Notes to Self Through the Decades ~ Valerie Ronald

Dear Valerie Evelyn,

You arrived along with the spring flowers in April. Your parents and brothers welcomed you with joy˗˗a wee redheaded girl with big eyes eager to take in the world. Your childhood holds some of my clearest early memories. Most cherished are scenes and stories from your imagination. You skipped through the veil between fantasy and reality like a fairy child, happy living in tales of your own weaving. Your parents hurried you along when you dawdled, immersed in your inner world. They did not realize their little girl’s whimsical fancies were the dawning of a deep inner life. Now you hold my hand in the twilight before I sleep, telling myself stories to calm my mind, as you once did. You will always be a part of me.

With young womanhood came your awakening to the possibility of romantic love. You ran fast after it, thinking all questions would be answered through the heart, but found it to be a tender organ, quick to bruise and slow to heal. If you had realized then that your heart’s longing could only find true fulfillment in one perfect Man, Jesus Christ, much suffering may have been averted. Eventually you embraced a new life in Christ, but not before your heart was trampled and thrown aside. I still live with the scars of that broken heart, now made whole because of the healing love of Jesus.

Becoming a mother gave your creative imagination a chance to blossom again. Tea parties with dolls, playing pirates in the forest, and stories before bedtime; these brought you delight through the eyes of your children. You entered into their world, not just as their mother but as a fellow creative who sparked their imaginations with what if’s and let’s pretend. You have reason to be proud of their adult accomplishments as musicians, artists, and writers.

When you learned to read and write as a child, a way opened for you to express your inner world through the written word. It came as naturally to you as breathing. You dreamed of a career as a journalist, however, marriage and family set that dream aside.

No need to think you failed, though, because from my vantage point I see God’s perfect timing in those dreams now coming to fruition in my golden years. The day is here when all you learned in your walk with Jesus gives you much to share with others through your writing. But first you will go through the refiner’s fire. Refining will reveal depths of God’s character and purposes only suffering brings to light. I guarantee it will be worth it all to know the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.  (Romans 11:33 NIV)

I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel. (Isaiah 45:3 NKJV)

It seems just a short time ago you were a little girl swaying on a backyard swing, absorbed in the magical tales of your imagination. Soon you and I will experience what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined, when we enter God’s kingdom to see Jesus face to face.

Take courage, dear heart!

From your older self, who loves you always 

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, 

with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism,

she writes devotionals, fiction, and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing

is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.                                                 

The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of - Marnie Pohlmann

We all dream of changing the world to be a better place. Some dream of accomplishing change by raising children to be compassionate and kind. Others dream of working hard to achieve success, so they have the riches or the influence to change the world. Writers dream the words they put to paper will touch someone’s life and cause them to feel, see, or be better in the world they live in.

In my sleeping dreams are nightmares.
Dreams. My personal experience with dreams is that they mostly turn into nightmares. Those are not the kind of dreams we desire. Thankfully, dreams for our lives are not made of memories. Dreams for our lives are dependent on the choices we make each day.

The first choice that will lead to the best life dreams is to take the step of choosing God as your Saviour and Lord.

Psalm 37:4 teaches that if I delight in the Lord, He will give me the desires of my heart. I have not studied the original language of this verse, but I doubt it means God is like a genie-in-a-bottle and when we do what He approves of He will give us what we want. Our relationship with God is not based on what we do, what we do is based on our relationship with God; it is a gift because God loves us. I think this verse means God will give me the desires of my heart. Did you read that the way I hear it in my mind? The nuance is that God sets into my heart what I desire. God places His desires for me into my heart, so they become my desires for Him.

In my waking dreams are for the future.
Have you ever wondered why you dream of doing or being what you have claimed as your dream? I was young when I said I was going to be a writer. Even when I figured out writing would probably not provide for my physical needs, and it is not easy, still, when I grow up, I want to be a writer. I have often wondered why that has always been my dream.

Psalm 139:13 says God has knit us together in our mother’s womb. God chose our mother and father to knit us into one He knew we would be.

