God, I also become one of many. I belong to a small local church family, one of 43% of Canadian church-goers who attend a church of 75 or less. This eternal family encourage me to grow in, practice, and share my relationship with God. I am also welcomed in the larger crowd of witnesses throughout the world and eternity. God designed His Kingdom to include as many as would follow Him.

These statistics in my life do not define me, but they have formed me. The collective numbers allow me to walk alongside others who also relate to these situations. I am a better individual for being one of many.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Heb 12:1-3 NIV)


*breast cancer ribbon - CCO Public Domain, Pixabay.com
  all other photos by MarniePohlmann

Marnie Pohlmann worships and writes in northern British Columbia. She ministers with her Pastor husband and works as support to our Canadian heroes in red serge. She leads a local Christian writing group, fights breast cancer, and wears a red shirt.

Read Marnie's blog at Phosphorescent

HIBERNATION by Bryan Norford

Hmmm. If salting oneself away at a computer is hibernation, then I guess I hibernate all year! Mind you, I’m glad just to look at the weather this winter.

My desk faces a picture window looking over university lands, and I relish the thought that weather doesn’t interfere with the delightful task of writing. My sympathies to Glynis and others who have not been so fortunate.

But hibernation is selfish, isn’t it? Although against my isolationist tendency, we continue our writer’s group, Write Clique through the winter. So much for hibernation!

So below is my New Year letter to our group for others of you that participate in writing groups. Obviously, our schedule and practice will not suit everyone, but I trust there are some ideas that will encourage and spark interest.

Happy New Year to all you Write Cliquers:

Reviewing the past, I note that Write Clique has been going for just over two years, our first meeting on Thursday September 22, 2011.

All those who joined us during the following months are still with us, if not always able to attend—all except Chloe Collin who absconded with a man of her choice to Medicine Hat. Congratulations Chloe: keep on writing!

We are now about fourteen, and we expect our attendance to vary between eight and a dozen, depending on other commitments and priorities. This is particularly true as we will now meet twice a month to allow extra opportunities for those who cannot attend regularly.

We measure our success, not by numbers, but by the enjoyment and encouragement many of you have expressed. Not only that, books have been written by our members during that time, while others of you have issued other writings as the Lord has directed you.

Our main aim is to encourage new writers—as most of us are—against the discouragement of other priorities, people’s attitudes, and setbacks we all experience. As we are gifted and led by the Lord into writing, it’s essential we receive the fellowship and support of other writers like ourselves.

As we discussed at our 2013 wind up last November, we will meet on the second and fourth Thursdays each month. Winter dates are as follows: January 9 and 23, February and March 13 and 27. Please make a note of the dates, even if you can’t attend.

Our time will be 7.00 to 9.00 p.m. sharp!! We want to make the most of the time we have. Our schedule will be as follows, timing somewhat flexible:

7.00 Opening prayer, two minute devotional, and sharing. Sharing is not compulsory, but gives opportunity for discussing plans, dreams, progress, setbacks or difficulties for prayer and assistance if needed.

7.45 Instruction. This will be fairly basic, aimed at our general level of writing. I will give some and have others more experienced to share their knowledge in this slot also.

8.30 Fellowship. A time for one on one conversation and encouragement over coffee—decaf, tea, or other sleepy beverage.

For our first meeting, January 9, following our sharing time, I will share with you some resources I found helpful in ensuring work aims at a professional quality—essential if we desire to publish our work.

For other Thursdays, Craig Funston will talk about common grammar and word use mistakes, and Ruby Cleroux will discuss the basics for fiction writing. I’m open to suggestions for other ideas you’d find helpful.

So, we look forward to seeing you next Thursday

May God bless you all richly in 2014,
Bryan