When God Calls a Writer by Sheila Johnson

 

Like many, I have had my share of feeling rather down about the pandemic - not meeting as often as we would like and then having to socially distance, particularly difficult with good friends or family members who we long to hug. 

I have also been feeling rather down about my writing, struggling with inspiration and feeling discouraged about the two fiction books I have written to date, Alpha Male and Waireka. However, I recently came across the book 'When God Calls a Writer' on a special offer. 

The special offer was on the kindle edition of the book but having read through this very quickly - it only takes around an hour - I realised that this book was a keeper and one which required me to write in some very personal answers to the sections included. I therefore have now ordered the print edition too. In this book, the author, Deanne Welsh weaves the story of Moses with the story of a writer. With the various 'write in' sections, Deanne encourages us to examine our own writing journeys to discover the very things that excite and inspire our writing. 

As I went on this journey, I realised that I had been pressuring myself for a long time to write fiction. Although I had completed my two books, Alpha Male and Waireka, this was over a long period of time in both cases, and in Waireka, the full length novel it had been with considerable help and input from an excellent editor. I found that I simply couldn't get any inspiration to start a new story. Then using the book, I thought about my own writing and what really inspires me. I realised that I love writing a good article, I sometimes write a poem and the idea of writing up someone's biography or even my own life story (for my children only) and the lady, Jember's devotionals which I am currently compiling, these things inspire me. They are my passion. 

Deanne encourages us to follow our passions and not to try to compare ourselves to other writers. God has given each and every one of us a personal agenda which is ours alone and if we follow anyone else's agenda, then the world will be a poorer place for the lack of our own material. 

Sheila Johnson lives in Cheltenham and is a qualified journalist who has written for a number of publications both local and national. She has also written two books under her pen name Sheila Donald, Alpha Male and Waireka. Her website can be found at www.journojohnson.com