Ephesians 2:10 explains God prepared works for us to do for Him, so He not only knit us together physically, but He also planted the seeds of our personality. Then we were given life circumstances and experiences that would mold us into one who could do that work. Many people and times influence us, train us, and encourage us to develop into one who at some point chooses to be a child of God who will begin that work He has prepared for us. Our dream has developed because God knit it into our very soul.

Not all the growth to prepare for our dream, our calling, is easy or enjoyable. Sometimes the path may even feel like a nightmare.  Has God ever led you to do exactly what you do NOT want to do? How is that the desire of your heart? We can be sure it’s not the desire of our heart, it’s the desire of God’s heart. Still, we want to run from it. Jonah did just that - and ended up in the belly of a whale, miserable and whining until He agreed to do what God had prepared him to do. I relate to Jonah. What God calls us to can be hard!

In my ageing dreams are elusive.
Sometimes our dreams don’t seem clear. I often have more questions than answers when it comes to walking with God. I believe He has placed on me a calling to write. What am I called to write? Fiction? Magazine articles? Copy for advertisements? Poetry? Am I called to share it publicly, or just locally, for my friends and family, or maybe in the church bulletin? Am I supposed to pursue traditional publishing or figure out how to make an e-book? And then there is marketing. Speaking. Selling. Yuck! So ultimately, I’m back to “Do I have to?”

Time goes by so quickly I feel I should already have reached the pinnacle of my dream. Like Jonah, I make choices to do what I think I want rather than what God asks me to do. I take the whale-of-a-time path that will eventually, I know, lead right back to where I can choose to obey.

But in my faith my dreams are secure.
It is because God has given me the desire to write that I can dream of being a writer. It is because He has led me along the steep and rocky path that I have something to write about. And it is because I trust His training and His Spirit in me that I can be confident in all that being a writer means - even the parts I don’t like.

How do we make a dream come true? We know dreams don’t become reality until we make them goals then take practical steps toward the goals which will make the dream come true. Today is the day to reach for your dream. Head in that direction, one step at a time. As we follow the path God has laid out for us, the desire will grow. The skills will grow. The opportunities will grow.

And one day we will look back and see how God has led us to the mountaintop, the fulfillment of our dream. He has given us the desire of our heart and He will give us the desire of our heart.

Marnie Pohlmann dreams of being a writer when she grows up. In the meantime, she practices and learns and grows with God.
Phosphorescent

*photos courtesy of Pixabay.com CCO license.

Unleashing the Lion ~ Valerie Ronald

Our neighbor’s new puppy grew quickly into a mature German Shepherd dog, purebred, high strung, yet often chained and ignored in their backyard. Elsa became frustrated and aggressive without proper obedience training and attention. One day as I was walking to my car, she bolted past the legs of her owner at the open door and ran right at me barking furiously, teeth bared, hackles raised. I threw my hands up and shouted at her, which made her stop in her tracks, giving the neighbor just enough time to grab her by the collar before she lunged at me. The encounter left me shaken. For days afterwards I carried a broom when I left the house, ready to defend myself from an unrestrained dog.

Unleashing an unpredictable force can lead to unexpected consequences.

At this point in my writing journey I see myself trying to control a lion of a story which, if unleashed, could grab me by the throat at any moment and shake me violently. Fear of unknown consequences often keeps me from giving the story freedom to be told. Yet at the same time, this story is the writing dream God makes quite clear He wants me to pursue.

What if the writing dream I’ve been given scares as much as it excites?

What if unleashing the dream releases painful remembrances of emotional trauma and pain?

What happens when my fingers are hesitant to unclasp the leash, yet the dream continues to strain against its restrictions, eager to be free?

I must be honest in admitting that I come to this dream reluctantly. It does not fill me with pleasure to chronicle the details of how I almost disappeared when I was married to a sociopath. I do not want to revisit the years of neglect, lies, betrayal and emotional abuse. Those painful times are in the past. God has since worked a healing in my heart and life, for which I am incredibly grateful. But the scars still twinge when I recall how they came to be there, and the memories stir up echoes of the deep pain of those heart wounds.

