More than Writers

During today (2 January), you may see some really odd posts.  This is because Rosemary is attempting to rewrite the practice exercise for new bloggers.  Please bear with her.  She will keep disruption to a minimum! What do you expect when calling at a motorway service station?  The vast majority of people who call at Clacket Lane on the M25 have only one purpose: to spend a penny.  Imagine then my surprise at finding a display board, situated between the ‘Male Toilets’ and ‘Female Toilets’, about an archaeological dig and photographs of Roman finds on the Clacket Lane site. It was a stopping off place for Romans travelling between London and Canterbury - so no change of use then. So why am I writing about a motorway service station on a Christian blog?   Bear with me.   I will make the connection in a minute.           Think now about our church buildings.   Church buildings are very important to those who don’t a...

 December is a month filled with light. It’s everywhere, in every possible colour. Fortunately, one of our neighbours is a churchyard, the other neighbour is the village primary school, so we don’t have the migraine-inducing lights flashing next door! Where we live, there are no streetlights till you come to the housing estate. Walking the dog in the dark is interesting, as the road isn't very smooth. Goldie often comes along to drop various children of at various clubs, like Scouts or Guides, and we try to pretend we don’t have a problem with walking alone in the dark... My headtorch is amazing, and it can be charged, which is a must in our family as there’s no way to keep on top of batteries for everything. And we run out energy before we expect to. The torch, I mean. One of Goldie’s favourite games is galloping around a field with her rope ball, in never ending circles, with a very large grin of her face. As she’s young, I watch her like a hawk, or an owl in this case. Wit...

It’s a good idea to review your writing year but give yourself credit for the positives. It’s easy to be harsh on yourself reflecting on what didn’t work well but there will be positives too. If you committed to writing more this year, and did so, that is a win. Onwards and upwards! If you submitted more stories, or your first one, but didn’t get anywhere, take heart. Submitting takes work and commitment and most writers don’t get published immediately. If a story doesn’t do well in one place, try another suitable market. I’ve had work published which was initially rejected by someone else. Reviewing your writing year implies looking ahead to what you want to achieve in the following twelve months. I use a diary to plan what I hope to have written by when, as well as helping me to work to timelines for my Chandler’s Ford Today posts, my work on Writers’ Narrative , as well as my monthly blogs here and elsewhere.  Planning out my time is one of the most useful things I’ve done to h...

                  The     WAITING    ROOM   by Sophia Anyanwu   The picture above represents 2023 ending its journey. 2024 has been waiting patiently! Have you ever had the experience of waiting in anxiety for a promotion, an interview, an exam result or even waiting for the blessing of the womb or a spouse for yourself or for family members? You will agree with me that it is a place of unsettlement within our spirit. As Christians, we know that waiting for answers to prayers is a place that tests our faith. It is easy to weave in between doubt and our trust in God.   I was blessed by a message on the theme of waiting on the Lord’s hope.   The biblical examples of Zechariah and Elizabeth from the New Testament and Abraham and Sarah from the Old Testament   were cited as having waited for so long in agony for their children. The traumatised waiting of th...

Overwhelming love; Pain; Joy; Confusion; Protectiveness; Fear. . .Maybe these were just some of the emotions filling Mary's heart and Joseph's too, in the days following their scramble to find shelter amidst the hordes of travellers descending upon Bethlehem and the shatteringly painful yet peace-covered moments of Jesus' birth. Even as her body screamed in protest and her mind had fought against the why of her surroundings, Mary was consumed by the tsunami of love and explosive joy that coursed through her every time she gazed at Him, this one she had carried and now borne.   The mystery consumed her, how the Divine had chosen her to bear His Son, but why here, in this place of dirt and lack?  Yet there were safe; they were sheltered and the very straw, even the very animals had become suffused with a growing glory.  Would it ever be just a stable again? Mary did not think so, for now the Divine had entered and even embraced its manger, the light of heaven would sur...

Image from Pixabay: Someone holding a gift in a box. Imagine… As writers, our imaginations can often work in overdrive. When I hear a certain word, see a particular image, or research a certain date; my mind runs riot with imagery, thoughts and ideas. Dates I find particularly interesting and the significance that they bring. My birthday, for instance, is the same date that my parents were married (not the same year) and Anne Boleyn was beheaded (not at the same event, not even the same year). I know these things because of my interest and the result of some fun research. As writers, we all need to indulge in and enjoy our research, which is why I used the word – ‘fun.’ Do you struggle with research? I had a little fun researching the name which we use for 26 th December. So-called, Boxing Day, is very much a British name, yet also celebrated by some Commonwealth countries; particularly Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The name originated during Queen Victoria's reign when ...

