D is for Delete by Sharon Heagy

        Delete, delete, delete. What a wonderful thing it would be to have a personal delete button. We would be able to erase careless words we’ve uttered that cut like a knife instead of providing comfort. Moments of embarrassment could be swept away with a few backspaces. Tragic times would disappear with the click of a button. Trauma would cease to exist. Hmmm…. sounds a bit like heaven. But here on earth our trials and mistakes are what mould our character as human beings and grow us as children of God. They help us to empathize and sympathize with others so that we can encourage and uplift with kind words and a heart gentled and smoothed by the sandpaper events of life. They guide us to His wisdom, love, grace and mercy and to the knowledge that without Him, we can do nothing.

        Nevertheless, the delete button is a practical and necessary tool for a writer. We click and clack on keyboards filling page after page as fast as our minds can imagine. No need to turn back and have a look. Words pour out of our soul in poetry or prose. Words full of life experience and worship. Words to woo, words to create suspense, words to instruct. Words of truth. Then the flow stops and we take a breath. We shake our heads to remove us from ‘the zone’ and bring us back to reality. We read and re-read what we have written and with that one beautiful button we can create a concise and almost lyrical piece. With the delete button words and sentences are hacked away like a machete slicing through the underbrush, ruthless yet with purpose.  Then we prayerfully consider what we have created and ask God to take away more dross, and the piece becomes even more polished. It is at this point that we may give our creation to someone we trust, who will constructively and prayerfully help us to find any mistakes and excess we may have missed. Then, when all is said and done, when we believe we have done our best, we surrender it to the Lord to be used for His purposes. (Though in truth surrender is also where we begin.)

            The editing process is one of my favourite parts of writing. Finding just the right word here or turn of phrase there makes my heart sing. It doesn’t always turn out as perfectly as I would like, due to my tendency to procrastinate but mostly because I am not perfect. It’s a process and one in which I am always learning.

            Philip Yancey has often shared a quotation about the writing life from Philip Roth, in Zuckerman Bound, 

 

“I turn sentences around.  That’s my life. I write a sentence and I turn it around.  Then I look at it and I turn it around again.  Then I have lunch.  Then I come back in and write another sentence.  Then I have tea and turn the new sentence around.  Then I read the two sentences over and turn them both around.  Then I lie down on my sofa and think.  Then I get up and throw them out and start from the beginning.”

            

This is one of my favourite quotations about writing and my apologies because I believe I have shared it before. But it suits the use of delete.  Delete has always been an important and integral part of the writing life, even before the advent of computers or typewriters when a good swift stroke of a fine pen could put a satisfying swoosh through any unnecessary material. 

            May you never fear the delete button and its ability to wipe away the words you have so lovingly crafted. May God show us how to prune our work so that it will be more fruitful and meaningful, just as He does with us. (John 15) May God bless your day.

 

p.s. Would you be willing to share your favourite quotation about writing? 

Do Not Despair by Steph Beth Nickel

Does your Lifetime Achievement Goal look something like mine: become a multi-published author who makes a good living from the sale of her books so she and her hubby can enjoy his retirement without worrying about finances? 

It may not look exactly like that, but you get the idea.

While I still plan to indie publish several books over the next decade or two (or more, Lord willing), that may not be what God has planned for me.

There’s an old saying that goes “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

Currently, I have the honour of editing blog posts, books, and more. What a privilege to hear “it sounds like me, only better” and “you’ve not only made my writing better; you’ve made me a better writer.

How humbling! How encouraging!

Does God want me to spend my time coming alongside others and helping them polish the message He has given them to get into the world rather than publishing my own books?

Possibly!

And that should be a-ok with me. After all, His plans for my life are the very best—even those I would not choose for myself.

How about you? Are you despairing over what you’re not able to accomplish rather than doing each task as unto the Lord (Colossians 2:23)?

No judgment here! That’s what I do far too often—although I might not admit that it’s actually despair.

