I've Only Begun by Tandy Balson

Looking back on my life, I realize my apprenticeship started long before I was aware of it.  There were many signs I failed to recognize on my journey to be a writer. So many prompts were ignored.  Nevertheless, they combined to form the essence of who I am and how I express myself.

When I felt called to write I started to carry a journal everywhere I went.  Inspiration could strike at any time and I wanted to be able to capture the thoughts before they escaped. I later learned that I’m not alone in this practice.

Before long I joined a local writers group for support.  They only had positive things to say and my confidence level increased.  It was more than a year later I found out they didn’t give critiques unless they were specifically asked for! Perhaps the encouragement was what this beginner needed to build confidence.

The first negative feedback I received took me by surprise.  If I was following God’s will for my life, shouldn’t everyone love what I was writing?  I had no idea how naïve that mindset was. It was a rude awakening but necessary for me to realize how much I had to learn.  

Conferences, workshops and honest feedback from writers and editors set me on the right path.  One editor saw potential in my writing and offered to mentor me. The direct tutelage of a professional was integral to me becoming published. 

I understand that I am still in the early stages of my formal apprenticeship. The more I learn, the more I am aware how much more there is to learn.

God has given me the desire to write.  As my master instructor, he has led me to InScribe and the fellowship of others called to share his inspired words.  What better apprenticeship could anyone ask for?

Casting off by Lynn J Simpson

 

May 4, 1995, under a clear spring sky, the Edmonton Queen Riverboat navigated the North Saskatchewan River waters for the first time as  hundreds of spectators lined the banks. 

I wonder if Ray Collins was among those hundreds?

See, according to the stories told, Mr. Collins since a young lad  had been fascinated by the stories of steam boats that once sailed the river of Edmonton.  Delivering lumber to the North West Mounted Police in Fort Saskatchewan, the steamwheelers operated from 1874 until  1915 when the big flood halted the operation. But that flood is another story. 

Mr. Collins first approached the project of building a steam boat back in 1964, but it wasn't until 1992 that his dream began to float when the mayor of Edmonton said yes to the 3.4 million venture. Scheduled to launch a year later, the boat was docked in money battles until finally Mr. Collins drifted into bankruptcy and Carrington Properties cruised in to save the Queen. 

Now, I don't know Mr. Collins and have no idea what his mind state may have been that day his dream sailed when he was no longer anchored to the project.

May he have considered himself a failure?

Or maybe, just maybe, Mr. Collins took on a mind state that he had done his due diligence in piloting a dream, a project that did voyage? Just most likely not sailed the direction expected, possibly due to hasty decisions along the way. 

Why the boat story when it comes to writing about our theme this month of apprenticeship? 

One word: tenacity.

Remember it was May 4th, 1995, twenty-nine years after his first launch attempt that the Edmonton Queen floated the North Saskatchewan River, and Mr. Collin's dream got under way. 

Twenty-nine years.

There are many, many stories of dreams started and finished, with a boat-load of time in between.

May we always be encouraged that time is our friend, and that diligence does pay-off.  And even though our dream may look different between launch and sailing, we've got our great Captain whose purpose prevails. 

Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead only to plenty, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. 

You can find more tenacious musings by Lynn J Simpson on her Website

A Journey of a Sixty-Something Writing Apprentice by Alan Anderson

Okay, I admit it!  I’m an apprentice when it comes to writing.  I began writing as a boy.  Now that I’m a big boy and getting closer to being an “old boy,” I have gained some confidence in my writing.  I think too that my writing is older than I am.  Weird huh?

Please bear with me as I try to expand on the previous thought.  I don’t tend to gravitate toward jovial or humorous stories or articles.  Pretty well anything I’ve written or write strives to penetrate human emotions.  This could be because when I was a boy I was conditioned to believe that my emotions didn’t matter.  I grew up believing to show or express emotions like sadness wasn’t what men or boys did.  That hurt because I was born with a sensitive nature.  I suppressed my emotions for years and paid a price inside my being.

