More than Writers

I sat at my desk, in front of my computer, typing words, structuring sentences, deleting and rewording. I pictured my audience in my mind as I decided how I wanted to express the facts. I wasn’t working on a creative devotional or poem. This was the outworking of my morning so far. I’d received an early call from one of our church family who is also a friend. Her son – a severely disabled young man aged 29 had suddenly passed away that night. My morning was reshaped into visits, calls and now I was sat behind my computer with the job of sending out the sad news to the rest of the church. My audience were those who knew and loved him as well as those who had little or no contact. I wanted to write something that was honouring of his life, his unique relationship with the Lord and to break the news in a pastorally sensitive way. All in a few sentences. I realised afresh that this for me is really important. There are days or even weeks when I don’t have as much time to write devotion...

 I came away from my first Scargill ACW residential with a bad case of imposter syndrome, although I didn't have a name for it then. So many published authors and folks who seemed to know everyone and everybody. Was I a writer or not? I had been anxious to decide. Not, I concluded. But some perverse streak made me fire a sample of writing at the ACW Lent book competition. Result! I was invited to contribute. Joining the ACW led to finding you all. What a supportive bunch! So much help and encouragement. Now, it's not so much whether I can write after a fashion, more about 'how', 'why' and 'what'. In February I blogged about how mojo had deserted me in lockdown. Three of you have helped recently, for which many thanks. The first was Livi (Karen Rosario Ingerslev) on the ACW selfpublishing zoom with a quote that impacted her at a crucial point: 'You are not a writer because those who have the power to publish you choose to publish your words. You are a...