How can we determine if we’re investing, rather than merely spending, the time God gives us each day?

Here’s a series of questions that might help:

•  Do I commit each day to the Lord, asking Him to accomplish in and through me all He desires?
• Do I see my opportunities to bless others as opportunities to bless Jesus (Matthew 25:31f)?
• Do I do each task as if doing it for the Lord, as mentioned above?
• Am I willing to accept the fact that now may not be the time to pursue my writing goals?
• Am I willing to honestly evaluate my schedule and make space for those goals, dreams, and aspirations that persist?
• Am I willing to say no to good things on my list in order to take hold of the writing goals I believe God has for me?

These are only half a dozen of the questions we could ask ourselves when deciding if now is the time to make room for our writing.

If you’re like me, that’s only one important step on the road to publication. Next, we have to zero in on what we want to write.

Some writers are incredibly focused. They write primarily on one topic or in one genre—and they are quite content to do so.

But there are those of us who have eclectic interests (are scattered, are caught up in the Oo, Shiny!, or…SQUIRREL).

For example, I have written dozens of devotionals, have several unpublished children’s picture book manuscripts on my computer, have made significant headway on two novels, and have ideas for countless more projects.

Even if I decide to commit time to writing several times a week, I must focus on the work at hand if I hope to get anything published.

For me, that means completing the memoir I’m coauthoring with Paralympian Deb Willows and the YA speculative fiction novel I began in 2019 or 2020.

I also have several shorter writing tasks to accomplish each month.

Do you despair over not getting more of the writing you want to do completed?

Take a deep breath. Pray for wisdom and direction. Evaluate your schedule. And, whatever you decide, rejoice in the opportunities you have each day to bless those God has brought into your life—with your writing or in some other way.

D is for the Discipline of Seeing ~ Guest Post by Marcia Lee Laycock

“Don’t expect me to learn to draw.” I shook my head at the art instructor. “I couldn’t draw a decent stick figure to save my life.”  

The man smiled. “I’ll have you drawing well by Christmas.”

“Don’t bet on it.”

 His smile broadened. “I love a good challenge.” 

I had decided to enroll in the small art college in my hometown while spending some time with my parents for the winter. I wanted to learn how to do pottery and weaving. I was not impressed when they told me I would have to take the drawing class as well. So I decided to be blunt with that instructor on that first day. As I recall I also told him not to expect me to be on time. The class was at 8:00 in the morning. I was not a morning person. 

But that instructor was patient and gentle and very creative in finding ways to engage his students. He started us off with some interesting still-life objects, then brought in a variety of live models – from a pregnant woman to a clown in full costume. Even when it was a straightforward still life, he challenged us to engage in the “discipline of seeing” and studying the subject that was before us. 

In time I was amazed at what I had never seen before, in the simplest of things – how the lines of a potted plant curve and reach for the sun, how a woman’s eyebrow arches in a way that is truly beautiful, how a man’s eyes change with the light and can reveal his inner thoughts. Time seemed to stand still. Three hours seemed like five minutes, and I became absorbed in the process. It didn’t take long before I began to love it. I was almost always on time for class. 

I especially enjoyed an exercise the instructor called ‘line drawing.’ In this form, we were told not to look down at the page and not to lift the pencil until we were finished. It was an exercise in seeing and I once again was amazed at what it revealed. 

It was some time later that I realize these exercises had also made me a better writer. Because I was forced to draw, I was forced to study the subject, to observe what was truly there. What I began to see began to come out in what I wrote.

For instance, this – 

Line Drawing 

Graphite feeds

a soft black line onto white.

I must never look away

but move my hand around his form

continuously, smooth reality

into art

starting with the chair, his chair,

high backed, footrest up,

my line edges his leg, bends over his knee,

unnatural angle

of one leg broken long ago.