  Wishing you a blessed Christmas filled with His Joy and Peace, and a Hope filled New Year. FOR   UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN Jesus is all that we need. He is the source of our spiritual life and food for our souls. He is the foundation stone safe enough to built our lives upon. He is the one who makes us fruitful and the light by which we live in a dark world. Jesus knows what we need and how to provide it for us, because He lived on earth as one of us. And yet He is still God. He is our Wonderful Counsellor , the One who loves to come alongside us. Jesus is the promised Messiah, The One promised for centuries before His birth. The One who would come and establish a kingdom of peace, By giving Himself in selfless sacrifice to make peace between ourselves and God. The One who would inherit David’s throne and who rules victorious. Jesus, our Prince of Peace .   Jesus is God Incarnate. The One who came to reveal the Father to us,...

  I can’t remember when my wife Clare and I joined ACW. It must have been nearly fifteen years ago. Actually, she was the real member, as she was writing her Mullins Family Saga, while I was merely an author of non-fiction and technical books. But now the three books of the saga are finished and she has gone where all good stories come true. I have blogged here for about seven years, but this will be my last blog. It has been an interesting time. Readers with good memories will recall my premonition in June 2016 of dark times to come. And now we are almost accustomed to living in dark times. But the Light continues to shine. Strangely, though, a fictional inspiration that came to me rough-hewn before Clare and I met (in 1971) has returned to me, and if I’m spared, I hope to let it develop into something people can read. Let me explain. As a teenager, I desperately wanted to write a fantasy story. I wanted to invent a magical world with a history, poetry, maps, and, most importantly...

  How to Write Fantasy by Rebecca Seaton   Who Your main character will take your reader through the world you’ve built. He or she will drive the quest. They usually have strong powers but also significant weaknesses and have to learn to deal with both. Fortunately, they are likely to be ably supported by a close friend or friends, a love interest and a wise mentor. Unfortunately, they will also be plagued by enemies, often under the direction or their nemesis. Some characters can be fluid, like the jealous friend who betrays the hero.                                                                                                                              ...

My nephew recently showed me his fish. He told me about feeding them, and about their medicine. “Medicine?!”   said I, who had no idea fish-medicine is a thing. “Yes, because they’ve been poorly. They’re mostly better now. But this one (he points to one beneath a stone at the bottom) is taking the longest to recover. He’s the canary.” “Canary?!” said I, who had no idea canary fish are a thing. “Yes, like the canaries in coal mines. He got it first; he’s the most sensitive. Like the canaries in coal mines went ahead, to help others not get carbon monoxide poisoning.” “Who told you about canary fish?” asked I, knowing how gullible I am. “Google.” It’s official, then: canary fish are indeed a thing. The canary – and, it seems, canary-fish – went ahead, to prevent, as far as possible, people (or other fish) from becoming ill.  The canaries took that on themselves. At Christmas, we remember Jesus’ coming. Jesus – Saviour.  And she will have a son, and you...

In the beginning were the words. Unexpected words and nightmares. And dreams and decisions and facing disgrace together expectantly. Words in holy spaces fringed with fear and wide-eyed silence. Sky-words heralding a special birth read from great distances - details missing between the stars. Bright words in dark places upending expectations a holy invitation . Ancient words locating the place of treasure. Words in dreams weaving safe routes for tired travellers. Words told and retold gathered and treasured measured sung and flung wide invitation conversation information... But in the beginning right at the beginning before all noise and shouting whispers and singing - in the beginning was the Word. Image from Pixabay.  Lucy Marfleet loves reading, laughing, her husband’s cooking, walking her dog and marvelling at how tall the kids are getting. She teaches Biblical Studies for Spurgeon’s College on their  Equipped to Minister  course and has a Masters in Theology from the...

I often get called Scrooge – by my husband, no less. It’s not that I don’t like Christmas. I do. It’s just that he doesn’t have to organise the entire thing. I actually love giving gifts, it’s one of my love languages, and I don’t begrudge any of that side. It’s the faff. The fluff. The nonsense that gets me down. I turn on UCB hoping for something more meaningful, only to find they’re also playing “All I want for Christmas is you.” I turn it off again. I know, I know… Scrooge.   Then there’s the tree. Oh goodness. We have a fairly decent artificial one. This year, having moved house and gained some more space, we considered splurging on a real one, but we have kittens, and I could just imagine them climbing to the top, knocking everything off and catapulting to the nearest piece of tinsel hanging from a picture frame. Crash.   We’ve come pretty close, even with the artificial tree, and the little tinkers also figured out how to squash down the bottom row of branches so they ...