So what do I do with this dream that will not let me go? There must be a purpose in it.

God sometimes gives me glimpses of the lion set free and what it can accomplish for Him. Lions are dangerous animals but they have a place in the scheme of nature which no other animal can fulfill. Jesus was given the title the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”(Rev. 5:5), depicting Him with the majesty and strength of a lion, “mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing.” (Prov. 30:30)

Because this lion of a dream is given by God, then I must not retreat before the distracting strategies of the enemy, who would like nothing better than to see it die unfulfilled. In obedience I must go forward.

I am learning to look at this daunting task from God’s perspective. When I view writing about my difficult experiences as a way to help others suffering at the hands of a sociopath, it takes on a purpose far outweighing my own discomfort. It helps me to think of it as God’s story, told within the context of my own. Only His intimate care, love and protection saw me through those dark days. He is the hero whose presence is woven into every detail of my story. I believe its purpose is to offer hope to others trapped as I was, hope only He can give. Because Jesus saw me through the dark valley, He can do the same for them. So I pray for the fortitude to set aside my own past pain and unleash this lion of a story, then see what unexpected consequences God will bring about.

When God created me in Christ Jesus, He had good works prepared in advance for me to do. (Eph. 2:10 NIV) I have it in writing that such confidence is mine through Christ before God, not that I am competent in myself to claim anything for myself, but my competence comes from God. (my paraphrase of 2 Cor. 3:4-5) God gives assurance in His Word that when doubts arise I am to remember that His Spirit lives within me to help realize the dream He has given. My part is to respond in faith and obedience.

Is anything impossible for God? Can feelings of inadequacy or fear tether the Lion when His power is limitless and His purposes have teeth?

“Aslan is a lion --- the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh”, said Susan. “I thought he was a man. Is he --- quite safe?’

“Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you!”

~ C. S. Lewis – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Writing Dreams and Adaptive Creativity by Bob Jones

Aside from the Bible, I seldom read the same book more than once.  I’m ready for my third journey through Tod Bolsinger's, Canoeing the Mountains. 

Bolsinger uses the story of Lewis and Clark and their search for the Northwest Passage as a metaphor for adaptive change.  Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery endured 15 months of hard travel, a seemingly endless string of days of backbreaking upstream slogging, all for the purpose of discovering a water passage linking America, East to West.

Mosquitoes galore.

A dark, cold winter.

Grizzly bears.

The death of a companion.

 

The Corps of Discovery finally come to the source of the Missouri River. They found what no person of European dissent had before them. After 15 months of going upstream they looked forward to swiftly being carried down stream to the Pacific Ocean.

They could not have been more disappointed.

 

Stuck

They discovered that 300 years of experts had all been completely wrong. Everything they had accomplished was only a prelude to what was in front of them. What lay before them was nothing like what was behind them. There were no experts, no maps, no best practices and no sure guides who could lead them safely and successfully.

As a writer, do you feel like a canoeist who has run out of water? There is no writing route in front of you; no map; no quick fix or easy answer. You’re stuck. 

You may be excellent at what you do. You’ve written books or started a popular blog and even given seminars about writing well. But you’ve run out of creativity. The river is dry. As far as you can see, there are only towering mountains of frustration.

That’s the time for a conversation about canoeing. 

 

Writing Dreams

My dream is to write a book so helpful, readers want to go through it multiple times and then write blog posts to recommend it to their friends. I’ve been working to turn that dream into reality. But I was stuck. 

Bolsinger’s use of Lewis and Clark’s story got me unstuck. Have you discovered that what you're good at can hold you back from realizing your dream? 

Members of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery designed their own keelboats and learned to make canoes in the wild. They excelled at what they did.  Imagine what it’s like to be told, “Drop the canoe.”  Men whose hands had been shaped by the use of oars were told to ride horses. 

What is your canoe? What have you dropped to achieve your writing dream?

Please leave a comment below and start the conversation.