I loosen my grip,

loop the folds of his sweater, baggy,

over his arm, descend to the

hand, short-lined fingers curled,

pipe cradled in the palm.

one quick stroke cuts

across his stomach, belting him in

then softens again to fold the other arm

and onto his shoulder, slouched,

the chin on chest,

glasses forward, I round his nose

sweep back his hair in

one final black wave

the flow of line is over

but I dare not look away,

aware

I have begun to see.

I have created

my father.

 

I will be forever thankful for that drawing instructor, that he didn’t toss this cheeky first-year student out of his class, but persevered and taught me, not just how to draw, but how to engage in the discipline of seeing.

Marcia Lee Laycock is a Christian writer/speaker/teacher whose work has been endorsed by Mark Buchanan, Jeanette Oke, Sigmund Brouwer.  Visit her website to learn more.

D is for Drafts by Bob Jones

      Photo by Nick Fewings Unsplash

When you write a first draft, you write it for yourself. When you rewrite it, you write it for everyone else. Stephen King

 

“It's easier to look at something bad then intuit how to make it better, than to make something good out of thin air. The human brain isn't wired for spontaneous ingenuity.” Julian Shapiro

 

 

The thrill of writing is that something that didn’t exist will be produced because of you. The beauty created starts with an ugly, first, rough draft.

 

Are you a visual processor? I am. I need to have the words and phrases in front of me to imagine how they fit together. Seeing them helps me determine which ones are keepers and which ones are throwaways. And which ones look like perfect matches.

 

The journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step and a first draft is a responsible step towards completing a writing journey.

 

1. The drafting process shouldn’t take long.

The idea is to put down and organize your ideas from start to finish. Good ideas. Garbage ideas. Write freely.

 

2. Write in order to think.

A first draft is a sacred space for generating ideas. Because it's while writing that you discover your best insights. You write in order to give yourself permission to think.

 

When you write a draft you splash your ideas on a blank canvass. Squeeze every last thought from your brain. My drafts don’t always turn out exactly as I imagined them in my head. But once the words are put to paper, I get a vague idea of what I’m looking for in my final piece.

3. Draft with a deadline.

The drafting process needs time. A first draft implies a second. And probably a third or fourth. Give yourself more than a day to complete the process. Just like yeast causes dough to rise, letting your words sit will allow their potential to rise.

 

To finish well you can’t wait till the last minute to start. Set a draft deadline at least 24 hours before you need the finished product.

 

If you need inspiration for this practise, Wendy MacDonald shared good insights about deadlines and Gloria Guest wrote about crunch time.

 

4. Embrace the badness.

Mozart had 600 musical compositions. Edison had 1093 patents. Only a few are remembered today. That's the point.

 

Edit AFTER you draft. When you’re writing a draft, perfectionism is not your friend.

 

Letting go of perfectionism is one of the most important things a writer can do at the start of any project. Keep in mind, a draft is nothing more than your initial ideas and emotions. Perfect spelling and sentence structure aren’t necessary in a draft. Don’t worry about being repetitive or boring.

 

Nobody but you will ever see your draft or judge it. Don’t even think of showing it to anyone.

 

If you try to perfect your work at this stage, you shut the creative side of your brain down and dam the flow of ideas. Ready. Fire. Aim.

 

5. Good enough.

Good enough is good enough for a draft. Everything can be fine-tuned later. So, as you write, remind yourself, “This is good enough.” Keep going. Get your thoughts down. That’s success.

 

6. Choose challenge over competence.

Do you feel like you know nothing when you begin a challenging writing project? You take a risk and tackle a subject you’re not familiar with. Looking at the first draft is humbling. But that’s OK. As Eleanor Roosevelt said,

 

You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence.

 

This post is typical of everything I write. My first draft looks very little like what you just read. The ideas splashed in the Word document were about the pain that arises when you sit too long in a drafty room. The writing process can be a pain in the neck if you sit too long editing as you write.

 

How about you? Is D for Drafts in your world?

 

Bob Jones writes to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose. You can follow his writing at REVwords.com