My writing is in a sense older than me because it took years for me to express myself emotionally.  Writing was one of my mentors and convinced me to begin my apprenticeship.  The words that have found me have been gentle teachers in my apprenticeship and now are directing me to move forward.

I’m sure those who read this post know that words teach us.  Think of God’s Word and how wonderful a teacher it is to lead us, through God’s Spirit, to find life.  Words know us and what we want to say to the world.  First the words are born within us and we are given the opportunity to find the story.  The story however has already found us.  We then offer this story to the world of readers.

Throughout my apprenticeship I know I can’t do it on my own.  I value the critique of other people.  I also value the guidance and suggestions of experienced writers.  This is why I am a member of InScribe and The Word Guild.  You have taught me a lot about writing.

I am also thankful for people like Jeff Goins.  Right now I am reading his book You Are A Writer.  Some of you probably know this but Jeff says there are three tools a writer needs to extend the reach of one’s writing.  As an apprentice I find this interesting and will note these tools here.  1) A platform to share your writing.  2) A brand to build trust with your readers.  3) Channels of connection to distribute your art.

I’m going to use the wisdom and knowledge that you all and people like Jeff teach me.  Who knows, maybe one of these days I’ll move on from being an apprentice!  Until then, I’m fine with taking my writing step by step.  God has laid a message on my heart.  I’m at the point of wanting to share it.

Life is incredibly full isn’t it?  For the first time I’m late with my monthly post.  It seems time just flew by.  This reminds me that I have to get busy writing.  It reminds me that there are words that ache to bring a message to other people.  It is my time to release them with my blessing!

Blog: ScarredJoy@wordpress.com

RATATOUILLE and WRITE-ATOUILLE by Jocelyn Faire

This past month, I have been visiting my daughter's family in North Africa. They live there intentionally for kingdom purposes, and I try to visit them every year for an extended time. I will not get to know my grandchildren if I do not spend the time. Like everyone else trying to write, the battle for our time includes a surplus of great activities. I see it in my daughters household where ongoing urgent needs surround her and I see it here in Canada.

I will not learn to write if I do not spend the time.

My grand-daughter, two grandsons and I spent an evening with popcorn, drinks and the Disney movie Ratatouille—the animated story of Remy the rat who loves great food. But who would allow a rat in the kitchen? The plot follows along as Remy forms an alliance with a busker boy to fulfill his culinary dreams. Remy is inspired by a famous chef's cookbook called “Anyone Can Cook.”

I will not learn to write If I do not spend the time.

As Remy overcame obstacles, (he was gifted but lacked opportunity) he convinced the stuffy food critic that anyone could cook, including this rat. When I took a creative writing course at University of Calgary, we were told that writing was a craft, and anyone could develop the skills. Anyone could improve their writing. That was an encouraging point.

I will not learn to write If I do not spend the energy.

We were assigned to read Betsy Warland's essay Sustaining the Writer. One of the things that haunts me and most of the writing people I know was addressed in her piece:

“Their [writers] inability to write, however, is more about their self-doubts and nascent discipline than it is about time;” She also mentioned that writers often undermined themselves by their own “harsh misguided self criticism.”

When the doubts assail, as they routinely do, especially when I have been away from my writing for various reasons-visiting grandchildren is certainly one of them-I refer back to several key scriptures: 

Isaiah 48:6 You have all this evidence confirmed by your own eyes and ears. Shouldn't you be talking about it? (The Message) God has given me a challenging grief story. He has also given me His consistent strength and grace in the journey. I have experienced it, I should be talking/writing about it.

Galatians 6:4,5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for being the creative best you can be with your own life. (The Message) We are given the freedom to avoid getting caught up in the comparison game, and the challenge to do our own creative best.

But I need to spend the time and energy in order to learn to write. Yes, Remy—anyone can cook and anyone can write.

Jocelyn blogs at: http://whoistalking.wordpress.com

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