I'd love to share additional content with you at REVwords.com

Susan and the Fabulous, Awesome, Marvelous, Out-of-Sight, Unreal, Super Writing Year - by Susan Barclay

So I've been given a year to do nothing but write. Money is no object, nor is time or space. What would I do? Write, of course!!

Now you all know that there's more to writing than writing. Even with all those other considerations out of the way (money, time space), there are other things to do that are connected with the craft, but aren't actually writing. Research, for one.

First stop, Grand Canyon, where part of my novel is set, but where I've never actually been. Before going, I'd have to research the best time to be there, the best place to stay, what to see, who to connect with, etc. Then I'd follow through. And make lots of notes with lots of detail. Immediately on returning home, I'd revisit the relevant sections of my novel and add in the necessary elements. Once satisfied that all was polished to perfection, it would be time for the next phase of my writing year: finding an agent.

Finding an agent would also take research, using the Writers' Digest Guide to Literary Agents and word-of-mouth recommendations/suggestions. It would take some time to hook up with the right person, so while I was waiting, I'd work on more writing and submissions.

I already have some picture books ready to go, so I'd definitely work on submitting those. More waiting... More writing. Writing every day. Taking a writing class or two, attending conferences and workshops.

365 days would go by quickly. Too quickly, no doubt. And life would intervene along the way, as it is wont to do, and as others have pointed out well.

But it's my year, and I get to dream about it. Why not dream big and forget about obstacles?

P.S. Next year, I hope to make part of this dream come true by traveling to the Grand Canyon. If you've been there before, and have any input, I'd love to hear from you!
__________________

For more of my writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.ca

A year to write with no limitations? - Ruth L. Snyder

As I sit down to write this post, my youngest daughter is beside me whining because I told her she can't play on the iPad any more today. A few minutes ago I settled a squabble between two of my sons. My ear is tuned to hear the buzzer on my washing machine downstairs so that I can put clothes in the dryer and place another load in the washing machine. In 20 minutes it will be time for me to make supper. I know many other writers understand, because we all have many demands on our time and energy. And yet, somehow, we all MAKE time to write.

Just for the pure fun of it, However, I'm going to put all my other responsibilities out of my mind and think about what I would do if I had a whole year to write without any limitations.

1. I would spend time seeking God's guidance in my writing. I do that now, but my quiet times are often cut short by other duties and obligations. What a luxury it would be to have no limitation on time spent reading my Bible, praying, worshiping, and just being quiet in God's presence. I think my writing would be more focused.
2. I would write more devotionals. The other day when I stopped to think about what I really want to write, it's devotionals. God is teaching me and has taught me many things I should share. Often I don't take time to write about these lessons. Sometimes I fight the need to be vulnerable.
3. I would develop an online resource for Canadian foster, adoptive, and kinship families. This is something I've mulled over for years. Although there are many U.S. resources, there is no "go to" place for Canadians. For the past 8 years, I've had the privilege of editing In the Loop, a newsletter for foster, adoptive, and kinship families in north central Alberta. My dream is to develop an online community where foster, adoptive, and kinship families can find resources, share struggles without fear of judgement, and receive the support and encouragement they need. I'm taking baby steps, but a year without limitations would enable me to get it done faster.
4. I would spend more time mentoring and encouraging new writers. I enjoy technology and explaining how things work. Helping people encourages me. I'm thankful my work with InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship gives me opportunities to share what I know, but I'm often frustrated by the time constraints I face.

My time's up. I need to go make supper now, but I hope you've caught a glimpse of my hopes and dreams. I'll continue to chip away at them in the time I do have, trusting God to use my feeble attempts for His glory.

Now it's your turn. What would you do if you had a year with no limitations?

Ruth L. Snyder enjoys exploring life's adventures through writing and photography. Find out more at http://ruthlsnyder.com.

What if We Could Write All Year? By Sandi Somers

So often as writers we feel we don’t have enough time to develop our craft.

We may dream of giving up a job to write, buying a cabin to escape family responsibilities, or miraculously coming into ideal conditions.

