A time to consolidate

The verses from Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 are very well known. (A time to … and a time to …) The word consolidate is absent. The nearest concept to what I have in mind is “a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them”.  Stones might be gathered for building or to clear a field for ploughing.
 

Why would anyone scatter stones? Perhaps they are skimming them on water (or skipping rocks as they say the other side of the Atlantic Ocean). Publishing blogs is a bit like throwing stones at random – it is impossible to guess where they will travel to. Making a contents list is gathering them so that they may be more easily found or built into a larger work.

A few of the books I have reviewed

I have a rather overwhelming task in mind for myself. It involves making an index of all the books I have reviewed over the past seven years and publishing it online. Although I read widely, many of the books are by Christians including some members of the Association of Christian Writers (ACW).

If I were to post links to all of those here, I have no idea what it would do for my word count. Instead I shall link to my own blog, where the page is still  under construction. In any case it will need to be updated regularly after the backlog has been cleared.

One problem I have as a writer is choosing what to prioritise. I find it relatively easy to write blog posts and keep to a schedule as long as it is not too demanding. Writing other things might help me improve my style. I write something as “homework” for the local writing group I attend. It may be a poem or prose. Sometimes it comes out more like a blog. I have made at least two starts on a memoir. I took an indefinite break from that as I felt I was becoming too self-absorbed. How do other memoir writers manage?

Twitter is a distraction, but composing interesting Tweets is a challenge. My ideas for children’s stories are mostly half-baked. The help of another writer and/or illustrator might make them more appetising!

Talking of children’s stories, I don’t suppose the ACW committee would object if I remind you that the competition they are running is open for entries until 30 September 2019. I have already entered once, but two stories are allowed per person…

Susan Sanderson blogs on Sue's Trifles and Sue's words and pictures