Our prompt this month asks us to describe our writing life if we had a whole year free to focus on just our craft. How would it change how/what we write?

Fantasy Meets Reality

Over the last months while thinking of this topic, I experimented with full-time writing, taking home-grown retreats. I chose frigid snowy days of winter and then again June days as rains poured down.

I accomplished more writing, and knew that in a year of concentrated effort I could finish my book of devotionals and shape my memoir into a better draft. I could attend several conferences and take a two-week writing retreat in the company of other writers and …and…and…

However, by the end of my retreats, my house looked neglected: papers lay all over my table and office, and a number of errands remained undone. I’d need a housekeeper/office clerk/shopper.

And I hadn’t contacted friends and family.

What stared me in the face was that writing would become my only priority.

I would have to block out the rest of my life.

I’d have to miss summer days outdoors. I’d miss time with my extended family. I’d have to say, “No, thanks,” to refreshing walks or coffee with friends. And I’d have to give up so much quilting and working in my garden.

Not so good!

The reality is that life enriches my work. People and activities enrich my life, just as I enrich theirs.

As a result, my question turned around 180 degrees: “What am I doing with the time God is giving me to write?”

I began praying to make more effective use of time I DO have, rather than wishing for more.

As I surrender my writing to God each day, I pray the Holy Spirit will infuse me with his presence, energy and ideas.

I will trust him to multiply my efforts, just as Jesus multiplied the five loaves and two fishes to feed the huge crowd.

I may be surprised by what God will do.

You may be surprised by what God will do.

He waits for you to ask him.

My prayer as you write in less-than-ideal conditions is that God will “strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV).

Taking a Novel Challenge - Ruth L. Snyder

I have always looked forward to sorting through the daily mail. This sense of anticipation probably started in my childhood when mail delivery to our isolated African mission station was unpredictable at best. This January when I sorted the mail one day I found a new treasure hiding among the bills. It was an invitation from the Long Ridge Writers' Group to participate in a novel writing course.

As I read the details, I knew I wanted to take the course. However, several arguments against saying yes filled my mind:

• I write mostly non-fiction
• I have five young children and limited time to write
• I'm not your typical novel writer - I haven't had a story twirling around in my brain just waiting for the right opportunity to be put onto paper
• Most of the pieces I write are between 500-2000 words

After praying about the opportunity and waiting for several weeks, I finally took the plunge and sent in my application. The instructor I was assigned seemed to be a perfect match for me - she described her struggles of finding writing time while raising her family. However, a few days after I received my writing package in the mail, I received an email informing me a new instructor had been assigned to me because my previous instructor was not able to fulfill her contract. At first I was discouraged, but then I read my new instructor's welcome letter. She too has experienced the challenge of balancing family responsibilities with writing time and in addition, she has experience in areas I need to grow in.

For assignment one I was required to come up with two different ideas for novels. To my surprise, two ideas were right there in my imagination waiting. I was excited about exploring both ideas, but was partial to one. After I sent off my assignment the doubts started coming. Who am I trying to fool? I just don't have it in me to write a novel. Where am I going to find the time? An idea is great, but how am I ever going to flesh it out? And even if I do, what valuable takeaway can I give my reader? One day I was filled with anticipation; the next day I wondered what I was getting myself into.

My instructor liked both of my ideas, but she preferred the same idea I did - a mystery set in Ottawa in the late 1950's. Assignment two focused on character development - especially figuring out what motivates your main character. My online critique partners were very helpful as I thought through how my main character would respond to a situation I chose. After several revisions I hit the "send" button.

Currently I'm working on the plot. I'm enjoying the process for the most part, but I still have those niggling doubts as well.

Is anyone else working on their first novel? I'd be interested in hearing about your challenges and successes.

Ruth L. Snyder

Check out Ruth's blogs: www.trusteesnyder.blogspot.com (Education information) www.ruthlsnyder.com (Ruth's writing and family life) and www.earlyyearssuccess.com (Information for caregivers of children ages 0-5)

Follow Ruth on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@wwjdr